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Dever responds: Obama wrong to base border success on stats
Bill Hess/Wick Communications
There is no need for a new comprehensive immigration reform program, but instead a revision of how existing federal laws are used, Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever sad.
He said President Barack Obama's goal in reforming immigration is similar to other administrations', which is to grant amnesty.
A Republican, the sheriff said both parties play the immigration card to their political advantage to include Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
He spoke after arriving back in Arizona from a trip to California, where he attended the National Sheriffs' Association an-nual conference. Dever said the high level of frustration has politicians looking for solutions to the point "everybody is being sophomoric." He is on the association's board of directors and chairs the group's Immigration and Border Security Committee, which until two years ago was a subcommittee.
Thursday, Obama made a major speech at the American University School of International Service in Washington, D.C., where after listing what he called major reforms, either launched or passed, of his administration - education, energy, health and cleaning up Wall Street - he talked about immigration.
Now is the time to tackle immigration reform, he said.
"In recent days, the issue of immigration has become once more a source of fresh contention in our country," Obama remarked.
Specifically noting the "controversial" Arizona law, he said it has seen some support as well as protest.
"And everywhere, people have expressed frustration with a system that seems fundamentally broken."
However, Dever disagrees with the president's premise that existing federal immigration laws are broken.
There are plenty of laws, but they need to be administratively reworked, he said.
"It's the process that's all balled up," he said.
Fixing the problem by revising the existing rules "is not on their agenda," he said of the Obama administration.
A completely new comprehensive immigration law will allow amnesty to be worked in again, as it was in the 1986 bill signed into law by Reagan, he said.
The main thrust of the administration, as it should have been for all previous administrations, should be first ensuring the border is secured, Dever said.
The issue facing the nation in the immigration realm is somewhat similar to the oil leaking in the Gulf of Mexico, he said. "Like the leak in the Gulf, before you try to clean it up, you got to plug up the hole," Dever said.
Until the border is secured, illegal immigrants and drugs will flow into the U.S., endangering residents, he said.
Thursday's presidential speech included many of the same things others have said, the sheriff said.
Agreeing is Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, whose 8th Congressional District in Arizona includes Cochise County.
Noting that President George W. Bush spoke about the need for comprehensive immigration reform which was what Obama also expressed, she said, "Arizonans have heard it all before. We listen closely to the speeches and then wait for Washington to act. We're tired of waiting."
Specific steps must be taken to address the problem, Giffords said. She wasn't pleased by Obama not putting more emphasis on border security.
"I was disappointed to hear the president give short shrift to border security concerns by saying our nation's southern border is more secure today than at any time in the past 20 years," she said.
Saying it is better now than in the past 20 years, she said, "That is not a sign of progress; it is a statement on the poor job we have done in securing the border for the past two decades."
How bad is it?
Dever said for the president to say things are better now because fewer illegal immigrants are being apprehended means Obama, or his aides, have no sense of what is happening.
Using statistics to bolster their views comes from desperation to prove there is some success, the sheriff said.
They use the figures "for political advantage" without living the real rural border experience in Arizona and other areas along the border, he said.
Although there are more U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the southern border, Dever said he has been told by some that they are being held back from doing their jobs by upper managers, and to the sheriff, that only means the numbers are skewed in favor of statistical success.
Like any large institution, especially in the federal government, statistics symbolize success, Dever said.
It was Benjamin Disraeli, a British prime minister in the 1800s, who said there are three types of fibs, "Lies, damned lies and statistics," the sheriff said.
As for Border Patrol agents, those on the ground want to do their jobs, he said. They know it is dangerous work but signed up to do it, though sometimes bureaucracy gets in the way, he added.
Without a secured border and with revision of existing laws, the U.S. will continue to stumble along creating problems for its citizens, especially those along the rural areas of the international boundary, Dever said.
Giffords was in agreement when in her Thursday statement, she said, "While some improvements in some parts of the border have been made, many Southern Arizonans still live in fear and that is unacceptable."
The sheriff said for the president to think the issue can be addressed by a new comprehensive reform bill means he is ill-advised.
People in Cochise County who live along or near the border know the truth of the real situation, having been victims of break-ins and other crimes committed by those who cross the border illegally, he said.
There is a good program the federal government has that allows county sheriffs to be connected to both the federal and state systems that review fingerprints of an apprehended individual to see if there are any warrants, he said. It means if a person is sought, it helps keep dangerous people off the streets while they go through the legal system, Dever said.
As for the president saying he needs the support of Republicans to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill, Dever said the comment was disingenuous.
Dever said he finds it interesting without Republican support, the president and the Democratic-controlled Congress "crammed health care reform down Americans' throats even though the majority did not want it."
There is no reason if a comprehensive immigration reform bill is critical to the nation, the president and Democrats in Congress "can't do the same thing, in light the majority of Americans want the border secured," the sheriff said.
What really is needed is securing the border, which can be done without a new law by revising the rules in existing immigration laws, the sheriff reemphasized.
Agreeing is Giffords, who said there can be no conversations about overall solutions, "until we can give Americans assurances that we have taken all necessary steps to secure the border."
For Dever, such actions, "Will take political courage, not political posturing."
There is no need for a new comprehensive immigration reform program, but instead a revision of how existing federal laws are used, Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever sad.
He said President Barack Obama's goal in reforming immigration is similar to other administrations', which is to grant amnesty.
A Republican, the sheriff said both parties play the immigration card to their political advantage to include Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
He spoke after arriving back in Arizona from a trip to California, where he attended the National Sheriffs' Association an-nual conference. Dever said the high level of frustration has politicians looking for solutions to the point "everybody is being sophomoric." He is on the association's board of directors and chairs the group's Immigration and Border Security Committee, which until two years ago was a subcommittee.
Thursday, Obama made a major speech at the American University School of International Service in Washington, D.C., where after listing what he called major reforms, either launched or passed, of his administration - education, energy, health and cleaning up Wall Street - he talked about immigration.
Now is the time to tackle immigration reform, he said.
"In recent days, the issue of immigration has become once more a source of fresh contention in our country," Obama remarked.
Specifically noting the "controversial" Arizona law, he said it has seen some support as well as protest.
"And everywhere, people have expressed frustration with a system that seems fundamentally broken."
However, Dever disagrees with the president's premise that existing federal immigration laws are broken.
There are plenty of laws, but they need to be administratively reworked, he said.
"It's the process that's all balled up," he said.
Fixing the problem by revising the existing rules "is not on their agenda," he said of the Obama administration.
A completely new comprehensive immigration law will allow amnesty to be worked in again, as it was in the 1986 bill signed into law by Reagan, he said.
The main thrust of the administration, as it should have been for all previous administrations, should be first ensuring the border is secured, Dever said.
The issue facing the nation in the immigration realm is somewhat similar to the oil leaking in the Gulf of Mexico, he said. "Like the leak in the Gulf, before you try to clean it up, you got to plug up the hole," Dever said.
Until the border is secured, illegal immigrants and drugs will flow into the U.S., endangering residents, he said.
Thursday's presidential speech included many of the same things others have said, the sheriff said.
Agreeing is Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, whose 8th Congressional District in Arizona includes Cochise County.
Noting that President George W. Bush spoke about the need for comprehensive immigration reform which was what Obama also expressed, she said, "Arizonans have heard it all before. We listen closely to the speeches and then wait for Washington to act. We're tired of waiting."
Specific steps must be taken to address the problem, Giffords said. She wasn't pleased by Obama not putting more emphasis on border security.
"I was disappointed to hear the president give short shrift to border security concerns by saying our nation's southern border is more secure today than at any time in the past 20 years," she said.
Saying it is better now than in the past 20 years, she said, "That is not a sign of progress; it is a statement on the poor job we have done in securing the border for the past two decades."
How bad is it?
Dever said for the president to say things are better now because fewer illegal immigrants are being apprehended means Obama, or his aides, have no sense of what is happening.
Using statistics to bolster their views comes from desperation to prove there is some success, the sheriff said.
They use the figures "for political advantage" without living the real rural border experience in Arizona and other areas along the border, he said.
Although there are more U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the southern border, Dever said he has been told by some that they are being held back from doing their jobs by upper managers, and to the sheriff, that only means the numbers are skewed in favor of statistical success.
Like any large institution, especially in the federal government, statistics symbolize success, Dever said.
It was Benjamin Disraeli, a British prime minister in the 1800s, who said there are three types of fibs, "Lies, damned lies and statistics," the sheriff said.
As for Border Patrol agents, those on the ground want to do their jobs, he said. They know it is dangerous work but signed up to do it, though sometimes bureaucracy gets in the way, he added.
Without a secured border and with revision of existing laws, the U.S. will continue to stumble along creating problems for its citizens, especially those along the rural areas of the international boundary, Dever said.
Giffords was in agreement when in her Thursday statement, she said, "While some improvements in some parts of the border have been made, many Southern Arizonans still live in fear and that is unacceptable."
The sheriff said for the president to think the issue can be addressed by a new comprehensive reform bill means he is ill-advised.
People in Cochise County who live along or near the border know the truth of the real situation, having been victims of break-ins and other crimes committed by those who cross the border illegally, he said.
There is a good program the federal government has that allows county sheriffs to be connected to both the federal and state systems that review fingerprints of an apprehended individual to see if there are any warrants, he said. It means if a person is sought, it helps keep dangerous people off the streets while they go through the legal system, Dever said.
As for the president saying he needs the support of Republicans to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill, Dever said the comment was disingenuous.
Dever said he finds it interesting without Republican support, the president and the Democratic-controlled Congress "crammed health care reform down Americans' throats even though the majority did not want it."
There is no reason if a comprehensive immigration reform bill is critical to the nation, the president and Democrats in Congress "can't do the same thing, in light the majority of Americans want the border secured," the sheriff said.
What really is needed is securing the border, which can be done without a new law by revising the rules in existing immigration laws, the sheriff reemphasized.
Agreeing is Giffords, who said there can be no conversations about overall solutions, "until we can give Americans assurances that we have taken all necessary steps to secure the border."
For Dever, such actions, "Will take political courage, not political posturing."
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of bensonnews-sun.com.
Ralph wrote on Jul 8, 2010 1:35 PM:
" "The main thrust of the administration, as it should have been for all previous administrations, should be first ensuring the border is secured, Dever said."
Securing the border is good but not the final answer. Interior enforcement has to be emphasized just as much as border security. It is extimated that 40 % of people here illegally came here on legal visas and overstayed those visas. Visa overstayers are just as illegal as fence jumpers. "
Securing the border is good but not the final answer. Interior enforcement has to be emphasized just as much as border security. It is extimated that 40 % of people here illegally came here on legal visas and overstayed those visas. Visa overstayers are just as illegal as fence jumpers. "
The truth wrote on Jul 9, 2010 3:33 PM:
" Sheriff Dever should be commended for speaking the truth - the same truth he has spoken for years...from Bisbee - Phoenix - Washington, D.C. He is not a new comer to the issue of border security and what must be done to tackle this critical public safety issue. It is refreshing to hear an elected official "tell it like it is," while offering a viable plan of action for enforcement. While government officials and politicians are viewing the issue from the air....Sheriff Dever and his deputies are dealing with it in our neighborhoods on a day-to-day basis. "
STELLA L. STEFFEY wrote on Jul 11, 2010 7:14 PM:
" I don't live their right now- but was thinking soon of moving back- but this immigration law that the govenor has put into effect- bothers me alot- i believe it is a slam on legal mexican/ citizens/ and with green cards- and ones born in usa/az/ etc/ as it could be a cause of a mess- and harrassing and against your civil rights- and same with this sherrif joe - i do not think this is good- i have a going on 20 year old grandson who was planning on trying for border patrol- but this law has brought up things that could become dangerous- he is still thinking on this and me on the move- "
curious wrote on Jul 14, 2010 2:51 AM:
" I'm curious on why you think working on the Border Patrol could become dangerous. That's interesting that you are bothered by the bill (have you read it?) and think it's a slam on legal mexicans/citizens/and wtih green cards - the LEGAL people aren't dangerous - they FOLLOW the laws. The illegals coming through don't have alot of regard for the law and I too, see that working Border Patrol could be dangerous. That's why Arizona needs the Federal Government to do THEIR job. I highly recommend reading the law before you form an opinon (or echo someone elses). "
Paul G. wrote on Jul 7, 2010 11:51 AM: