Congress Questions Napolitano On Role Of DHS

By Julianne LaJeunesse, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

If you could count all of the concerns that were thrown at U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, it might make you more than a math whiz, it might make you curious. Curious as to why and how the department is going to handle international border issues, cyber terrorism and how the U.S. legal system will adequately handle Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s New York City trial.

The committee hearing was intended to provide oversight over DHS, and several times the role of the department was questioned. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) asked Napolitano about the department’s role in protecting cyber security, suggesting the entity may not be the best group for the job.

“When you take out the technical aspects, and the legal aspects, it’s hard to see how Homeland Security ends up with a very strong platform for persistent leadership, unless there’s some vehicle for coordinating the DNI [Director of National Intelligence], and you, and the Attorney General, and everybody together, and I’m not comfortable that that presently exists,” Whitehouse said. “I think the NSC [National Security Council] is a good interim measure, but it would seem that that should evolve into a more formal cyber-specific government structure at some point.”

Though Whitehouse suggested that cyber security could be handled by another government arm, too much government role was a theme that Senators Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) and Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said may be unnecessary. The two said transportation measures, such as some airport securities and aggressive border patrol practices, could be safely downgraded if proof of their need doesn’t exist.

“I wonder, do you have results as to what all of these elaborate tests at airports show?” Specter asked. “Is all of it really necessary? Because if it is, fine.”

Generally, however, the committee was not ready to dismiss the precautions taken by the department, and indeed did call for more action from Napolitano and her staff in regard to answering questions about how best to deal with issues of illegal immigrant labor and its good and bad effects on U.S. farming. Napolitano didn’t have a direct comment on the utility of illegal immigrant employment, but did say that the DHS is starting to better track immigrants who have overstayed the Visa allowance.

Similarly, the Secretary left Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to prosecute Khalid Sheik Mohmmamed, one of five suspected September 11th terrorists, to the U.S. Department of Justice, saying, “that is a prosecution decision, as to where, and in what venue to bring a case.” “I believe that is properly held by the AG.”

Democrat Shuler Attempts To SAVE "Broken" Immigration System

By Mariko Lamb - Talk Radio News Service

Representative Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) reintroduced the SAVE Act, a bipartisan immigration bill that would increase border security, provide law enforcement with the tools to better ensure that immigration policy is followed, increase the number of immigration judges and utilize E-Verify, a system designed to ensure employee eligibility.

Shuler said that although multiple parts of the U.S. immigration system are broken, “this is the initial step to make sure that this broken system is fixed.”

“With high unemployment, half a million people losing their jobs every day, we have to ensure that Americans and legal immigrants get those jobs, not those who are breaking the law,” he said.

Senator David Vitter (R-La.), one of the 74 bipartisan co-sponsors of the bill, said that the SAVE Act is a “common sense immigration approach” that “is supported by a broad consensus of the American people.”

“The American people get it. They know that illegal immigration is a serious problem, and they know that the way to fix it is enforcement at the borders, enforcement at the workplace, and not having an amnesty program,” Vitter said.

Napolitano: U.S. Cracking Down On Borders From North To South

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said that the United States, Mexico and Canada all rely on trade but with the increase in illegal immigration and drug and weapon trafficking, it is time for more modern and safe border security.

Today Napolitano spoke at the 2009 Border Trade Alliance International Conference and addressed not only border security issues but trade issues.

The Border Trade Alliance is a grassroots non-profit that serves as a forum for participants to address key issues affecting trade and economic development in North America.

Before heading to Mexico City with President Obama last week, Napolitano visited several American southern states to address the escalating violence in Mexico and the rise in drug and weapon trafficking among Mexico and the U.S.

Since 2006, when Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderon increased his efforts against drug cartels, more than 10,000 people have been killed in Mexico due to drug-related violence.

Because of the increase in violence at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Obama has dispatched hundreds of federal agents along with high-tech surveillance gear and drug-sniffing dogs, to the Southwest border to help Mexico in it’s fight with drug cartels.

Napolitano said that the U.S. is engaged and focused on border issues not only from a security standpoint but from a trade standpoint.

“The two go together, we cannot separate one from the other,” she said.

Napolitano said the United States is not only working to end illegal immigration, drug and weapon trafficking and unlawful trade with the Mexican government but also with the Canadian government as well.

“We don’t want to appear to go heavy on the southern border and light on the northern border. We will have a balanced approach consistent with effective security for our entire country,” she said.

Napolitano said that the U.S. needs to respect the differences between the northern and southern borders.

“There needs to be a level of parity between the two borders,” she said.

But Napolitano said that the two borders share similar concerns regarding security, trade, illegal entry, and drug smuggling.

“We need to deal with circumstances on the ground. On the southern border it means protecting against drug cartel violence in combating illegal entry.... We’ve added more personal and technology. We’ve created a southbound strategy to stop the flow of guns and bulk cash into Mexico,” she said.

Napolitano said that the U.S. is providing new technology for Canada and have added five new U.S. Customs and Border Protection Marine and air branches, and 24 integrated border enforcement teams that include Canadian law enforcement officials.

“We don’t want to damage economic security in the name of homeland security,” she said.

Napolitano also spoke about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which will require all travelers coming into the U.S. from Canada or Mexico to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship.

“These are real borders, this is a real law, and I am really charged with implementing it and I take that charge very seriously,” she said.

Although the Mexican and Canadian borders are different in climate and geography, both share a common goal to have a “modern border, an efficient border and a safe and secure border for both people and for commerce," Napolitano said.

The migration of the immigration vote

According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America's Voice, there was a flawed sense of conventional wisdom surrounding immigration's political effects. This included notions that Latinos don't turn out in significant numbers, any votes they do provide are generally split, and that if a Presidential candidate tries to attract Latino voters with a centrist immigration policy it will end up alienating swing voters. During a discussion aimed at analyzing the Latino vote and immigration in the 2008 election, it became clear that this mindset has been overturned.

"For Latino's this election was historic in terms of who was running and in terms of who was voting..conservatively speaking, it is safe to say that at least 10 million latinos voted in 2008. That's a 32% increase over 2004... Latinos supported Obama by 67% compared to 59% for Kerry," said Janet Murguia, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza.

Murguia explained that this increase has had an important impact on the election, claiming that the Latino vote helped deliver New Mexico, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, Indiana, and North Carolina for President-Elect Obama.

While the economy, job creation, and education were reportedly the top issues for Latino voters, immigration concerns were also an important aspect of the vote. Murguia described how immigration rhetoric acted as a gauge that helped Latino voters understand each party's attitudes toward them.

"The toxic nature of the immigration debate...effect all Latino's. For us this is a civil right's issue as much as it is an immigration policy issue. We know that hateful words have hateful consequences," said Murguia.'

David Mermi, Pollster and partner at Lake Research Partners, said that the evidence showed that the Republican Party has been negatively affected by the rhetoric surrounding immigration. According to Mermi's poll, although approximately 55% of voters said that illegal immigration was a problem, a solid majority of voters preferred comprehensive immigration policy over the enforcement only approach that has dominated the discussion on the far right.

"67% of the voters say they should be required to register and become legal, 14% say they should leave the country, 13% say they should be allowed to stay temporarily through a guest workers program. No contest, the comprehensive approach is absolutely the one that is preferred," said Mermi.

Marguia gave some conclusions about the election results:

"I think it's fair to say after these election results that the Democrats can put the latinos in their columns. But they're not there forever and they will not be there if Latino's as an electorate don't see action on the issues that they care about...the Republicans have a lot of work to do, their brand has been extremely tarnished, but Democrats should not rest on their laurels and assume that they are going to have Latinos in their column for good."

1.3 million illegal immigrants fled U.S.

A new report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) states that there was a significant decline in the illegal immigrant population over the past few months. At a news conference held by the Center today, Steven Camarota, the director of Research at CIS, said rates of legal immigration continued to rise unchanged, while the illegal immigrant population decline by 11 percent, or 1.3 million people.

Camarota gave two causes for this significant decline. First, he said increased illegal immigration enforcement deterred new people from entering, and caused some leave on their own. He pointed to how only the illegal immigrant population was affected, while the legal population was unaffected to explain the effectiveness of enforcement. Secondly, the poor state of the economy in the U.S. caused the population to decline as well. He said the statistically significant decline in illegal immigrant population means new enforcement measures are working well.

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said the 11 percent decline is very significant, but warned against a possible increase in immigration when four laws against illegal immigration expire soon. Congressman Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) said the new report speaks highly of efforts in the past few years to "stand up" for the "rule of law" and reduce illegal immigration.