Thread: Salinas lawmaker attacked over Gestapo remark{SOB}

Salinas lawmaker attacked over Gestapo remark
FARR SAYS COMMENT TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT
By Kurtis Alexander
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Article Launched: 03/03/2008 01:32:21 AM PST



Rep. Sam Farr was put on the defensive last week after conservative talk-show hosts and bloggers condemned a comparison the central coast lawmaker drew between U.S. immigration agents and Nazi Germany's secret police, the Gestapo.

The Salinas Democrat's comments circulated on the Web and CNN's Lou Dobbs publicly challenged Farr to come on the air and withdraw his "insulting statement."

But Farr's spokesman, Tom Mentzer, said "the comment was taken out of context."

Farr made the remark Tuesday when Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chief Julie Meyers was addressing concerns about federal raids of illegal immigrants before the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, which Farr sits on.

"What happens is the public image of you becomes one of not this compassionate law enforcement agency but essentially a Gestapo-type agency that is knocking down doors," Farr said, according to preliminary transcripts of the hearing.

Meyers interrupted Farr and said: "We are not the Gestapo."

Rep. Harold Rogers, a Kentucky Republican, also chimed in, "These are proud, hard-working people."

Replied Farr: "I appreciate that, and I know that. I'm just telling you that there is a very ill will public opinion in the counties I represent about ICE."

Santa Cruz County has been one of the targets of ICE's "Return to Sender" operation, a crackdown that has picked up more than 100 illegal immigrants with criminal warrants during the past two years.

A series of arrests in Santa Cruz and Watsonville in September 2006 prompted a backlash among sympathetic community members.

"There are better ways to enforce the (immigration) issue," said Watsonville City Councilman Oscar Rios. "What ICE is doing is taking the wrong people, splitting families, leaving children, taking hard-working people."

Last week's congressional hearing came amid an intense national debate over what to do about the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

Farr's comments were made as he and others challenged ICE for not making the deportation of undocumented immigrants in prisons a top priority.

His press office dismissed Tuesday's showdown and its reverberations as political theater.

"He's been accused of open borders, but that's not the case," Mentzer said.

Farr, like many in Congress, is a supporter of securing borders and of a path to legalization for undocumented residents.




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Contact Kurtis Alexander at (831) 706-3267 or kalexander@santacruzsentinel.com.


http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8434872

taken outta context???

whatever. stop covering up for your boss the stupid cvongressman whos angry cuz the ICE people are enforcing the law.

taken outta context???

whatever. stop covering up for your boss the stupid cvongressman whos angry cuz the ICE people are enforcing the law.

That's a 10-4 james

Washington Office.. 202-225-2861.......Fax 202-225-6791
Salinas Office.. 831-424-2229.....800-340-FARR...Fax 831-424-7099
Santa Cruz Office.. 831-429-1976

"These are proud, hard-working people."

I think I'll write to these guys and let them know the reality of this scum-bags once they are legalized to be in the US. ( sometimes old habits are hard to break and criminals continue to be criminals - always attempting to figure out a way to beat the system.)

Rep. Farr supports neo-slavery, just like the Democrats of 150 years ago supported black slavery.

Santa Cruz County has been one of the targets of ICE's "Return to Sender" operation, a crackdown that has picked up more than 100 illegal immigrants with criminal warrants during the past two years.

If I'm reading this right it sounds like Mr. Fart supports not just Illegal Aliens but CRIMINALS who are Illegal Aliens.