Last week, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi repeatedly told a group of immigrants that enforcing American immigration laws was “un-American.” Some of those in her San Francisco audience had no doubt criminally entered the United States.
She proceeded to tell the crowd that they were the “true patriots” for being against illegal immigration enforcement. As a representative for the entire Congress, Pelosi seriously overstepped her boundaries by devaluing the commitment of law enforcement employees to protect our country and enforce the law.
Pelosi says enforcing the law is “Un-American” – I say her words are unacceptable. As a politician who has sworn to uphold the law, she makes a mockery of that oath with her accusations.
With her influential position, I hope Madame Pelosi will apologize to her fellow Americans and proceed with steps to make effective immigration reform a reality. I have even sent her a letter demanding she do just that. I've copied the text of the letter below the fold...
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March 24, 2009
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
H-232 United States Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Madam Speaker:
We are aware that on March 14, 2009, you gave a private speech in front of a group of both legal and illegal immigrants and their families. As Members of the House of Representatives, we believe that calling the hard working law enforcement officers at the Department of Homeland Security “un-American” is both cruel and hurtful. Many national news outlets recently reported that in this private speaking engagement you called worksite enforcement and the deportation of illegal workers “un-American.” As longtime supporters of the rule of law, we feel your statements are grossly inappropriate. Through thoughtful consideration and full debate, Congress has established long-standing rules that pertain to how people can emigrate and work in this country. The men and women of the Department of Homeland Security deserve our praise for their tireless efforts to enforce those laws.
Your admonishment may be popular in the 8th Congressional District in San Francisco, however as Speaker of the House, you represent Congress as a whole and as such it is your duty to stand for the rule of law as it is passed by this body. Calling the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security who have taken the oath to defend the constitution of the United States "un-American" is unacceptable. We assume you did not expect the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security to hear this, but they have and we recommend you apologize to them.
Sincerely,
Rep. Brian Bilbray
Rep. Jack Kingston
Rep. John Duncan
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland
Rep. Marsha Blackburn
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher
Rep. Patrick McHenry
Rep. John Sullivan
Rep. John Carter
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite
Rep. Phil Roe
Rep. Paul Broun
Rep. Dan Burton
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer
Rep. Howard Coble
Rep. Gus Bilirakis
Rep. Mike Coffman
Rep. Gingrey
Rep. Sam Johnson
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