Individual Liberty — Individual Responsibility 

Even a stopped clock…

Even a stopped clock tells the correct time twice a day. The lucky ones get it right three times a day on leap year. And, like a stopped clock, the Obama administration occasionally gets it right too…

HOUSTON — The Obama administration is vastly expanding a federal effort begun under President George W. Bush to identify and deport illegal immigrants held in local jails. But here in the city where the effort got a trial start eight months ago, people on each side of the immigration debate have found fault with it.

Under the effort, known as Secure Communities, local officials check every set of fingerprints taken at jails against those of people who have had a brush with federal immigration authorities; in the past, they could check only for a criminal history in the F.B.I. database. If a person turns out to be an illegal immigrant, the case is turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation proceedings in addition to the criminal charges.

…

Federal officials say that while they are pleased with their new ability to identify illegal immigrants, they do not have enough agents to deport all of those identified. Over all, only a third of those identified in the first seven months of the program as foreign nationals — which includes people with visas and temporary residence cards as well as illegal immigrants — have been deported.

So it seems to me that the answer to that problem is – hire more agents. That’s one government jobs program I could get behind.

Some of the critics are complaining that by focusing on only illegal immigrants in the criminal justice system we’re giving “de facto amnesty” to the others, but come on folks – who's easier to deport, the illegal immigrant that you catch or the one you don’t? Which ones have done more damage to our society too. Otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants or the criminals?

You’ve got to start somewhere. Picking the low-hanging fruit might give us an appetite for the rest of it someday. And this is a damned sight better than what our congress tried to ram down our throats a couple of summers ago.

I may find little other common ground with the Obama administration, but continuing this program – begun under a Republican administration – seems to be a good idea to me. To the hard-liners out there that think we should focus on deporting illegal immigrants before they commit other crimes – I agree, but come up with a way to do it. At least this is a start.