Thread: States in rebellion

States in rebellion


October 21, 2007


Ernest Istook - Once again, the states are rebelling against Washington. Fed up with dithering in D.C., states are proving enforcement works. Enforcement not only can prevent illegal immigration, but actually reverse it.

Illegal immigrants by the tens of thousands are leaving states that have adopted tough new laws — Colorado, Georgia, Arizona and now Oklahoma. Local efforts are being launched too quickly to count, involving more than 100 communities so far.

When denied jobs or public benefits, many illegals return to Mexico. Others move within the United States to areas with local amnesty policies. That migration may spark a new outcry from citizens in amnesty cities.

Left-leaning groups are on the move, too, flocking to the courts in efforts to block state and local enforcement. Only Congress is standing still — except for back-sliding efforts to push more back-door amnesty.

Details of state and local laws vary, but the impact is consistent. Typically, they deny public benefits to illegal immigrants and try to make sure employers don't hire them.

Oklahoma's law kicks in soon — Nov. 1 — and Hispanic leaders claim 25,000 illegals have already departed the Sooner State. Businesses that catered to them say their sales are down 20 percent. They're backing a lawsuit challenging the new crackdown.

But the crackdown is a gain for taxpayers. Estimates show illegal immigrants cost Oklahoma taxpayers $200 million a year, mostly for education and health care.

Arizona's new employer sanctions don't start until Jan. 1. A half-million undocumented people supposedly await the outcome of court challenges, but the Arizona Republic still reports the outmigration already tops 100 per day.

Due to Georgia's new law, businesses with an illegal alien customer base have seen sales drop as much as 40 percent. And money wired from Georgia to Mexico and Central America declined. Similar sales drops are reported elsewhere.

Colorado supplemented its new laws with a special detachment of state troopers. An Aug. 31 report to the governor said the first month's results "exceed anyone's expectations," catching 150 illegal immigrants plus those who smuggle them.

State legislators this year introduced some 1,400 immigrant-related bills, and 182 became law. Local ordinances were proposed or adopted in 104 cities and counties.

Bucking the trend is Illinois, which passed a law prohibiting employers from using a federal database to screen out illegal immigrants. That's where the litigation trend cuts both ways: The Department of Homeland Security is suing Illinois to force it to comply, saying they can't pick and choose which federal laws to obey.

Ironically, Washington spent years picking and choosing when federal enforcement would have prevented today's epidemic problem. Current federal enforcement remains limited, focused on illegals who have committed violent crimes but not on illegal immigration generally. So-called sanctuary/amnesty cities are clearly violating federal law, as New York City learned from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2000. It's time for the feds to use that precedent and take other cities and state scofflaws to court.

In Congress, the Democrat majority and some Republicans still push back-door amnesty. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, proposed amnesty for almost 2 million illegal farm workers to pick crops. Sen. Richard Durbin, Illinois Democrat, used children as bait for amnesty, proposing in-state college tuition and federal financial aid to children of illegal immigrants — and letting them and their parents stay in America. Mr. Durbin calls it the "DREAM Act." The Heritage Foundation's Kris Kobach properly calls it "a nightmare."

The battleground is swiftly shifting into court, where activist judges are eager to side with border violators. One judge blocked federal officials from notifying millions of employers that their workers may be using false Social Security numbers. Hazleton, Pa., had its local ordinance struck down. More lawsuits are pending. Enforcement works, but liberals want it stifled before people realize that.

The big claim is that immigration is solely a federal issue. If activist judges block state and local enforcement, the public reaction could rival the anger over decisions about abortion and forced busing. But there's a difference this time: Those controversial rulings claimed that the Constitution barred action by any level of government. Immigration rulings would have the side-effect of confirming that Washington has the ability to act. Congress isn't helpless — just hopeless.

By demonstrating that enforcement works, state and local governments are clarifying the issues, and tens of thousands of illegal immigrants are self-deporting. The public outcry that defeated the amnesty bill this spring has found a new outlet, keeping the heat on Washington all the way into the 2008 elections.

Ernest Istook served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District and is a distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

http://washingtontimes.com

Oh no... this isnt a rebellion... but from the look's of things... it's not that far down the road

The big claim is that immigration is solely a federal issue. If activist judges block state and local enforcement, the public reaction could rival the anger over decisions about abortion and forced busing. But there's a difference this time: Those controversial rulings claimed that the Constitution barred action by any level of government. Immigration rulings would have the side-effect of confirming that Washington has the ability to act. Congress isn't helpless — just hopeless.

This is not so much a Federal issue nor is it a border issue. It has been a lifelong issue for me.

I can remember the local government trying to help arrest the border jumpers. At that time I think all local law enforcement nation wide took their oaths of office seriously. We had two groups that would come when you called in San Diego. The Border Patrol and the San Diego Police.

I remember trouble with the Federal Government not paying for the services that law enforcement provided. They would reimburse about 10 cents on the dollar. Maybe 20 cents.

I'm not sure just how much the money had to do with the situation we have now. I'm pretty sure San Diego and Los Angles were the first to adopt policies like, "Special Order 40". Now the cost of rounding the illegal invaders isn't any less but is spread fairly evenly.

Somewhere along the line a Revolution in governing took hold. Now the government actively supports the illegal invasion and all of the other lawlessness that surrounds it.

This has gone beyond even the borders of our own country and is clearly now a worldwide problem. I would suspect a group of bankers and businessmen like the ones that bribed the Federal Reserve into existence could be behind the groups that are pushing for programs like the Security and Prosperity Partnership, the North American Union, the European Union. Maybe the same group of Bankers and businessmen's descendants'.

I could be wrong about this but it looks to me like we have turned over 280,000,000,000 in interest on the 7,000,000,000,000 that we owe on our national debt this year alone. That would be just the money from us for our debt. That gives someone a lot of power with just that alone.

It is said that the Federal Reserve came into being after a bribe to get Woodrow Wilson elected and then some well placed bribes in Congress. I think the same thing has been happening since. I believe that they have found a way to use their money to influence how we spend our money as a nation on things that benefit their back room goals. Think what that means! We spend money we borrow from them to further things like, “One World Orderâ€

Great post Jean, and an excellent follow up StokeyBob!

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Hey ALL.. !

Check out this VERY informative and enlightening 13 minute video from NumbersUSA.com, SOLELY about LEGAL immigration! It's a *MUST SEE* for ALL! [OVER 2.6 MILLION hits, so far.. in google.. ] http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... susa&hl=en

What he DIDN’T talk about, and something VERY important to *Remember*.. is that illegal MIGRATION is 3-4 times this toll!

In my opinion, NO Democrat presidential candidate can save this nation, despite so-called ‘Republican’ Bush giving the party a stink! [ BOTH parties contribute to La Raza (THE Race), Mecha, LULAC, etc etc etc.. ]. So if you want to contribute, do so to the candidate, NOT the party!

See.. about 70% of Republicans are AGAINST illegal migration ETC, whereas approximately the same percentage of Democrats are FOR that chaos! In the last election, a lot of people THOUGHT that by voting 'democrat', they'd stop this chaos, but how ridiculous to vote ‘one’ party!

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Oh.. Did I forget to mention to visit:

www.NumbersUSA.com a MUST!

*LOOK at your congressional persons scorecard. How did he/she vote? Are they working FOR or AGAINST this Nation? ..or just plain ignorant?! www.BetterImmigration.org

*SEE the Pres candidates scorecards: www.BetterImmigration.com/candidates/2006/prez2008.html a MUST!! Uhh.. We’re talking about our Country’s SOVEREIGNTY here!!!

*DON'T forget the most important page.. PAGE TWO! www.BetterImmigration.com/candidates/20 ... _gop2.html


..then tell ALL your friends and family about the above links, to tell ALL of THEIR friends and family, etc etc etc..

We CAN stop this CHAOS!!

..so just DO it!

Nice day all!


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Great Radio! www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=Forums&f ... ic&t=85728

AND..

www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=Forums&f ... ic&t=76263


Be sure to call and write these guys and give them your stories and info, they depend on you too..!


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Good research, StokeyBob. The next assignment should be how we set about declaring this U.S. Government dysfunctional.

I wish the author of this editorial was still in the House.

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Call the Senate: NO Dream Act Amnesty !

Originally Posted by Populist

I wish the author of this editorial was still in the House.

Whats strange is that I wrote Mr Istook about the illegals issue a few years ago when he was my Congressman. Never heard anything back from him until about 18 months later or so, had almost forgotten about even writing him.