RED DAVE
26th June 2010, 21:50
More shit by that defender of human rights, the Governor of Arizona. Maybe she's trying to win the Sarah Palin Dumbest Governor of all the 50 States Award.
Ariz. Governor's Comments Draw Fierce Criticism
(June 26) -- Comments by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer that most illegal immigrants enter the United States to smuggle drugs rather than seek work have prompted a wave of criticism.
But Brewer is standing by her comments.
Speaking Friday, Brewer said that "the majority of illegal trespassers" entering Arizona "are bringing drugs in," Fox News reported.
Now, representatives of the National Border Patrol, Mexican politicians and human rights groups are attacking her claim and calling on her to provide hard evidence to back it up.
T.J. Bonner, president of the union that represents Border Patrol agents, told CNN that her comments, don't "comport with reality -- that's the nicest way to put it."
In April, Brewer enacted a controversial law that grants the local police greater authority to check the legal status of people they stop. Brewer has seen her popularity soar since the bill and has traveled to the White House to discuss the law with President Barack Obama.
The White House plans to mount a legal challenge to the law, which Obama described as "misguided."
Late on Friday, Brewer issued a statement defending her comments. The statement cited a report by the Los Angeles Times that highlighted the increasing roles of Mexican drug cartels in the business of smuggling people into the United States. Brewer added that "many federal government reports have drawn the same conclusions."
The statement did not quell the criticism.
Jaime Farrant of the Tucson-based Border Action Network told Fox News that he has "no evidence" that most people are entering to smuggle drugs, while Mexican Senator Jesus Ramon Valdes, who represents the Mexican border state of Coahuila, said the comments were racist and ignorant.
"Traditionally, migrants have always been needy, humble people who in good faith go looking for a way to better the lives of their families," Ramon Valdes told Fox News.
Still, some are in agreement with Brewer's comments. On the Governor's Facebook page, commenters described her as "gutsy", and one called for her to run for president in 2012.
Jimmy Cuneo left a comment describing Brewer as "the only politician in the USA doing their job!"
Larry Birns, Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs in Washington, D.C., called Brewer's comments "an exaggeration, but not by much," as Mexican drug cartels become more and more influential in illegal immigration.
The people-smuggling industry "has gone from a sort of do-it-yourself, small guy operation, to big business," Birns said. "There's going to be a lot more violence on the border."http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/arizona-governor-jan-brewers-immigration-comments-draw-fierce-criticism/19532318
RED DAVE
Ariz. Governor's Comments Draw Fierce Criticism
(June 26) -- Comments by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer that most illegal immigrants enter the United States to smuggle drugs rather than seek work have prompted a wave of criticism.
But Brewer is standing by her comments.
Speaking Friday, Brewer said that "the majority of illegal trespassers" entering Arizona "are bringing drugs in," Fox News reported.
Now, representatives of the National Border Patrol, Mexican politicians and human rights groups are attacking her claim and calling on her to provide hard evidence to back it up.
T.J. Bonner, president of the union that represents Border Patrol agents, told CNN that her comments, don't "comport with reality -- that's the nicest way to put it."
In April, Brewer enacted a controversial law that grants the local police greater authority to check the legal status of people they stop. Brewer has seen her popularity soar since the bill and has traveled to the White House to discuss the law with President Barack Obama.
The White House plans to mount a legal challenge to the law, which Obama described as "misguided."
Late on Friday, Brewer issued a statement defending her comments. The statement cited a report by the Los Angeles Times that highlighted the increasing roles of Mexican drug cartels in the business of smuggling people into the United States. Brewer added that "many federal government reports have drawn the same conclusions."
The statement did not quell the criticism.
Jaime Farrant of the Tucson-based Border Action Network told Fox News that he has "no evidence" that most people are entering to smuggle drugs, while Mexican Senator Jesus Ramon Valdes, who represents the Mexican border state of Coahuila, said the comments were racist and ignorant.
"Traditionally, migrants have always been needy, humble people who in good faith go looking for a way to better the lives of their families," Ramon Valdes told Fox News.
Still, some are in agreement with Brewer's comments. On the Governor's Facebook page, commenters described her as "gutsy", and one called for her to run for president in 2012.
Jimmy Cuneo left a comment describing Brewer as "the only politician in the USA doing their job!"
Larry Birns, Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs in Washington, D.C., called Brewer's comments "an exaggeration, but not by much," as Mexican drug cartels become more and more influential in illegal immigration.
The people-smuggling industry "has gone from a sort of do-it-yourself, small guy operation, to big business," Birns said. "There's going to be a lot more violence on the border."http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/arizona-governor-jan-brewers-immigration-comments-draw-fierce-criticism/19532318
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