Lobotero’s Info Ink

When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) refers to its new deterrence strategy, the agency is not talking about nuclear arsenals, missile defense, or border security. For DHS, deterrence is a strategy of immigration control that relies on what U.S. law enforcement does best: imprisonment.

The United States has more people in jail—2.3 million—than any other nation. Although the United States has less than 5% of the world’s population, it holds almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners. One of every 100 adults in the “land of the free” is locked up.

Immigrants are the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. prison population. The DHS agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains 300,000 immigrants annually, with some 32,000 immigrants in ICE detention centers on any given day. ICE’s budget for its Detention and Removal Operations has jumped from $959 million in 2004 to $2.3 billion today.

The rise in the number of immigrants detained or incarcerated by the federal government for immigration-related offenses dates back to the mid-1990s when Congress passed the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and the Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.

The combined effect of the two acts was to dramatically expand the definition of a “criminal alien” to include immigrants—legal and illegal—who falsify their identity documents and Social Security numbers, or who have been convicted of any misdemeanor or crime, as minor as shoplifting or disturbing the peace.

An immigrant who does not appear at a scheduled immigration hearing is labeled a “fugitive alien” and is subject to immediate detention and deportation, or, as ICE’s Homeland Security deterrence strategy increasingly kicks in, possibly sentencing, imprisonment, and then “removal.”

From the start DHS adopted military terminology—security, surges, protection, operations, deterrence, etc.—for its immigration initiatives and strategies. As part of the department’s strategic plan, the newly created Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) set forth its Operation Endgame strategy. DRO is component of ICE.

The DRO strategic plan “sets in motion a cohesive enforcement program with a 10-year time horizon that will build the capacity to “remove all removable aliens,” eliminate the backlog of unexecuted final order removal cases, and realize its vision.”

Operation Endgame sees the detention and removal of aliens as a fundamental component of a national security strategy: “Moving toward a 100% rate of removal for all removable aliens allows ICE to provide the level of immigration enforcement necessary to keep America secure.”

I know, I know everyone is screaming about those darn pesky illegal immigrants, especially at election, they are a convenient scapegoat for pandering to the people.  But any way, someone somewhere in the bowels of the INS came up with the idea of a virtual border fence, where cameras, radar and other such devices would be used to detect those entering the US illegally.

I believe it was Boeing that got the contract to build this wonder of modern technology.  Both President Bush and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff pledged to create such “high-tech” fences as part of the government’s ongoing attempts to catch foreigners who try to sneak into the country under its radar.

Boeing built this and installed this and the test showed it does not work…….I say again……test show it does not work.  A multi-dollar project will be scraped and another attempt will be made.  A 28 mile of border failure.

I ask does Boeing have to repay monies for a product that does not work?  If not, why?  If I buy a car and it does not work, the company will be held responsible why will Boeing not be held up to the same standards?  BTW, Boeing, will continue to bleed the system dry, they will get another whack at the “fence”.  I suggest they look for someone else to try this project, Boeing is a proven failure.  But sadly, since Boeing is part of the Military-Industrial Complex, they will continue to be a parasite on the taxpayer’s money.

I keep hearing the political pundits say that Hillary is just a tough political figure. I do not agree. IMO, she is just as arrogant as her husband. Her toughness is just an facade to her arrogance. Her feeling that she somehow has a birthright to the nomination. It is her destiny to be the Democratic nominee. The nomination is hers because she is a Clinton and because she wants it and that should be enough for the voter. Her attitude toward the voter is amazing. Her husband basically threatens the voters and she tries to swoon them with diatribes that are anything but true. Her speeches are about her, not about the people. She can bring change, she can lead, she can…….even at the commemoration of the King assassination was about her and her campaign. Sorry, but I do not believe in the “God given right” to be president.

Much has been said, written and debated about “illegal” immigration.  The most opposition seems to from those people who say that the immigrants are a drain on the domestic programs.  They think they get too much in food stamps, welfare, medicaid, etc, etc.  this could be true, but how do you stop the loss of funds and services?

First, the whole thing is just a disguised racist thing.  After that, we will have a hard time as a country in eliminating all illegal immigration.  Oh, I know, everybody from lou Dobbs to the pizza delivery guy has an answer.  Psst!  None will work!

How about stop worrying and put into place a national sales tax.  The “illegals” will always buy food, use services, buy gas, etc.  The funds that they are accused of sucking up can be replaced and funded by a national sales tax.

How to do this?  I am not an economist, so that would be for a higher pay grade than mine.  But this is an idea that should be considered.   The whole thing is these people are abusing the system, so let they pay along with everybody else.

Peace–out!