Please see post below this one for original column and complete responses. Also HERE from MDJ OPED editor Joe Kirby
Marietta Daily Journal
D.A. King: Illegal Immigration
by D.A. King
Guest Columnist
August 01, 2010
ON WEDNESDAY I posed six questions on illegal immigration, via a column on the editorial pages of the Marietta Daily Journal, to our three remaining major candidates for governor: Roy Barnes, Nathan Deal and Karen Handel. I promised to include their answers in a follow-up column.
All three read that column, and here are their answers. (Note: All responses came after the preliminary injunction ruling in Arizona.)
Question: “Will you commit to using the power of the Governor’s office to put in place legislation that requires use of the no-cost federal E-Verify employment verification system to obtain or renew a business license/ “occupational tax certificate” in Georgia? This is a YES or NO question.”
Roy Barnes: “E-Verify is an excellent system and Georgia needs to expand this program to determine employment eligibility.”
(I will let the reader decide if this is a yes or no response.)
Nathan Deal: “Yes.”
Karen Handel: “Yes.”
Question: What will you do, if anything, to improve the law to protect jobs for Georgians on Public Works contracts for legal labor?
Barnes: “We need to make Georgia work again, and that means protecting and creating jobs for Georgians. It also includes enforcing labor laws. All people – including employers who hire illegal immigrants – should be subject to these laws….”
Deal: “Laws are not effective unless oversight and enforcement are performed effectively. I fully support the use of E-Verify for public works projects and will work with the Legislature to ensure our state’s requirements are enforced and jobs are protected for those who are legally eligible for them.”
Handel: “As Secretary of State, I implemented the ‘SAVE’ program to verify the work visa status of all new applicants for professional licenses. SAVE … is a federal database that helps us ensure that applicants who are not legally eligible to work in the United States will be denied licensure. As governor I will continue to provide leadership on illegal immigration issues by developing a system to ensure the “SAVE” program is fully implemented throughout Georgia.”
Question: Given the state of the Georgia budget, what will you do, if anything, to improve existing Georgia law and procedure to gain compliance with the code that is aimed at stopping Georgia’s finite and shrinking taxpayer-funded public benefits from going to ineligible illegal aliens?
Barnes: “I understand Georgians’ frustration with the federal government not living up to its obligations when it comes to controlling our borders. When the federal government fails to protect our nation’s borders, states like Georgia are forced to deal with the ramifications of illegal immigration. We are a nation of laws … and the law must be obeyed.”
Deal: “The cost of illegal immigration to the taxpayers of Georgia is immense. As governor, I will work to strengthen the law requiring identity and citizenship verification for all individuals seeking taxpayer-funded services and benefits. … In 2006 … I wrote and enacted into federal law the requirement that all individuals seeking enrollment in the Medicaid program must verify through documentation their identity and U.S. citizenship to ensure eligibility for taxpayer-funded benefits.”
Handel: “As governor, my administration will be committed to following and enforcing the law. State law already prohibits state ‘benefits’ for illegal immigrants but, as we’ve seen recently with the Board of Regents, divisions of our government may not be following the letter, not to mention the intent, of the law. We need consistent and thorough (sic) and I will make it a priority that we do so.”
Question: On the premise that we cannot effectively change what we do not measure, will you commit to putting in place questionnaires and monitoring procedures to ascertain the citizenship/immigration status of individuals and families receiving federally mandated taxpayer funded benefits so as to create an official database from which to gain public knowledge of the real cost of illegal immigration to Georgians? This is a YES or NO question.
Barnes: “The financial mandate of monitoring and calculating the impact of the illegal immigration problem should not be placed on our state. The federal government should bear this fiscal burden.”
Deal: Yes
Handel: Yes.
Question: “If elected, will you do whatever necessary to prohibit illegal aliens from attending any school in Georgia’s university system and our technical college system? This is a YES or NO question.
Barnes: “I am not in favor of illegal immigrants attending Georgia’s public colleges and universities.”
Deal: “Yes.”
Handel: “Yes.”
Question: Will you commit to using the power of the Georgia Governor’s office to create, pass and sign into law legislation based on Arizona’s SB 1070, including making illegal immigration a state crime in Georgia?
Barnes: “States are forced to deal with the ramifications of illegal immigration; therefore, “… I would sign legislation similar to what Arizona passed. The state can enforce federal law so long as it is not racial profiling. However, I do not agree with making illegal immigration a state crime because it puts the financial burden on our state…”
Deal: “Yes … I … remain strongly committed to this mission for Georgia. The ruling by Judge Bolton regarding the Arizona law will not interfere with my efforts to enact a similar law in Georgia. … I look forward to further court challenges to overturn this unjust ruling.”
Handel: “Absolutely, I am 100 percent committed to passing a similar law in Georgia. … I will be … (a) strong ally in fighting the Obama Administration on this issue.”
Thank you, candidates.
D.A. King is a nationally recognized authority on illegal immigration and president of the Cobb-based Dustin Inman Society, which advocates for the enforcement of immigration laws. On the Web: www.TheDustinInmanSociety.org
Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – D A King Illegal Immigration
Below are the unedited/abbreviated responses received from three gubernatorial candidates to questions asked in my Wednesday MDJ column. HERE
Please see today’s (Sunday, August 1, 2010) column in post above.
Question #1: Will you commit to using the power of the Governor’s office to put in place legislation that requires use of the no-cost federal E-Verify employment verification system to obtain or renew a business license/ ‘occupational tax certificate’ in Georgia? This is a YES or No question.
Roy Barnes: “E-Verify is an excellent system and Georgia needs to expand this program to determine employment eligibility.”
Nathan Deal: “Yes.”
Karen Handel: “Yes.”
Question # 2 What will you do, if anything, to improve the law to protect jobs for Georgians on Public Works contracts for legal labor?
Barnes: “We need to make Georgia work again, and that means protecting and creating jobs for Georgians. It also includes enforcing labor laws. All people – including employers who hire illegal immigrants should be subject to these laws, and the law must be obeyed.”
Deal: “Laws are not effective unless oversight and enforcement are performed effectively. I fully support the use of E-Verify for public works projects and will work with the Legislature to ensure our state’s requirements are enforced and jobs are protected for those who are legally eligible for them.”
Handel: “As Secretary of State, I implemented the “SAVE” program to verify the work visa status of all new applicants for professional licenses. SAVE, which stands for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement Program is a federal database that helps us ensure that applicants who are not legally eligible to work in the United States will be denied licensure. As Governor I will continue to provide leadership on illegal immigration issues by developing a system to ensure the “SAVE” program is fully implemented throughout Georgia.”
Question # 3 Given the state of the Georgia budget, what will you do, if anything, to improve existing Georgia law and procedure to gain compliance with the code that is aimed at stopping Georgia’s finite and shrinking taxpayer-funded public benefits from going to ineligible illegal aliens?
Barnes: “I understand Georgian’s frustration with the federal government not living up to its obligations when it comes to controlling our borders. When the federal government fails to protect our nation’s borders, states like Georgia are forced to deal with the ramifications of illegal immigration. We are a nation of laws. All people should be subject to these laws, and the law must be obeyed.”
Deal: “The cost of illegal immigration to the taxpayers of Georgia is immense. As governor, I will work to strengthen the law requiring identity and citizenship verification for all individuals seeking taxpayer-funded services and benefits, and will work to expedite deportation of illegal aliens to avoid the enormous cost to the justice system we currently face. I have a proven record of working to reduce the burden on taxpayers that is a result of illegal aliens fraudulently enrolling in taxpayer-funded benefit programs. In 2006, for the first time in U.S. history, I wrote and enacted into federal law the requirement that all individuals seeking enrollment in the Medicaid program must verify through documentation their identity and U.S. citizenship to ensure eligibility for taxpayer-funded benefits.”
Handel: “As Governor, my administration will be committed to following and enforcing the law. State law already prohibits state ‘benefits’ for illegal immigrants but, as we’ve seen recently with the Board of Regents, divisions of our government may not be following the letter, not to mention the intent, of the law. We need consistent and thorough and I will make it a priority that we do so.”
Question # 4: On the premise that we cannot effectively change what we do not measure, will you commit to putting in place questionnaires and monitoring procedures to ascertain the citizenship/immigration status of individuals and families receiving federally mandated taxpayer funded benefits so as to create an official database from which to gain public knowledge of the real cost of illegal immigration to Georgians? This is a YES or NO question.
Barnes: “The financial mandate of monitoring and calculating the impact of the illegal immigration problem should not be placed on our state – the federal government should bear this fiscal burden.”
Deal: Yes
Handel: Yes.
Question # 5 “If elected, will you do whatever necessary to prohibit illegal aliens from attending any school in Georgia’s university system and our technical college system? This is a YES or NO question.
Barnes: “Generally, I do not believe that a child should be punished for the crimes of the parents; but, I am not in favor of illegal immigrants attending Georgia’s public colleges and universities.
Deal: “Yes.”
Handel: “Yes.”
Question # 6: Will you commit to using the power of the Georgia Governor’s office to create, pass and sign into law legislation based on Arizona’s SB 1070 – including making illegal immigration a state crime in Georgia?
Barnes: “When the federal government fails to protect our nation’s borders, states like Georgia are forced to deal with the ramifications of illegal immigration; therefore, I would sign legislation similar to what Arizona passed. The state can enforce federal law so long as it is not racial profiling. However, I do not agree with making illegal immigration a state crime because it puts the financial burden on our state. The price of incarcerating illegal immigrants is a responsibility of the federal government; therefore, Georgia shouldn’t be burdened with the cost of housing them.”
Deal: “Yes; I was the first candidate for governor to commit to enacting legislation based on the Arizona law and remain strongly committed to this mission for Georgia. The ruling by Judge Bolton regarding the Arizona law will not interfere with my efforts to enact a similar law in Georgia. States are fully within their authority to protect its citizens. I look forward to further court challenges to overturn this unjust ruling.”
Handel: “Absolutely, I am 100% committed to passing a similar law in Georgia and I have been endorsed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer because she knows I will be her strong ally in fighting the Obama Administration on this issue.”
Meddling Mexican ex-diplomat: take SB1070 to international court
…In Mexico City, former Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Rosario Green Macías called on President Felipe Calderón to request the International Court of Justice in the Hague to permanently overturn SB1070. — Green, president of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said the blocking of this law’s most controversial aspects was a partial victory for illegal
In this Fox Five Atlanta news segment, (text HERE) Dustin Inman Society board member Inger Eberhart tells the truth to another anti-enforcment, amnesty-again supporter.
Action needed: Please watch the short news video and take a moment to contact the TV station to tell them how much you enjoyed seeing Inger speak on the crime of illegal immigration…HERE.
Inger did a wonderful job and we are all very proud of her. Inger Eberhart, YOU ROCK! GREAT JOB!
Fox News Poll: 72 Percent Say Government Not Enforcing Immigration Laws
Most American voters believe the federal government is failing to enforce the country’s immigration laws, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. In addition, voters are more likely to favor than oppose Arizona’s new immigration law that was in large part blocked by a federal judge this week.
Views on the Arizona law changed little since last month: 50 percent favor it now, while 31 percent oppose it and 19 percent are unsure. At the end of June it was 52-27 percent in favor (29-30 June 2010).
By a significant margin, Republicans favor Arizona’s law (72-15 percent). Democrats are twice as likely to oppose it (by 50-25 percent), although one in four is undecided. Independents are more likely to favor (55 percent) than oppose the law (28 percent)…
The number of deportations through a federal program has more than doubled in Whitfield County in the last two years. — But the entire amount of deportations in Georgia and Tennessee has dropped over the same period. — “At the beginning, we couldn’t process every alien that came in…”
Arizona lodged an appeal on Thursday seeking to lift a judge’s ruling blocking key parts of the state’s controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, the governor’s spokesman said. — Lawyers for Governor Jan Brewer and Arizona asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to lift a preliminary injunction…
March 14, 2006, Jobs Americans Won’t Do? Think again.
A core element of the American creed has always been a belief in the dignity of labor — at least until now. Supporters of a guest-worker program for Mexican laborers say that “there are jobs that no Americans will do.” This is an argument that is a step away from suggesting that there are jobs that Americans shouldn’t do.
President George Bush, a strong supporter of the guest-worker program, has long said that “family values don’t stop at the Rio Grande.” We are supposed to believe, however, that the work ethic does stop there — it is only south of it that people can be found who are willing to work in construction, landscaping and agricultural jobs. So, without importing those people into our labor market, these jobs would go unfilled, disrupting the economy (and creating an epidemic of unkempt lawns in Southern California).
This is sheer nonsense. According to a new survey by the Pew Hispanic Center, illegals make up 24 percent of workers in agriculture, 17 percent in cleaning, 14 percent in construction, and 12 percent in food production. So 86 percent of construction workers, for instance, are either legal immigrants or Americans, despite the fact that this is one of the alleged categories of untouchable jobs.
Oddly, the people who warn that without millions of cheap, unskilled Mexican laborers, this country would face economic disaster are pro-business libertarians. They believe in the power of the market to handle anything — except a slightly tighter labor market for unskilled workers. But the free market would inevitably adjust, with higher wages or technological innovation.
Take agriculture. Phillip Martin, an economist at the University of California, Davis, has demolished the argument that a crackdown on illegals would ruin it, or be a hardship to consumers. Most farming — livestock, grains, etc. — doesn’t heavily rely on hired workers. Only about 20 percent of the farm sector does, chiefly those areas involving fresh fruit and vegetables.
The average “consumer unit” in the U.S. spends $7 a week on fresh fruit and vegetables, less than is spent on alcohol, according to Martin. On a $1 head of lettuce, the farm worker gets about 6 or 7 cents, roughly 1/15th of the retail price. Even a big run-up in the cost of labor can’t hit the consumer very hard.
Martin recalls that the end of the bracero guest-worker program in the mid-1960s caused a one-year 40 percent wage increase for the United Farm Workers Union. A similar wage increase for legal farm workers today would work out to about a 10-dollar-a-year increase in the average family’s bill for fruit and vegetables. Another thing happened with the end of the bracero program: The processed-tomato industry, which was heavily dependent on guest workers and was supposed to be devastated by their absence, learned how to mechanize and became more productive.
So the market will manage with fewer illegal aliens. In agriculture, Martin speculates that will mean technological innovation in some sectors (peaches), and perhaps a shifting to production abroad in others (strawberries). There is indeed a niche for low-skill labor in America. The question is simply whether it should be filled by illegal or temporary Mexicans workers, or instead by legal immigrants and Americans, who can command slightly higher wages. The guest-worker lobby prefers the former option.
If this debate is presented clearly, there is little doubt what most conservatives — and the public — would prefer. In his second term, President Bush has become a master of the reverse-wedge issue — hot-button issues that divide his political base and get it to feast on itself with charges of sexism, xenophobia and racism. The first was Harriet Miers; then there was the Dubai ports deal; and now comes his guest-worker proposal, making for a trifecta of political self-immolation.
There is still time for Bush to make an escape from this latest budding political disaster, but it has to begin with the affirmation that there are no jobs Americans won’t do.
— Rich Lowry is author of Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years.
USCIS Memo Details Administration’s Plan to Provide Mass Amnesty Through Administrative Actions
Thursday, July 29, 2010, 2:35 PM EDT – posted on NumbersUSA
A newly revealed memo, obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) who is leading the fight against amnesty, shows Obama Administration officials offering a detailed plan that would offer actual or de facto amnesty to millions of illegal aliens without Congress ever taking a vote. Read Full Story
