Immigration fiasco needs criminal review, activist says

Immigration fiasco needs criminal review, activist says
Opponents of defeated Senate bill plan to lobby Congress

Activists who helped defeat President Bush's comprehensive immigration reform proposal say they will return to Washington to lobby for a criminal investigation into the government's failure to enforce existing immigration laws.

"We plan to return to Washington in the next week or two, and light up the phone lines again," said William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration-PAC, a key partner in the grass-roots campaign to defeat the Senate immigration plan.

"We're going to put pressure on Congress, not to stop a bill, but to demand that Congress launch an immediate investigation into the White House to determine what criminal prosecutions may be warranted relating to not enforcing our existing laws," he said.

"It's not for the president to decide what laws to obey or enforce. That's not what presidents do. That's what kings do," he said.

As WND has reported, the comprehensive immigration plan proposed in the Senate failed by a significant margin as tens of thousands of U.S. citizens called expressing opposition.

The plan was killed by a procedural move then resurrected following more than a week of intense lobbying by the president. It was killed again, however, by a similar margin.

The plan would have set up a legal status for the estimated 12-20 million illegal aliens in the United States and included what the White House described as a large commitment of billions of dollars to secure the border and enforce the nation's existing laws against illegal entry.

Opponents, however, dubbed it an amnesty plan for illegals, and it never was able to shake that moniker.

Gheen told WND he and others lobbying for the nation's security are "going to restore the republic" this time.

"We don't want to have to keep dodging bullets," he said. "Our nation was almost pushed over the ledge. We regained our balance and are ready to start pulling back from the ledge.

"We've got to do two things: launch this issue into every election imaginable, and return to Washington," he said.

ALIPAC has a four-point platform that includes securing the nation's borders, cracking down on employers who knowingly hire illegals, taking away aliens' incentives such as welfare, enforcing existing laws and deporting illegals. The group also says many of its supporters believe English should be this nation's official language, and state and local police should help enforce immigration laws.

"I think the public has been awakened, and that has put globalists on the run," Gheen said. "At the end of any battle, there's a decision whether to dig in or advance. We want to advance."

He said, "There are so many people in this country upset with King George that I expect to do this right."

Gheen's call to action comes after WND reported an alien ordered to be deported was so upset Congress failed to provide a path to legalization she is threatening to disrupt the nation's economy.

Elvira Arellano, who has sought "sanctuary" in a Chicago-area church after defying federal law by refusing to follow a deportation order, said the nation's current immigration laws must be suspended.

In a written statement publicized by the Fox News Chicago affiliate's blog, she said "if the Democrats and the Republicans cannot summon the courage to fix the broken law we will not sit quietly and see our families and our children cut to pieces on the broken pieces of that broken law."

What must happen, she demanded, is that an immediate moratorium be imposed on all raids and deportations.

Arellano has been confined – voluntarily – to a church in the Chicago area since Aug. 15, 2006, to avoid being deported. She said such a moratorium would allow time for the U.S. to "revive and pass a comprehensive immigration reform."

Without such action, her threat continued, immigrant organizations would launch a campaign "aimed at bringing this government and this economy to a halt."

WND readers, however, had had enough.

"We have more than enough laws to get rid of illegal aliens," wrote Ken Lowder in an e-mail. "Security on the border is real easy. Establish a 100 yard zone along the board. … Put in an all weather road for troop movement. Set up a support bunker every few miles. Put an ARMED Marine, soldier, or national guardsman every 10 yards and shooting everyone who comes across for being an INVADER that they are. Any general that says we can't do this is to be immediately relieved and fired."

Arellano had been apprehended as part of an investigation named Operation Chicagoland Skies, an attempt to track down terrorists which actually captured more illegal aliens. In her case, a fake Social Security number was a problem.

She had been ordered deported but instead of reporting for the process, she took refuge in Aldaberto United Methodist Church, from which she now runs the activist lobby United Latino Family.