Homeland Security's New Secretary
On December 1, 2008, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano was announced as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary for the Obama administration. Napolitano will be the nation's third Homeland Security secretary. As the head of DHS, Napolitano will be responsible for the three key agencies that deal with immigration: Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Napolitano's Background
Napolitano, born in 1957, was elected as Arizona's governor in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. Prior to this, Napolitano was appointed as U.S. State Attorney for Arizona in 1993 and Attorney General for her state in 1998. Arizona shares a 376-mile border with Mexico. Consequently, this border governor has been at the forefront of the nation's immigration debate.
Chosen by Time Magazine in 2005 as one of America's Top Five Governors, Napolitano personifies the familiar phrase, "you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." Hardliners say she can be too soft, accusing her of undermining the importance of physical borders. Her supporters, however, point out her record on enforcement and her desire for common sense solutions.
At the press conference to announce Napolitano's appointment, Barack Obama said that Napolitano "will be a leader who can reform a sprawling department while safeguarding our homeland." President Bush's first Homeland Security secretary, Tom Ridge, and subsequent Secretary Michael Chertoff, both Republicans, praised Napolitano. Ridge said she "offers leadership acumen of the highest caliber and is an excellent choice." Chertoff said she "has a tremendous intellect and possesses the leadership and sound judgment needed." FAIR echoed the feeling of many conservatives concerned that the new secretary doesn't walk the talk: "Napolitano's record on immigration as governor of Arizona has been inconsistent and there is little reason to believe that she will be committed to immigration enforcement."
Napolitano on Immigration Issues
Border Fence: Although Napolitano complied with Congressional mandates to erect a border fence, she spoke out on the project: "You show me a 50-foot wall and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder at the border." She supports virtual surveillance systems and has criticized DHS for delays in deploying a virtual fence. Napolitano was the first governor to deploy the National Guard at the border at federal expense.
Drivers License: Napolitano signed a bill refusing to put REAL ID standards in place, calling it an unfunded federal mandate.
Immigration Reform: Napolitano criticized Congress for not passing 2007 reform legislation.
Guest Worker Program: Napolitano supports a temporary worker program with no amnesty. She is adamant that the program is not referred to as a "guest" worker program because "it implies someone coming here to take a vacation." In addition, she supports increasing the number of H-1B visas to address a shortage of skilled workers.
Path to Citizenship: She supports a pathway to citizenship that involves "a substantial fine, learning English, having no criminal history, keeping a job, paying taxes, then getting in the back of the line and waiting your turn."
Undocumented Workers: Napolitano signed an employer sanctions law in her state, penalizing businesses who knowingly hire undocumented workers. Arizona businesses are now required to use the federal online database, E-Verify to check a potential worker’s employment eligibility.
Enforcement: Napolitano her state's effort to create the Illegal Immigration Prevention and Apprehension Co-Opt Team (IIMPACT) designed to address rising crime associated with illegal immigration. She has spoken out about some of the raids happening in her own state calling them "troublesome" and withdrew state money financing some of the operations. In addition, she has billed the U.S. Justice Department hundreds of millions of dollars for the costs of housing illegal immigrants in jails and prisons in her state.
Napolitano's Immigration Plan
In 2007, Napolitano gave a speech to the National Press Club saying,
"Congress and the President must act, and they must act this year, to fix this broken system. Washington...must commit to immigration as one of the signature domestic and foreign policy issues of our day, because as in so many things, the continued failure to act will be worse than almost any legislation that can be passed."That statement leads us to believe that immigration will be a major focus for DHS under the Obama administration.
Here are the key elements of Napolitano's border plan:
- Innovative, technology-driven border control between the ports of entry.
- Reform the visa system and streamline the visa process.
- Institute a temporary worker program with no amnesty.
- Employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants should be held accountable and penalized.
- Modernize our border infrastructure so that enforcement does not hinder the flow of legitimate travel and commerce.
- A pathway to citizenship which involves a substantial fine, learning English, having no criminal history, keeping a job, paying taxes, then getting in the back of the line and waiting your turn.
- Address the root causes of illegal immigration by engaging directly with Mexico and Latin America.
