New Mexico’s Republican Gov.S usana Martinez says through a spokesman that she has no affiliation whatsoever with an organization led by former New York City major Michael Bloomberg called the “Partnership for a New American Economy” that is designed to push amnesty for illegal aliens.
“Governor Martinez has no affiliation with this group,” Martinez spokesman Michael Lonergan told Breitbart News. “The Governor’s position on immigration is very clear and was detailed with her op-ed in the Washington Times.“
A Martinez aide added in an email that she is “focused on public safety, which in New Mexico means fighting to repeal the driver’s license law [which her predecessor implemented to provide licenses to illegal aliens] which is supported by three-quarters of people” and, as such, “no one would mistake her – a former prosecutor on the border – for being soft on border security or amnesty.”
Martinez, noting she doesn’t have any affiliation with the amnesty lobbying firm–which Bloomberg heads along with a group of liberal lawmakers, an Obama cabinet official, and several CEOs – all of whom support widespread amnesty for illegal aliens–comes after a scuffle the group had with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a likely 2016 GOP presidential candidate.
Paul, through attorney Brian Darling, demanded that the group remove his photograph from its pro-amnesty literature on its website. The group complied on Monday morning. This move makes Martinez the second major Republican to denounce the Bloomberg group’s efforts and distance herself from it.
Others who join Bloomberg at the top of the Partnership for a New American Economy group include Newscorp Chairman Rupert Murdoch, Philadelphia’s liberal mayor Michael Nutter, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, San Antonio’s liberal former mayor Julian Castro – who is now Obama’s Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Boeing CEO Jim McNerney, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and Marriott chairman Bill Marriott.
Other Republicans highlighted on the pro-amnesty website include incoming House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), likely 2016 presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson, and Colorado Senator-elect Cory Gardner. Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist testified before a Senate committee in favor of the “Gang of Eight” amnesty bill. Praise by Democrats like Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and the Chamber of Commerce’s Tom Donohue are also featured on the site. Norquist’s team specifically refused, on Monday, to denounce any attempts by the Bloomberg group to use his image.
But Martinez’s statement is now the second major Republican on the list to officially note she’s not at all affiliated with Bloomberg’s organization. It is worth noting that she isn’t demanding taking her picture down as Paul did, but it’s also true that the photo being used is in the public domain.
Bloomberg’s Partnership for a New American Economy spent countless hours and millions of dollars advocating the passage of the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” amnesty bill, and it has voiced support for President Obama’s executive amnesty announcement–arguing that it means Congress should now pass a widespread amnesty.
Martinez is hardly someone who stands with Bloomberg’s positions on amnesty for illegal aliens. As a border state governor and former prosecutor in New Mexico, she has aggressively pushed for tougher security measures–something she noted in the Washington Times op-ed published last week, and since promoted by Bloomberg’s group.
She does, in the op-ed, push “comprehensive immigration reform,” but doesn’t even once say that such reform would even include legalization for illegal aliens–never mind the full blown fast-track to citizenship Obama’s executive amnesty and the Senate “Gang of Eight” bill that Bloomberg’s group supports would give them. Instead, Martinez’s op-ed focuses exclusively on the security and safety measures necessary because the border is insecure–without mentioning what to do with the status of those here illegally at all.
Martinez wrote
For most of my life, I’ve lived along the border. In fact, I was a prosecutor for 25 years in a county that is less than an hour from one of the most violent cities in the world, Juarez, Mexico. As a border prosecutor, I’ve put criminals behind bars who worked for some of the most violent cartels in the world. I know firsthand the consequences of an unsecured border, and I understand how it impacts lives and families. Now, as the governor of a border state, it is my responsibility to do whatever it takes to protect the people of New Mexico. That is why I have worked to repeal laws that jeopardize public safety, because my state will never be a sanctuary for criminals.
Martinez even noted that she’s working on rescinding the driver’s licenses her predecessor, former Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, gave to illegal aliens.
“My predecessor allowed driver’s licenses to be given to illegal immigrants — an unsafe practice that I am working to repeal,” Martinez wrote. “Every year since I’ve been in office, I have worked across the aisle to craft a bipartisan compromise to repeal this dangerous law, but partisans in the Legislature continue to stall efforts, even though 75 percent of New Mexico voters support repealing the law.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.