Jerry Seper, of The Washington Times writes in Chertoff says illegal migration 'threat',the following excerpt:.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff yesterday said illegal immigration is a "severe and growing threat" and while it will take time to correct, the government has begun a campaign to secure America's borders.
.[emphasis added].The government 'has begun' a campaign to secure America's borders? Did the word just get to you people in your ivory towers that American's are very unhappy with the current border security situation?.Your number one job, Mr. Chertoff, is to actually ensure homeland security. How did you intend to do that without actually working on securing the border? Why has it taken you this much time to begin working on a campain to secure America's borders now?.
The salary we as taxpayers pay you is not paid so you can just be a talking head. You are paid to provide a service to those of us who employ you. That service is to do something about the border situation, along with other facets of homeland security. However 'practical' or not it may be, that is your job.
"Illegal migration .undercuts the rule of law, it undermines our national security, and it imposes public safety and economic strains on our borders, states and communities," Mr. Chertoff said in a speech during the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) policy summit in Washington.
.Yet, not long ago you stated that it would not be practical to deport all the illlegal aliens in this country. If it does all the stuff you just said it does, why would practicality matter? Wouldn't you just want to work hard to fix the problem, all practicality aside?.In case Mr.Chertoff forgot his lines from last November, allow me to refresh his memory:.
In defending President Bush's so-called "guest worker" program for illegal aliens ? which critics have dubbed an amnesty program ? Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says it's just not practical to deport the millions of foreigners in the country illegally."The cost of identifying all of those people and sending them back would be stupendous. It would be billions and billions of dollars," Chertoff told Sean Hannity on the Fox News Channel program "Hannity & Colmes" last night. - World Net Daily November 15, 2005.
.Mr. Chertoff, less than a month ago, you were supporting Bush's plan to legalize those illegal aliens' status; those same illegal aliens you just now stated, pose a "severe and growing threat" to national security. Were these illegal aliens not posing a "severe and growing threat" less than a month ago?.Quoting again from Mr. Seper's article, we read the following:."The reality is that this problem is 20 years in the making," he said. "It's going to take a little bit of time to dig ourselves out, but we are going to start digging ourselves out, and we have started in the last few months with some very aggressive planning and approaches to the issue of how to control border migration."
.Well, since the problem is 20 years in the making, why is the Bush Administration waiting until now, four years after being attacked by terrorists, to do something to fix the border? I would allow the Bush Administration to shift the blame on previous administrations if this was his first year as president, but this is his second term!.The American public deserves much better than this, Mr. Chertoff and Mr. President.
Why is it that senior citizens in lawn chairs are able to do what you were unwilling to do, up until just a few months ago?.The time has past a long time ago for you to quit talking and actually start doing something. Quit playing lip service and quit putting up window dressing. This isn't a political problem or something to trivialize to boost one side's poll numbers.
This is our sovereignty in question! Did it take you and President Bush this long to realize that?.
Mr. Chertoff outlined what he called a three-pronged plan to get control of the border, including increasing the government's ability to catch people who are illegally crossing into the United States, establishing a "robust" interior enforcement program, and creating a temporary guest-worker program to deal with illegals already in the country.
.You still don't get it, Mr. Chertoff! You just said that these illegal aliens put a strain on our nation, yet you still want to give them a guest worker status, which you say isn't an amnesty.An amnesty gives pardon to laws that are broken.Legalizing illegal entrants' status does exactly that. If that is not amnesty, perhaps I need a Clinton dictionary!.
Mr. Chertoff told the ALEC that more apprehensions and deportations would cut the strength of some of the sophisticated criminal groups that smuggle aliens and contraband into the country.
.What do you intend to do as part of your plan in the event of an armed stand-off?.
U.S.Border Patrol agents were backed down this week by armed men, dressed in what appeared to be Mexican military uniforms and carrying military weapons, who seized a captured dump truck filled with marijuana from the U.S. agents and dragged it across the border into Mexico with a bulldozer.
- World Net Daily November 20, 2005.
.What is your plan, Mr. Chertoff when, "armed med, dressed in what appeared to be Mexican military uniforms" disregard the sovereignty of our nation and threaten the lives of those Border Patrol Agents? What will be the American's government plan when this happens again? Will you continue to ignore these armed invasions? Do they somehow pose less of a threat since it only happens along the border?.Quoting the Washington Times article again, we read:.He said the president's proposed guest-worker program would make it possible for the government to channel foreign nationals into a legal regulated and temporary way to do work and then go home again.
.How is that possible? The president's proposal would grant legal status to those illegal aliens already here. Those who want to go through legal channels will have to wait their turn for those who have no right to legal status!.Look, Mr. Chertoff: either do something to secure our borders and solve illegal immigration or don't.But don't use political double-speak saying that illegal immigration hurts our nation and at the same time propose legalizing those same illegal aliens who hurt our nation! We are your stakeholders! Our security and way of life is at stake! Our country's future is at stake!.If you are not prepared, willing, or able to do the job, step down and let someone else take your place! Perhaps one of those senior citizens in a lawn chair could do a better job.
.References 1.Seper, Jerry. Chertoff Says Illegal Migration 'Threat'. The Washington Times [ONLINE]. 10 December, 2005.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20051209-110813-1084r.htm.
2. Chertoff: Not 'Practical'to Deport Illegal Aliens. World Net Daily 15 November 2005. http://www.wnd.com/news/article.
asp?ARTICLE_ID=47415.3. Armed Standoff on Rio Grande. World Net Daily. 20 November 2005. http://www.
worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47497.
By: John St. Michael
