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Creating a plan of their own
Gov. Janet Napolitano has an issue she's become more than active on in the past several months: The border.
Her first step was to send a letter to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales calling for money to reimburse the state for holding illegal immigrants in jails and prisons.
Another came with the declaration of an emergency in our state due to border issues. She freed up money for extra manhours with departments along the border, including for agencies in Cochise County. She has urged a discussion on the possibility of law enforcement helping to detain illegal immigrants.
Now the governor is part of another approach: Come up with a proposal to improve border security and reform immigration in the United States. This proposal, which she is working on with Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, is a way to try to bridge the gap in proposals that are hovering in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, she said Wednesday.
Napolitano, a Democrat, and Huntsman, a Republican, are working on a bipartisan plan.
Should our governor be spending her time putting this together? Is this just political positioning for the 2006 governor's race?
We could say it isn't her business to make proposals to the federal government, but governors need to get more involved in making points about the impact illegal immigration has on their states.
Even if their proposal fails, it sends another message to Congress and the White House that there are other leaders who expect something to be accomplished on immigration and border security.
Napolitano also is chair of the Western Governors' Association, so she plays a role in representing a wider group of interests. And with western states on the front lines of immigration, they are feeling the greatest initial impact.
All of this shows the governor is at least thinking about this issue and trying to help find solutions to what has been an unsolved problem for this state for too long.
We hope the governor continues to raise the issues of immigration reform and better border security. They are of interest in Cochise County, and we believe they are of importance for the nation, too.
We'll be waiting to see what new approach she brings to the table.
Her first step was to send a letter to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales calling for money to reimburse the state for holding illegal immigrants in jails and prisons.
Another came with the declaration of an emergency in our state due to border issues. She freed up money for extra manhours with departments along the border, including for agencies in Cochise County. She has urged a discussion on the possibility of law enforcement helping to detain illegal immigrants.
Now the governor is part of another approach: Come up with a proposal to improve border security and reform immigration in the United States. This proposal, which she is working on with Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, is a way to try to bridge the gap in proposals that are hovering in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, she said Wednesday.
Napolitano, a Democrat, and Huntsman, a Republican, are working on a bipartisan plan.
Should our governor be spending her time putting this together? Is this just political positioning for the 2006 governor's race?
We could say it isn't her business to make proposals to the federal government, but governors need to get more involved in making points about the impact illegal immigration has on their states.
Even if their proposal fails, it sends another message to Congress and the White House that there are other leaders who expect something to be accomplished on immigration and border security.
Napolitano also is chair of the Western Governors' Association, so she plays a role in representing a wider group of interests. And with western states on the front lines of immigration, they are feeling the greatest initial impact.
All of this shows the governor is at least thinking about this issue and trying to help find solutions to what has been an unsolved problem for this state for too long.
We hope the governor continues to raise the issues of immigration reform and better border security. They are of interest in Cochise County, and we believe they are of importance for the nation, too.
We'll be waiting to see what new approach she brings to the table.
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