Re: Feds to hold 'sanctuaries' accountable
- From: jose <josefsoplar@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:34:27 -0800 (PST)
On Nov 18, 2:51 pm, "justme" <ejta...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Jose are you an American? Go back to Mexico and start over..climb the wall
and fall in like the rest of them ok..pick beans and tomatoes like your
brothers did and do.."jose" <josefsop...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in
justme are you a racist?
news:15a2f334-807b-4928-b401-4a96025aa87a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Feds to hold 'sanctuaries' accountable
'We're not going to tolerate people blatantly disregarding our laws'
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Posted: November 10, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
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(c) 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Sanctuary cities - whether their law enforcement personnel
deliberately obstruct federal immigration enforcement or simply ignore
such violations when they encounter them - soon could be facing the
wrath of the federal government in court, according to the Department
of Homeland Security.
Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff recently told a congressional
committee he didn't intend to "tolerate interference" by sanctuary
cities that would block companies from participating in such programs
as "E-Verify," which allows workers' IDs to be checked before hiring.
"I intend to take as vigorous legal actions as the law allows to
prevent that from happening, prevent that kind of interference," he
told Congress.
(Story continues below)
Within days, the first fruits of that promised were revealed, with a
lawsuit against the state of Illinois over a legislative proposal
signed into law by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
According to published reports Illinois is "complicating" efforts by
federal agents with a state law that virtually blocks corporations
from participating in the program that was set up to verify if new
employees have legal standing to work in the United States.
"The state of Illinois has now made it illegal to comply with federal
law," Chertoff told reporters when the action was filed. "That's not
acceptable as a matter of the Constitution."
Illinois already had become famous among sanctuary supporters, since
one of the higher profile cases in recent months involved Elvira
Arellano, who came into the United States illegally, was deported,
returned, and when facing another deportation took refuge in Adalberto
United Methodist Church in Chicago.
Longtime 'sanctuary' resident Elvira Arellano
She remained there for months before traveling to California where she
was arrested and deported from Los Angeles.
When the lawsuit was announced, reporters speculated the high profile
Chertoff gave it was meant as a warning to other states and cities
that also may be involved in such "sanctuary" issues. A department
spokeswoman, Veronica Nur Valdez, told WND the department has
committed to doing what it needs to, "up to and including legal
action" to make sure everyone is working on the same page of
immigration law enforcement.
"The lawsuit is in regard to E-Verify, a voluntary program. It's free
and simple to use. It's an online program where employers can match up
new hires' information with government databases and basically know
with a matter of minutes whether that person is eligible to be hired,"
she said.
"It's a tool meant to serve employers who want to act in good faith
and take appropriate steps and make sure they hire legal employees,"
she said. More than 30,000 companies already are taking part. The
lawsuit said the program answers about 93 percent of such inquiries
immediately or the next day, while the rest take longer.
Illinois' new Right to Privacy at Work Act, however, bans
participation in the program until Homeland Security reports it can do
99 percent of all investigations and return the final results within
three days.
Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said it was passed to "protect
employees" from what she described as "unfair treatment under the
federal government's flawed Basic Pilot Program."
The federal government, however, views the Illinois law as an
infringement of the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause, which
elevates federal law over state or local rules.
"What we can't do when we pass a federal law is have the states decide
they want to modify that law," Chertoff told reporters then.
Valdez told WND the state law is impeding the federal agency's ability
to carry out its responsibilities to the U.S. citizens.
"We're very committed to our responsibility to the American people,"
she said. "We are using the law as it is written and enforcing it as
best we can. We're very committed to this.
"I think," she continued, "we're not going to tolerate people
blatantly disregarding our laws. It's a disservice to our nation to
have people turn a blind eye to our laws."
She said such cases won't all be identical, and probably won't be
handled identically.
"I think what we have is fundamentally, our state and local
governments are trying to impede the department and the federal
government's responsibility to enforce our laws to the point that it's
a concern," she told WND. "The secretary has made it clear we're not
going to lay back. We will vigorously fight whatever [impedes] federal
law."
Many argue over the exact meaning of a "sanctuary" city, county or
state, but it's generally understood in those locations, which have
been compiled and listed by organizations such as the Ohio Jobs &
Justice Political Action Committee, apply a lower standard of
enforcement to federal immigration laws than other laws.
Lawsuits might not be the only way that such "sanctuary" governments
face a penalty, either.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., has for a number of years introduced
legislation that would withhold federal emergency services funding
from such cities.
To his surprise, the amendment attached to the funding bill for the
Department of Homeland Security was endorsed by the U.S. House this
year.
"The people of the country really have spoken," Tancredo told
newspaper reporters then. "It's a really good indicator of just how
much closer to the people the House is than the Senate." The vote was
234-189, with 50 Democrats supporting his plan.
Tancredo earlier had worked with other opponents of illegal
immigration to post billboards in Denver, including one that said:
"Welcome to SANCTUARY CITY ... Relax, you made it!"
However, the city long has questioned that description, contending
that city policies "comply" with federal law.
Tancredo, whose campaign for the 2008 GOP nomination for president has
focused on immigration issues, also had ruffled feathers by urging the
families of three young murder victims to consider suing Newark, N.J.,
over the city's "lax" immigration policies.
One of the suspects was identified as an illegal Peruvian immigrant
who had had two earlier encounters with the law, being indicted twice
on charges of child rape and aggravated assault. However, he was
released on bail both times.
There, Mayor Cory Booker defended the less-than-stringent enforcement
policy.
"Local law enforcement officials should not be going out asking,
inquiring and investigating whether people are documented or
undocumented," he told reporters.
A spokesman for President Bush earlier told WND that such resolutions
and statements by local governments about their "sanctuary" offerings
weren't anything the president would pursue.
But officials for an activist group, Americans for Legal Immigration,
say they would offer a solution. The question at that point was a
sanctuary designation by New Haven, Conn., so ALIPAC officials said
they would circulate a promotion in more than three dozen states -
urging illegal aliens to move to New Haven.
"Maybe New Haven needs to learn, if they want the illegals, then
they'll get the illegals," ALIPAC President William Gheen told WND.
New Haven's plan was to offer illegals identification cards so they
could use city services such as libraries. Supporters reported the
cards will improve "public safety" and give the illegal aliens
protections that already are given to legal residents.
New York also is embroiled in turmoil over the governor's proposal to
grant illegal aliens drivers' licenses.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
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