Thread: Immigration Enforcement

Immigration Enforcement
Bill Youngman

Published: January 9, 2008

After reading the Jan. 5 article "Foreclosure Threat" by Lily Oliva of Sebring, where it was explained how cheap foreign labor was driving them out of the dry wall finishing business, I would like to make the following comments.

It was never stated if the Hispanics that were sleeping 15 to a room were illegals or not. And due to the fact that no law enforcement units in Highlands County have received 287-G (ICE) training, which would allow them to enforce the existing laws that make it a crime to hire an illegal alien, we will never know.

Lily, I understand your problem and also think it is unfair. That is why I am an active member of the American Party of Florida, which meets the first Thursday of each month at Homer's.

The third plank in our platform is "Finding and returning illegal immigrants on all levels from federal to the city council" and that is one thing that no other party has offered me. If this was the goal of each of our local elected officials, good Americans like yourself would be allowed to compete on a level playing field in Highlands County.

Remember there is a local election coming up and that is our chance to demand that this training be given, so immigration laws can be enforced in Highlands County. Hope to see you at our next meeting. We need your help so we can help you.

Bill Youngman
Sebring
http://www2.highlandstoday.com

"It was never stated if the Hispanics that were sleeping 15 to a room were illegals or not. And due to the fact that no law enforcement units in Highlands County have received 287-G (ICE) training, which would allow them to enforce the existing laws that make it a crime to hire an illegal alien, we will never know. "

We will never know because the local law enforcement officers do not want to know! If they did they might have to do something!

Why does it take 287-G ICE Training for a police officer to determine if an individual is illegal or not. Does it take any special training above and beyond what a police officer already has in order to ask for some identification and then make a call to ICE?

Police ask for identification all day long as part of thier normal course of business. We should be making it easier, not more difficult for officers to deal with the illegal invasion sweeping this country.

nobueno That has been my thought all along.

A police officer should be able to recognize bogus ID no matter who is holding it.

Why all this expensive, time consuming, 'training' - that doesn't seem necessary.

Perhaps that is what locals must do in order to get any cooperation with ICE or to not get some lawsuit or restraining order from the feds against them, I don't know.

It is possible, just possible, that having the designation might make some illegals less apt to move into a city or perhaps encourage them to leave - unless they know more about it than we do.

I am a cynic, but that's why I have a problem with all the 'new and improved' methods of controlling illegal immigration. I don't know why we need those. They are here illegally, that the fact. They don't just step across and stand there, they break other laws - labor laws, tax laws, traffic laws, use false ID. This isn't just being here illegally - it is much, much more.

Why do we need to tread so carefully. If a citizen were to consistently steal that much from others, simply ignore traffic laws, not pay taxes, evidently, they'd end up under the jail.