Thread: Hodes 'amazed' in border tour of San Diego area

Hodes 'amazed' in border tour of San Diego area
By TOM FAHEY
State House Bureau Chief
2 hours, 10 minutes ago


CONCORD – While snow blew through New Hampshire yesterday, U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes was checking border crossings in San Diego, Calif., area.

Hodes, D-N.H., said he plans to spend part of next week touring border crossings in the opposite corner of the country, in Pittsburg.

Hodes said he wanted to get out and "talk to those on the front lines and find out what they think we need to secure our borders.Â"

"This is not just about immigration, which has become a hot topic, but it is really a matter of security for our nation. For too long, the United States has not put its full resources into securing its borders,"Â" Hodes said.

Hodes is a co-sponsor of the federal Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement (SAFE) Act. The act would add 8,000 border patrol agents, make new technology available at border installations and expanding the E-Verify program that lets business check immigration status of potential workers.

Hodes said that in addition to beefing up patrols at the border, he thinks immigration officials need better access to more intelligence tools. Databases of information should be shared among government agencies like law enforcement, border patrol and other defenses against illegal immigration, he said.

Immigration has become a hotly debated topic this political season, especially among Republican presidential nominees.

In New Hampshire, lawmakers are poised to kill a bill this week that would prevent local police from enforcing immigration laws and creating, in effect, a sanctuary state.

The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted 14-1 that the bill should be killed. The New Hampshire Association of Police Chiefs opposed the bill.

Those who favor the bill, HB 404, said the bill is narrowly written to prevent police from arresting someone if their only infraction of the law is immigration status. They argue the bill will help build trust between police and the immigrant community.

Local police involvement in immigration matters became big news three years ago when New Ipswich Police Chief Garrett Chamberlin took a group of illegal immigrants into custody, only to have federal immigration officials tell him to release them.

A year later, he and Hudson police began charging illegals with criminal trespassing for being inside the state illegally. A federal judge threw out the charges.

In 2006 the Legislature, under Republican leadership, killed both a bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to be charged with trespassing, and a bill allowing local police to be trained in immigration law by federal authorities.

Hodes said yesterday he was amazed at the sight of long lines of cars, trucks and pedestrians across 24 lanes at the U.S. border with Mexico.

He said he will ask for Congressional hearings on better uses of intelligence in border enforcement.

www.unionleader.com

This is the same sanctuary state bill that was proposed last year here in NH. Tom Tancredo called it as such but yet our wonderful waste of a govenor said it was not a sanctuary bill. People need to wake up in NH-most people I talk to do not even know about this-they are clueless.

They mention the 2006 legislature being controlled by Republicans. They neglect to mention that it was mostly Rhinos and a democratic govenor. It was all the people voted in because of anger in Iraq. Sorry but a local rep in the NH house has nothing to do with Iraq. Now we are becoming more of a nanny state every day and it makes me sick!

Also, Paul Hodes has a lot of nerve acting like he is tough on illegals. During this last amnesty round, I lived in his district. I have called, faxed and E-mailed him regarding all issues of the illegal invasion. I have contacted him many many times since his election in 2006. He seldom gets back to you, but when he does he is for amnesty, for being "humane" and for bringing people out of the shadows.

I am really worried about New Hampshire. Instead of introducing bills to stop illegals these idiots are introducing bills to open the door for more to come. Just another reason why these clowns must be voted out from the statehouse. As other states tighten laws regarding illegals, we are trying to get weaker? No wonder I see and read about more illegals all the time here in NH.


Nicole