The House version of the $390 billion appropriations bill would not end funding for the registration program. Now the two chambers will have to hash out the issue.
"We are committed to the National Security Exit-Entry Registration System, which has already proven to have been a success in apprehending persons who would have presented a severe risk to the American people," said Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the Department of Justice.
The program has resulted in the apprehension of 330 "known criminals" and three "known terrorists," he said.
Those Poor 'Scumbags'
Outspoken columnist Michelle Malkin, who specializes in immigration issues, in her column today lists some of "the scumbags caught by the NSEERS program that Kennedy wants to eliminate" with his "pro-terror mischief":
A Tunisian convicted of multiple drug-trafficking and immigration violations; a Dominican previously deported for aggravated assault and burglary; a Canadian with multiple narcotics convictions; an Iranian convicted three times of assault with a deadly weapon and twice of grand theft in addition to immigration violations; an Iranian child molester; an Iranian thief and drug offender; and two suspected al-Qaeda terrorists caught trying to enter the nation after their fingerprints matched ones lifted by U.S. military officials from papers found in Afghan caves.
Is Teddy the only pol trying to abet terrorism? Nope. Two other leftist Democrats, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, signed a letter with him last month demanding that the program be suspended, Malkin reveals.
"Immigration lawyers, ethnic lobbyists, and civil liberties extremists aligned with Kennedy have been up in arms over NSEERS, despite the fact that the program is in line with alien registration systems around the world-and despite the fact that not a single illegal alien has actually been kicked out yet as a result of being caught through NSEERS," Malkin writes.
Teddy Doesn't Want to Offend Terrorists
In an editorial Monday headlined "Kennedy's wrong," the Lowell Sun wrote:
"Just whose rights is Sen. Edward Kennedy really concerned about, Americans or foreigners? ...
"If case you've forgotten, all 19 Sept. 11 terrorists were foreigners who entered this country and plotted here for months, aided by an inept U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service that had no system to monitor their whereabouts. NSEERS was established to end the inefficiency that threatens American lives. It is congressionally mandated to provide information on the identity of the visitors, through fingerprinting, and help the INS track foreigners on U.S. soil. ...
"His arguments are ridiculous. The cost of not tracking Middle-Eastern immigrants entering America may turn out to be another Sept. 11 tragedy. Kennedy's political correctness on this issue is alarming. ...
"The first duty of America's lawmakers should be to protect American citizens at all costs. It's outrageous that Kennedy is ignoring the government's ability to enhance those protections by blocking a worthwhile program," the Massachusetts newspaper concluded.
Actually Carl, as you (and MM?) may have noticed, we've been aware of it over here at FR ever since we all saw the same Jan 25 Wash Post article.
Jan 25 post:
Senate Votes to Halt INS Registration Program (Kennedy knifes America)
