Alamance: 287g Battleground. Burlington, NC

April 21, 2009

Alamance: 287g Battleground. Burlington, NC

There was a famous battle here in 1771 that help define the model for the colonists fighting the British in the American Revolutionary War. Just outside of Burlington, NC you can visit Alamance Battleground where the skirmish took place.

These days, we're fighting another battle in Alamance County, illegal immigration. Starting in 2007, our Sheriff Department started participating in the 287(g) program. The 287(g) program allows the Department of Homeland Security to train and deputize local lawman and jailers as Federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents (ICE).

Double Barreled Salute
Sheriff Terry Johnson is doing a fine, outstanding job enforcing our laws and deserves a big Double Barreled Salute!

More Double Barreled Salutes
One of our county commissioners, Ann Vaughan, tried to get a resolution calling for the Government Accountability Office, or another government office, to investigate the Sheriff and how his department is enforcing the 287(g) program. This occurred two meetings ago, and she was blocked from doing so because she had not put it on the agenda. At the last meeting (4/20/09) Commissioner Tim Sutton brought forth a resolution to support Sheriff Terry Johnson's 287(g) illegal immigration enforcement program. The vote was 4 to 1 in favor with Ann Vaughan voting against the resolution.

Double Barreled Salutes to: Tim Sutton, Dan Ingle, Linda Massey, and Eddie Boswell for voting for this resolution supporting the Sheriff and what he's doing. Thank you!

Unfortunately Terry Johnson and the 287(g) program are under attack by:

Our local newspaper, The Burlington Times-News,

Deborah Weissman, a law professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,

Hannah Gill, the assistant director of the Institute for the Study of the Americas at UNC Chapel Hill,

The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union),

Witness for Peace,

Fairness Alamance,

Laura Roselle, Professor of Political Science at Elon University, NC,

Robert Anderson, Associate Professor of Political Science at Elon University, NC,

and many others.

Here in the real world, I have yet to talk with anyone who understands why these people are against the 287(g) program, Sheriff Terry Johnson, or why anyone would support allowing illegal immigrants to take over our country.

The ACLU has put a drain on the Sheriff's Department demanding paperwork for traffic stops, traffic checkpoints, etc. I would prefer that our tax dollars go towards enforcing our laws rather than mounds of paperwork.

Professor Roselle has conducted a study or studies of traffic stop data trying to prove that the Sheriff's Department racially profiles Hispanics and is over aggressive in enforcing the 287(g) program.

The Times-News, as I've said here before in previous posts, is completely biased towards illegal immigration and open in their distain for our Sheriff. I have yet to read an article in The Times-News that does not try to make the Sheriff or the Sheriff's department look bad. The Times-News star pro-Hispanic and pro-illegal immigration reporter, Karen Rivas is a very talented writer and really pulls the emotional heart strings when reporting these stories.

Here's a typical Karen Rivas tactic. This is from an Times-News article that ran on Sunday, April 19th, 2009 about a "panel" held at Elon University to "discuss" the 287(g) program. Rivas' article mentions that the "panel" consisted of four people but does not name them. She says Sheriff Terry Johnson was invited as was ICE but they both declined to attend. I don't blame them - no reason to give any legitimacy to the event. From what I've read about the panel, it was basically a 287(g) and Sheriff Terry Johnson bashing session. Rivas interviewed two Hispanic people who attended the even and who did not what their last names used because they're here illegally. She quotes one of them in her article several times, but this one quote summarizes the whole problem: "He added that people need to see that though many immigrants are here illegally, they are not criminals but simply people who are looking for a better life for their families".

The fact is, if you're here illegally, you ARE a criminal.

In another part of her article, Rivas quotes Professor Hannah Gill of UNC as saying "Many immigrants live in a mixed household where one parent may be a legal resident but the other isn't, where one sibling is foreign-born while the others were born in the United States... At the light of this reality, when a person is deported, an entire family system is affected. By implementing program like 287(g), she said, officials are alienating those who they want to integrate".

Alienating those they want to integrate? WHAT? Why is it, that in some cases, the more education some people have, the dumber they seem to be? So if someone robs a bank, or murders a person, and they have a family, do we not send them to jail because we'd alienate the other members of their family? No. I can see it now, "Well Your Honor, you can't send my client to jail for 20 years because his wife and children will miss him." Doesn't make any sense does it? Nor do the arguments these people make. I agree that there's an emotional side to it, but if I decide to break the law, I know that there will be consequences to pay.

Illegal immigrants want to organize and change our laws, not integrate into this country and become Americans. There are two problems with this: 1) they're getting close to doing it, and 2) there won't be any reason left when they get there because the strain and drain they're putting on our country will destroy it.

As you can imagine, Professor Roselle and the other liberal, pro-criminal-immigrant supporters, who have been very vocal and active on these issues, have taken a lot of heat. The Times-News has worked with her and printed her polls and studies. There have been a lot of letters to the Editor on both sides of the issue, including a few from me! They only allow a person to write one letter in a 30 day period, so I'm counting down the days!

Here's one of mine that ran on Monday, April 13th, 2009:

Sheriff and county leaders shouldn't back down
On April 5, Lidia Monica Lopez, an illegal alien, killed William Bryan Barber in a traffic accident. She is in this country illegally. She does not have a driver's license. I've read many similar articles.

On April 7, the Times-News ran a front page article about Sheriff's Maj. Tim Britt defending Sheriff Terry Johnson, the Sheriff's Department, and the 287(g) program from the "study" by Elon Professor Laura Roselle. In the "B" section, on the same day, the Times-News ran an article about Mr. Barber being killed by an illegal alien. Both articles should have been on the front page beside each other.

I graduated from Elon and until recently I've always been proud of my alma mater. Perhaps Professor Roselle should attend Mr. Barber's funeral. Perhaps then she'll start to understand the senseless damage to our community, state, and nation illegal aliens cause. Perhaps then she'll start to appreciate the job our law enforcement officers are doing. Perhaps then she will start to factor reality into her "studies."

Some will argue that American citizens commit crimes too, that it's not just illegal aliens. True, but this is not an excuse for allowing illegal aliens to remain in this country. The fact is, if Sheriff Johnson had stopped Lopez and processed her through the 287(g) program, Mr. Barber would not be dead and his 9-year-old son would still have a father.

I don't care how many Hispanics the Sheriff's Department stops as long as they have a legal reason for stopping them. I expect them to stop as many people breaking the law as possible: whites, blacks, Oriental, Hispanic, or whatever. I also expect the Sheriff's Department to determine if someone is in the country illegally and make every effort to process them accordingly.

The only way to win this battle is to let our elected officials know that enough is enough. We should not look the other way because of fear of the ACLU or "studies" by people such as Professor Roselle. Sheriff Johnson does not back down and I appreciate the job he is doing.

FRED BLACK
Burlington

There were several letters like mine, a few much more aggressive. Professor Robert Anderson, Associate Professor of Political Science at Elon University, NC responded in the April 14th, 2009 Times-News with this letter to the editor:

'Real majority' of county residents favor diversity, change
The inflammatory rhetoric aimed at Laura Roselle by Winstead Sharpe and county Commissioner Tim Sutton has gone too far. While they may represent a closed-minded and narrow minority in Alamance County, they by no means represent the majority of thoughtful and compassionate residents in this great county. Notice is given that such destructive and divisive political and personal attacks on good citizens will no longer be tolerated and unchallenged -- especially regarding issues concerning the arrogance of our sheriff and his questionable enforcement procedures and reporting related to program 287(g).

Mr. Sutton and Mr. Johnson have shown themselves to be masters of verbal intimidation and mean-spirited rhetoric. And it appears -- from Open Forum letters -- that they have a few supporters who parrot their divisive claims and labels.

The real majority of Alamance County is fed up with anti-diversity, anti-change and ethnically divisive politics! And simplistic attempts to silence, stereotype or discredit people by calling them "liberals" no longer has credibility. "Good old boy politics" of "attack the messenger but avoid the message" no longer flies. Public accountability and transparency are now the norm. And publicly elected officials -- the sheriff included -- will be made "publicly answerable" for any negligence in filing required information or arrogance and intimidation in responding to legitimate citizen requests for public information and explanation.

Alamance County is not a narrow-minded, provincial place. The majority of this county reflects a vibrant portrait of ethnic, age, racial, educational, economic, political and social diversity that makes it one of the most attractive places to live in North Carolina. And Mr. Sharpe, for the past 25 years, Alamance County has been my home (as it has been for Ms. Roselle) just as much as it has been your residence. And if you can't deal with that fact, maybe you should consider moving elsewhere where diversity is not valued.

I plan to stay here and work for the common good. Stop attacking people with meaningless labels. It would be nice to hear you talk about building on the diverse strengths in our community instead of seeking to purge it of those with whom you do not agree!
ROBERT ANDERSON
Burlington

There's really not much to say about his letter. Notice how he called the Sheriff "Mr. Johnson" and not "Sheriff Johnson" - I think that's pretty juvenile. The minute I want our laws enforced its labeled hate, but what is it he's spewing to his not-as-well-educated-as-me fellow citizens? It shows the arrogance and complete lack of real world experience that a lot of university professors have. It makes me really question where I can send my children to school without having them brainwashed.

In yet another front page article on April 20th, 2009, the Times-News ran a story about Professor Larua Roselle's study. Part of the misunderstanding was caused by a report Sheriff Terry Johnson gave to the county commissions that under reported the number of Hispanics that had been stopped over a five year period. Sheriff Johnson later explained where the errors occurred, why they occurred, and gave numbers that were more or less in line with Professors Roselle's findings. Again, the Times-News, the Professors, and the other aforementioned groups are trying to hang the Sheriff anyway they can. In the article, which give some of the figures Roselle came up with; it says according to the 2007 Census estimate that Hispanics make up 10.9% of the population. It goes on to say, and I can't tell from the way it's written if this is a quote from Professor Roselle or from Robert Boyer who wrote the article, that this 10.9% figure is probably on the low side because of undocumented and illegal Hispanic immigrants. Well Duh - here's your sign! I guess the good professor has not been to our local Wal-Mart on a Saturday afternoon or to our extremely nice city park on a Sunday afternoon - it's like being south of the border. Sometimes you can walk up and down a few rows before you hear any English. If you're white or black, you're a minority.

Pew Report
Last week, the Pew Hispanic Center released a report entitled A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States providing some of the most recent and detailed statistics available about illegal aliens living in the United States. These statistics reveal illegal aliens are straining taxpayers in regards to health care, education, and other social services.

The Pew Hispanic study reveals that illegal immigration is placing a strain on America's education system. Children of illegal aliens now represent 6.8% of the total population of students enrolled in Kindergarten through 12th Grade, up from 5.4% in 2003. In five states -- Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Texas -- 10% of K through 12 students have parents who are illegal aliens.

Pew's data also reveals that illegal aliens are far less educated than the U.S. population as a whole. Pew states that illegal alien adults between the ages of 25 and 64 are disproportionately uneducated and unskilled when compared to U.S. citizens or legal immigrants. Nearly 29% of illegal aliens in the United States possess "less than a ninth-grade education; an additional 18% have some high school education but have not completed high school." This compares to 2% and 6% of U.S. citizens in that age range who, respectively, have not reached the ninth-grade level or the equivalent of a high school degree. Younger illegal aliens (ages 18 to 24) do not fare much better: 40% of illegal aliens in that age group have not completed high school, compared to 15% of legal immigrants and 8% of U.S. citizens in the same age group.

Pew Hispanic states that the fact that illegal aliens tend to be unskilled and uneducated reveals why illegal alien adults are also disproportionately represented among the poor. Pew found that 21% of illegal aliens inside the United States are considered "poor" (compared to 13% of legal immigrant adults and 10% of U.S. citizen adults). Additionally, illegal alien adults and their U.S.-born children account for 11% of the total U.S. population living below the poverty level, "twice their representation in the total population."

The Pew report contained figures concerning the impact of illegal aliens on the American health care system as well. Pew reports that 59% of illegal aliens, 45% of illegal alien children, and 25% of U.S.-born children of illegal aliens lacked health insurance in 2007. This last figure stands in stark contrast to the 8% of children of U.S. citizen parents who were uninsured in 2007. Full Pew Report.

Make Your Views Known
As citizens we must make our view points known. Write your elected officials. Write letters to the editors of your local papers. Don't be racist. Nothing about this issue has to do with hating one race or another. The fact is that the majority of illegal immigrants in this part of the country are Hispanic. Take that and factor in what the Pew report says and we have a population that will show up doing things that gets the attention of law enforcement officers. So the fact is that they will be stopped more.

I'm glad our Sheriff is doing his job and I hate that there are so many elements trying to make him stop. It baffles me, completely baffles me that well educated people don't or can't recognize that we're being invaded and taken over. Like a lobster in a pot, when they finally realize we're being cooked, it will be too late.

The Times-News is even going after Sheriff Johnson for $127.40 he turned in on an expense report for a speaking engagement on January 11th, 2009 in Rock Hill, SC where he spoke about 287(g). Give me a break. In fact, Robert Boyer wrote a pretty long article on it. Commissioner Ann Vaughan questions whether taxpayers should have paid for the trip. I question why we're attacking a good man for doing a good job. I question why we're wasting taxpayer money forcing Sheriff Johnson to defend himself all the time. To quote Commissioner Tim Sutton: "To single out a $127.40 expense out of a $400,000 travel budget, it's quite obvious there's some targeting going on here". Perhaps we should take up a donation to raise the $127.40 and call the dogs off!

Fred

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