Janet Napolitano: A border-law enforcer in D.C.?

David Savage reports:

As governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano last year signed into law the nation's harshest penalty for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, a measure that would take away their business licenses for a second violation.

She called it the "business death penalty" and the "most aggressive action in the country" to stem the flow of illegal workers. She also criticized Congress and the federal government for failing to act on immigration overhaul. "The states will take the lead, and Arizona will take the lead among the states," she said.

Now, Napolitano may have a chance to lead the federal effort to enforce immigration laws if, as expected, she is nominated by President-elect Barack Obama to head the Department of Homeland Security.

Read more of "Napolitano: a border-law enforcer in D.C.?" here.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

Image: WELCOME: Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano speaks with Army Spec. Daniel Marshall last week at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Napolitano was welcoming home members of a medical unit who served one year in Iraq. Matt York / Associated Press

Comments

[Diana from Ventura]

Food for thought on Madam Gov as the head of DHS.
One of the board of Directors for Corrections Corp. or America (CCA) one of two major players in the ICE detention biz is Dennis Deconcini, former Senator of AZ who Napolitano in 2006 appointed to the Arizona Board of Regents. Somebody in the Obama administration is asleep at the wheel!

[Kevin]

Illegal immigration only profits people in power and it's effects do more to harm the working class than anyone else. Criminals, both underground and above, flourish under illegal immigration and take advantage of an environment where people do not speak out for fear of being deported. So, how do we protect guest workers, ourselves, and our economy which depends on foreign workers at the same time? My opinion is that immigration policy must change to address the concerns of the real world. Building a fence will not keep them out. We need to bring immigration, particularly from Mexico, out into the open and develop a true guest-worker program that benefits both foreign and domestic workers and protects labor rights for all. Business owners should be able to hire guest workers and pay them a living wage without being penalized. As well, we must recognize that, as American business owners have been culpable, Mexico's government has also not been an innocent participant in this. We need to hold Mexico accountable for their role in encouraging illegal immigration and penalize them financially until they get on board and work out a deal that benefits Mexican nationals and Americans equally.

[southoc]

Illegal immigration is the 2nd largest source of income to Mexico. Deport and keep the money in the US.

Stop the illegal importation of this criminal population. They only bring a culture of crime and poverty and drain tax payer money away from legal citizens.

[skeptic]

This is pathetic. This governor is going to be an embarassment to Obama and will cost him the Latino vote. "The death penalty for business?" As if the economy isn't bad enough! Immigration, including illegal, is good for the economy. LET THEM IN.

[eljefejesus]

That's hillarious,

it seems that Latino voters are so little regarded for their influence in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Florida, and other swing states, that the vote is already being diminished, stepped on, and slapped in the face.

Perhaps that anti-Republican vote in this historic elections was a little premature? McCain, you got some good pro-Latino Republicans you can vouch for?

The Latino vote, depending on Napolitano's level of anti-immigration pandering, may look in 2012 more like 2004 than 2008...

can't redo the swing-states until 2012...

I wonder what California politics would look like today if instead of putting latinos on the ticket, the Democratic party had gone immigrant-bashing...

[southoc]

You go girl!

[J Cline]

Terrific. It's about time! The American government ought to be protecting American labor as much as they do American businesses who've shipped jobs offshore and hired illegals at home.