The congressional daily The Hill is reporting that Department of Homeland Security czar Janet Napolitano will be meeting privately for the first time with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus tomorrow in D.C. If true, one can only hope they grill Nappy's generous fanny till it practically resembles the face of that poor Connecticut lady who got ripped by that chimp.
No one is demanding answers of Napolitano when it comes to ICE's 287(g) program, and her relationship to the 287(g) program's biggest abuser, Joe Arpaio. Instead, critics are being warded off with the phrases "Mexican-style violence"and "spilling over the border." This is a crock of red herrings, aimed at defusing the push for amnesty for the 12 to 20 million undocumented that are here and want nothing more than to live their lives and work.
The wave of abductions making Phoenix the kidnapping capital of America is a direct result of the drug trade. A recent Los Angeles Times piece on the kidnapping wave noted that, "Most every victim and suspect is connected to the drug-smuggling world, usually tracing back to the western Mexican state of Sinaloa."
To the degree illegal immigration feeds into the problem, it mirrors
the prohibition against alcohol in the '20s. The result of the
increased enforcement of immigration laws by localities under the
287(g) program exacerbates the problem. Bring immigration above ground,
legalize those hiding in the shadows, and you begin to deprive the
kidnappers of victims and recruits.
Currently, the 287(g) program targets
those same ordinary people, driving them into the arms of the drug
traffickers, making them more fearful of the police.
A backlash
against the 287(g) program is growing, in think tanks, at law schools,
and among activists and politicians. In anticipation, Immigration and
Customs Enforcement began rebranding 287(g) last year as part of
some b.s. they call "Secure Communities."
From a marketing standpoint, it's a smooth move. "287(g)" sounds way
too Orwellian. But how can anyone be against "Secure Communities"?
Congressional
leaders need to look past this bureaucratic obfuscation, dissembling
and fear-mongering, and nail Napolitano on the abject failure of the
287(g) program in protecting the U.S. population. Instead, the program empowers
local bigots and tyrants, granting them federal power to play with.
Arizona Congressmen Raul Grijalva and Ed Pastor
are members of the Hispanic Caucus, and they know what evil Arpaio's is
up to with the 287(g) program. They need to pressure Napolitano to act,
though this may be made difficult by their ties Napolitano. (This is
especially true of Pastor, whose daughter Laura earned Napolitano's
endorsement in her failed bid for a Phoenix City Council seat.)
Now
is not the time for chumminess. Napolitano could jerk Arpaio's 287(g)
agreement tomorrow, if she wanted. She needs to do that and more. Congress can force her, even if a stubborn Napolitano is not so
inclined.
