U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARING Immigration hearings in Houston Hurtt cites costs of requiring local police to enforce federal laws
Aug. 17, 2006, 1:45PM
HoustonChronicle.com --
By HARVEY RICE

Article Excerpts Follow:

Houston will have to add thousands of police officers if an immigration bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives becomes law, Chief Harold Hurtt told members of a House subcommittee Wednesday.

"We would need between 2,000 and 2,500 more officers for immigration enforcement," Hurtt testified in a hearing on immigration reform at the new Harris County Civil Courthouse downtown.

The hearing was the 13th of 21 that House Republicans have scheduled around the nation during Congress' August recess to drum up public support for a bill focusing on tough border enforcement.

The legislation conflicts with a Senate bill, backed by President Bush, that would tighten border security, create a guest worker program and provide a path to citizenship for at least some of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants now in the country.

As protesters from both sides of the debate waved U.S. flags, held banners and chanted slogans outside the courthouse, 13 witnesses testified in the hearing, presided over by Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, who chairs the subcommittee.

McCaul and Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, spoke of a violence-plagued border that they said has become a gateway for terrorists, drug cartels, human trafficking and violent criminals. But Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Gene Green, both D-Houston, called the hearings a "road show" that exaggerated the dangers.

Hurtt and City Councilman Adrian Garcia took aim at a provision in the House bill, sponsored by Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, that would cut federal funding to police departments that refuse to enforce immigration laws.

Hurtt called the provision "misguided and wrong," saying immigration enforcement would draw police away from more serious crimes.

Garcia said immigration enforcement would turn a 15-minute traffic stop into an hourlong ordeal and add paperwork, as officers were forced to comply with laws preventing them from stopping people solely because of race or ethnicity.

They were backed by Jaime Esparza, the district attorney in El Paso County, who said police enforcement of immigration laws would stop illegal immigrants from reporting crimes and force them to turn to gangs for protection.

McCaul, however, said the border is an entry point to the United States for the terrorist organizations al-Qaida and Hezbollah.

Terrorists crossing

Webb County Sheriff Rick Flores told the subcommittee he believes human trafficking organizations in Mexico are bringing terrorists into this country.

He said he had never arrested a terrorist, but knew that illegal immigrants from Middle Eastern countries had been apprehended on the border.

To emphasize the extent of border violence, the panel showed a 1992 video of a fierce gunfight between Mexican federal police and members of a drug cartel in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, across the border from Laredo.

Bodies could be seen in the street.

Dennis Nixon, chairman of the International Bank of Commerce in Laredo, countered that portrayal, saying he feels safe walking down the street. He denounced the House bill's provision for a wall along the border as a threat to commerce.

That drew a sharp reaction from Poe, who ridiculed it as "the standard chamber of commerce statement we heard when we were down there."

Drawing applause from spectators, he accused Nixon of being concerned only with making money.

Nixon refused to back down, saying of Laredo, "We're like any other town in America."

Among those supporting police enforcement was Carrie Ruiz, 53, of Houston, who sobbed as she testified that a Venezuelan illegally in the country stabbed her daughter to death in 1999 and avoided prosecution by fleeing to his homeland.

McCaul said Jesus Salazar would not have been able to leave the country after the slaying of Felicia Ruiz, 17, if police had checked his immigration status during questioning.

But Esparza said the Culberson provision wouldn't make any difference, because current law and police procedure allow police to check immigration status during criminal investigations.

Harris County Judge Robert Eckels said health care for illegal immigrants cost the county $128 million in 2005, reflecting a 17.7 percent increase in undocumented patients from the previous year and a 50 percent rise in costs.

He added, however, that uninsured U.S. citizens[NOTE: emphasis added by IRCOT) are a much bigger problem for the county Hospital District.

Outside the courthouse, members of U.S. Border Watch called for greater enforcement of existing immigration laws and border security.

Some others, however, said they want the entire immigration system reformed, rather than focusing just on the Mexican border.

(View link for entire article)

....Macario Ramirez, an immigrant advocate, called the hearing one-sided. "Immigrants are here to work," he said. "They're not here to take."

Ahmad Hassan, who said he came here legally from Egypt almost 30 years ago, stood with those supporting stricter rules.

He said he understands the hardships of the legal process, having applied for a student visa seven times before he was approved.

"Anybody can do it," said Hassan, a Republican candidate for the District 18 House seat now held by Jackson Lee. "It's not easy, but nothing in life is easy."

Reporters Rosanna Ruiz and Anita Hassan contributed to this story.
harvey.rice@chron.com http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/immigration/4122732.html
HOUSTON, TX. HEARING -- 8/17/06
Report Source: FAIR

The House continues its immigration field hearings throughout the country over the summer with three this week: Houston and El Paso Texas, and Sierra Vista, Arizona. The Homeland Security Subcommittee on Investigations held a field hearing on Wednesday, August 16, 2006, entitled "Criminal Activity and Violence along the Southern Border," in Houston, Texas. The witnesses included Major Michael O'Brien, representing Sheriff Tommy Thomas, Harris County Sheriff's Office; John Moriarty, Inspector General, Texas Department of Criminal Justice; Colonel Russell Malesky, Counter-Drug Commander, Texas National Guard; Sheriff A. D'Wayne Jernigan, Texas Sheriff's Coalition; Harold Hurtt, Chief of Police, Houston Police Department; Robert Eckels, County Judge, Harris County, Texas; and Mr. Charles Rosenthal, District Attorney, Harris County State of Texas. Major Michael O'Brien's testimony before the committee explained "the impact of illegal immigration to Harris County and the surrounding area has been enormous and has put a substantial strain on law enforcement resources." Another panelist, Mr. John Moriarty, offered his solution to the drain stating "a cooperative effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement is necessary to be successful in combating this problem." Colonel Russell Malesky agreed with Mr. Moriarty's testimony identifying the new "relationship between the Texas National Guardsmen with the United States Border Patrol has been excellent." Sheriff D'Wayne Jernigan stressed the importance of combating illegal immigration by affirming "the crisis that we face on our border is not a racial issue, or even one of politics. This is a red white and blue national security crisis." He continued saying "the border with Mexico is being used as the open door to this country." The Sheriff shared the dangers of having an open border policy and explained "that several murders in Laredo, Webb County, Texas have been orchestrated by members of drug cartels operating in both countries." He said he received information "that the drug trafficking organizations immediately across our border are planning on killing as many police officers as possible on the United States side. This is being planned for the purpose of attempting to 'scare us' away from the border." In addition, Sheriff Jernigan warned that "local, state, and federal officers have found many items along the bank of the Rio Grande River that indicate possible ties to terrorist organizations." Chief of Police for the Houston Police Department, Harold Hurtt, also echoed the opinions of the other witnesses. "Illegal immigration is an issue that affects our nation as a whole and any solution should begin first at the federal level with securing the borders and increasing enforcement by federal agencies," said Hurtt. Judge Robert Eckels discussed the lack of a "reliable database" to check for proof of citizenship. Judge Eckels also cited the illegal immigration impact on education, stating "overcrowding, security, and discipline problems as well as substantial language barriers and cultural differences" can often "distract from the quality of education received in the classroom."

House told criminals swelling alien tide Charles Hurt
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 8, 2006

Most of the people who sneak across the border are no longer good people in search of honest work, the sheriff of a border county in Texas told a House subcommittee yesterday, but rather criminals who belong to gangs and drug cartels.

"For years we have seen individuals enter the country illegally," said Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr., sheriff of Zapata County. "However, recently we feel that many of these persons are no longer entering the country to look for legitimate employment. We are now seeing that many of these persons are members of ruthless and violent gangs."

Sheriff Gonzalez's testimony before the House International Relations subcommittee was part of a series of "field hearings" held across the country to gauge voter opinion on reforming the nation's immigration laws. Yesterday's hearing was held in Laredo, in Zapata County. "

Some areas can accurately be described as a war zone," panel Chairman Ed Royce, California Republican, told The Washington Times after touring the border near Laredo.
(view article at: Washington Times)

NOTE: IRCOT will be contacting The Washington Times re: this figure. According to stats previously viewed in serveral reports, the "more than 165,000" figure represents "the 2005 OTM apprehensions" and not "illegal aliens caught in 2005" as stated in this article.

Web Posted: 07/07/2006
Mariano Castillo Express-News Border Bureau

LAREDO - Local sheriffs this morning testified in front of a congressional subcommittee of potential vulnerabilities to terrorism along the Southern Border. "There is an infrastructure in place just waiting to be exploited," Webb County Sheriff Rick Flores told members of the House International Relations Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation.

Flores and Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez shared stories about hunters being surprised by black-clad gunmen, a Starr County jailer who was found executed in Mexico, and Iraqi dinars found on a ranch trail as part of the divisive testimony.

Congressional Democrats accused the Republican-dominated subcommittee of playing politics by holding field hearings after both the House and Senate bills had been passed. "This is all about politics trumping policy," Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, said before the hearing.

Nonetheless, Gonzalez and Democratic colleagues Ruben Hinojosa, Silvestre Reyes and Sheila Jackson Lee participated in the hearing as guests.

Emotions ran high between supporters of the House bill and supporters of the Senate bill who witnessed the proceedings. The House wants an enforcement-first approach to border security before undertaking immigration reform. The Senate bill in contrast advocates comprehensive reform that would tighten the border and include a guest worker program.

The subcommittee's chairman, Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., had to remind those in attendance to refrain from cheering or booing during the testimony.
(view entire article at:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/stories/MYSA070706.border.EN.352b7690.html)