Senator Clinton Accuses GOP of Creating Police State with Immigration Bill
by Jim Kouri, CPP
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) accused some Republicans of trying to create a "police state" in their plan to round up illegal immigrants. Members of the GOP proposed a new tough bill to crackdown on illegal immigrants who number between 12 and 20 million.
Clinton spoke out on the US immigration policy including several contradictions of previous speeches in which she accused the Bush Administration of not dealing with the illegal immigration problem.
Speaking at a rally of Irish-American immigrants, Clinton slammed a House bill passed in December that would impose harsher penalties for illegal aliens who were working in the US without proper documents or with false documents.
"Don't turn your backs on what made this country great," she said, adding that the House Bill "is a rebuke to what America stands for."
The House immigration bill would make unlawful presence in the US, which is currently a civil offense, a felony. Clinton called it, "An unworkable scheme to try to deport 11 million people, which you have to have a police state to try to do." Yet, she did not explain how the bill would lead to a police state.
She called instead for immigration reform, "Based on strengthening our borders in order to make us safer from the threat of terrorism."
Senator Clinton also sent a four-page letter to constituents outlining her views on immigration. While there were no specifics in her lengthy letter, she did say she supports allowing at least some of the estimated 12 million undocumented workers to earn citizenship.
Critics claim this is just more of the same flip-flopping by Clinton depending on her audience. In 2005, Clinton told an audience that she opposed illegal immigration and wanted tougher border security measures. But then she joined her New York partner Senator Chuck Schumer in voting against a bill that would have increased the number of border patrol agents and detention facilities.
Political analysts believe Sen. Clinton is attempting a difficult balancing act. She must shore up her support from the radical left while appealing to moderates and conservatives.
Recently, Clinton stood between the former heads of the US Military Academy at West Point and the Army War College and unveiled her plan that would add 100,000 soldiers to the Army, declaring that it should be a ''national priority" to field a significantly larger military. It was strangely similar to her husband Bill Clinton's 100,000 more police officers, which never materialized.
While conventional wisdom says that Clinton will run for president in 2008, the last Rasmussen poll shows that only 28% of Americans would definitely vote for her, while 41% would definitely vote against her. Another 25% say it depends on whom she runs against. The same poll shows that Senator John McCain (R-AZ) would handily defeat Clinton, Gore, Kerry and other Democrat candidates.
"Once again Senator Clinton is demonizing the actions of her opponents by using the words 'police state.' Last month she used the word 'plantation' in her diatribe against the GOP in front of a black audience during a memorial service in Harlem for Rev. Martin Luther King," says Mike Baker, a political analyst.
"Clinton keeps lurching to the right one day, then lurches to the left the next. However, on immigration she's out of sync with a majority of Americans."
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for a number of organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and crime magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law Enforcement Journal, and others. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores. Kouri holds a bachelor of science in criminal justice and master of arts in public administration and he's a board certified protection professional.
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