Democratic AZ Governor; Designee for Secretary of Homeland Security
Keep up intense pressure on border criminals
There is no more fundamental function of government than to protect the public. In the past six years, crime in Arizona has gone down in nearly every category. We have built the nation's first state anti-terrorism center and prepared ourselves to be read
for any disaster. We secured increased federal resources at the border, and state task forces have arrested hundreds of human smugglers. We have used innovative methods to attack the tools of the smuggling trade, such as money laundering and fraudulent
identification. We have made Arizona the most innovative and active state in the nation in addressing--head-on--the consequences of our nation's broken borders.
We have to keep up this intense pressure on the border criminals who use violence and fraud
to smuggle people and drugs into our country. This effort includes a bill I am presenting to you today that goes after those criminals by broadening the human trafficking laws we use to crack down on those who smuggle people across the border.
You build a 50-foot wall, somebody will find a 51-ft ladder
Napolitano resisted initial efforts on a state crackdown on illegal immigration, instead taking the position that immigration and border security are federal responsibilities.
Napolitano has fought to curb illegal immigration, but has been skeptical that building a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border will solve the problem. She once said: “You build a 50-foot wall, somebody will find a 51-foot ladder.”
Source: Eileen Sullivan on Associated Press
Nov 20, 2008
Crackdown on employers who hire illegal workers, not workers
Napolitano is outspoken about “the Federal government’s failure to fulfill its responsibilities in securing our border & providing for a functional immigration policy.”
The governor opted to: crackdown on employers who hire undocumented workers; catch
forgers of ID documents; push for more National Guards and Homeland Security measures to deter border crossings.
Conservatives deride Napolitano’s refusal to support legislation targeting illegal immigrants already in the US working for US employers.
Source: Gubernatorial biography on usliberals.about.com
Nov 20, 2008
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