Flip Flop

The days are getting longer, the snow is melting and the temperatures are getting warmer.  Shorts and t-shirt weather is almost here.  Some, like Governor Sununu and Commissioner of Safety Bob Quinn, are already donning flip-flops.  At least their policies are.

Earlier this week, Quinn appeared before Congress on behalf of the Sununu administration.  He testified to the threat of illegal immigration, including drug and human trafficking at our northern border.  Because of this potential threat, Quinn was requesting that NH State Troopers be deputized to enforce federal immigration law.  Of course, along with this authorization would come a tidy sum of federal funds equaling 1.4 million dollars from Operation Stone Gardner.  This is a rather interesting development given the recent policy changes which occurred under Governor Sununu and then Assistant Commissioner Quinn.   

In 2017, the Division of State Police began reviewing their policy on illegal immigration.  This was in response to the political Left complaining that local and state law enforcement should do nothing when confronted with individuals who were clearly in the United States illegally.  Governor Sununu, being the fence-sitting RINO that he is, capitulated.  A new policy was drafted and General Order 100.04 on “Fair and Impartial Policing” was issued on February 11, 2019.

This General Order includes much of what one would expect in a policy titled “Fair and Impartial Policing.”  There are prohibitions on taking enforcement action based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.  (These were already prohibited by State and Federal law, but overstating the obvious somehow provides political hacks with an artificial sense of accomplishment.)  What is also included in General Order 100.04 (See Receipts) is a strict prohibition for Troopers to take any action in cases of suspected illegal immigration.  A Trooper who stops a van for speeding and is confronted with an unlicensed driver with no state issued documentation of any kind, who speaks no English and has 6 passengers with him who also have no documentation and speak no English, cannot detain the driver, nor can he/she contact Customs and Border Patrol or Immigration and Naturalization in order to ascertain immigration status.  In fact, a Trooper is prohibited from even asking about immigration status unless a serious crime has been committed.  Doing so could result in a Trooper being fired: 

“Progressive discipline… will be implemented for non-compliance with this policy up to, and including dismissal.”  (See Receipts)

Given that 9/11 terrorist leader Mohamed Atta, 1) had an expired visa for at least some of his time in the US, 2) was stopped at least once in Florida for driving without a license, and 3) drove THROUGH NEW HAMPSHIRE on 9/10 in order to stage at Portland Jetport, one would think that a Trooper occasionally inquiring about immigration status during traffic stops might be prudent.  Then again, that’s just crazy talk.

So, now we have Commissioner Quinn and Governor Sununu doing a complete 180.  After explicitly hamstringing the Troopers for political gain, all of a sudden illegal immigration and border security are important. The epidemic of deaths resulting from fentanyl smuggled into the US by illegal immigrants is more than a decade old. Sununu and Quinn are a bit “late to the party.” RobbiLeaks is sure this complete change in position has absolutely nothing to do with the  upcoming election in 2024 and the stance on immigration taken by certain high-profile Conservative leaders. (Sarcasm intended) 

During his testimony before Congress, Quinn could not cite any specific numbers with respect to illegal border crossings into New Hampshire.  This should not surprise anyone.  Neither Quinn nor Colonel Nate Noyes can cite the specific number of vacant Trooper positions the Division has right now.  Estimates put that number somewhere between 75 and 100 in a Division that should be fully staffed at about 350. (Quinn’s inability to even estimate the number of illegal crossings at our northern border leads one to wonder if this is yet another crisis made out of whole cloth in order for political gain.) 

In closing, RobbiLeaks poses a couple of questions for Governor Sununu and Commissioner Quinn:  Given there aren’t even enough Troopers to provide patrol coverage for New Hampshire’s highways, where are these “extra” Troopers for border security coming from?  More importantly, exactly how do you think Troopers are going to enforce federal immigration law without violating General Order 100.04?  Finally, do you actually have a principled position on this subject, or can we expect another “flip-flop” when the political winds shift again?

Chris and Bob need to do a better job remembering what the hell they said and wrote in the past.  This stuff keeps kicking them in the ass.

Integrity. Fairness. Professionalism.