Oil Spills and Immigration Policy Is there any connection between American immigration policy and the oil spilling onto Gulf coast beaches from BP's Deepwater Horizon rig?
As 2009 draws to a close the urgency of staying on top of the immigration issue could not be more important. The border is unprotected, the fence has not been built, and interior enforcement grows weaker. TFIR has the connections with our members working frequently with the Border Patrol on the ranches in Falfurrias to know first hand what is happening. The reports are that our volunteer forces have not been replaced with a Border Patrol that is capable of protecting us. The new administration with the appointment of Janet Napolitano to Homeland Security is derelict in ignoring the serious threat the open border is to our country. Osama Bin Laden could be entering the United States easily and he wouldn't be picked up by anyone as no one would know that he is here. He wouldn't need a passport or visa! He could be organizing further terrorist attacks and hiding in a sanctuary city.
Former Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain has been busy. He has been in Colorado to try to place his choice for the U.S. Senate in the primary there. That was relayed to us from Tom Tancredo. A bright bit of news is that former AZ Representative J.D. Hayworth is showing strong support for McCain's Arizona senate seat and he has not even announced that he is running. Hayworth opened his Washington office to TFIR members when I last attended the FAIR Hold Their Feet to the Fire about six years ago. Unlike McCain he is aware that immigration is a problem for our citizens. The amnesty issue will probably be addressed in 2010. Already McCain has met with Obama as they share a mutual desire for amnesty. Each of you needs to know the answer to the question of why John McCain would be working so closely with Obama on an amnesty for somewhere between 20 and 30 million illegal immigrants.
The best defense and offense we have is education. The more intelligently you can speak on immigration the more likely you are to convince others. We can follow in the footsteps of Father Theodore Hesbrough of Notre Dame who was pressured to support guest worker programs but after considerable thought and study believed that such programs were not good for American workers. Barbara Jordan who was Chair of the Sub Committee on Immigration in 1995 made the comment that an immigration policy to be credible, "some get to stay and some must go." Professor Vernon Briggs of Cornell said we have a long history of guest worker programs and we know that they do not work, a little less than half the guest workers stay.
Next year we start with another year of excellent programs. Our Vice President has arranged in January for Dr. Frank Morris to be our speaker. I met him in Austin when he testified for us in the Senate. Be sure not to miss this program. He is retired from the U.S Foreign Service and a retired Professor and Dean. His expertise = policy analysis /immigration/education/black American Males. He is on the Board of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. We had a wonderful conversation in Austin; I was elated to find such a person and immediately suggested him for a speaker. His resume will be on the website.
In February we will have a forum for candidates. Please renew your membership soon and I remind you of our wonderful prize for the person who brings in the most members by our next meeting date. A $100 gift certificate to eat at the Taste of Texas! You could be the lucky winner!
Have a joyous Christmas, Hanukkah or other holiday celebration!
Please take advantage of the opportunity to hear former U. S. Representative Tom Tancredo on November 12. Note that this will not be a Saturday meeting but it will take place on Thursday evening. We are privileged to have him speak. Many years ago when the immigration movement was in its infancy Texans for Immigration Reform, Inc had a magnificent luncheon for him and he spoke and presented his slides of the invasion across our borders. He showed pictures of the Mexican army and their many incursions into the United States among other things. It made a lasting impression and we have remained steadfast in our efforts to educate the public about what is happening. If you didn’t have time to read the last newsletter go back and do it now for his article that we published reveals the problems of dealing with both the Republican and Democrat Party on the immigration issue.
October 27th and 28th were red letter days for Houston, Texas. The two bodies of local government went in opposite directions.
Sheriff Adrian Garcia opened Commissioner’s Court with a concise and compelling statement on why Houston needs to continue the 287g program. This is a welcome surprise from a sheriff just elected and it was unexpected.Reports that “he is a good man” seem to be true. Members from US Border Watch, Texas Border volunteers and Texans for Immigration Reform, Inc. had members who testified. Commissioner’s Court voted overwhelmingly for continuing 287g. There was only one vote in opposition.
Mayor Bill White, without a discussion with the City Council members, had eliminated the 287g program. Council Member Toni Lawrence called for a special session of City Council to discuss the measure the day following HarrisCounty’s decision.The four council members attending did not have a quorum so everyone proceeded to the Rotunda area for a press conference. All four spoke affirming the need for this program and not just the Secure Communities program that the mayor proposed. Secure Communities will be beneficial to getting hardened illegal criminals removed but will ignore others. 287g will identify those without citizenship status.
287g has been successful in establishing coordination between the federal government and local governments. Harris County Commissioner’s Court voted to continue with this program. Houston should be doing the same.
