Raul’s comments on Immigration…for your eyes also!

Posted on May 06, 2010

Associated Press carried a story across the state about Raul’s stand on Immigration.

John Miller did a fine job of showing areas of similarity between Mr. Ward and Mr. Labrador…and he also did a great job in pointing out the STARK differences between the two men.

Even amid that kind of clear reporting, some folks like to actually read the text of what a candidate – in this case Raul Labrador – said at the Press Conference.

Well, here’s the text (below). For “email-sensitive” people, the use of CAPS is not because he was screaming…ha. It’s just easier to read while a candidate’s up at the podium, with “lights, camera and action” all around him (or her). Staying focused is vital to any message, isn’t it?

Here ya go:

Den

—–

LABRADOR PRESS STATEMENT ON

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

THANK YOU FOR COMING….

I CALLED THIS PRESS CONFERENCE TO ADDRESS A CRUCIAL ISSUE … ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.

THERE ARE TWO REASONS I WISH TO ADDRESS YOU TODAY … FIRST, THE ARIZONA LAW HAS FORCED THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION PROBLEM ONTO CENTER STAGE …. AND, SECOND, MY OPPONENT HAS BEEN USING EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO MISSTATE MY RECORD ON IMMIGRATION BECAUSE OF MY PROFESSION.

I’M HOPING TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE CURRENT NATIONAL CRISIS.  THE ARIZONA STATE LEGISLATURE TOOK DECISIVE ACTION TO PROTECT ITS STATE AND PEOPLE FROM AN ONSLAUGHT OF VIOLENCE.  ALSO, ITS SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES ARE BEING OVERWHELMED BY THE PRESENCE OF CLOSE TO 500,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

ACCORDING TO A REPORT BY THE NATIONAL DRUG INTELLIGENCE CENTER WE ARE SEEING AN AVERAGE OF THREE BORDER PATROL AGENTS PHYSICALLY ATTACKED EACH AND EVERY DAY!  THAT SAME REPORT FOUND THAT SOMEONE IS KIDNAPPED EVERY 35 HOURS IN PHOENIX!

OF COURSE ARIZONA WAS COMPELLED TO ACT.  THE ANGER AND CRITICSM AGAINST THE STATE IS MISPLACED.  IT SHOULD BE DIRECTED AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WHICH HAS FAILED TO ACT DECISIVELY ON THIS ISSUE AND HAS PLAYED GAMES WITH THIS PROBLEM FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS INSTEAD OF FINDING SOLUTIONS.

I’M NOT HERE TO TELL ARIZONA WHAT IT SHOULD DO.  BUT THE PROBLEM WITH THEIR APPROACH IS THAT IT SIMPLY WON’T WORK BY ITSELF.  IT IS CLEAR THAT WE CANNOT HAVE A PIECE-MEAL SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.  ARIZONA CURRENTLY HAS THE STRICTEST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LAWS OF ANY STATE AND THEY STILL HAVE CLOSE TO 500,000 ILLEGAL ALIENS.

IT IS THE DUTY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, NOT THE INDIVIDUAL STATES, TO GUARD, PROTECT AND SECURE OUR BORDERS.  THE STATES SIMPLY DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES.  INSTEAD OF DEALING WITH UNCONSTITUTIONAL SIDESHOWS LIKE THE FEDERAL TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE, CONGRESS SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON ITS CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY TO PROTECT THE NATION.

NOW, MR. WARD’S CAMPAIGN IS USING INNUENDO TO SUGGEST THAT I CAN’T BE TRUSTED TO PROPERLY ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.  HE IS HOPING, IT SEEMS, TO APPEAL TO THE DARKEST RECESSES OF THE HUMAN SOUL BY TAKING CHEAP ADVANTAGE OF MY WORK IN IMMIGRATION LAW AND MAYBE EVEN MY ETHNIC HERITAGE.

BUT, FRANKLY, I THINK THOSE ARE QUALITIES WHICH MAKE ME UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO HELP FIND REAL, LASTING SOLUTIONS TO THIS CRISIS.

TO THAT END… I WANT IDAHOANS TO HEAR FROM ME DIRECTLY … THESE ARE THE PRINCIPLES I WOULD ADVOCATE SHOULD I HAVE THE HONOR TO BECOME YOUR NEXT CONGRESSMAN:

FIRST:  WE MUST SIMPLY ENFORCE THE LAWS THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE BOOKS.  IT IS ALREADY UNLAWFUL FOR ANY FOREIGNER TO BE IN THE UNITED STATES WITHOUT PROPER DOCUMENTATION.  IN ADDITION, FEDERAL LAW ALREADY MAKES IT A CRIME TO HIRE ILLEGAL ALIENS.  LET’S JUST ENFORCE THOSE LAWS.

SECOND:  NO MEANINGFUL REFORM CAN MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT SECURING OUR BORDERS.  AMERICANS NEED TO KNOW, FOR CERTAIN, THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS IN CONTROL OF OUR BORDERS … NOT A BUNCH OF DRUG DEALERS, CRIMINALS AND TERRORISTS.

THE SITUATION DOWN THERE IS SERIOUS – VERY SERIOUS, AND GETTING WORSE.

TO SECURE OUR NATION, I ADVOCATE SENDING THE MILITARY TO THE BORDER TO BATTLE THE CRIMINALS TERRORIZING OUR BORDER TOWNS JUST LIKE THEY ARE BATTLING ISLAMIC TERRORISTS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ.  THE MILITARY SHOULD PROVIDE SERIOUS FIREPOWER AND BACK-UP TO OUR BORDER PATROL AGENTS.

THE ABUSE OF OUR CITIZENS … OUR SOVEREIGNTY … MUST SIMPLY END.  I CALL UPON PRESIDENT OBAMA TO SEND MILITARY FORCES TO THE BORDER IMMEDIATELY.

THIRD:  ONCE THE CHAOS AT THE BORDER HAS SUBSIDED, I BELIEVE WE CAN HAVE A RATIONAL DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT WE SHOULD DO WITH THOSE ALREADY HERE, WHO GOT HERE ILLEGALLY.  WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE NEED OF IDAHO’S AGRICULTURAL SECTOR FOR A STEADY, DEPENDABLE SUPPLY OF LABOR.  WE NEED TO GREATLY STREAMLINE OUR GUEST WORKER PROGRAM WHILE MAKING SURE AMERICAN WORKERS ARE PROTECTED AGAINST THE IN-FLOW OF CHEAP LABOR.

LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR – ESPECIALLY TO MR. WARD AND HIS HANDLERS – THAT I DO NOT SUPPORT AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS.

THAT’S WHY I HAVE ALWAYS ADVOCATED THAT THOSE HERE ILLEGALLY MUST RETURN TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES AND APPLY TO RE-ENTER PER THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

HOWEVER, I BELIEVE MASSIVE POLICE ROUND-UPS ARE BOTH FREIGHTENING AND EXPENSIVE.  THEY WILL DEPLETE OUR RESOURCES AND I FEAR WOULD TAKE TOO LONG.

THEREFORE, TO HELP SPEED-UP THE PROCESS, I WOULD BE WILLING TO OFFER ILLEGALS WHO HAVE A DESIRE TO BECOME LEGAL PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF OUR SOCIETY AN INCENTIVE TO COME FORWARD:   SHOULD THEY DO SO WILLINGLY AND IN SOME REASONABLE TIME-FRAME – WE WOULD GIVE THEM CONSIDERATION BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT TO RETURN LEGALLY.

THOSE WE HAVE TO GO FIND AND ARREST … WELL, THEY WILL BE PUNISHED ACCORDINGLY.

MY FELLOW IDAHOANS – DESPITE WHAT YOU MAY BE HEARING OUT THERE, I AM NOT “SOFT” ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.  I UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE BETTER THAN PROBABLY ANYONE ELSE IN IDAHO.

I HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR THE LAW.  THAT IS WHY I SPENT YEARS TO BECOME AN ATTORNEY.  IF OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS ARE NOT ENFORCED, THEY WILL NEVER BE RESPECTED.

THIS CHALLENGE IS REACHING A CRITICAL STAGE – IF WE DO NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE PROPERLY, WE MAY SEE SOCIAL UNREST AND HEIGHTENED RACIAL TENSIONS.  NO ONE WANTS THAT.

WHILE WE ARE DEALING WITH POLICIES AND LEGAL ISSUES – IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT WE ARE STILL DEALING WITH HUMAN BEINGS.  LET US NOT FORGET THAT THEY TOO ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD.

AMERICA IS A GREAT AND GENEROUS COUNTRY, BUILT BY IMMIGRANTS.  BUT IT IS ALSO A NATION BUILT ON THE LAW.  WE MUST ONCE AND FOR ALL RESTORE A SYSTEM OF LEGAL IMMIGRATION THAT MAKES SENSE AND PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO HELP US BUILD A BETTER AND STRONGER NATION.

I WILL CLOSE BY SHARING A FEW WORDS FROM RONALD REAGAN’S FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE NATION ON JANUARY 11, 1989.  HE SHARED HIS VISION OF AMERICA, HIS “SHINING CITY UPON A HILL.”

I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it, and see it still.

WITH THAT … I’LL STAND FOR QUESTIONS.