A member of the audience asked the senator what was wrong with existing laws.

“There are laws on the books but they haven’t been enforced,” said Shelby. “Until 1965 we protected our borders, but Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society loosened all that up and we’ve been going down hill ever since.”

Silver-Haired Legislator Jerry Hill told the senator that he is for tougher federal laws, rather than leaving it to each state.

“There are a lot of western states that have tougher laws,” said Hill. “And it’s pushing illegal immigrants to the center of America. When will the federal government set laws and not the states?”

Shelby said on the matter of immigration the federal government has “abdicated responsibility to states.”

“That is sad,” said Shelby. “Both the Republicans and the Democrats say that if they vote for tough legislation it will make some of their constituents mad. They are afraid of losing the Hispanic vote, but they must vote for leadership and I am dubious we’re going to get that out of either party in this race, to be honest.

Local crime

District Attorney Kristi Valls thanked Shelby on behalf of the Alabama District Attorneys Association for his support of appropriations to fight methamphetamine production in the state.

“I didn’t do this just for Alabama,” said Shelby. “I would have gotten laughed out of the Senate if I’d only supported my home state. I did it nationwide because of the drug epidemic.”

Shelby asked Valls what percentage of the local court docket was devoted to prosecuting drug-related cases. Valls said that 80 percent of local crime was drug related.

“I’d also like to thank you for your help with fiscal year 2008,” said Valls. “We are about to have our ‘Zero Meth’ kickoff. It’s not as big a problem here as it is in Marshall and Etowah counties, but it’s the new crack cocaine and it is responsible for thefts and forgeries and other crimes. We need to stop meth by not even starting.”

Valls also thanked Shelby for his support of a state computer forensic lab, which will be the first of its kind in the nation.