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U.S. BORDER PATROL
Local 2544
Toll Free (800) 581-2544
Fax (520) 293-6044
President Bush, Read Our Lips, NO AMNESTY!
Welcome. Local 2544 officers are all Border Patrol agents. We represent other Border Patrol agents and non-supervisory employees in the Tucson Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, covering most of the state of Arizona. We are the largest local in the Border Patrol.
Local 2544 is proudly affiliated with the Legal Defense Fund, and the law firm of Gattey Baranic LLP. These organizations support our members in administrative, legislative, civil, and criminal matters. Local 2544 was the first local in the nation to offer its members an Administrative Legal Plan utilizing attorneys to represent members in disciplinary actions, grievances and ULP charges. Our attorneys also assist in other types of representation not covered under the Legal Defense Fund plan.
We fully support legal immigration, but we stand firmly against illegal immigration. We strongly oppose any attempts to reward illegal alien lawbreakers. We have risked our lives to keep them out of this country. The slick politicians can call it "guest-worker" or "earned legalization" all they want, but it's amnesty. Some of these politicians have missed their true calling. They need to be working down at the County Fair selling tickets to innocent children to try and shoot a 14" basketball through a 12" hoop so they can win the big stuffed animal.
ATTENTION EMPLOYERS: PLEASE HIRE U.S. CITIZENS AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS! SAY NO TO CHEAP ILLEGAL ALIEN LABOR. IT'S AGAINST THE LAW, IT'S UNETHICAL, AND IT'S BAD FOR THIS COUNTRY.
SAY NO TO AMNESTY. PRESIDENT BUSH AND MANY POLITICIANS ARE TRYING TO SELL LEGALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP TO 12 TO 15 MILLION LAWBREAKERS. DON'T BUY THEIR PROPAGANDA. IT'S NOT A "GUEST WORKER" PROGRAM, IT'S AN AMNESTY PROGRAM, IT'S COMPLETELY UNENFORCEABLE, AND IT'S DEAD WRONG. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEND THEM A MESSAGE.
THANK YOU FROM THE UNITED STATES BORDER PATROL AGENTS TRYING OUR BEST TO POLICE THE BORDER IN ARIZONA WHILE PRESIDENT BUSH, SENATOR McCAIN, "CONGRESSMAN" GRIJALVA AND OTHERS SELL US OUT EVERY DAY.
Next Meeting: August 9, 2006 @ 6 p.m.
Illegal Alien is a "Homegrown Terrorist"? - Maybe globalization has hit earlier than we thought. These two men (one resident alien and one illegal alien) are described by the Attorney General of the United States of America as "homegrown terrorists". Note to AG's office: Foreign citizens who are here both legally and illegally are not "homegrown". With the way the country has been overrun with illegal aliens it just seems that way. Read a story here. 06-23-06
DHS Management Reps Waste Money (shocking news) - Ever wonder why the Border Patrol is always broke? Ever wonder why our vehicles are in such bad shape? Ever wonder why our communications system is in such a sorry state? Ever wonder why we have 400 agents working out of a station built for 20 agents? Well, here's part of the answer. In the "new and improved" DHS the taxpayers now foot the bill for management "LER" representatives to fly clear across the country on a mini-vacation so they can attend an informal 10-minute "oral reply". That's correct. We had a 7-minute oral reply on June 21st at Sector Headquarters. Management had flown in an "LER" rep from Vermont, apparently for the sole purpose of attending this 7-minute informal meeting. Now, we know the Federal government is known for wasting huge amounts of money, but this ongoing sham is getting ridiculous. Taxpayers have to pay this lady's salary, per diem, lodging, rental car, and airfare to and from Vermont......for a 7-minute informal meeting. Add it all up and you quickly come to realize how much money they are wasting. This happens frequently. On another recent occasion DHS sent two (2) LER reps from Washington DC to Tucson for three days so they could attend a 10-minute oral reply. They said they like to personally "observe" the replies on occasion. Ridiculous? Absolutely. Why do the LER reps need to be at these meetings? Answer: THEY DON'T! It's an INFORMAL oral reply to a disciplinary proposal. There is already a transcription service and an Assistant Chief Patrol Agent in attendance at the meetings. In addition, at this last meeting there was another LER bigwig on the phone the whole time SECRETLY listening in from the east coast (we found out about her after the meeting was over). They send enough reps into these informal oral replies that one would think he was attending a felony criminal trial. Evidently the horde of agency attorneys they have in Tucson are incapable of watching over an oral reply. We realize that the LER folks enjoy lording over rank-and-file agents who are in trouble (it obviously makes them feel superior to watch agents squirm - we don't think it's a damn bit funny), but it's a complete crock. They can get on a speakerphone and listen in. They don't need to attend these meetings in person. They are not judges and they don't need to watch anybody's body language. They don't make any of the decisions, that's left to the Chief Patrol Agent. We often wonder how these people can look at themselves in the mirror. It is obvious, and has been for some time, that they are desperately trying to justify their existence. As usual, the rank-and-file agents get shafted and the management reps get pampered. Somebody needs to put a stop to this disgraceful waste of money. 06-22-06
Illegal Aliens Are Safe In Phoenix - Absent things like a "felony DUI" where ICE may be notified "when feasible" (that two-minute phone call can be tough), the Phoenix Police Department protects illegal aliens. With the amount of crime being caused in Phoenix by the illegal alien tidal wave, they can at least partially blame themselves. They are a sanctuary city. In a nutshell, their policy protects the illegal aliens up until the point that they commit a felony or get caught in a stash house. It's comparable to letting all DUI offenders go on the spot until they kill someone in an accident. Up until the point that they kill someone it's just a "victimless" crime anyway. Right? No harm, no foul. Very sound law enforcement strategy. Interestingly, the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association representing rank-and-file officers supports protecting illegal aliens (the same Association whose president characterizes illegal aliens as innocent "dishwashers" that he doesn't have time to deal with). There are plenty of illegal aliens getting by us down here, so their wish to harbor and protect them is certainly paying off. More proof that sanctuary policies work. Good luck dealing with them Phoenix PD. More arriving daily.
"Officers will not stop persons for the sole purpose of determining immigration status.
Officers will not arrest a person when the only violation is an infraction of federal immigration law.
Officers will not contact ICE/Border Patrol for the sole purpose of interpreting.
Officers will not notify ICE/Border Patrol of undocumented persons under the following conditions:
When the contacted person is a victim and/or witness of a crime
When contacted during a family disturbance
The enforcement of minor traffic offenses
When the person(s) is/are seeking medical treatment
If an undocumented person is arrested, the decision to notify ICE will be based on the following criteria:
If the offense is a minor traffic violation, ICE will not be notified. (Felony DUI offenders will be turned over to ICE when feasible.)
If the offense is a misdemeanor and the person meets the cite-and-release criteria, an ATTC may be issued.
ICE will not be notified by the Phoenix Police Department if the person is released.
If the person will be released from police custody (not booked) pending further investigation, ICE will not be notified."
Bid-for-Shift Hearing - The hearing regarding management's unilateral abolishment of our bid-for-shift system will take place on June 29th. The bid-for-shift was working well and everybody was happy, so naturally, it had to be changed. The year-old mandatory shift rotation has been a huge success. It has succeeded in drastically lowering overall morale, increasing health risks to agents, and making family life even harder for the backbone of this organization, the men and women working the frontlines. Management is throwing everything they have at this hearing in an attempt at preventing the Union or the agents from having a voice in this matter. The bottom line is this, you will NOT live as long when you are routinely forced to rotate shifts. That is guaranteed. You're taking years off your life. Clinical studies have documented the ill effects of rotating shifts, including the increased danger to employees because they are tired all the time. The studies were presented to management long ago. They acknowledged the studies, admitted they were accurate, and basically said they didn't care. We will continue to fight this battle until we have exhausted every option available to us. In a worst-case scenario we can only hope that even if we lose this one at hearing, we will get a new regime in about a year who will work with us on this issue. We have given up trying to convince the current regime that they are hurting agents, hurting agents' families, and killing morale for absolutely no good reason. It's a lost cause until we get a favorable ruling from an arbitrator in 3 or 4 months, or a new regime in a year or so. This is one issue that David Aguilar got absolutely right when he was the CPA here. 06-21-06
Your Newest Jefe - Please welcome W. Ralph Basham, the Bush Administration's latest offering in the revolving door of DHS/CBP "leaders". After watching this silly game play out over and over again, it gets a little tiresome watching politicians trot out one "leader" after another who knows absolutely nothing about what we do. This guy actually thinks Janet Napolitano made "a brilliant comment" in regards to putting a wall up on the border (show me a 50' wall and I'll show you a 51' ladder). Cute? Certainly. Brilliant? Hardly. It's a very cute defeatist comment that generates cheap publicity, but does nothing to help us gain control of our borders. It reminds us of "Amnesty John" McCain's recent statement that illegal aliens would begin "parachuting" into the United States if we made it too hard for them to cross on the ground. Yeah, right! Basham also makes reference to the Chinese taking 300 years to build a wall (you'll have to decipher that one for yourselves, we're dumbfounded). The bottom line is that Basham apparently has no plan. America should be very concerned about what's taking place on our borders. Nothing substantive enough to address the problem is getting done folks. There's a lot of slick talk (mostly lies) from clueless politicians, but the facts remain that we have the worst equipment of any law-enforcement agency in the nation, we're undermanned, we're sold-out, we're being overrun, our infrastructure is, for the most part, completely outdated (not including the new palace being built for Sector management - it's huge, it cost a fortune, and it's real nice, but does absolutely nothing for rank-and-file agents), our vehicles are literally worn out and falling apart, our two-way radio communication system is completely outdated and unreliable (it doesn't even work in many areas we have to patrol), and morale amongst many agents is very bad. Most agents we speak with anymore are trying to get jobs somewhere else or are very unhappy with the way things are going in the Border Patrol. Why? The number one reason is a lack of job satisfaction and a lack of support. The situation is shameful and somebody better wake up. Read an article on Mr. Basham here. 06-20-06
Management's Nice Rental Vehicles - Has anyone noticed that when many of the managers and management reps (LER, the ones who are paid to hang agents) are detailed here from the east coast they often rent expensive luxury and sports cars? We have seen them driving Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger models. Why is that? Contrast that with the rank-and-file agents who go on detail. They are often told they can't have a car, or if they do get one they have to pile four people into an "economy" car, maybe a nice Chevy Cavalier or Dodge Neon. 06-08-06
National Guard - Local 2544 has not been consulted in any way, shape, or form regarding the deployment of National Guard troops in this Sector. This is being posted in response to multiple questions about our involvement in this process. In a nutshell, there is no involvement. We were told we would be consulted. We weren't. 06-08-06
Shift Swap Hearing - The hearing was held on June 1st in Tucson. Please allow 3 months for a final decision to be rendered. We are hopeful we will win this case and that some sanity will be restored to the draconian shift structure currently being used. 06-08-06
What "Guest Worker" and "Earned Legalization" Really Mean - Don't those terms sound warm and fuzzy? Well......in addition to the facts contained in the blog linked here regarding the administration of IRCA 1986, frontline Border Patrol agents were ordered to immediately release any illegal alien who made an amnesty claim, no questions asked, even though we were routinely uncovering massive fraud with simple field interrogation techniques. The illegal aliens we questioned before this order came down were mostly lying, and we were catching them in lies one right after another. Many had just entered the United States, but falsely claimed they had entered years before so they could "qualify" for amnesty. One large group was tracked down and apprehended on the Tohono O'Odham Indian reservation about 10 miles from the border (in the middle of nowhere - there's nothing out there, no roads, and no legitimate/lawful reason for illegal aliens to be there). Two of them had freshly minted "amnesty" cards. When questioned about the "last entry" they made into the U.S. from Mexico, the cardholders claimed they had entered years before and were just "visiting" the rest of the group (approximately 100 total). Of course, their clams were ludicrous. We were told that if we wanted to prove their claims false we would have to "back track" them all the way to the south side of the border to prove they were in Mexico. It was logistically impossible to do this under the circumstances. What they had really done was obtain the cards fraudulently, then they returned to Mexico to smuggle their entire village into the U.S. so they could all get the "amnestia" cards being doled out to illegal aliens. Yes America, it was that bad and then some. Similar situations played out thousands upon thousands of times. Fraud was absolutely rampant, and the government agents trying to enorce the laws were handcuffed by the bureaucrats after organizations like Catholic Social Services complained about us having the gall to actually do our jobs. This was just one small incident among thousands, but it demonstrates on a very small scale what will happen if our government is allowed to do this again. We have no idea what George Bush was doing in 1986, but he obviously needs to polish up on his perception of reality. This will be an out-of-control nightmare. If they ultimately pass anything close to the disastrous Senate Bill, you will see what we're talking about. They're not just "legalizing" 12 to 15 million illegal aliens, they are "legalizing" many millions more (family members, etc.) who will come after the nightmare is implemented. Your government is nowhere near being capable of handling all those claims. They will buckle at the slightest hint of pressure from any activist/social services group. They will issue waivers like candy to any illegal alien who says he or she can't afford the "fines" levied by the government. They will accept one fraudulent document after another. The entire thing will be mass chaos. Don't agree with us? Some of us have already seen this play out first-hand 20 years ago. Stay tuned folks. It will be a train wreck if it passes. 05-30-06
Senator Kyl Stands Firm - Senator Kyl voted against the recent Amnesty Bill (S. 2611). Please thank him for opposing this horrible piece of legislation. Senator Kyl has been a terrific ally of rank-and-file Border Patrol agents over the years. He has been responsive and helpful to both individual agents who encounter problems and agents as a whole. He has always come across as a man of integrity and honor, and has always showed the utmost respect for us and our jobs. Click here to access Senator Kyl's website and thank him for his vote. Don't take people like him for granted. He needs positive feedback for taking a stand on an extremely important issue facing this nation. 05-28-06
Senator McCain Sells Us Out (again) - Senator McCain voted for the Amnesty Bill (S. 2611). Senator McCain has never been a friend to rank-and-file Border Patrol agents. He routinely ignores correspondence from Border Patrol agents and often gives the impression that he is just too big and too important to deal with us. He attempts to undermine our mission at every turn and actively supports the criminals who violate our laws. He always trys to downplay the fact that illegal aliens knowingly and willingly violate our laws, and he is a close ally on immigration matters with Senator Ted Kennedy, who we believe is the biggest disgrace of all time in the United States Senate. Senator McCain's smug attitude towards rank-and-file Border Patrol agents and his complete disdain for our mission has been evident for years. We will not bother listing his website because it's obvious he could care less what the average American thinks and he isn't up for re-election until 2010. 05-28-06
Local 2544 Featured in Washington Times - Click here to read an excellent article by Jerry Seper.......then click here to read about how the White House compares a criminal violation of 8 USC 1325 (illegally entering the United States) to a "speeding ticket". Geez, there sure are a lot of "speeders" coming across the border illegally. Maybe we should start using "speed bumps" to slow them down. Radar guns anyone? Pay a small fine and get your citizenship here. This is just more insanity from a White House so out of touch with the average American that we're beginning to think they should move to Mexico City so they'll be closer to their real constituents. They seem more interested in appeasing the "FOX" and his folks than they do representing the people who put them in office (that would be us dumb Americans who want the invasion stopped). 05-26-06
Arlen Specter, American Disgrace - Senator Specter, at the last minute, put a clause in the Senate's shameful immigration bill that forces the United States government to "consult" with Mexico prior to planning or building any fences or barriers on our border. Not on Mexico's border, but yes, on United States soil. We can't wait to see this fencing project after the "consultations" take place. Maybe they can even appoint "Congressman" Raul Grijalva to lead the "consultations" for the United States of America. This is the same Mexican government who sends millions of their citizens here illegally to steal jobs and send billions of dollars back to Mexico. This is the same Mexican government whose soldiers smuggle drugs and shoot at Border Patrol agents. This is the same Mexican government that is corrupt to the core. This is the same Mexican government that uses its consular officers to sue the United States government. Great move Specter. Talk about the "FOX" guarding the henhouse. 05-26-06
McCain, Kennedy, Specter, and Bush Sell Out America - The Senate passed a shameful bill today at the urging of an equally shameful George W. Bush, fresh off his dune-buggy riding jaunt in Yuma surrounded by a bunch of adoring, star-struck Border Patrol managers. This bill cheapens citizenship in this country (again), it throws the rule of law out the window (again), it places unconscionable burdens on DHS (verifying the identity of every illegal alien in this country within 90 days), it repeats, and at a minimum, quadruples the worst immigration mistake in the history of this country (IRCA 1986), it sells out our sovereignty by forcing the American government to "consult with the Mexican government" before planning or building any border fences, it encourages more widespread fraud than this country has ever seen (you'll see what we're talking about if this actually passes the House), and it is completely unenforceable and will overwhelm the system. Other than that, great job Senators. You have succeeded in placing the morale of frontline Border Patrol agents in the toilet just when we thought it couldn't possibly get any worse. More to follow. 05-25-06
"Why not say to those undocumented workers who are working the jobs that the rest of us refuse, come out from the shadows," Arizona Republican "Amnesty John" McCain. This guy just doesn't get it. Uh, Senator, they put themselves in those "shadows" by breaking our laws and they need to go home. They weren't forcibly placed in the "shadows" by some murdering tyrant from the Middle East. They freely chose to break our laws, steal our jobs, and take advantage of our wobbly-kneed politicians who let them do it. Instead of using all that energy to fix their own corrupt country, they sneak into ours and then demand that we change our system to fit their crimes. It's pretty simple stuff. 05-25-06
Statement: Every day that President Bush and the Senate hold real border security hostage to their misguided amnesty program, thousands upon thousands of illegal aliens continue to flood into the country. Make no mistake, most of them get by us. We are losing this war, and it's not even close. Contact your senators and congressmen now. Tell them to secure the border and tell them to reject amnesty programs (so called "guest-worker").
Mexico's Hypocrisy - "Do as I say, not as I do" seems to be the popular theme emanating from President Fox and the Mexican government these days. They want us to afford instant benefits and eventual citizenship to illegal aliens in this country, but take a look at the way non-native born "citizens" are treated in their society. It is mind-boggling that Mr. Fox can keep a straight face when he lays out all these demands (to a usually compliant President Bush who always seems more eager to please Fox than the American people). Read an article here. 05-22-06
Bush Plan is a Trojan Horse (1986 all over again) - He and the Senate do not "get it". The Congress "gets it". The American people "get it". Shut the border down to illegal crossings, then start hammering the greedy employers who hire them. Start deporting, we repeat, deporting, the illegal aliens who are here in violation of law. It may take years, but you don't build a house overnight. It's not complicated folks. Promising more AMNESTY is not going to dissuade anyone from coming here. Rewarding the lawbreakers with amesty is not going to solve anything. It just demonstrates that there are rewards for breaking our laws. The Congress should continue to REJECT Bush's calls for amnesty and should continue to stick up for the American people who want this problem stopped now, without AMNESTY provisions. 05-16-06
"Militarization" of the Border - President Bush is doing back flips to assure the hypocritical El Presidente Fox that America will not "militarize" the border. We didn't realize that Fox was running things here. Is the Mexican government paying for any of this? Of course not. Further, Fox has already "militarized" the border. Mexico has plenty of troops on the border. We know this because we see them all the time and they shoot at us with rather large .50 caliber rifles. All we can do is hope their aim is bad, run from them, and then watch as the cowards from our government hide from the issue, and their government lies about them even being there. So........if Fox is so concerned with the "militarization" of the border perhaps he should start on his side of the border. Fox needs to learn that the United States of America is a sovereign nation and has the absolute right to secure its borders. Fox does not have the right to dictate our internal policies. He uses his consulate officers to harass us, file lawsuits, and use every trick in the book to undermine border security so he can continue to send millions upon millions of his citizens over here to send millions upon millions of dollars back to him. Meanwhile, our schools suffer, our healthcare suffers, our environment suffers, our culture suffers, our rule of law suffers and this great nation is the real loser. It simply cannot continue. Start fixing your own country. It's a complete mess. We'll see tonight if Bush actually has the fortitude to implement real border security without selling this country down the drain with another AMNESTY program. Given his abysmal track record with illegal immigration, we think this whole thing might be a Trojan Horse so he, Senator McCain, and Ted Kennedy can get the amnesty program they so badly want. Remember how quickly "interior enforcement" and "employer sanctions" disappeared after the 1986 amnesty debacle? Some of us watched that disgraceful mess first-hand. We were ordered not to enforce the laws and we were ordered to stand by and watch as one fraudulent act after another was carried out by illegal aliens. It was not what we'd call a big morale booster. Watch how quickly "border security" will disappear once they get the AMNESTY program they really want. The carrot and stick approach is always lots of carrots and no sticks. To believe that Bush suddenly woke up one morning and started caring about the long-term security of our borders is rather naive. He is passionate only when he speaks about giving amnesty to millions of "good-hearted" lawbreakers. He lacks the same passion when he speaks about "border security". We'll see. It always makes us feel good to get shot at, rocked, and run down with vehicles by the same people our top leaders are trying so hard to glorify and protect (they're not "criminals" who are breaking our laws, they're merely engaging in a harmless "administrative violation" by the millions). Read an article on the kowtowing conversation between Fox and Bush here. 05-15-06 The first wave of threats from Mexico to file "lawsuits" in United States courts if the National Guard arrests anyone has arrived. Mexican illegal aliens state they will not be stopped, and you can thank George W. Bush and his promises of more AMNESTY programs and his assurances that they won't be DEPORTED for that. They will come in even bigger numbers now, just like they did in 1986. Read an article on this disgraceful situation caused by an unforgiveable failure on the part of the White House and the Senate to properly address the continuing national disaster that is illegal immigration. Click here. 05-16-06
The Sell-Out Continues - According to Ted Kennedy, Americans support amnesty for illegal aliens (he calls it "earned citizenship", which means you break laws to "earn" your citizenship). Hey Teddy, we are Americans, and we don't support anything you're doing. You are a disgrace. Make sure you count us out when you lie to everyone about the "broad support" your amnesty plan enjoys. Read an article on the Senate plan here. 05-11-06
Reports to Mexican Government - This Local has nothing to do with any alleged management directives to report the location of the Minutemen volunteers to the Mexican government. Our position on the Mexican government and the Mexican military is very clear. They are corrupt, their soldiers shoot at us, they smuggle drugs, they help illegal aliens invade this country by the millions, they are not to be trusted, and they should have ZERO input into the internal policies of the United States of America. We have received a lot of e-mail on this issue. Rank-and-file Border Patrol agents have been angry for years about the Mexican Consulate invading our work stations, demanding interviews with prisoners, and basically being given free reign to do whatever they want. It's been a standing joke for years that we should "check with the Mexican Consulate" to see if they approve before we do anything. Their influence on our politicians and upper managers is absolutely disgraceful. 05-10-06 Update: Two congressmen have now called for an investigation, and management can't get their stories straight (the pre-programmed Agency "spokespersons" evidently weren't all programmed with the same "information" before they were turned loose on the media to straighten all this out. A massive re-programming of the spokespersons is almost certainly taking place at this time). Read an article quoting former Tucson Sector agent Scott James here (we can verify that he did, in fact, quit in complete "disgust" when he left here some months ago). 05-12-06
Recent Issues
· May 1st - Local 2544 will be making purchases of computers and other expensive items we normally would purchase at some point anyway - on May 1st. We wish all the illegal aliens would take their May 1st "protest" a step further, and completely remove themselves from the country. This would really demonstrate how upset they are at being treated like common lawbreakers. It has to be terrible to be a lawbreaker, and then be called a "lawbreaker", or even worse, to actually be held accountable for breaking "laws". Ouch! Afterwards, we could put all the unemployed Americans back to work, force employers to pay a fair wage, and see if the country really falls apart as the radical illegal immigration activists would have everyone believe. We say CALL THEIR BLUFF. 04-29-06
· Protests Have Almost Zero Effect - What did we "learn"? Well, Los Angeles has a huge illegal alien population and is quickly becoming a third world city (we've known that for years). The entire country is full of illegal aliens (we've known that for years, but now the rest of America can see it for themselves). Many illegal aliens have learned to carry American flags now as a political gesture, but we all know that their loyalty is with Mexico. They still don't think they are "criminals". And last but not least, movie actor Martin Sheen has pretty teeth and he supports illegal immigration (he's not real bright though). All in all we have to say thanks to the radical illegal immigration activists (Latino Movement USA, La Raza, MeCHA, etc.) for awakening the American people and demonstrating what a huge problem we have in this country. Please schedule more "demonstrations" soon! Americans: Please contact your senators and congressman now and demand that something be done. We need the help. 05-02-06
"We don't have enough cops on the streets to handle the problems we've got today, and now they want us to go into the back of Filiberto's and arrest the poor dishwasher while somebody is getting carjacked in the middle of the street?" said Jake Jacobsen, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association. "That's just a bad idea." Arizona Republic
The jails in the Phoenix area are full of illegal aliens, they currently expend all kinds of resources dealing with crimes committed by and against illegal aliens, and most of the beat cops we come into contact with are practically begging for help, and this guy simplifies the problem to a "poor dishwasher" in Filibertos. That "carjacking" he may need to respond to might well be an illegal alien too. A "poor dishwasher" in Denver just executed a Denver city cop last year, then fled to Mexico to escape the death penalty. Jacobsen's attitude is exactly the problem in this country when it comes to dealing with illegal aliens. Nobody wants to do the dirty work. Everybody wants to leave the dirty work to someone they can look down on. Our guys are getting rocked, shot at, run down with vehicles, and otherwise assaulted every day of the week trying to keep what Jacobsen refers to as "poor dishwashers" out of this country. And we always thought city PD's "prioritized" calls (with the obvious results being that he would be called off the "poor dishwasher" in Filibertos to catch the "carjacker" out on the street).
Here's what Sheriff Tony Estrada from Nogales has to say about it (this guy's pompous attitude is laughable, considering how much crime illegal aliens cause in Santa Cruz County):
"I cannot have my deputies drop what they're doing for the public safety of the community to stop, detain and question people who may be here illegally," Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said. Arizona Republic
Lastly, here's what Eric Edwards, the Executive Director of the "Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police" has to say. His attitude is even more smug than the two guys above. We have no idea what his organization is all about, but it sure sounds important:
Police, money and limited resources would be better spent by officers targeting violent and property crimes instead of trying "to hunt down landscapers, maids and those whose sole offense is being in the country illegally," Edwards said.
"You look at the amount of cost, and for what?" he added. "At the end, the result is they'll be deported, and until the border is secure, they'll be back a week later." Arizona Republic
Can't you just feel the "importance" that Mr. Edwards exudes? "Violent and property crimes"? Where should we start with that one? Is this guy really ignorant enough to believe that in the state of Arizona there aren't huge amounts of "violent and property crimes" already being committed by illegal aliens? Go arrest any prostitute, thief, or dope dealer in the state and they'll most likely just "be back a week later" too, so why bother with them either Mr. Edwards? His use of the term "hunt down" and his portrayal of illegal aliens as innocent victims is sad. Edwards' condescending attitude is unreal.
Lastly, just to clarify, even for some folks that are supposed to be helping us, it is already a federal CRIME to enter this country without inspection. Look up 8 USC 1325. A first offense is punishable by a fine and up to six months in jail, a second offense is punishable by a fine and up to two years in jail. Many media outlets are incorrectly reporting that it is only a "civil offense". No, it's just that we can't persuade the U.S. Attorney's office to prosecute anyone for 8 USC 1325 unless they're also an axe murderer, so they are charged with the "civil offense" and sent home. Again, and again, and again, and again. Eventually they get past us and once they get past us they are home free. Many of them get a job as a "poor dishwasher" in a large city. Some of them commit crimes after they get here. ALL of them are waiting on the next Bush/McCain/Kennedy amnesty program, also known as the Great American Sell-out. 04-15-06
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"Terrorism is the preferred weapon of weak and evil men." President Ronald Wilson Reagan
09-11-01 - Never Forget What The Cowards Did to Us
A country that does not control who comes and goes is a country asking for more problems. The government currently has no way to really identify millions of people who have come into this country illegally. They have no reliable way to track others who come here legally, but then refuse to leave when they are supposed to leave. Thousands upon thousands have skipped immigration hearings, and there is no effort to track them down. Immigration hearings are a complete joke. There is no interior enforcement of immigration laws in the United States. Anyone with one iota of common sense can see that it is very dangerous to have millions of people in your country, with no idea who they really are, why they came here, or what their intentions are. Most are here to work and send money home. Others are undoubtedly here to do us harm. This situation was disgraceful on 9-11-01, and it is even more disgraceful today.......because we should know better now. It has become painfully apparent that until President Bush leaves office and someone who actually has the backbone to enforce our immigration laws gets elected this situation will not improve.