Patterson On The Issues

Patterson on the Illegal Alien Issue

The issues associated with the illegal entry into the general population of the US have been intentionally ignored by national and state governments creating a significant problem for our local government and law enforcement to solve and enforce. Washington DC has failed at all levels to address this problem. For years the American people have asked our government in Washington to address and solve this nationwide problem but Washington has repeatedly ignored the request, turned their heads and passed the problem on to the state and local governments. Our state government has failed also to address this issue. Our state representatives have made statements time and again that this is a national problem and not a state problem. If my understanding of the Constitution of the United States is correct, when issues are not solved at the national level then the state governments are required to address the problem and if the state government fails to address the problem then it falls to the local governments. Even though the constitution gives the federal government authority over immigration, many of the collateral illegal activities that result from the lack of enforcement of our current national laws lead to violations of state and local laws which are the responsibility of local law enforcement. While I served on the Fort Walton Beach City Council I tried to address this problem. We at the council level failed to step forward and bring a resolution to the table addressing this issue. I call this the ostrich effect: stick your head in sand and hope it goes away. No problem is ever solved by pretending that it doesn't exist. At times, creative steps must be taken to solve these tough social issues. The courts, in their recent decisions across the United States, have started to recognize the right of both state and local governments to solve this problem. Identity theft by the use of false identification has become a national problem. It robs every citizen of their birthright. This must be brought to a halt. The illegal aliens, no matter where they are from, are provided false IDs using stolen Social Security numbers. This is creating a national crisis. I will create a task force made up of regular deputies, investigators, posse members and volunteers that will address this issue. It can be solved and must be solved within the next few years. With the number of the illegal aliens that are crossing our borders in a time of war is a clear and present danger to our national security. I am sure a lot of these people are good people and hard workers and would bring valuable resources to the American workforce but they are breaking our laws. When foreign nationals come across our borders it must be done legally. While working on US soil, they must pay taxes and social security. All Americans do their share for American education, medical benefits and other services that a free society enjoys. There should never be a free ride to freedom. While the national and state political structure tout the illegal aliens as honest hard working individuals who enter this country to do jobs that Americans do not want, they work off the record avoiding income tax, social security tax, workman's compensation and all the other expenses that are the foundations of middle class America. This undermines working class Americans. This 'low cost' work force of 'honest, hard working' individual enters the country illegally which makes them criminals. The very act of arriving here without permission is an act of contempt and disrespect for the 'laws of the land.' They continue down this path by working illegally, using false identification and working without paying the overhead to support themselves in terms of social services. Many of the crimes connected with and which are direct results of the illegal alien issues are against state and local laws. The community of illegal aliens is a consequence of disrespect for our laws and a belief that our laws simply do not apply to them.

With the mass influx of illegal aliens across our national border our security is at risk. The uncontrolled entry into the US is being used as a cover by highly undesirable criminal elements who are the enemy of the local culture. There is significant information to indicate that international terrorist organizations are also using this port of entry. Okaloosa County is the home to many targets of this second group. It would only take is a small dedicated group to bring mass destruction to a city inside the United States. The sheriff's office and its relationship to the community is the first line of intelligence information on illegal activities within the county. It is the responsibility of law enforcement at all levels to see that this event never takes place. As your sheriff I will work around-the-clock to see that our people and our military bases within Okaloosa County are protected.

Okaloosa County is changing. The Sheriff's office will have to adapt. The county is about to accommodate the decisions of the Base Realignment Committee [BRAC] which will bring a large number of new families to our neighborhood.

Support is our road to success. The supporting petition signatures that have put me on the ballot came from a very diverse cross section of the population of Okaloosa County who have decided that they wanted me to run for sheriff. I welcome your input, questions, and concerns. I welcome your contributions to our success.