By Kurtis Alexander Santa Cruz Sentinel Article Launched: 03/03/2008 01:32:21 AM PST
Rep. Sam Farr was put on the defensive last week after conservative talk-show hosts and bloggers condemned a comparison the central coast lawmaker drew between U.S. immigration agents and Nazi Germany's secret police, the Gestapo.
The Salinas Democrat's comments circulated on the Web and CNN's Lou Dobbs publicly challenged Farr to come on the air and withdraw his "insulting statement."
But Farr's spokesman, Tom Mentzer, said "the comment was taken out of context."
Farr made the remark Tuesday when Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chief Julie Meyers was addressing concerns about federal raids of illegal immigrants before the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, which Farr sits on.
"What happens is the public image of you becomes one of not this compassionate law enforcement agency but essentially a Gestapo-type agency that is knocking down doors," Farr said, according to preliminary transcripts of the hearing.
Meyers interrupted Farr and said: "We are not the Gestapo."
Rep. Harold Rogers, a Kentucky Republican, also chimed in, "These are proud, hard-working people."
Replied Farr: "I appreciate that, and I know that. I'm just telling you that there is a very ill will public opinion in the counties I represent about ICE."
Santa Cruz County has been one of the targets of ICE's "Return to Sender" operation, a crackdown that has picked up more than 100 illegal immigrants with criminal warrants during the past two years.
A series of arrests in Santa Cruz and Watsonville in September 2006 prompted a backlash among sympathetic community members.
"There are better ways to enforce the (immigration) issue," said Watsonville City Councilman Oscar Rios. "What ICE is doing is taking the wrong people, splitting families, leaving children, taking hard-working people."
Last week's congressional hearing came amid an intense national debate over what to do about the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Farr's comments were made as he and others challenged ICE for not making the deportation of undocumented immigrants in prisons a top priority.
His press office dismissed Tuesday's showdown and its reverberations as political theater.
"He's been accused of open borders, but that's not the case," Mentzer said.
Farr, like many in Congress, is a supporter of securing borders and of a path to legalization for undocumented residents.
Farr, like many in Congress, is a supporter of securing borders and of a path to legalization for undocumented residents.
Sure SOUNDS like open borders to me
Posted by: USMCTrooper
Let me get this straight............local officials complain their police departments shouldn't be enforcing federal immigration laws because its a federal problem. But this hosejob hack complains that ICE is "taking the wrong people" and there are better ways to do the job.
Taking illegals into custody is relatively simple. There is no DNA required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you were at the crime scene, YOU ARE THE CRIME SCENE. Have a valid Visa? No. Have a valid Passport stamped with an entry inspection from ICE? No. Are you here legally?? No.....What's left to dispute? When you stop someone who has a suspended license does their "reason why it was" miraculously reinstate it? No.
"Reasons" are also called "excuses".
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops