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Condi Stresses Border Enforcement Is Govt’s Concern Alone
Condoleeza Rice
Condoleeza Rice (White House Photo)


Hardbeatnews, SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Tues. May 31, 2005: Border enforcement is a role for the United States government and the United States government alone. That’s the word from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the "Minutemen" phenomenon.

Rice made the comment recently in response to a question posed to her on the issue by Gloria Duffy, President and CEO of the Commonwealth Club.
"Minutemen" are groups or vigilantes operating in Arizona and New Mexico who claim they are trying to stimulate enforcement of the border control.

Rice, however, in referring to the unlawful crossing of the borders by many Mexican immigrants, stressed, “We cannot have a situation in which people do not respect our laws, do not respect the fact that there are lawful ways to come to the United States.�

But she warned that the economic realities of immigration need to be realized and more humane policies created to reflect that.

“The fact that there are people who live in the shadows in the way that they do, despite their contributions to our economy, cannot go home and cannot be a part of their families, this is not a good thing for a country that was built on immigration,� she said.

The Bush administration has been pushing for a temporary workers program for the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. A bill that reflects the plan was recently introduced in both the Senate and the House. But it is still a long way off from becoming a reality. – Hardbeatnews.com