Majority of Americans support Arizona's immigration law
A Border Patrol vehicle keeps watch beside the border fence that divides the U.S. from Mexico in the town of Nogales, Arizona. (PHOTO CREDIT: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
60 percent of Americans say Arizona's tough new immigration law is "about right" or "doesn't go far enough." Are you listening, Washington?
A new CBS News/New York Times poll shows 51 percent of those surveyed say the law is "about right" and 9 percent say it "doesn't go far enough." 36 percent believe the controversial law - which gives police broad powers to detain people they think are in the country illegally - "goes too far."
This new poll also shows broad majorities of Americans say illegal immigration is a "very serious problem" and that this country's immigration policies need a major overhaul... although people are divided about what the right solution is.
Even though most people think the Arizona law will result in racial profiling and overburden local police forces... large majorities think it will reduce the number of illegal aliens in Arizona, illegal border crossings and crime.
It's pretty clear what's going on here: The issue of illegal immigration has developed into a national crisis - and the American people have had a bellyful of the federal government's unwillingness to address it.
Despite all the rhetoric from our lawmakers, there is no legislation pending in Congress. But more importantly, almost nine years after 9/11 and four days after a terrorist tried to blow up Times Square in New York, the federal government refuses to secure this nation's borders.
Here’s my question to you: What message does it send to Washington that a majority of Americans support Arizona’s new immigration law?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Mexico issues travel alert over Arizona immigration law
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Arizona's tough new immigration law hasn't even gone into effect yet, and it's already working:
Mexico has issued an alert for Mexicans traveling to Arizona. The country is urging its citizens to be careful... that they may be "harassed and questioned without further cause at any time" should they go to Arizona.
That's not the case at all, but it is ironic. Travel warnings usually work the other way around... with various countries warning their citizens not to go to Mexico due to drug-related violence.
However, no good deed goes unpunished.
The Obama administration might challenge Arizona's new law in court. They're concerned the law could take away resources needed to target criminals. How utterly absurd. How about the 460,000 people who are in Arizona illegally now? The reason Arizona did this is the federal government refuses to enforce our immigration laws.
Meanwhile seven members of the city council have signed a proposal for Los Angeles to "refrain from conducting business" in Arizona, and San Francisco's mayor has imposed an immediate moratorium on city-related travel to that state.
But Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer says she's not worried about possible boycotts. And she points out that the new law is about the safety of Arizona's citizens.
And she's getting support from at least one legislator in Texas who wants the Lone Star State to pass a similar law. President Obama should be embarrassed by this.
Here’s my question to you: Is it a good thing that Mexico is issuing a travel alert over Arizona's new immigration law?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Will federal govt. ever enforce our immigration laws?
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
So Arizona passes a tough law against illegal immigration and suddenly they get Washington's attention.
One poll finds 70 percent of Arizona voters support the new law... hey, maybe we better do something too. So like the lemmings they are when they smell a chance to score political points... and some of them need a lot of help with the midterms approaching - there is talk now of rushing immigration reform through Congress.
President Obama called the Arizona law "misguided." What is misguided, Mr. President, is the federal government's refusal to enforce the laws already on the books. Read the Arizona law... parts of it are word-for-word the same as the federal laws - which continue to be ignored.
Now we'll hear all sorts of blathering from our Washington gerbils about the need for a new federal law. There will be press conferences, interviews, committee hearings, draft legislation, polling... all the usual carnival acts that accompany any hot-button issue in Washington, DC.
Instead of simply closing the borders and enforcing the existing law so that they could turn their attention to something like the national debt and the fact that the country is bankrupt, we will get this freak show.
Washington's position on illegal immigration is dishonest from the top down. No enforcement. No border security. Just pandering to the Hispanic voters and the corporations that hire the illegals.
But when one of our states that is being ravaged by the presence of 460,000 illegal aliens inside its borders does something about it, the president says that's "misguided."
What a shame.
Here’s my question to you: Will the federal government ever enforce our immigration laws?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Make it easier for illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
As the debate over immigration reform heats up, a hefty majority of Americans are opposed to making it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens.
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A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows 66 percent of those surveyed do not want to ease the path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people in this country illegally.
Democrats are more likely than Independents or Republicans to support making it easier for illegals to become citizens.
The poll also shows 52 percent of Americans are sympathetic to illegal immigrants and their families - but 47 percent are unsympathetic; and that number is eight points higher than it was four years ago.
All this comes as thousands of people attended rallies over the weekend in several cities across the country - calling on congress to act quickly on immigration reform. Activists waved American flags and held signs that said things like: "Stop tearing our families apart" and "Reform now."
President Obama has vowed to do everything in his power to get a bipartisan deal through Congress.
But it's not going to happen. As these poll numbers suggest - with a sluggish economy and nearly 10 percent unemployment, a lot of Americans don't have an appetite for immigration reform.
Under President Bush, Congress tried to do the same thing a few years back, but critics called that effort "amnesty," which is exactly what it was, and the legislation never saw the light of day.
Here’s my question to you: Should the U.S. make it easier for an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants to become citizens?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Illegal immigration: should states be allowed to do what the federal gov't refuses to?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Obama has a pretty big to-do list for Congress this spring: Financial reform, an overhaul of No Child Left Behind, the closing of some campaign finance loopholes, maybe even a clean energy bill. But illegal immigration? Still nothing.
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On NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said despite promising an immigration bill in his first year of office, President Obama has done "almost nothing" on immigration.
Meanwhile, our border states in particular continue to be overrun with illegal aliens, and Washington could care less. Eight and a half years after 9/11 and we won't even secure the nation's borders.
In Arizona, police may soon be allowed to arrest illegal immigrants on trespassing charges for simply being in the state. There are currently 460,000 of them in Arizona alone. In addition, it would become a felony to employ them even as day laborers and transporting them anywhere in the state, even family members.
The bill's cleared the state senate and Governor Jan Brewer has indicated she will sign it. It would be the toughest law of its kind in the country.
But don't ask Senator John McCain about it. McCain, who was home campaigning this weekend, once backed a bipartisan effort in Congress to grant illegal immigrants amnesty. But he refuses to answer questions on where he stands on this state bill.
Here’s my question to you: When it comes to illegal immigration, should the states be allowed to do what the federal government refuses to do?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Are worker ID cards a good idea?
When it comes to immigration reform, are worker ID cards a good idea? (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
If you think health care reform is ugly, just wait until Congress tries immigration reform again.
The Senate has begun work on an immigration bill and at the center of this new plan is a controversial requirement for all American workers to get identification cards.
It's meant to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants. Right. If you think the corporations that make huge profits on the backs of an illegal alien workforce are going to let something like that get through, think again.
Under the plan - all legal workers, including citizens and immigrants, would have to get an ID card that includes biometric information like fingerprints.
The Wall Street Journal reports the card would be phased in among all workers, including teens; and among all employers, starting with industries that rely on an illegal immigrant workforce. Now there's an idea.
Supporters say such a worker ID card would be a way to guarantee illegal immigrants don't come here for jobs because they wouldn't be able to get them.
But critics worry about violating people's privacy. They say such worker ID cards could wind up being a type of national ID card that would allow the government to track everything people do - from working to voting to traveling. Many European countries require everyone to carry ID cards.
This immigration bill would also offer a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already living here, but they'd have to register, pay taxes, pay a fine and wait in line.
Amnesty with some inconvenience attached. And for many Americans, it's a nonstarter. Anything resembling amnesty won't cut it.
Here’s my question to you: When it comes to immigration reform, are worker ID cards a good idea?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
FULL POST
Should U.S. let Haitians in as refugees?
(PHOTO CREDIT: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The United States is telling millions of Haitians - made homeless by last week's earthquake - not to try to come here.
Homeland Security and the Defense Department say they're taking strict actions to avoid a mass exodus from Haiti... with concerns that it could lead to a refugee crisis in places like Miami or deaths at sea.
A U.S. Air Force cargo plane flies for hours over Haiti daily... broadcasting a message from Haiti's ambassador to the U.S. that things will be even worse if they attempt the trip… and that any refugees will be sent right back to Haiti.
Officials plan to take any boats with Haitians caught at sea to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - and they're clearing out a federal jail in Miami to make room for Haitians who might make it here.
It doesn't appear that Haitians have been trying to flee the island by boat, yet... but officials worry that as conditions on the ground get worse, the chances of an exodus could go up.
Since the earthquake, the U.S. has only allowed 23 Haitians into the country to get medical help on humanitarian grounds... as well as allowing some Haitian orphans to come here temporarily.
The U.S. says it will give temporary amnesty for 18 months to Haitians who were in the country illegally before the earthquake. But the so-called "temporary protected status" - which could affect as many as 200,000 Haitians in the U.S. - won't apply to those who try to get into the country going forward.
Here’s my question to you: Should the U.S. bend immigration rules and let Haitians into the country as refugees?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Should U.S. Census Bureau be allowed to ask if you're a citizen?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Census takers in 2010 won't be allowed to ask people if they are U.S. citizens. That's because Senate Democrats have blocked a Republican attempt that would have required census forms to inquire about citizenship.
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Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter had introduced the measure... meant to exclude illegal aliens from the population count. Vitter says including illegals in the census is "wrong" and goes against the idea of the Congress as an institution that represents citizens.
The Census carries a lot of weight - it's used both as the basis for apportioning congressional districts for the following 10 years; and it serves as a guide for distributing billions of dollars in federal aid.
Critics say the plan would discourage immigrants from participating in the Census... they insist the law states congressional seats are determined by the number of people living in each state - regardless of whether they're citizens.
The Census Director also opposes the proposal... he says asking about U.S. citizenship is "just not doable" and would mean delaying the census.
Not counting illegal aliens in the census could potentially hit states like California and Texas the hardest when it comes to apportioning Congressional districts. Those two states are where there's a high concentration of undocumented immigrants. It's estimated there are 12 million illegal aliens in the U.S.
Here’s my question to you: Should the U.S. Census Bureau be allowed to ask if you're a citizen?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
DHS secretly approves $15 million border checkpoint that 3 people cross a day?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Homeland Security ought to be embarrassed by the way its spending stimulus money... with the administration even coming under fire from fellow Democrats on this one.
Turns out they're not following their own internal priority lists when deciding which border checkpoints get money for renovations. Instead - they're using a secretive process potentially influenced by politics. Just like President Obama promised during the campaign, right?
This translates to spending millions of dollars at tiny checkpoints... and skipping over busier, high-priority areas. One example is a $15-million dollar project in Whitetail, Montana where only 3 people cross a day.
This is insane. President Obama continues to promise transparency when it comes to the spending of economic stimulus dollars, but this is far from the openness the American people were promised.
Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota says the department is treating the stimulus plan like a "bottomless pit" of taxpayer money, and that with the country deep in debt "this is not a smart investment."
Now, of course, since this all came out, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is promising not to start any new border construction projects, and review how the projects were chosen. She says once the review is done, she'll make "all information, not involving national security concerns, public."
But it's kind of late for that. Even if she releases some information, it probably won't change much, since the department has already signed many construction contracts - like the $15-million dollar one in Montana. She should be fired.
Here’s my question to you: What does it say about transparency when Homeland Security has secretly approved $15 million for a border checkpoint where only three people cross a day?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
How should health care reform deal with illegal aliens?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
When it comes to the health care debate - many Americans are fired up about what reform could mean for illegal aliens. One Blue Dog Democratic congressman says the issue comes up at every town hall meeting he holds.
Many constituents at Congressman Allen Boyd's events have been opposed to the idea that illegals would get any benefits under the new bill. Boyd insists that won't happen. He quotes directly from the House Bill:
"No federal payment for undocumented aliens; nothing in this subtitle shall allow federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."
But here's the problem: The way the system works now, illegal aliens - who often don't have health insurance and don't pay taxes - can go to a hospital emergency room and get treated for free... and nothing that's in this bill would change that.
Supporters of the president's plan mostly dismiss the impact of illegal aliens on our health care system... while critics argue that illegals are part of the reason costs are so high.
Since hospitals don't collect immigration figures... it's unclear how much people who are in this country illegally add to health care costs - but it's probably a pretty significant chunk of change.
Consider this: There are about 46-million people without health insurance in the U.S. Of those, the Pew Hispanic Center estimates that there are about six-million uninsured adults who are illegal; and 700,000 uninsured children.
Here’s my question to you: How should health care reform address the issue of illegal aliens?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
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