Posted on 06/14/2007 11:16:52 AM PDT by kristinn
A spokeman for the Bush administration sent an e-mail to Jim Robinson and myself confirming the authenticity of a post on Free Republic this afternoon regarding the immigration bill currently before the Senate as having been posted on behalf of the White House.
The spokesman, Nicholas Thompson, works for the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. The Politico reported yesterday that Thompson and Kerrie Rushton, associate directors in the Office of Strategic Initiatives who work under Karl Rove, would be engaging the blogosphere on the immigration bill.
Thompson's post is on the thread titled Penalty Mitigation in the Immigration Reform Bill, a vanity posted by philman_36. Thompson posted at comment #53.
Thompson's e-mail to Free Republic included a brief introduction and the text of his posted comment:
Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that I just posted a response to the post "Penalty Mitigation in the Immigration Reform Bill."
The White House appreciates the opportunity to respond on Free Republic.
Response:
I would like to point out that the Secretary is authorized to reduce or mitigate penalities against employers who in good faith are trying to comply with the law. Certainly, we understand that not all employers knowingly hire illegal immigrants; this will remain the case, especially before the bill’s new secure documentation requirements are fully phased in. We do not seek to wrongly penalize honest employers who unknowingly hire illegal immigrants, therefore we reserve the right to reduce or mitigate their penalties if the employer can show good faith compliance in following the law.
For those employers who do knowingly hire illegal immigrants, please know that we intend to penalize these employers strongly, and the Administration has already stepped up these penalties in the last couple of years. For example, a 2005 program, “Operation Rollback,” assessed $15,000,000 in civil fines to employers, an amount greater than the sum of administrative fines collected in the previous eight years and was the largest worksite enforcement penalty in US history. In the first quarter of FY07, criminal and civil forfeitures have totaled $26,700,000 for employers.
As a reminder of what’s in the bill, fines for hiring an illegal worker are $5,000 maximum per illegal worker for the first offense, $10,000 maximum per illegal worker for the second, $25,000 maximum per illegal worker for the third , and $75,000 maximum per illegal worker for the fourth. In addition, the bill increases the maximum criminal penalty for a pattern or practice of unlawful hiring twenty-five-fold, from $3,000 to $75,000, and would impose a prison term of up to six months. This represents a significant increase in fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Nicholas Thompson
White House Office of Strategic Initiatives
Yeah, several hours now, and the guy still has only that one In Forum post in his profile.
So much for engagement. I guess that was just the latest lie from the White House.
Thanks for the ping, jdm.
Nick, if GWB thinks this is going to change our minds, he’s definitely lost touch with his base.
Tell him to sign up anonymously at FR and post what he really thinks — that should open his eyes. Whatever his strategy is, it’s wrecking the GOP.
They already have plenty of freepers carrying their water. This direct attempt to influence us is, I think, just short of desperate and more than a day late - a dollar short.
Amen, brother!
Heh heh heh. I hope you are wearing the Devil’s Panties today!
All the people of the world are served better by a strongly capitalist USA. Healthy capitalism depends on the rule of law and the notion that ‘cheaters do not prosper.’ Law abiding employers should not be forced to unfairly compete with those who violate the law. Any remedy should include a cease and desist, not a pass to continue benefiting from one’s illegal entry or illegal hiring practices.
Everyone should be expected to follow the law. There is no room for the ‘soft bigotry of low expectations.’ I’m not unsympathetic to the plight of many who come here illegally. I’ve known people here illegally from every continent but Antarctica, however I would still support the deportation of my clone were he here illegally.*
*Hypothetical - to my knowledge no such clone exists.
Which proves there is NO intention to secure the border. They're counting on more aliens coming in. Someone has to do that cheap labor and the legal ones won't.
If you come her and demand that America CHANGE,
you are an INVADER.
I invite him over here and you want to go and get him banned?:')
Exactly. Don't come telling us how much enforcement we'll get in the future until you have some credibility on this issue.
Which will be after the entire 700 mile fence is completely built, for starters.
FOOL ME ONCE,SHAME ON YOU!
FOOL ME TWICE,SHAME ON ME!
Good point. I guess that really WOULD be eye opening for him, wouldn’t it?
Hell, the Feds are talking about suspending border passport rules (as long as you have a piece of paper saying you are getting a passport) because they're so backlogged and we're supposed to be stupid enough to believe their hogwash on the z visas. pfft!
Our patriotic unionist friends are right: this is about bringing down wages (in addition to erosions the authority of citizenship and of national as well as popular sovereignty.)
Early on in Pres. Bush's 2000 campaign, I was a part of a meeting his campaign held with grass-roots leaders in Illinois, seeking our support.
There I told them that our support is not unconditional, but that we required thorough support in return, for:
1. the Right to Life
2. our Individual, Family, and National Sovereignty.
One out of two is not nearly good enough. Have we been betrayed?
We're on the brink.
Eagle, we need Duncan Hunter in more ways than can be counted. Instead, the media and the RNC prefer to ignore him. Perhaps we can elevate his fence and him, without them!!
Also, I am concerned as to the types of legal immigrants. They are too often anti Semitic and anti US and come from countries hostile to us. You only need to look at the vicious crimes and terrorists acts perpetrated by legal immigrants. Please have more strict screening.
Mr. Thompson is posting on various conservative blogs including NRO’s The Corner, and Red State, in addition to dropping his post in here. I seriously doubt he will be back to read these comments, which is quite sad.
}:-)4
I’m nearly laughing.
With all the issues regarding this bill he could have responded to, he chooses to tell us how the administration is going to go lightly on employers who are ‘trying.’
That’s funny.
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