Congressman Tancredo Mocks Parrot Arrests

By Bobby Eberle
Talon News
December 22, 2004

Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) issued a statement on Tuesday contrasting the government's zeal in preventing parrots from Mexico from illegally entering the country with their efforts to stop illegal immigration in general.

Under the headline "Apparently There Are No Jobs Available That American Parrots Won't Do," Tancredo said he was surprised to learn of the "incredible success that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers enjoyed in apprehending smugglers attempting to illegally smuggle 150 Lilac Crowned and Mexican Redhead Amazon Parrots into the United States."

The statement points out that ICE, however, has not had the same luck in preventing an estimated 3 million illegal alien human beings from swarming into the U.S. annually unchecked.

"It's nice to see that ICE has their priorities in order," quipped Tancredo, head of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus. "Now that we appear able to successfully identify and apprehend parrots attempting to enter the U.S. illegally, perhaps doing the same with people is just around the corner."

In addressing illegal immigration questions at Wednesday's press conference, President Bush said that America wants border patrol agents "chasing crooks and thieves and drug runners and terrorists, not good-hearted people who are coming here to work."

"And therefore, it makes sense to allow the good-hearted people who are coming here to do jobs that Americans won't do a legal way to do so," Bush added in reference to his guest worker plan. "And providing that legal avenue, it takes the pressure off the border."

The president said that the border should be "modern" and that border patrol should be upgraded.

"Now, one of the important aspects of my vision is that this is not automatic citizenship," Bush explained. "The American people must understand that. That if somebody who is here working wants to be a citizen, they can get in line like those who have been here legally and have been working to become a citizen in a legal manner."

Tancredo, who supports some form of guest worker program but who has been a vocal critic of the administration's efforts to increase border security and stop illegal immigration, noted in his press release that an international environmental organization called WildAid congratulated the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and ICE for "foiling the diabolical plot of the sinister bird-smugglers in San Diego earlier this year, and 'deporting' the parrots to Mexican wildlife authorities."

"Better yet," added Tancredo, "Perhaps we should explore the possibility of moving the Fish and Wildlife Service from the Interior Department over into Homeland Security."