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  1. #1
    Administrator ALIPAC's Avatar
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    ALIPAC: City, county feel powerless

    Sheriff, mayor don't agree on which candidate is most likely to get immigration reform moving

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    By Bertrand M. Gutiérrez | Journal Reporter

    Published: August 3, 2008

    In downtown Winston-Salem, there is a massive construction site that buzzes with hard-hat workers. They're putting the final touches on an $18 million building that over the past few months has changed the city's skyline.

    Less apparent is something that a prospective tenant probably won't think about when shopping for a luxury apartment. But it is plain to Bill Schatzman, the Republican sheriff of Forsyth County. In fact, it's something that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents search for.

    "I'm looking out my window and looking at a major high-rise, and I would say that more than half the workers are Latino -- Mexican and undocumented. If ICE pulled up and rounded them all up today, what would the construction company do?

    "They are part of what makes the country what it is," Schatzman said.

    The sheriff made those comments recently when asked what effect Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., or Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., might have on the immigration issue as it concerns Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, home to the third-largest concentration of Hispanics in North Carolina.

    McCain and Obama are the presumptive presidential candidates, and as the race for the White House heads into its last three months, local officials are moving to separate sides of the aisle when asked to pick between them. But they share the same frustration about being powerless over the federal issue of immigration, and they agree that something big has to be done about it.

    The question now is whether McCain or Obama can be more effective.

    Schatzman has a special perspective on the immigration issue. In the past year, he has been an unlikely opponent at times of Forsyth County's push to be part of a federal program that would allow his deputies to enforce federal immigration laws. His opposition, all along, is based on the notion that there isn't enough money to manage the program.

    Schatzman said he believes that McCain is better suited to get something done about immigration because he is more of a centrist than Obama, though he couldn't easily identify differences between the candidates' positions.

    "The whole immigration system is broken. It is arcane. It is not applicable or valid in today's world," Schatzman said. "People come here because we give them jobs. They will continue to come if there is work. And we invite them to come here, tacitly, because we give them work. And then we say we're going to pick you up and send you back."

    On the other side of the issue, residents have made their voices clear to local officials.

    Allen Joines, the mayor of Winston-Salem, said he has gotten calls from people expressing concerns about illegal immigrants. "Some folks are frustrated that local government should do more about immigration, but from a local-government standpoint there is little we can do," he said.

    On the question of which candidate can do a better job of dealing with the issue, Joines, a Democrat, picked Obama.

    "Mr. Obama will work hard to figure out a way to secure the border, and work out a way for a legal path for individuals to have legal status. I would think that perhaps, if Congress' makeup stays the way it is now (a Democratic majority), he would have a better opportunity to get something done," Joines said.

    It is hard to quantify what effect the Hispanic population is having on North Carolina -- on both its economy and public services -- though researchers have tried.

    The UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School estimated in a study published two years ago that about 600,000 Hispanics lived in North Carolina in 2004; about 45 percent did not have the federal government's authorization to be in the United States. About 5.6 percent of Hispanics statewide lived in Forsyth County, which is third to Mecklenburg (12.8 percent) and Wake (9.8 percent) counties.

    The population increase comes with advantages, the study said.

    The overall Hispanic population could contribute about $18 billion to the statewide economy in 2009, the study said. In Winston-Salem, Hispanics had a buying power of nearly $573 million in 2004, according to the study.

    But there are costs, too.

    Although Hispanics contribute $756 million a year in direct and indirect taxes, the study said, they also cost the state $817 million for education, health care and criminal-justice system.

    The estimated costs have helped give rise to groups such as Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee, which is based in Raleigh.

    William Gheen, ALIPAC's president, said he believes that neither McCain nor Obama is a good choice as president. On his radio show two weeks ago, Gheen posed this question to listeners: "Obama or McCain, which one stinks the most on immigration?" It was one of his biggest shows, he said.

    "Illegal immigration is such a passionate an issue to so many people because the real issue is the loss of self governance," he said.


    Gloria Whisenhunt, the Republican chairwoman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, is aware of the passion people have on the issue.

    "Our hands are so tied at the local level. Only Congress and the president can do anything about it. They really need to do their job,'' she said. "Yet, local folks get the blame; that's what is so irritating to me. Our hands are tied, and it is a very aggravating situation when you don't have control."


    http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008 ... dont-agre/
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  2. #2
    chairman's Avatar
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    Bunch of spineless cowards..

    While mostly a federal issue there is much that can be done at the State and Local level.
    But most of our politicians in Forsyth County
    are a bunch of spineless cowards when it comes to illegal aliens.
    * <div>[b]<div>2000 people has visited http://www.dumpgloria.com/ in the last 3 months
    People who believes in God, America, The Bill Of Rights and Limited Government.
    </div>
    </div>

  3. #3
    Senior Member Populist's Avatar
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    The whole immigration system is broken.
    The only thing broken is a decades-long lack of enforcement. How many times do we have to yell: NO more amnesties; enforce the law!
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  4. #4
    Senior Member crazybird's Avatar
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    I'm looking out my window and looking at a major high-rise, and I would say that more than half the workers are Latino -- Mexican and undocumented. If ICE pulled up and rounded them all up today, what would the construction company do?
    Hire American workers.
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  5. #5
    Senior Member zeezil's Avatar
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    "Our hands are so tied at the local level. Only Congress and the president can do anything about it. They really need to do their job,'' she said. "Yet, local folks get the blame; that's what is so irritating to me. Our hands are tied, and it is a very aggravating situation when you don't have control."
    NOT TRUE!!!

    The Common Claim that Illegal Immigration is a Federal Dilemma:
    An "urban legend" that has unfortunately been widely disseminated holds that states and local jurisdictions cannot tackle the problem of illegal immigration, since it is solely under federal control. Legislators and members of the public cling to this legend when confronted with the enormous consequences of unchecked illegal immigration. This allegation is entirely false.

    Undeniably, the United States Congress has ultimate and prevailing authority over immigration. U.S. Const., Art. 1, §8, Cl. 4. Furthermore, it is accurate that any state legislation or local ordinance that conflicts with or contradicts federal statutes is preempted by the Supremacy Clause. U.S. Const., Art IV, Cl. 2. However, the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), enacted by Congress in 1986, expressly delineates aspects of illegal immigration that can be targeted. Pursuant to 8 U.S.C. §1324a(h)(2), states and localities are not preempted from enforcing "licensing or other similar laws" targeting the rampant illegal immigration crisis.
    IRLI has been advocating that states and local jurisdictions are not preempted in the above-mentioned areas and this reasoning was affirmed by two federal judges (Arizona and Missouri federal victories). These findings should further embolden states and local jurisdictions that they have viable options to target the illegal immigration problem since the federal government is choosing not to enforce its law. States and localities can and should take matters into their own hands.
    –Immigration Reform Law Institute http://www.irli.org/bulletin02_0308.html
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  6. #6
    Senior Member zeezil's Avatar
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    Get this woman the following information on a September 19 seminar sponsored by the Civitas Institute in Raleigh, NC:

    Special Events
    Illegal Immigration & Local Governments Workshop

    Should illegal immigrants receive local services? How can local governments respond to what has become another unfunded federal mandate? What can local law enforcement officers do about illegal immigration?

    Please join us on September 19 for a special luncheon workshop featuring John Stirrup and Michael Hethmon, two of the country’s leading authorities on local immigration issues.

    John Stirrup, Prince William County Supervisor
    Supervisor Stirrup has emerged as a leader in local immigration enforcement and reform by leading the fight to curb illegal immigration in Prince William County, Virginia. Supervisor Stirrup will discuss strategies for limiting county services to illegal aliens and the positive fiscal impact these policies have had in his community.

    Michael M. Hethmon, General Counsel, Immigration Reform Law Institute
    As one of the country’s foremost legal experts on immigration, Michael Hethmon specializes in providing technical advice on immigration law to federal and local officials. Mr. Hethmon will be available to meet individually with local officials and activists interested in drafting legally effective and constitutionally valid proposals aimed at curbing illegal immigration in their communities.

    September 19, 2008, from 11:30-2:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in RTP/Durham
    Lunch (11:30-1:00) will be provided for $10. The workshop (1:00-2:00) is free.
    Register online at our registration page or mail or fax in the online registration form.
    Please RSVP by September 5, 2008

    Cosponsored by NC LISTEN
    (www.nclisten.com)

    If you have any further questions, please contact Dr. Jameson Taylor at jameson.taylor@nccivitas.org or by calling 919-834-2099.

    http://www.nccivitas.org/events/special-events/

    Immigration Reg Form.pdf: http://www.nccivitas.org/files/Immigrat ... 20Form.pdf
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  7. #7
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    Gosh, I don't know people - look at the problem from the reverse: at least you've got people that actually recognize and even understand the problem.

    Translation: you're light years ahead of some municipalities in my part of the world

    I'll offer my sympathy and empathy just the same of course
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

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