Obamnesty First, Security Second?
Posted 06/21/2010 06:57 PM ET, Investor's Business DailyIBD Editorials
Immigration: The president tells a border state U.S. senator that if we beef up border protection Democrats will lose the bargaining chip for comprehensive immigration reform. Forget national sovereignty — sue Arizona!
As the Obama administration prepares to sue the state of Arizona to block its copycat enforcement of federal immigration law, Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl reveals that in a private meeting President Obama put his party's agenda above the nation's sovereignty.
Last Friday, Kyl told the audience at a North Tempe Tea Party town hall meeting:
"I met with the president in the Oval Office (regarding securing the southern border with Mexico)," Kyl said, "just the two of us . .. here's what the president said. 'The problem is,' he said, 'If we secure the border, then you all won't have any reason to support comprehensive immigration reform.'"
If we secure the border? The nation's security is a bargaining chip for politically motivated legislation with political consequences?
Every nation has a right to protect its borders, and our commander in chief has a duty to protect ours. Refusal to do so for political reasons is unconscionable. Our border states should not remain exposed to the escalating violence of a Mexican drug war that has already claimed the life of one Arizona rancher.
The murderers of Robert Krentz escaped to a protected pronghorn antelope area that the Interior Department of Secretary Ken Salazar had placed off limits to U.S. border patrol agents in order to protect endangered species.
So unserious is the administration about protecting the border that it has placed off limits some 4.3 million acres of wilderness area that has become both a haven and a highway for illegal aliens, drug smugglers, human traffickers and potential terrorists.
Arizona is now the kidnapping capital of the United States, and Phoenix has the second-largest kidnapping problem in the world, just behind Mexico City. Claremont Institute fellows William J. Bennett and Seth Leibsohn, writing in National Review, report that someone is kidnapped every 35 hours in Phoenix.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, kidnapping in Arizona increased 402% between 2004 and 2008, with almost 70% of the kidnapping cases submitted for prosecution involving illegal immigrants.
This is part of a much bigger crime picture. The Center for Immigration Studies reports that while illegal aliens make up 9% of the Arizona population, they are responsible for 22% of the felonies in the state and they constitute 11% of the state prison population.
Instead of securing the border, the Obama administration is preparing to sue Arizona for doing the feds' job by passing SB 1070, which mimics existing federal law.
The irony here is that the Department of Homeland Security has Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) with around 70 state and local law enforcement agencies to participate in program 287(g) partnerships to enforce federal law.
Nine of these jurisdictions are in Arizona and all of the agreements were inked while Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was Arizona governor. Last October, Napolitano said these "agreements promote public safety by prioritizing the identification and removal of dangerous criminal aliens and ensure consistency and stronger federal oversight of state and local immigration law enforcement efforts across the nation."
Under these agreements, local law enforcement is trained and authorized to enforce federal immigration laws by arresting criminal illegal aliens. Nationwide the program has ID'd and processed for removal more than 110,000 criminal aliens since January 2006.
The Obama administration wants to sue Arizona for doing what it authorized Arizona to do. No court should allow that.
In a statement issued Friday after it was confirmed the administration was preparing to sue, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer called Obama's decision "outrageous" but "not surprising."
"Our federal government should be using its legal resources to fight illegal immigration, not the law-abiding citizens of Arizona," Arizona's governor said. We concur.
President Obama's words to Sen. Kyl seem to indicate a willingness to hold the American people hostage to a political agenda and should be roundly condemned. We need to plug the hole on our southern border first.
Hank Heinold
IS BARACK OBAMA AND THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS COMMITTING TREASON AGAINST THE UNITED STATES?
Posted by Harry Riley, COL, USA, Ret., in Patriots for America
Patriots:
The President of the United States stood nearly arm-in-arm on the steps of the White House with President Felipe Calderon of Mexico. Calderon arrogantly criticized the courage of the State of Arizona for passing a law, which mirrors federal law designed to protect Arizona citizens from falling prey to Mexicans or anyone else that crosses the border into the United States illegally. Obama, looking on as Calderon made his inflammatory comments, took no issue with Calderon, in fact Obama made statements critical of Arizona leadership and it's government.
Further, the indescribable spectacle on May 20, 2010 when Mexican President Calderon addressed the Congress of the United States, attacking the State and government of Arizona using false, misleading, inciting, dangerous lies was bad enough. But, when what appeared to be a majority of the sitting US Congress, to include congressional leadership, rose and applauded Calderon's egregious attacks on one of our States, Arizona, it reflected one of the most despicable displays of anti-America, treasonous action by a body of Congress ever witnessed.
The United States Constitution, specifically Article IV, Section 4 in it's entirely states: "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence." The United States government has willfully failed to uphold the United States Constitution.
Where is US Government priority regarding responsibility and obligation under the US Constitution for national security and sovereignty? Arizona and other border States have said in no uncertain terms, our people are dying, illegal chaos is evident and the federal government fiddles with amnesty...Arizona has been abandoned by the federal government and says "we'll take care of own"...but just stay out of our way. What does Washington do? They find fault to cover their own incompetence, negligence, and obstinate unwillingness to ensure national security and sovereignty.
Several American Administrations have failed to secure the United States southern border after repeated pleas from border States. However, no previous Administration has allowed a foreign leader to stand on the steps of the White House and in the well of the United States Capitol, mockingly condemn a U. S. State in a false, deceitful, willful, provocative manner, while the President of the United States looks on approvingly; and a majority of Congress gives a standing ovation to a foreign leader, who is without credibility as he bashes Americans and our rule of law principles. What is President Calderon's point of objection? Arizona is following federal law in protecting it's citizens from primarily Calderon's illegal and criminal elements invading America...
When a United States President and a United States Congress, having taken an oath "...to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic...", purposefully and openly defies, and falsely condemns, a member of the Union, Arizona, while supporting and applauding a haughty, isolent, pin-head of a foreign leader, there can be no other conclusion than, TREASON AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Barack Obama, every member of Congress demonstrating against Arizona and America by supporting President Calderon of Mexico have stated, in spirit, the despicable words, which I can't repeat, of Obama's previous spiritual mentor, Rev Jeremiah Wright...
Obama should be prosecuted for treason and every member of Congress that profaned their oaths must, at a minimum be removed from office on November 2, 2010.