State Assemblyman Mark Wyland has challenged this writer to a debate on a subject he feels deeply about, Immigration, including illegal immigration.  Unfortunately, after issuing his challenge on these pages, I accepted the challenge and was informed that the North County Times would offer to make the arrangements.

Mr. Wyland has not accepted or even acknowledged my acceptance to thrash is ill-informed views in a public forum.

In the Times (June 19), he writes: 

“My information comes from timely research done by nonpartisan organizations and individuals, including the Pew Hispanic Center, the Center for Immigration Studies and nationally acclaimed Harvard economist George Borjas. The evidence is in…Health care, education and incarceration costs California taxpayers nearly $9 billion per year.”

Mr. Wyland dissembles: “Nonpartisan?” No, Mr. Wyland.  The Center for Immigration Studies has been labeled and described -- in sworn Congressional testimony -- as a front group of a firebrand anti-Mexican fanatic who funded it for the express purpose of providing “legitimate, think tank” cover for his racist activities.  These activities and their racist basis have been testified to by conservative Columnist Linda Chavez (a former executive of the fanatic’s web of organizations) and former close associates of the fanatic in newspaper articles, books and congressional testimony.  Wyland calls this anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican Center for Immigration studies non-partisan.

Wyland refers to the “nationally acclaimed Harvard economist George Borjas” without telling us that Borjas is nationally acclaimed by anti-immigrant critics for publication of phony studies that are without merit and not acceptable by legitimate sources.

Wyland: “… we should support the new initiative that creates California Border Police, as now permitted by federal law.”

Mr. Wyland dissembles again: Federal law does not provide for a state police force to enforce immigration laws.  There is absolutely no provision in federal law that allows local or state police to even ask immigration status. They can only assist federal officers only after they have been trained by the Feds. And they can only be present when a federal officer is functioning on the scene. Mr. Wyland should read Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution before he makes grandiose statements of support for an illegal law in California. It is too obvious that Mr. Wyland has not read the Constitution, nor any federal law about local enforcement of immigration laws.

Wyland: “I challenged the last columnist (Contreras) who disagreed with my positions on illegal immigration to a public debate on this issue.”

Mr. Wyland: North County Times editors have informed this writer that they are attempting to arrange a debate and have been doing so since I accepted his challenge when he made it on these pages.

I, Raoul Lowery Contreras, will debate Mark Wyland on the subject of all immigration, illegal immigration, the United States Constitution or his proposed illegal California State Immigration Police, anywhere, anytime. I have no fear of his winning the debate for Mark Wyland has demonstrated over and over that he will bring a knife to the gunfight.

Contreras, like Wyland, lives in Del Mar

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Contreras' newest book--THE ILLEGAL ALIEN: A DAGGER INTO THE HEART OF AMERICA?? directly challeneges the Big Lie and ilelgitimate "news sources" on the issue of the Border. It is available at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and www.floricantopress.co