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tekisui Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 11:43 AM
Original message
Immigrant Enforcement Program Faces Backlash From Obama Allies
Source: International Business Times

Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick yesterday became the third Democratic governor in a little more than a month to reject Secure Communities, an immigration enforcement program that has become a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's immigration policy.

The program, initiated in 2008 under President Bush, conjoins local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement by giving the Department of Homeland Security access to the fingerprints of people who are arrested, which gives the government grounds to initiate deportation proceedings against immigrants who have committed deportable offenses. Obama has touted the program as a tool to punish immigrants convicted of serious crimes.

But Patrick, like New York governor Andrew Cuomo and Illinois governor Pat Quinn before him, moved to withdraw his state from the program because he said it shatters families by ensnaring too many lower-level offenders and breeds distrust of law enforcement. The decision reflects a growing disconnect between the priorities of the Obama administration, which has presided over a record number of deportations and views tough enforcement as a means of winning eventual Republican support for overhauling immigration law, and state and local officials who see some measures as overly harsh and arbitrary.

"The actions of the governors of Massachusetts, New York and Illinois are clear evidence that president Obama has been misguided in his enforcement strategy, particularly where Secure Communities comes in," said Jacki Esposito, director of immigration advocacy for the New York Immigrant Coalition. "The actions by these governors are clear signs that Obama must take executive action to reverse course."

more: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/158861/20110607/massachusetts-immigration-massachusetts-secure-communities-secure-communities-obama-immigration.htm
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tekisui Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 11:48 AM
Response to Original message
1. Obama has deported more undocumented aleins than bush, nearly 800,000.
This is another shameful position from the Obama administration.
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dionysus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 12:15 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. it makes me weep daily.
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tekisui Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 12:43 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. Is that sarcasm?
I take it you don't have a problem with record deportations?
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Starbucks Anarchist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 05:44 PM
Response to Reply #1
4. How is it shameful?
Edited on Wed Jun-08-11 05:47 PM by Starbucks Anarchist
They chose to come here illegally and some committed felonies after the fact.

In fact, I can't think of another country that is, on balance, more hospitable to immigrants (legal and illegal) than America.
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tekisui Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 06:56 AM
Response to Reply #4
14. Only 1 in 4 committed a serious crime.
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Starbucks Anarchist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 12:15 PM
Response to Reply #14
16. And they all committed a crime in the first place.
They knew the risks, and it's not like we've deported anywhere close to all the illegal immigrants here.
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COLGATE4 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 02:46 PM
Response to Reply #16
18. You are legally and factually incorrect. Violation of the Immigration
laws is a CIVIL, not criminal violation. To say they 'committed a crime' is the same as saying you committed a crime when you got a traffic citation.
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Starbucks Anarchist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 03:11 PM
Response to Reply #18
19. But they can get deported for it.
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tekisui Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 06:52 PM
Response to Reply #19
21. It is xenophobic law that Obama has chosen to more strictly enforce,
and against the wishes of many states and cities.

It is just a way to punish immigrants twice. Once for the offense that brought them to the attention of the authorities and second with deportation. If I as an American citizen committed the same offense, and 3 of 4 are petty, I would only face the original penalty.

It is xenophobic to think that because someone is not an American they are somehow more dangerous or more of a threat and should be deported, often times breaking up families and communities that have lived her for decades.
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Starbucks Anarchist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 07:07 PM
Response to Reply #21
23. That's because citizens can't be deported.
It is xenophobic to think that because someone is not an American they are somehow more dangerous or more of a threat and should be deported, often times breaking up families and communities that have lived her for decades.

I'm not a hard-liner on the issue (unless the immigrant commits a violent crime), but at the same time, coming here illegally and starting a family while knowing the legal ramifications of it is foolish. They can only blame themselves for being ripped apart from their families.

And like I said before, we are far more lenient to immigrants than practically anybody else. If you or I snuck into Mexico, for example, we would be deported in quick fashion. And the deportations under Obama are nowhere near the total number of illegal immigrants here.

I don't know if you've seen this story, but this is Exhibit A on how we are way too lenient on this issue as a country:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2011/06/07/2011-06-07_shows_hes_hero__again_cop_faces_attacker_in_court.html
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tekisui Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 07:27 PM
Response to Reply #23
24. What does his status have to do with the crime?
Often the choice that people make to come here is out of fear, desperation or necessity. Our current system is inadequate to meet the reality.
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Starbucks Anarchist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-10-11 02:45 PM
Response to Reply #24
26. Because you're upset that they would get deported while Americans wouldn't.
Which is why I told you why a citizen wouldn't be treated the same way.

And there are lots of people who are living in fear and desperation all over the world, but we can't possibly bring them all here. We're under no obligation to do so, but what we have allowed so far speaks volumes about our kindness. Few, if any, other countries are this lenient on immigration.
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lunamagica Donating Member (430 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 01:46 PM
Response to Reply #4
17. It is shameful because it goes against what he promised during his candidacy
It is shameful because he said over and over again that he thought splitting families was a tragedy and he would put a stop to that.

It is shameful because he campaigned on immigration reform, gets elected and not only does nothing for immigration reform; instead his administration becomes the one to get more people deported than ever before. He has separated more families than anyone before.

That is SHAMEFUL.
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SpartanDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 05:45 PM
Response to Reply #1
5. enforcing the law is shameful?
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Tarheel_Dem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 05:48 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. Only when Obama does it.
;)
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CakeGrrl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 06:00 PM
Response to Reply #5
8. Sounds to me like another case of the Obama admin WALKING the walk
while failed R's only talked the talk.
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tekisui Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 06:53 PM
Response to Reply #8
22. You are right, he is walking the republican talk.
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tekisui Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 06:56 AM
Response to Reply #5
13. It is bad law.
He has chosen to take this approach.
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Vattel Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 08:37 PM
Response to Reply #1
9. +1000
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golfguru Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 10:56 PM
Response to Reply #1
12. Then Mexico should be condemned to hell
because if you violate ANY immigration law in Mexico
your ass is in jail and then deported unceremoniously.
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tekisui Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 06:58 AM
Response to Reply #12
15. I don't vote or live in Mexico.
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Tarheel_Dem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 05:48 PM
Response to Original message
7. Unrec. (nt)
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Vattel Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 08:55 PM
Response to Original message
10. The negative response to this
reminds me just how far to the right most Democrats are. Increased deportation means destroying more families and preventing more poor people from making a living. And even the Democrats' proposals for immigration reform include fines to be imposed on people who illegally enter the US because that is what they need to do (and ought to do) to take care of their families. (OMG, they illegally cross a border! The horror!)
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Name removed Donating Member (0 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 03:11 PM
Response to Reply #10
20. Deleted message
Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.
 
saras Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 08:58 PM
Response to Reply #20
25. Right on - and some people actually understand America's complicity in wrecking Mexico's economy
It's funny - immigration is the one area where nominal liberals are completely allowed to be racist without being called on it.

In terms of historical fact, no one denies that our immigration system was designed by and for racists, and few deny that it has been run by racists ever since.
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annabanana Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-08-11 09:14 PM
Response to Original message
11. ICE is a rogue agency within DHS. . . . n/t
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