Bryson To Push For Stricter Illegal Immigration Controls
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2006
CONTACT: Lance Frizzell
(615) 727-0941 x15
Bryson To Push For Stricter Illegal Immigration Controls
(NASHVILLE, TN) ? Senator Jim Bryson (R-Franklin) today announced that, as Governor, he will push for increased cooperation between local, state and federal authorities to handle problems caused by illegal immigration. He was joined at a press conference by Heather Lynn Steffek, eldest daughter of Donna and Sean Wilson, who were killed earlier this month when illegal immigrant Gustavo Garcia slammed into their vehicle in Nashville. Garcia is charged with vehicular homicide and has been arrested 17 times since 1997 in Davidson County.
?I will make sure local and state law enforcement have the tools they need to work with federal authorities so illegal immigrants who commit crimes don?t slip through the cracks,? said Sen. Bryson. ?The TBI and the state Department of Homeland Security will work in concert with local law enforcement so we don?t have a repeat of the Garcia case.?
On April 5th of this year, the state Senate passed legislation that would have required state law enforcement to turn over to federal authorities illegal immigrants who commit crimes. Governor Phil Bredesen vigorously opposed Senate Bill 2426 and spoke out several times against it, even though federal grants ? not state dollars - would have covered the cost of the program.
?I will take the public safety of Tennessee citizens seriously ? not blame other elected officials,? said Sen. Bryson. ?We must put into place a system that allows patrolmen to check an immigrant's legal status during routine patrols and decide whether the immigrant should be held. This would allow law enforcement to find and detain illegal aliens in the ordinary course of business. We should also make sure illegal immigrants charged with crimes are submitted into national FBI databases to check for crimes in other states.?
Florida and Alabama have worked closely with federal authorities for 10 years on this issue and a dozen other states are currently working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enforce immigration law.
Recent statements on the issue from Gov. Bredesen and his campaign staff:
?I don?t think it?s appropriate for the state or we ought to be spending a lot of our money having the Highway Patrol expanded to go out and look for illegal immigrants or something,? Bredesen said last week, adding that he thinks immigration is a national issue.
Will Pinkston, a spokesman for Gov. Phil Bredesen?s reelection campaign, said Bredesen believes illegal immigration is a ?national issue needing a coordinated national response.? Pinkston would not offer details of Bredesen?s beliefs on what he?d like to see Congress enact concerning immigration.
?It absolutely is a national issue,? Pinkston said. ?It?s not something that Tennessee is going to solve on its own.?
?The state Senate, in which Bryson serves, recently passed three bills targeted at curbing illegal immigration.
One allows the Tennessee Highway Patrol to take undocumented worker into custody?
Pinkston wasn?t aware of Bredesen?s stance on two of the bills, but said the governor is not in favor of allowing state troopers to take illegal immigrants into custody.
?The governor doesn?t think it makes sense to deputize the police force to deal with federal laws,? Pinkston said.
http://www.brysonforgovernor.com/news/show.asp?id=29