IowaPolitics.com stages pro-illegal immigration forum (LULAC, Beth Wessel-Kroeschell)

IowaPolitics.com staged an immigration forum earlier today, and these were the five panelists (link):

1. Brent Wilkes of the League of United Latin American Citizens
2. Iowa State Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames
3. James Benzoni, Des Moines immigration lawyer and Drake University professor
4. David Roederer, executive director of the Iowa Chamber Alliance
5. Alicia Claypool of the Iowa Immigration Education Coalition

Without much more information, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that "the majority of the panel agreed the raids on the plants should cease". In other words, the forum was a complete, Soviet-style setup.

Needless to say, Wilkes stuck up for illegal activity:

"But hardworking immigrants that are picking your food or working in your meatpacking plants are not terrorists and you shouldn't lump them all together with people that are bent on some ideological campaign against the United States. We’ve not distinguished the real threats from those folks that are actually helping us. We can’t become a country that punishes hardworking people just because they want the American dream – that's not what we are."

Wessel-Kroeschell combined that with support for "reform", aka a massive amnesty:

"The federal government has ignored it – they’ve done nothing... The states can't fix it. It is within the power of the federal government through the supremacy clause of the Constitution to provide us with guidelines to immigration. There are, however, some things we can do. For example, states have authority over issuing driver's licenses. We can also make sure everyone that is in this state is productive. We can provide an education to individuals. When it comes to talking about deportation . . . we need to find a feasible way to providing a path toward citizenship, but we need to do that at the federal level."

Per this, she also said:

"By raiding our employers that we feel might be hiring many undocumented workers, we’re causing such a trauma to so many communities, and we’re making no impact whatsoever to the real problem."

The real problem is corrupt politicians like Wessel-Kroeschell; please go to her future appearances and ask her questions designed to discredit her.

And, among many other interesting things, Benzoni said:

The federal government is carrying out politically-motivated terrorism against innocent people... That's crime, that is not law enforcement."

Roederer stuck up for businesses.

Claypoll - also chairman of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission - said (among other interesting things) "[j]ust thinking about the images on the news of black helicopters flying over Postville reminds me of these militaristic movies you see previews for".

Next time, Iowa Politics should consider inviting someone who supports our laws, and those who rely on their coverage should double-check it for ideological balance. Also, feel free to send your thoughts to their News Editor Mike Schramm: schramm *at* iowapolitics.com

Comments

How come they arrest the illegals, but never the owners?