Arkansas Blog: The immigration mailbag

Funny I should mention the Republican Party in the same breath with racial-political considerations.

No sooner had I hit my mailbox than up popped an e-mail from a Republican sharing some e-mail flying around Republican circles on account of activities of Karen Ray, executive director of the Republican Party of Arkansas.

The GOP has been making a stir at the Capitol with anti-immigration hearings spearheaded by Reps. Jon Woods and Rick Green and Sen. Ruth Whitaker. (I expect a report soon on today's hearing from John Williams, but it's going to include some softening of the State Police on enforcing immigration laws.) The hearings are causing no shortage of heartburn in a business community that relies heavily on immigrant workers. And it turns out Arkansas Republicans are as split on this issue as national Republicans.

Ray has been quoted as saying she'll be working with the Farm Bureau on immigration legislation. That is, the legislation will protect farmers' dependency on immigrant labor, to the extent possible. Sort of like the Farm Bureau's animal cruelty legislation, which protected animal torturers in the name of preventing cruelty.

My source provides a variety of snippets from e-mail on the subject. It's on the jump, but worth your time. The party director's lecture of a legislator is getting a lot of attention among politicos, I can tell you.

E-MAIL EXCHANGES PROVIDED AND LABELED BY A REPUBLICAN SOURCE

From a Republican legislator:

"Karen has been asked by the Farm Bureau to be on their board to draft immigration legislation next session. Is this not a huge conflict of interest?

A response from a Republican name you'd recognize:

"Tell Karen her job is to elect Republicans to office, and that is it. She doesn't have any business being involved with groups other than the RPA. She isn't a policy expert she isn't even a political expert. She is only employed to hold that job until we can get someone with some actual experience to do it."

From GOP legislator to Ray:

Talked to Archie Schaffer. He said he will oppose any more bills filed on "immigration from state legislators."

Response from Ray:

I understand that fighting hard for your constituents' wants is very important. But I think as an elected official, it is more important that you fight for what they need, not necessarily what they want. Passing fair policies that make it easier for businesses to locate in Arkansas should be our priority, not passing feel-good legislation that is unconstitutional and runs the risk of making our party look racist. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh.

Arkansas needs better ecomnomic development incentives. Beebe has lost out on a few plants already. I think y'all should be championing economic policies that create JOBS, not introducing immigration legislation that makes Arkansas less attractive to business.

I'm going to side with the businesses on this one. Be careful!!

A comment from another Republican (he left Karen off of his response):

"Fuck everything she just said. When Tyson creates more jobs for illegal Mexicans in Springdale they are not helping the economy. They are literally destorying their own community. Every Mexican that comes to Arkansas takes job that an Arkansan could have had. Plus, Mexicans don't come anywhere close to paying in taxes what it cost for them to be here. Tyson, George's and anyone else in Chickendale that hires Mexicans does so at great cost to their own community.
Fuck em."

Comments

Did anyone else think that Ms. Ray was a little out of line trying to tell an elected office what he should and shouldn't do? Ms. Ray works for the Republican Party in a partisan position. She is supposed to elect more Republicans to office in Arkansas not tell those elected officials what to do. Looks like she just got her first real lesson in what it means to overstep your bounds.

ARK. BLOG: No more John Boozman posts. Find another name.

Posted by: John Boozman | September 18, 2007 03:12 PM

>>Fuck everything she just said. When Tyson creates more jobs for illegal Mexicans in Springdale they are not helping the economy. They are literally destrorying their own community.<<

Ah so classic red-neck Arky ! Fuckem ALL. Deport. Shoot'em. Hang'em!

That Arky neck should ask Chickendale landlords, car dealers, pawn shops, clothing stores, restaurant owners, banks, their views on our new population. Just a little downturn in home building-construction business caused Chickendale schools to lose $1.3 million. Even NWA banks now have billboards in Spanish. Local Wally stores have bi-lingual store signs and bi-lingual checkout clerks. If they rounded up half the undocumented aliens the town would experience it's greatest recession.

I took a taxi yesterday from Chickendale to Fayetteville. The driver was from Nigeria. Chickendale features the largest population of Marshallese people in the United States.

And how do you "destrorying" a community? The dumb shit can't spell.

OK chasv, come and tell us if the lord wanted Mexicans in Springdale he would have put them here 1000s of years ago.

Posted by: eLwood | September 18, 2007 03:30 PM

Oh, great. You had to mention Karen Ray. Now DBI will read it. Bringing up Karen Ray to him is like saying "Niagara Falls" to the Three Stooges. He'll spend the rest of the afternoon extolling the virtues of Karen Ray, Rachel Ray, T & A. . . .

There are so many things to laugh at in this thread that it would be endlessly entertaining if it didn't involve so serious a subject.

Karen Ray is not worried that republicans are racist -- she just doesn't want them to appear racist.

The response to her from the rich old rich white rich guys who control the Arkansas republican party: Shut up little girl. We didn't hire you to think. You're just s'posed to sit there, look purty and keep that seat warm until we can find a man to fill the job.

Oh, man, what if they can't find one -- will they have to hire an illegal alien? Or, since after all it is the Farm Bureau, maybe they're just waiting for Michael Vick to complete his unfortunate incarceration. Oh, no, my mistake. I forgot the skin color factor here.

Posted by: Vegan4Hillary | September 18, 2007 04:48 PM

In the last few months Arizona, Missouri and Georgia have enacted strict state immigration laws, to impede the occupation of foreign nationals without papers. I am sure other states will be following in line to fight this globalist agenda. However the Democratic Governor of Kansas believes only in Comprehensive reform, like most pandering Democrats. We need to educate the children of citizens and legal permanent residence. Let the wealthy elites and foreign governments accept the responsibility of seeing their citizens through college. American taxpayers are already overburdened with taxes to support the hospitals, housing foodstamps and prisons. Then again we are forced to police the world, why not support the poor and their extended families across the globe?

Right now patriots must fight another seige against allowing the 20 million plus illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, guest worker program or the lastest bill in the Senate, THE DREAM ACT. Call you Senator and demand they say NO!
www.numbersusa.com

Posted by: Brittanicus | September 20, 2007 06:41 PM

STOP THE DREAM ACT! INFORM YOUR SENATOR!

Posted by: Brittanicus | September 20, 2007 06:42 PM

Please do not tell me that in all of this "investigative reporting"/bashing that no one has mentioned that Karen Ray worked for IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT in DC. I bet that she knows a great deal more about national immigration issues and how Arkansas is affected than HALF of the representatives in Arkansas.

Posted by: yoodle | October 2, 2007 03:54 PM

Arkansas Blog

The immigration mailbag

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