Immigration and Customs Enforcement head,
Julie Myers, avoided facing a Senate confirmation hearing the first time she was put in charge of ICE through a recess appointment by President Bush. This was done after it looked like she wouldn't make it through a Senate confirmation hearing. Ohio Senator George Voinovich in particular had this to say "I think that we ought to have a meeting with [Homeland Security Secretary] Mike Chertoff ... to ask him ... why he thinks you're qualified for the job, ... Because based on your resume, I don't think you are". Voinovich later backed off his harsh criticism, but I'm guessing it had to do with politics, not his true feelings - and obviously not her qualifications.
Since then all we have seen is token busts at employers throughout this nation and a growing illegal alien gang problem and employers who continue to simply ignore the law with no repercussions.
What exactly was Julie Myers qualifications for becoming the head of ICE? Well, Myers is the niece of former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard B. Myers and she married Michael Chertoff's chief of staff, John F. Wood. So you guessed it, it was all pure cronyism.
President Bush renominated Julie Myers to head up ICE back in January. Now Julie Myers has to head through a true Senate confirmation hearing and I'm not expecting Senators to grill her on her lack of not only experience but performance. The Senate is where the illegal alien amnesty bill recently had a close call, so they are only more than willing to leave this unqualified person in charge of enforcing our immigration laws, because they know she can't do it. And as you'll see in the below story, Senators like Susan Collins of Maine, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma already have said glowing things about Myers and that she should have no problem being "reconfirmed". Have they even looked at her record?
Let me remind you that Julie Myers is the one who decided to allow illegal alien fugitive Elvira Arellano to remain "hidden" in plain sight at a church in Chicago for over a year. Also, if you've forgotten, we have over 600,000 criminal fugitive illegal aliens roaming our country that Myers has done little to nothing about. That shows her lack of leadership ability, her incompetence and lack of motivation to tackle this issue.
One of Julie Myers first hires as the head of ICE in January of 2006 was Daniel T. Fahner who was 30 at the time, a corporate litigator with no experience at all in border enforcement or immigration. He also happens to be another crony who is related.
Julie Myers also is against fencing along our southern border. She was quoted as saying "I don't think we think that fencing is the best way to stop them on the border" in May of 2006.
The news has been quiet about this and it's hard to even find any information on it. I've heard that ICE and Myers have kept it quiet in order to fly under the radar.
I call for Julie Myers to be removed from her position immediately and that someone who is serious and qualified is put in her place. Enough inaction from this corrupt Department of Homeland Security and ICE and enough of the cronyism, it has brought us nothing but an ineffective law enforcement system.
Federal Times
Myers currently is serving without confirmation — she was appointed to the job by President Bush during the 2005 congressional winter recess because it was feared that the full Senate would not approve her controversial nomination. The recess appointment expired in January, and Bush immediately renominated her.
...
“I think that on balance, Ms. Myers has done a good job and has put to rest many of the concerns, concerns that I shared about whether she had sufficient management experience for the job,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the committee’s ranking member. “We’re going to ask her some tough questions tomorrow, but in the end, I expect to support her.”
...
Until taking over ICE, which has more than 14,600 employees, Myers’ largest management job was as assistant secretary of Commerce for export enforcement, where she oversaw 170 employees.
Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and minority member Tom Coburn, of Oklahoma, said they think Myers has done a good job and indicated she has little to fear from their committee.
They're not sure when a Senate vote for her confirmation will occur.
Another travesty for America, I say.
Tipped by: Debbie Schlussel who has much more also here.
Other Commentary:
Illegal Protest
