Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
B.P. Molinaro blasts Congress as “spineless” for not walking out on Mexican President’s immigration diatribe
Commends Rep. McMahon for not taking part in “shocking, disgraceful display”
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Borough President James P. Molinaro today blasted members of Congress as “spineless” for not walking out on Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s recent speech to Congress criticizing U.S. immigration policy.
“In Mexico, illegal immigrants are deported and the police can stop you on the street and demand identification without probable cause,” Molinaro said. “What a hypocrite President Calderon is for lecturing Congress when Mexico uses much stricter methods than the new Arizona law.
“CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer confronted President Calderon over Mexico’s hypocrisy regarding what happens to illegals in his country by asking: ‘You find them and you send them back?’ And Calderon responded ‘Yes,’” Molinaro continued.
“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi allowed Mexico’s president to appear before Congress and harangue us about our illegal immigration problems,” added Molinaro. “You don’t get invited into someone’s home and say the kitchen’s dirty and you don’t raise your kids right.
“Nevertheless, President Calderon thought it appropriate to come into America’s house and criticize Arizona’s new immigration law,” Molinaro said. “The leader of a country notorious for its high murder, drug, and poverty rates shouldn’t be lecturing us on immigration.
“This despotic president’s hypocritical tirade on Arizona before Congress was made worse by the spontaneous cheers of Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and by members of Congress who failed to walk out of the hall,” Molinaro continued. “I commend Staten Island Congressman Michael McMahon for not taking part in this shocking, disgraceful display while his spineless colleagues applauded.”
June 7, 2010