Gillibrand Already Taking Heat for Immigration Views
Kirsten Gillibrand, the newest member of the nation’s most exclusive club [The U.S. Senate], is already stirring debate in the immigration community. As a Congresswoman from upstate New York, she co-sponsored the Save Act, a 2007 bill that aimed to crack down on illegal immigration partly by using military personnel and defense equipment to police the borders. Last year, she voted in favor of a measure to penalize “sanctuary cities,” so-called because they are considered lax in enforcing immigration laws. Neither of the laws passed, but Gillibrand’s support of these and other immigration measures has raised concerns among some immigration afficionados.
Sam Udani, publisher of the Immigration Daily newspaper, calls the Save Act “the kind of stuff you’d expect to come from a real Southern, anti-immigration, right-wing perspective.” Deborah Notkin, former president of the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association, notes that New York City is considered to be a sanctuary city. Gillibrand “is unlikely to be reelected in New York with a program that wants to penalize sanctuary cities,” Notkin says.
Gillibrand’s office did not return a call for comment. But Ted Ruthizer, head of the immigration practice at Kramer Levin, is more hopeful. He says he has spoken to the Senator several times. She is agreeable, he says, to finding ways that immigrants who have lived in the U.S. a long time can “regularize their immigration status.” Plus, he says, she seems to be a savvy politician, who will likely move more to the middle on immigration now that she represents a broader constituency. “Gillibrand comes first from an [immigration] enforcement view, but she has indicated a willingness to look at the whole picture,” Ruthizer says.
Another view of Gillibrand — from an Hispanic publication. Sounds like she blows with the wind
An editorial published in the Saturday, Jan. 24 edition of New York’s El Diario/La Prensa called the new state senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand, a “disappointing choice” and a slap in the face to immigrant New Yorkers. However, the front page of the same newspaper announced on Sunday that the senator had “softened her tone” on immigration.
Gillibrand, who was chosen by the Governor David Paterson Friday to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate, was received with skepticism by leaders of the state’s immigrant community for her support of local police officers taking on efforts to enforce immigration law.
On Saturday, however, she told New York’s television channel NY1 that the United States needs to “ensure that anyone who wants to work in this country has a way to stay here legally.” She said she would work to achieve this, and went on to describe the separation of families due to immigration policies as a tragedy. Gillibrand said she plans to meet with Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez to learn more about immigration reform.
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Posted by JonJayRay on January 26, 2009 9:12 am
» Filed Under Border Control/Homeland Security, Fed Immigration Law, Illegal Aliens/Immigration, Multiculturalism/PC, News, Politics As Usual, liberalism
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3 Responses to “Gillibrand Already Taking Heat for Immigration Views”
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She’s not a slap in the face of immigration new yorkers, but of those who want to allow illegal immigration to the USA. And if she keeps to the restrictions on illegal immigration she will have plenty of support in New York.
Gillibrand should spend some time in California with her eyes opened. The entire economy of this state could be overturned if the ILLEGALS were not here. Get rid of the ILLEGALS and we would have more money for schools, medicine, police/fireman, infrastructure and every other project that is breaking the poor taxpayers in the state of California. Los Angeles’ mayor even allows the ILLEGALS to protest with the police protection paid by the taxpayers. A recent cinco de mayo protect cost the City of LA millions in settlements due to injuries sustained by ILLEGALS. Our jails are filled with ILLEGALS and our job market, as tight as it is, is going to the ILLEGALS. I am not racist and have nothing against any nationality that comes into California by legals means, but I am tired of the ILLEGALS and our mayors and governor did not have the balls to do anything about it. Hopefully, President Obama and the rest of Washington will get the point. Get rid of the ILLEGALS and our State budget will take care of itself. WHY CAN’T YOU SEE THAT?
When good becomes bad look for the aclu to be close at hand.
I agree with Eagle and Andee.
I watch over California, Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, and New York especially in hopes we can eliminate the overwhelming immigration and illegal alien crisis. When Visa holders, general immigration, and aliens dictate over our jobs, OUR society, OUR religions, and laws we have an obligation to “waken the sleeping giant” and let lose the terror of reckoning.
Business, Nations, and their servants (our elected politicians) have over taken us maliciously and we need to stop them by grabbing them by the nap of the neck and shaking them until their pockets and hearts are empty of contempt of the American Citizen. Our Constitution allows us to rebel when the Constitution is abandoned.