TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Baja News Wire

Bersin describes Arizona law as 'an error'

By Jose Luis Jiménez
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 12:14 p.m.

ROSARITO BEACH — Arizona’s new law targeting illegal immigration is “an error” that does not make “any sense” in terms of relations between Mexico and the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin said Friday.

His comments came during the 5th annual binational mayors conference at the Rosarito Beach Hotel in which issues such as immigration, the environment and economic development were discussed.

Bersin, who also called the law “unjust” to the citizens of Arizona, said the Obama administration is still reviewing its options regarding the law. He was flanked by Gaston Luken Garza, a federal congressman representing Tijuana, and Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres, both of whom expressed their opposition to the law.

Bersin was the keynote speaker at the conference and his speech focused on border issues.

Switching between English and Spanish, the commissioner continued his theme of faster border crossings, a point he made Thursday at Point Loma Nazarene University. He talked about three specific ideas to speed up crossings, which can now take several hours.

The first was to consider private-public partnerships to create new highways that connect the border and that would be used by trusted travelers, such as those in the SENTRI program.

Next was to increase enrollment in the SENTRI program. Currently 24 percent of border crossers at San Ysidro, considered the nation’s busiest border crossing, use the SENTRI program. He would like to see that increased to 75 percent with separate lanes based on the level of trust the government assigns the traveler. The higher the level of trust, the faster the traveler could cross. Bersin said the administration has begun the process of reviewing the proposal.

Lastly, he called for the creation of a binational institution, composed of local government and business leaders, with its own budget and staff, that speaks with one voice to lobby for improvements along the border region.

“This is the way we must move forward,” Bersin said. “Looking at our opportunities with new eyes.”

Bersin has served as U.S. attorney, school superintendent and border czar during his time in San Diego.

The conference attracted mayors and their representatives from at least seven cities in the U.S. and Mexico, including San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, who gave some opening remarks.

At the end of the daylong conference, the mayors are expected to announce proclamations on areas of agreements on several issues along the border.


More...

If the US government was doing it's job of protecting the border and ensuring the safety of the country and it's residents, Arizona would not have has to pass the law...................

Agreed.

But then we enter into a different argument as to how badly the federal government "really" wants to crack down on employers who take advantage of the cheaper labor that crosses the border. It is no different than the drug problem - without a demand there is no supply...

Guess who won't be going to Arizona !!

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Agreed.

But then we enter into a different argument as to how badly the federal government "really" wants to crack down on employers who take advantage of the cheaper labor that crosses the border. It is no different than the drug problem - without a demand there is no supply...

Ron: I agree, but I feel it is more of a border security/Homeland security issue..........

For more than one reason.

Arizona's 'laughable' Birther bill - The Week

And the Arizona legislature is quite busy conjuring up more unnecessary bile. They are now proposing to eliminate, among other things, ethnic studies programs in schools. So, all I can say is that for those who felt that there was absolutely no racist motivation behind the immigration bill, that and these two doozies make for a trifecta.

Go, old white guys!

Arizona immigrants: Latest bill takes aim at ethnic studies classes - latimes.com

Here is the Bill, AZ HB 2281:

http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/hb2281s.pdf

For instance:

"4. Courses or classes that include the discussion of controversial aspects of history."

Sorry, but I cannot get past the idea that the thought police are running the agenda.

One should include the subsection of number four in the Law passed:

4. COURSES OR CLASSES THAT INCLUDE THE DISCUSSION OF CONTROVERSIAL ASPECTS OF HISTORY

F. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO RESTRICT OR PROHIBIT THE INSTRUCTION OF THE HOLOCAUST, ANY OTHER INSTANCE OF GENOCIDE, OR THE HISTORICAL OPPRESSION OF A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE BASED ON ETHNICITY, RACE, OR CLASS.

The intend here would appear to NOT to restrict the instruction on man's inhumanity to man, as it specifically states in writing those topics which will NOT be restricted and/or prohibited in Schools in AZ.

One can argue "who's" text book and what wording ..... of course

And to have to pass a law for LE to ask anyone in this Country to prove there identify and/or citizenship is past Pluto in my mind anyway... having identification on your person to prove who you are is just basic in this time period.. in 1667.... naw... in 2010 yep... not the same place anymore.... if some don't get it... well, then that is just to bad... and it will come down to people voting on the issue... and then we go back to a Supreme Court which is not representative of the "people"... that is when it starts... taxation with out representation...

The government taxes us... the private sector, to fund the public sector... take a look at the size of the Public Sector... just the Fed's have 2.6 million employed... add in the States, Counties, and City's.... it's not adding up.... how can you have more people working in the Public sector than in the Private?..

Isn't that just what happened in Greece.... and why a number of other "States" are starting to sweat bullets...

Someone has to PAY for it..... you know, really money, not credit, not accounts receivables, not leverage positions.. not guesses on how rich we will be in 10 or more years... but, how much "GELT" you have!!!! for real... cash... not bets on the future....

Don't know about you, but when I am here in Mexico I am always prepared to show my identification, including legal documents showing my right to be in this country. We get stopped at checkpoints for no reason at all, along with Mexican citizens up and down the state, cars search, names taken. For those of you who don't live in AZ, CA or another border state, maybe you don't appreciate the problem that the lack of action by the Federal government has caused for the states. I'm for it, and if Calif. had any cajones, they would do the same.

Yes, I go through checkpoints all the time traveling up and down the Baja peninsula, but I cannot remember the last time I was asked for proof of my legal status here.

I may be the exception, but in the 30 or so years that I've traveled by land in Baja, I have never been asked for my proof either. One time. And only one time, at an army checkpoint, I was asked to produce the vehicle registration. That's it.

This does point out a dual system, in that arrival by air is tightly controlled.

Originally Posted by wessongroup

And to have to pass a law for LE to ask anyone in this Country to prove there identify and/or citizenship is past Pluto in my mind anyway....

A. That's not what the Arizona law says

B. It's been a federal law for over 40 years that LEGAL immigrants or LEGAL foreign visitors MUST have on their person at all times proof of their status to be in this country (visa, green card,,,,)

Can a LE officer ask any person, who is in public, to produce documentation to prove they are in the United States legally today in all the States?

No disagreement on current law... rather who may enforce ...

Originally Posted by wessongroup

Can a LE enforcement officer ask any person, who is in public, to produce documentation to prove they are in the United States legally today in all the States

No disagreement on current law... rather who may enforce ...

................why should WHO enforces the law make a difference?????

Exactly, why or who should not make a difference..... it apparently has been a selective enforcement policy of LE which covered the rather routine identification of individuals who may have been here illegally.... this as the number of illegal immigrants coming to the United States out of Mexico over the past 20 years has been nothing short of amazing ..... have read various reasons WHY it makes a difference.. I'm big on enforcement of all laws.. if they don't work then you must change them.. if not enforced, then one never knows if it is a bad law or not... and it can not be corrected.

Or, it leads States like AZ to write a Law which states in very clear language what their intent is:

"For any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency…where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person…"

That is the way I read it... if it is not the intent nor the words then I stand corrected

When one reads the Bill, it was not taken lightly, and there appears to have been a great deal of consideration of what was going to be said and the tests which the "law" would have to undergo...

And a suggestion on the WHO making a difference:

By Susan Shroder, Union-Tribune Staff Writer
April 28, 2010

SAN DIEGO — With the battle lines over Arizona’s tough new immigration law hardening, police in San Diego were reiterating long-standing policies that bar officers from randomly asking whether someone is in the country legally.

At the San Diego Police Department on Tuesday, officers were reminded at the daily patrol briefings of the department policy. That policy says police only inquire about someone’s immigration status if the person is arrested on suspicion of a crime or if an officer suspects the person is involved in other criminal activity.

Most local law enforcement agencies have similar policies. In Arizona, things will be different.

Originally Posted by Teniente

................why should WHO enforces the law make a difference?????

It shouldn't. Most of those against the AZ law don't want it enforced by ANYONE.

Ken

Come on, Ken. From what I've read and heard, most local law enforcement folks would much rather be able to obtain cooperation from the people in the neighborhood to assist them in solving local crime. I'm not saying for a moment that an illegal immigrant isn't just that and by definition, a criminal. Problem is that the folks on the ground trying to police the neighborhoods, need all the help they can get in apprehending criminals who committed crimes other than being illegal. If the immigrant community views law enforcement as the enemy, they will not cooperate and will go farther underground. Fact is that the debate about illegals and immigration in general should be being held, as we speak, on the federal level. Anyone having a problem with that should be writing, e-mailing and texting their senators and representatives to advise them that IF they don't undertake some meaningful reform, they won't get their vote. But, again, on the local level, the cops need all the help they can get to keep the neighborhoods safe.

Rubbish

Think so? Try asking some local cops in cities with large Latino populations. In fact, I believe the it was either the chief of police or the sheriff in Tucson made the very same point while planning to file suit over the law. I'm not making this up.