WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Legislation moving through Congress would increase federal reimbursements for the millions of dollars state and local governments spend jailing illegal immigrants each year as more communities pursue aggressive enforcement.

The House this week approved a measure that would consider far more state and local inmates eligible for federal reimbursement, while the Senate has approved legislation more than doubling spending for the program from $417 million to $950 million.

More communities throughout the U.S. are pursuing aggressive enforcement policies against illegal immigrants as they claim the federal government is not doing the job; locally, Prince William County this year established a much-publicized crackdown on illegal immigrants who commit crimes.

The House measure would give jail officials more authority to apply for federal funding through the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. Jail officials can be reimbursed only for those who have been convicted; the bill would allow reimbursement for inmates who have been charged with multiple misdemeanors or felonies. The measure is expected to pass the Senate.

President Bush proposed scrapping the program this year in his budget, but lawmakers instead are seeking to bolster its resources.

“This is a federal responsibility, and the federal government should not shortchange state and local governments,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said on her Web site, calling current practices “patently unfair.”

In an example of the local government’s struggles trying to win federal funding, Prince William County says it spends about double what it charges the federal government for housing illegal immigrants in its overcrowded jail. The facility is seeking to increase its charges for each prisoner from $65 per day to $115.

While California Democrats have helped lead the effort, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, an anti-illegal-immigration champion who personally endorsed Prince William County Chairman Corey Stewart in last year’s election, also supports the added funding and additional power as ways to increase the scope of local enforcement.

“More than anything else, it is a recognition by the part of the federal government. Their failure to control illegal immigration is having a profound impact on state and local governments,” said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the anti-illegal-immigration Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform. “These states are really taking it on the chin.”

dgenz@dcexaminer.com

Comments from Examiner Readers

2:15 PM MST on Mon., Apr. 7, 2008 re: "Use money transfers to stop illegal immigrants"

doctorfixit said:
Hey you stole my idea! First, calculate the illegal-immigrant deficit created when illegals fail to pay taxes, insurances, medical bills, education costs, in-state tuition, welfare, food stamps, prosecution and prison costs, immigration control, Border Patrol, immigration courts, deportation costs, defense attorney fees, costs to treat sewage, greenhouse gas emissions, environmental degradation, costs for bilingual government documents, and all the other costs of illegal immigration foisted on the US taxpayers. Second, divide this amount into the $total that illegals send back to Mexico each year. This percentage will be the "freedom fee" that will be deducted from each money transfer back to Mexico. (Do not be surprised if the "freedom fee" is close to 100%!) After all, illegals are costing us a horrendous amount of money each year, and they are in effect sending our money, not theirs, back to Mexico.

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1:03 PM MST on Mon., Apr. 7, 2008 re: "Use money transfers to stop illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Your suggestion to track and round up illegal immigrants by their money transfers sent to Mexico is almost as ignorant of someone taking legal action against me while I was stationed overseas for sending money back home to my family. What about the other millions of people that come to this country illegally from all over the world: Asians, Africans, Eastern Europeans, etc? Grow a brain! There are plenty of laws already in place to deal with illegal immigrants and anybody else that breaks our laws...we need better enforcement of those laws. Your suggestion is disgusting and gives you the credibility of a bag of mulch.

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6:41 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 6, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Fred said:
This from the city that is facing a fiscal crisis already, right? No wonder they say that liberalism is a mental disorder.

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4:01 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 6, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

City Dweller said:
Let's don't forget the ultra-dangerous threat from illegal aliens crossing the border from Canada!! Why, those people look just like us! They can speak the language almost like us! They are taking our white-collar jobs! They may be in your middle-class neighborhood right now...fer cryin' out loud, you might be having them over to dinner tonight! So help protect the USofA against these interlopers! Ask all your neighbors and co-workers who look like Canadians if they're legal, and if you think there's anything fishy, at all, about them, report them to your local Homeland Security Office immediately. Don't just sit there and let this incursion overtake us!

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2:03 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 6, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
It seems everyone here is stuck on Mexican illegals. Please don't forget to add in the toll, and threats from, illegals from the rest of Latin America (a trip to the Mission District will show many businesses devoted to helping them send money back to their many different home countries in Central and South America). We are overwhelmed with people barging in illegally from China and other Asian countries, India, Pakistan, and even Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and other hostile Arab countries, and others, like the Phillipines (have you noticed how hostile THEY are in their jobs?). Multiply the amount of money earned here and "sent home" by all those people to all those countries, plus the people who are here legally but who send money back to their country, or who wait and spend their money when they go back there, and THEN you have a better picture of what a DRAIN this is on our economy. If employers would only realize that if you hire American, they reinvest earnings in our community.

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1:40 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 6, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
To sickofrisco and to all others who despise disabled SF people and ones in need of apts. I resent your throwing "homeless" (a stupid designation--since when is needing a home/apt. abnormal? every human in the world needs one) in with illegals and criminals. Some are useless addicts and parasites, but some are good useful people pushed out of their housing illegally by corrupt landlords and courts who also refuse to honor Calif. tenant's rights laws, or who lost housing due to job cuts, untreated illness or injury, and so forth. Illegals also bully lots of Americans out of their housing when they start moving into buildings. They take OUR subsidized housing, offered to them by the City gov., and they then treat our unfortunate citizens with contempt, ridicule, and even violence. I know for a fact that many SF residents and citizens do't get needed medical care here, are actually turned away from even General Hospital, myself included, and are deprived of services offered illegals.

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12:22 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 6, 2008 re: "Use money transfers to stop illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Why don't we just tax all outbound remittances, then use those taxes to replace the dollars these illegal, lawbreaking people leach out of our public coffers? And while we are at it, let's tax payroll money that flows from American companies to offshore employees. Let these greedy corporations pay a penalty for sending our jobs overseas.

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8:48 AM MST on Sun., Apr. 6, 2008 re: "Use money transfers to stop illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Currently residing in mexico, I can assure you they (illegals) dont remit money back home by snailmail. No one especially mexicans trust their postal system. Banks such as wells fargo have special accounts to make these transfers easy. With the current foreign buyout of mexican banks, there are few hindrances to such business. Good angle. dick

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8:41 AM MST on Sun., Apr. 6, 2008 re: "Use money transfers to stop illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Consider the following facts: 1. illegal immigrants send a huge amount of money out of the US in remittances 2. a significant percentage of the US prison population consists of illegal immigrants whose incarceration must be paid through taxes 3. the US medical system (including emergency rooms) provides free health care to many illegal immigrants 4. our schools spend approximately $10,000 per year educating the children of illegal immigrants and educating the illegal immigrants who wish to go to school Yet many ignore these facts when they claim that illegal immigration is a huge benefit to the US economy. We need to get real.

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2:40 AM MST on Fri., Apr. 4, 2008 re: "City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Newsom should be prosecuted instead of rewarded by receiving media coverage to boost his ego. I doubt many tourists from other states will want to visit San Francisco in the future when they realize what Mayor Newsom stands for. He is a traitor to the people and the laws of the United States, and the taxpayers should be very angry! He is using their money for his own agenda. His narcissism is deplorable. When the economy is so bad, people are losing their homes in the State of California, many are losing their jobs and having to claim bankruptcy, Mayor Newsom has the guile to spend their tax money on a sanctuary city campaign! This is absolutely unacceptable! Mayor Newsom should be thrown out of office and sent to prison!

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2:39 AM MST on Fri., Apr. 4, 2008 re: "City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Governor Swartzenegger has asked the President for more national guardsmen to secure the southern border along Mexico, and he has not assisted the governor; yet, to the north, Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, has spent A LOT of taxpayer's money on a sanctuary city campaign. He is not fooling anyone. He is pandering to special interests and trying to get cheap, imported labor into San Francisco. And this causes problems for the rest of the US. Those illegal aliens don't just stay in one area. They move to other states, and the problem spreads. Also there is no reason for this man to use such a large amount of taxpayer's money to advertise to illegals to come to San Francisco except that he wants the hispanic vote in the future. He obviously cares nothing for no one except himself. These people are ILLEGALLY in this country, and he is blatantly disobeying our country's laws and encouraging illegals to disobey our laws. This is disgusting behavior for a political official

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7:05 AM MST on Sun., Mar. 30, 2008 re: "$2B plan would let feds track illegals in prison"

Examiner Reader said:
why does this cost 2B????????????

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10:48 PM MST on Sat., Mar. 29, 2008 re: "$2B plan would let feds track illegals in prison"

Examiner Reader said:
"But the chairman, Rep. David Price, D-N.C., spoke with her Friday and "is encouraged the agency is willing to work with Congress to address the concerns he raised," his spokesman Paul Cox said." This indicates that when they address the "concerns" it will be so far watered down that it will not be of any benefit!

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10:39 AM MST on Sat., Mar. 22, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Target the employers, Arizona passed a successful law, whereby a company hiring illegals gets its license suspended for 10 days for a 1st offense and have business license revoked for 2nd offense. It has been so effective that the Mex consolate in Phonex has been bombarded with requests for Mex birth certificates for anchor babies. If you punish the rich white guys who illegally give illegal aliens jobs then you cut of the reason for their coming here in the 1st place. These people self imported and if you cut off the supply of illegal employment they will self export. Doesn't matter about the wacko college professors, only a few thousand people read their obscure books. It is the rich white guys who are betraying America by hiring these people. There are only about 10,000 corporate owners, taking their business license is easier than deported millions of illegals.

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9:15 PM MST on Mon., Mar. 10, 2008 re: "City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
What a crock. Federal funding should be completely cut off from this city. For all their crying and boo-hooing about immigration being a federal matter, they sure do go out of their way to obstruct federal efforts to control the illegal problem. I just love the part about illegals "deserving" these city services. From where I stand they don't deserve anything but a deportation hearing and a boot back south of the border.

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3:41 PM MST on Wed., Mar. 5, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

will said:
I am proud of the actions taken by Mr. Minor and hopefully for successful conclusions in his efforts to protect and serve the INS and our Country and our people whom share our aspirations of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all with the best possible respect and regard for god, man and country. Unfortunately, I am devestated and saddened by the, in my view hastily and the possibly to some extent the possible preemptively improper actions taken against Mr. Minor. Please note I have absolutely no facts as to these highly important allegations and matters, although my suggestion would be to contact the NWC, National Whistleblower Center and Mr. Stephen M. Kohn and the GAP, Government Accountability Project. Hopefully and at least someone will step forward and assist Mr. Minor in contacting these Organizations. My deepest, sincere gratitude and appreciation to POGO and Mr. Micheal Smallberg for the continued courageous, bravery, fortitude, determination and perserverence in

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11:03 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 3, 2008 re: "Immigration official targeted in corruption probe"

will said:
As a result, he could now be facing a 10-year jail sentence. Rosemary Jenks, a lobbyist for tougher immigration laws, believes that officials are giving Miner an unusually harsh punishment as retaliation for his whistleblowing: "We're supposed to be in a war against terrorism, and they're prosecuting Lloyd Miner for falling in love with an illegal alien...To be honest with you, the moral of the story: if you work for the government, don't blow the whistle." Unfortunately, no one plans to be a whistleblower, and every case is different, but we recommend that public employees check out The Art of Anonymous Activism: Serving the Public While Surviving Public Service. Click here to read Chapter 1, "Blowing the Whistle May Be Hazardous to Your Professional Health." -- Michael Smallberg

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11:01 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 3, 2008 re: "Immigration official targeted in corruption probe"

will said:
No, We're Not Entering the Debate on Immigration--This Is About Whistleblowing ABC's Washington, D.C. affiliate, WJLA (Channel 7), ran a story earlier this week on Lloyd Miner, a law enforcement veteran of 24 years who is facing time in a federal prison after blowing the whistle on his former boss at the U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services. Miner's former boss, Robert Schofield, was caught accepting bribes and sexual favors in exchange for green cards and phony visas. Miner helped to expose Schofield's criminal operations, but he soon found himself under investigation and surveillance. Last April, federal agents stormed Miner's home looking for evidence of a connection to Schofield. After no such evidence surfaced, they decided instead to arrest his girlfriend, who was living in the U.S. on an expired student visa. When she was released to Miner after he posted bond for her, officials charged him with harboring an illegal immigrant. As a result, he could now be fac

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4:51 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 3, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
What a croc. The city is breaking the law. May be it should have its federal funding removed.

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11:11 AM MST on Sun., Mar. 2, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Tomas said:
There seems to be a lot of white liberal guilt motivating the decisions made in San francisco to accomodate illegal immigrants. Don't those people realize that in the country where most of these illegals come from (Mexico), it is considered a crime to harbor or provide assistance to illegals from other countries?

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4:29 PM MST on Sat., Mar. 1, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Sure, everybody dispises California, but they'll gladly take our tax money.

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11:57 AM MST on Sat., Mar. 1, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Seven said:
Is there any way I can get my US citizenship revoked? I'd like more city services than I'm currently able to receive.

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10:32 AM MST on Sat., Mar. 1, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Thanks Gavin and you pac of idiots (stupidvisors). I cannot afford to be a progressive though. I have to work for a living.

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7:14 AM MST on Sat., Mar. 1, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
California is an odd place....want to drive cars, don't want to drill for oil, want electricity, but don't want power plants, ban smoking and fireplaces, but think nothing of burning the forests every year due to insane management policies. Running out of water? No problem-use another state's resources. All across the board, Californians want all sorts of things, but somehow fail to recognize there is a price to be paid....usually by someone else! So it is with the free ride for illegals...Californians will do "great" things, as long as someone else bears the pain and foots the bill. What a pack of spoiled, whiney, illogical, liberal brats. Is it any wonder sensible people despise the lot of you?

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1:58 AM MST on Sat., Mar. 1, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Excellent. I think that word of this policy should be disseminated as widely as possible in both the U.S and Mexico. That way illegals will know that all they have to do is make it to SF and they will be provided with free food, free housing, free medical care and free schooling for their children. All paid for by SF residents. I'm sure that Mexico City could print comic books letting them know of this as well as providing maps of how to get there. I'm equally sure that Mexico City and points south would be more than happy to flush their slums into SF. Can you say Mariel Boatlift, children? The residents of SF are more than welcome to stand up and make a statement. But it is not incumbent on the rest of us to pay for it. Have a nice life SF

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10:39 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Kenji-san said:
Of course, once all those illegals get to SF, start receiving benefits, and bleed the city dry, it will be all the fault of Bush and the Republicans for not giving Baghdad-Iraq-by-the-Bay enough Federal funding, right?

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7:22 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader, TX said:
I'm writing my Senators and Representatives in Washington right now to demand that all Federal funding be withdrawn from San Francisco. SF is the laughing stock of the country now. Illegal immigrants have a perfect destination now, right?

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3:58 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

JT said:
"The city-funded outreach campaign is expected to roll out this spring and build on San Francisco�s response to last year�s federal immigration raids, which city officials said scared undocumented immigrants into not accessing city services, reporting crimes or sending children to school." In other words, they are doing this to spite the feds and everyone in this country who wants our immigration laws enforced? The citizens of San Francisco must be proud of being represented by children who never grew up.

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3:55 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Now, we won't just be the homelss capital of America, we'll be the official provider of all essential services for illegal aliens in North America! Sweet. Hey, supervisors, you'd better increase business taxes now to pay for all this.

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3:06 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Reader #9 said:
stupid is as stupid does...

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1:45 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
What galls me is the use of taxpayer funds to pay for all this. These "deserving people" aren't inclined to tell us who they are or even learn english before they came here to rob us of emergency and welfare services. We have our own poverty issues without giving a handout to ever Jose, Fernado and Juanita that crosses the border. Just think how much money is spent on illegals that could've been used to improve the quality of your parks, roads, schools or to help the urban outdoorsman, disabled and elderly.

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1:16 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader 88 said:
Excellent idea San Fran! I think you should open your arms to the illegal alien population of the country, advertise nationally, and invite them to your fine city. In fact, how about taking ours? Please do! Once your city is loaded to the brim with them I'd move that all federal funding be removed from your city due to your willingness to harbor known criminals. Let's do it now, not tomorrow, not next week, TODAY!

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12:26 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
My finger will be pointed at San Francisco and other cities that have these santuary policies for illegal aliens the next time I hear about another act of gang violence perpetrated by Mexican gangs or the next time terrorists take advantage of our lax enforcement of immigration laws to sneak into the country and attack us. Watching San Francisco keep re-electing this idiot Newsom reminds me of watching Newark, NJ keep re-electing Former Mayor Sharpe James and watching Washington, DC keep re-electing Marion Barry. It's a sad state of affairs in San Francisco if Newsom is the best candidate they can come up with!

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11:08 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
I would add that most provisions in the Constitution are NOT specific to citizens and apply to all people. Please don't distribute misinformation.

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11:07 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
I wonder if you ever drive over the speed limit, Pizen. Or jaywalk. Have you ever littered? If you've done any of these things, or ever broken any other law, I'd say that your failure to "respect the laws of the country you so loudly claim to love ... speaks volumes to the respect you show for this country."

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11:05 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

James S. Borona * Fairfield, CT said:
All Federal funding to San "Fransicko" should be withdrawm immediately, if not sooner. We the People (taxpayers) spend nearly $50 billion per year to incarcerate criminals of which about one-third are illegal immigrants. When the drain on other social services are considered a full $338 billion per year is spent to provide for ILLEGALS. It is time to draw a line in the sand.

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10:44 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "Hispanic activist groups call for halt to enforcement of immigration laws"

Pizen said:
Your desire to "have one chance to live like everyone else" does not trump the law. Your gender, your race, your color, your religion - all do not matter to me. What matters to me is whether you respect the law of the country you so loudly claim to love. And the fact that you are here illegally speaks volumes as to the respect you show this country. Yes, many of you work at jobs for low pay, but you make up for that by sucking at the social services teat to the point where it is to be expected, or so the liberals would proclaim. And when we ask our elected officials to enforce our laws, we're called bigots and haters and racists. Why? Because white guilt works. Don't be duped by these inappropriate and mindless accusations - there is nothing wrong by insisting that visitors to this country sign in at the front desk first.

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10:39 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Cut off ALL funding for 6 months or a year.... I'm thinking that will do the trick. I know it's an extreme idea, but this is a serious issue that cannot and should not be ignored... I'm thinking that 12 months of no financial assistance from the government will probably cause the people of San Francisco to make alot of changes come election time... First and foremost that the A**clown Mayor Gavin Newome get kicked to the curb or better yet maybe he'll get impeached... It's such a shame that such a beautiful and fun city can be such a national embarrasment at the same time... Don't even get me started on Berkeley and Santa Cruz---those two places certainly don't take a back seat when you're talking about great embarrassments in our country. War John McCain in '08!!!

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9:40 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "The City to publicize its status as sanctuary for illegal immigrants"

Examiner Reader said:
Everyone, remember what the one thing Gavin Newsom did prior to the last Presidential election that changed the election outcome (some think)? For those that don't, he instituted/allowed gay marriage within his city. Now, some believe that stunt pushed some voters to vote Republican and help put Bush in office again. There were Democrat whispers that Gavin Newsom helped the Democrats lose the election. This sanctuary city "advertising" campaign is due out this spring - perhaps just in time to affect the current presidential campaign? Ha, keep it up Gav - this additional stunt ought to polarize some swing voters over to vote Republican. Heck, even Obama didn't want to get his picture taken standing next to the The Gav - so The Gav now supports Hillary.

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9:37 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008 re: "Hispanic activist groups call for halt to enforcement of immigration laws"<