Tuesday, June 5, 2007

New Haven gets national attention

New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. Tuesday defended the city's plan to issue municipal ID cards to illegal aliens, saying the plan is the city's response to failed immigration enforcement by the federal government.

In a telephone interview on Fox News, DeStefano rejected claims that the plan, which would make it easier for illegal aliens to obtain bank accounts and utilize city services, would entice illegal aliens to come into the the U.S.; the mayor also denied the plan was a violation of federal immigration law.

An immigration reform advocate on the show questioned the legitimacy of the program, and noted that the "legal counsel" the city used was made up of Yale Law School students and the city advocacy group JUNTA for Progressive Action. The speaker suggested the city consult with lawyers more experienced in immigration policy.

The mayor's response? That questioning the city's plans for making it easier for illegal aliens to act like citizens is "fear mongering," and that questioning the plan is somehow "blaming other people for problems in their own lives."

For real? Sounds to me like typical liberal response - if someone has an opinion different than yours, or if someone demonstrates that your stance contradicts the law, then they have some personal problem that makes their opinion or stance unreasonable.

If you look at it plainly, there is no way to deny the fact that the mayor's plan helps people who are breaking the law. Period. If the mayor knows someone is in the country illegally, the only effort he should make in regard to that person should focus on removing that person from the country.

He owes it to the rest of the residents of his city who are legal residents, and to every surrounding municipality that will feel the effects of having an influx of illegal aliens visiting their communities because the mayor of the Elm City is harboring them.

What's next? Because drug dealers that live in New Haven are essentially bringing disposable income into the city, should drug dealers no longer be subject to arrest?

The mayor's plan is flawed at its root - the very people the mayor wishes to aid are people that shouldn't be here in the first place.

What part of "illegal" doesn't he understand?

Essentially, the mayor is saying that because there are so many illegal aliens in the city, the city should just give up enforcing the law and treat them like they are legal residents because it's easier than booting them out, and will make him more popular among legal Hispanic residents that vote.

The mayor has chosen to bend to the will of one segment of the city's population, and it is my hope that the other segments of the public will realize this and elect a mayor that represents them instead.

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