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Entertainment => Politics and Political Issues => Topic started by: Soldier4Christ on October 13, 2007, 10:37:30 AM



Title: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 13, 2007, 10:37:30 AM
California landlords barred:
Can't ask immigration status
Powerless to limit illegals: 'You have cities that want
to deal with the problem and this bill would stop them'

California is again forging its own path on immigration reform by becoming the first state to prohibit landlords from asking tenants' immigration status.

Amid frustration over the federal government's failure to reform immigration laws, cities across the country have taken their own action to keep out illegal immigrants, including barring property from being rented to undocumented tenants.

The law signed this week by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger elicited a sigh of relief among landlord associations concerned that without it, they'd be forced to take on the cost and the liability of enforcing federal laws as “de-facto immigration cops,” said Nancy Ahlswede, executive director of the Apartment Association, California Southern Cities.

“We have huge anti-discrimination obligations,” said Ahlswede, whose organization was among the legislation's sponsors. “We understand the frustration, but that burden shouldn't be placed on landlords.”

California has often staked new ground on immigration, whether with anti-immigration measures like Proposition 187, a 1994 ballot initiative meant to deny illegal immigrants social services, health care, and public education, or by hosting massive pro-immigration rallies and promoting trends like the “New Sanctuary Movement,” in which churches seek to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation.

The state has more immigrants than any other, and between 2.5 to 2.8 million of them are undocumented, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

This latest law pushes against a national trend that finds tensions over immigration and shifting demographics increasingly being dealt with on a city-by-city and issue-by-issue basis. The law also specifies that landlords can't, on their own, decide to verify prospective tenants' immigration status.

More than 90 cities or counties nationwide have considered ordinances that aim to discourage illegal immigrants from settling by making their daily life more difficult. Those include rules forbidding renting to undocumented immigrants, punishing businesses that hire them or requiring police to ask about immigration status.

Proponents of immigration control view the California law as another attempt to block citizens from defending their interests in an area where the federal government has failed.

“It's clear that Washington, D.C. doesn't want to deal with this problem,” said Rick Oltman, with Californians for Population Stabilization. “You have cities that want to deal with the problem and this bill would stop them, making them powerless to deal with the illegal alien community.”

This view is reflected across the country. Hazleton, Pa., for example, has become a city whose name is synonymous with local action against unauthorized immigration.

Hazleton passed an ordinance last year penalizing landlords who rent to them and employers who hire them. The rule was struck down in federal court as unconstitutional. The city is appealing, and a hearing is expected in the spring.

California's law “certainly adds salt to the wound for mayors who are trying to protect their legal residents and their budgets from the burden of illegal immigration,” said Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta.

The mayor is hoping to take the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court, aiming for a ruling that would bring relief to cities around the country trying to follow the same path.

But organizations that have taken local governments to court on the issue argued laws asking landlords to pry into their tenants' immigration status infringes privacy and discrimination statutes, and pre-empts the federal government's authority.

“If the federal government wants to go after someone, they can do that, but a city can't,” said Kristina Campbell, an attorney with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, who worked on the lawsuit against Escondido, Calif., which also passed an ordinance punishing landlords who rent to undocumented immigrants.

The suit was settled out of court when costs ballooned, city officials said.

Generally, any proposition that orders those not trained in immigration law to determine whether an immigrant is in the country legally is fraught with potential problems, immigrant advocates said.

The law is complicated and a property owner trying to hazard a guess about someone's immigration status could rely on someone's looks or their accent, leading to discrimination, said Reshma Shamasunder, director of the California Immigrant Policy Center.

Greg McConnell, who has two rental properties and helped organize landlords in Berkeley to support the bill, said he's just glad to be out of the cross-hairs of a “bitter and inflammatory” debate that's much larger than they are.

“It's not a question of where landlords stand on the immigration issue, it's a question of who's to enforce those laws,” he said


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 18, 2007, 04:42:24 PM
Illinois a sanctuary state?

The head of a grassroots immigration organization is very concerned about the number of cities in the United States that have basically said they will not respect federal immigration laws and will provide sanctuary for illegal aliens. But the immigration activist says there is one state that has pretty much declared itself a sanctuary for illegals.

Roy Beck, president of Numbers USA, had hoped that an amendment put forth by Senator David Vitter (R-Louisiana) would have gone a long way to prevent cities from providing sanctuary. The amendment, defeated on a 52-42 vote, would have cut federal funding to law enforcement programs in cities that prohibited law enforcement officials from asking suspects about their immigration status or reporting them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Beck says places like Illinois will remain out of control when it comes to aiding and abetting illegals. "The governor himself [Rod Blagojevich] has basically declared the entire state of Illinois a sanctuary for illegal aliens, [and] has prohibited any employer from even using the federal program to verify whether a person is an illegal alien or not," he says.

The activist is referring to E-Verify, an Internet-based program developed by Congress in the mid-1990s for companies to verify employees' identity and employment eligibility and to cut back on the number of illegal aliens hired by employers. According to the program's government website, E-Verify is not designed to verify a new hire's immigration status. (See related story)

According to Beck, Illinois is even more tolerant of illegal aliens than is California, which has a far larger population of such individuals. "They don't have as many illegal aliens [in Illinois as in California], but they have a lot -- it's maybe the number-three or number-four state for illegal aliens," he explains. "But their government is far more irresponsible than California. In Illinois, I mean, there's just a mass encouragement of illegal immigration."

Another sanctuary state, he points out, is New York, where the governor has even ordered officials to begin issuing drivers licenses to illegal aliens. Beck concludes that when it comes to illegal immigration, there is anarchy in much of the U.S. at this point.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: MusicMedic5150 on October 19, 2007, 09:28:44 AM
Pastor we all need to hit the streets on our local towns and start a movement on this. I am sick of all these law breakers. 


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 19, 2007, 11:01:41 AM
I agree totally.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 23, 2007, 10:15:46 AM
States pass divergent laws dealing with illegal immigration

An immigration reform activist says while some states are taking steps to discourage illegal immigration, others unfortunately are throwing out the welcome mats.

The Washington Post recently reported that while the Bush administration and Congress sit gridlocked on an immigration overhaul, the states are jumping into the debate as never before. The number of states passing immigration-related bills has skyrocketed this year, and the widely divergent laws seem to follow the red-state, blue-state divide reminiscent of the past two presidential elections.

Susan Tully of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) points to red-state Oklahoma, which passed some of the toughest immigration laws in the country, prompting many illegal immigrants to leave the state. "Oklahoma is losing their illegal immigrant population -- so the taxpayers are going to see a relief in the burden of education, healthcare, and other costs that they've had to pay to illegal aliens," she says.

Tully contends that on the other hand, blue-states New York and Illinois are encouraging illegal aliens to come and break federal immigration statutes. "They're on the way to New York because the governor says he's going to give them driver's licenses, and Illinois has never seen a piece of legislation for illegal aliens they didn't like," she states. Those states in effect, she says, have "set out the welcome mat" for illegal aliens.

According to the immigration reform activist, it is clear that illegal immigrants will go to states where the laws favor them and leave states that want to enforce the rule of law.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 23, 2007, 04:48:34 PM
Reid reviving 'amnesty' for illegals 
Democrats put DREAM Act on fast track for vote tomorrow

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is reviving and fast-tracking plans to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens already within U.S. boundaries, and a vote is expected as early as tomorrow, according to opponents.

Just a few months after intense pressure from U.S. citizens triggered the rejection of President Bush's comprehensive immigration plan, a compromise supported by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. – the DREAM Act proposal by Sen. Dick Durbin, R-Ill. – is being rushed through the Senate.

Durbin's office refused to return a WND call requesting comment.

"In many ways this bill is worse than Bush-Kennedy because this is blatant deception on the part of the Senate to get a massive amnesty passed," asserted Steve Elliott, president of Grassfire.org.

Some of the provisions of the plan, called DREAM for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, include:

    * Conditional legal status for any illegal alien who claims to have arrived in the U.S. prior to age 16.

    * Any illegal alien can apply for the program.

    * Those who gain legal status then can sponsor any family members, allowing additional millions to access the program.

    * There would be a ban on deportation for anyone who applies.

    * Illegals would be granted taxpayer-funded in-state tuition rates for college.

Elliott's organization and others, including Numbers USA, have launched telephone, online and fax petitions for voters to contact their senators and let them know their opinions on the plan.

"This is not a drill. This is the real thing," Numbers USA warned in an alert to constituents. "Our Capitol Hill Team just contacted me and reported that Senate Majority Leader Reid has just filed for 'cloture' on S. 2205 (the DREAM ACT amnesty.)"

"Reid is hell-bent on getting this amnesty through the Senate as fast as possible and before we can fully mobilize the country as happened when we defeated his Comprehensive Amnesty bill in June," the group said. "He is using the Rule 14 … to avoid any committee debate, hearings or deliberations. Filing for cloture means that he can bring the amnesty up on Wednesday."

An estimated 12-20 million illegal aliens are already in the U.S., but Numbers USA warned the legislation would "entice millions more people to become illegal aliens here."

Further, the plan includes "no extra enforcement" to provide any stability or security to national borders, the group said.

In a commentary, Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly said it creates the circumstances where the violation of U.S. immigration law is rewarded.

"The illegal immigrant who applies for the DREAM Act can count his years under conditional green card status toward the five years needed to attain citizenship. That's a fast track to citizenship that is not available to aliens who are lawfully present in the United States," she said. "Giving in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants is so unpopular with many Americans that the only way a congressman could support this bill is by hoping it passes before the public discovers how bad it is. Arizona's Proposition 300, which specifically bars Arizona universities from giving in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants, passed in 2006 with a majority of 71.4 percent."

As WND reported, Durbin brought up the DREAM Act after Bush's comprehensive plan died in June.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 23, 2007, 04:50:26 PM
N.Y. governor leading Dems to crash?
Spitzer pushing hard to give driver's licenses to illegals

Top Democrats fear that Gov. Spitzer's controversial plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal aliens has endangered their party's candidates across the state -- and even threatens the presidential prospects of Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Post has learned.

A half-dozen senior Democrats told The Post that Spitzer's licensing plan is producing what one called "a mass exodus" away from the party's candidates that may lead to unexpected losses in November's local elections.

They are also warning that growing voter unhappiness with Spitzer on the licensing and other issues - illustrated in several recent polls - could carry into next year and end the Democrats' hope of winning control of the GOP-dominated state Senate.

"The driver's-license issue is a killer for us in the suburbs," a senior party strategist said.

"The Nassau County Legislature is in danger, and so are the big Buffalo races," said a prominent elected Democratic official, referring to election battles to retain slim, Democratic control in Nassau County and carry hotly fought contests for county executive and clerk in Erie County.

Another senior Democrat predicted that Sen. Clinton, who has repeatedly refused to say whether she backs Spitzer's plan, would soon be forced to reject it.

"The immigrant license issue is one of the most politically dangerous in the nation, and Hillary will have to come out against it," the Democrat said.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 23, 2007, 04:54:54 PM
When lawmakers left in June, it was troopergate. When they returned in October, there was one issue on the top of everyone's tongue.

“Obviously the DMV issues is out there as a topic of conversation,” said Spitzer.

With both chambers meeting for special sessions this week, Governor Elliot Spitzer continued to defend his plan to give illegal immigrants driver’s licenses.

“When you have Richard Clark speaking from the perspective of terrorism counter and bill brattion speaking from the perspective of police saying this is the right thing to do I think we are in the right stay on this issue,” said Spitzer.

But not without opposition. After hundreds rallied against the measure Monday afternoon, leaders in both chambers announced measures to stop the governor's plan in its tracks.

“Sometimes you say we're toothless tigers but we're not we have fangs on this issue,” said James Tedisco.

Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco has threatened a lawsuit against Spitzer as a last resort. He is also planning on forcing a vote on the plan during Tuesday's session, so all members will have to go on the record with their position.

“If they vote against our legislation they are siding with Elliot Spitzer. If we move it forward it will become law and siding with, we believe, public safety,” said Tedisco.

And on the Senate side Majority Leader Joe Bruno put up a bill making it mandatory to have a social security number to obtain a drivers license.

“We think it's unconstitutional federally. We think it's against the law in the state,” said Joseph Bruno.

And while the governor said he is within the bounds of the law, Republicans are testing him. Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola has filed a law suite against the state DMV, seeking to prevent the measure from moving forward and other county clerk's could follow suit.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on October 24, 2007, 02:55:56 AM
Brothers and Sisters,

All I can say is that I greatly appreciate the INSANE work of people like Reid, Pelossi, and Spitzer. They are helping to wake up the public and see the path of insanity that many LOONS want to lead this country down.

Never mind that this is illegal and Unconstitutional, but do consider the horrible cost in too many ways to list. The first is total disrespect for the law and the Constitution. The second is loss of national sovereignty and respect. The third is making hard-working and legal citizens pay the bills for illegal aliens. The fourth is exposing our public to terrorists, dope runners, and many kinds of criminals that we will all pay for. The list goes on and on and on. Anyone with any common sense will simply say NO! - You can't do that! - You won't be allowed to do that! - If you try it, we'll file criminal and civil charges and remove you from office!

The Rule of Law Prevails Here - the Law of the People. Our elected representatives had best enforce our laws or face the consequences! If they want our laws and Constitution ignored, they WILL let the people vote on the issues. Otherwise, our representatives need to be sent to prison and learn there is a consequence for dereliction of duty.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 24, 2007, 08:25:15 PM
DREAM of 'open borders crowd' dies in Senate

Yet another effort in the Senate to pass legislation that would grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens has been defeated.

The Senate has rejected a motion to move forward with the DREAM Act, which would award citizenship to children of illegal aliens who claim to have entered the U.S. before age 16. Fifty-two senators voted in favor of cloture, including Trent Lott (R-Mississippi), Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and nine other Republicans. Sixty votes were needed to advance the measure.

Jim Edwards, an adjunct fellow with the Hudson Institute, says the DREAM Act was the best hope of the "open borders" lobby. "These are the most sympathetic case they could come up with. But everybody understands their circumstances, and sort of their heart goes out to them. But if the open borders crowd could not win cloture on the DREAM Act, they can't win cloture on any amnesty," he states.

The bill was even opposed by President Bush, who strongly backed the previous "grand compromise" on immigration reform.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 25, 2007, 02:25:22 PM
Chicago store owner being squeezed out by illegal alien street vendors

An immigration reform organization is trying to help a Chicago storeowner who is being squeezed out by unlicensed street vendors who are in the country illegally.

Susan Tully of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) says her organization is appalled that the city of Chicago is refusing to do anything to help the shop owner who is paying $2,500 a month rent, as well as all the licensing fees to legitimately run his business. Tulley says the illegal aliens are operating over a dozen carts in the vicinity of the store.

"The city code enforcement officers who do the business license inspection have told him that the council person in charge of that area has told them hands off. They're not allowed to require a health permit or a business license of those food carts -- and here he is expected to compete," she says.

Tully says FAIR wants to show that reverse discrimination is taking place in Chicago. She says it is very difficult for the shop owner to compete when illegal immigrants have more rights than he does. She laments that illegal aliens have "a whole set of rights and free reign" to do whatever they want, but an American citizen who wants to do the right thing is penalized.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 25, 2007, 02:26:16 PM
Yep ... illegal immigrants aren't taking jobs from legal citizens.   ::) ::)



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 25, 2007, 02:29:17 PM
Missouri governor sued in illegal immigration case

A lawsuit filed Thursday accuses Gov. Matt Blunt of racial discrimination and abuse of power for firing a state janitorial contractor that employed illegal immigrants.

Blunt called the lawsuit "ludicrous" and defended his decision to cancel the contract of Sam's Janitorial Services and bar the company from state work.

About 25 company employees were arrested in a March 6 sting at a Jefferson City state office building by federal and state law enforcement officers. The lawsuit says just eight of those people were charged and only four have pleaded or been found guilty of possessing forged documents showing they could work in the United States.

The lawsuit seeks to reinstate nine canceled contracts, asks to reverse the company's ban from state work and requests an unspecified amount of money for damages.

It claims Blunt exceeded his gubernatorial powers when he terminated the contract and disqualified Sam's Janitorial from future state work.

It also alleges racial discrimination because Sam's Janitorial is owned by an African-born U.S. citizen and the state contract was subsequently given to B&G Cleaning, owned by white contractors. At that time, B&G Cleaning also employed three of the four people who ultimately were found guilty, the lawsuit says.

"That's ludicrous," Blunt responded when asked about the lawsuit at a Capitol news conference.

Blunt said he didn't know the race of the owner of Sam's Janitorial, K. Asamoah-Boadu, when he issued the executive order March 6 to cancel contracts with any companies found to be using illegal immigrants.

The lawsuit by Asamoah-Boadu, filed in Cole County Circuit Court, claims Asamoah-Boadu hired only those people who appeared to have proper work documents. It says he provided the Missouri State Capitol Police and the state Division of Purchasing and Materials Management with copies of Social Security and worker registration cards for each employee who was not a U.S. citizen.

The state "approved each and every employee," the lawsuit says, and did not notify him of any problems with the proposed workers.

In March, Blunt credited the state's manager of custodial operations for first noticing inconsistencies in the janitorial employees' work documents. Capitol Police were notified, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency ultimately got involved in the investigation.

On Thursday, Blunt insisted that Sam's Janitorial Services had employed illegal immigrants "in a very negligent way."

"This wasn't one or two people that might have slipped through the cracks of employment verification; this was a large portion of his work force," Blunt said. "I am confident that we have taken the appropriate action, the sort of action that Missouri taxpayers expect and deserve their government to take."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 27, 2007, 08:17:10 PM
Feds strike ID deal over New York licenses 
Compromise creates more secure document for U.S. citizens, allows illegals to get version

The Bush administration and New York cut a deal Saturday to create a new generation of super-secure driver's licenses for U.S. citizens, but also allow illegal immigrants to get a version.

New York is the fourth state to reach an agreement on federally approved secure licenses, after Arizona, Vermont and Washington. The issue is pressing for border states, where new and tighter rules are soon to go into effect for crossings.

The Arizona deal announced in August does not contemplate issuing licenses to illegal immigrants, said Jeanine L'Ecuyer, a spokeswoman for Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The proposed Arizona version would not be available to anyone illegally in the country, since one of the intended uses of the 3-in-1 identity card would be to prove U.S. citizenship, L'Ecuyer said. It could be used as a license, as proof of citizenship and as a passport-like document valid for travel in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. It would be voluntary and available for a small extra fee.

"It is something that clearly would not be available for people who are in the county illegally," L'Ecuyer said.

The New York deal comes about one month after Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced a plan whereby illegal immigrants with a valid foreign passport could obtain a license.

Saturday's agreement with the Homeland Security Department will create a three-tier license system in New York. It is the largest state to sign on so far to the government's post-Sept. 11 effort to make identification cards more secure.

Spitzer, who has faced much criticism on the issue, said the deal means New York "will usher in the most secure licensing system in the nation."

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he was not happy that New York intended to issue IDs to illegal immigrants. But he said there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"I don't endorse giving licenses to people who are not here legally, but federal law does allow states to make that choice," Chertoff said.

The governor made clear he is going forward with his plan allowing licenses for illegal immigrants. But advocates on both sides of the debate said Spitzer had caved to pressure by adopting the administration's stance on tighter security standards for most driver's licenses.

GOP Rep. Thomas Reynolds, who represents the Buffalo suburbs, said he was glad Washington had heeded his concerns about border identification. But he said he feared that Spitzer "is taking this state down a risky path" by giving any kind of license to illegal immigrants.

Under the compromise, New York will produce an "enhanced driver's license" that will be as secure as a passport. It is intended for people who soon will need to meet such ID requirements, even for a short drive to Canada.

A second version of the license will meet new federal standards of the Real ID Act. That law is designed to make it much harder for illegal immigrants or would-be terrorists to obtain licenses.

A third type of license will be available to undocumented immigrants. Spitzer has said this ID will make the state more secure by bringing those people "out of the shadows" and into American society, and will lower auto insurance rates.

Those licenses will be clearly marked to show they are not valid federal ID. Officials, however, would not say whether that meant local law enforcement could use such a license as probable cause to detain someone they suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.

"Besides being a massive defeat for the governor, I can't imagine many — if any — illegal immigrants coming forward to get the driver's licenses, because they'd basically be labeled as illegal," said New York Rep. Peter King, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee.

New York has between 500,000 and 1 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom are driving without a license and car insurance or with fake driver's licenses, Spitzer said in September when he announced his executive order.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 27, 2007, 08:18:56 PM
Clerks alerting cops about illegals accused of 'profiling' 
Say they also took oath to uphold Constitution – will defy N.Y. gov

The Spitzer administration and immigration rights groups say the county clerks in Erie and Niagara counties will be engaging in inappropriate profiling with their plan to alert police when illegal immigrants seek to obtain driver’s licenses.

Critics said the clerks will be acting purely on a hunch and that people in the country legally could find themselves being inappropriately detained by police because they were wrongly suspected of being illegal immigrants.

“It’s an attack on undocumented immigrants. It’s not the job of county clerks to enforce the immigration laws. It’s a federal problem,” said Norman Eng, an immigration attorney with the New York Immigration Coalition, an umbrella group of 200 organizations.

The Spitzer administration said it was taking very seriously the threat by Erie County Clerk Kathleen C. Hochul and Niagara County Clerk Wayne Jagow to turn over to local or federal police agencies suspected illegal immigrants who come into their motor vehicle offices to get a driver’s license.

Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer is beginning a new policy in which illegal immigrants can obtain a license if they show a valid foreign passport and other identification. It ends a post-Sept. 11 policy requiring production of a Social Security number or a letter from the federal government stating that the person is not eligible for a Social Security number.

“Under this policy change, applicants will not be required to provide documents that demonstrate their immigration status in this country so there will be no evidence that a person is indeed an undocumented immigrant,” said Spitzer spokeswoman Jennifer Givner.

“Any clerk making a report to federal immigration officials regarding a license applicant’s immigration status will be reporting only their subjective suspicions regarding an individual’s status,” she cautioned.

The Buffalo News reported Thursday on a plan by Hochul and Jagow, with the cooperation of local law enforcement and the knowledge of federal homeland security officials, to alert police if someone suspected of being an illegal immigrant tries to get a driver’s license. Such individuals would be presenting a foreign passport, which will now be permitted under the Spitzer policy, as a form of identification.

Both clerks oppose the new Spitzer policy, but unlike 20 other county clerks statewide threatening to buck the governor, Hochul and Jagow said they have a legal obligation as agents of the state to carry it out. At the same time, however, they say they also take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and that they cannot ignore someone coming into one of their offices without the legal documentation to be in the country.

“I think it’s an idea in the minds of a lot of clerks who are still on the fence,” said Kathleen Marchione, the Saratoga County clerk who is president of a statewide association of county clerks. Most of the association’s members oppose the plan, but many say they will still implement it because they feel legally bound. Spitzer has threatened legal action against clerks who ignore his mandate.

“This is another way of not having to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants,” Marchione, one of the 20 clerks bucking Spitzer, said of the plan by Hochul and Jagow.

But critics say there is a problem with the approach. An illegal immigrant seeking a license can do so with a valid foreign passport after checking a box on the application that says he is not eligible for a Social Security number. But Eng said there are many legal immigrants in the state — such as a college student on a visa or the spouse of a visiting college professor — who are not eligible for Social Security numbers. Such people could face undeserved run-ins with law enforcement if the clerks go ahead with their plans, he said.

“I think it’s outrageous that they are threatening to turn people over.”


Title: Re: ILLEGAL Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 27, 2007, 08:20:17 PM
Wisconsin AG says state can't issue licenses to illegals 
Says state law bars undocumented immigrants from receiving professional certification

Undocumented immigrants are barred from receiving professional licenses issued by the state, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says in an opinion.

In a letter Thursday to Celia Jackson, secretary of the Department of Regulation and Licensing, Van Hollen noted that while there are no Wisconsin laws that limit the eligibility for professional licenses or credentials to legal residents, federal law prohibits the department from "granting any professional license or credential to an alien who is present in the United States illegally."

Van Hollen also said that the department "must put in place some kind of procedure practicably designed to reasonably ensure that it does not issue licenses or credentials in violation of federal law."

Van Hollen spokesman Kevin St. John said that this opinion only affects licensing requirements and does not necessarily have any impact on other state benefits.

"We wouldn't speculate on what other benefits would be affected," he said.

The Department of Regulation and Licensing issues licenses and credentials to acupuncturists, chiropractors, accountants and others in the health and business professions. Jackson did not return phone calls seeking comment on the opinion or clarification of the department's current policy regarding the legal status of applicants.

But in a letter to Van Hollen in July, the agency's interim general counsel, Debra Kraft, wrote that a recent check of the Social Security numbers of more than 350,000 credential holders turned up "a small but significant number of credential holders' Social Security numbers" that were not valid.

She said that some of the invalid numbers were determined to be the result of database entry errors and some were federal employer identification numbers. "The reasons for the other invalid numbers have not been determined," she added.

Kraft noted that the department is required to collect Social Security numbers during the application process. If applicants do not have a Social Security number, they are asked to complete a form from the Department of Workforce Development and check "other."

She asked Van Hollen to clarify the legal ramifications for the agency if an applicant who marks "other" is in the United States without legal authority.

In his opinion, Van Hollen said the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act, which overhauled welfare, established a "national policy to remove the incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits." He said it was Congress' intent to preempt existing state laws dealing with the eligibility of immigrants for public benefits.

Under the law, Van Hollen added, "any state that wants to act contrary to federal policy has to make an affirmative legislative determination to do so." In the absence of such a law, however, "states are prohibited from providing illegal aliens with any public benefits other than those few benefits specifically excepted under the federal law."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 27, 2007, 08:21:47 PM
Feds uncover fake license scheme for illegals 
Man faces 470 years for providing 350 documents – some to those from terror-linked states

Hundreds of individuals who were in this country illegally have taken advantage of a window of opportunity that allowed them to obtain official Texas licenses.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office, the alleged mastermind of this scheme is an Israeli-born taxi driver named Isaac Banai.  He came to the United States in 1984 and married an American woman the following year.  In 1996, he became a naturalized citizen. He now lives in an upscale neighborhood in far North Dallas.

A 32-count indictment charges Banai with helping more than 350 illegal immigrants get official Texas driver's licenses, despite the fact that their visas had expired or never existed.  Some of those illegal immigrants were from countries with terrorist ties -- like Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.  If convicted, Banai faces 470 years in prison.

Senator John Carona is chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security, and says his committee will hold hearings next month to find out how this could have happened. “All of us in government have to take responsibility for it,” he said.  “And even more important is stepping in and fixing the problem.  Anytime you see a breakdown of agencies, it frustrates you, candidly it angers you.  Above all, it gives you reason to be a bit concerned, if not fearful.”

Sen. Carona told News 8 that authorities have not determined how the licenses have been used by the individuals who obtained them, but said, “I think it's safe to say it's not for a wholesome purpose.” 

The licenses were obtained between 2003 and 2005, and even now Senator Carona says no one knows whether this was a case of foreign nationals just wanting to stay in the U.S. -- or something more sinister.  But whatever the motive, he says pulling off the scheme was surprisingly easy.

Federal officials say Isaac Banai put an ad in a New York newspaper that promised he could create a new identity — complete with an authentic driver’s license — for $500.  It didn't take long before dozens of people were flying to Dallas to take advantage of his once-in-a-lifetime offer. According to the indictment, he had town cars waiting at DFW International Airport.  Customers were whisked into Dallas, given a crash course on how to pass the Texas driver’s test, and then taken to the nearest dept of motor vehicles office to apply for a Texas driver’s license.  One by one, the illegal applicants declared they had just moved to Texas and gave their new address which turned out to be a Motel 6 in Dallas.

“It really gives you a sick feeling, not just as a legislator, not just as a chair of this committee, but as an average Texan,” Carona said about the security lapse.  “Tragically, this many years after 9/11 we shouldn't be seeing these sorts of problems, but we are.”

State officials believe Isaac Banai was also behind a second scam that managed to get vehicle inspection stickers and texas plates for hundreds of vehicles, despite the fact that the cars were not in Texas but on the east coast.  .

“I can assure you, people recognize this as a serious error, not a minor one, and that these kinds of breaches of security, especially in this age of heightened homeland security and awareness just can't continue,” Sen. Carona said.

One of the biggest problems, he said, is that none of the agencies involved are linked to a computerized system that can identify fraud, but now “the agencies are looking at the holes in the system that allowed these individuals to exploit the system.”

The Department of Public Safety said that without the names of the service stations that did those fake inspections, it can't take action against them.  And, although the U.S. Attorney alerted the agency that hundreds of licenses had been illegally obtained, it took more than a year before the licenses were finally canceled.  The DPS does plan to overhaul its computer system early next year.   

The only person arrested so far has been Isaac Banai, the taxi driver who lives here in Dallas.  He has pleaded not guilty.  Authorities believe most of the 350 illegal immigrants who came to Dallas and got new identities have returned to the east coast armed with everything they need to claim they are U.S. citizens.

“Those credentials are in the hands of people who shouldn't have them,” Carona said, “and that's of great concern to all of us.”


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 29, 2007, 05:01:54 PM
U.S. territory hits 'amnesty' as threat

A U.S. territory in the Pacific is battling to stop Congress from imposing federal guest-worker rules and an "amnesty" for current temporary workers, saying aliens could then use the territory as an entry point to get into other places in the U.S.

The government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) says two bills working their way through Congress to impose federal immigration law on the territory would go back on the 1976 convention with the U.S. and put the islands' economy, already reeling, into a tailspin.

"We think we're much better qualified to administer to our own needs, as opposed to bureaucratic federal offices 9,000 miles away," said Richard Pierce, a special assistant to CNMI Gov. Benigno R. Fitial. "Before this is done, people with expertise in immigration should be working with these congressional committees to make sure they truly understand this is going to create a new class of permanent residents we've never had before."

But those pushing the bill say CNMI, which currently writes its own rules for immigration, is a magnet for human trafficking and is a huge hole in U.S. homeland security. They say the only solution is to impose the U.S. federal immigration system, which would include a new legal status for some long-term foreign workers.

"The CNMI's immigration system must be federalized as soon as possible," David B. Cohen, an Interior Department official, told the Senate at a hearing in July.

Congress has given up hope for a broad immigration bill this year, but the CNMI bills could turn into another round in the immigration debate, particularly if the legislation includes a new legal status for some of the islands' current guest-workers.

The sponsors of the bills — Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, Hawaii Democrat, and Delegate Donna M.C. Christensen of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the House — are redrafting their legislation, promising to take the islands' concerns into consideration. They want to accommodate Hawaii and Guam, which both fear an influx of workers with new legal status under the bills.

House members even held a field hearing in the islands over the summer to get a firsthand look.

We took the hearing very seriously, and we've gotten a lot of comments from people like the governor and resident representative in Washington, and all of those things are being taken into consideration," said Mrs. Christensen, a Democrat.

But with a military buildup planned for nearby Guam, homeland security in the area is becoming a higher priority. CNMI's immigration system is seen as a gaping hole in that security, and the solution is federal law.

"It's pretty clear that it was never intended that CNMI would have control over their immigration forever," Mrs. Christensen said.

CNMI's economy is dependent on garment factories and cheap foreign labor, mostly from Asian nations. About half of the islands' 60,000 residents are temporary workers — some of them who have been in CNMI for years, but without any long-term stability or a chance at citizenship. That leaves CNMI's immigration system assailed by both sides in the debate in Washington.

Those who generally favor a more lenient approach to immigrants say the islands' system is exploitative and point to government studies that show a high level of human trafficking. Those who want a crackdown on illegal immigration and limits on legal immigration also see CNMI's system as a way to circumvent federal rules and import cheap foreign labor.

With changes in the global economy, CNMI already has lost its competitive edge in garment-making, and jobs are fleeing. That has left an acute problem of what to do with longtime guest-workers who now face layoffs.

The pending legislation would grant longtime temporary workers renewable visas good for five years, which CNMI officials say amounts to amnesty. They fear those workers will leave immediately for better-paying jobs in Hawaii or Guam.

The numbers are small by U.S. standards. Backers say about 8,000 would be eligible for new work status under the drafts of the bills, though CNMI officials say it could be several thousand more. They are urging Congress to wait for a study being conducted by the Government Accountability Office.

"Some, I suppose, would consider this an 'amnesty' of sorts for many that would currently seek to use the CNMI for gaining a status within the U.S. system," Mr. Pierce said.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 31, 2007, 02:50:55 PM
'U' visas give illegal alien crime victims chance to permanently remain in U.S.

An immigration reform organization is concerned that a new visa program -- designed for illegal aliens who become crime victims -- might lead to widespread abuse.

The 2000 Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act established what has come to be known as the "U" visa. The program is designed to encourage illegal aliens to report crimes against them in return for the right to remain in the U.S. and eventually apply for permanent residency. After a long delay, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, is finally starting to process those visa requests.

Jessica Vaughan, a senior policy analyst for the Washington, DC-based Center for Immigration Studies, says that on paper the program looks tightly controlled and "that the victim of the crime has to be certified by a law enforcement agency and also that they have information that could lead to the conviction of the perpetrators."

However, Vaughan says her organization questions the need to give victims permanent residency. "I think we have to make sure that their cooperation with law enforcement is so overwhelmingly compelling that it is worth giving them a Green Card," she states.

Vaughan says she is concerned that the "U" visa program will encourage some illegals to abuse the system in order to get a free pass to stay in the United States. She also questions the rational behind the program saying that it is based on a myth that officials do not get cooperation from victims and that victims have something to fear from the law enforcement officials. According to Vaughan, that myth is being spread by immigration advocates who work full-time to thwart enforcement of existing immigration laws.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 04, 2007, 10:30:53 AM
Irving jail sees sharp decline in illegal immigrants
Media storm over deportations may have people steering clear of the Dallas suburb.

The number of illegal immigrants detained in the Irving jail has dropped by more than 40 percent since intense media attention and protests erupted in September over the city's collaboration with federal immigration authorities.

Illegal immigrants are probably staying out of Irving or keeping low profiles to avoid attention by police, experts and illegal immigrants said. Immigrant advocates said their demonstrations helped spread the word about the city's efforts.

The Dallas suburb screens everyone booked into its jail, and refers suspected illegal immigrants to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. More than 1,700 suspected illegal immigrants have been turned over to ICE since Irving police started its Criminal Alien Program in September 2006.

An average difference of 67 people a week in September versus 39 a week in October were turned over to ICE or scheduled to be turned over.

In July and August, 256 and 253 respectively were turned over to federal officials.

Police officials declined to comment. Mayor Herbert Gears said the city's police policy has not changed.

"It looks as though people's behavior patterns have changed to some degree," Gears said. "Eventually, the numbers would naturally come down."

Mexican Consul General Enrique Hubbard Urrea said the numbers might also have dropped because police are more careful not to racially profile Hispanics.

"We had a lot of complaints at the beginning of what sounded like racial profiling. I don't have any way to prove that's what happened," he said. "But those kind of complaints have dropped."

Hubbard, who heads the Dallas-based consulate, raised the alarm about Irving last month when he noticed that many Mexican nationals were turning up in ICE's detention center. Consulate officials have the right to speak with their citizens held in American jails.

Hispanic activists organized anti-deportation protests, which were attended by hundreds of area residents. The controversy attracted heavy media coverage, including attention from national media outlets such as CNN and "Good Morning America."

Activist Carlos Quintanilla, said the demonstrations prompted people to be more careful to avoid arrest and forced police to back off some.

"I think the city of Irving has somewhat diminished its deportations," he said. "That doesn't mean we're happy with the deportations. We want zero deportations, and we want an end to the Criminal Alien Program. We will continue to keep pressuring until it's down to zero or a much smaller number that is acceptable."

Alejandro del Carmen, chairman of the Criminology Department at the University of Texas at Arlington, said Irving's policy has not controlled illegal immigration, but probably pushed it to other cities.

"It may very well be that a lot of Hispanics or particularly illegal aliens are avoiding entering, living or being associated with the city of Irving," he said.

Hubbard said he wants to issue identification cards to Mexicans, in hopes that they can avoid arrest for failure to identify oneself during traffic and other stops.

Gears has said the ID cards might help people identify themselves, but will not exempt them from any arrestable offense.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 04, 2007, 10:33:43 AM
Quote
Alejandro del Carmen, chairman of the Criminology Department at the University of Texas at Arlington, said Irving's policy has not controlled illegal immigration, but probably pushed it to other cities.

That's exactly what has happened and the very reason that other sities and states need to do the same thing.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on November 04, 2007, 11:18:35 AM
If immigration does their job and picks up illegal aliens from local authorities in a timely manner, there is no excuse for any city to ignore enforcement of the law. It hasn't been that long ago that immigration didn't pick them up at all, and it bankrupted jail budgets. As a result, police were ordered to stop arresting illegal aliens for many years in most parts of the country.

Many of our problems today are a direct result of higher levels of government refusing to do their duty. It isn't a matter of choice, and there are civil and criminal consequences for dereliction of duty. It's only right that the ones at the top should be charged first. Securing our borders isn't a matter of choice either, and the same consequences apply to dereliction of duty.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 04, 2007, 11:34:40 AM
Illinois used to have a fairly good program on dealing with illegal aliens until Gov Rod Blagojevich started changing the laws against the will of the people to aid the illegals. Now we have even a greater influx of illegals. It has created a great number of problems here. Yes, these people need to be prosecuted and jailed for failing to properly execute their duties for the people.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on November 04, 2007, 11:37:10 AM
If immigration does their job and picks up illegal aliens from local authorities in a timely manner, there is no excuse for any city to ignore enforcement of the law. It hasn't been that long ago that immigration didn't pick them up at all, and it bankrupted jail budgets. As a result, police were ordered to stop arresting illegal aliens for many years in most parts of the country.

Many of our problems today are a direct result of higher levels of government refusing to do their duty. It isn't a matter of choice, and there are civil and criminal consequences for dereliction of duty. It's only right that the ones at the top should be charged first. Securing our borders isn't a matter of choice either, and the same consequences apply to dereliction of duty.

Amen to that Blackeye!  And speaking of dereliction of duty...I'm sure you're heard that congress wants to start taking a 3 day weekend?  Which surprises me because I've been under the impression that they have all been on an extended leave of absence!
(http://)(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa89/XxScreamMeALoveSongxX/laughingsmiley.gif)


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 04, 2007, 11:54:30 AM
Amen to that Blackeye!  And speaking of dereliction of duty...I'm sure you're heard that congress wants to start taking a 3 day weekend?  Which surprises me because I've been under the impression that they have all been on an extended leave of absence!
(http://)(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa89/XxScreamMeALoveSongxX/laughingsmiley.gif)

(http://img116.exs.cx/img116/1231/z7shysterical.gif)


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on November 04, 2007, 08:44:10 PM
Amen to that Blackeye!  And speaking of dereliction of duty...I'm sure you're heard that congress wants to start taking a 3 day weekend?  Which surprises me because I've been under the impression that they have all been on an extended leave of absence!
(http://)(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa89/XxScreamMeALoveSongxX/laughingsmiley.gif)

 ;D   ;D   ;D

The only way we know that they've been to work these days is scandals, attempts to finish driving GOD out of the land, and more messes that are harder and harder to fix. It would be much more positive if they didn't come to work at all, and it would be cheaper for the people if they stayed home.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on November 04, 2007, 09:06:25 PM
;D   ;D   ;D

The only way we know that they've been to work these days is scandals, attempts to finish driving GOD out of the land, and more messes that are harder and harder to fix. It would be much more positive if they didn't come to work at all, and it would be cheaper for the people if they stayed home.

True, true and so true!  ;D


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 10, 2007, 01:15:05 PM
Feds to hold 'sanctuaries' accountable 
'We're not going to tolerate people blatantly disregarding our laws'

Sanctuary cities – whether their law enforcement personnel deliberately obstruct federal immigration enforcement or simply ignore such violations when they encounter them – soon could be facing the wrath of the federal government in court, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff recently told a congressional committee he didn't intend to "tolerate interference" by sanctuary cities that would block companies from participating in such programs as "E-Verify," which allows workers' IDs to be checked before hiring.

"I intend to take as vigorous legal actions as the law allows to prevent that from happening, prevent that kind of interference," he told Congress.

Within days, the first fruits of that promised were revealed, with a lawsuit against the state of Illinois over a legislative proposal signed into law by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

According to published reports Illinois is "complicating" efforts by federal agents with a state law that virtually blocks corporations from participating in the program that was set up to verify if new employees have legal standing to work in the United States.

"The state of Illinois has now made it illegal to comply with federal law," Chertoff told reporters when the action was filed. "That's not acceptable as a matter of the Constitution."

Illinois already had become famous among sanctuary supporters, since one of the higher profile cases in recent months involved Elvira Arellano, who came into the United States illegally, was deported, returned, and when facing another deportation took refuge in Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago.

She remained there for months before traveling to California where she was arrested and deported from Los Angeles.

When the lawsuit was announced, reporters speculated the high profile Chertoff gave it was meant as a warning to other states and cities that also may be involved in such "sanctuary" issues. A department spokeswoman, Veronica Nur Valdez, told WND the department has committed to doing what it needs to, "up to and including legal action" to make sure everyone is working on the same page of immigration law enforcement.

"The lawsuit is in regard to E-Verify, a voluntary program. It's free and simple to use. It's an online program where employers can match up new hires' information with government databases and basically know with a matter of minutes whether that person is eligible to be hired," she said.

"It's a tool meant to serve employers who want to act in good faith and take appropriate steps and make sure they hire legal employees," she said. More than 30,000 companies already are taking part. The lawsuit said the program answers about 93 percent of such inquiries immediately or the next day, while the rest take longer.

Illinois' new Right to Privacy at Work Act, however, bans participation in the program until Homeland Security reports it can do 99 percent of all investigations and return the final results within three days.

Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said it was passed to "protect employees" from what she described as "unfair treatment under the federal government's flawed Basic Pilot Program."

The federal government, however, views the Illinois law as an infringement of the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause, which elevates federal law over state or local rules.

"What we can't do when we pass a federal law is have the states decide they want to modify that law," Chertoff told reporters then.

Valdez told WND the state law is impeding the federal agency's ability to carry out its responsibilities to the U.S. citizens.

"We're very committed to our responsibility to the American people," she said. "We are using the law as it is written and enforcing it as best we can. We're very committed to this.

"I think," she continued, "we're not going to tolerate people blatantly disregarding our laws. It's a disservice to our nation to have people turn a blind eye to our laws."

She said such cases won't all be identical, and probably won't be handled identically.

"I think what we have is fundamentally, our state and local governments are trying to impede the department and the federal government's responsibility to enforce our laws to the point that it's a concern," she told WND. "The secretary has made it clear we're not going to lay back. We will vigorously fight whatever [impedes] federal law."

Many argue over the exact meaning of a "sanctuary" city, county or state, but it's generally understood in those locations, which have been compiled and listed by organizations such as the Ohio Jobs & Justice Political Action Committee, apply a lower standard of enforcement to federal immigration laws than other laws.

Lawsuits might not be the only way that such "sanctuary" governments face a penalty, either.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., has for a number of years introduced legislation that would withhold federal emergency services funding from such cities.

To his surprise, the amendment attached to the funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security was endorsed by the U.S. House this year.

"The people of the country really have spoken," Tancredo told newspaper reporters then. "It's a really good indicator of just how much closer to the people the House is than the Senate." The vote was 234-189, with 50 Democrats supporting his plan.

Tancredo earlier had worked with other opponents of illegal immigration to post billboards in Denver, including one that said: "Welcome to SANCTURAY CITY … Relax, you made it!"

However, the city long has questioned that description, contending that city policies "comply" with federal law.

Tancredo, whose campaign for the 2008 GOP nomination for president has focused on immigration issues, also had ruffled feathers by urging the families of three young murder victims to consider suing Newark, N.J., over the city's "lax" immigration policies.

One of the suspects was identified as an illegal Peruvian immigrant who had had two earlier encounters with the law, being indicted twice on charges of child rape and aggravated assault. However, he was released on bail both times.

There, Mayor Cory Booker defended the less-than-stringent enforcement policy.

"Local law enforcement officials should not be going out asking, inquiring and investigating whether people are documented or undocumented," he told reporters.

A spokesman for President Bush earlier told WND that such resolutions and statements by local governments about their "sanctuary" offerings weren't anything the president would pursue.

But officials for an activist group, Americans for Legal Immigration, say they would offer a solution. The question at that point was a sanctuary designation by New Haven, Conn., so ALIPAC officials said they would circulate a promotion in more than three dozen states – urging illegal aliens to move to New Haven.

"Maybe New Haven needs to learn, if they want the illegals, then they'll get the illegals," ALIPAC President William Gheen told WND.

New Haven's plan was to offer illegals identification cards so they could use city services such as libraries. Supporters reported the cards will improve "public safety" and give the illegal aliens protections that already are given to legal residents.

New York also is embroiled in turmoil over the governor's proposal to grant illegal aliens drivers' licenses.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 10, 2007, 02:36:38 PM
Spitzer has second thoughts about licenses for illegals

NEW YORK - Facing growing pressure from his own party, Gov. Eliot Spitzer indicated he had not ruled out rescinding a heavily criticized plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, according to published reports.

Spitzer's proposal has generated a politically charged debate that has reverberated in the presidential campaign. He said Friday he was standing by the plan for now, but he suggested he might consider backing off if he could not build enthusiasm for it, the reports said.

"I don't think there's ever been an executive, a president, a governor who hasn't put out ideas that at the end of the day there isn't support, and so things don't work out," the governor told reporters after meeting with Hispanic lawmakers in San Juan, Puerto Rico. "But as of now, sure, I think this is the right idea from a security perspective. We'll wait and see."

The Democratic governor has weathered intense criticism since he announced the license plan in September. He said giving driving credentials to people now "living in the shadows" would make traffic safer, shrink auto insurance premiums by insuring more drivers and boost security by identifying more immigrants.

But opponents in Albany and around the country have countered that there are security risks in giving government identification to as many as 1 million illegal immigrants in New York State. Some have also said the plan will encourage illegal immigration to the state.

Amid the outcry, Spitzer madde a deal with federal homeland security officials last month to create three New York State driver's licenses: one as secure as a U.S. passport for crossing the Canadian border, another for boarding airplanes, and a third that will not be valid federal identification but will be available to illegal immigrants and others for driving.

But criticism has continued. A Republican congressman from Long Island, Rep. Peter King, launched a bid to outlaw the plan this week, while some Republican candidates tried to capitalize on the issue in local elections around the state.

The topic has become an uncomfortable one for Democrats. New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front-runner in the presidential race, has come under scrutiny for her noncommittal remarks on the subject.

Clinton has said she supports governors like Spitzer who try to address the national problem of immigration, but has refused to say whether she supports or opposes Spitzer's actual plan.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on November 11, 2007, 09:55:36 AM
Feds to hold 'sanctuaries' accountable 
'We're not going to tolerate people blatantly disregarding our laws'


Well get started then.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 11, 2007, 10:00:47 AM
Well get started then.


Exactly and it should be with the politicians going to jail that support these sanctuaries like New York and Illinois governors.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on November 11, 2007, 10:27:23 AM
AMEN to that brother.
We want our country back, that our government has so freely given away.
Send the illegals home and not at the tax payers expense either.  The government has raped it's citizens financially (and morally) for long enough, to line their pockets and support absolutely insane ideas and ideals that are not anything close to what the people want.  They need use the money they already have to do it.

This is our country.  Our culture!  Anything that is not AMERICAN should not be allowed.  I'm referring now to the memorial for Flight 93 and others.  If it's not the American Flag or the Cross then get rid of it!  Our culture IS Christian.

In fact if you're not a citizen and are only here on a Visa or Green Card then you are a VISITOR.  You don't get a drivers license either!  You get to take the bus or hire an American company to drive you for which you PAY us!

You don't get to wash your feet in special baths, you can do it in your bathtub on your own time!  You don't get special "prayer rooms".  Your can form your own small group in your friends home.  And DO IT QUIETLY, privately and with respect for the country that you're in because it OURS, not yours.

(I woke up with righteous anger again this morning)  >:(
But dog gone it.  Every day they are throwing something different at us.  When are they going to ask us what WE want?

I was reading Revelation earlier this week and about how Israel will be attacked when it's walls are down and everything is seemingly in peace.  The only way the enemy will be able to that is (of course God's will) but because America is out of the picture by that time.  We will either not be the power that we have been for so long or we will have sold out Israel.  And it just saddens and angers me.
We have given out country away and will pay the price for that soon and very soon.

(My opinions are many and freely given!)  ;D
In Christ,
Grammyluv


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 11, 2007, 10:36:26 AM
When are they going to ask us what WE want? {/quote]

They won't because those in power don't care what we want.

Quote
(My opinions are many and freely given!)  ;D

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

I like that.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on November 11, 2007, 11:07:33 AM
Of course they don't care.  They've been proving that every since our forefathers passed away.  "For the people and by the people" died when they did.  The bottom line on every one of their agendas is "me, me, me"  It's about what and how much they can get while they are in office.  And while they are wining and dining and sleeping it off the hole they are digging for us is getting deeper and deeper.
They should all be charged with "neglect" and "dereliction of duty".


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on November 11, 2007, 11:10:12 AM
Better yet; they should all be charged with "homicide" because they are killing America!.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 11, 2007, 11:19:21 AM
Cover it all with Treason.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on November 11, 2007, 03:21:37 PM
Brothers and Sisters,

I feel the same way. For whatever reason, we aren't in Bible Prophecy, so that must mean that we are taken out of the way in some manner. That wouldn't take much with all of the gross incompetence. After all, we can't even secure our own borders. Our overall condition is sad and without a clue. Gay rights are probably more important than survival.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 11, 2007, 03:27:09 PM
Take a look at this thread:

http://forums.christiansunite.com/index.php?topic=20396.0

It is a good possibility that would answer that question.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on November 11, 2007, 04:48:51 PM
UM? - I wonder if our government would let them go ahead and install ballistic missiles in the name of religious freedom. I also find it interesting that they have religious freedom and we don't. What's wrong with this picture?


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 12, 2007, 01:04:06 PM
Bipartisan bill counters amnesty agenda

A House Democrat from North Carolina is co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill that would provide additional border security, crack down on illegal alien workers and employers, and reject amnesty.

First-term Congressman Heath Shuler (D-North Carolina) says he introduced the "Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement Act of 2007" (or the SAVE Act of 2007) because it is exactly what the American people want. HR 4088 would add 8,000 Border Patrol agents and give them new technology and infrastructure needed to secure the country's northern and southern borders. It would also add 1,200 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Shuler says Americans have a right to be upset with their government for not taking action to curb illegal immigration. "North Carolina is one of the states that spends over a billion dollars a year just in three areas [dealing with illegal immigrants]: incarceration, healthcare, and education ...," he shares. "So this is ... actually a three-part plan to stop illegal immigration in our country."

Shuler's bill has attracted nearly 100 co-sponsors, including liberal Congressman John Martha (D-Pennsylvania) and border security hawks Duncan Hunter (R-California) and Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado), both GOP presidential candidates. Despite the bipartisan support and the number of co-sponsors, House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) calls the measure "insufficient."

Shuler argues the bill is a common sense solution to the country's illegal immigration problem. "When people are here too long in Washington, they become very partisan -- and Roy Blunt is actually ... being partisan on this issue," Shuler states. "He doesn't want a freshman member of Congress who is a part of the Democratic Party to be able to champion a bill that he was not able to do as a part of the majority."

"But ... [as demonstrated] by the numbers of co-sponsors that we have, [we have] been able to set politics aside," he argues. "It's time we start doing what's right for America."

Shuler says the bill will ultimately save taxpayer dollars because it includes a pilot program that would increase aerial surveillance satellites and equipment sharing between the Homeland Security and Defense Departments.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 12, 2007, 01:05:51 PM
23 illegals busted for using fake ID badges to work at O'Hare

An immigration reform organization says the federal government needs to vigorously prosecute 25 individuals involved in an illegal alien employment scheme at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Almost two dozen illegal aliens are accused of using fake security badges to work in critical areas of the airport, including the tarmac. According to Associated Press, the 23 illegal immigrants were employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions, Inc., whose corporate secretary and office manager were also arrested after an eight-month investigation that involved federal, state, and Chicago authorities. Agents found that 110 of the 134 airport security badges issued to Ideal Staffing workers did not match the individuals who carried them.

Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) says this case has serious national security implications. "What we need are vigorous prosecutions in cases like these -- not just of the illegal immigrants themselves, but of the people who have been organizing them [and] the people who have been selling them the false documents," he argues. All of those individuals, he argues, are participating in "undermining the security of the United States."

The FAIR spokesman argues that when mis-identified people are working in security-sensitive positions in international airports, all air travelers need to be concerned. "It means that if they can get through the security system, then terrorists can also get through the security system," he explains. And he contends that the billions of dollars spent on airport security since September 11, 2001, have only resulted in giving Americans the "impression that they are more secure."

Mehlman believes the only way to put an end to criminal behavior of this sort is to send a tough message and let the perpetrators know that they will face lengthy prison sentences if caught.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Littleboy on November 12, 2007, 02:23:47 PM
Hi Everyone,
I've tried to stay away from this one...
My cousin was killed by an Illegal Immigrant(Mexico) about 20 yrs ago...
My Father-in-law was crippled by an Illegal Im.(Mexico)
I won't even get started about ALL the Drugs that are coming across the Border...

I guess both sides (rep.& dems.) are to blame for this???
It's been going on for along time(30million people later) >:(
YLBD


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on November 12, 2007, 07:41:25 PM
23 illegals busted for using fake ID badges to work at O'Hare

An immigration reform organization says the federal government needs to vigorously prosecute 25 individuals involved in an illegal alien employment scheme at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Almost two dozen illegal aliens are accused of using fake security badges to work in critical areas of the airport, including the tarmac. According to Associated Press, the 23 illegal immigrants were employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions, Inc., whose corporate secretary and office manager were also arrested after an eight-month investigation that involved federal, state, and Chicago authorities. Agents found that 110 of the 134 airport security badges issued to Ideal Staffing workers did not match the individuals who carried them.

Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) says this case has serious national security implications. "What we need are vigorous prosecutions in cases like these -- not just of the illegal immigrants themselves, but of the people who have been organizing them [and] the people who have been selling them the false documents," he argues. All of those individuals, he argues, are participating in "undermining the security of the United States."

The FAIR spokesman argues that when mis-identified people are working in security-sensitive positions in international airports, all air travelers need to be concerned. "It means that if they can get through the security system, then terrorists can also get through the security system," he explains. And he contends that the billions of dollars spent on airport security since September 11, 2001, have only resulted in giving Americans the "impression that they are more secure."

Mehlman believes the only way to put an end to criminal behavior of this sort is to send a tough message and let the perpetrators know that they will face lengthy prison sentences if caught.


Well that's a heck of a deal, isn't it?


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Eva on November 12, 2007, 07:55:09 PM
23 illegals busted for using fake ID badges to work at O'Hare

An immigration reform organization says the federal government needs to vigorously prosecute 25 individuals involved in an illegal alien employment scheme at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Almost two dozen illegal aliens are accused of using fake security badges to work in critical areas of the airport, including the tarmac. According to Associated Press, the 23 illegal immigrants were employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions, Inc., whose corporate secretary and office manager were also arrested after an eight-month investigation that involved federal, state, and Chicago authorities. Agents found that 110 of the 134 airport security badges issued to Ideal Staffing workers did not match the individuals who carried them.

Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) says this case has serious national security implications. "What we need are vigorous prosecutions in cases like these -- not just of the illegal immigrants themselves, but of the people who have been organizing them [and] the people who have been selling them the false documents," he argues. All of those individuals, he argues, are participating in "undermining the security of the United States."

The FAIR spokesman argues that when mis-identified people are working in security-sensitive positions in international airports, all air travelers need to be concerned. "It means that if they can get through the security system, then terrorists can also get through the security system," he explains. And he contends that the billions of dollars spent on airport security since September 11, 2001, have only resulted in giving Americans the "impression that they are more secure."

Mehlman believes the only way to put an end to criminal behavior of this sort is to send a tough message and let the perpetrators know that they will face lengthy prison sentences if caught.


Unbelievable!!!
Love in Christ, Eva


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 14, 2007, 09:53:10 PM
ID cards for San Fran residents – legal or not
Largest U.S. city to issue municipal pieces of identification

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to issue municipal identification cards to city residents - regardless of whether they are in the country legally - and to double the amount of public money available to candidates running for supervisor.

Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who authored the ID card legislation, said the program is a smart public safety measure because it would make residents living on the social margins of San Francisco more likely to seek the help of police and could give them more access to banking services.

"People are afraid to report crimes," Ammiano said, referring to illegal immigrants who avoid local law enforcement authorities over fear of being arrested or deported by federal immigration officials.

The legislation would require companies holding city contracts to accept the municipal card as a legitimate form of identification - except in cases where other state and federal laws require other forms of proof of age, name and residence.

Under San Francisco's sanctuary ordinance, it is city policy that no municipal government personnel or resources be used to assist federal immigration officials in the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants.

Ammiano said banking institutions in San Francisco have signaled their willingness to accept the municipal ID card for the purpose of setting up accounts. He noted that people without bank accounts are frequently more vulnerable to theft and robbery.

Officials with the city's Bank on San Francisco program, which helps people obtain bank accounts, said institutions such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Washington Mutual and US Bank had expressed interest in accepting the ID cards.

Bank on San Francisco is a city partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank. Although criteria for opening bank accounts are set in part through the USA Patriot Act, "to our knowledge that law is not a bar to a municipal ID," said David Augustine, spokesman for the city treasurer's office, which oversees the program.

The ID legislation, which was approved 10-1 on the first of two readings, has the support of Mayor Gavin Newsom and would make San Francisco the largest city in the country to issue municipal identification. The city of New Haven, Conn., began issuing cards earlier this year.

Ammiano said he hopes the card could eventually be used at city libraries and become compatible with the regional TransLink transit card system.

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd voted against the measure, saying his opposition was primarily financial because the city doesn't know how much implementing the program will cost. "Next year's budget is not going to be pretty," Elsbernd said. "With all the services included, this could shortchange our budget discussion."

The San Francisco County Clerk has estimated the cost of the program could range between $1.07 million and $2.86 million in the first three years, much of that for staff to process the cards.

Supporters of tougher enforcement of U.S. immigration laws argue that local identification card programs have the effect of legitimizing the decisions of people who entered or have remained in the country illegally and making it more difficult for the federal government to enforce those laws.

The supervisors also gave final approval to a measure that would nearly double - to $88,000 - the amount of public money available to people running for seats on the Board of Supervisor.

To qualify for public financing under the measure, a candidate must raise at least $52,500 in private funds and cannot spend more than $140,000 on the campaign.

Elsbernd objected, noting that he and two other supervisors would be seeking re-election next year and essentially were being put in a position to vote to be able to spend more taxpayer dollars on their campaigns.

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, one of the other incumbents up for re-election, attempted to amend the legislation so it wouldn't apply next year in supervisorial districts where sitting supervisors were seeking a new term.

But the supervisors voted down that amendment, and the board eventually passed the measure 8-3, with Supervisors Carmen Chu, Elsbernd and Michela Alioto-Pier voting against it.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 15, 2007, 05:31:48 PM
Lawmen under siege along Mexico border

Alien and drug smugglers along the U.S.-Mexico border have spawned a rise in violence against federal, state and local law-enforcement authorities, who say they are outmanned and outgunned.

"They've got weapons, high-tech radios, computers, cell phones, Global Positioning Systems, spotters and can react faster than we are able to," said Shawn P. Moran, a 10-year U.S. Border Patrol veteran who serves as vice president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 1613 in San Diego.

"And they have no hesitancy to attack the agents on the line, with anything from assault rifles and improvised Molotov cocktails to rocks, concrete slabs and bottles," he said. "There are so many agent 'rockings' that few are even reported anymore. If we wrote them all up, that's all we would be doing."

Assaults against Border Patrol agents have more than doubled over the past two years, many by Mexico-based alien and drug gangs more inclined than ever to use violence as a means of ensuring success in the smuggling of people and contraband.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff acknowledges that although the department has begun to make progress against "the criminals and thugs" operating along the U.S.-Mexico border, "we are beginning to see more violence in some border communities and against our Border Patrol agents as these traffickers ... seek to protect their turf.

"We must provide the manpower and resources they need to carry out their duties, and we are working hard to make sure they get them," Mr. Chertoff said during a speech in Houston this month.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the investigative arm of Homeland Security, stated in a report earlier this year that border gangs were becoming increasingly ruthless — targeting rivals, along with federal, state and local police. ICE described violence on the border as rising dramatically over the past three years in what it called "an unprecedented surge."

But many agents think they are viewed as "expendable" by the managers within Homeland Security and the Border Patrol. They say that while the number of agents overall has increased dramatically over the past year, the actual number of line agents has not seen a corresponding jump.

Several noted that one six-mile section of border near San Diego, regarded as one of the most dangerous alien- and drug-smuggling corridors in the country, previously was assigned as many as 50 agents, but has been expanded to 13 miles and has one agent posted for each mile.

"That kind of situation is becoming increasingly common," Mr. Moran said. "The status quo is unacceptable. Agents are being assaulted four to five times per shift. Ironically, the region has often been touted as the cornerstone of Operation Gatekeeper. Well, the cornerstone is crumbling and if changes don't happen soon, we will lose an agent."

Operation Gatekeeper was a Clinton-era security initiative that put 300 agents on the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego, along with more fencing and lighting. It was based on a similar program in El Paso, Texas, where agents were stationed within sight of one another at main crossing points in order to form a human wall.

"Where are all these new agents they say they're hiring?" Mr. Moran asked. "It's hard to believe that Mr. Chertoff means it when he says his job is to provide the manpower and resources the agents need to carry out their duties, to give them the means to protect themselves against violence from criminal traffickers."

Mr. Moran noted that many agents are being assigned to "non-border activities," including jobs at Border Patrol headquarters in Washington. He said the agency's headquarters soon may be the largest regional office in the entire Border Patrol, "assigned the task of telling the public what a good job we're doing."

Several agents noted that many of the alien- and drug-smuggling gangs targeting law-enforcement authorities are doing so with sophisticated weaponry. They noted that in February, an ICE-led task force seized two completed improvised explosive devices, materials for making 33 more devices, 300 primers, 1,280 rounds of ammunition, five grenades, nine pipes with end caps, 26 grenade triggers, 31 grenade spoons, 40 grenade pins, 19 black powder casings, a silencer and cash during raids in Laredo, Texas.

"Keeping explosives and other high-powered weaponry out of the hands of violent criminal organizations is a central focus of the new Border Enforcement Security Task Force in Laredo," Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Julie L. Myers, who heads ICE, said in announcing the seizures. "ICE is working day and night with its task force partners to stem the tide of violence that has been ravaging border communities in south Texas."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Littleboy on November 15, 2007, 07:41:00 PM
I have 2 cousins that worked for the U.S Border Patrol,
They quit in fear of being prosecuted for doing their JOB among other things, Like chasing the same people over & over & over again & again, I think you get my point!
The Illegals have more right's then they/we do!
2 are in prison right Now, that I know of!
YLBD
A Dem. would say your a Racist or Mean Spirited.....
A Rep.   Would say we want the RULE of LAW ENFORCED!


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 16, 2007, 01:19:24 PM
Mexico stricter than U.S. on licenses for illegals
All 31 states require foreign residents to hold valid visa if they want driving document

Push to Give Driver's Licenses to Illegals in U.S., But in Mexico It's a Different Story

 Hillary Clinton might be on one side of the border, then the other when it comes to issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, but Mexican officials know exactly where they stand: no licenses for illegals.

All of Mexico's 31 states require foreign residents to hold a valid visa if they want a Mexican license, according to a survey published Thursday in The Arizona Republic.

"When it comes to foreigners, we're a little more strict here," Alejandro Ruíz, director of education at the Mexican Automobile Association, told the newspaper.

Immigrant drivers became an overnight national campaign issue when Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton responded to a debate question by declared her support for a move by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to issue licenses to illegal immigrants.

"It makes a lot of sense," Clinton said during the Oct. 30 debate.

She backed away from that support Wednesday when Spitzer announced he was backing off the plan.

Eight U.S. states allow drivers to get licenses without proving they are legal residents, the newspaper reported.

Mexicans account for more than half of the 12 million undocumented residents, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Because of the number of illegal Mexicans residing in the U.S., America's southern neighbor has battled to open the licensing process in all 50 states.

But licensing offices in all of Mexico's 31 states -- and Mexico City -- told The Arizona Republic that proof of citizenship is required.

Temporary tourists can drive using their foreign licenses, the newspaper reported, the same temporary exemption granted visitors to the U.S.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 16, 2007, 01:19:46 PM
The question of whether to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants ignited a national debate in the United States. But in Mexico, the largest source of U.S. immigrants, there's no question: Here, you must be a legal resident to get a driver's license.

All of Mexico's 31 states, along with Mexico City, require foreigners to present a valid visa if they want a driver's license, according to a survey of states by The Arizona Republic.

"When it comes to foreigners, we're a little more strict here," said Alejandro Ruíz, director of education at the Mexican Automobile Association.

   


Immigrant drivers zoomed into the national spotlight after presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said a move by the New York governor to give licenses to illegal immigrants "makes a lot of sense" during an Oct. 30 debate.

On Wednesday, Clinton backed off that plan.

Proponents said the plan would have made the roads safer by ensuring that drivers are trained and insured, but the ensuing public outcry forced Gov. Eliot Spitzer to abandon the effort Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., planned to file a bill this week that would bar states from any future attempts to give licenses to illegal immigrants.

Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington allow drivers to get licenses without proving they are legal residents, according to the National Immigration Law Center. Most other states, including Arizona, require applicants to prove they are citizens or legal residents.

Mexicans make up the bulk of illegal immigrants in the United States, accounting for an estimated 6 million of the 11.5 million undocumented residents as of March 2005, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Secretariat declined to comment on the controversy this week, but the Mexican government has fought U.S. restrictions on licenses in the past.

In 2004, the former Mexican consul in New York, Arturo Sarukhan, called such rules "a policy without a purpose" during a hearing in the New York State Assembly.

Sarukhan is now the Mexican ambassador in Washington.

Yet, licensing offices in all of Mexico's 31 states, along with the Federal District, where Mexico City is located, said they require applicants to prove their citizenship, preferably by showing a federal voter-registration card issued by the Federal Elections Institute.

Of those, 28 states and the Federal District said they would issue licenses to foreigners only if they present valid FM-2 or FM-3 residency visas.

The central Mexican states of Morelos, Puebla and Guerrero are more lenient. Foreigners there can get a driver's license with a valid tourist visa, or FMT.

Tourist visas are issued by federal immigration agents at airports and border crossing points.

Foreign tourists who are in Mexico temporarily can also drive using their foreign licenses, states said. Most U.S. states, including Arizona, have a similar exemption for temporary visitors.

Mexican officials said the application rules are strictly enforced, especially in southern states that have a problem with illegal immigrants from Central America.

"Last week a man came here (with a tourist visa) and said he was working as a deliveryman," said Denia Gurgua, manager of the driver's license office in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital of the southern state of Chiapas.

She said she denied him a license because he did not have a visa to work in Mexico.

"Our constitution has certain restrictions for foreigners," she said.

U.S. proponents of tougher restrictions worry that having a driver's license helps legitimize illegal immigrants, making it harder to detect and remove them.

"The fact that all 31 states in Mexico would have such a common-sense position . . . shows to me a certain hypocrisy on the part of the Mexican government, because they are constantly criticizing those of us in Congress who want immigration laws to be tougher up here," said King of New York.

But immigrant advocates says the two countries don't compare. U.S. states are trying to protect other motorists from millions of illegal immigrants who are already driving, said Tyler Moran, an expert on driver's licenses at the National Immigration Law Center.

Mexico's pool of foreign residents is much smaller, about 492,000 people in a country of 105 million, according to the 2000 census.

"It may be a bit like comparing apples and oranges," Moran said. "The (U.S. states) are dealing in reality, and it's better public policy to have people actually have licenses, have identification, have insurance than not."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 16, 2007, 03:42:44 PM
Mexican president lashes out at U.S. candidates 
Government to finance public relations push to change American opinions

Mexican President Felipe Calderón has forcefully inserted himself into the U.S. presidential campaign, denouncing the candidates for demonizing Mexican immigrants and announcing that the government would finance a public relations campaign aimed at reversing Americans’ negative perceptions.

At a conference Wednesday of the Advisory Council of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad, the government’s immigrant assistance agency, Calderón lashed out at the “increasing harassment” and “persecution” of Mexicans in the United States, those there legally as well as illegally.

“My duty is to make an appeal, respectfully but firmly, to the candidates of the various political parties in the United States to stop making Mexicans symbolic hostages in their speeches and their strategies,” Calderón said.

Although he did not single out any candidate by name, Calderón made his comments on the same day Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, a Republican who has made immigration reform the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, released an incendiary ad linking immigrants to terrorism and violence in the streets.

Mexican politicians regularly criticize U.S. immigration policies, but it is highly unusual for the president of the republic to directly address the U.S. political process. But Calderón said the situation had become intolerable.

“We are respectful of the internal processes and decisions of the Americans,” he said, “but we also demand respect for Mexico and for Mexicans.”

Government promises programs to aid immigrants
Calderón coupled his criticisms with several broad-ranging initiatives to better the lives of Mexicans in the United States, who are an important constituency in Mexican politics.

The government estimates that there are 11 million Mexicans in the United States, about 6 million of them illegally. It calculates that they sent back to Mexico more than $23 billion in remittances to help support their families last year.

“Remittances from the United States are a major source of income for our country, at present the second largest after oil exports,” said Maria Rosa Márquez Cabrera, the secretary of rural development.

The government announced that it would sharply lower the banking fees that are charged for remittances to immigrants’ relatives in Mexico City, the capital, to as little as $3 for a $500 transfer. No transfer would cost more than $10 under the program, which is a partnership with the national banking corporation Grupo Financiero Banorte.

It also said it would back a proposal by the immigrants agency to organize a coalition of Mexican activists inside the United States to respond to political attacks on immigrants. The coalition would be called la Liga contra la Discriminación de los Mexicanos en Estados Unidos, or the League Against Discrimination of Mexicans in the United States.

PR campaign targeted at the U.S. public
But the most unusual initiative would budget an undisclosed amount for a campaign inside the United States to “win the battle of public opinion” by highlighting inspirational “success stories” of Mexican immigrants who had prospered in American society.

Calderón did not disclose details of the new campaign, but he said it would help the U.S. public recognize “the irreplaceable contribution of Mexicans to the United States, to its economy and its society.”

A particular target will be the U.S. news media, where he said he would seek an “objective dialogue” on immigration.

“Strategies of simple confrontation and rudeness aggravate an anti-Mexican feeling,” Calderón said, amplifying “the worse phobias even more.”


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 19, 2007, 03:34:54 PM
Immigration study says farm worker shortage a myth

An immigration reform organization has released a report that challenges the argument of open border proponents who claim there's a shortage of farm workers in the United States.

The report was commissioned by the Washington, DC-based Center for Immigration Studies, and is entitled Farm Labor Shortages: How Real? What Response? Jessica Vaughan, a senior policy analyst for the CIS, says the shortage is a myth.

"There are no real indications of a shortage. Production of fresh fruits and vegetables has actually gone up. The growers are planting more and more, and they're harvesting more and more. The prices have stayed the same," argues Vaughan. "If there were really a shortage we would start to see shortages of produce on our shelves."

Vaughan says a political agenda is behind the supposed shortage of farm workers. She says politicians and business interests are pushing this shortage myth so they can in turn push amnesty legislation. She contends it is all about cheap labor.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on November 20, 2007, 10:30:26 AM
Des Moines looks to be sanctuary city
'We don't want anybody with hard feelings about this issue to get mad'

A proposal to prohibit local law enforcement officials from conducting raids on illegal immigrants in Des Moines was presented to at least one City Council member recently.

Councilwoman Christine Hensley said Sunday that she spoke about six weeks ago with representatives of two immigration-rights groups that presented a plan that would block local city departments - including the police - from conducting raids on immigrants or inquiring about a person's immigration status.

Aspects of the proposal, brought up Sunday at an immigration forum, are similar to a national trend of "sanctuary cities."

"They're looking at ordinances that have been passed in other parts of the country that would address that ," Hensley said. "It's really important to emphasize it's in the very, very beginning stages of discussion."

Hensley said the impetus for the ordinance is illegal immigrants who fear raids and do not come to work, incurring costs on their employers.

"What I suggested to them is there has to be a lot of discussion about it and whether or not there's really a problem," she said.

Details on the plan and its chances of becoming an ordinance are unknown.

Alex Orozco, executive director of the Iowa-based Network Against Human Trafficking who is one of the people who met with Hensley, said Sunday he is trying to set up a meeting with Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie before the end of the year.

Orozco would not name the other immigration-rights group involved in the proposal.

Orozco declined to elaborate on specifics of the proposal except to say that "the ordinance would make it harder to conduct raids" and "all the city departments would be involved."

Hensley said she didn't have more details about the plan.

Councilmen Tom Vlassis, Bob Mahaffey and Michael Kiernan each said they had not heard of the plan.

Cownie, Councilmen Brian Meyer and Chris Coleman could not be reached for comment.

Orozco said media coverage of the plan while it is still in the preliminary stages would hurt its chances of passage. "We don't want anybody with hard feelings about this issue to get mad when we haven't even finalized it," he said.

Orozco had made a reference to the proposal earlier Sunday at an immigration forum at Plymouth Congregational Church in Des Moines.

Even without all the details, some aspects of the proposal appear to mimic a nationwide trend: so-called "sanctuary cities" that direct local police not to look for violations of immigration law.

The term "sanctuary city" has come under scrutiny, said Tim Counts, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, adding that there is no legal definition.

Counts said that as far as he knew, any city ordinance would not interfere with federal agents conducting raids.

Nearly 70 cities, counties, and states have enacted sanctuary policies, according to a preliminary count by the National Immigration Law Center, but the Congressional Research Service in 2006 put the number at 32 cities and counties, according to a Sept. 25 article in the Christian Science Monitor.

A major raid in Iowa came last Dec. 12 when immigration agents swept through Swift & Co. meatpacking plants in Marshalltown and five other cities nationwide, arresting about 1,200 workers - one-tenth of Swift's work force - on immigration or identity-theft charges.

The raids prompted a September federal civil-rights lawsuit filed in Texas against both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement by some of the workers detained.

In August 2000, Des Moines police detained 49 illegal immigrants in a raid on a south-side bar that they said was the result of a six-week police investigation of drugs allegedly being sold at the establishment.


Title: San Francisco to give illegal aliens ID cards
Post by: Shammu on November 21, 2007, 01:53:44 AM
San Francisco to give illegal aliens ID cards
Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:27pm EST

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco will give resident identification cards to illegal immigrants under a plan approved on Tuesday amid a fierce nationwide debate on granting privileges to undocumented aliens.

In a 10-1 vote, the city's board of supervisors -- the equivalent of a city council -- approved giving identification cards to all residents, including illegal immigrants. The move makes San Francisco the largest U.S. city to back such a plan.

Residents will be able to obtain the resident cards by presenting photo identification and proof they live in the city, such as a utility bill. It was unclear if the new cards, which will be accepted at libraries and health clinics, will carry photos.

Such a move had been expected from San Francisco, which is famously liberal. Earlier this year, Mayor Gavin Newsom said he would not allow city officials and employees to assist immigration raids by federal authorities seeking up people who had committed crimes or disregarded deportation orders.

San Francisco, which declared itself a "sanctuary city" in 1989, also this year launched a program to provide medical care to uninsured residents regardless of their immigration status.

At the state level, California's Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed bills that would allow undocumented aliens to obtain state identification cards, including driver's licenses.

By contrast, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, proposed giving illegal immigrants drivers licenses. But he was forced to drop the plan last week due to overwhelming opposition, even from presidential candidates from his own party like Hillary Clinton.

San Francisco to give illegal aliens ID cards (http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN2017064020071121)


Title: Re: San Francisco to give illegal aliens ID cards
Post by: nChrist on November 22, 2007, 12:52:41 AM
San Francisco to give illegal aliens ID cards
Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:27pm EST

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco will give resident identification cards to illegal immigrants under a plan approved on Tuesday amid a fierce nationwide debate on granting privileges to undocumented aliens.

In a 10-1 vote, the city's board of supervisors -- the equivalent of a city council -- approved giving identification cards to all residents, including illegal immigrants. The move makes San Francisco the largest U.S. city to back such a plan.

Residents will be able to obtain the resident cards by presenting photo identification and proof they live in the city, such as a utility bill. It was unclear if the new cards, which will be accepted at libraries and health clinics, will carry photos.

Such a move had been expected from San Francisco, which is famously liberal. Earlier this year, Mayor Gavin Newsom said he would not allow city officials and employees to assist immigration raids by federal authorities seeking up people who had committed crimes or disregarded deportation orders.

San Francisco, which declared itself a "sanctuary city" in 1989, also this year launched a program to provide medical care to uninsured residents regardless of their immigration status.

At the state level, California's Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed bills that would allow undocumented aliens to obtain state identification cards, including driver's licenses.

By contrast, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, proposed giving illegal immigrants drivers licenses. But he was forced to drop the plan last week due to overwhelming opposition, even from presidential candidates from his own party like Hillary Clinton.

San Francisco to give illegal aliens ID cards (http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN2017064020071121)

San Francisco never ceases to amaze me. Gay parades and illegal aliens are most welcome, but our Armed Forces are not. Nudity and obscene sex acts were most welcome on their public streets, but the Marine Corp Silent Drill Team was turned away. Does anyone get the idea that we might be looking at the last days described in Bible Prophecy? How much worse can things get? The Bible says MUCH WORSE!


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 02, 2007, 09:47:44 PM
Illegal aliens arrested while protesting crackdown 
'I thought it was time to do something more about it'

Eight illegal immigrants were arrested during a protest outside of a Phoenix furniture store that had hired sheriff's deputies to keep day laborers away.

Protesters have been demonstrating for the past six Saturdays at Pruitt's furniture store in east Phoenix against the arrests of illegal immigrants in the area. Maricopa County sheriff's deputies had arrested 24 illegal immigrants in the area after stopping them for traffic violations.

The eight people arrested Saturday on suspicion of violating immigration laws were the first illegal immigrants taken into custody during the actual protests.

"I thought it was time to do something more about it," Sheriff Joe Arpaio said. "The Pruitt's situation is getting out of hand. They are demonstrating every week and destroying this business. I don't think that's fair."

In late October, Pruitt's hired sheriff's deputies to keep day laborers away from gathering on the property, saying they were hurting business.

On Nov. 3, Daniel Pochoda, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, was arrested on a trespassing charge during one of the protests. Deputies said at the time Pochoda refused to move his car from the property.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on December 02, 2007, 10:02:00 PM
I have a HUGE crush on Sheriff Joe!   (http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x284/HappyDaddie824/2006-05-29T08_34_53-07_00.jpg)


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 02, 2007, 11:07:31 PM
 :o :o :o :o :o

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/randers/My%20Smilies/sm13.gif)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/randers/My%20Smilies/061936117-1.gif)


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on December 02, 2007, 11:17:24 PM

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/randers/My%20Smilies/061936117-1.gif)

Nice likeness, don't ya think?


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 03, 2007, 05:08:23 AM
Of you, perhaps.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 03, 2007, 02:13:31 PM
Revised SCHIP still has loophole for illegals 
Applicants for children's health program wouldn't need to prove citizenship

The revised children's health insurance bill that Congress is about to send to President Bush still has loopholes that both illegal aliens and ineligible legal immigrants could exploit to join the program, a new Heritage Foundation analysis shows.

Under the bill, those applying for the State Children's Health Insurance Program would not have to prove citizenship. Instead, they only would have to provide a valid Social Security number — something most legal immigrants and many illegal aliens already have, said Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, whose analysis is being released today.

"If you're illegal, you're going to have to come with a valid but bogus Social Security number. If you're a legal permanent resident, you have a Social Security number, it's just a piece of cake for you to walk in," Mr. Rector said.

He said the SCHIP bill that Congress passed would undo the 1996 welfare policy that restricted most public benefits to legal immigrants who have been in the country for at least five years. The new bill doesn't change that requirement, but only requires states to ask for a Social Security number, which Mr. Rector said means ineligible immigrants could sign up.

"You couldn't be clearer in their saying, 'We really don't care about that five-year time period,' " he said.

Illegal aliens who have stolen a valid Social Security number could also join, he said.

Democratic leaders in Congress said Friday that they will send the SCHIP bill to Mr. Bush and force him to make good on his threat to veto it.

"This legislation, of course, passed the House and Senate with broad bipartisan support, and we urge the president to sign it into law," said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat. "We are sending this legislation to the president now because of concerns about a pocket veto if we wait."

If Congress sends the bill to Mr. Bush less than 10 days before adjourning for the year, the president could kill it simply by refusing to sign it — known as a pocket veto.

Conservative Republicans said the bill expands coverage past poor children to include some adults and children from middle-income families. They fear that is a step toward government-run health care for all.

Mr. Bush vetoed an earlier bill, citing concerns about the expanded coverage and illegal aliens' ability to get coverage.

The bill's backers — both Democrats and some top Republicans such as Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa — said there's nothing in the measure that would affect immigrants' access.

The new rules on Social Security numbers are designed to reverse a 2006 change to the law, which required Medicaid applicants to prove citizenship by showing a birth certificate, passport or similar document before joining.

Democrats said there was no evidence of illegal aliens' abusing the program, though. And in a Government Accountability Office report, several states said the new rules actually are keeping some eligible citizens from getting Medicaid benefits.

In October, the House failed to override Mr. Bush's first veto, 273-156, 16 votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed.

The new SCHIP bill passed the House 265-142 on Oct. 25, and passed the Senate 64-30 on Nov. 1. But Democrats had delayed sending the bill to Mr. Bush, hoping to work out an agreement.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on December 03, 2007, 08:58:39 PM
I have a HUGE crush on Sheriff Joe!   (http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x284/HappyDaddie824/2006-05-29T08_34_53-07_00.jpg)

 ;D   ;D   ;D    ROFL!

Sister, I don't have a crush on Sheriff Joe, but I do think that we need several thousand more just like him.

I'll just say:

ATTA BOY JOE!

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i160/tlr10/polic/polic049.gif)
 


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 15, 2007, 01:49:51 AM
More border cities see signs of MS-13
Officials say presence of U.S. crime groups makes it harder to infiltrate U.S.

The recent arrest of a man tied to Mara Salvatrucha doesn't mean the ruthless Central American street gang is on the verge of gaining a foothold in El Paso, law enforcement authorities say.

However, it may portend a growing trend of incursions into other U.S. cities by the gang, which has a reputation for extreme violence, including hacking victims with machetes, controlling prisons and threatening the stability of some Central American countries.

The gang member arrested in El Paso was among a dozen Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, members stopped in September and October during heightened law enforcement operations along the Texas-Mexico border, the Texas governor's office said recently. Gang members, which have cliques in Houston and Dallas, also were captured in Maverick, Webb and Hidalgo counties.

Although the presence of a Mara Salvatrucha gang member in El Paso is unusual, said Javier Sambrano, El Paso police spokesman, police don't have reason to believe the gang will become a major factor locally.

"There have been some people arrested," he said. "They are associated or members of that (MS-13) gang, but we really haven't seen any activity."

The Mara Salvatrucha was founded by Salvadoran immigrants in Los Angeles.

The gang, which is the target of a multi-agency MS-13 National Gang Task Force based at FBI Headquarters, has about 10,000 members in 33 states and Washington, D.C.

Because there are already about 500 street gangs, party crews and other gangs in El Paso, local law enforcement officials have said it would be difficult for MS-13 to muscle its way in. They say their security efforts along the border also are intended to make it more difficult for gangs to expand their turf.

Thirty members of gangs have been arrested this year in warrant roundups, traffic stops and vehicle checks that were part of the border security projects Operation Linebacker and Operation Border Star, said El Paso County Sheriff's Office spokesman Deputy Eduardo Placencia.

Most of the gang members arrested in El Paso County were from the Barrio Azteca and Folk gangs and not necessarily undocumented immigrants, Placencia said. A new round of Operation Border Star began Wednesday.

The operations have been criticized by immigrant-rights activists as targeting undocumented immigrants.

"It's basically putting more deputies out on the street. We are not looking for undocumented people. We are just there in numbers," Placencia said.

Placencia said deputies may ask for a Social Security number because it is part of the form filled in for traffic tickets.

Figures released from the governor's office also showed arrests of members of the Mexican Mafia and Tango Blast prison gangs as part of the crackdown.

Tango Blast is a fast-growing, but loosely organized prison gang found in Austin, Houston and Dallas, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

"Gang intel said they are not having any problems with Tangos yet," Placencia said. "They have confirmed several of them being inmates" at the El Paso County Jail.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 15, 2007, 01:51:40 AM
10 suspected Sur-13 members hit with racketeering charges
Florida crackdown targets group transplanted from Southern California

Authorities announced Friday the first indictment of 10 South Florida members of Sur-13, a dangerous gang that started in Southern California and has taken root in the Westgate neighborhood, west of West Palm Beach, authorities said.

The arrests are the first of the 18th statewide grand jury - a multi-agency task force convened to study the growth of gang violence in South Florida - using racketeering charges.

The 10 are Ernesto Campos, 25; Isaias Jacobo, 24; Victor Castillo, 24; Enrique Medran, 20; Dennis Medrano, 19; ; Kevin Medrano 19; Efran Ortiz, 25; Carlos Martinez, 21; Roberto Trejo, 18; and a 17-year-old who the South Florida Sun-Sentinel is not naming because of his age.

Each member will be charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering and could each spend up to 60 years in a state prison.

Judge Kathleen Kroll, who is presiding over the 18th statewide grand jury, ordered a $1 million bond for the ten suspects being held at Palm Beach County Jail.

Authorities said they are using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO act, to crack down gang activity in the state.

The RICO act is a federal law that provides for extended penalties for criminal acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 15, 2007, 02:02:16 AM
Crossing border tougher for Americans in '08
'As of Jan. 31, you are required to have proof of citizenship – a birth certificate and ID'

It's easy to step across the border into Mexico. But beginning Jan. 31, 2008, it will be harder to cross back into the United States. You can't just smile and say, "U.S. citizen."

"As of Jan. 31, you are required to have proof of citizenship - a birth certificate and ID," said Ann Barrett, deputy assistant secretary for Passport Services of the U.S. Department of State.

Contrary to rumors, you won't need a passport yet, Barrett said. That requirement probably won't kick in until next summer and the department will give 60 days of notice.

Barrett came to Rio Rico on Tuesday, Dec. 11, for a conference sponsored by the Border Trade Association and the City of Nogales. She and Colleen Manaher from U.S. Customs and Border Protection explained how the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) would be implemented at ports of entry.

For years, U.S. travelers to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean did not need a passport to reenter the U.S., Barrett said. But in 2004, Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act that gradually peeled back that exemption.

Participants at the conference worried that stricter requirements at ports of entry would dampen cross-border trade and travel that feed the economies of Nogales, Ariz., and Nogales, Sonora.

"People are very confused (about the passport requirement) here in the U.S.," said Norah Lily Galindo, a councilwoman from Nogales, Sonora.

Her city of 450,000 relies on U.S. tourist dollars, and tourism has declined, Galindo said. "Even though they're earning less, they (Sonorans) still spend their pesos in the United States."

The state of Sonora has done a lot to make day travel easy for U.S. citizens, said Robert Kip Martin, a Nogales attorney. But if U.S. tourists spend less money in Sonoran pharmacies, restaurants and craft shops, those vendors will have less to spend on shopping trips to malls on the U.S. side.

"Our community derives approximately 60 percent of our local sales tax from folks in Nogales, Sonora," said Nils Urman, director of community and economic development for the city of Nogales. "Anything that impedes that flow will have a profound effect on our communities."

WHTI aims to reduce the number of documents the port of entry personnel will need to recognize, Barrett said. Currently, more than 8,000 types of birth certificates are issued in the U.S.

"(Border personnel) do a great job with what they have, but they don't have enough," said Luis Ramirez, co-chair of the BTA travel and immigration committee.

"We can envision an environment in the future to allow people to travel more easily across the borders, but how do we handle this period of uncertainty between then and now?"

Margie Emmermann, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism, said she wrote to federal officials to ask for a low-cost alternative to a passport that meets the WHTI requirements.

"Not everybody can afford a passport."

Next spring, the State Department will issue a low-cost passport card for land and sea travel abroad, but it will not be valid for air travel, Barrett said.

"It was designed with the border population in mind," she said.

She encouraged Americans who want to travel to Mexico or Canada in the future to get a passport now. Everyone in the family, including children and babies, have to get the document, Barrett said.

"This is our slow time," she said. More people apply in the spring for travel during the summer.

But Delfina Bach, clerk of the Santa Cruz County Superior Court, said her office has been overwhelmed with applications since people began to hear about the passport requirement.

In 2003, her office processed 384 passports, Bauch said. This year, as of Dec. 10, the number of applications stood at 6,529.

The State Department processed 8 million passports in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2004, Barrett said. In the year ending Sept. 30, 2007, the number was 18.4 million. The department has authorized more than 9,000 agencies to accept passport applications.

An applicant must present a birth certificate and photo ID plus two passport photos. The cost is $97 for an adult and $82 for a youth 16 and under. It takes about four to six weeks to get the passport, Barrett said. For locations and required documents, visit www.travel.state.gov

Santa Cruz County residents can apply at the Clerk of the Superior Court on the second floor of the County Complex or at the Nogales Post Office.

What would disqualify a person from getting a passport?

If you are not a U.S. citizen or are using false ID, Barrett said. If you have an outstanding federal warrant or owe a certain amount of child support, you would also be barred.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 20, 2007, 05:30:50 PM
An Immigrant to Embrace

There are immigrants and there are immigrants, and a wise nation distinguishes between those it wants to keep out and those it welcomes with open arms. Unfortunately, however, we Americans don’t seem to be much good at making distinctions.

Thus as we’ve debated immigration policy over the last few years, some have argued that virtually all immigration — legal or illegal — is bad and should be curtailed, while others have seemed to think that anyone who can crawl, swim or sneak across our borders ought to be welcome here.

As Christmas approaches, we should take a minute to think about those who have in one way or another proved themselves worthy of acceptance and make sure that as we strengthen our borders and redouble our efforts to bar entry to criminals, terrorists and those who would flaunt our laws, we don’t punish those we should welcome with open arms.

Those who read The Hill regularly may remember that some months ago I wrote a column about the young Iraqi who served as a contract interpreter to my daughter’s Army unit during her year in Iraq.

His decision to work with us to build a better Iraq cost “Timmy” his family and made him a target of the terrorists who plague his country. While she was there, my daughter saw him in action. He saved the lives of several members of her unit, never flinched in the face of danger or threats and took on the most dangerous assignments as a matter of course. By the time she left Iraq, she reported that Timmy was unable to walk the streets of Baghdad without an armed escort because he was so well-known as a friend of the U.S. and because he, like others working for us, is an attractive terrorist target.

She and other members of her psy-ops unit want Timmy out of Iraq lest he be killed for the help he’s provided, but quickly discovered that it is virtually impossible for an Iraqi in his position to come to the U.S. Interpreters like Timmy can theoretically enter a lottery that allows a few of them to come here, but it turns out that those in the field like Timmy have little chance of even qualifying for the lottery.

Our ambassador to Iraq, among others, has been pleading for a change in a policy that makes it appear that if things go bad we will abandon precisely those Iraqis who have put their lives on the line for us. One suspects that a few of them have seen film footage of the U.S. evacuation of our embassy in Saigon at the end of the war we fought there while those who helped us were left to the tender mercies of our communist enemy.

Ambassador Ryan Crocker has suggested that it is difficult to recruit Iraqis because of the not unreasonable fear that if things turn out badly, they’ll be left on their own. His own government hasn’t listened very carefully either to what he’s been saying or been much moved by the heroism and sacrifices of those we depend on in Iraq, but some in Congress deserve our congratulations for trying to do something about what I consider a shameful situation.

Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) authored an amendment to the 2008 Defense Authorization Act that was adopted unanimously by the conferees with support from the right, left and middle and that would essentially move those Iraqis who have worked for us and who can demonstrate that as a result of doing so their lives are in danger to the head of the refugee line and allow them to apply for refugee status from Iraq. (Right now, they have to leave Iraq and sneak into either Jordan or Syria to apply.)

They would, of course, still have to undergo the security screening required of other refugees to verify their status and make sure they are what they claim and not potential enemies of this country.

This would seem to solve Timmy’s problem, but the good folks at the Department of Homeland Security, apparently operating on the theory that if they don’t let any Iraqis at all into this country they can’t be blamed if a terrorist makes it in, are proposing new hurdles that will make it even more difficult for people like Timmy to make it over here.

DHS, which hasn’t been able to do much to keep anyone who wants to sneak across our southern border from doing so, seems willing to go to any length to make sure that those willing to fight and die beside our troops will be forever barred.

These guys deserve coal for Christmas.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 20, 2007, 05:36:11 PM
I have seen and heard of many Timmy's. They indeed are very brave individuals that have faced unbelievable odds and dangers for believing in a system they thought was going to bring them the freedoms that many Americans enjoy without giving a single thought about them. They put their trust and loyalty in us. We cannot in good conscience just abandon them to ruthless killers.

Timmy and those like him deserve our support and our prayers. Please join with me in contacting your representatives in support of him and in prayers that he remain safe until something can be done to get him to a safer area.



Title: 'MS-13' vandals deface Vietnam War memorial
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 31, 2007, 05:19:02 PM
'MS-13' vandals deface
Vietnam War memorial 
Veterans angered by spray-paint attack
attributed to violent Hispanic street gang

Vandals claiming a relationship to the violent Hispanic street gang MS-13 defaced a Vietnam War memorial in Connecticut with graffiti, angering local veterans.

"Kill whites MS 13" were among the threatening words spray-painted on the Vietnam War Memorial at Long Wharf, Conn., reported WTNH-TV in New Haven.

"This irks me. This hurts me deep to my heart," Vietnam Army veteran Emery Linton Sr. told the station.

Linton, who served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1972, noted he lost friends there and called the mess on the memorial a slap in the face to veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

"People here respect these names. They gave their lives for everything, for the freedoms they have," Linton said.

Police are investigating whether the vandalism is the work of the violent MS-13 gang.

As WND reported, the El Salvador-based MS-13 operates in 44 U.S. states, according to the FBI.

WND reported as early as 1995 the gang reportedly was meeting with representatives of al-Qaida and smuggling operatives into the United States from Mexico.

An attorney prosecuting MS-13 members said the gang follows the "rape, kill and control" philosophy," using guns, knives and machetes. The group traffics in drugs, weapons and humans. Last summer, police in the Boston area conducted a major round-up of MS 13 members.

New Haven police told WTNH they have not documented any MS-13 activity in the city.

Another veteran said she was heartbroken over the vandalism.

"I don't know who would want to do this," Lori Grenfell told the New Haven station. "They have the right to say what they want to say. They can thank these guys for that right."

Linton had a message for the perpetrators.

"If it is a gang related thing, and if you guys really think you're bad, join the service, get in the action and see what it's really like," she said.

Members of the New Haven County Vietnam Veterans Group vowed to clean up the mess.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Shammu on December 31, 2007, 05:34:04 PM
Quote
Members of the New Haven County Vietnam Veterans Group vowed to clean up the mess.

These vet's shouldn't have to clean this mess. The punks (MS-13) that made the mess SHOULD clean it!!!!!!!!!  I'd like to see how well these punks would fair, in Sheriff Joe's jail!!


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on December 31, 2007, 06:47:33 PM
These vet's shouldn't have to clean this mess. The punks (MS-13) that made the mess SHOULD clean it!!!!!!!!!  I'd like to see how well these punks would fair, in Sheriff Joe's jail!!

Brother, I just now read this and it's sickening. Punks would be an elevated term for "MS-13", and they would look great in pink cleaning up their mess before being deported. We can thank our politicians for leaving our borders insecure and allowing these idiots to be here in the first place. We need someone like Sheriff Joe to secure our borders and be in charge of deporting illegal aliens, especially the ones like MS-13 and other cowardly terrorists.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 31, 2007, 06:57:55 PM
I wouldn't want them to be allowed anywhere near this memorial or any other one for that matter. Sheriff Joe and being dressed in pink sounds like a good idea though along with some really extended hard labor. Deporting them after that sounds good, too, if the borders are secured first where they can't get back across.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 08, 2008, 08:31:46 AM
MS-13 hits Vietnam vets' memorial again 
Authorities now investigating presence of violent gang

Authorities in New Haven, Conn., have launched an investigation into the establishment of the radically violent MS-13 street gang in their city after a second case of apparently gang-related vandalism within a week.

According to reports from WTNH-TV, part of the effort may be to set up surveillance cameras at a Vietnam memorial that has been vandalized twice in just days.

"You don't like to have a camera out here where people come and pay respects but certainly you don't want to have something like this to happen to something so meaningful," a New Haven spokesman, Rob Smuts, told the television station.

The MS-13 graffiti on the Vietnam memorial had appeared first only days earlier, when spray-painted "Kill whites MS 13" defaced the memorial at Long Wharf, Conn., the station reported.

"This irks me. This hurts me deep to my heart," Vietnam Army veteran Emery Linton Sr. told the station then. Linton, who served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1972, noted he lost friends there and called the mess on the memorial a slap in the face to veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

"People here respect these names. They gave their lives for everything, for the freedoms they have," Linton said.

As WND reported, the El Salvador-based MS-13 operates in 44 U.S. states, according to the FBI.

WND reported as early as 1995 the gang reportedly was meeting with representatives of al-Qaida and smuggling operatives into the United States from Mexico.

An attorney prosecuting MS-13 members said the gang follows the "rape, kill and control" philosophy, using guns, knives and machetes. The gang members traffic in drugs, weapons and humans. Last summer, police in the Boston area conducted a major round-up of MS 13 members.

New Haven police told WTNH they have not documented MS-13 activity in the city, but they are investigating in light of the recent vandalism.

The newest vandalism also features the "MS-13" logo, appearing this time in black spray paint on the memorial.

"This is a sad scene for me to see that this is happening now," another veteran, Jimmy V, told the station.

"It's a kick in the gut to all Vietnam veterans. Again our brothers will serve as a reminder not only to a war but to the way society is now with no respect," he said.

The earlier vandalism was with bright orange paint, used to write "MS-13." Jimmy noted it actually was the third case of vandalism at the memorial; he says he cleaned white spray paint off the stone "V" in the memorial several weeks ago.

"I don't know who would want to do this," Lori Grenfell told the New Haven station. "They have the right to say what they want to say. They can thank these guys for that right."

Linton's message to the vandals was direct. "If you guys really think you're bad, join the service, get in the action and see what it's really like."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 12, 2008, 09:12:53 AM
Citizens blast tax-funded 'sanctuary' for illegals
'The town of Jupiter is a symbol of what is wrong in this country'

    The next time you need someone experienced in lawn care, landscaping, general labor, moving, construction cleaning, house cleaning, and many other jobs, whether for a few hours or a few days, come to EL SOL. You will be glad you did.

    – Friends of El Sol Neighborhood Resource Center

That's the pitch being used to bring illegal aliens together with prospective employers in Jupiter, Fla.

The El Sol Neighborhood Resource Center was the town's solution for stopping ''migrant workers'' from lining the streets each day to wait for employers to drive by and hire them.

Sometimes as many as 100 ''day laborers'' gathered each morning. Neighborhood residents complained they blocked traffic, scared people and created a public nuisance.

So, backed by legal opinions that said the center did not violate any laws, the town of Jupiter bought a building next to town hall and the police station for $1.9 million and encouraged Catholic Charities, along with the migrant advocacy group Corn Maya and community volunteers, to lease it for $1 a year, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Since then, the center has registered more than 1,730 workers and 2,577 employers and claimed an average daily hiring rate of 25 percent, according to Catholic Charities.

"The town is not trying to make a statement," Mayor Karen Golonka told the Florida paper. "It is simply trying to find a way at our level to provide a local solution to our community."

South Florida talk radio host and anti-illegal immigration activist Joyce Kaufman is an outspoken critic of the center and others like it.

"The rationale is that there's something endearing and American about allowing these people to come to the U.S. That's true. It's called immigration and we have legal channels to do that. It doesn't mean that everyone who crosses the border at night has the right to a job," Kaufman told WND.

"We've got guys who take photos of contractors and homeowners who pick these people up. They're breaking the law."

The center's website features testimonials from El Sol's happy customers:

   1. Jeff A. (business owner): ''There's nothing better as far as I'm concerned. I will continue to use them. They work hard and they do a good job and I wish more people would use them.''

   2. Mark S. (Hired workers for clearing debris, removing trees, etc.): ''They do an outstanding job. They work hard and if I need help again, I'll definitely be there because there are no problems.''

   3. Anonymous: ''We the friends and workers of the El Sol Resource Center of Jupiter declare this occasion as an appreciation time to you Mayor and your supporters and staff for making the dream of El Sol a reality!''

   4. Doug (flooring company owner): ''I keep going back to El Sol because they're good workers. Guatemalans are the best workers I've had work for me and I've worked all over the country.''

   5. Candy (electrical contractor): ''We enjoy using El Sol because it is so handy and the workers have done very well – absolutely!''

According to the Sentinel, the center intentionally does not ask laborers for documentation regarding their immigration status. The center's services are free and employers pay the workers directly.

But now, a little more than a year since the center first opened, the same street that once teemed with ''day laborers'' is now occupied by protesters demanding the center be shut down.

Though the town's attorneys and the center disagree, the protesters believe it is flouting the law, reports the Sentinel.

''The town of Jupiter is ignoring the laws to allow immigrants to do things at this center, and we wonder how can the city leaders expect us to follow the laws when they don't?'' John Ryznic told the Jupiter Courier. He said he was also concerned by the proposed for the United States, Mexico and Canada to create a North American Union.

''With this union, there would be one law, and the U.S. could lose her sovereignty, which would mean that the U. S. couldn't stop illegals from coming into this country.''

''We need our borders sealed right now,'' said Jim Schmoyer of Stuart. ''The lobbyists, the Catholic Church and the Chamber of Commerce don't care about the American people, but the bottom line. If the borders were sealed, we could assimilate these people, but we can't assimilate them if there are 50 million more who come in.''

Jupiter's attorneys told the city if it closed down Center Street, the traditional location for workers to gather, without an alternate venue, it would open itself to a lawsuit for denying people their right to assemble, Mayor Golonka told the Sentinel.

"We do not have powers to round up and deport people," she added. "That is something the federal government does."

However, the activists involved in the protests see things differently.

"The town of Jupiter is a symbol of what is wrong in this country," said Dave Caulkett, vice president of the grass-roots group Floridians for Immigration Enforcement. "Jupiter is blatantly complicit in felonious hiring transactions. In a democracy, you cannot have towns violating federal laws," he told the paper.

The town and the center say the protesters are wrong.

"Nothing unlawful is occurring at the center," said El Sol President Mike Richmond. "[It] serves as a safe, supervised location for workers to be matched with employers, and where free English, computer classes and job training are given to all residents."

Elected officials in Jupiter, with a population of about 40,000, claim their project is a huge success and now the neighboring communities of West Palm Beach, Lake Worth and several others are considering creating similar centers.

"Here you have one of the hottest issues in the country right now, but day-by-day the pro-open borders people get these places up and running behind the taxpayers' backs, and they're now going to use El Sol as a model for the whole country," radio host Kaufman told WND.

"They've figured out how to get the Hispanic community to petition the government and make these local municipalities do something for them that our government wouldn't even consider doing for American teens. Would they build a similar center for teenagers to gather? The sons and daughters of taxpayers? Teens don't have a place to hang out in Jupiter either!"

Kaufman, a Spanish speaker with Puerto Rican roots, hosts a talk program on Fort Lauderdale's WFTL-AM (850). After experiencing a frustrating ''Press 1 for English'' phone call, she began complaining on the air and the floodgates opened up.

''English is the glue that holds our melting pot together. If we don't insist that it be the language of commerce, we are lost,'' Kaufman told listeners at the time.

She gained national notoriety when she traveled to Washington, D.C., with other talk-show hosts from around the country for the recent "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" immigration rally. Kaufman said she would represent her listeners there by bringing their "soles" to the Capitol. In the 10 days before the rally, she collected more than 5,000 pairs of shoes at designated parking lots in South Florida and took them with her to D.C.

Some, including Kaufman, credit talk radio for the latest immigration bill's June demise. As WorldNetDaily reported, the rally was also used as a forum to call for the release of imprisoned border agents Ramos and Compean and many of the hosts who led the charge against illegal immigration are self-described conservatives. Kaufman says she's someone with far-left instincts who happens to find herself allied with conservatives on this issue, she says.

"We pay for their health care, their educations, their crimes. You and I are funding everything," she told WND.

Outside the El Sol center last Saturday, Robert McCormack of Jupiter was also angry.

"No more tax dollars," he shouted at passing cars. "Throw out Mayor Golonka."

McCormack, an electrician, told the paper that undocumented workers undercut construction jobs.

"You can't allow people in office that aren't going to protect us and spend $1.9 million of my tax money to bring in people that are going to take my jobs," McCormack told the Sentinel.

Inside, Edmundo Castillo said he believed more people in Jupiter supported the laborers than didn't.

"We did not come to America to be delinquents. We came here to work," added Castillo, 27, a former schoolteacher who said he supports his father, his brothers and their six children in Guatemala with the construction job he found through El Sol. "We are humans and no matter what country we are from, we should help each other."



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 12, 2008, 07:24:01 PM
Oakland schools to defend students in U.S. illegally
Resolution forbids immigration officers on campus without lawyers being called 1st

The Oakland school board on Wednesday night took a stand in support of its immigrant students, including those whose families are living in the country illegally.

The policy passed at the board meeting — the first of its kind in the Oakland school district — was written in response to an incident at Melrose Bridges Academy, an elementary school in East Oakland. On the morning of Dec. 18, immigration officers accompanied a pregnant mother, Maria Ramirez, into the school and detained her for questioning after her tearful 6-year-old daughter went to class.

Noel Gallo, the school board member who introduced the resolution, said he hoped the new policy would assure Oakland's immigrant population that the district was committed to educating all of its students.

He also said he hoped it would prevent such events from happening again.

"I'm trying to establish a good relationship with local law enforcement," Gallo said. "I'm also appealing to them to not conduct their business at a school site unless there's an imminent danger."

The policy forbids school staff to ask about a student's immigration status or to require families to provide a Social Security number during registration. It also directs schools to contact the district's legal counsel before allowing immigration officers to enter a school, on the grounds that such a visit would cause a disruption to the educational environment.

Because the district does not collect information which would reveal students' immigration status, the number of undocumented children attending Oakland schools is unknown.

Moyra Contreras, principal of the predominately Latino Melrose Leadership Academy, the sister middle school of Melrose Bridges, said she was encouraged by Gallo's resolution, and that she hoped Oakland city officials would take a similar stance.

"I think it's very important that the school district take a position on this," Contreras said. "Families need to feel safe coming to school and sending their children to school."

Parents and staff at Melrose Bridges Academy and at Melrose Leadership Academy were shaken by what unfolded that rainy December morning. Contreras and others said they feared attendance and school participation would suffer as a result.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice said the agents accompanied Ramirez into the school to make sure her daughter arrived safely to her classroom.

Kice said Ramirez was questioned about her husband's small business, Pepe's Cabinets, and was released hours later. Ramirez's husband, Jose De Jesus Guzman-Baez, faces federal criminal charges of knowingly hiring illegal immigrants for his business. Both parents face deportation.



Title: Border Agent Killed by Fleeing Vehicle in California
Post by: Shammu on January 20, 2008, 05:23:39 PM
Border Agent Killed by Fleeing Vehicle in California

Saturday , January 19, 2008

AP
YUMA, Ariz. —
A Border Patrol agent trying to stop a vehicle that had illegally entered the U.S. was struck and killed Saturday in southeastern California, agency officials said.

The agent was killed about 20 miles west of Yuma in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, a spot along the border that is popular with off-road vehicle enthusiasts and frequently used by smugglers.

The agent attempted to impede the vehicle's progress before he was hit, but the Border Patrol did not immediately have more information, said agent Eric Anderson, a spokesman for the agency's Yuma sector.

The name of the agent killed was not immediately released because his family had not been notified.

Witnesses told the Yuma Sun newspaper that agents were chasing a Hummer and a Ford pickup on Interstate 8 when the vehicles turned into the dunes and fled toward Mexico. The agent was trying to place spike strips in their path and was struck by the Hummer, they said.

The Imperial Sand Dunes are the largest dunes in California, extending north of the border for 40 miles and averaging five miles wide.

Border Agent Killed by Fleeing Vehicle in California (http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,324107,00.html)


Title: Re: Border Agent Killed by Fleeing Vehicle in California
Post by: Shammu on January 20, 2008, 05:35:12 PM
[scarsm]But illegal entry into the US is not a problem. They'll probably give the illegals a medal of honor or something, you know, since they put two agents in prison for doing their job.[/scarsm]

These people have no respect for human life and yet, we have our borders open wide for them.

They will say, that he "either did his duty wrong"  or "he had no right to stop that vehicle". This is disgraceful  put up the fence already and give the agents the authority to actually protect us!!

We lose many Border Patrol Officers each year while in the line of duty, whether air, land or sea interdiction. Most of the time you never hear about it. But it's a huge deal to us and we lower our flags.

I would also like to see Officers Ramos and Compeon be set free. In my opinion, they are political prisoners.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on January 20, 2008, 09:19:12 PM
[scarsm]But illegal entry into the US is not a problem. They'll probably give the illegals a medal of honor or something, you know, since they put two agents in prison for doing their job.[/scarsm]

These people have no respect for human life and yet, we have our borders open wide for them.

They will say, that he "either did his duty wrong"  or "he had no right to stop that vehicle". This is disgraceful  put up the fence already and give the agents the authority to actually protect us!!

We lose many Border Patrol Officers each year while in the line of duty, whether air, land or sea interdiction. Most of the time you never hear about it. But it's a huge deal to us and we lower our flags.

I would also like to see Officers Ramos and Compeon be set free. In my opinion, they are political prisoners.

Let me be the first to "second" that.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on January 22, 2008, 08:45:29 AM
I'll third this!

Brothers and Sisters, it's been a bad year for law enforcement deaths and injuries. I don't think that many people know JUST HOW THIN THIS BLUE LINE IS! If people knew the facts, they would get behind their law enforcement officers, support them in any way they can, and certainly show appropriate respect when one or more gets killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.

Think of this "Thin Blue Line" as getting thicker in places where citizens support and respect them. If NOTHING else, it would be nice for them to feel that their actions and sacrifices for the people are appreciated. Their families also pay a price when a loved one serves in the line of duty. This is really much like service by members of the armed forces. The main difference is that the law enforcement officer gets to come home more often. Both services involve a very thin line between CHAOS..........and PEACE AND SAFETY. It must be a labor of love because it can't be for the inadequate pay.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 23, 2008, 11:44:55 AM
States may force immigration reform, says legal immigration spokesman

Immigration reform activist William Gheen says his organization will work with states that are trying to pass legislation aimed at battling illegal immigration. He believes the states may be the last line of defense if the federal government continues to shirk border protection.

When the Virginia General Assembly opened its 2008 session this month, more than 100 bills pertaining to illegal immigration were introduced in the first two days alone, filed by Republicans and Democrats alike. A recent editorial in the Washington Times said the bills were unprecedented in number and scope and signaled that Governor Tim Kaine, a Democrat, needs to take the issue seriously.

Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration, says a number of states like Virginia are being forced to take action because the federal government is not doing its job. "Having a handful of states that crack down is creating pressure on illegal aliens across the whole country," notes Gheen. "They're feeling it -- and in some cases, even though they're intolerant or illegal alien-welcoming states, they're still feeling the pressure and thinking about going home, and going home in larger numbers."

The immigration activist believes strong enforcement by a select number of states will force the hand of those state legislatures that are rolling out the welcome mat to illegal immigrants. "So for each state that cracks down and starts moving the illegal aliens out into adjacent states," says Gheen, "the political pressure grows ... for change."

Gheen expects a flurry of similar activity in several more states.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 23, 2008, 11:46:36 AM
Texas suburb adopts new anti-illegal immigrant law

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas - Leaders of a Dallas suburb that was blocked from enforcing a ban on leasing apartments to illegal immigrants approved a new rule Tuesday to require prospective tenants to get a city license to rent homes and apartments.

The measure, approved unanimously by the City Council, requires tenants to provide information to the city, which would then check with the federal government to determine the person's immigration status. Anyone deemed an illegal immigrant would be banned from renting.

"This may be in the courts forever. I hope not, but the decision is: Let's go for it," said Councilman Jim Smith.

Nearly 200 people packed into City Hall for the council vote. Dozens lauded the council, while dozens more denounced city officials for continuing to push immigration-related measures. "Here we go again. ... I believe that this will not stand, also," Farmers Branch resident Jose Galvez said.

A November 2006 ordinance barred apartment rentals to illegal immigrants and was revised in January 2007 to include exemptions for minors, seniors and some mixed-immigration status families. Residents endorsed the law 2 to 1 in May.

Nationally, many local governments have proposed, passed or rejected similar laws. But Farmers Branch gained extra attention as the first community in Texas -- where many Latino families trace their roots here to the era before statehood -- to propose such laws.

A federal judge blocked Farmers Branch from enforcing its first ordinance after finding that city officials tried to regulate immigration differently from the federal government. The case remains in court.

The city hired a law firm to rework the ban, officials said.

Under this ban, Farmers Branch would use a database employed by state and federal agencies to verify whether immigrants are entitled to certain benefits, such as housing and food stamps, said Michael Jung, an attorney with Strasburger & Price LLP.

With the new proposal, a person who isn't a U.S. citizen would provide a number issued by the federal government that shows their lawful presence in the U.S. The number could be from any of a variety of legal documents.

If federal authorities cannot confirm legal residency status, the person would have 60 days to provide proof.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said there is no such database the city can use for the purpose they say they intend to use it for.

"There is no database where the city or anyone can pick up the phone and give alienage, like yes this person is legal or no that person isn't legal; there is no such database," Maria Elena Garcia-Upson said. In addition, the database the city refers to is used to verify whether legal non-citizens are eligible for public benefits. But many people who are in the country legally, such as foreign students, are not eligible for federal or state benefits, she said.

The city's measure would take effect 15 days after a ruling on the ordinance currently being contested in court.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 25, 2008, 01:45:49 PM
Most-wanted immigration fugitive captured 
Once-deported member of MS-13 gang picked up in Los Angeles

Authorities snared a once-deported gang member who is one of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 10 Most Wanted fugitives in Los Angeles, according to MyFOXLA.com.

David Rivera, 33, a member of the MS-13 gang, has alleged links to several murders and prior arrests on sexual assault and drug charges as well as a conviction for gun possession.

He was arrested in an apartment complex in the Rampart section of Los Angeles by ICE agents and detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division.

Rivera attempted to escape out the back of the property before agents nabbed him, ICE said.
In addition to Rivera, officers also arrested two other suspected gang associates on immigration violations.

Rivera had been deported and illegally re-entered the country, ICE alleged. If convicted, Rivera could receive up to 20 years in federal prison.

He had been sought by authorities for four years and is expected to make his initial court appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles, ICE said.

"This arrest is the pay-off for perseverance, great police work and partnership with local law enforcement," said Jennifer Silliman, deputy special agent in charge of the ICE office of investigations in Los Angeles.

"We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement counterparts in Los Angeles to target gang members like this man who put our communities and neighborhoods at risk," she said.




Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 25, 2008, 01:48:04 PM
Texas hospital locked down to protect Mexican official 
Police commander targeted for assassination, locals fear drug-war spillover

With Thomason Hospital still under lockdown to protect a Mexican police commander targeted for assassination, El Pasoans wonder whether the drug violence in Juárez is spilling to the U.S. side.

But El Paso Interim Police Chief Greg Allen said that the opposite might be true, and that it was improbable that Cmdr. Fernando Lozano Sandoval would be attacked while being treated at Thomason.

Esther Sanchez went to the county hospital Thursday for a doctor's appointment, found the front door locked and was redirected to the emergency room entrance. There, she had to go through a metal detector. Outside, armed sheriff's deputies and police officers stood guard.

"It makes you think that something could happen," the elderly woman said. "Usually, stuff like that happens in Juárez."

Another visitor, Antonio Puga, was at the hospital to take his newborn baby home. He said standing outside made him nervous.

"The security is not going to stop anyone who wants to come and start shooting at the building," he said.

Allen said such a scenario was unlikely. "I don't think they're going to be as bold in the United States as they are in Mexico. I don't think they will make a big scene in front of Thomason Hospital. That type of behavior would meet a much stronger response here," Allen said. "If they want this guy bad enough, they'll plan it in the future, but I don't think it'll be in the U.S."

That seems to be the conclusion of the family of Lozano, of the Chihuahua State Investigations Agency.

Lozano's brother-in-law, Sergio Belmonte, who works as a spokesman for the Juárez mayor, said the family was concerned about Lozano's security despite a deployment of Mexican soldiers to guard the Juárez hospital where he was being treated.

Lozano was ambushed by gunmen Monday night as he drove his SUV in Juárez. He was shot twice in the chest, and one bullet tore his left lung, Belmonte said.

His family, through officials of the state of Chihuahua, asked for help to take Lozano to El Paso.

Lozano's attackers "are not stupid," Belmonte said. "They are not going to come across."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they agreed to help because Lozano is a U.S. citizen and "because of his severe medical condition," they said in a news release.

The Chihuahua state police are paying Lozano's medical bills, Belmonte said. But El Paso taxpayers are paying for the round-the-clock security at Thomason Hospital.

So far, the drug violence that has plagued Juárez for more than a decade has stayed south of the border.

Last year, Juárez, which has a population estimated at between 1.2 and 1.5 million, counted more than 300 homicides. El Paso, with a population of about 600,000, had 16.

Hit men from the Juárez drug cartel did not hesitate in the past to follow a wounded target to a hospital to finish the job.

In December 2006, a man narrowly survived a street shooting in Juárez, only to be followed by his attackers to a Juárez clinic, where he shot as he lay on a gurney receiving treatment. That man, César Alonso Gándara Reyes, 30, was an alleged drug smuggler.

Juárez city officials said Thursday that they were expecting a large number of Mexican federal police officers to arrive in Juárez soon to help local agencies combat drug traffickers.

Tuesday, about 50 Mexican soldiers were deployed on the streets of Juárez to conduct checkpoints after the attack on Lozano.

In El Paso Thursday, Jethro Armijo, a spokesman for Thomason Hospital, said he received phone calls from worried patients, asking, " 'Is this dangerous? Are we safe? Can I still come in and get my lab work done?' We tell everybody that the hospital is under elevated security measures and they can come in through the ER, then it's business as usual after that."

One patient on Thursday, Arturo Gomez, had to take the long way on crutches to get to his physical therapy. But he did not complain.

"I like how they have secured the place. That's the way to do it," he said. "That's how they should do it in Mexico."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 25, 2008, 01:50:08 PM
Border Patrol expands to U.S. interior
Heartland crackdown 'pretty much a shocker for the smuggling organizations'

Detective Nick McLendon, on stakeout duty along a dark stretch of eastbound Interstate 20, noticed a red Chevy Suburban with heavily tinted windows and no light over its rear Texas license plate. He pulled the SUV over.

Packed into the Suburban, he discovered, were 14 illegal immigrants, two suspected smugglers, and a spiral notebook on the front seat, listing the passengers and their destinations in Spanish — "Arterio Ramires to Nuy Yersey; David Luna to Nueba York; Marcelina and Jasmin to Carolina del Norte; Jose Aguilar to Alabama; Josefina Ortega to Chicago; Gustavo Ribera to Florida."

The arrests — some 800 miles from the Mexican border — represented a new and dramatic shift in U.S. immigration enforcement strategy.

Federal agents, with help from local law officers like McLendon, a Pearl, Miss., detective, have begun intercepting illegal immigrants and smugglers along stretches of highway deep in the U.S. interior.

"They think they're pretty much home free once they get up here," said Bill Botts, the assistant chief patrol agent in charge of the Border Patrol's Gulfport, Miss., station. But Operation Uniforce, as the two-week crackdown begun Jan. 13 is called, "is pretty much a shocker for the smuggling organizations."

More than 300 immigrants and suspected smugglers had been arrested as of Tuesday, more than a week into the operation.

Interstate 20 has become a major corridor for immigrant smugglers. It peels off from I-10 in West Texas and runs across the South, passing through Atlanta and linking up with other major highways, including I-95, which leads to Miami to the south and Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston to the north.

About 40 Border Patrol and customs agents who normally work at or close to the border have been temporarily assigned to the crackdown. They and local law officers have spread out along several miles of I-20 and some of its connecting highways, parking their vehicles out in the open in the median or by the side of the road.

After the two weeks are up, they will return to their usual jobs and evaluate what they learned. In the coming weeks or months, they may return to I-20 and do it again.

The hope, though, is whether they come back or not, the crackdown will put immigrant smugglers on notice and disrupt their business by forcing them to take longer, slower and more costly detours.

Border Patrol spokesman Ramon Rivera said the vast majority of those caught in the crackdown are Mexicans headed to the East Coast, where they typically land jobs in agriculture, construction and manufacturing. Agents also found a Mexican who had paid a smuggler $400 to get him home to avoid a murder charge in Chicago.

But perhaps more important, the agents also uncovered vital information about a few prolific smuggling rings and a popular Texas stash house where immigrants were being kept after crossing the border.

"The intelligence we are getting is absolutely priceless," Rivera said.

The Border Patrol said it had no immediate estimate of the cost of Operation Uniforce.

Federal agents ran three such operations closer to the border last year: two in Baton Rouge and one in Mobile, Ala. Those efforts seemed to force the smugglers north from I-10 to I-20. So this time, agents picked up and moved deeper into the interior to I-20, some 800 miles from the nearest border crossing, at Brownsville, Texas.

The Associated Press was allowed to document the operation during a nighttime ride-along last week in Mississippi.

On that night, McLendon, who normally pulls over motorists in a search for drugs, found the exhausted immigrants crammed in the Suburban, shoes off, a few blankets on the floorboards, a half-empty jug of water in the back. The passengers, including a girl of about 10, had crossed into the United States from Mexico near Nogales, Ariz., some 1,200 miles away from this Mississippi town.

It was unclear whether they sneaked across the open desert on foot, or passed through a border crossing station and then climbed into the SUV. But the Suburban had made it all the way from the border in Arizona — a receipt in the vehicle showed that someone bought a new battery there on Wednesday — and passed through Dallas on Thursday — the driver stopped for an oil change about 1:30 p.m. — before being stopped outside Jackson, Miss.

If McLendon had come across these immigrants a week earlier, he would have issued a ticket for the missing light and sent them on their way. The nearest fixed Border Patrol station is 160 miles away in Gulfport, and he wouldn't have called it in because the agents wouldn't have made the three-hour trip for such a routine matter.

This time, Border Patrol agents posted along the highway promptly arrived on the scene, and all 16 people were arrested and held for deportation.

"When Border Patrol pulled up you could see the disappointment on their face, that they would be going all the way back," McLendon said.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 30, 2008, 05:21:51 PM
Middle-eastern illegal aliens nabbed in Mississippi

A Mississippi-based immigration activist is appalled that potential terrorists were among a group of illegal aliens apprehended by federal agents in a sting operation along Interstate 20 in the Magnolia State.     

 

Operation Uniforce was conducted during a two-week period this month by a special Border Patrol task force targeting I-20 because federal agents believe it is a new corridor for smugglers to ferry illegal aliens to the East Coast. A similar operation was conducted on I-10 last year at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. According to the Border Patrol, greater scrutiny of the I-10 corridor prompted smugglers to move further inland to I-20 -- which is 800 miles from the Mexican border.
 
While most of the illegal immigrants nabbed came from Mexico, two individuals from "special interest" countries -- one Egyptian and the other a Palestinian from the West Bank -- were also apprehended. Rodney Hunt with the Mississippi Federation for Immigration Reform and Enforcement says people are concerned that terrorists are entering the U.S. across the porous border. "And I think this just shows [that] these people from these special interest countries ... [are not just] ... people coming here taking jobs from Americans, but we have potential ... terrorists," warns Hunt.
 
Hunt is also fearful that Mississippi's illegal alien population in general will grow dramatically because I-20 cuts right across the state. "You know one of the things I think that'll be a big problem here in Mississippi," he continues, "[is that] we'll become a sanctuary state. We already have a large illegal population probably of 120,000."
 
The activist believes Mississippi will have to take a more active role in dealing with the issue of illegal immigration into the state.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Brother Jerry on January 31, 2008, 02:48:28 PM
http://www.waff.com/global/story.asp?s=7799159
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,327109,00.html

Ok so for those of you who do not thing illegal immigration is a problem.  There is a story from right here where I am at, that lets you know that even legal immigration under the guise of guest workers is just plain bad.

Quote
Where are the workers?

Updated: Jan 31, 2008 11:45 AM
   Cinram is missing workers
   Foreign workers vanish

Vanished.

About 100 foreign workers at Cinram Incorporated are missing.

Immigration agents are trying to determine what happened to the Nepalese workers under temporary contracts.

WAFF 48 Investigator Eric Sollman says the company is one of the largest manufacturers of pre-recorded cd's and DVD's in the world and their workers come from all over the world.

But when so many of their foreign workers disappear from the same plant, it effects more than just Cinram.

Mary Snopl is a full-time landlord/caretaker for immigrant employees at Cinram.

The majority of her Cinram tenants are from Nepal.

Snopl says from the day they arrive, the workers are leased an apartment, taken to the grocery, even helped with checking accounts and social security cards.

They even have their own office. 

"We pay all the utilities, water, sewer, garbage, and the power," says Snopl.

She says there were originally about 240 people from Nepal, and about 150 have left.

Leaving her some unfinished business. 

"Unfortunately so many people have left, and that's been a financial hardship because they left without paying for an apartment," Snople adds.

A lot of stuff that could be carried is gone, and Snopl says their $25 deposit doesn't fit the bill or the bed.

She said it won't even cover the cost of a comforter.

The tenants are staying in one and 2-bedroom apartments with new beds and televisions. 

"I don't think that Nepalese guy has taken anything," says one Nepalese worker.

"I want to request that the media listen to both sides," says another.

Both Snople and these guys from Nepal showed us their apartments to show everyone how they're living.

One guy tells us the people who left may be at fault for something, but stealing's not one of them. 

"They didn't inform that they are leaving the apartment, that is their fault, that is their fault, I agree with that."

Who's responsible for keeping up with those missing foreign workers?

1,142 workers were brought to Huntsville under temporary visas.

About 250 were from Nepal.

Cinram Spokesperson Lyne Fisher told us in a phone interview the workers left without proper notification.

"The first step was to contact The Department of Homeland Security, and also to contact the Nepalese recruitment agency that helped coordinate their employment with us," says Fisher.

Fisher says the temporary employees go through several screenings before they're eligible for Cinram's worker program.

"If the workers decide to leave, they're free to go, they're free to go home, if they're homesick or something like that," adds Fisher.

That's what Cinram and the temporary employment agency Ambassador involved say happened to the nearly 150 people who left their short-seasoned jobs.

District 21 Representative Randy Hinshaw says there's no downplaying the fact that the immigrants are missing, and they're not doing what they came here to do.

"We can't just blow this off and act like it's not a problem, we're repeating the same mistakes we've made in the past and we need to get a handle on it," says Hinshaw.

So who's responsible?

Hinshaw says no one knows where these workers are or what kind of threat they pose.

"How do they know, how do they know they've gone home?" 

"Obviously if homeland security's involved then they don't know where they went," says Hinshaw.

"I'm hoping our industrial relations and Homeland Security have a better worker relationship in the future so we can solve these problems." 

So where are these workers?

WAFF 48 News spoke with Doug Wilson, President of The Ambassador Temp Agency.

He says most of the missing workers have gone home, others are making a short stop in New York before departure.

There official whereabouts have not been confirmed.

The Fox News article stated "said it turned to foreign workers because the area job market couldn't fill its needs"
I do a quick google and see that my lovely home town is pretty good for unemployment, on par with the national average.  And that puts us at about 5,000 people unemployed.  Which is not too bad.  But I would really think that this is enough of a market to get people to work out Cinram.  The article stated that they were paying the guest workers $8/hr.  Which means the temp agency is getting at a bare minimum $10/hr, more than likely $20/hr.  I tell you what I would go and stuff CD's for $20/hr.  And if I was out of work $10/hr is better than $0/hr.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 31, 2008, 03:14:16 PM
That is a serious problem. There are many known terrorists in Nepal and screened or not it would be easy for them to get through to the U.S. in this manner. This is a problem that I posted about on here before, about our government not knowing where many individuals are that are on temporary visas. They have come into the country and then taken off with no way of knowing where they are. Some of those individuals are ones that have been caught and charged with plotting terrorist activities but there are many, many more that have not been located and there is no program in place to track or locate them.

Yes, there are many unemployed people here that would be willing to stuff cd's for a lot less than $20 an hr. even without all those freebies they are throwing away on people that just leave. It would save the company lot's of money and cut down the strain on the government programs.

That would defeat the socialist movement though and that is totally unacceptable.  ::)



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Calvinite on January 31, 2008, 09:42:42 PM
Pastor,
With all due respect, you and the community of Huntsville have all their facts wrong concerning the H2B situation.  While there are missing workers and this is a huge problem, H2B is a legal program and may have been executed in good faith. What is the motivation for the attacks on Cinram?  Those who are barking loudest, might require a closer look!  How many tractor trailer loads of cheap furniture do you think it would take to haul off several hundred thousand dollars worth in the middle of the night?  Why would a company pay $20 (Which they obviously would not do) an hour to an employment service if they could get locals for $10-$15/hour.  The minimum wage is under $6/hour.  It is my understanding that the poor (Which includes the lazy 2.6% in Huntsville) will always be with us. This does not make sense!  2+2 always = 4 and this is not adding up. I would think Cinram was trying to make money. I think the landlords were likely looking for a profit as well. All that I am suggesting is that the drive by media very rarely gets it right.  I believe that time will tell a different story.  However, when the truth comes out, I doubt the media will cover it on the front page.
Calvinite


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on January 31, 2008, 10:00:13 PM
Hi Calvinite,

Welcome to Christians Unite forums.

I think that you need to reread what was said and who said it. The primary comments were in reference to the government. Yes, a few were made on Cinram but the majority was on the government and the illegal aliens. Yes, I said illegal since they violated the terms of their work visas they are now in fact illegal.

With the government programs that are in place Cinram probably gets reimbursed much of the $20 an hour they pay to the employment agencies. I don't know the details on how things are in the area of Cinram but here where I am a business does get reimbursed for much of that by the government.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Brother Jerry on February 01, 2008, 09:06:47 AM
Hello Calvenite,

As far as H2B.  PR nailed it.  Not a problem with the program, however we have no way of tracking people once they get here.  Guest workers such as this are supposed to be on chains of sort...they are limited to either a task or time period.  And what is supposed to happen once they hit their mark is that they are supposed to go home.  But we have many that are still here on expired visa's.  And that is a problem. 

As far as attacking Cinram...well I remember when they opted to bring in 300 jobs from overseas.  There was quite a few folks that were not happy about that, I am talking about folks that were out of work and willing to work.  There was also some folks that had been laid off shortly before that as well.  As far as companies to work for in Huntsville, Cinram is not one that is high on anyones list now days.  And as far as them paying $20/hr.  Well the article mentioned that the workers were getting $8/hr and most temp agencies will try and get at least twice what they are paying the worker, if not more.  $20 is not a known figure but a guestimate.  There also appears to be some other subsidizing going on as well...the apartment folks mentioned that the security deposit was only $25, which they may as well not even have one at that price.  But there is indications that the workers were getting a cut rate on their apartments as well, plus they were completely furnished.  So it would seem that these were set aside just for the guest workers.  So either Fed was paying someone for it, or the temp agency was getting a pretty penny from Cinram for the workers, and thus the temp agency was able to keep retaining the apartments.

as far as walking off with stuff...if you have 100 people walking away, they could pack away some stuff, specially when it comes to electronics.  And there are pawn shops and such all over the place.

And I agree that the media rarely gets things right.  Nothing new there.  However it is a fact that 100ish workers from Nepal have not shown up for work, nor checked in with their employer, or the embassy, or anyone else since Tuesday.
And that fact alone is just plain scary to me.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 01, 2008, 10:00:53 AM
Something else to think about ... Nepal is the home of many islamist extremist. It is already known that many have been recruited from Nepal to go to Afghanistan to aid their agendas there and in Pakistan. It is also well known that islamist are building up forces right here in the U.S. This would be an excellent way to achieve just that.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 02, 2008, 09:38:30 AM
Cable news blamed for rise in Latino 'hate crimes'
'La Raza' targets guests who call illegals 'invaders,' blame them


The fierce debate over illegal immigration on cable news channels could be the cause of a purported increase in hate crimes against Latinos, charges the radical Hispanic rights group National Council of La Raza.

The group, which says it's launching a campaign against vilification of immigrants and Hispanic Americans, wants to meet executives of the Fox News Channel, MSNBC and CNN and press them to stop "handing hate a microphone" on their programs, the Dallas Morning News reported.

"This surge of hate is being driven by a relatively small but vocal and extreme segment of our society," said Janet Murguia, La Raza's president and chief executive.

Murguia claims a 25-percent increase in hate crimes against Latinos between 2004 and 2006, according to FBI statistics the group compiled.

The group, the Dallas paper reported, has called on Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to renounce his endorsement by Minuteman Project co-founder Jim Gilchrist, an opponent of open borders who frequently appears on cable news shows.

Gilchrist responded to the Morning News, calling La Raza a racial supremacy group that "dwarfs the combination of Black Panthers, KKK, American Indian Movement and Asian gangs."

As WND reported, La Raza, which means "The Race," was condemned in 2006 by Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga., as a radical "pro-illegal immigration lobbying organization that supports racist groups calling for the secession of the western United States as a Hispanic-only homeland."

The Dallas paper said a variety of civil rights organizations have monitored the rise of code words or phrases to describe illegal immigrants, such as an "invading force," "a massive horde" or "swarm." The groups also object to illegals being accused of "bringing crime and disease" to America, including "gang warfare," and of being part of a conspiracy of "reconquista" or "Atzlan" – the taking back of lands in the southwestern U.S.

The Morning News said CNN Worldwide's CEO agreed to meet with the group, and Murguia will be interviewed Monday night by host Lou Dobbs, a strong opponent of illegal immigration.

Fox News declined comment, and MSNBC officials said they look forward to receiving NCLR's letter, according to the paper.

Murguia said her group wants to solve the problem amicably, but indicated the growing Hispanic community might use its economic clout and put pressure on the advertisers if the networks don't respond.

She also warned that anyone running for political office who embraces the same rhetoric risks defeat.

WND reported in November that La Raza issued a report calling for the release of any illegal aliens who are arrested, if they happen to be parents.

In May, WND reported La Raza had virtual veto power over the immigration bill promoted by the White House that failed amid charges it granted "amnesty" for millions of people who came to the U.S. illegally.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 02, 2008, 09:42:00 AM
The problem is that La Raza doesn't want the attention to be brought to what they agenda is because it then becomes harder for them to achieve their goal of taking over that segment of the U.S. that they desire so much to do.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on February 02, 2008, 06:53:16 PM
The problem is that La Raza doesn't want the attention to be brought to what they agenda is because it then becomes harder for them to achieve their goal of taking over that segment of the U.S. that they desire so much to do.



I agree.  My TV pretty much stays on FOX and I have not heard any "hate", only the facts.  The illigel issue to me personally, is the most important issue.  Gov wants to complain about the economy; they want to charge tolls to pay for roads, etc.  I say that if you send the illegals home the economy will be better and the roads won't be as conjested, etc, etc.
I heard some guy on Fox say, "Well who would mow our lawns and pick our lettace?"  Moron.  Hire a neighborhood boy like we used to in the old days to mow your lawn.  And as far as cheap farm labor???...Ever heard of a Chain Gang?  We have thousands upon thousands of inmates sitting in cells watching TV, playing ping pong, cards and dominos.  How about they start actually paying society back for their crimes instead of just sitting around creating more victims via the tax payer?  Women inmates too.  It would accomplish alot since stats prove that criminals don't actually get "rehabilitated" in prison.  Make it so they don't want to come back by making them work.  Something, I'm sure most have never done an honest day's of in their lives.  (My own brother included!)  Women inmates could contribute too.  Put them on sewing machines instead of sending our stuff to China or wherever.  Geez.
And helping the economy?  Every illegal working that is paying taxes, doesn't get a tax return!  That's their fine for being here illegally.  And they certainly don't get a rebate either, like some in gov. want to give them.  For Petes' sake!
And it's not just mexicans Ms. Murgia, it's ALL illegals.

Well I've said my piece.
Grammyluv

(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e269/lliles/illegal_aliens_1.jpg)(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/jspk/chain-gang.jpg)


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 02, 2008, 07:33:48 PM
I like Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona. He does just that.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on February 02, 2008, 07:35:02 PM
I like Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona. He does just that.



I LOVE Sheriff Joe!  If he had a fan club, I'd join.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on February 02, 2008, 07:38:13 PM
I LOVE Sheriff Joe!  If he had a fan club, I'd join.

And I think he'd be just the American hero to head up the whole operation!


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 02, 2008, 08:27:29 PM
I'm all for that.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 02, 2008, 08:44:50 PM
Federal judge: Law penalizing businesses that hire illegals OK
'You are going to see this decision quoted by cities across the country'


The right of a small town in Missouri to deal with the cost and crime caused by the influx of illegal aliens has been upheld by a federal judge who ruled the community's ordinance penalizing local companies that hire undocumented workers is not pre-empted by federal law, does not discriminate against Hispanics and does not violate due-process rights or state law.

The ruling late Thursday by U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber was in favor of Valley Park, Mo., located about 20 miles west of St. Louis.

Valley Park is one of several cities across the U.S. that have attempted to address the problems resulting from illegal immigration and the failure of the federal government to address the issue.

City officials have been in court since 2006 after passing the town's first immigration law fining landlords who rent to illegals and suspending business permits of companies that hire them. The city eventually repealed the rental ordinance but continued to target businesses.

WND has reported on dozens of towns – including Hazleton, Pa., Manassas, Va., Bridgeport, Pa., Prince William County, Va. and Cape Cod, Mass. – that have adopted similar local ordinances.

WND has also reported on statewide crackdowns in Oklahoma and Arizona.

This week's Valley Park decision is the first time a federal court has ruled in favor of such an ordinance. Last year, an almost identical law in Hazleton, Pa., was struck down by another federal judge in a different district.

"It's an across-the-board victory," attorney Kris Kobach, who represents Valley Park and Hazleton, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "You are going to see this decision quoted by cities all across the country."

Kobach noted Judge Webber rejected arguments the local ordinance violated the clause to the Constitution giving exclusive jurisdiction over immigration law to the federal government.

Michael Jung, an attorney for Farmers Branch, Texas, which is defending a similar ordinance, agreed.

"[The judge's] approach ... is to say that Congress has not taken over this whole subject matter and shoved the states out of the way," Jung told the Dallas Morning News.

Additionally, Webber rejected claims the ordinance discriminated against Hispanics.

"The only authority granted to employers under the ordinance is the authority to refuse to hire an individual who fails to provide the documentation, required by federal law, showing employment status," he wrote in his 57-page ruling.

Jung expressed optimism the Valley Park ruling could positively influence his case on behalf of Farmers Branch, but the town's mayor pro tem was more cautious.

"A court opinion from a jurisdiction that's different from the one we are in is not binding on our jurisdiction, so I'm not going to sit up and tell you, 'Great, that's going to make ours go through,' " Tim O'Hare said. "But I can tell you that it can't hurt. Judges do look at what other jurisdictions are doing."

This week's decision 'is vindication for this small city," Kobach said. "The city stood firm and didn't back down."

But, he noted, with the contradictory rulings in Hazleton and Valley Park, "now you have two diametrically opposed decisions from the federal courts."

In a prepared statement, Lucas Guttentag, the ACLU's immigrants rights project director, said, "If every city and town across the country were allowed to enact its own immigration laws, we would end up with chaos and confusion causing discrimination and profiling against individuals based on their appearance, accent and ethnicity."



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 02, 2008, 08:48:29 PM
Marchers protest Minuteman conference in Kansas City 
'They're paramilitary. They're building a resurgence of racism in the United States'

More than 200 demonstrators turned up to protest the opening here of an anti-illegal immigration group's first regional conference.

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps is holding a two-day conference in Kansas City in a show of solidarity with member Frances Semler, who attracted criticism from civil rights groups after she was appointed to a local parks board.

On Friday, protesters marched several blocks and held a demonstration outside the group's meeting place shortly before the event was to begin.

The Minutemen routinely patrol the Mexican border - sometimes armed - looking for and reporting to Border Patrol agents people trying to enter the U.S. illegally. Other members picket day labor sites or construction sites across the country where they believe illegal immigrants are working.

Critics accuse the group of using racist language and intimidating Hispanics.

Charles Reitz, one of the protesters, said he marched "to stand up against racism and express solidarity."

He added that he opposed the Minutemen because "they're paramilitary. They're building a resurgence of racism in the United States."

Miguel Sanchez, a protester from Kansas City, Kan., said the group didn't respect other people's dignity.

Chris Simcox, the Minuteman founder, said such accusations against his group were untrue and that the Minutemen came to Kansas City "in peace. There is no hate here."

He said he got the idea of the Minutemen after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, saying he wanted to keep out illegal border crossers. He was convicted in 2004 of carrying a concealed weapon on federal park land while looking for illegal immigrants.

Simcox said the group, which claims 8,000 members, is more angry at federal officials, who he said have failed to secure the country's borders. He said both American citizens and illegal immigrants were the victims of a "feckless, failed government."

Kansas City's relationship with the Minutemen began last summer when Mayor Mark Funkhouser appointed Semler to the city's parks board. When her membership in the Minutemen was discovered, he refused civil rights group's demands to either force Semler to resign or give up her membership in the Minutemen.

The National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic civil rights group, decided last fall to pull its 2009 conference from the city - which led Simcox to schedule a leadership conference as a sign of support for Semler.

Semler stepped down from the parks board earlier this week, citing what she viewed as a lack of support from Funkhouser's office. But the group still stood and applauded when she was introduced Friday night.

"I have a new hero: Frances Semler," said Simcox, who thanked her for her courage.

Semler told the audience that she joined the group because it "was made up of individuals dedicated to the ideals expressed in the Constitution of our country."

She added that the group "is not a hate group of racists and bigots. ... If that were true, I would not be here, and neither would you."

But Caron Wells, who took part in the protest outside, said even well-intentioned people were tricked by the group's pro-America rhetoric.

"They couch their hate message in such a patriotic way," Wells said.

Jerry Davison of Independence, who attended the event to get more information, disagreed, saying he knew many legal immigrants working at computer technology jobs in the area and he's simply concerned about illegal immigrants.

"We've got to be able to control who comes into our country," Davison said.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 02, 2008, 08:51:28 PM
Quote
"They're building a resurgence of racism in the United States."

When you disagree with someone just throw the race card at them in order to get your way. This issue is not about racism! It is about ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION!




Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Shammu on February 02, 2008, 10:22:12 PM
I like Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona. He does just that.


And pink underclothes, and shirts. ;D ;D ;D


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on February 02, 2008, 11:17:44 PM
And pink underclothes, and shirts. ;D ;D ;D

Hey!  Excellent idea!  And I heard that he feeds them Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches.  And why not.  They've got protein, carbs and fruit all in one!



(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/jsfike/misc/cid_002901c5a46f81361ee0ed27f004COM.jpg)


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on February 02, 2008, 11:21:55 PM
When you disagree with someone just throw the race card at them in order to get your way. This issue is not about racism! It is about ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION!




Here!  Here!


(http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb298/visitdeborah/gavel.gif)


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 02, 2008, 11:32:18 PM
Hey!  Excellent idea!  And I heard that he feeds them Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches.  And why not.  They've got protein, carbs and fruit all in one!



(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/jsfike/misc/cid_002901c5a46f81361ee0ed27f004COM.jpg)

If it's good enough for our Soldiers then it's more than good enough for criminals.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on February 03, 2008, 12:27:21 AM
Brothers and Sisters,

Illegal immigration IS NOT a race issue at all, rather a CRIME ISSUE and a NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE! It's a cheap cop-out to play the race card on this. There are people from all over the world of all races who want to come here faster than the applications can be processed.

As far as I know, there is ZERO discrimination in LEGAL IMMIGRATION unless the person is a terrorist or some kind of other high profile reject. Here's the big one:  ENFORCEMENT of already existing laws that have been on the books for many years is what's needed. What we really have is CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE and DERELICTION OF DUTY by our own government.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 03, 2008, 09:26:30 AM
Those of Hispanic ethnicity have made this all about them when in actuality it isn't. Yes, until recently the largest inflow of illegal immigration were those from Mexico. Recently though the tide is turning in that now it is becoming those individual from islamic nations and not all of these are necessarily of Arab decent. In fact some of these are of Caucasian decent. (All the better to infiltrate this nation without drawing as much attention.) No this is not ab out religion either. As Brother Tom said it is about the enforcement of already existing laws, laws that were put into place to protect the people of this nation to prevent a national health crisis, increased criminal activity (i.e. drug trafficking and spying by foreign governments that wish us destroyed) and more.

It is insane to allow this to continue. It is no different than the People's Temple kool-aid incident.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 03, 2008, 11:55:44 AM
Laws aimed at hiring illegal workers drive many to Texas
Crackdown in nearby states brings influx

Illegal immigrants are flowing into Texas across its long borders. But they aren't just swimming across the Rio Grande from Mexico or making dangerous treks through the rugged desert.

Instead, a new rush of illegal immigrants are driving down Interstate 35 from Oklahoma or heading east to Texas from Arizona to flee tough new anti-illegal immigrant laws in those and other states.

Though few numbers are available because illegal residents are difficult to track, community activists say immigrants have arrived in Houston and Dallas in recent months, and they expect hundreds more families to relocate to the Bayou City soon.

''They're really tightening the screws," said Mario Ortiz, an undocumented Mexican worker who came to Houston after leaving Phoenix last year. ''There have been a lot coming — it could be 100 a day."

The growing exodus is the result of dozens of new state and local laws aimed at curbing illegal immigration. The two toughest measures are in Oklahoma and Arizona.

The Oklahoma statute, which took effect in November, makes it a crime to transport, harbor or hire illegal immigrants. Effective Jan. 1, the Arizona law suspends the business license of employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers. On a second offense, the license is revoked.

''It's a wave that's happening across the United States," said Nelson Reyes, executive director of the Central American Resource Center in Houston, which has helped immigrants who recently relocated in Houston from Virginia and South Carolina. ''There is a migration, within the United States, to the states and cities more receptive to the reality of the undocumented immigrant."

So far, results of the new laws have been dramatic.

No restrictive laws here
In Oklahoma, one builder estimated that 30 percent of the Hispanic work force left Tulsa. Reports out of Arizona indicate that several restaurants have closed in Phoenix because of a shortage of workers, and vacancies at apartment complexes are increasing, in part because of departing immigrants.

Experts predict immigrants will flock to Houston and other cities in Texas because of the state's reputation as a welcoming destination.

The construction industry in Texas has largely weathered a national housing slump, they note, adding there is a long tradition of relying on skilled labor from Latin America.

And so far, Texas has not passed any statewide law targeting the employment of undocumented workers.

The Department of Homeland Security estimates that 1.6 million illegal immigrants were in Texas in 2006.

''Texas is still very much an entrepreneurial place, where you can find your place in this economy," said James Hollifield, a Southern Methodist University professor and migration expert. ''It's not an immigrant's paradise, but if you work hard and keep your head down you can get ahead."

Mayra Figueroa, director of American For Everyone, a Houston nonprofit that advocates for labor rights of immigrants, said the strict laws in other states are pushing immigrants to Houston.

''There were a lot of people moving from Houston to Oklahoma, and now they're coming back because they are not able to work," said Figueroa, adding that many of them are Central American refugees. ''I can say hundreds of families are coming to cities like Houston, because of the law."

But the influx of undocumented workers into Texas is not welcomed by everyone. Critics say illegal immigrants are taxing government resources, such as hospital emergency rooms and public schools.

''That is not good," Larry Youngblood, leader of the Houston chapter of the Texas Border Volunteers, said about the new wave of immigrants. ''We've got about 400,000 to 450,000 in Houston already. And obviously they're not all day laborers — not all are criminals — but we don't need more."

''We have to assume they'll bring some wives and kids with them, so therefore our schools will be re-inundated. And traffic will be worse, too."

Labor up, income down
Some of the new residents are working as day laborers in Houston including Oscar Jeovani Fernandez, a 36-year-old Honduran native who left Oklahoma.

He said he is lucky now if he can work two or three days and earn $150 a week — a far cry from his steady job pulling down $600 a week hanging wallboard for a home builder near Tulsa.

''I was working there in September, but they passed a law that allows the local police to act like immigration agents," Fernandez said. ''I came here 25 days after they passed the law — I wasn't going to let them experiment on me."

Ortiz, a native of southern Mexico, said he left Phoenix eight months ago working 60 to 70 hours a week as a nursery worker.

Immigration agents raided his job site, but he evaded arrest.

Now, he's standing on Houston street corners. He said that in a good week he can pick up two or three days of yardwork. He barely earns enough, after paying his rent and food bills, to send money home to his wife and son in Tabasco state.

''Here, they let you work. Over there, they won't. There is a lot of racism, but here there isn't — it's better," Ortiz said of Houston. ''They welcome you here in Texas, because here, they don't do anything to you."

Enrique Hubbard, Mexico's consul general in Dallas, said a dozen Mexican families from Okahoma have applied for consular documents listing their new residences in the Dallas area. He expects more to arrive because jobs are available in North Texas.

''There is opportunity in construction in the housing market in Dallas, so they will move here," he said. ''Perception is very important, and a lot of people see this negative attitude growing so they say, 'Let's look for another place,' particularly if they have relatives and contacts in another place."

Taking their leave
The flight from Oklahoma began the month before the new law known as House Bill 1804 took effect, business leaders in Oklahoma say. In Tulsa, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has estimated that 15,000 to 25,000 illegal immigrants have left the area.

''Thirty percent of our Hispanic labor force left Tulsa — it was a huge hit, and it was almost overnight," said Greg Simmons, owner of Simmons Homes, Tulsa's largest home builder.

Based on his conversations with subcontractors, Simmons said they went to Texas and Kansas or returned to Mexico.

Jose Alfonso, pastor of the Cornerstone Hispanic Church in Tulsa, said 15 percent of the congregation's 425 members have left for Texas or California.

''It's been a very difficult situation for our church and the Hispanic community," said Alfonso, whose church is one of several who are challenging the law in federal court.

Business leaders say local police in Tulsa have mounted a campaign to target immigrants and have deported many after they were arrested for minor traffic offenses.

''I think we swung the pendulum too far; we're hurting people, the immigrant families, and we're going to hurt the economy," said Mike Means, executive vice president of the Oklahoma State Homebuilders Association, which has 3,600 members across the state.

'A tremendous impact'
The effect of the new law can be seen in the many signs advertising rental property vacated by departing immigrants, said David Castillo, the executive director of the Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

''There's been a tremendous impact in Oklahoma City," Castillo said. "We've had several companies close shop and leave the state. Banks have called us and say they're closing 30 accounts per week."

As the implications of laws in other states play out, Hubbard, the Mexican consul from Dallas, doubts many immigrants will go back to Mexico.

'I think they will relocate. They will at least give it one more try," Hubbard said. ''It's very difficult to cross the border, and expensive, too."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 03, 2008, 12:28:54 PM
Quote
Reports out of Arizona indicate that several restaurants have closed in Phoenix because of a shortage of workers, and vacancies at apartment complexes are increasing, in part because of departing immigrants.

You can tell this is a liberal news source crying a river for the poor mistreated law breakers.

Notice it says "IN PART. It is a very small part at that and will only be temporary.

With unemployment rates nationwide (and the states mentioned in particular) being at all time highs this is obviously false reporting. $600.00 a week for an illegal! I know of many that would love to have that job.

Even though Texas has had a very large increase in available jobs for the state it's unemployment rate has increased and is expected to continue to rise significantly.

The state of Illinois has also put laws into effect that are favorable to illegals. As a result there is a very large influx of them into this state also. That combined with laws that have been chasing big businesses out of the state the unemployment rate has been increasing dramatically.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 03, 2008, 07:11:54 PM
Illegal Immigration Arrests and Crackdown Follow Judicial Watch Complaint

Law Enforcement Action Based on Judicial Watch Complaint Results in Illegal Alien Arrests as Part of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Raids against Day Labor Sites

(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that complaints it lodged with Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio on behalf of a group of Phoenix businesses resulted in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Illegal Immigration Interdiction unit arresting six illegal aliens. Sheriff Arpaio runs the nation's third largest sheriff's department.

Judicial Watch Director of Investigations and Research Chris Farrell and Phoenix business leaders met with Sheriff Arpaio on August 28, 2007 to discuss crime and health issues relating to the increasing numbers of illegal day laborers in the area. Arpaio is known as "America's toughest sheriff" for his no-nonsense approach to illegal immigration and other law and order issues. The Phoenix business owners informed Sheriff Arpaio of the problems affecting their livelihoods and their quality of life created by illegal alien day laborers. They also reported the inappropriate "strong arm" tactics of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and his illegal alien supporters.

Sheriff Arpaio and his deputies took their first important step towards restoring law and order to the 36th & Thomas business district when they arrested the six illegal aliens during routine traffic stops on October 15. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and the Phoenix Police Department had essentially abandoned the citizen tax payers and business owners of the district, organized as the "36th & Thomas Business Coalition." Phoenix Police, at the direction of Gordon and others, refused to enforce solicitation, trespass, loitering, littering and public health ordinance violations by dozens of illegal alien "day laborers" congregating in the district.

In response to the crackdown, illegal alien advocates have threatened to organize protests by illegal immigrants against certain businesses in the Phoenix area.

"Judicial Watch applauds Sheriff Arpaio for responding to our complaint on behalf of citizens and business owners in Phoenix. I hope the rest of America learns a lesson from Sheriff Arpaio's strict law enforcement approach to the illegal immigration crisis," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "We also hope the rule of law is upheld in the face any unlawful protests by illegal aliens and their supporters. We remain concerned that illegal alien groups will seek to intimidate and harass business owners who have complained to the authorities."



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 03, 2008, 07:12:51 PM
America's Toughest Sheriff Cracks Down on Illegal Street Criminals     

Judicial Watch has been working together with Maricopa County (AZ) Sheriff Joe Arpaio to impose a law and order solution to the illegal immigration problem in Phoenix, Arizona.  Last summer, Judicial Watch lodged a complaint with Sheriff Arpaio on behalf of small businesses, organized as the 36th and Thomas Business Coalition, who were victimized by illegal aliens regularly trespassing on their property.  (Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon had abandoned the needs of Phoenix businesses, allowing the illegal immigration problem to spiral out of control.)  Sheriff Arpaio, also known as "America's Toughest Sheriff," responded, leading to the arrest of six illegal aliens.

Now, with the help of Judicial Watch, small businesses in Phoenix called upon Sheriff Arpaio in a letter dated January 25, 2008, to tackle the problem of illegal immigration street crime.

When illegal aliens cross the border into the United States, they bring with them all manner of social problems, including trespassing, solicitation, loitering, drug dealing, sexual harassment, public urination and defecation.  Unfortunately, the Phoenix Police Department routinely ignores the street crime problem, responding very selectively to only the most egregious crimes that simply cannot be ignored due to violence or loss of property.  The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff Arpaio, is the only law enforcement agency enforcing both federal and state immigration laws in Arizona.  The community letter reads in part:

    We call upon Sheriff Arpaio to restore law and order to this area.  The policies and practices of the Phoenix Police Department are damaging our businesses, driving down home values and destroying our community.  We’re tired of the political double-talk and excuses.  We’re tired of being harassed and victimized.  Sheriff Arpaio needs to take strong action to restore safety to our community.

Sheriff Arpaio responded -- big time.  The sheriff’s posse saturated the neighborhood to enforce the law – including our nation’s immigration laws.  Stay tuned...

And there was more good news elsewhere in the American Southwest. According to the San Antonio Express News:

    Realizing they were about to thrust the city smack into the middle of the national immigration debate, San Antonio leaders are now balking at the idea of opening a center for day laborers.  Resurrected in the fall as a full-fledged project after more than two decades of inaction, the City Council was poised this month to consider a staff proposal to create a facility where workers, mostly undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America, could gather and be hired.  After twice tabling the issue, a presentation scheduled for Tuesday was scrapped indefinitely by council members....

Apparently, San Antonio officials had gotten word Judicial Watch was sniffing around and they decided to avoid the public pressure, investigation and any possible litigation by  Judicial Watch and give up.  Good decision.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 08, 2008, 12:06:23 PM
Schoolgirl to aliens: Learn our language
'We're not going to turn America into a bilingual country to accommodate you'

A Texas schoolgirl has a message for aliens coming into the United States: Learn our language.

The message comes from Ashleigh Allison, who has insisted on studying France and its language even though her Grapevine-Colleyville school district curriculum requires her to take Spanish, according to a report in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

And her mother agrees. "We're not going to turn American into a bilingual country to accommodate you," she said. "She (Ashleigh) wants to be the one voice that forces them to learn English."

K.C. McAlpin, a spokesman for ProEnglish, a Virginia-based group that is trying to preserve English as the common language of the United States, said there's no opposition to teaching foreign languages.

"But it would be naïve to think that the country does not face the growing threat of bilingualism because of the massive influx of mostly Spanish-speaking immigrants. They're coming in faster than the country can absorb them," McAlpin said.

In Texas, schools are required to offer "to the extent possible, languages other than English" for elementary children. Monica Martinez of the Texas Education Agency said the simple fact is for most, Spanish is the language of choice.

Grapevine-Colleyville district spokeswoman Megan Overman told the newspaper that the intent is to provide students the experience that "prepares them for success in our diverse world" and there's been no opposition in the past.

But McAlpin said forcing Spanish on students promotes bilingualism and could cause harm.

"Every place in the world where societies have been divided about language, there have been conflicts that many times lead to violence or antagonism that we have so far been able to avoid in this country," he told the newspaper. "Why break the successful mold of the melting pot?"

Rudy Rodriquez, retired from the bilingual education program at the University of North Texas, said a "bilingual brain" actually has better function.

But Allison told the Star-Telegram her family isn't anti-immigration: They're just pro-English.

"This is not saying, you cannot speak your native tongue," she told the paper. "Grasp your tradition and your culture. But when you are outside your front door, you must speak English. We have to understand you."

Allison said her daughter's school now has 54 percent Hispanic students, up from 13 percent 10 years ago.

She said when Principal Cody Spielmann told her Spanish is required and there were no other options, she reacted.

"Ashleigh feels the course would be a waste of her time since she has no aspirations in the future to have a career requiring bilingual talents," she wrote the principal, "nor does she feel compelled to accommodate those who live in our country who refuse to learn the primary and current native tongue of English."

The issue came to a head when the school refused to make any accommodations, and Allison kept her daughter out of class. She ended up filing a grievance, and reached an agreement with Deputy Supt. Jim Chadwell to allow her daughter to study and report on a country of her choice.

Without a teacher, she hasn't been able to pick up any but the most common French phrases, the newspaper reported, and Allison still is seeking a formal policy change.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 08, 2008, 12:13:14 PM
Anti-illegal immigration Hazleton mayor running for Congress

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, who has gained a national following with his get-tough approach to illegal immigration, is running for Congress.

Barletta announced Thursday that he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent 12-term Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski, who represents a heavily Democratic district in northeastern Pennsylvania.

"I realized that I'm not just fighting for Hazleton any more. I'm fighting for people all over the country who want their voices heard," Barletta said.

"I've done as much as I can fighting illegal immigration as the mayor of a city. I need to take this fight to Washington, because that's where the problem needs to be fixed."

Barletta, who was courted heavily by Republicans and had been widely expected to run, announced his entry into the race Thursday afternoon at a news conference packed with supporters.

Kanjorski, who defeated Barletta in 2002 by more than 13 percentage points, did not immediately return a phone call.

In a statement Thursday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused Barletta of favoring the privatization of Social Security and "gambling with our seniors' retirement savings," a line of attack Democrats hope will resonate in a district whose population is largely elderly.

Barletta said voters want change.

Kanjorski is "not my enemy, but he represents what Congress is about," said Barletta, who just began a third term as mayor. "Congress has failed us. People recognize that every time they fill their car up with fuel, or look at their paycheck. You can't fool the American people any longer."

Premising his campaign on opposition to illegal immigration, Barletta said he wants to secure the nation's borders, airports and seaports; target criminals who supply fraudulent documents to illegal immigrants; go after "sanctuary cities" that shelter them; and "crack down on businesses that are hiring illegal immigrants, who are profiting from cheap labor and depressing the wages of the American worker."

Barletta has sought to make his city of 30,000 inhospitable to illegal immigrants, whom he says are responsible for violent crime, graffiti, and overburdened schools and hospitals.

At Barletta's urging, Hazleton City Council in 2006 approved the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which sought to deny business permits to companies that employ illegal immigrants, fine landlords who rent to them and require tenants to register and pay for a rental permit.

Anti-illegal immigration activists hailed Barletta's approach, and he became a fixture on cable TV and talk radio, advocating his view that illegal immigrants are wrecking the country and that local governments can no longer wait for federal action to do something about it.

Federal courts have split on the question of whether cities and towns may take steps to curb illegal immigration. A federal judge in July struck down Hazleton's ordinance as unconstitutional, but another judge upheld a similar measure in Valley Park, Mo., last week.

Critics say Hazleton-style measures discriminate against Hispanics and trample on the federal government's exclusive power to regulate immigration.

Kanjorski's district is a largely blue-collar area where illegal immigration is a hot-button issue. Anticipating that Barletta would run, the incumbent in recent months has sought to portray himself as tough on illegal immigration.

He sent a four-page color mailer to constituents in October headlined "Congressman Paul Kanjorski: Tough on Illegal Immigration." And he recently told an audience in the Poconos that "closing the border is practical."

Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski's longtime campaign consultant, said he believes he would prevail in a rematch with Barletta.

"The congressman has a dynamic record of delivering to the people of the 11th District," he said. "Mr. Barletta's candidacy seems to be premised on his record on illegal immigration, but even Mr. Barletta has said there is very little difference between the congressman and his record on this issue."

Kanjorski, who has yet to announce his re-election, had about $1.5 million in his campaign account as of Dec. 31. Barletta starts out his campaign more than $153,000 in debt, but he said he now has a national donor base and can raise money quickly.

"I believe there are a lot of people around this country who are looking for this kind of leadership," Barletta said.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on February 08, 2008, 09:28:44 PM
Anti-illegal immigration Hazleton mayor running for Congress


"I realized that I'm not just fighting for Hazleton any more. I'm fighting for people all over the country who want their voices heard," Barletta said.

"I've done as much as I can fighting illegal immigration as the mayor of a city. I need to take this fight to Washington, because that's where the problem needs to be fixed."

Barletta said voters want change.

 "Congress has failed us. People recognize that every time they fill their car up with fuel, or look at their paycheck. You can't fool the American people any longer."

Premising his campaign on opposition to illegal immigration, Barletta said he wants to secure the nation's borders, airports and seaports; target criminals who supply fraudulent documents to illegal immigrants; go after "sanctuary cities" that shelter them; and "crack down on businesses that are hiring illegal immigrants, who are profiting from cheap labor and depressing the wages of the American worker."

Barletta has sought to make his city of 30,000 inhospitable to illegal immigrants, whom he says are responsible for violent crime, graffiti, and overburdened schools and hospitals.

At Barletta's urging, Hazleton City Council in 2006 approved the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which sought to deny business permits to companies that employ illegal immigrants, fine landlords who rent to them and require tenants to register and pay for a rental permit.

Anti-illegal immigration activists hailed Barletta's approach, and he became a fixture on cable TV and talk radio, advocating his view that illegal immigrants are wrecking the country and that local governments can no longer wait for federal action to do something about it.

"I believe there are a lot of people around this country who are looking for this kind of leadership," Barletta said.

No argument.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 13, 2008, 02:22:39 PM
Mexican president snubs U.S. president, presidential hopefuls during visit

An immigration reform activist says it's absolute arrogance on the part of Mexican President Felipe Calderon to come to the United States to meet with illegal aliens who have blatantly violated U.S. immigration law.

Prior to his visit, Calderon told the New York Times that he hoped to convey to Mexicans in the U.S. that their government has not abandoned them and will help protect their civil rights -- even if they broke the law by crossing the border. In response, Susan Tully of the Federation for American Immigration Reform says it is extremely arrogant for the Mexican president to snub President Bush and any of his would-be successors, especially on his first trip to the U.S.
 
"To think that the leader of a foreign nation would come and simply meet with the criminal immigration law breakers and continue to support and encourage them to break the law in the United States in violation of federal immigration law," says an indignant Tully.
 
Tully says Calderon is desperate because strong state and local enforcement, coupled with a sagging U.S. economy, is actually compelling some Mexican citizens who are in the U.S. illegally to go home. "They are finding that it is just as hard for them to work up here as it is for Americans now because the economy is so poor. So people are going home," she continues. "And this is going to be a huge impact on Mexico. They are now going to have to deal with the issue they should have dealt with to begin with, which is taking care of their own people."
 
Tully says she is pleased that many Americans are angry that Calderon came to the United States to meddle in its internal affairs.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 15, 2008, 09:05:44 PM
Dems discussing five-year amnesty plan for illegal aliens

A spokesperson for the grassroots immigration organization Numbers USA says House Democrats are having behind-the-scenes discussions about creating a special visa for illegal immigrants -- a proposal they believe will enjoy considerable Republican support.

As part of its stated mission to support what it calls "comprehensive immigration reform," the Congressional Hispanic Caucus desires "a tough, fair, and workable path to legalization for the undocumented." The website for the group argues that "the only practical and humane solution is to set up a program that gives individuals a chance to come out of the shadows, register with the government, submit to security screenings, pay restitution, learn English and U.S. civics, and maintain a clean work and criminal record."
 
Rosemary Jenks is director of government relations for Numbers USA. She has learned that members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are spearheading the effort to approve a plan that would allow any illegal alien living in the United States to simply prove they have a job, pay a fine, and pass a background check, to receive the gift of legal status for five years.
 
The five-year visa plan would be attached to a bill that would increase the number of temporary workers in the hopes of getting Republican support, she says. Jenks contends this is an attempt to stall the deportation of illegal immigrants until they can get full amnesty.
 
"Rahm Emanuel [a Democratic congressman from Illinois] has said publicly that he doesn't believe that they will be able to get the full-scale amnesty passed until the second term of the next president," she states. "That, of course, puts it right about five years from now. So the hope of the Caucus is that they can this so-called temporary visa -- a five-year visa for illegal aliens -- passed, and then when they're able to they can get the full-scale amnesty."
 
Jenks supposes that Democrats are afraid that should either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama be elected president this year, passage of an amnesty plan during a first term would likely preclude the Democratic president from being re-elected for a second term.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 20, 2008, 02:22:53 PM
An Illegal Exodus...Back to Mexico?     

Previously I reported to you that a federal court in Missouri upheld a law penalizing businesses that hire illegals.  Last week, more good news to report from Arizona:

    A federal judge on Thursday upheld an Arizona law that prohibits businesses from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants and yanks the business licenses of those that do.  U.S. District Judge Neil Wake dismissed a lawsuit filed by business groups that argued that federal immigration law severely restricts Arizona's ability to punish people who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.

Under the law, a business would be placed on probation after one violation and would lose its business license permanently following a second violation.

You will recall that Judicial Watch has been extremely active in the state of Arizona, especially in Phoenix, where we have been working very closely with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on behalf of Phoenix businesses to enforce illegal immigration laws.

So, what impact is this work having on the illegal immigration population in Arizona?  Check this out from The New York Times, reporting from Phoenix:

    The signs of flight among Latino immigrants here are multiple: Families moving out of apartment complexes, schools reporting enrollment drops, business owners complaining about fewer clients.…a consensus is developing among economists, business people and immigration groups that the weakening economy coupled with recent curbs on illegal immigration are steering Hispanic immigrants out of the state.

The Times makes note of one illegal alien who is pressing her husband “to return to Mexico because of the difficulty in finding a job and what the family considers a growing anti-immigrant climate.”

If this doesn’t prove the wisdom of enforcing our nation’s illegal immigration laws, I don’t know what will.  If we stop rolling out the red carpet for illegals, they will leave on their own.  The problem will become more manageable.  It’s clearly working in Arizona.  And it will work on a national basis if we finally address the problem in a common sense manner – by enforcing the law.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 22, 2008, 08:29:13 AM
Iraqi pair nabbed in Mexico,
headed to U.S. with fake IDs
Mexico suspects European ring of selling
counterfeit Bulgarian passports for $10K


Two more Iraqis with false Bulgarian passports were detained by Mexican officials in Monterrey – bringing the total to four this month.

Wisam Gorgies, a 34-year-old man, and Rana Nazar Peyoz, a 26-year-old woman, reportedly flew from Madrid and landed in Monterrey, according to reports in two Mexican newspapers today.

Following questioning, the pair admitted they intended to reach the United States. They were taken to Saltillo in the state of Coahuila, for final determination of their status.

Mexican officials said the are investigating "a network that could be made up of Mexicans operating in Greece who are selling false Bulgarian passports for $10,000 to European and Middle Eastern citizens."

Earlier this month, El Universal, a daily in Mexico City, reported two other Iraqis, Markos Ramy, a 25-year-old man, and Sollem Pate, a 20-year-old woman, presented Bulgarian passports upon arrival at the Monterrey airport after a flight from Spain.

They told customs officials they came as tourists for a couple days. But because they spoke no Bulgarian, their passports were determined to be fraudulent. The Bulgarian consulate did not acknowledge them as citizens and their hotel reservations proved to be phony.

Only after their cover story was blown did the couple admit to being Iraqis. They claimed to be fleeing the war.

Last year, dozens of Iraqis were discovered attempting to enter Monterrey with phony ID – 17 of them in a single event.

In addition, earlier this month, Norwegian authorities reported that Iraqis affiliated with al-Qaida and former Baath Party members may have slipped into Kuwait after obtaining $15,000 Norwegian passports. Authorities in Kuwait say they are on the lookout for any Iraqi citizen bearing a Norwegian passport.

The incidents raise the question of whether they are part of an orchestrated campaign by terrorists to enter countries targeted for attacks.

Last October, Kunio Hatoyama, Japan's minister of justice, made an astonishing admission at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo. Asked about a new law that requires foreigners visiting his country to be photographed and fingerprinted, the official said he favored the idea.

"A friend of a friend is a member of al-Qaida," he said. He explained he had entered Japan numerous times using false passports and disguises. "This particular person was actually involved in the bombings in the center of Bali. Although he is a friend of my friend, I was advised not to go close to the centre of Bali because it will be bombed."

The fingerprinting policy would prevent such people from entering the country, Hatoyama concluded.

Back in 2004, WND reported that al-Qaida planned to use Mexico as an entry pointinto the U.S. In addition, the 911 commission reported the terrorist network actually owned a travel agency in Mexico.

The commission also concluded that immigration enforcement failures led directly to the 911 attack . At least seven of the 19 hijackers carried false passports.

Also in 2004, WND reported Mexico was not fully cooperating with anti-terrorist efforts because of corruption and red tape inside the government.

That same year, WND reported al-Qaida expanding operations in Mexico and Latin America because of financial pressures brought on by the war on terrorism.

This followed an admission by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that al-Qaida was attempting to smuggle operatives into the U.S. across the Mexican border.

In 2003, WND reported a Mexican smuggling ring specializing in bringing Middle Easterners in the U.S. was discovered.

Paraguay was also reported to be a hub for Arab terrorists.

Just a month after the 911 attack, WND reported on the evidence Arabs were routinely making the trek from Mexico to the U.S.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 23, 2008, 04:30:21 PM
Judicial Watch files brief in favor of town's immigration ordinances

A public-interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption has filed an amicus brief in support of an appeal to a ruling by a federal judge that threw out two city ordinances of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, aimed at curbing illegal immigration.

The city of Hazleton was originally sued by the American Civil Liberties Union, some unnamed illegal aliens, and other groups that support illegal immigration. The two disputed ordinances would have fined employers in the city who knowingly hired illegal aliens, and landlords who knowingly harbored them.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch -- which filed the amicus brief in support of Hazleton's appeal -- says "these are matters perfectly within the purview of local communities, and there's nothing that preempted or contravenes federal law as the ACLU and its ilk suggests."

Fitton notes that similar statutes have been upheld in Arizona and Missouri. "One would think that the appellate court would take a look at the decisions in the other jurisdictions and see that there is strong basis in law to uphold the Hazleton statutes," he continues. "And frankly the lower-court decision is flawed that overturned the Hazleton statutes."

The Judicial Watch president says the appeal is being heard by the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and his group hopes to have a ruling by the end of the year.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on February 27, 2008, 09:45:35 AM
Lone Protester acquitted, takes campaign nationwide
'There's one heckuva lot of people who think like I do'

A South Carolina contractor who was brought to court on a charge of disorderly conduct for allegedly calling a homeowner who hired a competing roofing company a "cheap ------" has been acquitted, but Terry Funderburk, 52, says his fight now is just beginning.

Funderburk calls himself The Lone Protester, and recently faced a trial after using those words to describe a homeowner who was having a roof installed by another company.

With his contracting business facing a downturn of gargantuan proportions in 2007, Funderburk was driving around looking for work when he ran across the house in question, where he'd done earlier work.

He admits he was upset to find another company now working there, and his evidence  the workers were illegal aliens was no more than circumstantial. But he decided to protest anyway, and he was carrying protest signs and marching up and down in front of the house on July 16, 2007, when he was arrested.

His signs said, "Illegals Quit Stealing Our Jobs!!!"

"My local newspaper has an article about [the case]…," he wrote in an e-mail after his acquittal. "In it I am quoted as saying that I protested because I saw Hispanics on that job and that is not right. I want to set the record straight. One month before I was arrested I bid on that job and the homeowner himself told me that international roofers installed the shingles on that roof for 4 to 5 dollars an hour. That is what top, American roofers got paid in the 1960s and 70s. I told the jury the same thing. And they believed me…," he wrote.

His suspicion that the workers were illegal stemmed from the reference to their  extremely low wages, he said.

The homeowner had testified during the trial Funderburk was loud, impeding traffic and cursing, so he called Columbia police. He said he was disappointed in the verdict.

But Funderburk said besides the single curse word, he mostly waved at passing motorists.

Now that he's been acquitted, Funderburk told WND, his work is just beginning.

"There is no way in the world I'm going to let it drop," he said. "I'm trying to get as many people to do what I went through."

He said that may not include arrest for all, but he said people have to challenge the current system of politics and law enforcement that allows illegal aliens to take jobs he and others want.

"I'm taking my fight into South Carolina, where I live, because legislators are having an illegal immigration discussion in the statehouse in Columbia right now," Funderburk said.

He said he's been blacklisted by a lot of politicians and organizations for his challenge to the "system," but he said he also has a lot of backing.

"From Wednesday evening when I got out of court, over 24 hours, I got 3,200 letters from people in my e-mail," he said. "It's so many it's impossible for me to answer them."

He also has support from border security organizations such as Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, and various Minuteman groups.

"There's one heckuva lot of people who think like I do," he said. He cited the need for a revolution. "I'm trying to do everything I can to get one started."

In an e-mail to supporters, he talked about the need for an overhaul of the system.

"It is time to tell them that we want our laws enforced and that we will not accept any excuses for their non-compliance. It is time to take this state back!" he said. "In violation of all the laws of this state and country, our native born South Carolinians are being replaced in large numbers in the work force by industries and other businesses that employ illegal aliens. In the last three years my industry, construction, has literally been invaded by an entire army of replacement workers in direct contravention of our laws. The changes that I have seen are simply unbelievable. In my line of work, roofing, 75 percent of the employees are illegal aliens, 75 percent of the brick masons are illegals, and the same applies to the carpenters, siding crews, insulation crews and every other business in the construction industry."

He said he and other business owners are being forced out of business and bankrupted "by criminal competition."

He told supporters his small business usually had 20-30 jobs lined up at any point. During 2006 he grossed $176,000. But in 2007, he grossed $18,000 through August.

"The day I was arrested, sitting on that hot road being watched over by two police officers, I saw five illegal aliens hard at work, knowing for a fact that they would not be arrested by those two cops. … None of them had any worry in the world about being arrested because in those two cops' eyes these criminals got a free pass. But the thing is, every last one of them was breaking the law, right in front of those two cops. And the cops did nothing," he said.

"We are not supposed to say anything as we are ran (sic) out of business…," he said. "But I refuse to shut up about it. … I am an American citizen, guaranteed rights under our system of laws, just like my fellow workers in this state are supposed to have."

"I will tell you why you must fight. It is because our Constitution starts out with, 'We The People.' It does not say, 'we the politicians' or 'we the special interests' or 'we the illegal aliens.' … That means that this country and state belongs to us and nobody else," he continued.

"Please listen to me, please stay on our politicians … call them, e-mail them, fax them, do whatever you have to do, just make your voice heard to them in some way, somehow," he said. "

He recalled one time during his trial when the lawyers were arguing over procedure. He said he tried to ask a question, but wasn't allowed to.

"My question [would have been about May 1, 2006, when] I remember watching 5,000 illegal aliens gathering in Finlay Park in Columbia to march in our streets and protest for things that were not due them because they were not American citizens. And I also remember them yelling at the top of their lungs, but strangely enough, none of them were arrested like I was," he said.

"So anybody out there, in a position similar to mine, do not back up, do not be scared, if your business is going to hell, or your job, fight back, force the issue, bring it to the courts, request a trial by jury, exactly like I did. Do not be scared if they call you a racist like they did with me. Do not be scared if they try to force you into pleading guilty. Because, if you request a trial by jury, composed of American citizens, then you will be judged fairly, just like I was. Do not give up," he said.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on March 14, 2008, 11:07:06 AM
Arizona city plans moat to keep out illegals
Yuma goes back to basics as hostility to border fences grows

There have been virtual fences, real fences, increased patrols and night-vision cameras. Now the latest initiative by the US to seal its increasingly porous border with Mexico harks back to one of the oldest approaches: dig a moat. City officials in Yuma, in south-western Arizona, have come up with a scheme to create a "security channel" along the nearby border by reviving a derelict two-mile stretch of the Colorado river.

"The moats that I've seen circled the castle and allowed you to protect yourself, and that's kind of what we're looking at here," Yuma county sheriff Ralph Ogden told the Associated Press. The scheme would see engineers dig out a two-mile stretch of a 180-hectare (440-acre) wetland known as Hunters Hole.

Once a haven to anglers, ducks and the Cocopah Indians, the area is now a thicket of tamarisk, forgotten shoes and old cars providing cover for smugglers and border crossers. But under the plan, all that would change. The banks of the river would be replanted with native cattail, bulrush and mesquite, and wells would supply water to the wetlands as well as to a 20-metre-wide, three-metre-deep channel that would run the length of Hunters Hole.

With the replenished river marking the frontier, would-be border crossers would have to scale a 4.5-metre levee - built with the earth excavated from the riverbed - cross a 120-metre-wide marsh and then ascend another levee on the northern side of the wetlands.

"In order to restore Hunters Hole, we're going to have to secure it," a border patrol agent, Carlos Dominguez, told the High Country News. The moat plan has won broad local backing, unlike other border security schemes which have angered environmentalists and land-owners.

In Texas, more than 100 landowners have resisted government efforts to build a fence across their land. Environmentalists also launched a lawsuit to block fence construction on the border in Naco, in eastern Arizona. However, the department of homeland security is under a strict timetable to build 670 miles of new fencing by the end of the year. With failed efforts to build a virtual or electronic barrier, attention has again focused on a physical barrier.

As well as illegal immigration, the desolation of many border areas has attracted criminal activity. The 23-mile stretch of the Colorado river that runs along the Mexican border near Yuma has seen two murders since 2004 and 250 armed robberies in the last two years. "It's in the United States, but it's become a no-man's-land, an area where bodies were dumped, where people and drugs were smuggled over the border," said Ogden.

Backers of the Yuma plan - more than 30 local groups, including the border patrol and the city's elected officials - hope that Hunters Hole will mimic the model of another local wetland that was rescued from dereliction and crime and now provides bicycle paths and fishing.

"What you are building is a moat, but it's bringing the life and the wildlife back," said Ogden. "It doesn't take much brainpower to build a 12-foot high fence around something, but this is unique."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on March 14, 2008, 11:04:27 PM
That's interesting.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on April 24, 2008, 08:31:27 AM
 Los Angeles 'is a Third World city'

Los Angeles is becoming a "Third World city" with immigrants making up half its workforce, says a new study.

A third of immigrants have not graduated from high school and 60 per cent do not speak English fluently, the Migration Policy Institute found.

It said this left immigrants ill-equipped to fill California's fastest-growing occupations, such as computer software engineering and nursing. The organisation added that as the so-called baby boomers reach retirement age, a similar pattern will spread across the US.

Ernesto Cortes Jr, of the Industrial Areas Foundation, a think-tank that specialises on social change, claimed Los Angeles was at a crossroads.

"The question is are we going to be a 21st century city with shared prosperity, or a Third World city with an elite group on top and most on near poverty wages?" he said.

The US Census Bureau last year predicted that by 2050, minorities will account for half of all residents across America.

It registered the largest numerical increases in minority residents in metropolitan Los Angeles, Riverside, in California, Dallas, Houston and New York.

In 2000, according to the Census Bureau, whites were in a minority in 262 US counties, up from 183 in 1990.

Nationally, the number of minorities topped 100 million for the first time in 2006, to make up about one third of the population.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on April 24, 2008, 08:33:09 AM
Hundreds of illegals riot in L.A. detention center
Tear gas used to diffuse brawl between detainees from rival gangs

Hundreds of illegal immigrants awaiting deportation rioted at a county-run detention center and had to be subdued with tear gas, authorities said Wednesday.

The riot Tuesday started as a fight between detainees from rival gangs and spread to the detention center's outdoor yard, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Nearby sheriff's stations sent additional deputies to separate the detainees. The brawl was diffused "within minutes" after tear gas was used, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.
Fights among incarcerated gang members periodically break out at state jails, prisons and immigrant detention facilities, sometimes sparking riots.

The federal Department of Homeland Security contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to staff and manage the Mira Loma Detention Center in Lancaster, which holds about 900 detainees who are in the process of being deported or awaiting resolution of their cases in immigration courts.

Ten detainees were treated for injuries, including two who suffered serious head injuries.
Sheriff's officials will evaluate how Mira Loma guards separate detainees based on gang affiliation, Whitmore said. About 45 detainees involved in the riot have been identified as suspected gang members and moved to other federal facilities.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on April 25, 2008, 08:36:48 AM
Unemployment plummets after crackdown on illegals
Lawmaker: Oklahoma no longer 'OK' for undocumented aliens

Unemployment rates are rising across the United States, except Oklahoma. That state is experiencing the most dramatic reduction in unemployment since 2007, an improvement many in Oklahoma attribute to the passage last year by the state legislature of a strong employment-focused immigration reform law.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday reported unemployment in Oklahoma had fallen to 3.1 percent in March, down from 4 percent in March last year, while unemployment nationwide was 5.1 percent, up from 4.4 percent in March last year.

"Oklahoma is no longer 'OK' for illegal aliens," said State Rep. Randy Terrill, who sponsored House Bill 1804 which passed by overwhelming majorities last year in both the House (84-14) and Senate (41-6) of the Oklahoma Legislature.

"The bottom line is illegal aliens will not come here if there are no jobs waiting for them," Terrill said. "They will not stay here if there is no government subsidy, and they certainly won't stay here if they know that if they ever encounter our state and local law enforcement officers, they will be physically detained until they are deported."

House Bill 1804, the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007, has been characterized by USA Today as "arguably the nation's toughest state law targeting illegal immigration."

The Oklahoma law imposes strict penalties on employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens, makes it a felony to transport or shelter illegal immigrants, forbids the state to issue drivers licenses or pay social welfare benefits to illegal aliens or their families, and empowers state and local police to enforce federal immigration laws.

Last month, the Oklahoma Bankers Association threatened Oklahoma would lose about $1.8 billion annually in productivity and wages, largely because House Bill 1804, which went into effect in November last year, will force an estimated 50,000 illegal immigrants to leave the state.

The group based the conclusions on a study done by economists Russell Evans and Kyle Dean of the Oklahoma-based Economic Impact Group that estimated as many as 70,000 illegal immigrants were living in Oklahoma when the legislation was passed.

Proponents of the law would counter that forcing illegal aliens to leave Oklahoma was precisely the intended effect of the bill.

"The next question to ask would be whether citizens have taken jobs that illegals used to do," observed blogger Tom Blumer. "Though the lower unemployment rate doesn't in and of itself prove that, it does point strongly in that direction."

"Will anyone in Old Media dig more deeply into the Sooner State's situation?" Blumer wondered. "Or will they try to pretend that Oklahoma's improvement doesn't exist, because finding out why might expose some inconvenient truths, and hurt the cause of illegal-immigrant 'amnesty.'"



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on April 26, 2008, 04:46:04 PM
"Oklahoma is no longer 'OK' for illegal aliens," said State Rep. Randy Terrill, who sponsored House Bill 1804 which passed by overwhelming majorities last year in both the House (84-14) and Senate (41-6) of the Oklahoma Legislature.

"The bottom line is illegal aliens will not come here if there are no jobs waiting for them," Terrill said. "They will not stay here if there is no government subsidy, and they certainly won't stay here if they know that if they ever encounter our state and local law enforcement officers, they will be physically detained until they are deported."



Way to go Oklahoma! 

(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh125/ninjabunnies56/aliens3.jpg)


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on April 26, 2008, 10:13:36 PM
YEAH!

Oklahoma politicians actually do things right fairly often. I think that we'll try to keep most of them.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on April 26, 2008, 11:22:03 PM
YEAH!

Oklahoma politicians actually do things right fairly often. I think that we'll try to keep most of them.


Wish the rest of em' would catch on!


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on June 06, 2008, 11:20:55 PM
George  Carlin's
Solution to Save Gasoline

Bush  wants us to
cut the amount of gas we use..... 

The  best way to
stop using so much gas is to deport 11 million  illegal immigrants!

That  would be 11
million less people using our gas. The price  of gas would come down.....

Bring  our troops
home from Iraq to guard the Border....   

When  they catch an
illegal immigrant crossing the border, hand  him a canteen, rifle and some ammo
and ship him to Iraq  ...

Tell  him if he
wants to come to America then he must serve a  tour in
the military....

Give  him a
soldier's pay while he's there and tax him on  it.....

After  his tour, he
will be allowed to become a citizen since he  defended this country.....

He  will also be
registered to be taxed and be a legal  patriot.....

This  option will
probably deter illegal immigration and provide  a solution for the troops in
Iraq and the aliens trying to  make a
better life for themselves.. . 

If  they refuse to
serve, ship them to Iraq anyway, without  the canteen,
rifle or ammo.....

Problem   
solved.....


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on June 06, 2008, 11:28:40 PM
Got this in an email.....


Windfall Tax on Retirement Income
 
Adding a tax to your retirement is simply another way of saying to the American people, you're so darn stupid that we're going to keep doing this until we drain every cent from you. That's what the Speaker of the House is saying. Read below...............

Nancy Pelosi wants a Windfall Tax on Retirement Income.  In other words tax what you have made by investing toward your retirement. This woman is a nut case! You aren't going to believe this.

Madam speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to put a Windfall Tax on all stock market profits (including Retirement fund, 401K and Mutual Funds! Alas , it is true - all to help the 12 Million Illegal Immigrants and other unemployed Minorities!

This woman is frightening.
She quotes...' We need to work toward the goal of equalizing income, (didn't Marx say something like this), in our country and at the same time limiting the amount the rich can invest.'  ( I am not rich, are you)

When asked how these new tax dollars would be spent, she replied:
'We need to raise the standard of living of our poor, unemployed and minorities. For example, we have an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country who need our help along with millions of unemployed minorities. Stock market windfall profits taxes could go a long way to guarantee these people the standard of living they would like to have as 'Americans'.'  (Read that quote again and agai n and let it sink in.  'Lower your retirement, give it to others who have not worked as you have for it'.   

This lady is out of her mind and she is the speaker of the house !


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on June 06, 2008, 11:35:00 PM
Quote
This woman is a nut case! You aren't going to believe this.

Yep, I do believe it. It is the goal of all socialists to make everyone in the nation to be poor except for them.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on June 07, 2008, 07:27:24 AM
Brothers and Sisters,

Charity is a matter  for each individual to decide - not the government. Many of the taxes they are extorting now are illegal and Unconstitutional. Someone needs to send these idiots in Washington a message that many of us are having a hard time taking care of ourselves and our families. Further, we didn't sign on to take care of illegal immigrants, and nobody asked us if we want to. Most of us try to help others as we can, so please don't misunderstand what I'm saying.

It's a pretty hard job just taking care of your own family these days, and this is multiplied for retired people living on small fixed incomes, pensions, and small supplemental programs that were slaved for just to make things more bearable in retirement. The answer to Pelosi and ilk of her kind is "NO!" We'll give to the charities of our choice, and we will select the amount. THE GOVERNMENT CAN BUTT OUT! Pelosi and her friends can also choose their own charity and give what they want to, but they WON'T BE DICTATING THEIR CHOICES TO US!

The last I heard, this is still a free country, and the people still run it. We might need to prove that a few times soon because some folks are too thick-headed to get the message. The problem with folks like Pelosi is they forget they are nothing more than public servants. They are not kings, queens, or dictators - and the same certainly applies to SITTING JUDGES. A like problem is the attempted forcing of all kinds of PERVERSIONS on our children to indoctrinate them as future WEIRDOS! They can forget that too. The people still run this country, and it appears that our elected PUBLIC SERVANTS need remedial training on numerous issues. Those who can't or won't pass need to be sent home and barred from ever holding public office again. For those who have committed criminal acts, they can serve their time in prison first.

There are lots of things happening today that don't resemble a FREE COUNTRY! We have laws designed to deal with corrupt and dirty politicians. We need to be using them.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on June 16, 2008, 04:50:08 PM
Newspaper: Economy
hurts 'struggling' illegals
'Nobody's coming. A lot
of people are leaving town'

The hurricanes that blew through Martin County in 2004 and 2005 were a blessing in disguise for Golden Gate's Latin American day labor community.

Extensive damage to homes meant work was easy to come by, and laborers had plenty of money to send home to relatives.

But many say the recent housing slowdown and a lack of hurricane activity have made employment opportunities dry up.

"There is no work," said Javier Lopez as he stood outside a labor hiring center on Old Dixie Highway.

Lopez, a native of Guatemala, used to work five days a week.

But since September, the local day labor job market has dwindled drastically, Lopez said. Now, he feels lucky to find a day's work.

The scarcity of employment is causing many illegal immigrants in the local community to pack up and return home, said Baldomero Bartolon, a Guatemalan day laborer who lives in Golden Gate.

Bartolon lost his job with a roofing company and now sits outside the Texaco on Dixie Highway where many illegal immigrants gather in hopes of being picked up for a day's work.

Others have dealt with the downturn by seeking job opportunities elsewhere, moving north to states such as Delaware or Minnesota to work on chicken farms, he said.

Businesses serving Golden Gate's Latin American community also have begun to notice a change.

"Nobody's coming," said Andre Caldaron, an employee at the Latin American grocery El Mercadito Mexicano. "A lot of people are leaving town."

Shopkeepers say a drop in remittances being sent to Latin America has been the main indicator people can't find jobs.

"Business has definitely been slower," said Jonathon Ucelo, whose family owns the wire transfer store El Centro de Envios.

Bartolon, who used to send money to his family in Guatemala on a regular basis, said he hasn't been able to send a dime since Christmas.

"Between rent, bills, and lunch there's not much left over," he said.

Isis Gomez, music director at Golden Gate's Iglesia Bautista church, said many people in the community are leaving to look for jobs in states such as Illinois, Michigan, and Texas in hopes the economy is better there.

Some moved back at the first hint of an economic downturn. Gomez said a friend worked two restaurant jobs and saved all the money he made to return home before things got bad.

"He was smart and saw what was coming," she said.

House of Hope, a local charity headquartered in Golden Gate, has seen an increase the number of Latin Americans seeking assistance from their Pantry Program that distributes food to Martin County's hungry.

"We look out for them," said the program's warehouse manager Kathy Carmody.

Carmody said the program has seen a jump of more than 140 people registered without official documentation. Only one person per family is permitted to register for the program, and Carmody worries the small amount of canned goods families receive might not be enough.

She said many receiving help from the food bank's services are stranded with no money or transportation to move elsewhere.

The downturn in demand for day laborers has some Golden Gate landlords worried about their property investments.

Juan Gomez, who owns three duplexes in Golden Gate, said one of his properties has been empty for the past several months. He worries he and other landlords won't be able to make payments if many of the current residents continue to leave.

"Somebody has to do something," he said. "In six months it will be a mess."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on June 16, 2008, 04:51:44 PM
Since the democrats are all for the illegal aliens I wonder if this will give them the incentive to do something now.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Shammu on June 16, 2008, 11:26:18 PM
Since the democrats are all for the illegal aliens I wonder if this will give them the incentive to do something now.



I can answer that in one word....................... NO!!


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on June 23, 2008, 10:56:59 PM
U.S. deporting
Christian pastors
Immigration rejects requests to stay
when church leaders' visas expire

U.S. immigration authorities have stepped up deportations, but rather than pursue illegal aliens, they have chosen to evict America's church ministers from the country instead.

Honesty could cost Christian pastor Keith Thomas his citizenship because he cooperated with immigration officials, disclosing two minor marijuana convictions he incurred when he was a young man in England 33 years ago.

Thomas, 53, is working without pay, fearing deportation from the U.S. and separation from his family. He was denied a green card based on convictions that were overturned by an English court in 1982. Thomas told WND he has documentation to prove his clean record and that he has always been truthful with officials, but he doesn't understand why people who enter the country illegally are allowed to stay when he is facing the citizenship battle of his life.

"They've let 12 million illegals into the country, yet somebody has been doing some good, paying taxes, came in legally and has been married to an American with two American kids, and they're going to kick him out?" Thomas asked. "I told the truth. Nobody called me out on my past. If I had not even owned up to my record, the government would not have been able to find any of it."

Immigration troubles

Thomas said his first conviction happened while he was working on a cruise liner in 1971 when he was only 17. He was charged with being knowingly concerned in the importation of marijuana after his cabin mate brought it into the country. Thomas said the second incident took place in 1975 when he was 21. Authorities charged him with allowing his premises to be used for the smoking of cannabis when a tenant in his home told authorities Thomas gave him permission to use drugs on the property, though he did not live in the house at the time.

"I came in on a five-year work visa, and I told them about my convictions," he said. "I was very honest and forthright with them all the way from the very beginning."

Thomas said he first sought citizenship in 1981 after marrying his American wife, but his request was denied.

"I was kicked out," he said. "I was told I had to leave, otherwise I'd be deported. So, I left."

Pastoring in the U.S.

Thomas became a Christian and served as a senior pastor in England for several years. His wife became homesick in 1990, and he decided to apply for U.S. citizenship again. The second time, Thomas received a pastor's religious work visa that lasted five years. He accepted a position as a pastor at the 8,000-member Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

He received a paycheck while his work visa was active, but when it came time for the pastor to apply for a residency visa, also known as a green card, immigration authorities denied his application based on Thomas' disclosure of overturned marijuana convictions in England.

Thomas has asked for an appeal before an immigration judge to plead his case on several occasions, but his requests have fallen on deaf ears since September 2006.

"Finally, after much hassling of congressmen and people saying they'll talk to somebody, I get the notice to appear in December 2007," Thomas said. "The place where it says 'date' and 'time' said 'yet to be fixed.'"

Thomas said he cannot understand why immigration authorities will not set a date for him to appear before an immigration judge, though he speculates it could be a form of religious discrimination against people in the Christian ministry.

"Have you ever been told the government is going to take you to court, and then not give you a court date?" he asked. "It's ludicrous. I just can't believe I am going through this."

Family separation anxiety

Meanwhile, his family lives in a state of flux, constantly wondering if Thomas will be deported.

"It is unbelievable because we're living day in and day out wondering if we are going to be here next month," he said. "Of course, there's always the threat that they could put me in jail. It's just been heartbreaking for us for years now, and I am still being penalized for a mistake I made when I was just a kid."

Thomas said it looks as if the convictions may be held against him for the rest of his life.

"They said my wife and kids can stay here and that it's just me," he said. "I love my wife and kids. The most heartbreaking thing of all is thinking that I may be on another continent where I can't see my grandkids."

The pastor said he would rather face incarceration than allow his wife and kids to continue worrying about what will happen to their family. He is pleading with authorities to make a fair decision on his future.

"Look, if you think I am such a bad character, stick me in prison for a year or two years," he said. "I'd much rather go to prison for a couple of years than have this kind of stress on my family, not knowing where we are going to live the rest of our days."

U.S. deportation of religious leaders

Immigration authorities have also marked a Catholic priest for deportation to Ireland on July 1 after documentation errors left the 58-year-old missionary without paperwork he needed to remain in De Smet, S.D.

Cathal Gallagher arrived in South Dakota from Ireland 10 years ago and has since become a respected figure in his community. Now the state's top elected officials and parishioners are pleading with immigration authorities to reopen his case and allow him to remain in the country, the Argus Leader reported.

"I wouldn't want to stay in this country if you haven't blessed me with the right to be in this country," Gallagher told his home church in De Smet. "I won't be here as an illegal."

Gallagher served the church for 22 years in Japan before he was a granted a religious visa in 1996 to work with alcohol addicts in Rochester, Minn. He was later invited to work with churches in South Dakota.

"I thought I was going to go back to Japan ... but then I fell in love with De Smet," he said. "It's a very simple way of life, a place where people are important. I never expected to find that in the United States."

Following his application for residency in 2001, Gallagher was informed in 2003 that he would receive his green card. However, it was later denied in February 2006. Lawyers hired by the Catholic Church spent two years fighting to have the decision reversed, but their efforts have been without success.

Authorities said the priest should expect a phone call from Citizenship and Immigration Services before Tuesday, June 17, but Gallagher said he is still waiting for it to come.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on June 27, 2008, 12:10:15 PM
Mexican set free after border patrol agent struck, killed
Judge releases drug dealer accused of murdering U.S. officer with vehicle

Officials are outraged after a Mexican judge released a Mexican national who allegedly struck and killed a U.S. Border Patrol agent with his vehicle.

Jesus Navarro Montes was accused of intentionally killing Agent Luis Aguilar Jan. 19 near the Imperial Sand Dunes in Imperial County, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reported. Aguilar was attempting to stop two Mexican vehicles from entering the country illegally. As he positioned a strip of tire spikes into the road, Montes allegedly rammed his vehicle into the agent and killed him.

Now a Mexican judge has released Montes without restrictions.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he was shocked at the Mexican judge's decision to free Montes.

"We are working with a determined Mexican government and our Department of Justice to seek swift justice for the Aguilar murder," Chertoff said in a statement. "We have also assured Agent Aguilar's family that every resource is being called upon in the relentless pursuit of justice."

Chertoff had previously applauded Mexico's support in finding Aguilar's murderer, and he referenced the agent's slaying as an illustration of increasing violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

However, Montes was arrested in northern Mexico three days following Aguilar's murder, where he awaited a trial on charges of immigrant smuggling. He was later set free, and the details of his prison release were unclear, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The president of the National Border Patrol Council, T.J. Bonner, told newspaper he couldn't understand how Montes could be released after he allegedly killed a border patrol agent in cold blood.

"How can a guy who murdered one of our law enforcement agents just be released like that?" Bonner asked. "He could be anywhere by now."

Officials at Mexico's federal attorney general's office and Public Safety Department said they believe Montes drove from Mexicali in Baja California toward the U.S. border in a Hummer loaded with drugs prior to striking the agent with his vehicle.

According to the report, U.S. Border Patrol agents saw the vehicles illegally enter the country on Interstate 8, so they attempted to apprehend the suspects. After Aguilar was killed, Montes drove back to Mexicali and gave the Hummer to one of his friends.

According to the report, Mexican government spokesman Ricardo Alday said, "The United States, to this date, has presented neither a provisional order of arrest for Mr. Navarro Montes nor a formal extradition request."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on June 28, 2008, 11:13:53 AM
Talk-show host risks life crossing the border

An Arizona-based talk-show host believes that, were it not for the grace of God, he would have been shot and killed by members of the Mexican military.         

Darrell Ankarlo is a talk-show host on Phoenix station KTAR. He recently published Another Man's Sombrero: A Conservative Broadcaster's Undercover Journey Across the Mexican Border.
 
Ankarlo says, in order to research the book, he literally sneaked across the Mexican border to get a first-hand look at why millions have risked their lives to escape that country. Unfortunately, he said on more than one occasion, his group found itself at the wrong place at the wrong time – like when they climbed a hill and saw several vehicles coming down the road with machine guns mounted on their racks.
 
"And we knew, okay, this is Mexican military, and we could be in trouble here .... really, but for the grace of God, we should have died in that situation. They put AK-47s, locked and loaded, to our heads -- and we were in the wrong place, wrong time. And literally I stated many times that was God intervening and saved our lives," Ankarlo recounts.             
                 
The radio host also mentions on another occasion he nearly got run over by a vehicle during a turf war between rival cartels. The Mexican border, says Ankarlo, is a very dangerous place.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Brother Jerry on July 02, 2008, 09:11:32 AM
Quote
The Mexican border, says Ankarlo, is a very dangerous place.

It should be added that it is only dangerous on the Mexican side of the border...it is all roses and pretty things on our side... Is one reason why they come across.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on July 02, 2008, 10:51:38 AM
It is even dangerous along the border on our side of it. This is especially true for our law enforcement that has been getting killed or put in prison for enforcing the law. It is continually getting worse and the cancer is spreading further and further to other areas.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on July 02, 2008, 02:29:27 PM
It is even dangerous along the border on our side of it. This is especially true for our law enforcement that has been getting killed or put in prison for enforcing the law. It is continually getting worse and the cancer is spreading further and further to other areas.



By now, anyone with any common sense should know there are other priorities that are more important than the safety and wishes of the American people. The real agendas involve BIG MONEY AND POWER. What the people want and need is not on the list of considerations. The powers that have put these agendas in motion will be hard to stop. However, this can be stopped with some determination in completely lawful and peaceful ways. The same is true for many other completely illegal and Unconstitutional things going on in our country today. The primary agenda of the people should be to serve a stark reminder to the government that they are mere servants serving at the pleasure of the people. OUR LAWS, RIGHTS, AND CONSTITUTIONS WILL NOT BE IGNORED!


Favorite Bible Quotes 121 - Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9
Not of works, lest any man should boast.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on July 22, 2008, 02:26:55 PM
a couple points from following article:
1) They are DEPORTING ILLEGALS!
2) People MUST LEARN FRENCH to immigrate there!

France: No Mass Legalizing of Immigrants
The Associated Press
Updated: 4:27 p.m. PT May 21, 2007

PARIS - France's new immigration minister ruled out the possibility of legalizing undocumented immigrants on masse, saying Monday that government policy would be firm and pragmatic.

Brice Hortefeux heads the Ministry of Immigration and National Identity _ newly created by President Nicolas Sarkozy to manage the inflow of immigrants and protect French values and cohesion.

"We have to put aside massive legalization. It doesn't work and it penalizes, even immigrants," Hortefeux said on Europe 1 radio. Policy, he added, would be guided by "firmness and humanism" with "lots of pragmatism."

He said he planned to adhere to the policy of deporting illegal immigrants from France. The number of deportees was expected to reach some 25,000 this year, and Hortefeux said he would ensure that figure was reached.

The conservative Sarkozy, elected president May 6, had reached out to the anti-immigration far-right to capture votes, rankling some of his own allies by creating the new immigration ministry. Critics have said the government should not mix immigration with national identity.

Hortefeux said he would meet shortly with officials from the hotel and restaurant industries, which rely heavily on immigrants.

Hortefeux also said he would not question a long-standing policy of "family grouping," which allows immigrants in France to bring their families here. But he indicated, as Sarkozy has, that the policy may be modified to ensure the integration of those who join relatives in France.

"It must be carried out in respect for the dignity of those who want to come and (in a way) that favors their integration," he said.

Sarkozy has said he wants to ensure that those who join families in France can speak French and that relatives can support the newcomers.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18790047/  (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18790047/)

I found this on Craigslist - Politics - Seattle, this morning.  For a good time guys check out your craigslist or any one elses.  I'm having so much stirring it up right in my own hometown, but it's also interesting to see what other's are thinking around the country too!
 
 



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on July 22, 2008, 03:00:35 PM
The URL doesn't work. The article must have been removed as it says it may be expired.

I heard quite some time ago that France was going to do this. This is the same action being taken in many different countries, especially so in islamic nations but instead of being deported from there you are simply imprisoned and eventually killed. Of course who in their right mind would want to go to an islamic nation? Even islamics are fleeing from their own countries.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on July 22, 2008, 06:07:48 PM
http://www.infowars.net/articles/may2007/220507France.htm (http://www.infowars.net/articles/may2007/220507France.htm)

I did some of my own hunting for this...I'm at work and haven't had time to read it myself just yet, but try this link.

Grammyluv


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on July 22, 2008, 06:12:17 PM
Sorry, sister. I didn't mean for you to go hunting down a copy of the article. As I said I had heard about it before.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on July 27, 2008, 08:18:29 PM
Crime skyrockets in 1 county, plummets right next door
Guess which government just got tough on illegal immigrants?

WASHINGTON – One of the wealthiest counties in America reports crime skyrocketing by 22 percent in the first quarter of 2008, while its neighbor saw crime plummet by 19.3 percent in the same time period – coinciding with a get-tough policy on illegal immigration.

Prince William County in Northern Virginia, a bedroom community for the nation's capital, made national news late last year with a crackdown on illegal immigration that supervisors believed was triggering higher crime and lower living standards.

Prince William County reported a 19.3 percent decline in crime, with chairman of the Board of County Supervisors Corey Stewart attributing the downturn to the hard line the county has taken toward illegal immigrants.

"One quarter doesn't tell us a lot," said county police spokeswoman Mary Ann Jennings. "It shows us where they may be some trends developing."

Meanwhile, next door in Fairfax County, with the highest property values of any county in America, reports crime up 22 percent in the first quarter.

Of the seven categories used to evaluate crime statistics, only two categories, rape and robbery, showed declines. Between January 2008 and March 2008, there were 27 rapes countywide, eight less than that same period last year. There were 155 robberies in the first quarter of 2007 and 113 the first quarter this year.

Larcenies went up from from 2,851 in the first quarter of 2007 to 3,643 in 2008. Overall, property crimes, including burglary, larceny and car theft increased 24 percent.

Recent figures released by county police revealed a 6 percent increase in overall crime in 2007 compared with the previous year. Violent crime over that period increased by 4 percent.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on July 31, 2008, 11:01:32 AM
Illegals off the hook?
ICE tells aliens 'Deport yourself'

Now illegal aliens can get a free ticket home by turning themselves in to Immigration and Customs Enforcement rather than spend time in prisons.

The newest government plan to cut back on an ever-increasing population of illegals will be unveiled next week, the San Antonio Express-News reports.

ICE director announced the idea to a Spanish television network Sunday.

"The program basically gives an opportunity to those seeking an organized way to self-deport," Myers told Univisión anchor Jorge Ramos.

"Operation Scheduled Departure" will give illegal aliens who don't have criminal histories a chance to turn themselves in and avoid detention.

Myers said the plan was hatched in response to illegal alien complaints. Many detainees said they would rather go home than spend time in immigration prisons.

The illegals can now walk into ICE, schedule departure, have several weeks to pack their belongings and fly or bus out of the country without facing arrest. She said the program helps illegals dodge home and work raids, but it doesn't offer incentives for self-deportation.

According to the Express-News, illegal immigration supporters called the program laughable and said it would not work without providing additional rewards to those who turn themselves in.

"It's pure fantasy," said Doug Rivlin, spokesman for the National Immigration Forum. "An attempt to entice people to sign away their rights and get out of the country as quickly as possible before even talking to a lawyer."

Rivlin said illegals would buy a bus or plane ticket home rather than check into ICE.

Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, one of the United States' chief anti-illegal-immigration lobbies, said he agrees with Rivlin's point that the government would need to offer an incentive. He suggested allowing illegals the opportunity to apply for legal citizenship in return for turning themselves in to authorities.

"It certainly makes sense to create conditions to make people understand that if they're here illegally, it's not going to benefit them to stick around," he said.

According to the Express-News, the same idea has worked well for the U.S. Marshals Service. "Fugitive Safe Surrender" allows nonviolent U.S. criminals to self-arrest rather than be hunted down. More than 16,000 offenders have turned themselves in.



Title: Mexican army invades U.S., holds border cop at gunpoint
Post by: Soldier4Christ on August 06, 2008, 07:18:12 PM
Mexican army invades U.S., holds border cop at gunpoint
'It is fortunate this incident didn't end in a very ugly gunfight'

Mexican army soldiers invaded U.S. territory and held a member of the U.S. Border Patrol at gunpoint, according to a report from the union representing the guards.

"Unfortunately, this sort of behavior by Mexican military personnel has been going on for years," a statement from Local 2544 of the National Border Patrol Council said.

"They are never held accountable, and the United States government will undoubtedly brush this off as another case of 'Oh well, they didn't know they were in the United States,'" the group said.

The organization reported the Tucson Sector Border Patrol agent was held Sunday at gunpoint near Ajo, Ariz.

"Mexican military personnel crossed over the border and pointed rifles at him," the union said. "Backup units arrived from the Ajo Border Patrol station, and the Mexican military personnel eventually returned to Mexico."

WND reported an investigation by Judicial Watch that revealed dozens of armed incursions by Mexican soldiers and police into the U.S. during fiscal year 2007.

The report obtained by the Washington-based organization that investigates and prosecutes government corruption documented 29 confirmed incidents along the U.S.-Mexican border involving Mexican military and/or law enforcement personnel during that time.

"These documents not only show the dangerous and chaotic situation at the Mexican border, but also the complicity of some Mexican government agents in violating U.S. law," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said at the time of the report.

"The U.S. government must begin to take these incidents more seriously, publicize them and take measures to bring the crisis at our border under control," he said.

Referring to Sunday's encounter, the Border Patrol union said it was "fortunate that this incident didn't end in a very ugly gunfight."

The situation isn't altogether new, the union said.

"A few years ago the Mexican military went a step further and put a .50 calibre rifle round through the rear window of a Border Patrol agent's patrol vehicle south of Ajo. Nothing was ever done. Nobody was ever held accountable. Particularly galling is the fact that the Mexican military often pulls these stunts in Humvees donated to them by the American taxpayers (although they were apparently on foot this time)," the union said.

According to a report in the Washington Times, it was unclear exactly what the Mexican soldiers were doing inside the U.S., but the report said law enforcement authorities long have said Mexican soldiers have been hired to protect drug and migrant smugglers.

The National Border Patrol Council represents nonsupervisory personnel among the federal agency's estimated 16,000 agents.

Ricardo Alday of the Mexican Embassy in Washington told the Times his nation and the U.S. are pursuing "an all-out struggle to deter criminal organizations from operating on both sides of our common border.'

"Law enforcement operations have led, from time to time, to innocent incursions by both U.S. and Mexican law enforcement personnel and military units into the territory of both nations, and in particular along non-demarcated areas of our border," he told the newspaper.

But local law enforcement authorities are worried. Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr. of Zapata County, Texas, founded a coalition of sheriffs demanding the U.S. and Mexican governments investigate incursions.

He said the problem needs to be solved before "someone gets killed."

On the Post's forum page, a participant said, "I'm surprised the Bush administration doesn't arrest and convict the border agents involved like they did agents [Ignacio] Ramos and [Jose] Compean. Don't worry, soon we won't have borders anyway. We'll be the North American Union, and will be nothing more than a third world oligarchy just like good 'ol Mexico."

Added another, "My brother-in-law, a very wise man, suggested years ago that we build a half-mile wide trench the length of the Mexican border with guard towers every 100 yards, fill it with all the chemical and nuclear waste we have, and then shoot anything that glows in the dark. He was right."

The Judicial Watch report for 2007 had cited earlier incidents such as one at the Fort Hancock Station in El Paso:

    "[Troopers] attempted to apprehend three vehicles believed to be smuggling contraband on I-10 … As the vehicles approached the border, [troopers] stated that a Mexican Military Humvee armed with a .50 caliber weapon and several soldiers were seen assisting smugglers return to Mexico … Officers then noticed several armed subjects dressed in fatigue type clothing unload the contraband into the Humvee. These subjects set fire to the stalled vehicle before leaving the area."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on August 06, 2008, 10:21:56 PM
Armed incursions by the Mexican Army should tell all of us that something is seriously wrong on the Southern border, and we should all already know what it is. The border is wide open to anyone - including a corrupt Mexican government and army, drug runners, terrorists, and those making illegal entries. In term of CORRUPTION, our government isn't far behind the Mexican government. Our borders need to be closed and secured - END OF STORY! Armed incursions by the Mexican army need to be treated like an invasion! ALL OF THIS IS NONSENSE THAT MUST BE STOPPED! YES - we already know that portions of the Mexican government and army are being paid by drug runners, terrorists, and other criminals to help them. That makes them CRIMINALS, and that's how they should be treated. I'd like to know how many people in our own government are being paid by the same criminals! We need to clamp down on the criminals on both sides of the border and put them in PRISON. We need to DEMAND that our laws be enforced and STOP accepting any LAME excuses from our government. These are great examples of what a North American Union might be like.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on August 14, 2008, 09:53:27 AM
Man Claims '20-30 Deportations' During Arrest

A police investigation in Cleves, Ohio led to a startling admission by an alleged illegal immigrant--that he has already been deported more than two dozen times.

It's a story you saw first on WCPO.com.

Jose Manuel Sanchez-Rojaz, 33, was arrested early Tuesday morning by a Hamilton County Sheriff's deputy. Sanchez-Rojaz was wanted for questioning regarding stolen vehicle. Authorities say the vehicle was stolen around 4 a.m. in the 6300 block of State Route 128.

During the questioning, Sanchez-Rojaz allegedly gave the deputy a false name and birthday. He was charged with falsification and obstructing justice.

The deputy says Sanchez-Rojaz also told him he "had been deported multiple times by immigration." Authorities say he went on to elaborate that meant some "20-30 times."

Sanchez-Rojaz also allegedly told the deputy that immigration officials "know me very well."

Sanchez-Rojaz was taken to the Hamilton County Justice Center. Officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement were also notified.

Sanchez-Rojaz is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on August 18, 2008, 04:07:13 PM
Chuck Norris mad about border
He smells another Ramos-Compean scandal in the making

Butting heads at the border

Last week a 10-year U.S. Border Patrol veteran shot and wounded a man in the left buttocks who assaulted agents at a violent stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite that the man was among a group who were trying to illegally enter the United States and were throwing rocks and concrete chunks at agents, officials at the Mexican consulate in San Diego are criticizing the agent and demanding the U.S. conduct a full investigation.

The incident occurred after one agent witnessed and called for backup because three to four illegals were trying to scale the border fence. So four to six more agents responded by using a gate in the fence to get to its south side – still within the U.S. The agents fired pepper balls and tear gas to disperse a group of about seven to 15 people, and most fled. Two of the suspects, however, stayed and threw rocks and concrete chunks toward the Border Patrol agents. Fearing for his safety, one agent fired two rounds from his rifle from about 50 feet away, striking 22-year-old Edgar Israel Ortega Chavez, who then was standing on Mexican soil.

Consul General Remedios Gómez Arnau responded, "Any kind of shooting toward Mexican territory is rejected by the Mexican government. They should have waited for response of the Mexican authorities."

Are you kidding me? Do I smell another Compean and Ramos case in the making? Do illegals think border crossing is nothing more than a game of cat and mouse? Do Mexican officials think we're only playing "rocks, scissors and paper" at the borders? When will we finally draw a line in the sand and stop this insanity at our nation's boundaries? When will we back our agents and their Bill of Rights? When will we give them the complete resources, permissions and support they need to fully carry out their duties?

When Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Daryl Reed reports that there have been 330 assaults on agents already this year, compared with 254 reported incidents in 2007, it's time for our government to ante up and better protect and secure our borders and agents!

Border security is of course so critical because it is about far more than just illegal immigrants. It affects the transport of drugs, gangs (like MS-13), terrorism and even affects issues of sovereignty. That is why I address our border troubles as one of eight major problems threatening America most in my upcoming (Sept. 7 release) book, "Black Belt Patriotism" (Regnery publishing), which is now available for pre-order at Amazon. In the book I give my critique of what is destroying our country, and offer my solutions for rebuilding America and restoring the American dream. In particular, I lean heavily upon our founders' work and wisdom, looking to them for their possible solutions to our present problems.

Here's a first-seen glimpse from the chapter, "Secure and protect our borders," in which I also give (but not here) my solutions to deal with the 12 million or so illegal immigrants already residing in America:

    A few years ago I had the opportunity to fly along America's borders with my good friend John Hensley, who was the assistant commissioner of U.S. Customs. We flew on a Black Hawk helicopter and checked out locations along the California border, where there was heavy traffic of drug dealers and illegal aliens coming into the United States from Mexico.

    As we were flying over the desert, we landed in the middle of nowhere. We stepped out of the helicopter and John asked me, "What do you see?" I replied, "Absolutely nothing but desert." As soon as I said that, up popped U.S. border agents, who were hiding in holes covered by beige tarps that blended in with the terrain. They were waiting for illegal traffic trying to sneak into our country. I thought, what dedication this takes to hide out here in this intense heat for hours at a time – just waiting.

    There's no doubt that Americans possess the resources and passion to close off our borders and ports from illegal immigration and contraband. If we can overthrow another country, we ought to be able to protect our own. Yet to this day, our national borders and ports of entry are like lattice work with plenty of holes through which illegals now come in.

    I don't lay the blame on our dedicated border agents. But I do blame an overly bureaucratic government that still has not given agents the proper resources and permissions they need to get their job done. I also blame government for undermining national security by being more concerned with global commerce than national sovereignty. They would rather please the international masses than enforce our own laws.

    Let's ask ourselves, why is Congress not securing our borders? Could it be they have greater global goals that will ultimately dissolve this Union? Whether intentionally or not, government has failed for decades to secure the borders. It is up to us to make sure it gets done, by taking several points of action that I'll be outlining in this chapter. The time is now. And if we don't do our part, America as we know it will dissolve like a sugar cube in coffee. From the coastland to the heartland, we will lose our distinctions and no longer even recognize our country. As President Ronald Reagan said, "A nation without borders is not a nation."



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on August 18, 2008, 06:51:40 PM
I am reminded again that I like Chuck Norris.

YES - we can and should CLOSE AND SECURE OUR BORDERS!

It's INSANE not to do it - even at this late date. I think that the people have made it exceptionally clear that a North American Union they called forced integration WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! It will also NOT BE FORCED ON US! So, they can forget all about treasonous acts and secure the border!


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on August 18, 2008, 10:46:24 PM
America as we know it will dissolve like a sugar cube in coffee.


This is exactly what I've been trying to say.


Title: Illegal Immigrants Returning to Mexico in Record Numbers
Post by: Shammu on August 24, 2008, 10:58:51 PM
Illegal Immigrants Returning to Mexico in Record Numbers

Friday , August 22, 2008
By Kris Gutierrez

DALLAS —
Illegal immigrants are returning home to Mexico in numbers not seen for decades — and the Mexican government may have to deal with a crush on its social services and lower wages once the immigrants arrive.

The Mexican Consulate's office in Dallas is seeing increasing numbers of Mexican nationals requesting paperwork to go home for good, especially parents who want to know what documentation they'll need to enroll their children in Mexican schools.

"Those numbers have increased percentage-wise tremendously," said Enrique Hubbard, the Mexican consul general in Dallas. "In fact, it's almost 100 percent more this year than it was the previous two years."

The illegal immigrant population in the U.S. has dropped 11 percent since August of last year, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. Its research shows 1.3 million illegal immigrants have returned to their home countries.

Some say illegal immigrants are leaving because a soft economy has led to fewer jobs, causing many laborers to seek work elsewhere.

Others argue that a tough stance on immigration through law enforcement has spread fear throughout the illegal population.

"There's no question there's a variety of suggestions that people are in fact returning," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. "Remittances, which is the money immigrants send home to Mexico, have gone down dramatically over the past year. Again, probably part the economy, but also part enforcement, leading to fewer people being here."

Advocates for immigrants are disturbed by the trend. Albert Ruiz, an organizer for the League of United Latin American Citizens, agrees that more undocumented immigrants are going home — but says families are being torn apart in the process.

If a father is deported, Ruiz says, his family members in America are forced either to fend for themselves or follow him to a country where they've never even lived.

"So the mother is saying we should return home with the breadwinner of the family to Mexico, and the children are saying, I don't want to leave, I'm a U.S. citizen, I don't know that country," said Ruiz.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon plans to help returning nationals by providing food, medical care and temporary shelter if needed. But reports are already out in Mexico that the large number of illegal immigrants returning home could drive down wages and put pressure on social services — the same concerns many Americans have with illegals living and working in the U.S.

Illegal Immigrants Returning to Mexico in Record Numbers (http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,409221,00.html)
~~~~~~~~~~~

What goes around, comes around. The illegals put pressure on our social services, and wages. They drove crime up, cause they didn't care where their money came from.

The people here in the United States who harbored illegals should also, to serve time. Illegal, means just that ILLEGAL.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on August 26, 2008, 12:14:37 PM
Hit Men To Go After U.S. Targets - Given Permission By Mexico Drug Cartels

Law enforcement on this side of the border now confirm that Mexican drug cartels have given their hit men permission to cross into the U.S. to kill their targets. There are now fears that the bloody violence in Juarez may spill across the border.

El Paso police and federal agents confirm the cartel warnings and say security has been beefed up along the border.

El Paso police spokesman Chris Mears says authorities learned of the threat last week.

Security is being heightened along the southern U.S. border because of the threat that warring Mexican cartels may send hit men into the United States.

Law enforcement officials would not discuss specific security measures being taken at the ports of entry, along the border or in the city of El Paso, Texas.

“We received credible information that drug cartels in Mexico have given permission to hit targets on the U.S. side of the border,” El Paso police spokesman Officer Chris Mears said.

[...]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chief Officer Rick Lopez said: “CBP is on heightened alert ever since we became aware of the threats in Mexico.”

[...]

The cartels, battling one another and the Mexican government for supremacy and control of lucrative drug and human smuggling routes, have become brazen in their attacks in recent months.

In Juarez this month, masked gunmen stormed a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and killed eight people. Days later, Red Cross workers stopped treating gunshot victims for several hours after receiving death threats over Red Cross radios. The Red Cross had already stopped responding to emergency calls after 10 p.m. because of security concerns.

Law enforcement officials this year in New Mexico and Texas said they had received a purported cartel hit list identifying 15 to 20 potential targets in those states. Mears said the latest threat contained no specific targets.

[...]

While the ongoing cartel war has been largely contained in Mexico, more than two dozen gunshot victims have been taken for medical treatment in El Paso, prompting security lockdowns at the county hospital.

Lopez said agents working at the ports, where those gunshot victims have been taken before coming into the U.S., are taking extra security precautions. Ambulances transporting gunshot victims are already being escorted by local law enforcement to the hospital, he said.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on August 26, 2008, 12:16:51 PM
Not allowing our border agents to enforce the law and putting them into prison for enforcing it is the cause of these people being emboldened to take such action. There is very little if any fear of the law because they realize that they are able to get away with these crimes.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on August 30, 2008, 09:43:53 AM
Americans line up to fill job openings after immigration raid
ICE agents seized 595 plant workers suspected of being in U.S. illegally

Howard Industries found itself at the center of activity again Tuesday.

Hundreds of job applicants lined up, eager to take advantage of the sudden job openings at the plant located in Jones County, where the unemployment rate is 6.3 percent.

ICE agents on Monday seized 595 plant workers suspected of being in the country illegally. Several workers, who did not identify themselves, said Tuesday they were working and trying to keep the plant operational in the wake of the sudden loss of co-workers.

They said it was common knowledge many of their co-workers were suspected to be illegal.

It's an idea that maddens Samantha Stevens, 18, of Heidelberg, who was among those who pulled up to Avenue A across from the plant's entrance throughout the day. She said she has been unable to find a job since she graduated from Heidelberg High School in the spring and blames, in part, the willingness of companies to hire illegal workers.

"We were here first. It's not fair for them to have a job," she explained.

Others welcomed the vacancies left by the detained workers.

Gwendolyn Watkins, 40, of Stonewall said she drove 40 miles to Laurel to fill out an application with the electronics maker. She worked at Tower Automotive in Meridian as a production worker for eight months before job cuts in June left her unemployed.

She now hopes to get on at Howard, and said that, while "everyone needs a job," she believes that legal workers should be the priority.

But for Samantha Sanchez, the issue wasn't quite so clear-cut. She filled out her application at the plant, and, in the process, revisited a scene that caused her anguish the previous day. Her husband, Juan Sanchez, a welder, was one of the workers detained in Monday's raid, and she hasn't spoken to him since he called her Monday morning.

She said her husband, who has been living in the United States for 10 years and working on an immigration case for six, was on the verge of achieving permanent residency.

She also spoke to the issue of fairness that has the government secreting her husband and the father of her four children.

"He doesn't drink; he doesn't smoke. He takes care of his kids," she said.

As to why she would return so soon to this place, Sanchez, who's currently unemployed and had previously worked at Howard as a coil winder, said it comes down to dollars and cents.

"I have to feed my family," she said.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on September 17, 2008, 11:10:47 PM
Violent crimes surge after illegals invade Texas
Aliens flee strict immigration policies for friendlier Lone Star State

While illegal aliens flee strict immigration enforcement policies in several states and settle in Texas, the state's budget is suffering and violent crime, soaring.

News reports indicate a flood of illegal aliens is coming from states such as Arizona and Oklahoma – where immigration crackdowns have made life more difficult for them. In the meantime, Texas' violent crime rates have taken a turn for the worse.

WND researched FBI crime statistics from years 2006 to 2007 for 29 of Texas' largest cities with populations of more than 100,000. The Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report reveals two of the state's well-known sanctuary cities with "don't-ask-don't-tell" policies, Houston and Austin, have surging violent crime rates. Houston experienced an additional 314 violent crimes in 2007 compared with 2006 figures. Austin had 213 more violent crimes reported to law enforcement than the previous year.

According to the stats, overall, the 29 most populous Texas cities had 1,083 more violent crimes committed in 2007 than in 2006. While arrest records usually do not indicate suspect citizenship status, the crime trend matches a migration wave of illegal aliens coming from locations such as Arizona and Oklahoma – states with strict immigration enforcement policies and declining violent crime rates.

Getting tough on illegals

Since 2006, Oklahoma has passed laws cutting off benefits such as welfare and college financial aid to illegal aliens. Thousands of Hispanics fled the Tulsa, Okla., area in the shadow of a 2007 state law that limits benefits and mandates deportation for illegal aliens, according to a report from KTUL television in Tulsa.

The news report said in East Tulsa, where a community of Hispanics had grown over recent years, there was a sudden drop in population.

Deputies from the Tulsa County sheriff's office went through training to handle apprehension and deportation procedures, and prepare them to perform multiple duties of both deputy sheriffs and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz told KTUL in 2007 that the impact of the illegal alien population was evident everywhere in the state, especially in jails.

"We see the effects of gangs, we see the effects of illegal immigrants, we see the effects of drugs, we see the effects of methamphetamines," he said.

According to the FBI preliminary crime report, Tulsa experienced 264 fewer violent crimes in 2007 than in 2006.

Oklahoma law eliminates most taxpayer subsidies for illegal immigrants, allows state and local law enforcement officers to verify the residency status of those arrested and makes it a felony to shelter or transport illegal aliens.

Likewise, Arizona passed strict laws in 2007 requiring employers to verify the immigration status of employees – including one that suspends business licenses of people who hire illegal aliens. The crackdown prompted an exodus from that state.

"I would say we are losing at least 100 people a day," Elias Bermudez, founder of Immigrants Without Borders and host of a daily talk-radio program aimed at undocumented immigrants, told Arizona Republic.

The news report said it's impossible to count exactly how many illegal aliens have fled because of the law, but interviews with immigrant advocates, community workers and real-estate agents confirm the number is significant.

"Some are moving to other states, where they think they will have an easier time getting jobs," the report said. "Others are returning to Mexico, selling their effects and putting their houses on the market."

According to FBI figures, overall, Arizona's largest cities with populations of more than 100,000 experienced 765 fewer incidents of violent crime in 2007 than in the previous year.

Impact of illegal immigration on Texas

The Center for Immigration Studies estimates more than 1.7 million illegal aliens live in Texas. The state has a reputation for welcoming illegals, and it has not passed a law targeting employers who hire them.

Ortiz, a Mexican illegal alien, told the Associated Press he recently left Phoenix to find employment in Houston.

"Here, they let you work," he said. "Over there, they won't. There is a lot of racism, but here there isn't – it's better."

Between 8 percent and 9 percent of the Texas workforce is comprised of illegal aliens – many who perform agriculture, restaurant and construction jobs. Critics say cracking down on employers who hire illegals could seriously hurt the state economy.

However, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, 44 percent of Texas' illegals use welfare programs including food stamps and Medicaid, while 70 percent are uninsured. It estimates the combined costs of education ($4 billion), medical care ($520 million) and incarceration ($150 million) of illegal aliens in Texas to be $4.7 billion each year.

While the uncompensated cost of incarcerating illegal aliens in Texas' state and county prisons amounts to about $150 million a year, it does not include local jail detention costs or related law enforcement and judicial expenditures or the monetary costs of crimes that led to their incarceration.

The Texas migration is not likely to subside soon, experts say. FAIR estimates, "Without any change in immigration policy or enforcement, i.e., with the current trend in large-scale legal and illegal immigration, the state's population is likely to increase from today's about 23 million residents to around 41 to 43 million persons in 2050 – an increase of 80 to 87 percent."


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on September 19, 2008, 03:44:08 AM
This is the way to write a complaint letter.  Original Becoming Illegal:  An actual letter from an Iowa resident and sent to his Senator:
***************************************
The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone (202) 224 3254
Washington DC, 20510

Dear Senator Harkin,

As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance.  I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S.
Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently
passed by the Senate and for which you voted.  If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years.  I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local
emergency room as my primary health care provider.  Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my
daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as "in-state" tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the
burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums.  This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative.  Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,
Donald Ruppert
Burlington, IA



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on September 19, 2008, 05:38:35 AM
 ;D   ;D

Things are getting wilder by the day, so we might all want to become illegal aliens. The benefit package is great, and you don't have to pay any taxes.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Shammu on September 19, 2008, 01:20:14 PM
This is the way to write a complaint letter.  Original Becoming Illegal:  An actual letter from an Iowa resident and sent to his Senator:
***************************************
The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone (202) 224 3254
Washington DC, 20510

Dear Senator Harkin,

As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance.  I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S.
Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently
passed by the Senate and for which you voted.  If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years.  I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local
emergency room as my primary health care provider.  Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my
daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as "in-state" tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the
burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums.  This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative.  Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,
Donald Ruppert
Burlington, IA



I like the idea of no taxes!!  (http://bestsmileys.com/lol/4.gif)


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on October 16, 2008, 08:56:22 PM
State Department warns against travel to Mexico
Deadliest drug zone invites Americans to tour 'land of encounters'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: October 15, 2008
12:15 am Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

More than 1,100 people have been slaughtered in a bloodbath of drug-related violence in one city just south of the U.S.-Mexico border this year – that's nearly four victims each day – and some say it is just part of a large crisis that will soon spill over the border.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory for Americans who visit Mexico, citing Ciudad Juarez as a hotbed of criminal activity. A large Mexican metropolis in Chihuahua state bordering El Paso, Texas, Juarez is Mexico's deadliest narcotics-war zone with two criminal gangs fighting for power – over city streets and drug-smuggling routes into the U.S.

The State Department is warning U.S. citizens of escalating crime along the border, stating that 1,600 cars were stolen in Juarez in July alone. Public shootouts, muggings, murders and bank robberies are rampant, and Mexican criminals harass U.S. travelers along border regions.

"Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have taken on the characteristics of small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and, on occasion, grenades," according to the State Department. "Firefights have taken place in many towns and cities across Mexico but particularly in northern Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez. The situation in northern Mexico remains fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements cannot be predicted."

Mexican criminals are said to be armed with sophisticated weapons, often wearing police or military uniforms and driving government vehicles. Many people – including U.S. citizens – are being kidnapped and held for ransom or killed across Mexico.

Gang-related violence has killed an estimated 5,000 people since President Felipe Calderon ordered police and 3,600 soldiers to crack down on drug cartels in December 2006.

On Saturday gunmen killed six men at a family party in Ciudad Juarez, the Associated Press reported. In just the last three days, 23 people have been killed in northern Mexico. Also, 12 were killed in Baja California, including two adults and two children who were gunned down in spray of bullets from an AK-47 assault rifle.

Another 11 homicides were reported earlier this month after masked attackers dressed as police opened fire in a bar. A U.S. citizen was shot in Juarez Monday. He and another female victim, 19, of an unrelated Juarez shooting were brought to an El Paso hospital for medical attention. Among Monday killings was a double homicide inside a home, while another man was found shot to death in the same city Tuesday evening.

In a similar wave of violence this month, 54 people were killed within one week in Tijuana. Twelve bodies were dumped outside an elementary school and some had their tongues removed, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Other bodies were decapitated, cut up or wrapped in blankets and tossed along roadsides. Police also discovered a barrel filled with acid containing human remains and a note threatening to make "soup" of gang rivals.

Also this month, a group of drug hitmen killed five people, including two cops, at a car stereo and alarm shop. Shortly afterward, men shot two Chihuahua state police officers in Juarez with assault rifles. Seventy-one bullet casings were found at the scene. The killers had a wreath delivered to police headquarters with a threatening note identifying the victims and a third name of another officer. A young girl, 12, was shot by hitmen in June, and a Juarez police commander was gunned down in an ambush of 50 bullets. Many of the murders took place in broad daylight.

The violence is not aimed only at drug cartels. A new Discovery production titled "Silence in Juarez" details historical accounts of abductions and murder in the city. The program reveals 400 women have been tortured and raped in Juarez since 1993, and more than 1,000 have gone missing.

U.S. Border Patrol, media assaulted

Law-abiding authorities sometimes quit their positions when their lives and families are threatened by hit men. In a city plagued by corruption and bribery, and with so many criminals disguising themselves as police and soldiers, officials often have difficulty differentiating between legitimate and crooked authorities.

In August, WND reported four Mexican soldiers held a U.S. Border Patrol agent at gunpoint after crossing a barbed-wire fence into U.S. territory. The Mexican government claims its soldiers were simply lost despite the agent's repeated attempts to identify himself in both English and Spanish.

There have been dozens of other incursions by Mexican police and soldiers into the U.S. WND reported an investigation by Judicial Watch that documented 29 confirmed incidents along the U.S.-Mexican border involving Mexican military and/or law enforcement personnel in fiscal year 2007.

The report lists incidents such as the one at the Fort Hancock Station in El Paso:

"[Troopers] attempted to apprehend three vehicles believed to be smuggling contraband on I-10 … As the vehicles approached the border, [troopers] stated that a Mexican Military Humvee armed with a .50 caliber weapon and several soldiers were seen assisting smugglers return to Mexico … Officers then noticed several armed subjects dressed in fatigue type clothing unload the contraband into the Humvee. These subjects set fire to the stalled vehicle before leaving the area."
Increasingly, border agents are coming under assault. The Texas Legislature, fearing violence spillover as the drug war worsens, allocated $110 million to beef up Border Patrol in the area.

Members of the media have come under attack as well. Reporters Without Borders stated 95 attacks on journalists in Mexico have taken place since the beginning of this year, including threats, assaults, kidnappings and murders. Newspapers and other media outlets have begun censoring their coverage and running stories without reporters' names to avoid retaliation.

Mexican hitmen entering U.S.

In August, Mexican cartels threatened to send hitmen into the U.S.

"We received credible information that drug cartels in Mexico have given permission to hit targets on the U.S. side of the border," El Paso police spokesman Officer Chris Mears told Fox News.

In June, six Mexican men in police tactical clothing shot a man to death in a drug-cartel hit, firing more than 100 rounds into his Phoenix home. The assailants were said to be wielding AR-15 assault weapons and wearing full body armor and black assault gear similar to uniforms worn by Phoenix police tactical teams.

Worst 'yet to come'

Spillover is imminent because cartels employ people from both Mexico and the U.S., border anthropologist and drug-traffic expert Howard Campbell told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

"At some point, the Mexican cartel people may decide, what do they have to fear, really?" Campbell said. "A lot is their own perception that they can't get away with this stuff in the U.S. But sadly, I think they could. My sources in Juarez are saying the worst of the violence is yet to come."

Meanwhile, Mexican officials have launched a desperate campaign to draw American tourists back into Juarez after many have decided to stay away from the region, the Associated Press reports. Billboards now tout the city as the "land of encounters."



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on October 16, 2008, 11:09:43 PM
 ;D    :o

I was just sitting here wondering if some really bright person would think about securing the border with Mexico. Excuse me for being politically incorrect. Just Kidding! - I could care less about being politically correct!


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on October 17, 2008, 12:50:53 AM
;D    :o

I was just sitting here wondering if some really bright person would think about securing the border with Mexico.

I heard rumors about that a while back.....I guess that's all they were....rumors.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on October 20, 2008, 05:51:43 PM
If Obama's, Pelosi's, Reid's style government is so great then why do so many people attempt to escape it?


Cubans head for Mexico to dodge American sea patrols
Price of passage reportedly $5,000 to $10,000 per person

On the night Lazaro Mendez got an alert that his boat had been stolen from the Florida Keys, he was swept up in a new chapter of the Cuban boat people drama.

Grabbing a laptop computer that tracked the fishing boat's position by satellite, he watched as it stopped for refueling at sea, then shot off toward Cuba - the latest in a swarm of thefts of Florida boats prized by smugglers for their speed.

Mendez, a Cuban-American and a popular Miami radio personality known as "DJ Laz," set out to get his boat back, succeeded, and even came face to face with the men who stole it. But it was just the tiniest of setbacks for a human-trafficking industry that is thriving off the Cuban exodus.

Because it has become so hard to dodge the U.S. Coast Guard and reach Florida to qualify for U.S. residency, Cuban migrants in recent years have been heading for Mexico, then overland to Texas. Last year 11,126 used that route, compared to just 1,055 who landed in the Miami area, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Evidence of this new escape route is stacking up at a Mexican Navy yard in Isla Mujeres, where the dock regularly runs out of space for seized Florida boats. During a visit to the small Navy dock last week, The Associated Press counted eight super-fast boats, all with Florida registration numbers.

Mexican authorities are getting fed up, and islanders fear the trafficking is bringing crime to laid-back Islas Mujeres, off Cancun.

Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said on Sunday that Mexico and Cuba have agreed to return Cubans reaching Mexican shores illegally to the island.

Mexican officials would not comment on the agreement, which Perez Roque said was to be signed on Monday.

But Mexico currently catches only about one tenth of the Cubans landing here, and few resist because they're confident they'll be released. If Mexico begins deportations, many Cubans - or their smugglers - might put up stiffer resistance.

Thefts of boats for smuggling are so frequent that some insurance companies require Florida owners to equip their boats with GPS - satellite tracking systems. That's how Mendez discovered his cherished Tranquility was stolen - the system alerted him by cell phone and updated its location every 15 minutes.

"The entire time I was on my laptop, watching every move that they made," Mendez told the AP in a telephone interview from Miami, where has a daily show on WPOW. When he saw Tranquility heading straight for Mexico, "I decided to jump on a plane and go and get my boat back."

He reached a dock on Isla Mujeres just in time to confront the men as they were tying up his boat.

"They walked by me. They're wearing my fishing hat! My fishing glasses!" he recalled. But they didn't know he had alerted police, who pulled out assault rifles and promptly arrested them.

"I showed them the laptop and I said, 'Look, this is where you stole the boat, this is you in the ocean, this is when you went to Pinar del Rio (Cuba), this is where you picked up all the people, this is where you dropped all the people," Mendez recounted.

He brought his boat to a local police dock and was astonished to find 19 other boats there - all of them U.S.-registered speed boats like his own. These $175,000 "center console" boats, which often have three engines to reach 60 mph and give anglers the edge in fishing tournaments, can jam 25 migrants on board and make the 120-mile run from Cuba to Isla Mujeres in a couple of hours.

Isla Mujeres is now rife with tales of speedboats set adrift or afire to distract the Mexican Navy while the smugglers escape.

U.S. Coast Guard patrols have sharply reduced the flow of Cubans across the narrow Florida Straits, enforcing a policy of returning people intercepted at sea to Cuba's communist government.

It's called "wet-foot, dry-foot" - wet for those caught at sea, dry for those who reach land in Florida and thus qualify for U.S. entry. A third expression has entered the jargon - "dusty-foot," referring to Cubans who arrive in Texas, where Cubans need only present identity documents and undergo medical and background checks before being welcomed to America.

The price of passage is $5,000 to $10,000 per person and much shorter than in the days when Cubans would spend days at sea headed for Florida or Mexico on rickety boats and rafts. They were known as "balseros," from the word "balsa" to indicate the flimsiness of their boats.

But the Mexican route is also becoming increasingly prone to violence.

In June, gunmen snatched 33 Cubans off a government bus taking them to an immigration station in southern Mexico, possibly to extort money from them or their smugglers. Many of those migrants later turned up in the U.S., and all detained Cuban migrants now have armed police escorts.

In August, as the navy gave chase, smugglers set fire to their boat just off the beach in Cancun, creating a diversion that allowed them to swim ashore and escape. The migrants jumped into the sea and either swam to safety or were rescued by beach-goers on water scooters.

"These are pretty ruthless organizations that are focused on making money," said Lt. Matthew J. Moorlag, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard's 7th District, which cooperates with Mexico but doesn't patrol in Mexican waters. "We've seen people get thrown overboard and forced to swim to shore."

Several Cuban-Americans believed to be involved in trafficking have been killed in recent years in or around Cancun. And once inside Mexico, the migrants often find themselves at the mercy of Mexico's feared drug cartels who have diversified into people-smuggling.

U.S. federal prosecutors in Miami have charged many alleged smugglers of Cubans recently, including 39 Cuban-Americans named in 18 separate indictments in the last month alone.

The smuggling has spawned new trends in Florida: Now that owners in Miami and the Keys are using tracking devices, chains and motion detectors, boat thefts are shifting up the coast, said Ricky Linale, Miami-area agent of King's Bay Insurance.

And thieves may now be targeting larger boats: Some smugglers now pack a cabin cruiser with people, wait at sea and smuggle a few at a time to Mexico on faster boats, said David Spahl, an organized-crime investigator with the Collier County Sheriff's office on Florida's west coast.

And some boat owners "lend" their craft to smugglers and then falsely report them stolen for the insurance money, Linale said.

Vice Admiral Carlos Angulo of the Mexican navy says the smugglers' boats "are mainly stolen in Florida," and Cuban-Americans clearly run the business. The six smugglers his sailors caught this year "call themselves Cuban-Americans, and they carry their U.S. residency papers."

Last year, Angulo's navy detachment seized 26 makeshift craft with Cubans aboard and only five modern boats, but so far this year, his sailors have seized 32 modern, multiengine vessels, and only six homemade ones.

Mexico has long tolerated the escape route, and seldom returns escapees to Cuba, but its people are tiring of the exceptional treatment the U.S. gives Cubans, as well as the corruption and violence spawned by people-smuggling.

"It is all handled by a gang," said Jose Sanchez, 42, an Isla Mujeres fisherman. "They bring them here, they give them new clothes to make them look like an average citizen ... and they take them to Cancun" where almost all are given a 30-day transit visa to the U.S. border.

Mendez, the radio host, is still outraged by what the smugglers are doing.

"I'm a Cuban-American, my parents are Cuban and I understand what those people are going through in communist Cuba," he said.

But, "Now it's no longer, ... 'I really want to go help my family members.' Now it's, 'I want to go make money off these poor innocent people and if I'm going to get caught, what I'm going to do is dump all of them in the water and get off scot-free.'"


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: HisDaughter on November 19, 2008, 10:16:04 PM
Wal-Mart trucker smuggles illegals across border
Federal agents say trailer used to transport aliens at least 6 times

© 2008 WorldNetDaily


The Wal-Mart slogan of "Always" is taking on new meaning after a company truck was used as many as six times recently to smuggle illegal aliens into the U.S. through Texas.

The driver, Alejandro Hernandez, 50, and two women were arrested for their roles in the operation.

Hernandez took a delivery to a Wal-Mart in McAllen, Texas, and then loaded his trailer with illegals in Edinburg, the McAllen Monitor reported. A mother and daughter, Santos Moreno and Leonor Gomez, brought the aliens to Edinburg in their 15-passenger van and transferred them into his truck before proceeding on to a checkpoint.

Wal-Mart cooperated with authorities during the investigation and helped federal agents track Hernandez's truck route.

"At Wal-Mart we expect our associates to conduct themselves in a lawful and ethical manner," company spokesman Don Fogleman told the Monitor. "This situation is of deep concern."

Authorities say Hernandez smuggled illegals through border checkpoints at least a half-dozen times. Agents arrested the three Thursday, just south of a checkpoint, and took four illegals into custody.

Gomez confessed to smuggling, but she told authorities the driver did not know the illegal aliens were in his trailer. However, Moreno admitted she had seen Hernandez and Gomez make at least five additional smuggling trips across the border.

Hernandez has been suspended from his job. Each suspect faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.



Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 13, 2008, 10:43:37 PM
Rampant fraud puts stop
to U.S. refugee program
DNA confirms fewer than 20%
telling truth about family ties

State Department officials have suspended a program that allows refugees in the U.S. to bring family members into the country after an investigation revealed widespread fraud in the system.

Since the 1980's, the State Department has granted refugee family members who are left behind in war-torn countries priority-3 access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program on a case-by-case basis.

After suspicions of fraud were raised last year – often involving unrelated children being claimed as family – the State Department conducted DNA testing of 3,000 applicants to the program, to see if they were actually related to the family members they claimed.

In more than 80 percent of the cases, the applicants either refused to take the tests or were discovered to have DNA that didn't match their reported family members.

"We were alarmed that the rate was so high," a State Department official – who spoke on condition of anonymity as a matter of departmental policy – told the Washington Post. "In fewer than 20 percent of cases did the applicant take the test and it checked out."

Seyoum Berhe, an official of refugee services for the Catholic Archdiocese of Arlington, told the Post there are legitimate humanitarian reasons the DNA doesn't always match.

"A village is burning. People are running. Someone grabs a child and ends up raising him. The DNA may not be the same, but in every other way, he is the parent," said Berhe. "We certainly do not support fraud, but there is a human aspect, too. If my brother were killed in Somalia and I saved his child, according to our culture, that child is mine."

State Department officials confirmed that while many informal or wartime adoptions are impossible to document, such a high rate of unmatched DNA leads to other, very real concerns.

"We are sympathetic," a State Department official told the Post, "but when people lie about blood relationships, it raises fears that we may be facilitating child trafficking or that people are trying to bring in their servants."

The State Department began DNA testing in Africa, where, in recent years, over 95 percent of the refugee family applications originated. After a sample testing in Kenya revealed a high rate of fraud, tests were extended throughout the continent.

Most of the applications for access to the priority-3 Refugee Family Reunification Program, or P-3, have come for family members from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Liberia. Since Oct. 1, 2003, the State Department reports, 36,000 refugees have come to America from Africa through the P-3 program, while only 400 have come from other areas of the world in the same time span.

The State Department's website on the issue reports that while some applications are still being processed, no new applications are being accepted from any nationality until measures can be put in place to cut down on the fraud.

"The Department is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security to develop and implement new procedures for verifying family relationship claims," reports the State Department. "These new procedures will likely include DNA testing. The P-3 program in Africa remains suspended as noted above until we have finalized and implemented these new measures."



Title: Illegals targeted sheriff as gang initiation
Post by: Shammu on February 27, 2009, 12:45:49 AM
Illegals targeted sheriff as gang initiation
Jerry Seper
Thursday, February 26, 2009

The attempted assassination of a South Carolina deputy sheriff was a gang initiation carried out by three illegal immigrants including a 15-year-old boy who was supposed to "kill a cop" in order to be admitted as a member, according to a confidential Department of Homeland Security advisory.

Lexington County, S.C., Deputy Sheriff Ted Xanthakis and his K-9 police dog, Arcos, were attacked by the three illegals armed with a 12-gauge shotgun during a Feb. 8 incident in West Columbia, S.C., shortly after 3 a.m. The deputy and his dog survived.

Two of the men were identified in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report as members of the Surenos gang, or SUR-13, a collection of Mexican-American street gangs with origins in the oldest barrios of Southern California.

Hundreds of SUR-13 gangs operate in California and have spread to many other parts of the country. The paramilitary organization has been described by federal law enforcement agencies as actively involved in illegal-immigrant and drug smuggling.

According to the ICE report, the attack occurred as the deputy responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle.

The 15-year-old and two others, Carlos Alfredo Diaz De Leon, 17, and Lucino Guzman Guttierrez, 20, were later arrested by sheriff's deputies and members of the U.S. Marshals Service. Diaz De Leon and Guzman Guttierrez were charged with assault and battery with intent to kill.

Deputy Xanthakis and his dog were in a marked patrol car at the time of the shooting.

The 15-year-old was taken to a pre-trial detention facility, where he was awaiting a hearing in family court. Prosecutors said they would recommend that the boy be prosecuted in family court on a charge of assault and battery with intent to kill.

Under state law, law enforcement officials cannot identify the boy because he is a juvenile.

Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts told reporters that Diaz De Leon, Guzman Guttierrez and the 15-year-old illegally entered the United States from Mexico. He said Diaz De Leon and Guzman Guttierrez were living in West Columbia and a search of their house netted items thought to have been stolen in vehicle break-ins in Lexington County, including a Global Positioning System devices and car stereo systems.

The sheriff also said that deputies recovered the shotgun that was used to shoot at Deputy Sheriff Xanthakis.

ICE detainers have been lodged against the adults.

The ICE report, made public Wednesday by the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), said interviews determined that the 15-year-old was the shooter and the incident was a gang initiation. It said gangs "have long posed a threat to public safety and law enforcement but the threat is now increasing in scope. ... Never before have the street gangs in South Carolina actively targeted law enforcement officers for gang initiation."

ICE agents, as part of a nationwide crackdown on gangs, have arrested members of SUR-13 in Tennessee and Georgia on charges ranging from felony theft and illegal re-entry after deportation to murder, attempted murder, carjacking, armed robbery and drug dealing.

William Gheen, president of ALIPAC, described the attack as the "beginning of America's nightmarish future as we descend into the type of anarchy found in Mexico.

"In Mexico, things have deteriorated so much that police are demoralized and are being killed by these gangs of a weekly basis," he said. "That's what happens when your nation loses respect for the rule of law as we see with the effect of millions of illegal aliens in America."

He said the U.S. needs to secure its border and enforce its immigration laws "or we will begin to lose more officers and as we loose officers, gang rule will replace the rule of law."

Illegals targeted sheriff as gang initiation (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/26/illegals-targeted-sheriff-as-part-of-gang-initiati/)
~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm so sick of the support ILLEGALS receive. Supporting criminals is unlawful, immoral, and just plain wrong!!


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Soldier4Christ on April 02, 2009, 10:49:59 AM
America’s immigration laws have been radically changed overnight!

Catch and let go seems to be the new policy for illegals. Napolitano Frees 27 Illegal Immigrants, Sends Them Back to Work

The Department of Homeland Security freed 27 illegal immigrants arrested during a workplace raid in February and offered them legal work permits, signaling a major departure from the immigration enforcement policy of the Bush administration.

The Feb. 24 raid of an auto parts plant in Bellingham, Wash., netted 28 illegal immigrants. While one was deported, the remaining workers were released from custody and given employment authorization documents, or EADs, in exchange for cooperating with an ongoing investigation of their employer, Yamato Engine Specialists.

The EAD is a temporary work permit most commonly given to people applying for green cards or citizenship. It usually lasts for one year, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement sources tell FOX News that these work permits will expire when the case against Yamato is closed.

Immigrant rights activists support the move and the new direction Secretary Janet Napolitano is taking the Homeland Security Department with her focus on penalizing employers rather than the immigrants themselves. “She is crafting and the people in her department are crafting a strategy that could target some people who are abusive and manipulative as employers,” said Pramila Jayapal, executive director of the Seattle-based immigrant aid group OneAmerica.

But critics say the softened policy will increase the number of illegal immigrants entering the country. “The signal that it sends to illegal immigrants is that if you can get here, you’re pretty much home free,” said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

The Bellingham raid was the first and only mass arrest of immigrants since President Obama took office and came as a shock to Napolitano, who ordered a review of the incident the day after. “I didn’t know about it beforehand,” she told the House Homeland Security Committee the morning following the raid. “I want to get to the bottom of this as well.”

The response from the Department of Homeland Security marks a major shift from the last years of the Bush administration, when workplace arrests of illegals were commonplace. Criminal arrests of employers who hired illegal immigrants skyrocketed from 25 in 2002 to 1,103 in 2008. The number of deportations jumped from 485 to 5,184 over that same time period. The Obama administration has sought a freeze on immigrant arrests.

Enforcement advocates say Americans should be outraged by the government giving illegal immigrants a right to work when unemployment is so high for documented workers. Unemployment in Whatcom County, home to the Yamato plant, has risen to 8.1 percent, and in the days after the Yamato raid, more than 150 people applied for the jobs made open by the arrests.

Immigrant groups say the release was a humane act that is keeping families together and allowing them to earn a decent living. Secretary Napolitano is expected to soon formally announce new guidelines for workplace immigration enforcement.


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: Shammu on April 03, 2009, 01:50:15 AM
Quote
The Department of Homeland Security freed 27 illegal immigrants arrested during a workplace raid in February

What part of ILLEGAL does The Department of Homeland Security NOT understand?? >:(


Title: Re: Illegal Immigration
Post by: nChrist on April 05, 2009, 05:23:49 PM
What part of ILLEGAL does The Department of Homeland Security NOT understand?? >:(


In a free country, getting away from the Rule of Law and the Constitution are the STEPS TO COMMUNISM! That's what we are watching right now, but maybe it can still be stopped. We should never stop trying because it also effects our ability and liberty to SERVE THE LORD!