Thread: AR: Boozman says Hispanics overwhelm police

AP Interview: Boozman says Hispanics overwhelm police in NW Ark.

By JON GAMBRELL
Wednesday, August 15, 2007 6:47 PM CDT

LITTLE ROCK - U.S. Rep. John Boozman said Hispanic immigrants coming to northwest Arkansas overwhelm police and courts with false identities, leaving warrants unserved and cases unprosecuted.

"There's chaos involved," Boozman told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. "And along with that, the public is feeling they are paying for all of this."

Boozman, the sole Republican in the state's congressional delegation, said immigration reform would come only after Congress and President Bush listen to what he described as overwhelming public concern on the issue. Boozman said that he and others would view any plans to offer citizenship through fines as an amnesty that would overwhelm the nation.

"Now, does that make them criminal in the sense of being violent crimes and stuff like that? No, they're up here playing the system as best they can to feed their families back home or their families here," Boozman said. "There's no difference in these people if they have a green card or if they don't as far as the person's work ethic and stuff like that ... but there is a limit of how much the country can absorb."

Boozman's district is in northwest Arkansas, home to poultry plants and other jobs attracting immigrants from Mexico and Latin America. Census estimates show Arkansas has more than 141,000 Hispanic residents, as recent studies conclude about half of the state's immigrant population lives in the United States illegally.

Boozman said those illegal immigrants overwhelm police by offering false identities. The problem has made Social Security numbers and birth certificates marketable goods, he said.

"It is a problem. It is a problem now for no other reason than public perception," Boozman said. "The public feels like we're a nation of laws and there's so many little things, the DUIs, the knowledge that someone is working on an assembly line next to an individual who decides to go back home and they sell their identity to a friend."

In Rogers, which absorbed many of the state's Hispanic immigrants, officers have seen dramatic increases in the number of tickets issued for drivers not having licenses. Police Chief Steve Helms said of 1,443 tickets issued last year, 1,224 went to Hispanic drivers, as whites accounted for 193 and blacks received 17.

"It kind of goes into that perception ... that whatever identification they provide or whatever name they provide, it is really difficult to confirm that's who that individual actually is," Helms said.

Boozman said the influx of Hispanic workers also affects schools, where children of Hispanic immigrants speak what he called "jive Spanish" and need remedial help in their own language before learning English. Boozman also wondered what effect Hispanic immigrants would have on Medicare as they age.

"You're not going to be a roofer until you're 65 years old, working 16-hour days," Boozman said. "We'll pay disability for people who have carpal tunnel syndrome and can't work. Many of those people will become disabled. They'll become unemployable because we can't retrain them" because their level of education is too low.

Boozman acknowledged the need for some sort of visa system for visiting immigrant laborers. He said the system doesn't need to "necessarily lead to citizenship," as many want to return home after saving money. However, he said the increased focus on border security after the Sept. 11 terror attacks caused "unintended things to happen" _ like many immigrants to stay in the U.S. with their families as opposed to crossing the border regularly.

"It does need to be thought through," Boozman said. "The Senate bill just went very, very rapidly and basically they were trying to cram it down our throat."

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/20 ... 1ogbg0.txt

Coming to a city near you... if it isnt already there now

Don't Release Them! Deport Them!

That is what's wrong with the system. They aint coming back to a court date! They pack up and leave town. They are a flight risk! NO Doubt!

We must change our behavior towards illegal aliens. Don't let them go.

Dixie

Shut down the poultry plants if that's what it takes. Americans used to work in those plants. Ever been to NW Arkansas? It's poor as mud and all those Americans need those jobs at the best wages the poultry industry can possibly pay. I'll pay whatever it takes to get a chicken grown, plucked, cut and packaged by American Workers.

How about you all?

I'm with you on that Judy,I will even gladly pay a few dollars extra for a head of lettuce-as long as an American picked it.




Head 'em up,move 'em out Rawhide!

I WILL PAY IT TOO. WHATEVER IT TAKES. WE PAY IT ANYWAY IN PUBLIC BENEFITS AND LOWER WAGES. INITIALLY IT MAY BE SLIGHTLY DIFFICULT DURING THE TRANSITION......BUT IT WILL SOON IRON ITSELF OUT. WAGES WILL START GOING UP AND SOME CRIMES AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS WILL DISAPPEAR

So why hasn't Rep. Boozman suggested 287g be applied for,surely he knows about it ?