August 26, 2005

Is corruption a Republican value?

In a perfect world the Democrats would have a brain and would oppose illegal immigration. While it seems highly unlikely, if they do decide to join the American side of things, let me suggest a very potent talking point: the GOP is corrupt.

Examples of that corruption can be seen throughout the article "Count Them In" about illegal aliens and banking:

..."Clearly Hispanic buying power, which is estimated at $600 billion, has captured the attention of business, and many are responding to the Latino market," Beatriz Ibarra, an assets policy analyst for the National Council of La Raza, which worked with Wells Fargo on the matricula program, says... [I didn't know about that connection before --LW]

...Still, there are those who say the matricula card compromises immigration enforcement just when the country needs it most. A Google search on matricula cards reveals a smattering of furious Web sites like www.americanpatrol.com, whose "Mexican Sham ID Card" section decries the increasing acceptance of the matricula and asks readers if they remember 9.11... [Finally, a reporter who knows how to search! Too bad he didn't incorporate some of the results into his report however. --LW]

The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) maintains that by accepting the card banks are, in effect, laundering money for people not in this country legally.

"While the Department of Homeland Security and the Border Patrol are spending so much time and money on strategies to reduce illegal immigration, far too little attention is being paid to the practices of the American business community," CIS Spokesman John Keeley says. "The distinction between legal and illegal immigration has been blurred, and it's undermining governmental will to enforce the law."

..."We expect this trend to continue," James Ballentine, director of grassroots and community service for the [American Bankers Association], says. "The fact of the matter is that this population isn't going anywhere, and they shouldn't have to hide their money under the mattress any longer."

..."The ITIN policy aids and abets the employment of illegal aliens. It allows them to remain underground. This is coming from a federal entity and it's undermining the enforcement of federal law," CIS’s Keeley says...

Posted to Immigration2005b at August 26, 2005 11:02 AM

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