Thanks, Huckabee: Arkansas Mexican consul opposing immigration laws

Back in 2003, former Arksansas governor and current presidential contender Mike Huckabee asked Vicente Fox to establish a Mexican consulate in Arkansas. They opened that earlier this year, and consul Andres Chao has been a busy beaver:

A sweeping [Prop. 200/187-style] Oklahoma law denying benefits and jobs to illegal immigrants raises concerns among the Hispanic community around the region, the region's Mexican consul said Thursday.

Consul Andres Chao said those concerns come as police agencies in northwest Arkansas prepare to send officers to federal immigration training. However, as Arkansas' cost of living remains low, the state and surrounding area will draw immigrants wanting to save money to send home to their families, he said.

"The Hispanic community is worried about this new law," Chao said in an interview with The Associated Press. "They are working together to try to convince (them) that this new law is not perfect. They are doing the jobs over there and they insist there are other options."

...Chao said lawyers working with immigrants groups planned to challenge the law on constitutional grounds. He said the consulate, based in Little Rock, would work to protect the human and labor rights of Mexican immigrants, without mentioning how state laws should treat them...

I'll try to look into whether those lawyers have links to the Mexican government, or whether they're just useful idiots.

Chao is also complaining that Steve Womack, the mayor of Rogers, AR has been stonewalling him on a meeting; that city is among others sending their police officers for 287 (g) training, which would allow them to participate in federal immigration enforcement:

Chao said he has scheduled meetings in September with the Rogers police chief and with the sheriffs of Washington and Benton counties.

"It's my point of view that it's better to talk with the community, to know each other and understand the situation and fix it," Chao said. "The (Hispanic) community is worried about this situation. They are wondering what is going to be the next step."

He said the consulate in Little Rock has received numerous calls from people who fear unjustified arrests and deportation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Mexican Consulate Again Butts Into Arkansas Policy Matters
http://thecitizensjournalblog.blogspot. ... -into.html

Mexican consul Andres Chao who earlier this month remarked of Arkansas' immigration woes that we should just, "accept the phenomenon" is now attempting to influence Rogers mayor Steve Womack on his measures to curb illegal immigration in his town.

This from the Baxter Bulletin, "A northwest Arkansas mayor said he is willing to risk a lawsuit to go forward with a new program that allows local police to check a person's immigration status.

"The mood of this region and the mood of this country right now is that it's time that somebody did something about a problem in our country that is getting out of hand," Rogers Mayor Steve Womack told The Associated Press. "Illegal immigration is out of hand."

Immigration enforcement training recently completed by officers in Rogers, Springdale and the Benton and Washington county sheriff's offices was the target of criticism Monday by Mexican Consul Andres Chao. Chao is based in Little Rock and serves the Mexican population in Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Chao said communities in northwest Arkansas that send police officers to receive immigration enforcement training were "closing the door" to reaching the state's growing Hispanic population. He singled out Womack for ignoring his request to discuss the practice.

"The solution to that problem (of immigration) is to open the communication channels, to open the doors to the community," Chao told a meeting of the Arkansas Committee on Foreign Relations. "They're going to close the door."

Rogers began the push to train its police force after an undercover officer was shot while trying to serve a warrant at the home of an illegal immigrant in October. The four law enforcement agencies sent officers to Boston this month to learn how to screen inmates' immigration status and report illegal immigrants for possible deportation."

This program to train state police to help in the enforcement of illegal immigration is widley being used across the nation because of the failure of the federal government to do anything about the problem; How many times have we heard mayors and governors, when faced with complaints regarding illegal aliens, claim that their police officers aren’t authorized or trained to enforce immigration laws? Too many times, if you ask me. Well, either these government leaders are too ignorant to hold office or they’re out-and-out lying to the American people. The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement dierctorate recently authorized 16 additional Alabama state troopers to enforce federal immigration law, following their completion of ICE training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, AL. A Florida deputy sheriff was also authorized to enforce federal immigration law after participating in the same class. That graduating class boosted the number of Alabama troopers trained and certified to a total of 60. The Immigration and Nationality Act includes section 287(g), added in 1996, that grants local and state jurisdictions the ability to enforce immigration law with proper training and supervision by federal authorities. In 2003, Alabama became the second state in the nation to participate in the program by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Homeland Security. Florida was the first state to participate, in 2002. While many politicians claim their police officers are not allowed to conduct immigration laws, their excuse for ignoring illegal aliens is a canard. Too few police agencies are taking advantage of the training offered by ICE and DHS. "

I thought the law forbid consuls from getting involved in matters of local government ?

John Anderson