Napolitano and Immigration Reform

Illegal immigration is hammering the state, once a desert gem; Arizona is overwhelmed by sprawl. And some say Janet Napolitano is one of the reasons that nothing is being done to end illegal immigration. They say she silently stands by and watches as her state is inundated with illegal aliens taking advantage of the Arizona taxpayers and then blames it on the federal government. She proposed sending National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and approved state laws prohibiting immigrant smuggling and the hiring of illegal border-crossers. But she has vetoed 10 measures pushed by border hard-liners, most notably attempts to draw local police into the fight against illegal immigration on a wide scale.

If she is confirmed as secretary of Homeland Security, Napolitano says she plans to review worksite raids that have increased under the Bush administration. She said Obama has called the raids troubling. The fact is, she called border crossing a national security crisis, the first governor to do that in US history, wanted to bring in Homeland Security resources to protect against this border crossing. As governor, Napolitano developed expertise in many of homeland security’s primary missions. She gained a national profile when she demanded in 2006 that the federal government pay for deploying National Guard troops along the border to help the overwhelmed U.S.

She already has worked with the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, now a branch of Homeland Security, to expedite the deportation of illegal immigrants from state jails, reducing overcrowding and the cost of maintaining these people. The two-hour and 20-minute hearing explored many areas of Homeland Security and immigration played a large part in those discussions. As secretary of Homeland Security, Napolitano will have the authority to ensure that the federal government enforces immigration laws. But it will take more than tough talk to reduce illegal immigration.

She vetoed legislation that would have ended the ability of illegals to pay lower in-state tuition rates at Arizona public colleges and universities. In 2004, she failed in her attempt to defeat a 2004 ballot initiative to deny most non-essential services and benefits to illegals. She has also vetoed tough immigration enforcement bills put forward by state Republicans and advocated measures like the prosecution of companies that hire undocumented workers. Overall she is seen as more of a hardliner on immigration than most Democrats. I doubt that border security will be the top issue in the Republican platform after the open borders elitists inside the Beltway get their hands on it. We need a grass-roots candidate to push this issue.

Through highly publicized raids on worksites and through the shackling and imprisonment of immigrants, the DHS has sought to use the law to terrorize existing immigrant communities as part of a strategy to deter future illegal immigration. The consequences have been violations of human rights, family separation, and sowing fear in entire communities. Her public image is one of toughness on the issue, as a two-term Democratic governor of a Republican state sharing a long border with Mexico. But illegal immigration hawks are skeptical of Napolitano’s enforcement credentials.

My guess is that Obama chose her for political cover – to put into place someone thought to be a “law and order” person to help him push amnesty through in the next few years. Get ready for another 2006/2007-style battle royal over illegal immigration sometime soon. In July 2007, Napolitano signed the toughest employer-sanctions law in the country. The law requires employers to verify electronically that new employees are authorized to work, making it harder for undocumented workers to get jobs using fake documents. Her dilemma was made easier because the law enforcement community spoke with one voice in opposition. Even Cochise County Sheriff Larry Devers, one of the few in Arizona law enforcement who favors police arrests of illegal immigrants, told a Valley newspaper columnist that SB1157 is unfunded and unworkable in the form passed by the Legislature.

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Tags: Bush Administration, Department Of Immigration, Deportation Of Illegal Immigrants, Desert Gem, Governor Napolitano, Illegal Aliens, Illegal Border Crossers, Illegal Immigration, Immigration And Customs Enforcement, Immigration Laws, Immigration Reform, Janet Napolitano, Mexico Border, National Guard Troops, National Security Crisis, Overcrowding, Secretary Of Homeland Security, Security Resources, State Jails, Tough Talk