Gilchrest back on the issue of illegals, again

Yep, this press release came in my e-mail box:

GILCHREST COSPONSORS BIPARTISAN IMMIGRATION BILL AIMED AT BORDER SECURITY, EMPLOYER VERIFICATION AND ENHANCED ENFORCEMENT

U.S. Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-Maryland-1st) has cosponsored a bipartisan immigration bill that will give employers a key tool in helping to identify legal workers, as well adding manpower to patrol the border and agents to track and investigate illegal aliens that are already here.

Gilchrest signed onto H.R. 4088, (note: this is a 73 page bill) the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act. Introduced by Reps. Heath Schuler (sic) (D-North Carolina) and Brian Bilbray (R-North Carolina), the bill has 112 cosponsors.

“Illegal immigration continues to be a major problem facing America and we need to address it in a bipartisan way with steps we can all agree will help and make sense,” Gilchrest said. “Employers need the right tools to help them hire legal workers. If we’re going to hold them accountable, we should at least be able to provide them with a system that works.”

The SAVE Act expands on a pilot program designed to give employers access to government databases that will quickly determine whether an employee is able to work legally in this country. The E-Verify program would become mandatory, and be phased in over four years, beginning with the federal government, federal contractors, and employers with over 250 employees. Smaller businesses would begin using the system in a graduated manner.

“This bill is important because it closes the existing loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to use the same Social Security number, and it will require information sharing between the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration and the IRS,” Gilchrest said.

The bill also addresses border security by increasing manpower and making needed technological and infrastructure improvements on the northern and southern borders, including 8,000 new Border Patrol agents.

It also will help enforce existing laws by increasing the investigative abilities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by employing more agents and training additional state and local law enforcement personnel. It expedites the removal of illegal aliens by increasing the number of federal District Court judges, and expanding detention facilities.

“I have continued to champion each individual component of this legislation, and this bill provides a more comprehensive package,” Gilchrest said.

After skimming through the bill, I can’t object to much in it. Perhaps the only quibbles I had at first glance was an overreliance on a virtual wall rather than a further call to build a true fence (although border fence maven Rep. Duncan Hunter is a co-sponsor as well), and the fact that it only authorizes funding in the out years – theoretically no money need be spent to adopt the additional border agents and judgeships that are part of the measure. I will also note that Gilchrest was among the last of the co-sponsors to sign on, having just done so November 15, 9 days after it was introduced.

But the news on the race is about so much more than illegal immigration now. First we have the news that was postulated by Brian Giffiths on his website and on Red Maryland back on November 19 and broken nationally by Roll Call today, an impending leap into the First District race by State Senator E.J. Pipkin. (I wrote on Pipkin’s dossier recently, and the Sun just placed up their version of the story.)

Next, a rumor is now going around (also courtesy of my cohort Streiff at Red Maryland) that Wayne Gilchrest is contemplating retirement. So this makes tomorrow night’s Gilchrest appearance at Salisbury University even more newsworthy since the question is sure to be asked. In fact, he has a full day on the lower Shore:

10:30 a.m.  Visiting Bel-Art Products in Pocomoke City. Bel-Art is a leading manufacturer of products used in laboratories, and has been growing every year in Pocomoke.

11 a.m. Radio interview with the Mayor of Pocomoke City, Michael McDermott, who has a weekly radio program on WGOP, 540 AM in Pocomoke. This will be a taped interview.

11:30 a.m. Visiting Hardwire LLC in Pocomoke City and tour with officials from DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). Joining them for lunch afterward. Hardwire is an exciting young company that manufactures reinforced material for buildings, bridges, and other applications. (This visit is closed to the media because of classified information.)

1 p.m. Visiting the Delmarva Discovery Center in Pocomoke with executive director Brian Garrett and meeting with members of Delmarva Low Impact Tourism (DLite) to discuss plans for Lower Shore.

3 p.m. Touring Peninsula Regional Medical Center with hospital president Alan Newberry and Drs. Lawrence and Julian, head of the medical staff, to learn about the hospital expansion.

7:30 p.m. Speaking at Salisbury University about his recent trip to Iraq and our Iraq policy. In the Worcester Room on the 2nd Floor of the Commons Building.

Tomorrow may be an exciting day in the Lower Shore political world and this weekend’s state GOP convention will continue the roll as candidates are sure to be pressing the flesh there.

Crossposted on Red Maryland.

Late edit: someone doesn’t like Andy Harris. A hitherto unknown group called “Republicans Who Care” put out this attack ad against Harris. (They have the backing of, or at least hired, the media group that did the Swift Boat ads, Stevens Reed Curcio & Potholm. Most of their clients have been among the more “moderate” Republicans.)

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.

3 thoughts on “Gilchrest back on the issue of illegals, again”

  1. Rats. You got the info on the so-called “Republicans Who Care”. Are they that worried about Harris? I’ve also noticed the ads on WICO from the Club For Growth hammering on “liberal Wayne Gilchrest”. There’s no mention of any primary or other candidate in the ad, but it’s timing isn’t by accident.

  2. I’m no longer in the game, for obvious reasons, but I know it well . . .

    Here’s my objective analysis, given current realities (i.e.- the war and the economy), all of which are highly likely to continue, if not accelerate, into 2008 . . .

    Pipkin’s entry into the race assures Gilchrest the nomination as the Republican candidate for District 1, maybe not by a majority, but by a substantial plurality . . .

    Why? First, because Pipkin’s entry will split the ideological folks who would otherwise support Harris, and second, because District 1 Republicans, split as they are between the Eastern and Western Shores, tend to be more pragmatic than they are ideological, and thus cognizant of the fact that, given current political realities, Gilchrest, with his incumbency and middle-of-the-road record, is the GOP candidate most likely to win in 2008, a year that promises to be a serious Democratic romp akin to 1974, due to both the war and the economy . . .

    Kratovil will be the Democratic nominee, and he will be a strong candidate with the political winds at his back. Neither Harris nor Pipkin will beat him in 2008. Gilchrest has the best shot of beating Kratovil, particularly given how strong the tide is going to be against the GOP . . .

    I say this without any stake in the game. Hell, I can’t even vote in the primary, though I will be able to vote in the general . . .

    Just my objective read . . .

  3. Clearly, you have been out of the game Shaman…you show me a Democrat who can win the current 1st District, and I’ll buy you a case of beer…There is a reason Gilchrest has won since 1990. The Dems redistricted Districts 1 and 6 to always vote Republican, so that they could get conservatives out of districts 2 and 4 (Ehrlich and Morella’s old districts). In District 1, George Bush got over 65% as did Bob Ehrlich. That is, my friend, a Republican District!

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