On Monday, Rachel reported on the possibility that border governors could essentially veto proposed immigration reform if they don't think the border is secure. That list of governors includes the inimitable Jan Brewer of Arizona, who sat down with local NBC 12 News anchor Mark Curtis in Phoenix yesterday and said:
I think the concern is is, which comes first: the duck or the egg. I believe that the majority of the people believe our security on the border needs to be dealt with before anything goes forward, meeting the demands of what we know some people want.
H/t Governor Brewer. A longer transcript, courtesy of our fabulous internly type Andrew Joyce of Idaho:
CURTIS: Governor, would it be safe to assume that you're in the camp with the gang of eight in terms of, yes citizenship could happen down the road but not until the border is secure?
BREWER: Yeah, I could probably say that. I'm more comfortable with the bipartisan bill that was presented yesterday by the senators, the eight senators. I thought that they got more into the details, and I've had the opportunity to speak to Senator McCain and Senator Flake and they all agree, basically as I do, that I think we have issues out there, situations that we've got to resolve. I think everybody in America knows that. But, I think the concern is is, which comes first, the duck or the egg. I believe that the majority of the people believe our security on the border needs to be dealt with before anything goes forward, meeting the demands of what we know some people want.
CURTIS: How would you define a secure border, when would you be satisfied that the border is secure?
BREWER: I, you know, having dealt with this now for many many many years, not only since I've been governor, but I think I would rely on those experts in my office, the people that have looked at that, they have all the data and the information and they're reaching out to the communities that have to deal with it, the experts in my office, certainly the law enforcement experts along the border and inside the border. Those people are experts, they know what they're facing day in and day out and then I think the people, certainly the people at the border. They're the ones that know, the ranchers, the farmers, the people that live down there day in and day out. If we can all come together and there's an agreement, then that is an operational, controlled border and we know what it looks like. We see it in California and we even see it here in Arizona in Yuma, but we don't have that operational control in the Tucson sector.CURTIS: Let me ask you, the Senate blueprint says you and other governors would have to agree that the border is secure in order to open up that path to citizenship. It almost gives you a sort of veto power over the plan if you're not comfortable. Would you use that veto power?
BREWER: Well I think that's what they're saying. You know, again, that's not what the legislation says, that's just something that of course they're thinking about putting into a piece of legislation. I don't know if one person has a veto power, if it's a majority or if it's unanimous, but I am very grateful that they included us that are fighting it every day to try and get something done with the border, so I hope that I could be one of those people that could participate. I would be willing to participate.CURTIS: Where do you stand on the Dream Act, Governor?
BREWER: Well, the Dream Act is an issue that we've heard about for a long, long time and it tugs at your heart strings because you know that these people have been brought to the United States when they were children and they had no control over it -- but I believe in the rule of law. There again, as we get operational control of our border I think that is an issue that we're gonna have to resolve, that and the 11 million people -- give or take a few million here or there -- that we're gonna have to deal with, that we're gonna have to decide what it is and how we're gonna solve that problemCURTIS: Can I ask you one final question? And we're unfortunately out of time, but as you look ahead are you confident are you optimistic that some sort of concrete immigration reform can take place in the next year? Or do you think this is destined to be tied up with partisan bickering?
BREWER: Well, I hope that it isn't tied up, and I hope that, to use the President's words, "it doesn't get bogged down." But I hope that there truly is a bipartisan solution to all of this and I want to be hopeful, I want to do and want them to do what's right for the United States so I will do my part of it and we can begin that with a secure border.
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The ironic thing is that the U.S.-Mexico border is probably more "secure" now than it has ever been before. Almost everbody agrees that there are fewer clandestine border crossings now than there have been for many years.
At the same time, this is a relatively unimportant aspect of immigration policy. The great majority of immigrants now in the U.S. without permission are people who did not sneak across the border. They entered the U.S. on some sort of legal visa or visa waiver, and simply did not leave when their authorized stays expired. So building bigger walls along the Mexican border (and, for that matter, the Canadian border) will do nothing about them.
Irony? The irony is that the framing of this issue is respect for the rule of law. Let's be clear about this. When Mexico refused to to sell James Polk California, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico Arizona and parts of Oklahoma and utah for $25 million, the US simply took it from them. Using the flimsiest of excuses, the conquest was swift.
The US insists that what is done is done. Fine. These Americans are living in the US, living on land that is rightfully theirs.
Make them citizens. Now. No conditions, no end of the line, just issue the green cards.
That's right, John. The state I was born in (CA) was once Mexico. It was taken by force, just as the rest of the land stolen from the natives.
I think it needs to be framed that way. My ancestors came here from somewhere else, migrated across from east coast to west coast over time. The people born in Mexico and the Pomos, etc. are more native than I am.
These immigration laws need to be fixed, and not just for political reasons. How can this woman be Gov.? Never mind we had Arnold, the do nothing Governator.
If Jan Brewer insists on lawful process, she could negotiate to pay for the property. The assessed property value of Arizona land in 1992 was about $6 trillion.
John,
How much did we pay the American Indians for the rest of the country? How far do we want to take your logic back in time. Boundaries decided by war are legal boundaries.
That's what Likud says about the West bank. Look, we can continue to do it the old fashioned Way with "might makes right". It is getting too damn expensive due to the power of modern weapons. The statute of limitations did not run out for Alsace-Lorraine but it was returned only at the cost of two world wars.
If the US is interested in developing an economic zone in the Americas where our neighbors to the South develop strong trade relations with us and not the Chinese, then we are going to have to stop treating them like the Indians and Mexicans we stole from.
If we want to establish the principle that what is done is done, then why should that apply to land, but not people? The answer is that powerful parties don't want to yield. Might makes right.
And the mighty are getting killed in the elections. They can negotiate now while they still retain some power, or later when Latino voter might is stronger. I am not optimistic the Jan Brewers of the world will ever make sane choices- they are comfortable in their bunkers.
ah yes, Jan 'headless corpses in the desert' Brewer. This is the woman that in April of 2009 asked for an additional 250 troops on the border. When she eventually got 524, she announced it was 'disappointing, to say the least.'
Then we have the 3,000 troops requested in April of 2010 by then Sen Kyl and Sen John McCain. This was part of a ten step program to address border security. The very next month that figure had gone up to 6,000.
This group can't even decide what it takes to address the problem. Does anyone realistically expect it to ever be enough?
(The information I've cited is readily available if you Google it.)
It's like reading the essay-question answers of a middle schooler who didn't read the book, but tries to buffalo through anyway. Painful.
You think it's painful? I have to live here.
My condolences. But I live in Florida, so I think I've got ya beat. ;)
Fran, this reminds me of arguments we had back when I was a sophomore (and Nixon was up for reelection).
Which is worse as a government executive, an idiot or a crook?
But we have plenty of both here in Arizona, huh, DC?
The good thing about the diagonal cases (and idiot crook, an honest genius) is that it all works to the better -- the genius is obvious, the idiot crook (naming no names, eh?) is less capable of doing harm.
And, yes, plenty of idiots and crooks.
There are more illegal Irish in the Boston area than there are Irish in Ireland.
Why aren't the Republicans clamoring for them to get sent home?
Eh? Oh.
I apologize up front:
Jan Brewer is a piece of art, unfinished, and the artist has been dead for years! -Kevo
And this is my governor.
Someone just shoot me, please.
I bet when Gov. Brewer was a child she played "Duck, Duck, Chicken".
well her parent family fun game with her was snipe snipe run.
Not that we need anything specific like "demands ..." or who "some people ..." actually are.
"some people" are those outside Brewer's echo chamber.
Well, she managed to evade answering the question about what criteria she would use to determine that the border is "secure". Unless you can define the criteria, it is a useless "determination".
Sorry to hear that D.C.
We have Gov. Rick Perry. I would almost accept a trade..almost.
Well, at least if we had Brewer, she wouldn't automatically get elected in a couple years so we would have something to look forward to. Another six years of Goodhair is more than the Republic can take.
Republicans have become the penny arcade of politics.Well except they require a higher rate from their players.
If if walks like a Brewer, and quacks like a Brewer ...
Well if the border is so safe, then have a joint session of congress there with no secret service.Put "secure" where your mouth is.
Why doesn't congress and the president compete with illegal aliens for their jobs like we have to do? They have a policy of protectionism in place.
Jan Brewer is a heroine. She has more intestinal fortitude than most of the Senate GOP men have testicular fortitude.God bless her!!
Yeah to bad for you the GOP fortitude is for sell to the highest bidder. Funny how you righties want to take on the barefoot illegal yet you turn a blind eye to the people that hire illegals. What is rather telling is how the people whining the loudest are always seen at home depot with a truck load of "workers". If there were a god I debt he would bless Brewer more likely she would get the job of cleaning out hells outhouses.
You mow lawns for a living? You pick tomatoes for a living? You wash dishes for a living? You clean out cow stalls for a living? You milk cows three times a day, seven days a week for a living? Why is it that when GA and AL both all but eliminated undocumented immigrants those jobs weren't filled? Could it be because no one was competing for their jobs?
Somehow when you complain about undocumented people competing for your job I suspect you are being less than honest.
Americans would do those jobs if they paid better.They would if no cheap foreign labor was imported.The tax liability alone on the American worker drives companies to leave here. The illegal often pays no income taxes or SS or State.American workers have to.Plus Americans can get on entitlements easily and not have to work.And I have competed with them and I have worked hard my whole life so don't you dare go there dweeb!!
Yes, and I don't turn a blind eye to Republicans using shadow labor.I turn them in, to no avail. Its a civil war in our party, this issue.The party of the "working man" and the "downtrodden" sure as heck ain't gonna stop it.Their too politically greedy.
More lame excuses from a righty how special.
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20130130/NEWS01/130130004/Police-Man-threatened-to-commit-school-shooting?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage
The 2014 elections can't get here quick enough. Our governor would utilize this freaking analogy when talking about immigration, in the same context of course (and as ALWAYS) as the every lingering DREAM Act. Her "hard" stances on the issues are insane. We have young Hispanic men treated like immigrants, and immigrants arrested as criminals and placed in interment camp like jails. Ask her about her education system that she so proudly fights for. They made a multi-million dollar funds distribution error and some of the poorest elementary schools in our state not only had to deal with budget cuts, they also got short changed on the money there were owed. IN addition to already cash strapped schools now being placed in debt and on payment plans for this error. She's narrow minded and has no real grasp of equality, no idea what's wrong with our state. But continues to go in front of the national media and make us all look bad. Or do I first need to mention the shouting match? Even if you don't agree with the views of a person, you respect the position of the President of our country and the direction we are going. I've lived this state for 10 years and I've slowly seen the line being drawn in our desert sands and in our communities all across the state. I have family and loved ones living on the reservations and rural communities. I live in Tempe, Arizona. This is my state and my community. And I am tired of this racial fire that politicians like Jan Brewer feed with their hot air. I worked on Central & Washington during the SB1070 crisis. I heard the debates through the megaphones. I saw the marches, protests, and arrests. Guadalupe is part of my community and driving down Priest seeing the immigration raids being held in a Native American community.. We have a problem that needs attention, but in a rational way that takes into account the fact that you are dealing with HUMAN LIVES.
Please...Please....Mark Kelly run for Governor of Az. in 2014
Haha! I know everyone misspeaks sometimes but this made me laugh.
It would have better if she had said the Quayle or the egg though. *wink*
I think the Republicans are mostly against the Dream Act because they know it'll mean almost 10 million more votes for Democrats!