says towns, states can
act on immigration
Congressman: 2 parties,
president sidestep issue
Colorado Rep. Tancredo
says towns, states can
act on immigration
BY MARK ROSMAN
Staff Writer
The U.S. congressman who is one of the leading voices for immigration reform and the protection of America’s borders said both of the nation’s major political parties and President George W. Bush are to blame for turning their heads away from the issue.
In a telephone interview with Greater Media Newspapers on Oct. 31, Congress-man Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado) discussed the big picture on illegal immigration and the local picture of what states and towns that have been impacted by the issue can do to deal with the situation.
Tancredo’s Internet Web site indicates that his legislative priorities in Washing-ton, D.C., include blocking any attempt to grant amnesty to people living the United States illegally and creating secure U.S. borders. The third-term congressman has sponsored legislation to effect a moratorium on immigration and to require identification that may be used in obtaining federal public benefits meets restrictions ensuring it is secure and verifiable, among other initiatives having to deal with immigration.
Greater Media Newspapers contacted Tancredo to ask for comment on the issue of illegal immigration, primarily from Mexico, that Freehold Borough and other towns in Monmouth and Ocean counties have been dealing with for about a decade.
Tancredo said surveys indicate that a large majority — he estimated it to be about 70 percent — of Americans want strict border control and enforcement of laws that pertain to illegal immigration.
"However, the elite, meaning the media and government officials, are not in sync with the public," the congressman said.
"The Democratic Party sees massive immigration, both legal and illegal, as a source of voters," he said.
Asked how illegal aliens can be voters, Tancredo said that is accomplished in states that issue driver’s licenses or other documents to illegal aliens. They, in turn, fill out voter registration cards and check off yes when asked if they are a citizen of the United States.
"Nobody ever checks their answer," he said.
"The Republican Party sees legal and illegal immigrants as a source of cheap labor and the President sees it as a wedge issue to attract a constituency (the Hispanic vote) he does not now have," Tancredo said.
With a laugh, the congressman said that as soon as he can overcome the fact that no one — not the Democrats, the Republicans or the president — sides with him, he’ll have the entire issue well in hand.
On the narrower picture of what a state or municipality can do to deal with the situation of illegal immigration, Tancredo was clear when he said, "If people want to fight back, they can. If they don’t fight back they will lose control."
"One thing a city can do is to charge their police with helping [the federal immigration service]," he said. "If a person commits a crime the police can ask them if they are illegal. If the person is illegal, the police can detain them until immigration comes to pick them up. Local police have every right to enforce federal law."
He noted that if a bank was robbed — a federal crime — local police would make an arrest if possible and detain the accused until federal authorities arrived. While the court venue might be debated, the right of local police to enforce federal law would not be, the congressman said.
Tancredo said sheriffs in his home state of Colorado have started to realize that detaining illegal immigrants can be a profit-making venture. The sheriffs are detaining illegal immigrants who have been arrested and charged with committing a local crime and billing the federal government for the immigrants’ detention, he said.
Another action local officials can take is to warn employers that they are asking immigration officials to come in and take a look at the business community, "because these people have to be working somewhere," the congressman said. Federal law makes it a crime for a business owner to hire an illegal immigrant.
"Cities and states can do things to make it unattractive to be here illegally. States can take aggressive action, for example, by not offering any social services benefits to people who are not here under legal status," Tancredo said.