Michael Chertoff Quotes

When Maricopa County Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio cracked down on illegal immigration without getting permission from Obama, they threatened to revoke his 287(g) status. When Sheriff Joe refused to balk, they filed suit against him with a frivolous civil rights claim.

If you have a federal government that's not enforcing the law and does not preserve the integrity of its own borders, then naturally, states are going to take matters into their own hands.

Because the worst of all worlds is when you pretend like you have an immigration policy, you make coming into the United States without our permission illegal, and then you actually don't enforce it.

We must safely secure our border by investing in more law enforcement and technology, and receiving cooperation from the Mexican government.

I will continue to enforce all the laws, including illegal immigration. Nothing changes.

These are busy times for the Border Patrol, the customs agents, immigration folks; but if we are going to send these agencies to fight a war on drugs, to fight a war against illegal behavior, we have to send them the proper tools.

If America is a nation of laws as we proclaim, then our immigration laws are part of the package.

Immigration laws are the only laws that are discussed in terms of how to help people who break them.

Quite simply, federal laws already on the books aimed at stopping the flow of illegal immigration must be enforced. Furthermore, states must be given the resources necessary to confront the problem, which includes strengthening the border patrol.

Well, I'm not saying that we're solving every problem or arresting every person that ought to be arrested and deported, but we're doing a better job than has been done in the past.

The simple answer to the illegal alien problem is to secure our boarders and enforce the law.

Because of Congress’s failure to act, States like Arizona have no choice but to take a strong action to discourage the further flow of illegal immigration through our borders.

The Federal Government does not control our borders as the law requires …. I haven’t received a response saying that the check is in the mail….When people illegally cross our borders that the Federal Government is supposed to control, the Federal Government should pick up the tab.

We all agree on the need to better secure the border and to punish employers who choose to hire illegal immigrants. We are a generous and welcoming people, here in the United States, but those who enter the country illegally, and those who employ them, disrespect the rule of law and they are showing disregard for those who are following the law.

I did vote to defund the Obama program that defers deporting the so-called DREAMers, because that was the president's decision, and the president shouldn't unilaterally get to decide what laws to enforce or not enforce.

Know when cities and states refuse to help enforce immigration laws, our nation is less safe.

The federal government is responsible for addressing how to address the status of the estimated 9 to 15 million people who are in the country illegally, but local and state law enforcement can be helpful partners in that regard.

I am for deporting all recent unattached illegals. I am for a local citizen panel to consider certification of those who have been here 25 years and have family and community and have been law-abiding and tax-paying.

We have a serious problem in this country, and that is securing this country and making sure that the rule of law's upheld. And I applaud Arizona in regards to this.

No nation can have the policy that whole classes of people are immune from immigration law or enforcement. It was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry, period. The message is that no one is exempt from immigration law.

The U.S. government has a sacred, solemn, inviolable obligation to enforce the laws of the United States to stop illegal immigration and to secure and protect the borders.

Immigration is a federal issue. The failing of Washington to implement an immigration system that works for our families and our businesses - it's Washington's failure. For us locally in Colorado, it's really important that all people here feel comfortable with their local law enforcement.

I am pleased to be endorsed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Like Sheriff Joe, I believe that illegal immigration is a major problem that undermines the rule of law.

Under President Obama, we saw an unwarranted extension of amnesty programs which neglected the root of the illegal immigration crisis. We saw a troubling lack of urgency in addressing the sanctuary cities which subvert the rule of law.

The hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who have unlawfully crossed our border are posing a significant threat to the government's ability to effectively enforce our nation's immigration laws.