Thread: McCain blames some Arizona wildfires on illegal immigrants

McCain blames some Arizona wildfires on illegal immigrants


(CNN) -- U.S. Sen. John McCain is blaming illegal immigrants for starting some of the wildfires that have scorched hundreds of thousands of acres in Arizona.

"There is substantial evidence that some of these fires have been caused by people who have crossed our border illegally," McCain, R-Arizona, said Saturday at a press conference. "The answer to that part of the problem is to get a secure border."

The Arizona senator, however, did not say what the evidence is, prompting a swift rebuke from Latino civil rights advocates.

"It's easier to fan the flames of intolerance, especially in Arizona," said Randy Parraz, a civil rights advocate who ran unsuccessfully against McCain as a Democratic candidate in 2010.

Parraz called McCain's remarks "careless and reckless" but not entirely surprising given the political climate in Arizona. The Latino advocate is co-founder of Citizens for a Better Arizona, a group trying the recall the legislator who authored the state's controversial anti-illegal immigration law.

Parraz said McCain "should know better" than to make such an accusation without presenting any facts.

McCain said that illegal immigrants set such fires either to send signals, keep warm or distract law enforcement agents. But he did not specify which fires allegedly had been started by illegal immigrants, nor did he identify his sources or provide details of the "substantial" evidence he cited.

Firefighters are currently battling five wildfires that have burned a combined 732,427 acres in Arizona, according to InciWeb, an online interagency database that tracks fires, floods and other disasters. The fires are under investigation and suspects have not been named. However, local media outlets have reported anecdotal cases of fires breaking out in areas where illegal immigrants have been known to cross the border.

Parraz said it is particularly distressing that immigrants are being blamed for destructive fires at a time when many are also being targeted given the state's unemployment, foreclosure and other economic issues.

"People are looking for someone to blame," he said, claiming it is too easy and convenient to target what he called one of Arizona's "most vulnerable populations."

Angelo Falcon, the president of the National Institute for Latino Policy, criticized McCain for what he called "increasingly blatant" political opportunism.

"The degree of irresponsible political pandering by Sen. McCain has no limits," Falcon said in an email to CNN. "With the lack of evidence, he might as well also blame aliens from outer space for the fires."


http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/19/arizon ... ire.claim/

U.S. Sen. John McCain is blaming illegal immigrants for starting some of the wildfires that have scorched hundreds of thousands of acres in Arizona.

"There is substantial evidence that some of these fires have been caused by people who have crossed our border illegally," McCain, R-Arizona, said Saturday at a press conference. "The answer to that part of the problem is to get a secure border."

And tomorrow, he'll be proclaiming them to be "God's children" and demanding we give them amnesty! Can McCain just go away!

Sorry McCain, but you are a liar...This is environmental terrorism and revenge for Arizona's anti-illegal alien legislation...

Lawmakers blame fires on migrants, drug smugglers
(AFP) – 42 minutes ago

WASHINGTON — Three US Republican Congressmen said that illegal immigrants and drug traffickers are causing numerous fires blazing along Arizona's border with Mexico.

"Some wildfires in Arizona (across our southern border) are regrettably caused by drug smugglers and illegal immigrants," Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl and congressman Jeff Flake, all three of Arizona, said in a statement.

Arizona is experiencing one of the worst fire seasons in its history.

The congressmen said their statement was backed by briefings with a senior Forest Service official.

"This statement is consistent with what we've been hearing for years, as well as testimony by the Forest Service and media reports dating back as far as 2006," the statement added.

McCain said Saturday at a press conference in Arizona that sometimes illegal immigrants who enter the United States from Mexico set fires to send signals between themselves or to mislead authorities.

Monday, McCain's office said that he was referring to fires along the shared border with Mexico and not the fire along Arizona's eastern border with New Mexico, which is considered the second largest fire in Arizona history and has caused the evacuation of 6,000 residents.

www.google.com

McCain under fire for blaming blazes on immigrants



SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. – Sen. John McCain ignited a barrage of criticism by saying there is "substantial evidence" that illegal immigrants are partly responsible for Arizona's wildfires.

McCain is standing by his weekend statement, but immigrant rights advocates say the state's senior senator is using illegal immigrants as scapegoats.

Authorities say humans started Arizona's three major blazes, but investigators don't know any more details.

The ruckus over McCain's comments comes as thousands of evacuated Arizonans are returning home after fleeing a wildfire that has destroyed 58 homes on the outskirts of Sierra Vista, Ariz. An estimated 1,600 people remain evacuated from the area about 15 miles north of the Mexico border.

The high winds that prompted additional evacuations and destroyed 14 homes Sunday were considerably calmer Monday.

___

Christie reported from Phoenix.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/21/mc ... z1PuJvHQb9

He's not running again. Why start telling the truth after all these years of deception, Johnny?

Why John McCain failed:

He refused to commit to enforcing existing immigration laws and prosecuting employers of illegal aliens, alienating millions of conservatives.

He refused to commit to building a border fence to stop the invasion from Mexico, alienating more conservatives.

His bailout plan was a disaster, and made him look like he was simply stopping his campaign for show.

He could not connect with the average American tax payer. He was so vague in that area, not even he knew what he was saying.

His health care plan was anything but a health care plan.

His $300 billion mortgage bailout continued to splinter his conservative base.

He chose Sarah Palin way too late in the game. He should have chosen her months ago in fairness not only to her and her family, but also to anyone considering a viable alternative to Barack Obama.

He had nothing new to say or offer. His plan was George Bush warmed over.

He refused to go after any of the CEOs of FMae/FMac and refused to suggest he would prosecute any of them for violating their offices for gain. This was completely contradictory to his "I am a Maverick, and I will make them famous." line of bull crap. Nobody believed it and nobody connected with it. If he ever had an opportunity to demonstrate real, true REFORM, THAT was it.

He had HUNDREDS of CORRUPTION ISSUES he could have bombarded Obama with both early on and during the course of the campaign. He refused to fight on those issues personally, instead hiding behind the GOP propaganda machine, which conservatives no longer trust anyway.

He never fully gained the trust or confidence of conservatives. He was condescending and distant to his base, alienating millions with this elitist attitude.

He used his POW status to the point of abusing it. It should have been a quiet, solid foundation of his qualities, not the main one.

His constant claim to bipartisanship was a complete failure. It did not win him any conservative support and liberals completely balked at it.

I'm no McCain fan but at least he opened his pie hole to say what the media is hiding.

McCain blames some Arizona wildfires on illegal immigrants

And we blame McCain for many of the illegals flooding into the USA. He would have been better off if he stuck to his guns and just kept saying NO to ILLEGALS but her like many other politicians had flip flopped on the issue.

Is this the same guy who sponsored the amnesty bill? What a flip flopping idiot. He may have been better than the chosen one but just barely. What a crappy choice.