Homeland secretary calls immigration policy overhaul 'a priority'
06:51 AM CDT on Friday, August 28, 2009
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday that she was optimistic that a bipartisan immigration-policy overhaul would, at some point, get through Congress.
"This is not a new issue," she said in a meeting with The Dallas Morning News' editorial board.
"It's just putting together a comprehensive package that covers the immigration issues from A to Z. ... It's a priority for both me and the president."
Napolitano expressed hope that the effort, which has bogged down in Congress in years past, would not be as contentious as it was under former President George W. Bush.
She did not say when a bill would ultimately be considered since Congress and the White House are now consumed with health care legislation. So changes to immigration policy could be further down the road, though she has had meetings with Sen. Charles Schumer, the New York Democrat expected to take the lead on the issue.
"There is a bipartisan recognition that the current law is outdated and needs to be brought up to date with our current needs," she said.
Napolitano, the former governor of Arizona, has dealt with the effects of illegal immigration for much of her career in public service.
She said an immigration bill should focus on the following:
•Developing or bolstering the penalties for employers who repeatedly hire illegal immigrants.
•Stamping out the new tactics human traffickers and money launderers are using to exploit the border.
•Developing programs that would allow seasonal workers to legally enter the country.
•Updating the visa process to allow students with capabilities the country needs to remain in the U.S.
Napolitano added that there needed to be a way to deal with illegal immigrants in the country and their desire for citizenship, including having them pay a fine, pay taxes, and not have criminal records.
"Nobody is in favor of amnesty," she said.
Napolitano also responded to an Associated Press story, published in Wednesday's editions of The News, about a busy border checkpoint in Laredo that's getting no federal stimulus dollars while a quiet checkpoint in Montana along the Canadian border gets $15 million.
She said the Laredo outpost was not ready to receive federal money.
"That story was so wrong," she said. "The scope of work hasn't been completed yet. We all know the needs at Laredo. It really wasn't ready to take the stimulus money, which was money designed to go out very quickly."
Napolitano also addressed the convention of the International Association of Fire Chiefs on Thursday, where she swore in Atlanta Fire-Rescue Chief Kelvin Cochran as the new U.S. fire administrator.
Cochran, a former fire chief in Shreveport and a graduate of Wiley College, will be the so-called national fire chief as head of the U.S. Fire Administration. He will coordinate and direct efforts to halt fires and improve response times. He will also supervise fire prevention and safety education programs, as well as development opportunities for first responders.
Staff writer Selwyn Crawford contributed to this report.
 | | |  | RSS | | |  | | | Yahoo! Buzz | | |  | Send a news tip | |||
Comment: She is another puppet of the fascist Puppetmasters. I for one believe
there should be a kind of amnesty but the whole solution to the 'immigration problem'
involves an international global solution.
We can look at the existing so-called illegal immigrants being descendants of the
original owners of these lands, humane rights and the long-range resolution of
creating a world with no national borders, that is, having the vision to see that we
are all human beings of Mother Earth and should share all of its natural resources.
Am I dreaming? I would rather be dreaming than accept the present nightmare
without protest!
Education for Liberation! Venceremos Unidos!
Peter S. Lopez {aka:Peta}
Sacramento, California,Aztlan
Yahoo Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
Come Together! Join Up! Seize the Time!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humane-Rights-Agenda/
http://humane-rights-agenda-network.ning.com/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NetworkAztlan_News/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/THIRD-WORLD-NEWS/
c/s
