Post by richardkelsey on Apr 2, 2008 9:44:29 GMT -5
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2008/0402/Letters/031.html
Brian -- only fair to give the man his own thread. His type of hysterics belongs in the public discourse.
The level of FF's hysteria in this letter is proof that he is terrified of the 287(g) program because he knows how effective that program and others have been in both combating criminal enterprises and causing illegal aliens to uproot and move from communities that enact the program.
It is also nice to see that Frank has been following my writing. He is correct. I have written that illegal aliens will self-deport. That is the evidence being seen across the country.
If one is opposed to illegal aliens coming to the country illegally, why wouldn't one want to see them leave voluntarily.
The second biggest lie ever told was that "we can't round up 20 million illegal aliens." It's a not really a lie as much as a false premise. We don't have to. Change the incentives and they will leave themselves. (The first biggest lie is: "illegal aliens are doing the jobs Americans won't do." The truth is, they are doing the jobs Americans won't do at that wage and under those conditions, something Mr. Freyre ought to be concerned about.)
Here is his letter.
Federal 287(g) program would not be constructive Action
I am writing this letter in response to Richard K. Kelsey of Ashburn, Va., who proposed on March 19, 2008 that the federal program, 287(g), be adopted in Freehold Borough ("Freehold Can Move Quietly to Apply for 287(g) Federal Program," News Transcript, Letters to the Editor).
Mr. Kelsey, writing from afar, has repeatedly advocated this program, which consists of training some members of the Freehold Borough Police Department as federal immigration agents. What Mr. Kelsey, a representative of the xenophobic fringe, fails to appreciate is that 287(g) would do absolutely nothing additional to assist law enforcement in identifying criminals in the immigrant community.
Last year, New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram issued a detailed memorandum allowing state law enforcement officials to inquire about the immigration status of those arrested for a serious offense (indictable offense in legal language) or those suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In such cases, the immigration status would be addressed after a determination is made about how to charge the alleged offender. Therefore, 287(g) would do nothing to assist the borough, but rather it would cost the borough thousands of taxpayer dollars to train local police, an effort that would be wasteful.
As a prominent attorney, Mr. Kelsey knows this. What Mr. Kelsey is really about is trying to create a social experiment here in Freehold Borough that would pit half the community against the other half. He has often written that 287(g) will send a scare through the immigrant community and the immigrants will "self-deport" back to their countries of origin.
Mr. Kelsey is also about trying to spread fear in the immigrant community about 287(g), while at the same time trying to spread fear in the more established community about criminal immigrants.
The very linking of criminality to the immigrant community is part of Mr. Kelsey's fear-mongering strategy.
Most of the research data indicates that immigrants are among the least likely to commit a violent crime. The latest study to substantiate this point is a recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California.
The report found that U.S.-born adult men are incarcerated at a rate more than two-and-a-half times greater than that of foreign-born men. Among men 18 to 40, the population most likely to be in institutions because of criminal activity, the report found that in California, U.S.-born men were institutionalized 10 times more often than foreign born men.
It is understandable that the failure to establish a coherent federal immigration policy has many frustrated. It is one of the greatest failures of the last decade. The implementation of 287(g) in Freehold Borough will, alas, not solve this problem.
After years of conflict, Mayor Michael Wilson has embarked on a policy of constructive engagement with the immigrant community. He is to be commended for showing some leadership in this regard.
On a related matter, Mr. Kelsey noted that a member of Casa Freehold, a member organization of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, recently declined to serve on a borough committee because of "pressure" applied by him and others. Here again, Mr. Kelsey is incorrect.
There are numerous members of the Alliance serving on borough committees, county committees and statewide bodies. This has been the case for many years. No one has resigned or been removed from any position because of Mr. Kelsey.
Frank Argote-Freyre
Director Monmouth County Chapter Latino Leadership Alliance
of New Jersey Freehold Borough
Brian -- only fair to give the man his own thread. His type of hysterics belongs in the public discourse.
The level of FF's hysteria in this letter is proof that he is terrified of the 287(g) program because he knows how effective that program and others have been in both combating criminal enterprises and causing illegal aliens to uproot and move from communities that enact the program.
It is also nice to see that Frank has been following my writing. He is correct. I have written that illegal aliens will self-deport. That is the evidence being seen across the country.
If one is opposed to illegal aliens coming to the country illegally, why wouldn't one want to see them leave voluntarily.
The second biggest lie ever told was that "we can't round up 20 million illegal aliens." It's a not really a lie as much as a false premise. We don't have to. Change the incentives and they will leave themselves. (The first biggest lie is: "illegal aliens are doing the jobs Americans won't do." The truth is, they are doing the jobs Americans won't do at that wage and under those conditions, something Mr. Freyre ought to be concerned about.)
Here is his letter.
Federal 287(g) program would not be constructive Action
I am writing this letter in response to Richard K. Kelsey of Ashburn, Va., who proposed on March 19, 2008 that the federal program, 287(g), be adopted in Freehold Borough ("Freehold Can Move Quietly to Apply for 287(g) Federal Program," News Transcript, Letters to the Editor).
Mr. Kelsey, writing from afar, has repeatedly advocated this program, which consists of training some members of the Freehold Borough Police Department as federal immigration agents. What Mr. Kelsey, a representative of the xenophobic fringe, fails to appreciate is that 287(g) would do absolutely nothing additional to assist law enforcement in identifying criminals in the immigrant community.
Last year, New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram issued a detailed memorandum allowing state law enforcement officials to inquire about the immigration status of those arrested for a serious offense (indictable offense in legal language) or those suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In such cases, the immigration status would be addressed after a determination is made about how to charge the alleged offender. Therefore, 287(g) would do nothing to assist the borough, but rather it would cost the borough thousands of taxpayer dollars to train local police, an effort that would be wasteful.
As a prominent attorney, Mr. Kelsey knows this. What Mr. Kelsey is really about is trying to create a social experiment here in Freehold Borough that would pit half the community against the other half. He has often written that 287(g) will send a scare through the immigrant community and the immigrants will "self-deport" back to their countries of origin.
Mr. Kelsey is also about trying to spread fear in the immigrant community about 287(g), while at the same time trying to spread fear in the more established community about criminal immigrants.
The very linking of criminality to the immigrant community is part of Mr. Kelsey's fear-mongering strategy.
Most of the research data indicates that immigrants are among the least likely to commit a violent crime. The latest study to substantiate this point is a recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California.
The report found that U.S.-born adult men are incarcerated at a rate more than two-and-a-half times greater than that of foreign-born men. Among men 18 to 40, the population most likely to be in institutions because of criminal activity, the report found that in California, U.S.-born men were institutionalized 10 times more often than foreign born men.
It is understandable that the failure to establish a coherent federal immigration policy has many frustrated. It is one of the greatest failures of the last decade. The implementation of 287(g) in Freehold Borough will, alas, not solve this problem.
After years of conflict, Mayor Michael Wilson has embarked on a policy of constructive engagement with the immigrant community. He is to be commended for showing some leadership in this regard.
On a related matter, Mr. Kelsey noted that a member of Casa Freehold, a member organization of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, recently declined to serve on a borough committee because of "pressure" applied by him and others. Here again, Mr. Kelsey is incorrect.
There are numerous members of the Alliance serving on borough committees, county committees and statewide bodies. This has been the case for many years. No one has resigned or been removed from any position because of Mr. Kelsey.
Frank Argote-Freyre
Director Monmouth County Chapter Latino Leadership Alliance
of New Jersey Freehold Borough
