Thread: Geraldo wants Bush to Pardon 12 M illegal aliens

Geraldo Rivera urges local business leaders to tell President Bush to pardon illegal imigrants

Friday, September 19, 2008 ERIN STOCKNews staff writer

Television news host Geraldo Rivera on Thursday asked Birmingham business leaders to join him in urging President Bush to pardon the approximately 12 million immigrants living illegally in the country.

"Call off these raids and pardon these people, then go forward and help to heal the inequities and the other bureaucratic problems and irregularities with the immigration system," Rivera said.

Rivera, host of "Geraldo at Large" on Fox News Channel, told an audience of about 350 people at the Hispanic Business Council's annual breakfast that Bush should halt raids on plants employing illegal immigrants and issue the pardons in his last few months in office. Granting illegal immigrants some form of documentation would make them feel safer to report crimes, he said.


"I'm not saying even give them a path to citizenship - let the Congress work that problem out. Let the people of the United States voice their opinions on that," Rivera said, speaking at The Harbert Center downtown. "But for God's sake, do what you attempted to do in 2007 with your reform legislation."

U.S. immigration policy has been racist nearly from the beginning, he said, and there has never been a legal way for a large number of Mexicans to become U.S. citizens. Rivera also said he is distressed by the racist rhetoric of the immigration debate and accused members of the media, including rival network CNN's Lou Dobbs, of spreading misinformation about immigrants.

Rivera, author of "His Panic," said that since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, terrorism has been used to justify spending money on fences and border patrol along the U.S.-Mexican border. But Rivera, who cited U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff as his source, said there has not been a verified terrorist penetration of the southern border in "this era of fighting fundamental Islamic terrorists."

"Terrorism can no longer be used as a justification for the draconian treatment of these immigrants," he said. "It is factually incorrect."

Rivera at one point elicited applause from the audience, when he said, referring to walls along the border: "Don't they think Mexicans have 14-foot ladders?"

Wendy Padilla-Madden, chairwoman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce's Hispanic Business Council and an immigration lawyer, said Rivera's suggestion to pardon illegal immigrants is a good start to fixing a broken system.

The council seeks to showcase successful Hispanics such as Rivera, she said.

"We brought him not because of his political ideas, but because he is a prominent Hispanic American who has excelled in his field," she said.

Rivera signed copies of his new book after the speech. Also at Thursday's event, Fiesta awarded three $5,000 scholarships for use by Hispanic students at Miles College, Samford University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Fiesta is a non-profit organization that was formed by members of the Hispanic Business Council to raise scholarship money.

E-mail: estock@bhamnews.com

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/m ... xml&coll=2

I wish that FOX News would deport Geraldo out of their studios....perhaps he can become a day laborer at Univision or Telemundo.

Who singles out hispanics on either side is a RACIST and that goes for Geraldo, Bob Menendez in NJ and any other person who calls themselves advocates or leaders of a specific ethnic group.

Originally Posted by legalatina

I wish that FOX News would deport Geraldo out of their studios....perhaps he can become a day laborer at Univision or Telemundo.

Too bad neither Univision nor Telemunda want him. I think he should be sent to Iraq to look for Saddam's vault. LOL! No, better he be sent to Mexico to cover the drug cartels and corruption! That's the ticket!

Let the people of the United States voice their opinions on that," Rivera said,

We have spoken......time and time and time again. Try listening instead of shouting over everyone to get your 2 cents in and you might get it. This man just eerks the beejebers out of me.

U.S. immigration policy has been racist nearly from the beginning, he said, and there has never been a legal way for a large number of Mexicans to become U.S. citizens.

Racist? I think not. There is a good reason why we don't want a legal was for large numbers of hispanics to become citizens...reasons I won't get into now beause I think we all know what they are.

I wish Jerry-aldo would go away.

Originally Posted by legalatina

I wish that FOX News would deport Geraldo out of their studios....perhaps he can become a day laborer at Univision or Telemundo.

Great Idea, you crack me up

"I'm not saying even give them a path to citizenship - let the Congress work that problem out. Let the people of the United States voice their opinions on that," Rivera said,

Geraldo, NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU THINK.

By the way, "THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES VOICED THEIR OPINIONS" AND 80% SO NO "PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP" AND NO "AMNESTY"!

You are an impossible man to get along with. I cant understand how you made it on camera. Most people do not admire anything you do. Maybe you should quit tv altogether.

You are an impossible man to get along with.

Im sure all his exes would concur. The man is a major philanderer on top of being an idiot.

Originally Posted by miguelina

Originally Posted by legalatina

I wish that FOX News would deport Geraldo out of their studios..!

..perhaps he can become a day laborer at Univision or Telemundo..!

Too bad neither Univision nor Telemunda want him..!

I think he should be sent to Iraq to look for Saddam's vault. LOL..!

No, better he be sent to Mexico to cover the drug cartels and corruption! That's the ticket..!

You both crack me up..!

..wait a minute, everyone on this thread cracks me up..!!

..and SO true..!!

WHAT would we do ..without Jerry Rivers..?! :P