Is U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie a corruption supporter? (downplays illegal immigration then "clarifies" remarks)

Posted Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 11:03 am
From this:
...U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie [District of New Jersey] surprised many at a Dover [NJ] church public forum [at the First United Methodist Church of Dover] when he said sneaking into the United States is not a criminal act.

"Being in this country without proper documentation is not a crime," Christie told more than 60 residents and town officials. "The whole phrase of 'illegal immigrant' connotes that the person, by just being here, is committing a crime."

Being undocumented may be a civil wrong, but it's not a criminal act, Christie said.

"Don't let people make you believe that that's a crime that the U.S. Attorney's Office should be doing something about," he added of entering the country illegally. "It is not."

After touching on the usual topics of his corruption-busting career...

While Christie told the audience it doesn't take a "genius" to see there's a "serious immigration problem" in this country, he stressed an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal unless that person re-enters the country after being deported.
If I had been there, I would have questioned his "corruption-busting" credentials, pointing out that illegal immigration is a multi-billion dollar "industry", with very powerful forces such as the banking industry trying to profit from money that was earned illegally and with cheap labor employers basically paying off politicians.

He was invited to speak by the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey. Their president (Martin Perez) said this:
"The issue of undocumented people didn't start with the Mexicans, the Colombians and the Guatemalans... It started with the Mayflower -- none of those people had any documents."
Now, Chris Christie's office has released a "clarification" (link), saying in part:
He did not say, nor did he mean, that entering this country through any means other than the appropriate immigration channels is a lawful act. It is not.
The "clarification" needs its own clarification, because while his earlier comments noted that reentering and remaining here after having been deported is in fact a crime, the "clarification" does not.

The first link also alludes to a previous incident with Christie taking the illegal immigration side. In 2007, Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello had called some pro-illegal immigration protesters Marxists and socialists. Christie called that "hyperbole and grandstanding and demagoguery"; the mayor says he was referring to people who had identified themselves as Communists, waving red flags and holding signs that bore socialist slogans.

Christie was appointed by Bush; whether he's just a loose borders hack, on the take for either money or votes, or just doing what his boss wants isn't clear, but it's one of those three.

UPDATE: Cresitello is now calling for Christie to resign. In the report, Rob Jennings notes only first part of the bit above about Marxists, without noting Cresitello's response.
Tags: 
new jersey
morristown
chris christie

Comments

Mary (not verified)

Mon, 04/28/2008 - 23:44

Someone should put this guys address on craigslist as a "Sanctuary home for illegals"...maybe then he might get the message!!Sure would be fun to watch how he would change his tune!!

Kevin Bove (not verified)

Tue, 04/29/2008 - 00:51

Illegal entry is a crime. See 8 USC 1325

brak (not verified)

Tue, 04/29/2008 - 00:51

"The whole phrase of 'illegal immigrant' connotes that the person, by just being here, is committing a crime." The use of 'undocumented' (as opposed to the technically correct 'illegal alien') is urged by propagandists because that phrase connotes there is merely a lack of something and NOT a violation of law. Illegal simply means 'against the law'--this stuff about 'not a crime' is a slight distinction to most people. As often pointed out, presence in and of itself IS against the law and if you want to be a stickler on 'crime', most often various crimes are committed in addition to illegal presence. The bottom line is people like Menendez are asking reporters to use an imprecise term over the technically correct term. There's no justification for that. *Roll Call: According to Menendez, many of CNN’s news programs have adopted “the language Lou Dobbs uses,” referring to the host of “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” who uses the platform to complain about illegal immigration. “The news program has become the equivalent of opinion and not information,” Menendez said, asserting that news anchors opt for language describing “hordes” of immigrants crossing borders, and use phrases such as “illegal” rather than “undocumented” when describing such immigrants.

Fred Dawes (not verified)

Tue, 04/29/2008 - 01:49

If the political system did not want the mass corruption of the third world here it would stop it, the political and real criminals are in washington and not mexico city but both want the same thing the dismantling of the USA, For many reason's of evil and money and control over YOU.

Fred Dawes (not verified)

Tue, 04/29/2008 - 01:52

Kevin Bove laws are only as good as the government who enforce it. and many inside government need lawlessness as a tool of control.

eh (not verified)

Tue, 04/29/2008 - 04:58

_If the political system did not want the mass corruption of the third world here it would stop it, the political and real criminals are in washington..._ Bravo Fred! _...and not mexico city..._ They have their share. However, at this point there may well be more here than there. [1] Transfer successful.

Links:
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[1] fugitive.com/archives/category/murder