| Senator Diane Feinstein then:
"It has come to my attention, Attorney General Gonzales that, despite high apprehension rates by Border Patrol agents along California's border with Mexico, prosecutions by the US attorney's office Southern District of California appear to lag behind. A concern voiced by Border Patrol agents is that low prosecution rates have a demoralizing effect on the men and women patrolling our nation's borders. It is my understanding that the US attorney's office, Southern District of California, may have some of the most restrictive prosecutorial guidelines nationwide for immigration cases, such that many Border Patrol agents end up not referring their cases. I'm concerned that lax prosecution [by Carol Lam] can endanger the lives of Border Patrol agents. In 2005, the US attorney's office in southern California [Carol Lam] convicted only 387 aliens for alien smuggling and 262 aliens for illegal reentry after deportation. When looking at the rates of conviction from 2003 to 2005, the numbers of convictions fall by nearly half. I'm concerned, Mr. Attorney General, about these low numbers. I would like to know what steps can be taken to ensure that immigration violators are vigorously prosecuted.
Senator Diane Feinstein now:
"An accumulation study done by USA Today places Carol Lam as one of the top three attorneys in the United States for the prosecution of these cases. It is a real surprise to me that you would say here that the reason for her dismissal was immigration cases." Labels: democrats, Diane Feinstein, politicians |
This is a great find. This is definitely one of the things that is a plus re: bloggers. In the sound bite society and short attention span Orwellian press contradictions like this are doomed to remain hidden.Strong work