State arrests Illegal Immigrant for Trespassing

1. Yes, I am profiling police officers. It seems likely I am right, but technically you have a point. What of it?

2. I haven't condemned violations of law in others in this thread-- and I am not sure if I ever have. Buffoonery has nothing to do with the law.

3. Read the first sentence of the article.

4. Sure. But what do you expect from an outlaw.

Idaho County Sues Over Immigrant Workers

By REBECCA BOONE
Associated Press Writer

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Faced with the costs of coping with illegal immigrants, one county is looking to the courts for help - by filing a racketeering lawsuit against the businesses that hire these workers.

The legal theory: that a pattern of immigration violations by employers is costing Canyon County millions for law enforcement, education and social services.

"Their presence lowers the labor wage for American citizens and removes employment opportunities," county Commissioner Robert Vasquez, an ambitious politician who just started a bid for Congress, said of the illegal workers. "Certainly it uses tax dollars to provide them with educational services, medical care, unemployment compensation for those that are injured on the job. They are a drain on the taxpayers of Canyon County, the state of Idaho and the U.S. in general."

The county's attempt to recoup its expenses would be filed under the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly called the RICO Act, which has been used against targets ranging from organized crime to Internet spammers.

Quote:

The motivation of the local police is understandable.

Brandon9000 wrote:

I have a problem with that position. The police have a job to do and they should do it in full observation of the letter and spirit of the law.

Part of the spirit of the law is that it should be obeyed. The statement of this issue includes the idea that the individual actually is guilty of a crime. It is not the spirit of the law that criminals should defy the law with impunity any more than it is that the police should overstep their authority. If your solution is to ignore the problem, then you're simply wrong.

goodfielder wrote:

What we have here is a smart-arse police department or chief or whatever. I reckon this is an abuse of the law writ large and I reckon it's malicious.

Brandon9000 wrote:

What we have here is a police department that doesn't like to watch the INS flagrantly ignore its responsibilty to protect the country, and attempted to find an applicable statute in their municipal law. Frankly, I doubt you know whether the police charge is technically incorrect or not.

You could be right. But I reckon I'm right on this and it will be interesting to see it pan out.

goodfielder wrote:

[Local police don't have the authority to enforce the immigration laws (well that's my understanding, I'm a ferriner so I could be wrong) and that must be for a reason. Perhaps the federal government intended that only its agents should enforce this law because they have no control over local law enforcement and accordingly the authority in the legislation could be abused. Reading this case I'm not surprised.

Brandon9000 wrote:

Perhaps, except for the fact that the system is corrupt and the appropriate authorities won't enforce immigration law..

The system is corrupt? Got any evidence for such a spectacular claim?

goodfielder wrote:

[Brandon the police must never be allowed to make it up as they go along. In this instance because you - rightly and understandably - are upset (and I use that advisedly, your comments on the topic are temperate) about illegal immigration from Mexico, you will support the police bending or breaking or ignoring the law.

Brandon9000 wrote:

What a liar. I never said anything of the kind..

Careful with who you call a liar Brandon that's a highly offensive suggestion and I don't like it at all. What I have done is point out your inconsistencies - hardly a lie.

goodfielder wrote:

From my perspective that's a seriously slippery slope.

Yes, and so is walking away from a situation in which criminals defy the law with impunity because the people entrusted with enforcing it don't or can't.

When I started reading this thread, I thought I'd come across it a lot sooner than this. Why didn't that police chief arrest the construction company that was employing the illegal alien? Wouldn't that have been the constructive thing to do?

goodfielder wrote:

Quote:

The motivation of the local police is understandable.

Brandon9000 wrote:

I have a problem with that position. The police have a job to do and they should do it in full observation of the letter and spirit of the law.

Part of the spirit of the law is that it should be obeyed. The statement of this issue includes the idea that the individual actually is guilty of a crime. It is not the spirit of the law that criminals should defy the law with impunity any more than it is that the police should overstep their authority. If your solution is to ignore the problem, then you're simply wrong.

goodfielder wrote:

What we have here is a smart-arse police department or chief or whatever. I reckon this is an abuse of the law writ large and I reckon it's malicious.

Brandon9000 wrote:

What we have here is a police department that doesn't like to watch the INS flagrantly ignore its responsibilty to protect the country, and attempted to find an applicable statute in their municipal law. Frankly, I doubt you know whether the police charge is technically incorrect or not.

You could be right. But I reckon I'm right on this and it will be interesting to see it pan out.

goodfielder wrote:

[Local police don't have the authority to enforce the immigration laws (well that's my understanding, I'm a ferriner so I could be wrong) and that must be for a reason. Perhaps the federal government intended that only its agents should enforce this law because they have no control over local law enforcement and accordingly the authority in the legislation could be abused. Reading this case I'm not surprised.

Brandon9000 wrote:

Perhaps, except for the fact that the system is corrupt and the appropriate authorities won't enforce immigration law..

The system is corrupt? Got any evidence for such a spectacular claim?

goodfielder wrote:

[Brandon the police must never be allowed to make it up as they go along. In this instance because you - rightly and understandably - are upset (and I use that advisedly, your comments on the topic are temperate) about illegal immigration from Mexico, you will support the police bending or breaking or ignoring the law.

Brandon9000 wrote:

What a liar. I never said anything of the kind..

Careful with who you call a liar Brandon that's a highly offensive suggestion and I don't like it at all. What I have done is point out your inconsistencies - hardly a lie.

goodfielder wrote:

From my perspective that's a seriously slippery slope.

Yes, and so is walking away from a situation in which criminals defy the law with impunity because the people entrusted with enforcing it don't or can't.

Make your mind up. Are they corrupt or incompetent or simply under-resourced?

If you guys are so worried about lawbreakers you might want to check out this thread.

These guys are openly defying the laws of the land and no one is saying anything. You better hurry...

goodfielder
The fact is that the agency that is charged with enforcing the immigration laws refuses to perform it's duty. The police chief took action and from what I have read many others throughout the nation are ready to pick up the gauntlet. And IMO rightly so.
When the federal government refuses to enforce the laws of the land it is time for the citizens to react.

Jul 16, 2:47 PM EDT

Quote:

Idaho County Sues Over Immigrant Workers

By REBECCA BOONE
Associated Press Writer

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Faced with the costs of coping with illegal immigrants, one county is looking to the courts for help - by filing a racketeering lawsuit against the businesses that hire these workers.

The legal theory: that a pattern of immigration violations by employers is costing Canyon County millions for law enforcement, education and social services.

"Their presence lowers the labor wage for American citizens and removes employment opportunities," county Commissioner Robert Vasquez, an ambitious politician who just started a bid for Congress, said of the illegal workers. "Certainly it uses tax dollars to provide them with educational services, medical care, unemployment compensation for those that are injured on the job. They are a drain on the taxpayers of Canyon County, the state of Idaho and the U.S. in general."

The county's attempt to recoup its expenses would be filed under the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly called the RICO Act, which has been used against targets ranging from organized crime to Internet spammers.

Continued at.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IMMIGRATION_RICO?SITE=1010WINS&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

au1929 wrote:

goodfielder
The fact is that the agency that is charged with enforcing the immigration laws refuses to perform it's duty. The police chief took action and from what I have read many others throughout the nation are ready to pick up the gauntlet. And IMO rightly so.
When the federal government refuses to enforce the laws of the land it is time for the citizens to react.

If the police have no legal authority to enforce immigration laws (whcih I believe they don't) then they have to obey the spirit and intent of the law which is - that immigration matters remain the province of the federal government.

If this defendant had been obviously breaking a state law (eg stealing a car) then rightly it's the province of local police to take action.

If you seriously endorse local police doing this sort of thing au then you're advocating the overthrow of the rule of law.

Most people don't like watching the laws of their country flaunted with impunity

Quote:

Most people don't like watching the laws of their country flaunted with impunity

Most of those people voted for Bush.

Right on Brandon, I'm shy. Yes, that's it, I'm shy. Just in case you haven't noticed Brandon, I have given my opinion re this issue many times here on a2k, I don't see the need to rehash it over and over again.