Immigration Follies at Homeland Security
Incompetent leadership at the agency's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Department is making immigration problems worse.
There are plenty of reasons why the United States experiences so much illegal immigration. They include: Americans’ insatiable appetite for cheap labor and the standard of living it affords; the vast wealth disparity between the United States and Mexico; the failure of countries around the world, including Mexico, to produce jobs at home so people don’t have to cross borders; the reluctance of elected officials in this country to crack down on the politically well-connected business interests that keep illegal immigrants gainfully employed; and the fact that Americans, especially 20-somethings, have surrendered their work ethic and won’t do the jobs that wind up being done by illegal immigrants.
For a simpler view, we turn to Julie Myers, former assistant director of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Myers recently put the blame on “sanctuary” policies, which she said make it hard for federal agents to arrest and deport criminal gang members who are in the United States illegally.
First, let’s clarify what we mean by sanctuary cities. The shoe fits in San Francisco, where in 1989, the Board of Supervisors barred local officials, including police, from cooperating with federal authorities in the deportation of illegal immigrants. But the term sanctuary doesn’t apply in those cities — like San Diego — where there’s been no formal declaration but where police, on their own initiative, refuse to act as surrogate immigration officers.
Frankly, I’m not sure Myers understands the difference. Since nominated for the position in 2005, when she was 36 years old, Myers turned ICE into a laughingstock.
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Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a member of the editorial board of the San Diego Union Tribune, a nationally syndicated columnist, a frequent lecturer, and a regular contributor to CNN.com.
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15 Comments
1. Mike T:Calling them “monstrously large” is pretty laughable. The FBI has nearly twice that many employees. The NYPD has well over twice that many police officers. The problem here is the leadership and the leadership only. Or should that be… the lack thereof.
Nov 10, 2008 - 8:09 am 2. AnninCA:I’m not sure it’s incompetence as much as a lack of a cohesive immigration policy that is the crux of the problem.
Nov 10, 2008 - 8:31 am 3. hulagate.org:Invoking the stunted mental memory and keen childliking floor planning of the Branch Davidians in Waco, the Obama pre-administration today announced detailed plans to transit killers of U.S. troops and allies, from their current confines in Cuba to a less well appointed if chillier enclave on Cape Cod. “We must show the world that freeing terrorists is not just our hope, but the real change we so dearly campaigned upon for the last 2 years,” said an anonymous almost White House spouse. “If we’re unable to provide Mullah Omar’s taxpayer protected kids the benefit of the doubt, what does that say about Howard Scream, Jane Fondle, Ted Turncoat, Alexi Ballsless, and all the other semi-Americans that fought dinner parties for so many severe limo parking minutes to help get The One selected?” Preliminary details were sketched on the back of a cocktail napkin at the Springfield, Virgina Trader Vic’s by Rahmbo Emanuel and Cyrus Vance’s rotting corpse, but insiders describe a legal beaver combination of the old Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia with very off track betting, less the actual judgment afforded to the bleating drunks at Eagles games. “We’re not talking about perfection here, we’re just trying to create a Swiss-style political stick from thin air that we can use to bash Jeb Bush in 2012, assuming we’re not allowed to run for a third term in 2016. Mind you, nobody wants to see this devolve to actual trials with expedited results and long term incarcerations of these fine Muslim people, where they might accidentally be subjected to playground activities with the general prison population. Putting them or our leftist legacy of appeasement is simply non-negotiable,” said the young radical woman looking for a puppy that won’t pee on the Rose Room piano legs. “Certainly the major media will get behind this, and in numbers never seen before ACORN got ahold of the PBS contributor files, but we must strive to stay focused, keep our eyes on the prize, reach the highest ground — which basically comes down to Obama empowering the worst elements on the face of the globe, for no other reason than cheap political stuntsmanship that even a Hillary backer will love.” More later, on this same Ali Franken Punch Bowl (coming to the BCS in 2010) network.
Nov 10, 2008 - 8:40 am 4. Eric:AnninCA:
For a full diagnosis of all our problems substitute your favorite policy for immigration.
“…lack of a cohesive energy policy…”
“…lack of a cohesive monetary policy…”
etc.
We can’t craft any comprehensive policies because of partisan politics. The Left wants the borders wide open to fulfill their multicultural Utopian vision of the US and to increase the number of Democrat voters.
The Right wants the borders sealed off completely.
How do you reach consensus? And on it goes with virtually every issue.
Nov 10, 2008 - 2:48 pm 5. David Thomson:“…her judgment even before her Senate confirmation when a Homeland Security employee showed up at a staff Halloween party dressed in prison stripes, dreadlocks, and dark makeup. Not only did Myers not object, she gave the employee an award.”
So what? We make jokes all the time about different groups. Why do we still become unglued in this era when it concerns black people? Isn’t that an unwitting form of racism?
Nov 10, 2008 - 3:03 pm 6. mshatto:Nobody would have uttered a word if someone “showed up at a staff Halloween party dressed in prison stripes” with a bald white head, a Swstika tattooed on his arm, and light makeup.
Eric – you forgot to add that the RINOs like Arlen Spector, Chuck, Hagle and the Flower Power Sisters from Maine, want open borders so their corporate donors can continue to get cheap labor and the rest of the us think they’re compassionate.
Nov 10, 2008 - 3:45 pm 7. Gozer the Carpathian:As somone bringing his wife through ICE I’d like to add one more item to your list of why Illegal Immigration is so rampant.
LEGAL immigration is a PAIN IN THE ARSE!!! OMG. Do you know how much CRAP you have to go through to bring someone into this country LEGALLY?! Not only are there fees (that you’ll pay over and over again all along the way) but the red tape and forms you have to fill out or not fill out are legion!
I swear I could have brought her over here illegally and had all of this done with a year ago rather than put up with all this immigration crap for the next TEN YEARS O.O!
Honestly, you can’t ignore the legal side of immigration either when you talk about illegal immigration.
Nov 10, 2008 - 4:30 pm 8. DrawMaster:IF … a very LARGE IF … the current administration, or any previous one in recent memory for that matter, wanted to stem the tide of illegal immigration, it could do so. This one hasn’t the will or interest. Neither will the next, I suspect.
Nov 10, 2008 - 5:08 pm 9. Arthur:we should let anyone that wants to come here and be a good citizen to come here and live and work. why not? we need more people,not less, you want less people then you become a shrinking and dying society. the great thing about USA is that it changes, change is good. in 30 years this country will have a nicely mixed melting pot again, a little more latin flavor, and you know its great. the gop needs to stop picking on the Mexican people and start honoring them. if the gop likes it or not, they can bitch or yell , blame or close the eyes but mexicans are going to be a huge part of this country, huge, and if these millions of people find not a home with the gOP then the gop will be defunct.
Nov 10, 2008 - 6:53 pm 10. Gozer the Carpathian:the people can see the problem is not the people coming here, it is a problem with the wealth distribution in, the economic inequity. immigrants dont cause that problem, that problem is an american problem that has been festering most seriously for 28 years, at least, and has to addressed.
How is trying to deal with illegal immigration “picking on Mexicans?” There are illegal Asian, Candian, and other immigrants as well. The immigration system just needs a major overhaul on ALL fronts.
Nov 10, 2008 - 8:58 pm 11. Scott:and you know its great. the gop needs to stop picking on the Mexican people and start honoring them.
ok, I’m willing to bite on this one,… honor them for illegally entering and living in our country, or for overloading our healthcare system, (how do they obtain public aid cards when they are not citizens???), or doing those darn jobs we just are too American to do? Hmmmmmmmmmm, seems someone was doing those jobs before,…
what a load!!!
Nov 10, 2008 - 9:03 pm 12. Federale:It is not the 20 somethings who are refusing to do the jobs that immigrants do, but it is the welfare class, basically black men and women, as well as legal Hispanics, who refuse to work. Whites are generally gainfully employed. The jobs for the uneducated that Hispanics take now should be done by the millions on welfare.
Nov 11, 2008 - 6:28 pm 13. Janice Martorano:what does it matter now? We have a new administration who will provide amnesty and open the borders.
Nov 11, 2008 - 7:01 pm 14. Phineas Worthington:Isn’t CYA the norm in government bureaucracy?
And the Feds have no real incentive to change the status quo when large amounts of revenue come in from employee taxes from fake SSN’s.
Nov 13, 2008 - 6:04 am 15. nobozons:It’s a Mexican stand off. Some want to let all of the world in so they can get their vote to remain in office while blaming the other half for wanting cheap labor. What is good for the country is not at issue, sadly. It is time for massive anarchy. Stop paying your taxes! If the politicians are out to ruin you finical by taking away your life savings and giving it to illegal aliens and individuals who are now unable to pay for houses that they can’t afford or people who are maxed out on their credit cards because they just have to have the latest new phone, tv, etc. Wait until the world wide recession drops the value of the Dow Jones to 1950 levels. There won’t be any need to send them home, because we won’t be able to subsidize them. Next year if you won’t work you will starve. The government will steal the wealth of those who haven’t protected it to provide for all of those who want handouts, but that will just last for a short while and then no one will have anything.
Nov 14, 2008 - 6:59 am