Thread: Huckabee risks political fortunes to denounce immigration ra

Aug 5, 4:25 PM EDT

By MELISSA NELSON
Associated Press Writer

LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- Gov. Mike Huckabee says he's not afraid of risking his political future by speaking out against a recent immigration raid at an Arkadelphia poultry plant even though calls to his office have been "about 1,000 to one" against his stance.

"Most of the people that call are irate and using profanity. This is a very emotional issue. It evokes not only deep emotion, but causes irrational emotion," Huckabee told The Associated Press on Friday.

The move has strengthened support for the governor among national Hispanic civil rights advocates and could bode well for a Republican leader of the National Governors Association with presidential ambitions.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents arrested 119 illegal workers July 26 in the raid at a Petit Jean poultry plant, sending 107 out of the country either voluntarily or through deportation. The raid drew the ire of many in the community because about 30 children were left behind when their parents were arrested.

The governor's office has joined with the Mexican Consulate in Dallas, Catholic Charities and the League of United Latin American Citizens to ensure the well-being of the children.

Huckabee, a Baptist minister, said his support for the state's growing Hispanic population has to do with compassion, not politics. But longtime University of Arkansas at Little Rock political science professor Art English said there could be a political upside for Huckabee.

"It seems like immigration is not the most popular issue in the world to take a stand on but we are talking about kids," English said. "It looks like the federal government is being a great bully and these people are not committing great crimes. The outcome is these people don't have their mom or dad."

Friday, Huckabee said his repeated calls to Immigration and Customs and Enforcement officials about the raid have gone unanswered and he has asked the Bush administration to investigate the circumstances of the raid.

"(Federal agents) seem to be as indifferent in dealing with us as they are in dealing with children," he said.

Temple Black, spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in New Orleans, said the office was not avoiding calls from the governor and would be happy to talk with him.

"We are always open to good communications," he said.

Immigration officials have said they raided the plant after auditing the company's records. The raid followed the February identity-theft conviction of an Arkadelphia woman who admitted she unlawfully sold identity documents and Social Security cards.

Immigration agents said many workers illegally purchased U.S. birth certificates and Social Security cards, then used the documents to obtain ID cards, bearing their photos, from the state of Arkansas. The cards were used to obtain employment.

Huckabee said he supports the prosecution of the woman involved and does not support illegal immigration but takes issue with the way the raid was conducted.

"How is our government benefiting from an abandoned 1-year-old? I'm thinking as a parent, if I was in that position and my only crime was plucking a chicken to feed my family. I didn't hurt anyone," he said. "It would be different if the crime was robbing a bank with a gun or making methamphetamine."

Hugo Juarez, deputy consul general for the Mexican Consulate in Dallas, called Huckabee a good friend of Mexicans and the Mexican government.

The governor's pro-immigrant stance was also praised by LULAC president Hector Flores, who called Huckabee's efforts for the children a testament to progress in racial attitudes.

"I marvel at the changes in a Southern state like Arkansas where the governor actually called out the troops to keep the schools from being integrated in 1957. What a turnaround and especially for it to come from a Republican," he said.

Huckabee also took an unpopular pro-Hispanic stance earlier this year when he fought for legislation that would have granted in-state tuition and state-funded scholarships to the children of illegal immigrants. The bill failed by a close margin in the last days of the legislative session.

I guess you've got to keep Big Chicken happy if you want to keep ruling Arkansas.

Originally Posted by CountFloyd

I guess you've got to keep Big Chicken happy if you want to keep ruling Arkansas.

A dated article that shows as far back as 1997, the poultry industry in Arkansas has been contributing to the Republican party. No connection to Huckabee's recent "compassion" over the raid. Nope, none at all!

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:VWeT ... abee&hl=en

Republicans put NLR dinner take at $125,000
Date: 05/03/97
Category: NEWS
Page: 2B

Officials with the Republican Party of Arkansas estimated that they raised about $125,000 Friday night at a North Little Rock fund-raiser billed as a salute to U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson.

About 600 people attended the dinner at the North Oaks Event Center, increasing the party's cash assets by about 60 percent, said Richard Bearden, state GOP executive director.

Among those paying up to $5,000 per table were Pruet Chesley Drilling Co. of El Dorado, at whose table Gov. Mike Huckabee sat; Little Rock philanthropist Jennings Osborne; Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale; First Commercial Corp. of Little Rock; and Entergy Corp. of Little Rock, at whose table Hutchinson sat.

Hutchinson and Huckabee spoke briefly.

The least expensive seats cost $125 each.

Others on hand included U.S. Rep. Jay Dickey, former U.S. House candidate Bud Cummins and state Sens. Phil Wyrick of Mabelvale and Fay Boozman of Rogers.

Bearden said the money will be used for party-building activities and to assist GOP candidates in federal and state races next year.

Others buying tables included the Arkansas Poultry Federation; the Arkansas Healthcare Association; the Arkansas Motor Carriers Association; Stephens Inc., the Little Rock-based investment firm; Llama Inc., the Fayetteville investment firm operated by Alice Walton; Friday Eldredge & Clark, a Little Rock law firm; and Arkla, the Little Rock-based energy company.

Big Chicken!! Good one Count!!

I really think that Governors failing to support American Law need to be removed from Office and be held personally financially liable for the consequences of their "published stance". Their statements that conflict with American Law lets illegals know they have a safe harbor in a state; that they will either not be stopped for violations or stopped and sent on their way with "have a nice day". They travel all over the country so they end up on federal highways.....and in a neighborhood near you, so this Governor is not only not representing the people of his state; he is aiding and abetting illegal immigration; and one can argue "recruiting illegal workers" into Arkansas and thus the United States in violation of US Immigration, US Labor and US Civil Rights Laws.

Governors are in the Executive Branch. Their job is to enforce the law and manage the state in accordance with that law. Their job is NOT to run policies that circumvent legislation, Arkansas's or the United States or cause, induce, encourage, allow, or stand up for VIOLATIONS of legislation through their actions, policies or STATEMENTS.

JAIL THE TRAITOR!!

Hey!! We can save money and put Huckabee and El Presidente together in one cell, eh? You know they can be "Bunk Buddies" and share the same bowl of GMO mush. We'll just issue ONE SPOON, ONE BOWL, and ONE TOOTHBRUSH per cell.

Huckster and Bushie are bestest pals. Seems Bushie's drippy remarks (seemingly insincere since he keeps putting Americans OUT OF WORK!) mirror Huckster's "compassion" for illegal aliens.

Huckster, as a Baptist minister, should be in favor of UPHOLDING the law, not breaking it. Which Bible is he reading?

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/ ... i_n9101244

Bush backs 'faith-based' program in Arkansas that convert jobless
Church & State, Jul/Aug 2002

Evangelizing for his "faith-based" initiative, President George W. Bush visited a church in Little Rock, Ark., in June where he hailed a welfare-to-work program that seems to contain a heavy dose of fundamentalist proselytism.

Bush spoke at The Church at Rock Creek, a Southern Baptist congregation that is home to Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R). During his remarks, Bush cited the church's welfare-to-work program, saying, "Government can pass out money, but what government cannot do is put love in people's hearts and hope in people's lives. What I am passionate about is how to capture this great strength of the country and help churches, synagogues and mosques interface with people in need. The best welfare programs in many places are really found inside houses of worship."

Added the president, "We don't want the church being the state or the state being the church, but we shouldn't discriminate against programs that come out of faith-based institutions all helping people to help themselves."

Bush administration officials have stated repeatedly that proselytism will not occur with tax money through the initiative. Yet that appears to be exactly what is happening at The Church at Rock Creek.

Baptist Press reported that, "More than 150 people have participated in the church's program and about 80 percent have trusted Christ as a result." Even though it is funded by the Arkansas Department of Human Services, the church proclaims on its website that, "All aspects of the training incorporate biblical principles that align with God given gifts and talents to move to a long term plan for success."

During the event, several women who have gone through the church's program told Bush about their experiences and mentioned the importance of religion in their success.

Although news media attention has been diverted to the administration's "war on terrorism," Bush is still pushing hard for the "faith-based" initiative. Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, told CNN in June, "I think the president has been very focused on the faith-based initiative. And it's kind of a pet project of his. If it weren't for his leadership, it wouldn't be going anywhere, I don't think."

Meanwhile, officials with the Department of Health and Human Service, working in conjunction with the White House, announced in June the availability of $30 million targeted to "faith-based" and community organizations.

The money will be made available under a White House project called the Compassion Capital Fund. The fund will offer nearly $25 million to 15 to 25 "intermediary" organizations that will in turn provide technical assistance and advice to faith-based groups. The intermediary groups will also offer grants to faith-based organizations for start-up of new programs or expansion of existing ones.

An HHS press release said preference will be given to groups that "address homelessness, hunger, the needs of at risk children, transition from welfare to work and those in need of intensive rehabilitation such as addicts or prisoners."

HHS will also spend $5 million to create a National Resource Center "to support research into promising practices for intermediary organizations providing assistance to grassroots organizations and into the role that faith-based and community organizations play in their communities."

Americans United said the expenditures go beyond the congressional,authorization for the Compassion Capital Fund and vowed to challenge any unconstitutional use of the money for religious purposes.

Gov. Mike Huckabee says he's not afraid of risking his political future by speaking out against a recent immigration raid at an Arkadelphia poultry plant even though calls to his office have been "about 1,000 to one" against his stance.

Maybe you should wake up and smell the coffee.
Your stance is WRONG. You should be helping to enforce the law.
If you are not, then you are not fit to govern the state of Arkansas.
The children can leave with the parents. Who is paying to educate them?
Not you. The taxpayers are.

Huckabee is a traitor that needs to be sentenced to a year in South Central, followed by LIFE in a violent Mexican border town.

Every single person he is defending KNEW they were breaking the law when they snuck over our border. These folks CHOSE to do so anyway, knowing full well that deportation is U.S. policy when one is caught. The decision to have children KNOWING the circumstances, is selfish, at best.

The scary thing about Huckabee is that he seems to think that the longer one gets away with a crime, the more they deserve a break. I am sure more than a few ex-communicated (sic) Catholic priests would agree with his twisted logic.

well if you are getting e-mails "1,000 to one" against your stance, then are you really representing your constituency?

Think about how insane this has gotten.

Elected officials siding against law enforcement.

Elected officials behaving as though the law is whatever they feel like it is.

Who is this man Huckabee really working for? Clearly it's not the "1,000 to one" who are paying that fool's salary.

RIGHT ON ALIPAC!!

Get that fool out of Arkansas.

GO ICE!!! Round up all those illegals in Arkansas and get them OUT!!

(Maybe you could inadvertently get this misnomered Governor on one those buses, eh?)

I don't think the 1000 to 1 would mind, if you get my drift?

Yeah that idiot needs to be outta there. Let's hope the 1,000 to ones will rise up and demand his dismissal.