IMMIGRATION
Governor Brewer called the decision a "bump in the road." But opponents of the immigration law were out in the streets claiming a victory. Viewing the elements of an injunction [(i) Existence of an imminent likelihood of irreparable harm if the injunction is not issued; (ii) Unavailability of any adequate remedy at law; (iii) the threatened harm to the petitioner (the government, and by association, illegal immigrants) outweighs any substantial harm to Arizona, (iv) Granting the injunction will not contravene a substantial public interest; and (v) Petitioner has a substantial likelihood of success based on the allegations/merits], opponents are optimistic, claiming that the injunction would not have been granted if there wasn't a good chance of the government ultimately winning the lawsuit.
Anti-immigration groups, on the other hand, are seething over the ruling. Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform shared his opinion with AOL News: "This is far too important a law to be halted by one judge's decision. We believe her logic is flawed. She seemed to buy the notion that enforcing laws is burdensome. Yes, it is burdensome. But that's the reason for having laws." William Gheen of Americans for Legal Immigration made this statement: "We the people of the United States are no longer enjoying a democratic republican form of government. Instead, we have an oligarchy that includes this president and this judge that is intent upon helping illegal immigrants at the peril of American citizens ..."
"This fight is far from over," Governor Brewer stated in a press release. "In fact, it is just the beginning, and at the end of what is certain to be a long legal struggle, Arizona will prevail in its right to protect our citizens."
On July 29, Brewer filed the State's appeal with the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco (a "sanctuary" jurisdiction), asking that court to lift the injunction. We must continue to follow this lawsuit. We must realize that we have a very real legal and Constitutional stake in this decision, even aside from how the decision affects immigration.
Although Arizona's immigration law has been temporarily derailed, Governor Brewer has promised to take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court. She says she is prepared to fight all the way to the Supreme Court to defend Arizona's right to protect itself and to enforce SB1070. Cristina Rodriguez, an expert on immigration and constitutional law at New York University Law School, predicts: "The Supreme Court -- with a working conservative majority -- accepts a fraction of appeals but may take this case because it presents a conflict of federal and state law."
What is it about illegal immigration that bothers people? Well, aside from the financial drain it places on already burdened taxpayers and communities, and the increase in crime, and the assault on our general system of rules and laws, and the insult to those who have sought legal entry into this country, and the inability to track these people while the rest of us have social security numbers, tax numbers, and other ID numbers up the wazoo so that the government knows exactly what we are up to and how much money they can take from us, and the visual images of Hispanics (at least 1/3 illegals) displaying the American flag OVER the US flag or sometimes even tearing down the US flag to fly Mexico's instead, I would say the list could go on and on…..
Here are some arguments that myself and other people are making:
1). Arizona is one of us. It needed help and the government turned its back. The government isn't supposed to turn its back on any of the states, especially when it has a Constitutional responsibility to provide the help that Arizona was seeking.
2). The US is under attack from Mexico and Obama takes Mexico's side?
3). Attorney General Eric Holder claims Arizona is interfering with inherent federal immigration responsibilities. In support of the government's case, Holder claims that Arizona's law "will impact the entire country's safety." I assume he means "negatively." Personally, I think it will impact it for the positive. But here is a question to the Attorney General: "How is a secure southern border a threat to the nation's safety?"
4). There are people who say that we need the illegals here in this country because they will do the jobs that Americans don't want to do. And they also enjoy the cheaper services they provide. But is it worth the immense burden and cost, and infiltration of crime just to enjoy a cheaper tomato? It is worth the social decline to save a few bucks on lawn care?
5). Caution signs greet visitors and US citizens at six national parks in Arizona. These signs wouldn't be necessary if it weren't for the violent crime brought in by Mexican immigrants involved in drug trafficking and human trafficking. The signs read:
DANGER - PUBLIC WARNING
TRAVEL NOT RECOMMENDED
Active Drug and Human Smuggling Areas
Visitors May Encounter Armed Criminals and Smuggling Vehicles Traveling At High Rates Of Speed
Stay Away From Trash, Clothing and Backpacks and Abandoned Vehicles
If You See Suspicious Activity, Do Not Confront! Move Away and Call 911
The Six National Parks / Monuments are:
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (3500 acres closed)
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (60% of 330,689 acres closed)
Ironwood Forest National Monument
Sonoran Desert National Monument
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge
Coronado National Forest
Does this sound like a successful US immigration policy? Does this sound like the America of our grandparents or does this sound like a ghetto?
6). We have a limited number of applications for citizenship for a reason - we can't absorb too many new people at once. Also, it is a long process for a reason - there are a few billion would love to move here but if the government is to do its job correctly, each person is supposed to be cleared for security reasons. Just because the line is too long doesn't make it right to jump the fence. What we need are lawful, educated, and SKILLED immigrants, not unintelligent and un-skilled ones. We have more than enough people in the states who are identified as poorly-educated and low-skilled and who are too quick to go on entitlement and social programs rather than invest in education or career development. Allowing too many unintelligent lowly-skilled immigrants in this country takes jobs away from those who are here legally. Illegals will perform other people's services for a cheaper wage.
7). According to AZ Governor Jan Brewer, 1,000 illegals cross into Arizona each day. Of those, 70-80% have a criminal background. Furthermore, the US Border Patrol Weekly Blotter, a newsletter informing of illegals detained and arrested, showed last week (week of June 15, 2010) that 4 illegals were previously convicted of child rape or sex offense and deported. Yet here they were found once again in Arizona. Other illegals detained were gang members and drug runners. And these were just the ones that were caught. Many more go un-apprehended.
8). We pay federal income taxes for basic federal services, the most important one being for safety and security. It's the one responsibility that the government owes its citizens more than any other, aside from the protection of our liberties. Mexico's drug wars have clearly spilled over onto US territory.
9). More Americans are killed on national soil by illegal aliens than American servicemen and women overseas in the Iraq War. Think about it…. A man or woman killed in Iraq or Iran in the line of duty is a hero. An American killed at home by an illegal alien is just a statistic. The government is letting down its citizens.
10). It doesn't take an Einstein to realize that the reason we haven't addressed the problem head on is because certain political groups are trying to figure out how to organize them into a valuable voting block. They don't want to send the wrong message and risk alienating potential voters. But we need to address the insurgency of illegal Hispanics into this country. If we don't, then we will soon see policies and programs go into effect, especially in our schools and in employment practices, for increased sensitivity and respect for diversity respecting Hispanics. We might even see a Hispanic History Month. What these programs do is burden the rights and diminish the recognition of majority groups.
11). If they aren't here legally, then technically, they are intruders. And if Hispanics claim they are being treated unfairly and looked at unfavorably because of the heated immigration issue, it's only because that's the general reaction people give to those who are "intruders." No one warmly welcomes an intruder, unless of course, he is bearing a gift of a million dollars. But I don't think that's the case here.
12). It must be tough for the liberal media to keep trying to convince people that the Arizona law is bigoted when more and more people are taking it upon themselves to actually read the law and compare it to the decades-old federal immigration enforcement law. I can point to at least four places in the Arizona law (which is far more lenient than the federal law) where it specifically says (written into the law) that racial profiling is prohibited. The law spells out what is acceptable for deeming reasonable suspicion (nope, a cop can't use race, accent or skin color to determine reasonable suspicion). Truth is, writers of the AZ SB 1070 took painstaking steps to ensure that racial profiling won't occur. For those of you who continue to say that this law will result in racial profiling or that it is bigoted, please cite at least one clause in the bill that leads you to believe that. Otherwise, you are simply spouting off uninformed opinions, not educated facts.
13). I thought the President was supposed to protect the people of the United States, not the people of Mexico.
14). The Mexican government should keep its filthy nose out of our business. If it had been doing its job and taking care of its people, this country wouldn't be in the mess we are in.
15). Governor Brewer who took office after Napolitano went to serve in Obama's administration, and she promised the citizens of Arizona that she would rid the state of the violent drug cartels taking over park lands within the state. She promised to rid the state of the violent illegal Hispanics who are engaged in drug trafficking, human trafficking, and who are kidnapping and murdering. She doesn't want the state to become a deteriorated ghetto. I give Brewer a lot of credit for living up to her promises. I wish my state governor had the balls she has.
16). I could list the instances in the news where we learned that American citizens were tragically killed by illegal immigrants (drunk drivers, gang initiations, drug violence, violent crime, disease contagion, etc), but that list would be far too numerous. There are likely many more instances not reported, especially in 'sanctuary cities." In almost every one of the reports and articles I read, it was noted that the killer had a record, or had a record in Mexico, or was arrested but released, but the bottom line is that had each of them been deported as federal law required, the victims would be alive today to enjoy their US right to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Every single one of those Americans deserved the protection of the government. That was THEIR right as a LEGAL citizen.
17). (from a doctor) "I live and work in a state (Florida) over-run with illegals. They make more money having kids than we earn working full-time. Today I had a 25-year old with 8 kids - that's right 8; all illegal anchor babies and she had the nicest nails, cell phone, hand bag, clothing, etc. She makes about $1,500 monthly for each; you do the math. I used to say, We are the dumbest nation on earth. Now I must say and sadly admit: WE are the dumbest people on earth (that includes ME) for we elected the idiot ideologues who have passed the bills that allow this. Sorry, but we need a revolution. Vote them all out in 2010."
18). Legal immigrants are required to have medical screening to ensure that they do not bring any contagious diseases into the United States. Illegal aliens are not screened and many are carrying horrific third world diseases that do not belong in the USA. Many of these diseases are highly contagious and will infect citizens that come in contact with an infected illegal alien. This has already happened in restaurants, schools, and police forces. Malaria was eradicated from the US in the 1940s but within the last 3 years, there have been outbreaks in southern California, New Jersey, New York City, and Houston. Additionally, Malaria tainted blood has been discovered in the blood supply. Dengue fever, a leading cause of death among children in infected areas, usually affects most Asian countries. However, with the increase in illegal immigration, Dengue outbreaks have now occurred in the United States. The rate of HIV infection among Latino women in California is about twice the rate of white women. At one free California health clinic, all of the women have HIV or AIDS. Most are Mexican or Central American "immigrants." Leprosy, a scourge of Biblical days, is caused by a bacillus agent and is now know as Hansen's Disease. In the 40 years prior to 2002, there were only 900 total cases of leprosy in the US. In the following three years
there have been 9,000 cases and most were illegal aliens.
Tuberculosis (TB) kills approximately 2 million people each year. It is estimated that between 2002-2020, approximately 1,000,000,000 people will be newly infected, over 150 million people will get sick, and 36 million will die. TB is a highly contagious disease. Like the common cold, it spreads through the air. When infectious people cough, sneeze, talk or spit, they propel TB germs, known as bacilli, into the air. Each person with active TB will infect on average between 10 and 15 people every year. The US currently has one of the lowest rates of TB in the world. Mexico has 10 times the rate of prevalence and many African countries along with Afghanistan, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Indonesia have rates that are 100-150 times higher. Making matters worse, a few years ago a Multi-Drug-Resistant (MDR) strain of TB has emerged that is resistant to all standard anti-TB drugs. Treating a single case of MDR TB costs over $250,000 and as much as $1,200,000 per person, and even with treatment about half of the patients with MDR-TB prematurely die.
In an article in the Journal of the American Medical Assn, a lead investigator for the CDC commented on MDR-TB: "Evidence of it has surfaced in 38 of 61 California health jurisdictions, and it could 'threaten the efficacy of TB control efforts. The infected were said to be four times as likely to die from the disease and twice as likely to transmit the disease to others. Reluctant to label the infected as 'illegal' or even 'undocumented' aliens, the report notes that of the 407 known cases of MDR-TB, 84% were 'foreign-born' patients, mainly from Mexico and the Philippines who'd been in the U.S. less than five years. The percentage of TB cases among 'foreign-born' jumped from 29% in 1993 to 53% as of last year." Recently, there was a TB Outbreak in Oklahoma City in a hospital affecting thousands. ["The Dark Side Of Illegal Immigration Facts, Figures And Statistics On Illegal Immigration," posted July 20, 2010, by ResistNet.com]
This is an insult and a kick in the butt to all of us... All you bleeding hearts who think we should let everyone in this country who wants to come, maybe you should fund them at your own expense.
If the immigrant is over 65, they can apply for SSI and Medicaid and get more than a woman on Social Security, who worked from 1944 until 2004. That woman is only getting $791 per month because she was born in 1924 and there's a 'catch 22.'
It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890. Each can also obtain an additional $580 in social assistance, for a total of $2,470 a month.
This compares to a single pensioner, who after contributing to the growth and development of America for 40 to 50 years, can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement. Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!
Consider sending this to all your American friends, so we can all be ticked off and maybe get the refugees cut back to $1,012 and the pensioners up to $2,470. Then we can enjoy some of the money we were forced to submit to the Government over the last 40 or 50 or 60 years.
19). Clearly, Arizona only wishes to enforce the federal law that the US Government refuses to.
20). The Feds not supporting Arizona is a slap in the face to the people of this country. Obama is completely wrong when he says that the majority of Americans are ready to embrace accepting 11 million illegal immigrants into our citizenry as legal. We DO however want the border secured and see nothing wrong at all with the people, all people, of this country carrying proper ID. In other countries a visitor is required to show his or her passport. Why are illegal intruders exempt from our laws? This feels a lot like the healthcare bill being shoved down our throats and now amnesty for the undocumented will be shoved down our throats. We are not being REPRESENTED. No one has asked for a vote on these issues and its starting to feel like our Prez is our King, not our placed where the buck stops.
21). It amazes me how much money the federal government will waste fighting the majority. I think all states should sue the government right back for not doing the job they were elected to do. Any one have a good petition?
22). It's all about the words we use. Immigration is a process an immigrant goes through to become an American. An immigrant is a person going through the process of immigration. A person that enters my home without an invitation is a home invader. 15 million Hispanics the size in population to the whole state of Michigan is an invasion. These are 15 million fugitives not illegal aliens or immigrants. If States started to use the words fugitives instead of Illegal immigrants than profiling goes out the window. We are looking for 15 million hispanic fugitives from the law.
23). What would happen if I walked up to the White House to see the President? I'd have to identification, right? I wouldn't be allowed to walk off the streets and meet the President without an ID. I might be deemed a security risk. Are the American people worthy of any less protection?
24). We Americans who live in Arizona and California have watched our quality of life slide lower and lower. The impact and the costs of illegal immigrants is amazing, and our American culture is jeopardy. "Illegal" is not a race. It's a large group of folks who want what is ours and want to enjoy it at our expense. We can't afford to finance millions of illegals who at the same time want to rob us of our quality of life. This country is built on Fairness and nothing about that sounds fair to me. My family moved from Mexico legally 60 years ago. The border should be SEALED.
25). It's a sad day in our history when an American President is more concerned about a state trying to protect itself from increased crime and financial drain than he is about solving our border crisis and fixing our broken immigration system. The Arizona law merely reflects the federal law that is not being enforced. Arizona is merely doing what the government failed to do for political reasons not connected to citizen safety and respect for citizen's quality of life.
26). When are the rights of decent, law-abiding, tax-paying citizens going to take priority over illegals and criminals?
27). It is the job of the Executive Branch (President) to enforce the laws that the US Congress has passed. This includes the full enforcement of current Federal Immigration Laws. That fact that Obama is not fully enforcing the federal law on immigration tells me that Obama is not faithfully executing his oath of office and should be forced to resign as President of the USA. Since that will never happen, he should be impeached.
28). With so much lawlessness and crime, we are quickly moving towards anarchy. We lack guidance and enforcement because we see that from our own government. When our own government disrespects the laws that structure our society and provide our safety, we have no other choice than to seek that power from our states. If they can't provide it than we have no choice that to take matters into our own hands.
29). The days of Lincoln are gone… Now it's - A government "of the (lawbreaking) people, by the (lawbreaking) people, and for the (lawbreaking) people."
30). This exercise of control over immigration by the federal government is yet another attempt to misconstrue and misrepresent the US Constitution, and through it's lawsuit, an attempt to take the inherent powers of the states away from them. The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; It is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it comes to dominate our lives and interests." -- Patrick Henry
31). Anthony W. Hager writes in American Thinker, "States aren't obligated to tie their hands or turn their heads when Washington ignores its assignments. If that were the case, what would happen if Washington ignored its duties in other areas? Reconsider Article I, Section 8, which not only establishes the federal government's naturalization powers, but also compels Congress to 'provide for the common defense ... of the United States.' If a foreign power were to invade one of the several states, the national government would be constitutionally responsible for repelling the invaders. Suppose Washington simply refused to deploy the armed forces to the besieged state? Would that state be constitutionally bound to accept the occupying force, since its defense is an established federal duty? Only the most naïve pacifist would accept such a proposition."
32). According to recent government data regarding federal income taxes, currently over 55% of Americans and American households are exempt from paying federal income taxes. This number is already up over 10% from April when federal income taxes were due and only 45% (or 121 million Americans) did not have to pay federal income taxes. These Americans pay no income tax either because their incomes are too low or they have higher income but credits, deduction, and exemptions relieve them of tax liability. Of course, these values only represent "documented" Americans. Only "documented" Americans have their wages reported and scrutinized and then garnished by the federal government. Undocumented immigrants, on the other hand, are living the American Dream without helping fund anything. They are not paying federal income tax. They are benefiting from freedoms without contributing to the government which protects those freedoms. (Lately if feels sort of life mafia pay-offs: "You pay us lots of money so that nothing bad will happen to you!") They are benefitting from services and education opportunities without contributing to anything. Without "profiling," but rather using the facts given, we can see what is going on. We look around and notice that there is a huge and growing Hispanic population in our communities and in our country. At least 1/3 of them are illegal, supposedly. So you can clearly imagine HOW many people TOTAL in this country are not paying anything to fund all the programs and functions of the federal government - 55% of documented Americans + 1/3 of Hispanics.
As Walter Williams wrote in an article he wrote, No Link Between Financial Stake of Citizens, Decision-Making Rights: "Let's ask what kind of incentives and results such an arrangement produces and ask ourselves whether these results are good for our country. Having 121 million Americans completely outside the federal income tax system, it's like throwing chum to political sharks. These Americans become a natural spending constituency for big-spending politicians. After all, if you have no income tax liability, how much do you care about deficits, how much Congress spends and the level of taxation ? Political calls for tax cuts and spending restraints have little appeal. Here's my perhaps politically incorrect question: If one has no financial stake in our country, how much of a say-so should he have in its management? Let's put it another way: I do not own stock, and hence have no financial stake, in Ford Motor Company. Do you think I should have voting rights or any say-so in the management of the company? I'm guessing that the average sane person's answer is no. You say, "Williams, just where are you heading with this?" I'm not proposing that we take voting rights away from those who do not pay taxes. What I'm suggesting is that every American gets one vote in every federal election, plus another vote for each $20,000 he pays in federal taxes. With such a system, there'd be a modicum of linkage between one's financial stake in our country and his decision-making right. Of course, unequal voting power could be reduced by legislating lower taxes." Personally, I could agree more with Mr. Williams, and I will continue to promote his proposal every chance I get.
The Obama administration is using the Constitution to rip the country apart and to put our country at great risk. One of the wisest Supreme Court Justices once wrote: "The Constitution was framed upon the theory that the peoples of the several states must sink or swim together, and that in the long run prosperity and salvation are in union and not division." [in Baldwin v. G.A.F. Seelig, Inc., 294 U. S. 511 (1935)
The Arizona law has touched off an intense national debate over immigration. The results of the court challenge in Arizona will undoubtedly have wide-ranging implications, as a number of other states and jurisdictions have already taken up tough immigration policies similar to Arizona's. Arizona representative Kirkpatrick is correct. Arizona is ground zero for immigration. The entire nation is watching for what happens there. We owe Governor Brewer a debt of gratitude for her determination to take on the federal government in this fight.
One thing is for certain… if Arizona's immigration law is struck down, Obama will be viewed as the Savior to Hispanic community. He will be viewed as the champion of Hispanic rights. He may be complicit in their gross and flagrant lawlessness, but he will finally be viewed as the Messiah he already sees himself as.
This article provided courtesy of our sister site: Beaufort County Now