Retired federal agent opposes issuing ID cards to illegal aliens
Less than 24 hours after the counsel general of Guatemala expressed regret about learning that Brewster's mayor had cancelled an invitation for her to visit Putnam County and offer identification cards to illegal aliens, a retired federal agent came to Brewster and warned against such a plan.
Michael Cutler, a former immigration and naturalization service agent who now heads up the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., told a news conference called by members of the Save our Southeast party that "a country without secure borders can no more stand than a house without walls.
The reason illegal aliens enter the U.S. is to gain employment and send money back home, the agent said, noting more than half the income of the poorest Guatemalans augment their income by money wired from the U.S. to their country."
Cutler called illegal "illegal. When you are involved with illegal activity, more illegal activity is bred."
Cutler said at the news conference he was not against lawful immigrants.
"America has been strengthened by legal immigration. Not many families can go back more than a generation or two than pointing to immigrants within their own families. We are enriched by our diversity," he said.
But Cutler was critical of those who support issuing ID cards to undocumented men and women.
"Undocumented means that they have no way of proving their true identities. If we provide these individuals with official documents that allow them to get licenses and Social Security cards, while opening bank accounts, we enable the bad guys to change their identity and hide in plain sight," he said.
"Remember the 19 terrorists who attacked America on 9-11 used 364 false aliases to get themselves into our country. This is a common tactic used not only by terrorists but by criminals as well," he said.
Cutler said the program recommended for Brewster would harm America's national security.
"ID cards for illegal aliens create a security nightmare. It is critical that we know with whom we are dealing," he said.
Rosa-Maria Merida, consul-general for Guatemala, said identification cards had been issued in 70 communities throughout the Northeast with little problem.
When asked why the Guatemalan government supported the issuance of ID cards, Cutler said, "For them, it is an economic issue. The biggest source of income for Mexico is the money sent back to Mexico by illegal aliens working in the U.S. illegally."
Mayor John Degnan cancelled the consul-general's visit last week due to what he said was the bitter political campaign he is currently involved in.
"A photo ID issued by the country of origin - not at taxpayer expense - would go a long way in helping us enforce violations from indecent behavior to trespass and even public disturbance," Degnan said.
"However, given the tactics of this campaign, I was concerned about how some in our community may have treated a senior diplomat of a foreign country. A spate of race related crimes in greater Brewster have been attributed directly to the inflammatory political rhetoric of one group of candidates. I ask these men to stop the lies and recognize that there words have led to criminal activity," said Degnan.
Michael Rights, who is seeking office along with Matt Neuringer, Dwight Yee and Michael Mangieri on the SOS ticket, alleged that the U.S. Department of Justice had condemned the practice of issuing such identification documents.
zwire.com |
