Sheriffs across the country are planning a massive gathering in Washington, D.C., to speak out against President Obama’s potential executive action on immigration.
Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson of Bristol County, Mass., sent a letter to organize a meeting of sheriffs in Washington, D.C., on December 10, two days before the existing government-funding bill expires, to meet with congressmen and encourage them to take action to secure the border.
“Never before in our nation’s history has it been so important for the American sheriffs to stand united and speak with one voice to secure our nation’s borders,” Hodgson wrote. “Senator Jeff Sessions, Senator David Vitter and other members of Congress have agreed to join us at the Capitol to demand immediate action to secure our borders as the first step in achieving legitimate immigration reform in the future. Several sheriffs have agreed to work in a spirit of cooperation to assist in recruiting at least 200 sheriffs to travel to Washington, D.C. for this historic meeting and press conference with members of Congress.”
The timing of the sheriffs’ meeting with conservative congressmen suggests the congressmen may expect the showdown with President Obama over executive action on immigration will go down to the final days before government funding runs out on December 12.
Hodgson tells NRO he thinks the American people will rally around the sheriffs’ stand for secure borders. “I think by the sheriffs going there in big numbers, it places an incredible amount of emphasis on the most important thing that is impacting us in the biggest way in our country across every spectrum of our society, from medical to economics to safety and national security, and that is secure the borders,” he says. “We don’t need people to sit down there in Washington and sort of intellectualize what they think is the right thing to do without listening to the people who are dealing with these problems day-in and day-out and know the problems intimately.”
He says the sheriffs will send the message that: “We are sick and tired of being marginalized in our ability to protect our citizens. We want the border secured. And until you do that, until you secure these borders, which you’ve been telling us since Day One, you will never ever have legitimate comprehensive immigration reform.”