Thread: McCain : Feds need cops help with illegals

McCain at sheriffs conference (With video)
By Mary Beth Schneider
Posted: July 1, 2008Read Comments(20) A Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain told the National Sheriff's Association meeting today that if elected he would require the federal government to pick up more costs for detaining and deporting illegal aliens who commit crimes.

McCain, making only his second campaign stop in Indiana this year, has come under fire by some conservatives in his party for his backing in the Senate of a now-dead plan to put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.


McCain didn't mention that path in his Indianapolis speech today to the 2,000 or so officials from around the nation, instead focusing on helping law enforcement ship home those illegal aliens who break the law.

"We know as well that tens of thousands of felons -- in custody and at large -- entered our country illegally. Why has it has fallen to sheriffs and other local officials to protect their citizens from these foreign-born felons? Because our federal government failed to protect our borders from their entry, and this serious dereliction of duty must end," he said in prepared remarks given to the media in advance of his 11 a.m. speech.

"Our compassion for laborers who entered this country unlawfully -- our understanding of their struggles, even as we act to secure the border -- speaks well of America. But this respect does not extend to criminals who came here to break our laws and do harm to people," McCain said.

"Through the Criminal Alien Program, we have made some progress in recent years. Too often, however, states are left to deal with the high costs and excessive regulation involved in deportation proceedings, and many local officers are left waiting for immigration agents to show up on site. So, as president, I will expand the Criminal Alien Program. We will require that the federal government assume more of the costs to deport and detain criminal aliens -- because this is a problem of the federal government's own making."

After his speech, McCain also attended a fundraising event at the Marriott Hotel.

Organizers said the event is raising more than $850,000 for McCain. It's money his campaign needs, as he has trailed Obama in funding -- including from Hoosiers who as of the end of May had contributed more than twice as much money to Obama instead of McCain. It's an unusual situation for Republicans, who have carried Indiana in every election since 1968.

In his speech, McCain also promised to appoint justices to the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts who are tough on law enforcement, and argued that his Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, would instead appoint justices akin to the five who voted recently to overturn a Louisiana law allowing child rapists to be sentenced to death.

Obama, who is campaigning today in Ohio, has said he disagreed with that decision. McCain acknowledged that, but said the real question is what kind of justices would Obama appoint.

"It's a peculiar kind of moral evolution that disregards the democratic process, and inures solely to the benefit of child rapists. It was such a jarring decision from the Court that my opponent, Senator Obama, immediately and to his credit expressed his disagreement," McCain said.

"I'd like to think this signals a change of heart on his part about his votes against the confirmation of two of the four dissenters in the case, Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts. More to the point, why is it that the majority includes the same justices he usually holds out as the models for future nominations? My opponent may not care for this particular decision, but it was exactly the kind of opinion we could expect from an Obama Court."

McCain said he would look for "accomplished men and women with a proven record of excellence in the law, and a proven commitment to judicial restraint. They will be the kind of judges who believe in giving everyone in a criminal court their due: justice for the guilty and the innocent, compassion for the victims, and respect for the men and women of law enforcement."

McCain, who has fought throughout his Senate career against "earmarks" in which federal dollars are appropriated, generally with little or no debate or disclosure, to local projects favored by an individual member of Congress. Today, he called earmarks the "broken windows of the federal budget process," and promised to veto every bill with earmarks.

"It may take awhile to adjust, but sooner or later they'll figure out that there's a new sheriff in town," he said.

Law enforcement has been particularly hurt by earmarks, he said, arguing that "funds distributed by the Department of Justice are too often earmarked according to their value to the re-election of members of Congress instead of their value to police. ... The result is that millions of dollars are wasted every year, and a lot of good ideas and programs in local law enforcement never get funded."

The Democratic National Committee, though, argued in a release that McCain has cast votes that have hurt law enforcement funding, including against the COPS program, initiated under President Clinton, to put more police on the streets.

That program, they said, has provided $120 million to Indiana as of 2006, and funded more than 1,500 police and deputies involved in community policing.

And the majority of earmarks in the Department of Justice went to law enforcement, they said. Democrats pointed to several programs for Indiana, including $1.5 million in 1999 for the Marion County sheriff's department for modernizing equipment; $1.5 million in 2001 for an automated fingerprint identification system for Indianapolis; and $150,000 in 2002 for a domestic violence program in Indianapolis.

Watch IndyStar.com for updates on this story.
Call Star reporter Mary Beth Schneider at (317) 444-2772.


http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... 5/80701018

federal government to pick up more costs for detaining and deporting illegal aliens who commit crimes.

Illegal huggers just don't get it.

Dixie

JUAN , feel free to kiss my grits
Close the Southern Border Now . Enforce our Laws . Stop PANDERING and SUCKING UP Juan

Failure to register with Selective Service System is a felony---so when do you start deporting those illegal alien young men (virtually all) who fail to do this? This would add millions of names if they are not already there for some other crime. Seems like this type of irresponsibility would make a former POW hot under the collar. Are you listening, Mr. McCain? Or do you expect only Americans to shoulder the responsibility----while we get blamed for everything wrong?

"Our compassion for laborers who entered this country unlawfully -- our understanding of their struggles, even as we act to secure the border -- speaks well of America. But this respect does not extend to criminals who came here to break our laws and do harm to people," McCain said.

John, your dementia is showing. It doesn't speak well of America to let these foreign squatters come into this country for any reason. HELLLOOO, John! They're using false documents which is a crime. You know that little thing called a felony. Then they steal jobs, health care, room in our schools, etc, and we pay for it, and that doesn't do harm to the American people? Oh, my God, where's my blood pressure meds.

Your right Dixie they just don't get it.......

Sure the IA's are wanting jobs,health care,good schools etc. but they should be working on that in their own countries NOT in ours and NOT to the detrement of American citizens !!!

ALL IA's are criminals Juan !