Is Dobbs trying to make nice?

Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs had long been considered one of the most vocal anti-illegal immigration advocates on television and radio.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the former CNN anchor, pondering a run for the Senate or maybe even for President, is trying to wipe away his image as an enemy of Latino immigrants by positioning himself as a champion of the fast-growing ethnic bloc.

In an interview Friday, Dobbs told Spanish-language network Telemundo he now supports a plan to legalize millions of undocumented workers, despite the fact that he long called these programs an unfair "amnesty."

"Whatever you have thought of me in the past, I can tell you right now that I am one of your greatest friends and I mean for us to work together," he said in a live interview with Telemundo's Maria Celeste. "I hope that will begin with Maria and me and Telemundo and other media organizations and others in this national debate that we should turn into a solution rather than a continuing debate and factional contest."

Dobbs mentioned a possible legalization plan for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., saying "we need the ability to legalize illegal immigrants under certain conditions."

Advocates on the left and right side of the immigration debate seemed perplexed by the about-face of his stance on the issue.

Frank Sharry, who heads America's Voice, a group that advocates for legalizing undocumented immigrants, told the Journal that Dobbs's conversion isn't credible, given his history of opposing efforts to liberalize immigration policies.

Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, which seeks strict border enforcement and opposes legalization, said he admired Mr. Dobbs and will "watch him for several months before drawing a conclusion."

Click here to connect to the Telemundo website where you can see video of the interview in English.

Dobbs: Obama's 'Not the devil, but...'

Former CNN newsman Lou Dobbs said Monday that CNN pushed him out the door because its top executives didn’t want to offend President Obama. Dobbs spoke to Fox’s Bill O’Reilly, his first interview since suddenly leaving the network.

In his last few years at CNN, Dobbs had became one of the staunchest and most powerful critics of illegal immigration. He told O'Reilly that CNN executives didn’t seem to mind when he lobbed such criticism while George W. Bush was president.

The New York Post reported that CNN gave Dobbs an $8 million severance package. O’Reilly also asked Dobbs if he’d consider running for a New Jersey seat in the U.S. Senate. He didn't rule it out.

"A lot of things are on my mind, I'm not going to be coy about that," Dobbs said. "My wife and I are thinking about a lot of opportunities. I'm very blessed that I have a lot of opportunities. I guarantee you 100 percent I'm going to remain in the public arena."

The two also talked about the controversy over Obama’s birth certificate, reported death threats made to Dobbs, and his family’s concerns about a gunshot fired near his N.J. home.

Then O’Reilly threw out his most pointed question: "Final question, Barack Obama, is he the devil?"

Dobbs didn’t flinch.

"He's not the devil, but he is certainly a man who is right now not making it easy to understand why he's making the public-policy choices that he is."

Next up: Dobbs continues his media tour. Tomorrow, he's scheduled to appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. That should be interesting.

Here is a video clip from the interview from O'Reilly Factor. The actual interview begins at 2:20 minutes.

Photo Credit: Willens/AP

Lou Dobbs headed to FOX...tonight

Lou Dobbs, the controversial former CNN host, is heading to Fox – at least for one night. He’s going to be a guest of Bill O’Reilly tonight at 8 p.m.

The O'Reilly Factor guest appearance is fueling speculation that the outspoken anchor and one of the most powerful critics of illegal immigration will soon be working full time for Fox News or Fox Business.

O'Reilly is bound to ask Dobbs about his future. I wouldn't be surprised if Dobbs breaks news during the show and announces he's joining the network.

Fox News said last week that they had not had any discussions with Dobbs. But The New York Times reported in October that the Fox Business Network was eying Dobbs for a potential position.

Apparently CNN president Jonathan Klein offered a Dobbs a choice, according to the Times: Either vent his opinions on radio and anchor an objective newscast on television OR he could leave CNN. He eventually decided to go.

It’s tough to believe that the widely popular Dobbs will not land on his feet at another network. In his last broadcast, he said only that he was considering “a number of options and directions.”

Dobbs’s show drew an average of 631,000 viewers in October, putting him in third place behind Fox News and MSNBC.

(AP Photo/CNN, Mark Hill, File) (AP Photo/Jim Copper)

World Series MVP is an immigrant

Hideki Matsui of Kanazawa, Japan was awarded the MVP trophy Wednesday following the Yankees’ 7-3 Game 6 World Series victory over the Phillies. He was one of six immigrants on the field, not to mention other players who were the children of immigrants.

Watching the baseball game on TV, I couldn't help but notice many of the last names of the batters coming to the plate - Ruiz and Cano - and the pitchers on the mound - Martinez and Rivera. It was cool seeing Dominicans and Panamanians in the big game.

It’s been a great week for immigrants in sports. Meb Keflezighi, the Eritrean born runner, pointed at the U.S.A. emblazoned on his shirt as he crossed the finish line to win the New York City Marathon.

To be clear, this is not a post about illegal immigration. These athletes are all in the country legally.
But in today’s political climate, and on this blog, the debate can lump all immigrants together.

Legal immigrants here sometimes tell me they feel they have to defend their heritages because so many believe Latino and illegal are synonymous. So it’s nice sometimes to be reminded there are all sorts of immigrants in this country: athletes, musicians, judges, and politicians.

And, in the midst of the angry rhetoric, their contributions can be forgotten.

Think it's tough in Charlotte?

In Dallas, police write $204 traffic tickets to drivers who don't speak English.

Thirty- eight motorists, all Hispanic, have been cited for not speaking English since 2007, according to the Dallas Morning News. It’s not a crime, but at least 20 Dallas police officers must have thought it was since they wrote tickets. Most cases were dismissed, but at least one person paid the fine.

The issue came to light last week when a woman told the news media she was cited for being a "non-English-speaking driver," among other offenses, during an Oct. 2 traffic stop, according to the paper. Police officials initially said the trainee officer who ticketed Ernestina Mondragon, 48, a native Spanish speaker and U.S. resident, had made an isolated rookie mistake.

Nope.

On Friday, Police Chief David Kunkle announced that officials had discovered dozens of other cases in which officers cited motorists for not speaking English. Kunkle apologized, promised an investigation and said that pending charges would be dropped and that those who paid fines for the charge would be reimbursed.

Not surprisingly, Hispanic leaders are calling for a deeper investigation of possible racial profiling. Police say they plan to look back several more years and include the supervisors who signed off on the tickets in the investigation for possible dereliction of duty.

No doubt, this issue is going to raise even more questions about the how local law enforcement should deal with immigrants. A New York Times editorial yesterday noted that on one side of the argument are the Obama administration and the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, who believe in outsourcing immigration enforcement to local police departments. On the other side are the ranks of police chiefs around the country who argue there is no good reason for turning cops into immigration agents. The Times agreed, but for entirely different reasons.

Such efforts up to now "have been marred by poor training, racial profiling and other abuses -- and widespread fear in the communities that the police are sworn to protect,” the editorial board wrote. “If there is any remaining doubt, just take a look at what happened in Dallas.”

AP Photo: Ernestina Mondragon.

LA police chief for reform; not 287(g)

Chief William Bratton says passing immigration reform will make "every American neighborhood much safer."

Bratton, one of the most well-known police chiefs in the country, writes in a Los Angeles Times op-ed this morning that he opposes the federal 287(g) program that allows local law enforcement to double as federal immigration agents. He says the program stops immigrants from reporting crimes for fear of being deported.

It’s an interesting move for the outgoing police chief to insert himself into such a controversial debate. He will take some heat for his stance. Bratton, also the former police chief in Boston and New York, has never shied away from the spotlight. He once considered politics in New York, but he told LA Weekly this spring that he wasn't planning to run for office. He has since put his $1.8 million home up for sale and may be moving to Great Britain for a job at Scotland Yard, according to the Times.

He certainly picked a good time for making a big splash. The immigration debate is only expected to pick up as the White House prepares its strategy to pass comprehensive immigration reform next year.

In his column, Bratton also responds to queries about why he didn’t join 287(g) like many other law enforcement agencies. He says the program damages the trust police have with immigrants.

The 287(g) program is run in Charlotte. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff was one of the first to join the program back in 2006. Critics say the program is more often used to nab minor offenders, but it should be noted that the Mecklenburg program is operated in the jail and deputies are not out searching for illegal immigrants – as is the case in some other major cities.

“We must pass immigration reform and bring our neighbors out of the shadows so they get the police service they need and deserve,” Bratton says. “When officers can speak freely with victims and witnesses, it goes a long way toward making every American neighborhood much safer.”

ESPN needs work on Latino stereotypes

An ESPN announcer is apologizing after joking that Colombian-born NASCAR racer Juan Pablo Montoya was "out having a taco."

During a promo for NASCAR that highlighted the top five drivers, ESPN analyst Bob Griese responded to Chris Spielman's query, "Where's Juan Pablo Montoya?"

"He's out having a taco," said Griese.

A taco? A taco?

As Seth Meyers would say on “Saturday Night Live, “Really? Really?!”

Why couldn’t he have said an empanada? Or Ajiaco stew?

Not many tacos in Colombia. I guess some people may have not gotten the intent of the joke, but I think we should raise the bar a little bit on the humor scale. There are plenty of other ways to poke fun at Colombian stereotypes that you don’t have to go steal them from other countries.

Griese later apologized.

Montoya didn’t think twice about the comment. He played along.

"I don't really care, to tell you the truth," Montoya said. "Yeah, I don't. I could say I spent the last three hours eating tacos, but I was actually driving a car. But that's OK, I don't care."

I’m sure he’s heard much worse and will continue to do so.

Update: Griese has been suspended for one game for the remark towards Montoya, network officials confirmed Monday. Click here for the story.

(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)