Border Going to Consume DHS?

November 19, 2008 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Obama administration 

Politico reports that Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has been selected, and is likely to accept the position as Department of Homeland Security Secretary. She has apparently adeptly thread the needle on immigration politics, but does her nomination allow an issue barely talked about in the last election cycle to become conservative fodder?:

TIME reported: “The one issue Republicans think they can use against the popular Napolitano is illegal immigration, because the huge number of border crossings have left many Arizonans feeling overwhelmed and powerless. Her critics claim she came to the problem late, but she seems to have navigated it deftly. … Napolitano opposed … several bills that targeted illegal immigrants. Instead, she looked to the systems and people that make illegal immigration possible: she ordered state contractors to ensure that their employees are legal [and] set up an undercover unit to catch forgers of identity documents … In mid-August she declared a state of emergency in Arizona to direct more funds to protecting border areas from illegal crossings.”

Comments