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| Texas Representative Plan Would Authorize Border Militias |
| 2005-07-30 |
| WASHINGTON - Adding an unusual proposal to the searing debate over illegal immigration, U.S. Rep. John Culberson of Houston introduced a bill late Thursday to let Texas and other border states establish armed militias to catch people trying to illegally cross from Mexico and Canada. The bill, which he called a "thunderclap," is more than a solitary, symbolic gesture by the Republican lawmaker: It has 46 Republican co-sponsors. It comes as the White House, Congress and local officials are becoming increasingly immersed in efforts to find the best way to secure the borders and perhaps also establish a "guest worker" program to let immigrants stay in the United States as temporary legal residents. Gov. Rick Perry indicated he is open to Culberson's idea... Among Culberson's co-sponsors are 10 Texans, including freshmen Reps. Ted Poe of Humble and Michael McCaul of Austin. The measure's stated goal is to let governors create a Border Protection Corps of citizens to shield the country from "uniquely devious, criminal, cowardly and fanatically determined" terrorist organizations. Culberson said the militia provisions in the Constitution must be invoked because the U.S. Border Patrol lacks the resources to deal with any surge in illegal crossings by people who may have ties to terrorist groups... He pointed to the militialike Texas Rangers, which formed in the 1830s and had several violent clashes with Mexicans and robbers in the border area in the early 1900s... It would essentially create an authorized version of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, the Arizona-based group that sent hundreds of volunteers to patrol the state's border with Mexico and has plans to expand to Texas and California. The militias would require participants to be free of criminal background or history of mental illness. They would be authorized to "use any means and any force authorized by state law" to stop illegal crossers and hand them over to federal authorities. Funding for the militias would come from some of the unspent portions of the $6.8 billion set aside by the federal government for emergency workers who would be among the first to respond to terrorist acts. The money would also go toward detaining, housing and transporting those who are taken into custody. In 2004, Border Patrol agents intercepted 1.1 million people illegally entering the country. Immigration rights advocates and other critics of the Minutemen could not be reached for comment after Culberson announced his bill. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #10 This makes little sense. Right now, any border governor could create a State border patrol and set up a boundary zone, a limited State martial law area, in which anyone crossing is subject to arrest and detention. You missed two things: 1. It provides Federal support funding. 2. By giving Federal authorization based on Constitutional grounds, it makes it more difficult for opponents to block the establishment of such militias. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-07-30 22:53 |
| #9 ..and perhaps also establish a "guest worker" program to let immigrants stay in the United States as temporary legal residents. Something that's worth a mention is that family reunification bullshit. It needs to be curtailed. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-07-30 20:40 |
| #8 This makes little sense. Right now, any border governor could create a State border patrol and set up a boundary zone, a limited State martial law area, in which anyone crossing is subject to arrest and detention. In addition, because of the federal government's "catch and release" program for non-hispanic illegals, the State governors could also erect holding facilities, until such time as the feds agree to detain them. Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County (Phoenix) has just publicly offered the use of his "tent cities" jails to hold illegal aliens caught in central Arizona. If their detention is challenged, the State legislature could create a special court, solely to try them for trespassing and other violations of State law, sentence to be served in the holding area. This would force the "cheap labor" issue to the forefront, as business strongly pressured the federal government to force the States to release their illegal cheap labor. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-07-30 14:38 |
| #7 "...perhaps also establish a "guest worker" program to let immigrants stay in the United States as temporary legal residents." Guest Worker = Amnesty "Temporary legal residents"...yeah right. Just until they are granted permanent citizenship. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2005-07-30 13:06 |
| #6 I'm with you OldSpook. But allow Guest Workers from other countries not just mexico and canada. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-07-30 09:27 |
| #5 Hell, all we really need to do is tell the Mexes we're going to enforce border security on our southern border the same way THEY do on THEIR southern border. They'd get the message in a hurry. Ask any Guatemalan how friendly Mexico is to illegal border crossers. The response won't be a printable one. |
| Posted by: mac 2005-07-30 08:39 |
| #4 The Mexes have nothing but contempt for our laws and sovereignty. I'm for allowing a "shoot on sight and shoot to kill" policy on the southern border. You don't come through an authorized check point, you stand a good chance of catching a center of mass rifle bullet. If the Mexes don't like it, tell them to screw themselves, break relations and seal the border completely. We'll see who come out best. Second, enforce the laws against hiring illegals harshly and with prejudice. Bankrupt a few companies and jail a few CEOs. Put them in cells with the Mara Salvatruchas they were so helpful in bringing here. I suspect the word will get around real quickly. |
| Posted by: mac 2005-07-30 08:36 |
| #3 Good fences make good neighbors. And I am all for the guest worker program. As long as it is tied to a COMPLETE sealing of the border - and the worker cards are only given out on the OTHER side of the border at special US Customs+DHS+FBI centers, for fingerprinting, and criminal/terr checks. And one last proviso: any employer in the US found employing ANY illegals after this law passes should be fined severely - and ther president fo the company and board members (in the case of a corporation) should be fined as well. Let in the people that want to work - keep out the terrorists, and put the "guest workers" on a fair footing with other workers so the laws can protect them and US workers the same (including taxes). But it all begins with sealing the borders and vigorously hunting and deporting illegals - and arresting+fining the bastards who are using them. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-07-30 05:07 |
| #2 Gov Perry should direct the Rangers to do the training for the Texas outfit. Make a component of it engineers - Border SeeBees - to create a wall zone that will actually work. Form it regardless of what the lickspittle US Congress decides. If they drop the ball, follow through and make fools of them. CA and AZ would probably follow suit... NM? Their Gov is a vacant prettyboy Camelot II refugee, he'll prolly leave the gate open until the ridicule affects his chances for a Prez run - something everyone knows he wants to do someday. Then we can focus on the Northern Friendship Fence. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-07-30 01:45 |
| #1 "Border Patrol agents intercepted 1.1 million people illegally entering the country." and this is only a small fraction |
| Posted by: Jan 2005-07-30 00:35 |