Spokane7
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May 4, 2010 in Idaho
Arizona law casts shadow over Idaho House race
BOISE — Arizona’s law targeting undocumented immigrants is casting a shadow on an Idaho U.S. House race, with Republican candidate Raul Labrador saying Tuesday the federal government should send the military to the Mexican border because state-by-state solutions like Arizona’s won’t be effective.
Meanwhile, his rival in the 1st Congressional District, Vaughn Ward, questioned Labrador’s credibility, saying his job as an immigration lawyer — and his absence during a state House hearing earlier this year where lawmakers killed a bill targeting employers who hire illegal workers — make him a less-trustworthy choice to represent western and northern Idaho.
Labrador is a state representative from Eagle; Ward is a U.S. Marine major who also lives in Eagle. They’re vying in the May 25 GOP primary to face U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick, D-Idaho.
Arizona’s law makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally and directs local police to question individuals about their immigration status and demand documentation if they suspect a person is in the country illegally.
The law has prompted several legal challenges.
It’s also helped immigration resurface as a campaign issue in Idaho; it was a major theme in the 2006 1st Congressional District House GOP primary, too.
Ward backs Arizona’s law, in lieu of more aggressive federal action.
“States are now forced to consider taking matters into their own hands,” Ward said.
Labrador, who represents clients before immigration judges, sometimes to help them remain in the United States after they’ve violated laws and are subject to deportation, said he sympathizes with Arizona residents who are frustrated with those who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
But he criticized what he called “a piecemeal solution to the problem of illegal immigration.” Instead, Labrador said the federal government must enforce existing laws, secure the border with the military and require illegal immigrants to return home before applying for legal U.S. residency.
“I do not support amnesty,” Labrador said. “I would be willing to offer illegals an incentive who have a desire to become legal productive members of our society an incentive to come forward: Should they do so willingly and in some reasonable time frame, we would give them consideration by the State Department to return legally.”
Labrador said he’s seen e-mails and Internet “innuendo” about his roots — he was born in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory — that suggest he can’t be trusted on immigration. He links them to Ward, but adds he has nothing to prove Ward is trying to smear his campaign.
“He is hoping, it seems, to appeal to the darkest recesses of the human soul by taking cheap advantage of my work in immigration law and maybe even my ethnic heritage,” Labrador said.
Ryan O’Barto, Ward’s campaign spokesman, said Ward never raised Labrador’s Puerto Rican origins.
“This is just an outlandish claim,” O’Barto said, before adding Labrador’s willingness to defend illegal aliens and others in federal courts remains a fair campaign issue.
“Would he represent terrorists?” O’Barto said.
Labrador says he’s been a practicing immigration lawyer for more than a decade and has never represented terrorists.
“It’s an outlandish and irresponsible statement, and it shows the desperation that their campaign is going through right now,” Labrador said.
O’Barto also said Labrador’s absence from a Feb. 18 Idaho House State Affairs hearing — lawmakers shot down a plan that sought to punish businesses caught knowingly hiring illegal workers — showed his faltering commitment to this issue.
“How can he stand up for this issue in Congress, when he doesn’t show up for it in Idaho?” Ward’s spokesman said.
Labrador, a House State Affairs Committee member, co-sponsored the failed measure. On Tuesday, he said a business matter at his law practice prevented him from attending the February hearing.
He now concedes he should have delayed the hearing.
“That was my bad,” Labrador said. “I should have just told them, ‘Let’s wait two more weeks.’”
© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sandpoint Arbor Day is Saturday 
spokanecougar on May 04 at 1:23 p.m.
Idaho has enough problems on its own without trying to get into the mess Arizona has started for itself. The state needs to stay clear of this racist law and these candidates need to tread lightly when talking about this racist law since 70% of the country outside of Arizona hates this law and thinks its racist. Idaho has enough problems with race without diving into this issue.
SheriffsDaughter on May 04 at 2:10 p.m.
WOW!! 70% huh? If this new law states that it is ILLEGAL to be in the United States ILLEGALLY what is racist about that? If they want to come to the States and make a new life for themselves and their family… more power to them. Just do it the right way… Wish the rest of the States would follow Arizona and grow a pair!!
greyhound2 on May 04 at 2:58 p.m.
Legal immigrants are welcome. Illegal immigrants are not. Thanks to the governor and people of Arizona who are standing up for the rule of law against those who willingly dismiss any laws they find inconvenient. The people of Arizona are automatically opposed by an estimated 12 to 20 million people who are in the United States illegally, and who would settle for nothing less than a free pass to the welfare office. It’s hard to find that someone who, knowingly violated the law, feels they are the aggrieved party, and then trys to play the race card, all of which is ridiculous.
TucanSam on May 04 at 3:05 p.m.
spokanecougar doesnt know what the heck s/he’s talking about. Racism is the only argument these opposers have and that has been debunked over and over again. Also how dare you make accusations that have no merit, dont you realize law enforcement is a racially diversified employer and yes even in Az. Way to go AZ and I hope all other states follow….. makes me want to move to a state (like AZ) that has a pair to be able to stand up for what is right and what is best for its citizens. oh and I think its like 97% of American citizens favor the bill and the other 3% are the children of illegals. How you like em apples two can play the BS numbers game.
No_Forked_Tongues on May 04 at 4:08 p.m.
Ward is not a U.S. Marine Major. He is a private citizen whom holds a RESERVE Commission and is not on active duty.
Please delete any reference to his Military affiliation as the Marine Corps has already rebuked Ward on his impropriety of such.
Besides he’s a shallow carpet bagging puppet of the far far right.
spokanada on May 04 at 4:14 p.m.
I wonder how many white people are going to be asked to prove their citizenship under the new law in Arizona?
The law encourages racial profiling by the police.
And besides, I thought Republicans wanted less government involvement not more. Imagine how you would react if a police officer came up to you and asked you to prove that you were American. You would probably tell the to screw off.
TOOBAD2 on May 04 at 4:17 p.m.
WHAT ARE MEXICANS FROM MEXICO CALLED ? WHAT ARE AFRICANS FROM AFRICA CALLED? WHAT ARE CANADIANS FROM CANADA CALLED ? AND LAST BUT NOT LEST WHAT ARE AMERICANS FROM AMERICAN CALLED? MEXICANS, AFRICANS, AND CANADIANS THAT LIVE LEGALLY IN THE UNITED STATES FROM NOW ON SHOULD BE CALLED (AMERICANS) . I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY WHEN THEY WORK SO HARD TO BE AND COME TO AMERICA THAT THEY WANTED TO BE CALLED ANYTHING OTHER THAN AN ( AMERICAN ). WHY THEN DO WE HAVE SO MANY AFRICAN AMERICANS, MEXICAN AMERICANS, ET ALL: I’LL TELL YOU WHY, THEY DON’T REALLY WANT TO BE AMERICANS AT ALL, THEY JUST WANT TO RAPE OUR COUNTRY OF EVERYTHING WE HAVE. INCLUDING OUR DIGNITY. WE SHOULD PUT A STOP TO THIS IMMEDIATELY IF NOT SOONER. I’M NOT RACIEST. I’M AN AMERICAN SO THERE. YOU COME HERE, YOU WILL DO IT THE AMERICAN WAY.,
dallison on May 04 at 4:46 p.m.
spokanecougar, it looks like your 70% figure doesn”t ring true here.
And to SherriffsDaughter’ Very well put i could not agree more!
JBlim on May 04 at 4:51 p.m.
toobad2 You must have real self esteem issues if your dignity is threatened by immigrants.
SheriffsDaughter on May 04 at 4:54 p.m.
AMEN!! toobad2,….. spokanada my lastname is of hispanic origin, if i was asked to produce the proper paper work i would hand it over with out a fuss… why shouldnt they if they are here LEGALLY? I think the police are intelligent enough to know when to ask and when not to. How can it be profiling if you are talking to a person that obviously doesnt speak or understand a word of english to ask for proof of citizenship?
spokanada on May 04 at 5:20 p.m.
SheriffsDaughter
I am Canadian and I am here legally. I speak pretty good English and so do a lot of my Canadian friends who work or have worked illegally in the USA. They are illegal immigrants and since they are white I am pretty sure they would not be targeted in Arizona.
Your argument is not applicable. You are either suggesting that all illegal immigrants don’t speak English or that the police will only target people that that don’t speak English.
Legal Immigrants and American citizens are not required to speak English either.
spokanecougar on May 04 at 5:22 p.m.
Ah, the true colors of red necks coming out. If you are all to stupid to realize this is what Nazi Germany started doing to the jews, asking for papers, then shame on you for not knowing history. This is plan racist, it is a shame that you think asking to see someones papers somehow is legal. Also says a lot when the police, mayors of cities and sheriffs in Arizona all oppose this law. This was pushed forward by extreme right wing conservatives - not even most Republicans agree with this law. Please, do some research before spouting stupid stats like 97% of the country agrees with this law because arguments like that make you and your argument look stupid.
JBlim on May 04 at 5:24 p.m.
SheriifsD
It’s only a matter of time before cops start abusing their power. I’m not saying they all will, but some will. You guys want to turn America into a Big Brother style police state for non-white people. And now you’re all for government power over ordinary citizens. Your papers please?
spokanada on May 04 at 10:00 p.m.
@ Toobad2,
Thanks for the post. Your opinion is immature and your writing skills are that of a fifth grader. You should go back to school and learn how to write.
I couldn’t write a paragraph with more grammatical errors if I tried. Your parents and school teachers should be embarrassed. I would be very surprised if you had an actual high school diploma.
ancientemplar on May 05 at 9:04 a.m.
I’m an ANGLO-AMERICAN CRACKER and every time I get pulled over by the police they ask to see my papers. So you know what, I have to show them my driver’s license.
becool on May 05 at 9:37 a.m.
spokanada, I’m not sure why you went full retard on that rant, but it does reveal your true colors. You would assume to use this space for your unrelated attacks, and for what? I wonder if you thought about how useless your comment was before you hit submit, and what were you hoping to gain by typing what you did.
Now, something a little more related. If one wishes to find an illegal alien in a state saturated with illegal aliens, what should one do? I would start by profiling, as I don’t think Canadian illegals represent a huge portion of the population in, say, Arizona.The people that do represent a measurable part of the population are Illegal Central and South Americans. The thing is, these people are easy to identify by language and appearance. Since there is an outstanding problem of illegal aliens in Arizona, and its not just the problem that they are here illegally, something must be done to reduce the number of illegal aliens in Arizona in the future.
However, as I’m sure most intelligent individuals can ascertain, this law, and subsequent (few) deportations, have been set into motion not to move people out of the country, but rather to keep new people out by accelerated threat. It will allow further enforcement of the border that has become a drug superhighway, more strict dealing with those that still attempt to come across, and yes, the ability to deport those that are here. But that has been part of the Law of Arizona since forever, its nothing new, even though media seems to be driving it as unprecedented.
The most amazing part of all this, I think the people that are here should stay. For starters, America needs them. White people, and a growing portion of other races, on the whole don’t want to do labor (even though they should). Our country’s falling apart because we don’t have a work force to fill industry (if there was any). Don’t make them citizens (until they have done so legally), don’t deport them, don’t even profile them, but rather give them an indefinite green card. Make them responsible for the things we all are responsible for, including things like health care and automotive insurance and licensing. And in due time, they can become citizens, just like everyone else in the world. The real issue is the not the illegal people crossing the border, it is the illegal activity surrounding the border, and we need to put a full effort to shut down drug and people trafficking.
becool on May 05 at 9:44 a.m.
spokanecougar,
may I suggest you take some Adrafinil, as it appears your ability for abstract thought seems to be falling behind.
misjustice on May 06 at 7:49 p.m.
“Freelance journalist and investigator Sarah Reynolds forwarded Wonk Room a video interview that she obtained with one Native American who is protesting Arizona’s new law after having been racially profiled himself. Vee Newton, who identifies himself as a Native American, told Reynolds that he was stopped at a police check point in Arizona after cops let blonde-haired people in the three cars ahead of him go by:
There was three vehicles in front of me and all the [people in the] vehicles in front of me had blonde hair. And they let them go by, but they stopped me…and they pulled me over and asked me questions about what country I was from. They asked me where I was coming from and where am I going and what am I doing. The questions were stated to me in a tone that I felt was very degrading to me. So I simply stated to them that I am a native of America, I am a native to the land and I am Native American.”
http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/201…
Click on the link to read more and view the video.
I heard about this on the radio, and thought it was interesting that the MOST native of Americans are already being harassed by this ‘law’….this ‘law’ is racial profiling pure and simple and is fueled by fear and hate of the ‘other.’
Note to those that support the ‘law’ enacted by Arizona, not all ‘illegal’ immigrants are people of color…many are white, and it is highly unlikey that the police will stop them and demand their papers…
misjustice on May 06 at 7:52 p.m.
@TOOBAD…
Re; do it the American way…oh, like murder native people, take their land, and put them on reservations?
Americanmom on May 14 at 3:23 p.m.
Anybody who is illegal has no business nor right to be here. I don’t care if they are white, speak English, brown, yellow, striped, or spotted. I don’t care whose friend, or family they belong too. I don’t care how “productive” they claim to be in our society. They “Do Not Belong Here” if they are not legal!! Spokanecougar and Spokanada your rants are too similar and so passe you are probably the same person impersonating two people to make it look like there are more of you. You are also ignorant on this issue. Don’t know what rag you get your info from (if any) but you need to educate yourself. You sound just like someone maybe in high school or college who only parrots what they hear from their liberal, offensive progressive professor’s rantings. So quick to to insult make it personal and insult Sheriffs Daughter, and throw out the old passe race card when the facts don’t hold up. Here are the facts in a national telephone poll of over 900 registered voters, 61% was in favor of the Arizona Law, 27% against and that included Democrats, Republicans and Independents. The race card and name calling is unacceptable behavior!!! So Spokane..whatever..Shut up until you grow up!!!