The previous thread "Will the Dems outflank the GOP on immigration?" discussed New Mexico governor Bill Richardson's border emergency declaration, briefly offering hope that at least one political party will not support illegal immigration. Those hopes were quickly dashed. And, as it turns out, John Fund's article on this appears to have been wrong for an unknown reason when it said that Richardson wanted to meet with the Minuteman Project. In fact, he does not.

This thread (warning: loads Quicktime and might cause browser crash) quotes a Richardson cable appearance:

"...I have not asked the Minutemen to do anything. In fact, I don't believe their function is the right one... In fact, I have said that I don't believe that the Minutemen should proceed into New Mexico, that I think that this is a case where trained law enforcement personnel, Border Patrol, sheriff's department, local New Mexico state police. So that report [presumably Fund's article] is totally false. I don't know where they came up with it. In fact, I have said that I don't believe the Minutemen are needed in New Mexico. In fact, this is why I took this action, to beef up law enforcement hirings in the New Mexico border..."

Chris Simcox of the MMP wanted to meet with Richardson and had discussed that with his staffers. However, apparently the talks stalled.

MediaMatters quotes the article "Governor's Words Rile Mexicans; Border Security Drives Debate", but omits the more damning bits:

...Richardson plans to spend about $50,000 to fence the stockyards at the Columbus Port of Entry, but has no other plans for fencing along the 180-mile New Mexico-Mexico border, [Richardson policy adviser Bill Hume] said.

Richardson said Monday he is not in favor of closing the border.

"We're looking to increase law enforcement to knock back the illegal activity associated with the immigration," Hume said.

In other words, the massive illegal immigration is OK, it's just the "illegal activity" associated with it that's a problem for Richardson.

Richardson hopes his commitment to border security might keep the Minutemen from carrying out a planned October blitz in New Mexico, Hume said.

"We do not look with favor on volunteer civilian border guards," he said.

Richardson spokesman Billy Sparks said e-mail response to Richardson's statements "has been overwhelmingly favorable." Of about 200 e-mails, he said, about 190 were supportive of better border protection.

When it becomes clear that Richardson is just blowing smoke I would imagine those numbers to shift in the other direction.

UPDATE: The L.A. Times publishes a guest editorial from Richardson entitled "In New Mexico..." It includes the details of his epiphany:

All of this crystallized for me last week during a helicopter tour...

And, he tries to pass the buck:

...Border security and immigration issues are clearly a federal responsibility. And those of us from border states have continuously urged the federal government to increase funding, expand patrols and dedicate more resources for border security. Yet our pleas have been met mostly by inaction... Legislation signed by President Bush last fall called for 2,000 more border agents, yet his own budget proposal this year funded only 210 additional agents...

He's correct that the feds aren't doing their job. But, as the quotes above and in the previous post make clear, Richardson (and other officials in the Southwest) are part of the problem too.

And:

We will continue pushing the federal government to find a long-term, comprehensive solution to illegal immigration and porous borders.

I believe that's code for support of the Kennedy-McCain amnesty or similar plans.

8/21/05 UPDATE: Richardson was on ABC's This Week program and said:

"A fence at the border is not going to work because, first of all, they're easily porous, and that sends a message that America is a nation that is not valuing immigrants... [as an alternative to the fence] You [add] border agents - 10,000 of them. Couple them with new technologies, like some of these [unmanned] vehicles and lasers and detection equipment..."

If he means that it's certainly not as bad as some of his other statements.

Meanwhile, Joe Guzzardi says that it doesn't matter whether Richardson and Napolitano really believe what they've been saying lately.