WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2007
Census Wants Immigration Raids Suspended
Census Bureau To Ask Immigration Officials To Halt Raids During 2010 Count
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrest a suspect during a pre-dawn raid in Santa Ana, Calif., in this file photo from Jan. 17, 2007. The Census Bureau plans to ask immigration enforcement officials to suspend raids during the 2010 census to help improve accuracy in counting illegal immigrants. (AP)
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Immigration Rallies
Demonstrators demand path to citizenship for estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.
Raids during the population count would make an already distrustful group even less likely to cooperate with government workers who are supposed to include them, the Census Bureau's second-ranking official said in an Associated Press interview.
Deputy Director Preston Jay Waite said immigration enforcement officials did not conduct raids for several months before and after the 2000 census. But today's political climate is even more volatile on the issue of illegal immigration.
Enforcement agents "have a job to do," Waite said. "They may not be able to give us as much of a break" in 2010.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman declined to say whether immigration officials would halt raids. "If we were, we wouldn't talk about it," Pat Reilly said.
"For us to suspend that enforcement would probably take a lot more than one meeting," Reilly said. "We would have to discuss this at the highest levels of both agencies."
The issue arises as the United States struggles to resolve the fate of an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. After Congress failed to pass an immigration overhaul sought by the president, the Bush administration last week said it would step up efforts to enforce immigration laws.
One lawmaker said she thinks "it's nuts" for the Census Bureau to ask for a break in enforcement.
"I don't know what country the Census Bureau is living in," Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., said in a telephone interview from her district. "I can tell them the American people have grown sick and tired of their immigration laws not being enforced. They are not going to tolerate enforcement being suspended for any amount of time."
The Constitution requires the Census Bureau to count everyone, including illegal immigrants, in the census. The once-a-decade population count is then used to apportion seats in Congress and to appropriate billions of dollars in federal spending each year.
Miller has introduced a constitutional amendment that would apportion seats in Congress based only on the number of U.S. citizens in each state.
The Census Bureau plans to approach all federal agencies for help in getting an accurate count, Waite said.
Illegal immigrants are notoriously hard to count, although outside experts estimate that census workers count 85 percent to 90 percent of them.
Census workers ask immigrants if they are citizens; they do not ask if they are in the country legally.
"We're supposed to count every resident. If you go out and ask, 'Are you here illegally?' they are going to run," said Kenneth Prewitt, who directed the Census Bureau during the 2000 census.
Prewitt said the public already is suspicious of government workers knocking on their doors and asking personal questions. Those suspicions are amplified among illegal immigrants, even though personal information collected by Census Bureau is private by law.
Prewitt said immigration officials informally agreed to cooperate with the Census Bureau during the 2000 census by not conducting any large-scale raids.
"If they had a reason to think it was important to carry out an action, they would have done so," Prewitt said. "But they did offer to cooperate as much as possible so they didn't create a climate of fear. They did not carry out any major raids."
Reilly, the immigration enforcement spokeswoman, said she could not confirm any informal agreements to scale back enforcement during the 2000 census.
She said the agency "continued to perform its duty to enforce the nation's immigration laws by continuing to investigate, pursue and arrest criminal and other egregious violators."
Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, said the intense debate over immigration has made immigrants even more suspicious of the government today.
"The Census Bureau has a job to do," said Vargas, who belongs to a committee that advises the bureau on the 2010 census. "They need to convince people that they need to report themselves to the federal government and that it's going to remain confidential. That's a hard sell."
Supporters of stricter immigration laws said the whole discussion of suspending raids shows that the immigration system is broken.
"If you don't enforce your laws, this is what you are going to get, one agency asking another agency to subvert the law," said Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates stricter enforcement of immigration laws.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 107 CommentsI''m surprised he could be understood, unless of course he removed his white pointy hood to make his comments.
So why isn''t anyone raiding the corporate offices of companies that send jobs overseas?
Besides, doesn''t it take guts to move away from your birthplace and come to another country? Don''t we want these kind of people in our society?
Things happen to force people to move right away, like a death in the family, someone is going after you for whatever reason, and there''s no time to wait in line.
So some move here, big deal. Don''t we need people to help the economy grow anyhow?
And how are we going to replace 12 million illegals if they''re deported? Every economist I''ve heard on the subject say that would plunge the economy into a nasty recession.
So let''s stop the grandstand and welcome these people in our midst.
America can''t be the welfare momma to the worlds poor...illegals are a drain on our resources...and i''m confused...since most of the fruit and vegetables in my local grocery store are imported from mexico, why the need for illegals in American crops...? what fruit and veggies are coming from the US cuz i haven''t seen any where i shop! guess we need illegals to pluck chickens...however, there''s no reason why Americans can''t pluck chickens...and there''s no reason to outsource jobs except for the greed of corporations...
Amen! The truth is they don''t like the undocumented workers because most of them are brown. they don''t want to face the truth that by 2050 the brown people will be the majority population of America and that for the first time America will not be controlled by white people. That is going to happen no matter what, even if all undocumented workers were magically deported (which is the only way it can happen, magic), but a lot of people are in denial about it.
No problem. Support a real path to citizenship and then your only objection, that they''re illegal, will be gone and your products will be produced by shiny new Americans. Perfect solution.
Amen! Problem #1 with illegal aliens is they immediately break a law just by sneaking across the border. Next, since some in the USA feel the need to be so accepting and generous to all comers, we foot the bill for them to afford a decent life. Meanwhile, they work for next to nothing and drive down the wages for everybody else. Our schools are over burdened, our hospitals are over burdened. There is no local money left to do anything but support services used by illegals. Then we see the degrading of neighborhoods with gangs and drugs flourishing.
Illegal aliens are a national threat and should be treated as such at all costs.
It takes guts to STAY in your own country and fight for the changes that make living in your own country worth staying there in the first place. Guts to step illegally into a country, rip off the identities of multiple Americans, suck off the free programs tax payers pay into for Americans, slip through the system to ''get yours'' at the expense of law abiding Americans? You call that guts? That''s called spitting in the face of our laws and policies...and in the faces of every immigrant who waited to enter legally. It''s not called guts...it''s called criminal.
Mexico has immigration laws. Why don''t Mexicans embrace the thousands of illegal aliens that are coming to their country? Ask Mexicans the same question you asked Americans.
The government keeps tabs on me and hundreds of millions of other American citizens. Why can''t it keep up with illegal aliens, too. I am constantly pulled over at check points where my ID and automobile documents are checked by local policemen. I don''t even drink, let alone drive while DUI. I don''t have any expectation of privacy even though I haven''t broken any laws. Why not treat illegal aliens the same way. Throw up road blocks around their communities and check their ID and "green cards."
Obviously, you don''t know much about the problems involved in illegal immigration.
Mexico has immigration laws. Why don''''t Mexicans embrace the thousands of illegal aliens that are coming to their country? Ask Mexicans the same question you asked Americans.
Posted by KyRockBkGold at 07:05 PM : Aug 16, 2007
Actually every major poll I''ve seen (including one here a few months ago) says that better then 70% of Americans think that undocumented workers that have been here for 2 years or more should be allowed to stay.
As for asking Mexico, since when do we base our laws on what other nations think or do? If another country (as some have) fence off their borders completely and shoot anyone on sight that tries to get in, does that mean we should? I can assure you that you''d find dam*n few Americans who''d agree with it.
Youse guys are so generous! With other people''s money, time, and freedom. Let''s see you put up your own belongings, your own rights, c''mon now you love the "brown" people open up your homes and take ''em in, prove it to us. Or are you just willing to open our homes, oh I see, you are liberals. Very generous with other people''s belongings, yes indeed you are a hippy as I recall they also were very generous with other people''s belongings.
You two clowns should be deported and live with the people you love so much. At the least, you should have your house taken away and given to illegals.
If you really are so generous, and really mean you are willing to die in the emergency room while 100''s of illegals without health insurance crowd out the Americans, then I apologize. But I doubt it - I suspect you are a couple of lousy hypocrites. You are like thieves, giving away the precious freedom and breathing room that doesn''t even belong to you.
So much for the poll you read about the majority of Americans favoring amnesty for illegal immigrants who have been here for a long time.
"No problem. Support a real path to citizenship and then your only objection, that they''''re illegal, will be gone..."
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I''ve got a solution that will create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Let them join our military and go to Iraq then give them a green card after they make it back. Let them join a volunteer corps which works on our nation''s infrastructure; let them work for room and board plus small wages for several years to prove they''re earnest about becoming American citizens. Why make it so easy for them to become Americans! We cannot accept everybody in the world who wants to be an American.
Even if we did this, I doubt many of them would take advantage of such programs. Every one of them embraces the Mexican flag although they proclaim they want to become American citizens. Yeah, right.
Make it a law that only citizens and legal immigrants could have services like telephones, banking, and utilities.
Send in some SWAT teams to round up illegal aliens just like the DEA and FBI did in Waco, Texas in order to enforce federal gun-control laws. The Feds didn''t look the other way when the Branch Davidians were "breaking" the law by selling machine gun parts at flea markets.
Many of them already serve in the US military and are going to be rewarded with citizenship during their service. As for the rest, the vast majority of them have jobs, pay taxes and many even own businesses. they already contribute greatly to the American economy, even to the point where, if it were even possible, deporting them would harm our economy much much more then help. I think a real path to citizenship is learn to speak conversational english, pass a criminal background check and then 5 years on a green card before being sworn in. The majority want desperately to be Americans, just as my grand parents did coming here from Canada, Finland and Croatia.
Posted by SharnCedar at 07:15 PM : Aug 16, 2007
They can stay in my city where I live, Los Angeles and believe me, none of them want to live in your home or mine. That''s a straw man argument just like will my child have to wait for emergency care or miss out on a scholarship. Nether of those things happen. They are myths. Oh and I have no problem sharing the freeway with them as many of them are better drivers then many Americans.
Well then, hire someone who is a really fast runner and then when the illegals run catch their illegal azzes and throw them back over the border.
If they come back again and are caught put them on a work crew for some serious time and then throw them farther across the border. And have them take the illegal lovers with them.
Pure racism.
whose military, or police force?
Gosh, you must be really proud of yourself, boy. Just as much as you are proud of your friends in New Jersey - who, instead of going after fellow gang members, chose to viciously murder four good kids from another minority group.
And meanwhile one of the mamacitas who snuck into this country still says her''s was a good boy.
Just like your friends.
You want to talk about Racism? Well, pal, you''re the racist. Against Americans and American citizens. Try going to a public school - any - in Arizona and California and try reprimanded a kid whose parents are ILLEGAL.
Then try having a conference with them in ENGLISH. Or listen ala translator, to their sorry excuses that they can''t do anything about their miscreants behavior.
Fact is, as the grandson of LEGAL Immigrants - you don''t want to be us, you don''t wish to obey our laws, you don''t wish to speak English. Fine -then get the hades home.
And by the way, sargey, you can join them.
Posted by SgtRDS at 06:03 PM : Aug 16, 2007
C''mon, let''s have those racist name calling, c''mon Randal, you know you want to do it.
First off Randal, They do have documentation, stolen, fake, forged...etc. And I knew you''d bring out that old race card.
That is going to happen no matter what, even if all undocumented workers were magically deported (which is the only way it can happen, magic), but a lot of people are in denial about it.
Posted by SgtRDS at 06:48 PM : Aug 16, 2007
Well, we could always shoot them.
No problem. Support a real path to citizenship and then your only objection, that they''''re illegal, will be gone and your products will be produced by shiny new Americans. Perfect solution.
So, you mean amnesty, of course you do, that''s what you cry and scream about everytime one of these topics come up, so you can live with your chinese laundries and russian restaraunts...etc.
Only a pathetic, champipple guzzling and anti-American could come up with a defense of those who **** on American citizenship, values, laws, and language.
Just like he pisses on our troops in Iraq and tries to claim that he "supports them".
Nice try, Randy - as I said you can join your puta friends. Savvy, amiga?
SGTRDS doesn''t need to be deported, he plans to self-deport when his wife retires. They gonna move to Mexico...byebye.
Posted by mo005 at 08:04 PM : Aug 16, 2007
Let''s see, um..having worked in social services and even participating in research on those living off the system, I was amazed at how MOST of them were just plain poor white folks. I watched and documented fraud committed by many, not "********," but white people who said ''there weren''t nobody gonna make them work - that''s not reality.'' I wish they''d get assimilated, because my classes are full of "********" seeking to learning English and get better jobs; in other words, they''re assimilating. In social services I never had one "*******" tell me that he didn''t want to work, but plenty of euro-Americans tell me the opposite, in fact, get a GED?? Are you kidding??
You say you don''t know anybody who wants them to stay? Well, if you ever get out of your house and perhaps get a job, you might find out that there are more than you ever knew. History shows that immigrants have always been the ones with zeal and a dream to better themselves. Unfortunately, your racism keeps people like you way down there.
Why are dollars used to support illegals? I want our Congress, laws and programs to reflect the needs of citizens of the United States not other countries. I can hear it now, if we aren''t counted we will lose programs we need, the laws will get tougher and make it harder to work. My answer is become a citizen or move back.
I believe that our military training ground should be on the boarder and maneuvers should be as intense as looking for Bin laden, oh wait, are we still looking for him? If we can''t stop illegals crossing our own boarder, how are we ever going to stop terrorist crossing from Syria to Iraq?
Maybe our census should include all countries we occupy and there illegals too!
Posted by mo005 at 09:59 PM : Aug 16, 2007
That''s a perfect description of at least 99% of the undocumented workers that are here. They are here to work, they pay taxes, pay rent, own homes, own businesses, do not freeload and the idea that they are some how living off from the "system" is a myth. It''s a lie made up by ignorant people who want them out period and no matter what.
Posted by fiteit1 at 10:16 PM : Aug 16, 2007
that''s all they want, is to become citizens and to be part of America, just like my grand parents did. They are no different. My grandfather learned to speak English but still spoke Finn or Croatian at home with my grandmother who was from Croatia. My father''s parents had it easier since they came from Canada and already spoke English, along with their native French. What todays immigrants are doing is no different then the experiences of any wave of immigrants.
Posted by mo005 at 10:25 PM : Aug 16, 2007
I live in Los Angeles, in Hollywood actually. One of the most racially diverse parts of any city in America. I hear from time to time that people see problems, but the vast majority of undocumented workers I know get no help from the government. They work long hours for low pay in hopes of becoming Americans someday. I''m proud to have them as neighbors and as future citizens.
Posted by mo005 at 10:22 PM : Aug 16, 2007
That would be because Clinton was only president for two years before the republicans took over congress and he had a hard enough time getting them to live up to their alleged belief in welfare reform and getting it passed, let alone going to work on serious immigration reform. Yes there is blame to go around, but most of it is in the (very large) racist wing of the GOP.
Posted by mo005 at 10:31 PM : Aug 16, 2007
I don''t know any "illegal aliens", all I know are undocumented workers, future Americans, future citizens from other countries, not one of them is a criminal from another planet.
Posted by mo005 at 09:59 PM : Aug 16, 2007
First of all, you don''t know who is freeloading and who isn''t. In your racist mind, you imagine only brown "********" as freeloaders. They''re not. They work harder than you and for less pay. They get NO BENEFITS from the government, not even tax breaks, like you probably get. When you go to the store, and you see "********," you say to yourself, "I know they''re illegals and getting free government help." You see people in line outside of social services and you tell yourself the same thing. You tell yourself these stories and feed your racism. The facts are that most people who feed off social services are not aliens at all, they''re US citizens. And do you complain about the corporations that live off government welfare and hire these illegals? How about the corporate farms, which are the biggest drains on corporate welfare? Yet, here you are, so sure that it''s the "********" draining the system. You may earn more than me; goodness, there are people on SSI who earn more than me, but that''s all you got in your favor.
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you are such a bullsh*ter...no illegal can live in hollywood..BECAUSE THEY CANT AFFORT IT..you moron, I do remember that liberal shi*thole was overwhelmed with illegals..dragging quality of life and service (graffitti, crime, drugs, prostitution..name it) in that area during the late 90''s..till they started with the lofts and the kodak center.
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when do you have a heart to heart with an illegal??when they clean your flat?
you pathethic liberal f aggot. excuse me..mr.fa ggot
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