Thread: Texas Republican Party platform language on border security

http://blogs.chron.com/texaspolitics/ar ... platf.html



Texas Politics
Blogging elections and the Capitol with the Chronicle's Austin bureau



June 02, 2006
Texas GOP platform language
For those who want to read it, here's the proposed Texas Republican Party platform language on border security and illegal immigration. A vote on the language will occur Saturday.

Border Security - We agree with the overwhelming majority of the American people who support "order on the border" as the primary principle in tackling the complex issues created by illegal immigration. The Party believes that all necessary physical, financial, legal, and technological means must be deployed immediately to stop the flow of illegal aliens, organized crime and potential terrorists across our borders.

The Texas Office of Homeland Security and Federal Drug Enforcement officials report Texas has become the number one drug trans-shipment center in the nation and that powerful and ruthless Mexican organized crime groups now dominate the lucrative US drug and human smuggling market. In at least one documented instance the Mexican military entered Texas in support of organized drug trafficking operations. Therefore, we urge immediate and substantial increase of staffing and funding of the United States Border Patrol to secure our borders and protect our citizens. The Party encourages the expansion of Operations Strong Safety and Linebacker to reduce crime and increase security along the Texas border, and Operation Rio Grande which increases and coordinates law enforcement assets along the forty-five border counties.

The Party further urges the President to: 1) build a physical barrier along the entire length of our country's border with Mexico, beginning with urban interface locations and appropriate monitoring 2) deploy the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (I.C.E.) within the U.S. to locate and secure all illegal aliens who have previously entered our country and expedite their return to their source country and 3) expand the use of the National Guard to secure our border.

Should the federal government fail to uphold its constitutionally mandated obligation to protect the border of Texas, we call upon the Governor and Legislature of Texas to take action.

Homeland Security - The Party urges the - Homeland Security Department to:
1. revitalize and adequately fund our national intelligence gathering capabilities;
2. continue to enhance the coordination of information and intelligence between various local, state, and federal agencies;
3. pass the information on to the local or state agency(s) to prepare to deter and defend against a risk once identified;
4. not violate the constitutional rights of the citizens of the United States;
5. provide for the adequate protection of high profile targets, such as refineries, nuclear power plants and national monuments;
6. enhance the security in use at our airports, navigable ports of entry, and other transportation terminals to prevent the use of transportation vehicles as a weapon against the United States;
7. use random selection and terrorist profiling as a criteria for determining persons to be searched at U.S. airports; and
8. establish and maintain the presence of armed guards and armed pilots on all commercial aircraft and the immediate authorization of the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard to board and search all vessels entering U.S. waters from foreign ports. We urge Congress to order the immediate training of airline pilots by qualified firearms instructors at reasonable fees for the protection of their aircraft against terrorist attack.
9. continue to use: Criminal Law Enforcement Investigators, Texas Highway Patrol strike teams, SWAT teams, aviation assets, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Criminal Justice tracking teams, Texas Rangers, Department of Public Safety strike teams, Game Wardens, local law enforcement, Civil Air Patrol wherever needed to conduct air and ground operations in support of Homeland Security; We commend Governor Perry for his initiative in utilizing these resources.
10. thoroughly inspect the contents of vehicles and containers coming across our borders, using rapid and accurate technology.

Legal Immigration - The Party believes that America has greatly benefited from immigrants who have legally come to this country to work and begin a new life reflecting American values and traditions.
We support:
1. systematic assimilation of legal immigrants into the American culture; baseline requirements for citizenship to include proficiency in the English language, study of American history and of the American form of government;
2. development of a practical, limited, and temporary worker program that does not serve as an automatic path to citizenship;
3. firm and consistent enforcement of all existing immigration laws;
4. an immediate end to the practice of "chain migration";
5. aggressive locating and deporting of aliens who have overstayed their visas;
6. establishing immigration quotas at levels that are sufficient to meet America's needs;
7.
8. An immediate end to the practice of allowing aliens "adjust status" by requiring them to "adjust" in the U.S. Embassy of their home country; and further, a waiver of the unlawful presence inadmissibility for those illegal aliens who register on their return trip to their home country while they legally wait for an immigrant visa.the cessation of the issuance of visas to individuals from foreign countries that sponsor terrorism;
9. screening potential immigrants for communicable diseases;
10. witholding federal funds from universities that give lower in-state tuition rates to immigrants on student visas, or refuse to cooperate with the foreign student tracking system;
11. designating Non-Citizens as such on their driver's license to prevent voter fraud; further, to require that driver's licenses expire on the same date of any visa;
12. requiring naturalized citizens to renounce their native citizenship and surrender their foreign passport; and
13. a tamper-proof identification and tracking system for all aliens, i.e. non-citizens and their dependents that would protect Hispanic, and other naturalized US citizens from job discrimination and unburden American businesses from the job of verification.

Illegal Immigration - No amnesty! No how. No way.
With growing impatience, the American people in overwhelming numbers have asked our government to secure our borders. They now demand it and we as a party agree with the American people. Illegal aliens have, by definition, committed a criminal act. The Party opposes illegal immigration, amnesty in any form, or legal status for illegal immigrants. The American people remember the broken promises of 1986 and will not be misled again.
We support:
1. an immediate end to the current "catch and release" policy of Homeland Security;
2. stiffer fines, criminal penalties, and an aggressive enforcement policy for those who knowingly employ illegal workers; and
3. expeditious hearings on deporting non-violent illegal immigrants held in prisons or jails;
4. suspending automatic U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrant parents;
5. elimination of federal funding to cities that have "sanctuary" laws prohibiting local police from identifying and reporting illegal immigrants to federal authorities;
6. empowering state and local law enforcement agencies with the authority, responsibility and resources needed to detain illegal immigrants within the course of their regular duties;
7. the rejection of non-verifiable foreign-issued cards, such as matricula consular as valid identification for official documentation purposes;
8. investigation and strict prosecution of agencies, businesses or persons involved in the production, distribution or acceptance of phony identification documents;
9. elimination of day labor work centers;
10. elimination of all laws requiring hospitals to give non-emergency medical care to illegal immigrants;
11. elimination of social security benefits or government funding to illegal immigrants for education, housing and business loans;
12. legislation to prevent any foreign country and/or its citizens from using the judicial system of the United States to gain entrance to the U.S.;
13. strong document verification prior to the issuance of a Texas drivers license to anyone;
14. the withholding of federal highway funds from any state that issues drivers licenses to illegal aliens;
15. aggressive prosecution of persons involved in smuggling humans across our borders.





Posted by R.G. Ratcliffe at June 2, 2006 06:49 PM

2. development of a practical, limited, and temporary worker program that does not serve as an automatic path to citizenship;

I want more clarity on this. We have a guest worker program and none of then should recieve citizenship because of a special path. They can apply for citizenship like every body else. If they go out of status, good bye for good. No exceptions. No judge needs to be involved in the decision process.

It's sounding pretty tough right now!!!!!!!!!

Dixie

jimpasz,

There's a few terms I would like clarified"

adjust status
chain migration

as well as Dixie's quote.

But it looks better than the President's....

It'll be good to follow up on this.

curiouspat,

What I think they are talking about...

adjust status
If they are here on a student visa and they switch to another visa status... In other words get in the country the easy way and switch to a status that will prolong their stay. By-pass the system. Or possibly extend their stay milti-times

chain migration
I think referes to Pappa comes, them Ma ma, them Grandmama and uncles and cousins and everybody remotely related and the little dog ToTo too. Bush called it reuniting families which is another form of special treatment.

Dixie

Thanks, Dixie.

I was thinking 'anchor babies' for the chain migration. You make sense.