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Friday, February 29, 2008

Georgia to Crack Down on Illegal Alien Drivers

Frustrated with the do-nothing attitude of federal officials toward the growing problem of highway deaths caused by illegal aliens, the Georgia legislature is acting on it’s own to allow Georgia law enforcement agencies to seize the vehicles of illegal alien drivers.  From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

A proposal to allow police to seize cars from illegal immigrants prompted an emotional public hearing before a legislative committee Monday.

The bill… would allow police to seize any vehicle involved in a traffic violation or accident if it’s driven by an illegal immigrant. That includes rented and leased vehicles if the owner should have known the driver was an illegal immigrant.

Stacey Malegni, a Cherokee County woman, spoke in favor of the bill, recounting through her tears the loss of her 5-year-old son and mother-in-law in a car accident in 2004. An 18-year-old illegal
Mexican immigrant with no license plowed into the car Malegni’s mother-in-law was driving.

Malegni argued the bill should be passed for safety reasons…

A spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union opposed the bill, saying it would create an atmosphere of “seize first and ask questions later.” It could also create an atmosphere for racial profiling in traffic stops, the spokesman said.

Opponents say the measure is unconstitutional because it doesn’t provide due process for taking the car. Under the proposal, the vehicle seizure would work similar to property seizure in drug cases.

From coast to coast, literally, the slaughter on our highways (here, here, here, here, here, and here) as gone on long enough.

I have something of a personal stake in this since my state representative was one of the bill’s sponsors, and a good friend of mine lost his leg and his career last year when he was hit by an illegal alien driver… who was of course uninsured.

Comments

MEXICAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION REFORM ECONOMICS

It is very economically advantageous to use cheap Mexican seasonal agricultural guest workers; it is very socially and economically disadvantageous to let them stay after the crop is harvested.

When seasonal guest workers do return to Mexico at end of the growing season, they return with money and experience, to contribute to the development of Mexico; and each year, when a new group of seasonal guest workers comes, they are eager to work for the same low non-citizen wages.

And, when they return to Mexico at end of the growing season, they do not drive down the wages of American workers, by competing for jobs in landscaping, construction, sanitation, and housekeeping; and they do not use American governmental social services.

Mexico is land rich in natural resources; what makes it so socially and economically poor are its Mexican People; and wherever they immigrate they bring their deplorable civilization with them. It is so inferior than none of them want to return to it.

The Mexican dream of regaining political control over Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California is America’s worst nightmare. Starting at all of the border towns, and spreading northward throughout America, like cancers, are thousands of deplorable Mexican neighborhoods.

With each deportation America looks, smells, and sounds less like socially and economically deplorable Mexico. America is presently occupied by 15-20 million Mexicans.

With the deportation of all the illegal immigrants, students will again be able to get good paying summer jobs, to learn responsibility and earn their way through college; blue-collar wages will rise; border towns will not be slums; Spanish will not be a second language; crime will go down; hospitals and prisons will not be overcrowded.

When seasonal guest workers come from all of the countries of Latin America, on a strict quota system, then every country benefits, not Mexico exclusively; and when they are well treated, the experience is mutually positive.

When all of the illegal aliens are deported, the Neo-Lib Democrats and Neo-Con Republicans will lose millions of political supporters, and the vast donations that they receive from the Mexican Lobby; and, those American businesses that exploit cheap Mexican labor will lose their illegal competitive advantages.

No rich superior civilization in the World can coexist side by side with a poor inferior civilization, without a great wall or fence, strict guest labor laws, armed border guards, and fines for hiring illegal aliens.

Jeugenen on February 29, 2008 at 08:14 am

I agree with the spirit of it, but the law wouldn’t pass constitutional muster. It would fail on the same search & seizure grounds as NY’s seizure for drunk driving law.


“Behind Communism, Fascism, behind all occupations and invasions lurks a more basic, pervasive evil… a parade of people marching by with raised fists and shouting identical syllables in unision.” - Milan Kundera

Hairy Polemic on February 29, 2008 at 08:28 am

I have said it before and will say it again, when will we begin treating these individuals like the criminals that they are. Millions of people migate here legally what makes the Hispanics exempt?

digital1nk on February 29, 2008 at 08:41 am

I thought if you rent your house out to persons who decide run a drug operation and it is likely the police will seize your house with their arrest?

You then have the job of proving
your innocence to regain your property in some kind of civil process.

WOOF on February 29, 2008 at 08:42 am

Illegal entry into the USA is a crime. IF you get caught and deported you can not seek a visa for 10 years.

I see that people are finally starting to get it, time to start deporting the invaders…


check out Goon’s World

http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/

Goon’s North Dakota Red Neck

http://redneckndgoon.blogspot.com/

goon on February 29, 2008 at 09:35 am
Avatar for Tuna

We are a country of laws.  Only Arlen Specter thinks it’s a good idea to pick and chose the ones we should enforce.  Mark Steyn said it best--a country that fancies itself able to control the global temperature ought to be able to figure out a way to control its borders--and I would add, then do it.

Tuna on February 29, 2008 at 09:51 am

Actually the argument may eventually become moot.

Not because of the merits of the seizure law, but because I have seen a great increase in Federal involvement in what normally would be a local or minor traffic case. 

Normally a defendant will be arrested (say for Driving Without Valid License or Solicitation, or other minor offense) , will post a bond and be released pending his court date.

But now we are seeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents showing up at the county lock-up and taking the illegal into federal custody.  If the guy (or gal) has no legal defense to be here, he is processed out and can be frog-marched out to a waiting Con Air flight to Mexico in a very short time.

So, leaving their car behind is the least of their problems.  They usually are leaving homes and families behind too.

Guess they got too comfy being here this long, hey?


...for great justice

Move_Zig on February 29, 2008 at 09:55 am

WOOF,

You’re right, the drug-house seizure and car seizure are similar, but for whatever reasons, the supreme court chose to differentiate in the recent NY car seizure case—probaby because there is a greater political push for war on drugs enforcement. Shrug.


“Behind Communism, Fascism, behind all occupations and invasions lurks a more basic, pervasive evil… a parade of people marching by with raised fists and shouting identical syllables in unision.” - Milan Kundera

Hairy Polemic on February 29, 2008 at 11:27 am

Here’s a novel idea:  Why don’t we enforce the laws we already have?  The proliferation of illegal immigrants in this country occurred because enforcement was the sole responsibility of the federal government.  Only when enforcement is turned over to the individual states will it ever become effective in preventing illegal immigrants from coming here.  Of course, there should also be corresponding changes in the current immigration laws, so that people who want to come here legally can do so without unnecessary hardship or delay.

bustoff on February 29, 2008 at 01:42 pm

Hawk,

Despite the fact that you and I have yet to agree on virtually anything, I’d be curious to hear your legal opinion of the proposed Georgia vehicle seizure law.


“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

Bat One on February 29, 2008 at 03:42 pm
Avatar for Hawk

I think it is unconstitutional.  The right of property ownership is a right for all people not just citizens so you can’t remove it just for noncitizens.  There could also be equal protection arguments. 

But I also think the drug seizure is unconstitutional because you don’t have to convict the person of anything.  In an odd bit of law the lawsuit would read something like “The United States Government vs. 2005 Cadillac Vin #xxx”.  In my opinion that is not due process of law.

Hawk on February 29, 2008 at 03:59 pm

Ooh, I hadn’t considered the equal protection issue. That’s a good one!

There might also be a dormant commerce clause issue with the law if you consider interstate traffic coming through Georgia. Let’s litigate the hell out of this thing rasberry


“Behind Communism, Fascism, behind all occupations and invasions lurks a more basic, pervasive evil… a parade of people marching by with raised fists and shouting identical syllables in unision.” - Milan Kundera

Hairy Polemic on February 29, 2008 at 04:12 pm

… dormant commerce clause issue.

I like that phrase.  To my mind, no portion of the Constitution has been as systematically misapplied and abused as the commerce clause.


“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

Bat One on February 29, 2008 at 04:33 pm

Be careful, the Commerce Clause and the Dormant Commerce Clause are not the same thing!

Ken McCracken on February 29, 2008 at 05:05 pm

They’re both abused depending on the circumstances, though the former more… actively so.


“Behind Communism, Fascism, behind all occupations and invasions lurks a more basic, pervasive evil… a parade of people marching by with raised fists and shouting identical syllables in unision.” - Milan Kundera

Hairy Polemic on February 29, 2008 at 06:01 pm

Ken.

Thanks.  I know the doctrinal difference.  But I see the one as merely an extension of the other… a bookmark of sorts that says in effect, “We haven’t chosen to exercise our federal authority over this yet, but don’t take that to mean that you (the States) have license to do so.  You don’t!  Its still within our purview.”

As I said, systematically misapplied and abused.  Its one of the reasons I find Ron Paul’s suggestion about doing away with the nation’s central bank so pitifully laughable.  The federal government insists on exercising control over a single bag of pot, grown, harvested, dried, bagged, sold, and smoked within the jurisdiction of the State of California under the guise of the Commerce Clause, and Paul thinks the same federal government would turn over control of the nation’s money supply, the world’s de facto medium of exchange to the free market?  The man is a blithering idiot!


“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

Bat One on February 29, 2008 at 06:18 pm
Avatar for poetryman69

Stop funding the terrorists!

No more Oil Wars!

Energy Independence Now!

Drill in Anwar. 

Build more nuclear power plants

Use More coal.

Use more natural gas

Turn trash into energy

Double the efficiency of windmills and solar cells.

If France can do nuclear power so can we.

If Brazil can do biomass/ethanol power so can we.

If Australia can do LNG power so can we.

Domestically produced energy will end the recession and spur the economy.

Stop paying oil dollars to those who worship daily at the alter of our destruction.

Preserve our Civil Rights and defend our Freedom by ending dependence on foreign oil.

poetryman69 on March 1, 2008 at 05:59 pm

Stop the mindless poetryspam!



Those who think the party or the country, will be “taught a lesson” by handing the levers of power over to the liberals will learn a lesson, but it will be at the expense of our country and her liberties. And there are no guarantees that the party or the country will come out stronger, more conservative or better positioned to win elections against the incumbent liberals.

Proof on March 1, 2008 at 06:28 pm
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