Ellis Island Will Host Christie’s Inaugural Celebration

Historic Ellis Island will be the site of Governor Chris Christie’s second Inaugural Celebration, according to an announcement from the Inaugural Committee.

photo by Art Gallagher. click for larger view

Woodbridge, NJ – Governor Christie’s 2014 Inaugural Committee today announced that the Grand Hall at historic Ellis Island in Jersey City will be the host venue for the Celebration of the Inauguration of Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno.

The Inaugural Celebration will take place the evening of January 21, 2014, following the traditions of a morning Inaugural service and formal noon Swearing-In Ceremony for the Governor and Lt. Governor. More details on the full schedule of Inauguration Day activities will be announced in the coming days.

In addition, www.Inaugural2014.org has been established as the Inaugural Committee’s website. The site now allows for contributions to be made and will be updated to provide the public the latest information on all Inauguration Day activities, including ticketing information for the evening reception. Space will be limited and tickets are expected to sell out quickly.

New Jersey law limits all contributions to the Inaugural Committee to $500. All proceeds from the event will go to charity.

Today, Ellis Island stands as a symbol of the hope, freedom, and promise of opportunity afforded by our state and our nation and continues to be a powerful connection for millions of Americans to their family history. Estimates suggest that nearly half of all Americans can trace their lineage to at least one ancestor who was one of the more than 12 million individuals who passed through Ellis Island during its operation as a federal immigration station. Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument shared by New Jersey and New York.

 

The symbolism of Ellis Island for the celebration is important.  For 2016, the message is a reminder that the governor won the Hispanic vote in his landslide reelection. It’s a reminder that President Obama has not gotten anything done on immigration reform, and that Christie is the guy who gets thing done.

Happening just two weeks before the Super Bowl which will be played in the Meadowlands, the choice of Ellis Island for what will undoubtedly be a high profile media event, will add to the New Jersey/New York bragging rights debate.

Is Ellis Island in New York or New Jersey?  Both.  Under a 1998 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the original three acre site belongs to New York, but the surrounding 24 acres that was land-filled belongs to New Jersey.  Some structures on the island are in both States.

The price to attend the party is also symbolic.  At $500 per pop, it is not likely that the tired, poor and huddled masses will be attending.

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I’m Conservative and I’m Pro Immigration

By Michael Laffey

            I will put my Conservative credentials up against just about anyone.  The first President I voted for was Ronald Reagan.  I was a founder of the Conservative Student Union on my College Campus.  As a lawyer I have given countless pro-bono hours to conservative legal causes and worked on the campaigns of some of the most conservative politicians this state has seen.  As a result I tend to get a little testy when somebody tells me I am not conservative enough because I am pro- immigration and support immigration reform. The truth of the matter is that pro- immigration is the conservative stance.  Whether a position is conservative or not depends not on what Rush Limbaugh says but on whether it adheres to bedrock conservative principles.

            For instance, we believe in a government of limited powers enumerated in the Constitution.  Nowhere does the constitution explicitly give Congress the right to regulate immigration.  You can find the power to regulate immigration only if you infer it from other enumerated powers in the Constitution such as the Naturalization clause or the Commerce clause.  Of course we have all seen what happens when liberals “infer” powers from the Constitution.

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The Gang of 8 are Wrong on Immigration Reform

By Bader George Qarmout

As Washington debates immigration reform and the bi-partisan gang of 8 push their latest plan, I find myself disagreeing with the plan’s failure to secure the border FIRST. It is imperative that we fix the mistakes of Ronald Reagan’s Congress that failed us forty years ago.  Securing our borders is not only a means to prevent illegal workers from entering America, but it is also an important tool for greater national security and to reduce the onslaught of drug, weapons, and human trafficking . I will not accept any arguments that stress that the cost of securing our borders is prohibitive. I argue that not securing our borders is unconscionable.

While we are securing the borders, we need to enforce our existing laws and make E-verify mandatory.  We also need to deport the criminal illegal aliens who are currently sitting in our jails and prisons.  It is cost effective to permanently remove the criminal elements from among us, as opposed to the current “catch and release” practice.

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