Segment Transcript - Lou
Dobbs Tonight
CNN
Rove and CIA Leak; Under Fire; Terror Hunt; Illegal Immigration
Aired July 12, 2005 - 18:00 ET
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DOBBS: The governor of Arizona has called a summit supposed to address the problems of illegal immigration and border security. Improving cooperation was the idea among federal, state and local agencies. But critics charge that the governor's commitment to the issue is so weak that it has simply deteriorated into political squabbling. Casey Wian reports now from Flagstaff, Arizona.
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CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than 100 police chiefs, sheriffs and federal agents from Arizona met to try to end years of frustration over their failed efforts to control the illegal immigration. But before the immigration enforcement summit even started, a tense standoff unfolded as several state lawmakers were denied access to the meeting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're asking that the Department of Public Safety follow the laws of the state of Arizona and allow public -- members of the public and especially members of the legislature who have responsibilities over the state laws and the use of state resources to attend a public meeting.
WIAN: Some lawmakers said they were prepared to be arrested, but eventually backed down.
The summit was called by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, because law enforcement agencies in Arizona are routinely at odds over what to do with illegal aliens. Often, Department of Public Safety officers detain illegal aliens, but are forced to release them, because federal immigration officials either don't have the manpower or the motivation to pick them up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you have 10 or 12, they're probably not going to come out. If you have 20 to 30, they're probably going to come out.
WIAN: This month, Napolitano agreed to partner only a dozen of Arizona's 1,100 state police officers with Border Patrol agents. Their main target will be illegal alien smugglers.
Maricopa County sheriff has agreed to provide detention space at his tent city jail.
Napolitano's opponents say that and the immigration enforcement summit are a political ploy to appear tough on illegal immigration.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm glad to see her get on board as modest as it is. But there's so much more than she can and should be doing. And if the voters allow her to get away with it, shame on them.
WIAN: Pierce (ph) says Napolitano has fought Arizona's Proposition 200, which denies state benefits to illegal immigrants, and vetoed a law that would have given state lawmakers more power to arrest illegal aliens.
Pro-illegal alien activists also protested outside the summit.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WIAN: Conspicuously absent from the meeting she called was Governor Napolitano. Her staff said she never intended to be here, because she's on vacation this week. Her opponents say it's another sign that she's not willing to get tough on illegal immigration -- Lou.
DOBBS: And you say there were pro-illegal alien demonstrators there as well?
WIAN: Absolutely. About 20 of them.
DOBBS: Let's be fair and balanced. What were they protesting?
WIAN: They had signs saying that Latinos were being singled out by these law enforcement efforts to crack down on -- and I should be clear that the law enforcement agencies are not talking about going after all illegal aliens; they're only talking about going after the low-hanging fruit, if you will. The car thieves and the coyotes, the immigrant smugglers. So they were protesting against something that's not even happening yet, Lou.
DOBBS: All right. Casey Wian, reporting from Flagstaff, Arizona, thank you.
An astonishing admission today by the man in charge of the U.S. Border Patrol. David Aguilar testified before Congress that the number of people from countries other than Mexico, so-called OTMs, were trying to cross our southern border, has almost doubled this year. Aguilar said that Border Patrol has detained nearly a million illegal aliens so far this year. About 125,000 of those illegals, non-Mexican citizens.
As millions of illegal aliens flood across our borders, our nation's largest businesses are blatantly profiting from illegal aliens. And our nation's largest business magazine, "BusinessWeek," apparently considers it all part of a legitimate new business trend and opportunity.
"BusinessWeek" magazine's latest cover story is called, astoundingly, "Embracing Illegals." "BusinessWeek" says companies that market insurance, credit cards and home loans to illegal aliens are jumping on, quote, "a hot new market in the making. Companies feel no need to rationalize. They see opportunity and no reason not to grab it."
A reminder, illegal aliens are illegal. U.S. companies are breaking the law by hiring them. It will be interesting to see whether "BusinessWeek" will be focusing on that element of the story.
We will also be talking with the author of the "BusinessWeek" article, Brian Grow. He will be our guest here tomorrow.
Up next: The battle over the next Supreme Court justice. Who should President Bush choose and how will his choice affect us? Two Americans with very different opinions on that, next.
And the results of tonight's poll. A preview of what's ahead tomorrow.
Stay with us.
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