Another day, another chance for Fox Noise to demagogue the issue of illegal immigration. This time it's Bill O'Reilly and Chris Wallace's turn, following the lead of their cohorts over at Fox & Friends. The Obama administration has hired former Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt to lead their outreach office at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. Media Matters has more on the attacks made on Fox & Friends that were repeated by O'Reilly and Wallace on The Factor. Anything to attack the Obama administration and drum up fear of those evil dirty brown people who just might be turrists coming here to destroy our way of life for the "real Americans".
Fox absurdly claims ICE official doesn't "believe in immigration enforcement":
Fox News falsely claimed that new ICE official Harold Hurtt is "a sanctuary city supporter" who doesn't "believe in immigration enforcement," since he has expressed concerns about local police "in the field" enforcing immigration law, concerns that are widely held among law enforcement leaders. In fact, Houston under Chief Hurtt was not a "sanctuary city," according Fox's own definition, and he has reportedly said that in his role at ICE, "he will support local law enforcement agencies' decision to participate in any ICE program of their choosing, even if it involves questioning suspects on the street about their status."
Fox calls Hurtt a "supporter of sanctuary cities," which "do not check for immigration papers".
...In fact, Houston cooperated with ICE when Hurtt was serving as police chief
Hurtt said that at ICE, he will support local decisions on enforcement of immigration. The Houston Chronicle reported on June 23 that Hurtt, who served as Houston's police chief from 2004 through 2009 and was selected to be the director of the Office of State and Local Coordination at ICE, expressed "concerns" about "officers in the field" asking about immigration status, citing "resource capabilities," and concerns that fewer members of immigrant communities would "com[e] forward to report crime." The Chronicle further reported:
Hurtt said that in his new role, he will support local law enforcement agencies' decision to participate in any ICE program of their choosing, even if it involves questioning suspects on the street about their status.
"That's a decision that needs to be made at a local level," he said.
ICE official in 2006: "Houston is not a sanctuary city, by the definition." The Houston Chronicle reported on June 30, 2006, that Bob Rutt, the agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Houston, said that "Houston police notify ICE when officers arrest people wanted by ICE. He said officers also call his agency when they suspect violent criminals might be in the country illegally, and they help out on some criminal operations." Read on...
But in O'Reilly and Wallace's world, he's a "sanctuary guy". Transcript below the fold.
