Immigration News

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Border Patrol vets offer tips on curbing illegal immigration

One day in 1954, Border Patrol agent Walt Edwards picked up a newspaper in Big Spring, Texas, and saw some startling news. The government was launching an all-out drive to oust illegal aliens from the United States.

The orders came straight from the top, where the new president, Dwight Eisenhower, had put a former West Point classmate, Gen. Joseph Swing, in charge of immigration enforcement.

General Swing's fast-moving campaign soon secured America's borders - an accomplishment no other president has since equaled. Illegal migration had dropped 95 percent by the late 1950s.

Several retired Border Patrol agents who took part in the 1950s effort, including Mr. Edwards, say much of what Swing did could be repeated today.

"Some say we cannot send 12 million illegals now in the United States back where they came from. Of course we can!" Edwards says.

Donald Coppock, who headed the Patrol from 1960 to 1973, says that if Swing and Ike were still running immigration enforcement, "they'd be on top of this in a minute."

William Chambers, another '50s veteran, agrees. "They could do a pretty good job" sealing the border.

Edwards says: "When we start enforcing the law, these various businesses are, on their own, going to replace their [illegal] workforce with a legal workforce."

While Congress debates building a fence on the border, these veterans say other actions should have higher priority.

1. End the current practice of taking captured Mexican aliens to the border and releasing them. Instead, deport them deep into Mexico, where return to the US would be more costly.

2. Crack down hard on employers who hire illegals. Without jobs, the aliens won't come.

3. End "catch and release" for non-Mexican aliens. It is common for illegal migrants not from Mexico to be set free after their arrest if they promise to appear later before a judge. Few show up.

The Patrol veterans say enforcement could also be aided by a legalized guest- worker program that permits Mexicans to register in their country for temporary jobs in the US. Eisenhower's team ran such a program. It permitted up to 400,000 Mexicans a year to enter the US for various agriculture jobs that lasted for 12 to 52 weeks.

[Soldier4Christ]

43 leaders oppose
'amnesty' candidates
Pledge campaign against supporters
of Senate bill, Pence compromise


A group of 43 influential opinion leaders – including Alan Keyes, Phyllis Schlafly, David Horowitz and Swiftboat activist John O'Neill – have signed a declaration pledging to withhold support for any candidate, Democrat or Republican, who votes for legislation providing "amnesty" or a guest-worker program for illegal aliens.

The members of a group called the Secure Borders Coalition say the immigration bill passed by the Senate and a plan proposed in the House by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., – which they call "amnesty lite" – are unacceptable.

They describe Pence's plan as providing for "the wholesale importation of aliens and a path to citizenship for them."

The leaders, who are circulating their declaration among other conservative leaders and grassroots activists, say their stance represents a major break with the Bush White House reminiscent of the battle over the Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court.

The declaration points out the Heritage Foundation estimates the Senate bill will bring in at least 60 million foreigners during the next 20 years.

"If the demographics of the so-called temporary workers are similar to those of the illegal aliens already here, more than half will be high school dropouts," the declaration states. "They will work low-paying jobs that require payment of little or no income tax. They will be 50 percent more likely to receive government benefits than those in non-immigrant households. And 42 percent of their children will be born out-of-wedlock – but all their children born in the U.S. will automatically become American citizens."

The cost of the Senate amnesty for illegal immigrants alone, according to the Heritage report, would be $50 billion a year for entitlements, including Medicaid, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Earned Income Tax Credit, food stamps, public housing, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and federally funded legal representation.

"Any amnesty would move America toward a future like France, which is staggering under the burden of 'guest' workers who never went home," states the declaration.

The declaration says the plan proposed by Pence, hailed by supporters as a compromise, would "place no limit whatsoever on the numbers of foreign workers who could be imported by U.S. employers from any country anywhere in the world."

"By flooding this country with so many immigrants, legal and illegal, controlling immigration will become impossible and by dumping that burden onto an already-overburdened system of government benefits, these proposals are a threat to the future of the United States," the declaration states.

The declaration concludes: "Passing no bill is better than passing any new amnesty, legalization, guest worker or foreign worker program of any kind."

The backers "call for enforcement now" and favor a "policy of attrition of the illegal population through strong enforcement of our nation's immigration laws, which includes, first and foremost, the securing of our borders."

The signatories, whose affiliation is listed for identification only, are: Peggy Birchfield, Religious Freedom Action Coalition; Jim Boulet, Jr., English First; Brent Bozell, Conservative Victory Committee; Bay Buchanan, Team America PAC; Mario A. Calabrese; Christine Carmouche, GrassTopsUSA; Jim Clymer, Constitution Party National Committee; Kristen N. Cooper, Foundation for American Christian Education; Jerome R. Corsi, author; Kay Daly; Tom DeWeese, American Policy Center; James R. Edwards, Consultant to NumbersUSA; Tom Fitton, Judicial Watch; Don Feder, Don Feder Associates; John Fonte; Paul Goedinghaus, Alamo Alliance; William Green, RightMarch.com; Ellen Grigsby, Open Doors USA; Colin Hanna, Let Freedom Ring, Inc.; Carl F. Horowitz, National Legal and Policy Center; David Horowitz, Center for the Study of Popular Culture; Joan L. Hueter, American Council for Immigration Reform; Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Hope Christian Ministries; Kevin Kearns, U.S. Business and Industry Council; Alan Keyes, Declaration Alliance; Mal Kline, Accuracy in Academia; Gary G. Kreep, United States Justice Foundation; Mark Krikorian, Center for Immigration Studies; Deborah Lambert, Accuracy in Media; Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Toward Tradition; K.C. McAlpin, ProEnglish; William J. Murray, Religious Freedom Coalition; John O'Neill, Swiftboat Veterans; Howard Phillips, The Conservative Caucus; Alan Potter, Constitution Party of Virginia; Marc Rotterman, American Conservative Union; Phyllis Schlafly, Eagle Forum; Rick and Caryann Shaftan, Neighborhood Research/Mountaintop Media; Rev. Lou Sheldon, Traditional Values Coalition; Chris Simcox, Minuteman Civil Defense Corps; Kent Snyder, The Liberty Committee; Mike Valerio, Mike and Helen Valerio Foundation; Richard A. Viguerie, Conservative HQ.com.

[Soldier4Christ]

Harboring illegals could cost cities, states
House bills deny homeland security funds to sanctuary areas

Cities and states that aid illegal immigrants without reporting them to the authorities risk losing millions of dollars in homeland security and other federal money under two spending bills approved last month by the House.

The bills, which fund the departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, State and Justice, were amended to refuse federal money to any city or state with policies that prohibit local government officials from alerting federal authorities about possible immigration law violators.

House lawmakers say several cities and states allow criminal suspects to escape deportation because local officials, including police officers, turn a blind eye to the immigration law passed in 1996.

It is unclear what will happen to the immigration provisions when the spending measures are considered in the Senate.

But the prospect outraged New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who raised the issue during a Senate immigration hearing in Philadelphia this week, threatening “one heck of a battle” if Congress cuts off homeland security and justice dollars.

Bloomberg said New York City protects residents’ confidentiality when they report a crime or seek medical care or education.

The city’s policy complies with the 1996 law, he said. But he said some members of Congress have questioned it and asked for the Justice Department to review all state and local policies.

“We believe the review will validate our approach,” Bloomberg told the Senate Committee. “But whatever the findings, let me be clear: The way to deal with this issue is not — not — by reducing the safety and security of our nation.”

Bill backers: Inaction puts Americans at risk
House supporters of the provisions said cities that prevent police officers from sharing information about illegal immigrants with the federal government put Americans at risk.

They shared a list of violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Houston, New York and other cities. Several involved gang members.

“No police officer should be barred from contacting federal immigration authorities about a criminal alien suspect,” said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who offered the amendment to the 2007 Homeland Security appropriations bill.

The Congressional Research Service reported earlier this year that the “sanctuary” policies of several cities are rooted in a 1980s religious movement in which churches helped thousands of Central American migrants fleeing civil war. The specific policies vary. Some prevent local governments from using resources to enforce a federal law.

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, said Congress intended the 1996 federal immigration law to counteract the sanctuary policies.

“Unfortunately, there was a law but there was no penalty,” Tancredo said in an interview. “What this does is add some sort of penalty.”

Bloomberg said the penalty would aid terrorists. “New York remains the country’s top terror target, and if Congress passes this amendment, no one will cheer louder than al-Qaida,” he said.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Investigators:  $110 million system doesn't stop ID theft 9:05 PM


Millions of Social Security numbers, either fake or stolen, are being used by illegal immigrants to get work, according to the Social Security Administration.

Immigration officials said the way to stop it is with a new computer system that costs $110 million. It's designed to catch illegal immigrants when they apply for jobs, but the 6NEWS investigators found the program does nothing to guard against identity theft.

Vickie Dellinger worked a lifetime styling hair and before that in textile plants in Shelby. However, she never worked as a chicken catcher, someone who rounds up chickens for slaughter.

That's why Dellinger was surprised when the North Carolina Department of Revenue sent her a letter saying she owed $1,200 in back taxes for work at a chicken plant.

“There was a person working under my social,” Dellinger said.

After months and dozens of calls Dellinger's number is still tangled.

“I called Homeland Security, I called I.C.E and I called fraud alert,” Dellinger said.

But I.C.E (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) and all the other federal agencies didn't help her.

“(They said) this was not in their jurisdiction,” Dellinger said.

The logical thing that Dellinger wanted to know next was whose jurisdiction is it? Then she got a message from Detective William Howell from the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office. Turns out her problem fell into the jurisdiction of local law enforcement.

Howell tracked down the man who used Dellinger’s number and arrested him. His name was Fransisco Alejo and Dellinger has worked through a variety of emotions about him.

“(I went from) hurt, angry and just plain mad to even feeling sorry for this person,” Dellinger said. “I know what he's done is wrong, but I don't know his circumstances.

Unlike most good old American identity theft, Alejo used Dellinger's Social Security number not to drain her bank account or wreck her credit, but to get a job at the Mountaire Farms chicken plant near Lumberton, North Carolina.

6NEWS asked Howell if he felt Alejo would be deported for using Dellinger’s Social Security number. He said “probably not,” but that it would be up to I.C.E.

Last week Representative Sue Myrick invited a Homeland Security official to Charlotte to explain a program that was supposed to stop illegal immigrants at the workplace.

The system checks Social Security numbers online in just a few seconds. There's just one problem, the system does nothing to guard against identity theft.

“You're talking about the ID theft problem. This does nothing to stop that. We have to admit that,” said Gerri Ratliff who is the chief of verification at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

And here's the kicker…Mountaire Farms, the company that employed Alejo, participates in the pilot program. The plant might have verified the number was good, but either they didn't know or didn't care that the number belonged to a completely different person.

“We've got to have some changes,” Dellinger said. “No one needs to have to go through this.”

Dellinger’s husband, who's still working, is paying Alejo's tax bill to avoid the tax man coming after his wife.

Mountaire managers never returned calls placed by 6NEWS producers. Neither did Alejo.

The Department of Homeland Security is asking for money to check duplicate Social Security numbers, but Ratliff said only fingerprint or eye scans would completely eliminate ID theft.

[Soldier4Christ]

Sheriffs testify at Laredo border hearing

LAREDO - Local sheriffs this morning testified in front of a congressional subcommittee of potential vulnerabilities to terrorism along the Southern Border.

"There is an infrastructure in place just waiting to be exploited," Webb County Sheriff Rick Flores told members of the House International Relations Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation.

Flores and Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez shared stories about hunters being surprised by black-clad gunmen, a Starr County jailer who was found executed in Mexico, and Iraqi dinars found on a ranch trail as part of the divisive testimony.

Congressional Democrats accused the Republican-dominated subcommittee of playing politics by holding field hearings after both the House and Senate bills had been passed.

"This is all about politics trumping policy," Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, said before the hearing.

Nonetheless, Gonzalez and Democratic colleagues Ruben Hinojosa, Silvestre Reyes and Sheila Jackson Lee participated in the hearing as guests.

Emotions ran high between supporters of the House bill and supporters of the Senate bill who witnessed the proceedings. The House wants an enforcement-first approach to border security before undertaking immigration reform. The Senate bill in contrast advocates comprehensive reform that would tighten the border and include a guest worker program.

The subcommittee's chairman, Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., had to remind those in attendance to refrain from cheering or booing during the testimony.

Reynaldo Garza, acting Laredo Sector Border Patrol Chief, testified that despite progress, the agency does not have control of the borders, posing homeland security risks.

"Reducing illegal entry, now more than ever, is a matter of national security," he said.

Garza said he was "very concerned" about potential links between Mexican drug cartels and terrorist groups. He later added that all of the terror alerts that the agency has received along the southern border turned out to be negative.

Sheriff Flores told the subcommittee that terrorists might choose to cross illegally into the United States through Mexico rather than Canada because they would be harder to identify.

"Over here in the border, in Mexico, they pretty much blend in," he said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Social Security uncovers illegal workers

Privacy concerns prevent the Social Security Administration from notifying an employer that a hired foreign national is not authorized to work in this country, including someone who may be a potential national security risk, says a government audit.
    The audit, by the SSA's Office of the Inspector General, also found the agency fears employers will improperly terminate the illegal workers who have been issued Social Security numbers, leading to "adverse publicity."
    "Unauthorized work by noncitizens weakens [Social Security number] integrity and may require that the agency pay benefits to these individuals," said Inspector General Patrick P. O'Carroll Jr. in the audit.
    "In addition, noncitizens who work without (Department of Homeland Security) authorization could affect homeland security because they may obtain employment in sensitive areas."
    Since 2003, the SSA has issued Social Security numbers, dubbed "non-working," to foreign nationals who need them to collect state or federal benefits, such as public assistance.
    The audit released last month as immigration-reform debate heated up on Capitol Hill says 109,064 foreign nationals used their non-working Social Security numbers to report earnings at 100 companies reviewed between 2001 to 2002. It said hundreds of thousands more also are using their Social Security cards illegally.
    The report said employers that posted the largest number of illegal wage earners were government, retail and universities, and the largest number of noncitizens with earnings under a non-working Social Security number were from Mexico, India and the Philippines.
    The report said the average wage item ranged from $7,700 in the staffing industry to $102,000 in the technology industry, and technology and government accounted for $4 billion, or 64 percent, of the wages posted to non-working Social Security numbers by the 100 targeted employers.
    To reduce the number of noncitizens who work without authorization, Mr. O'Carroll said SSA should consider examining its interpretation of existing disclosure laws and, if necessary, seek legislation allowing the agency to notify employers.
    "We recognize the agency has not been tasked with the mission of immigration and workplace enforcement," Mr. O'Carroll said. "Accordingly, we believe maintaining the integrity of its [Social Security number] records should be of paramount concern to the agency as it accomplishes its legislatively mandated mission."
    SSA officials disagreed with the recommendations, saying they would have a minimal effect while creating a substantial workload, both in systems development and in the field offices.
    They also cited privacy concerns, saying they were limited by the Privacy Act in what the could disclose to employers about a foreign national working in the United States.

[Soldier4Christ]

Medicaid law softened after groups sue
Elderly, disabled exempted from having to prove U.S. citizenship to receive benefits

Medicaid law softened after groups sue: lawyers

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department has scaled back a new law so that it exempts the elderly and the disabled from having to prove they are U.S. citizens to qualify for Medicaid health insurance, lawyers suing the government said on Friday.

The law, which went into effect July 1, requires people to supply original documents like passports or birth certificates to receive Medicaid benefits. Some 55 million low-income people are covered by Medicaid.

But in regulations amending the law filed late on Thursday, the government made exceptions for certain groups, including those on Medicare and those who get certain Social Security benefits, according to John Bouman, a lawyer at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law in Chicago, which filed the lawsuit seeking class action status challenging the law.

That suit, filed last week in the U.S. District Court in Chicago, argues that the law would hurt the most vulnerable people, and that it violated the Constitution's Fifth Amendment guarantee of due process.

Plaintiffs will now amend the complaint to argue that key groups like the homeless and victims of natural disasters still face significant challenges to comply with the law, Bouman said.

"A big chunk of the people we thought would be affected will not be harmed, as a result (of the changes to the regulations)," Bouman said. "But there is still a large group not out of the woods yet."

The law is intended to keep illegal immigrants from getting government-sponsored heath care, but critics say it could throw millions of U.S. citizens off the government health program because they can't prove that they are citizens.

A brief hearing at the U.S. District Court in Chicago on the plaintiffs' request for a temporary restraining order was held on Friday, but a new hearing was set for July 28 in light of the new regulations.

U.S. hospitals, which on average get 15 percent of their revenue from Medicaid, fear the law will suppress Medicaid eligibility and have also called for revisions.

[Soldier4Christ]

Court Sides With DMV on License ID

New York's Department of Motor Vehicles can require immigrants to prove they are in this country legally before allowing them to have driver's licenses, a state appeals court ruled.

The 5-0 ruling Thursday by the Appellate Division in Manhattan reversed a decision by Justice Karen S. Smith, who ordered the DMV last year to stop denying driver's licenses to immigrants who didn't have Social Security numbers or proof they were legal.

In dismissing the illegal immigrants' complaint, the appeals court said Smith had erred in barring the identity procedures DMV Commissioner Raymond Martinez put in place and said they were "within his authority and enforceable."

The court noted cases in which one Social Security number was used to get licenses for 57 people and another in which one taxi driver used two numbers to get two licenses — one for insurance and the other for traffic tickets.

Foster Maer, a lawyer for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, which represented the plaintiffs, said his group was considering an appeal.

The DMV began lifting the licenses of illegal immigrants in 2004, a move that advocates said would cost as many as 300,000 people their driving privileges.

The plaintiffs in the case had argued that their constitutional rights were being violated. State officials defended the identity procedures as an effort to combat fraud and terrorism.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Riders Rally Against Illegal Immigration


It all began just over one month ago - as five modern day Paul Reveres began a 14,000 mile journey.

Today, the group rolled into town on their motorcycles - bringing with them a message about what has become a heated topic - immigration.
The group, called the 21st Century Paul Revere, is stopping at 48 state capitols across the country to spread their message.

"We're tired of being collateral damage and the U.S taxpayers being butchered by these massive loads of immigrations," says rider Frosty Wooldridge.

"We advocate military troops on the borders to seal these borders off to stop the impelling, and, number two, to absolutely build a fence, a wall - whatever it takes to stop the inflow."

While the bikers stopped at the capitol, a group of residents and immigrants gathered to protest the ride. They say by targeting immigrants, they are in fact spreading racism.

The Paul Revere Ride wraps up in Washington, D.C. next month.

[Soldier4Christ]

Apparent Mexican Winner Attacks Border Wall
In First Statements to International Press, Calderón Disputes Bush on Immigration

Less than 24 hours after being named president-elect in a disputed official count, Felipe Calderón took a firm stance against building a wall along the United States-Mexico border to stem illegal immigration.

Echoing his campaign theme, Calderón said the best solution to the immigration crisis was creating jobs in Mexico, "not walls or troops," a reference to President Bush's decision to send National Guard troops to support the U.S. Border Patrol.

Calderón's remarks, delivered during his first post-election briefing for the international news media, angered a leading Capitol Hill proponent of increased border security. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) said in a phone interview that he was "insulted" by Calderón's statement, "just as Mexico would be rightly offended if we were to not only condemn their immigration policies but actively work to aid and abet illegal immigration."

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) another proponent of increased border fencing, said Friday in an e-mailed statement that he was "hopeful Mexico's president-elect will also look more closely at the benefits security fencing brings to both sides of the border."

The reaction presages what is likely to be one of the most contentious issues facing Calderón if his victory is upheld by the special elections court that will a hear a challenge of the results by his main opponent, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Attempts by Mexican presidents to influence U.S. policy have often received frosty receptions. The outgoing president, Vicente Fox, failed to reach an immigration accord with the United States.

Immigration legislation in the U.S. Congress is stalled. The House of Representatives voted in December to build 700 miles of new fences along the border, and the Senate has voted to approve 370 miles of fencing. But neither proposal has been passed into law.

Calderón was declared the winner of Mexico's presidential race Thursday after an all-night count yielded an official tally that showed him half a percentage point, slightly more than 200,000 votes, ahead of López Obrador. López Obrador alleges that the vote was marred by numerous "inconsistencies," such as more votes being recorded than the number of ballots delivered at thousands of polling places. He plans to hold a rally Saturday in Mexico City's large downtown square, the Zocalo. On Friday, 1,000 of his supporters began a 60-mile march to Mexico City from the town of Pachuca.

Mexico's special elections court has until Sept. 6 to decided whether to certify the results. But Calderón is talking and acting as if his victory is assured On Friday, he said there was no doubt about the results and predicted he would work well with opposing parties, even though his National Action Party does not have a majority in the legislature. He also said he would not privatize Mexico's Pemex oil company.

Calderón also wants measures that will protect what he called "vulnerable" crops, such as corn and beans. López Obrador had vowed to defy provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement that call for reducing tariffs on U.S. corn and beans. Many small Mexican farmers have said the reduced tariffs would put them out of business. Calderón said Friday he would not try to renegotiate the provisions. "The way the U.S. Congress is now," he said, "I don't see a large probability that the winner of the renegotiation would easily be Mexico."

Calderón said one of his first trips as president would be to the United States, where he wants to meet with Mexican Americans. More than 20.6 million people of Mexican origin live in the United States, representing 58 percent of the nation's Hispanic population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Pew Hispanic Center says there are also 6.2 million Mexicans living in the United States illegally.

[Soldier4Christ]

Bush border plan for Guard hits snag
Deployments are running behind schedule; some governors reluctant to send troops


Logistical and bureaucratic snags have delayed the deployment of National Guard troops along the Southwestern border, leaving Arizona with little support so far from other states and putting a crimp in President Bush's security plan.

Nearly two months after Bush's announcement of plans to station 6,000 Guard personnel along the border with Mexico, U.S. Border Patrol officials said 898 Guard soldiers are actually working in direct support of agents in the four border states, freeing up 173 agents, about 1.5 percent of the patrol's workforce.

So far, the deployments have had "no impact at all" on arrests, mainly because of the long delay in getting troops from outside the border states prepared to deploy, said Maria Valencia, a Border Patrol spokeswoman in Washington, D.C.

"Once they deploy more forces, I'm sure we'll see the impact, but right now it's too early to tell," Valencia said.

Some federal and state officials are concerned that the National Guard deployment hasn't gone according to plan but say that they're confident adding troops at the border will help improve security. Defense and homeland security experts questioned whether the lack of troop commitments from many states and the short deployment of some Guard units will hurt the effort.

Christine Wormuth, a defense expert with the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic & International Studies, said the public seemed to have the misperception that the president could decide to dispatch thousands of Guard soldiers on the border and make it happen with "just a snap of his fingers."

The original plan
In May, military officials set an ambitious deadline to have 2,500 soldiers on the border by July 1 and fill 6,000 National Guard slots by August. The troops would serve as a stopgap until 2008, while thousands of Border Patrol agents would be recruited and trained to replace them.

Initially, Guard troops were supposed to arrive starting June 1 to work with the Border Patrol, but the first batch arrived two weeks late, Valencia said. The deployments were delayed by red tape, as state officials signed intergovernmental agreements. Some Guard officials also ran into logistical problems in small border towns like Deming, N.M., where they had to delay the dispatch of 50 out-of-state soldiers because they had no place to sleep.

In mid-June, Gov. Janet Napolitano deployed about 300 Arizona National Guard soldiers to the state's border, including about 150 to 200 who work directly with the Border Patrol, according to state Guard officials. The four border states combined deployed about 1,400 Guard members to the border, but the federal government has had trouble finding other states that can spare large contingents of troops.

Arizona, the busiest illegal-crossing corridor in the nation, has seen little in the way of outside reinforcements. Today, roughly 150 soldiers from the New York National Guard are expected to arrive in Arizona for 15-day training stints. Previously, the only out-of-state troops assigned here were a contingent of 55 from Utah, scheduled before Bush's announcement of plans to send the Guard to the Mexican border.

Jeanine L'Ecuyer, Napolitano's spokeswoman, said the governor never expected the National Guard to meet the ambitious deadline set out in May, saying it seemed logistically impossible.

"Would the governor like to see more people here? Absolutely," L'Ecuyer said. "But she never expected in any material way that the number would be met on time."

States reluctant to help
The president's plan, dubbed Operation Jumpstart, federally funds the Guard deployments but leaves control of the troops up to state governors. In the midst of wildfire and hurricane seasons, and with troops overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan, some governors from across the country have been reluctant to send large groups to the border.

The shortfall has caught the attention of Congress, said Sen. Jon Kyl, who said more Guard volunteers are needed along the border.

"A lot of states are not sending them," Kyl told The Arizona Republic on Friday. "We're not up to the complement that the president authorized, which is 6,000. We're not even close to that right now. There are several that haven't sent people because they say they can't spare them."

About 2,800 troops are already in Arizona, New Mexico, California and Texas, but the bulk of them are either undergoing training or in administrative roles and not necessarily based along the border helping agents, according to National Guard Bureau statistics. Of those, 898 are "forward deployed," which the National Guard defined as working directly in a support capacity for the Border Patrol, said Lt. Col. Mike Milford, a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau.

The Guard members do everything from monitoring safety on shooting ranges to manning video surveillance systems and building walls, but they do not make arrests of undocumented immigrants, officials said.

Future deployments
White House spokesman Blair Jones referred comment on the deployment delays to Mike Friel, a spokesman for the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol's parent agency.

Friel said the gradual ramp-up of National Guard troops will help the Border Patrol, which made more than 1.1 million arrests along the Southern border last year, most in Arizona.

"The fact is that having the National Guard on the border is really an acceleration of our national strategy, and that's aimed at gaining control of our border," he said.

The rush to get the Guard on the border by the deadlines set by Bush has overshadowed a critical issue, one Homeland Security analyst said: Just how long the troops will stay.

National Guard Bureau officials said they could not provide specifics on the length of troops' deployments.

Some Guard members have volunteered for longer missions lasting up to a year, including some from Arizona, but others, like those from New York, will head to the border for 15 days of training and then return home.

"Six thousand isn't enough to make a difference, especially when you send them down there for two weeks at a time," said retired Col. Randall Larsen, founder of the consulting firm Homeland Security Associates. "With two weeks, what are you really going to get out of them?"

[Soldier4Christ]

Officer Hurt, Several Arrested During Anti-Immigration Rally

An officer was injured and six people were arrested during an anti-illegal immigration march involving the Minuteman Project and other groups Saturday evening in Hollywood, police said.

One female officer suffered a minor injury, apparently to her ankle, after clashing with protesters, said Officer Sandra Escalante, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Counter-protesters stood along the sidewalks shouting as anti-immigration demonstrators, including members of the Minuteman civilian border patrol group, marched along Hollywood Boulevard. The Minutemen, many of them carrying American flags, had a permit to march.

Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist was among the marchers.

 Angry counter protesters, some wearing bandannas to cover their faces, yelled at the Minutemen and called them racists.

They also tried to join the march, but since they did not have a permit, police stopped them, sometimes forcefully.

Escalante said several people were arrested, though it wasn't immediately clear if they were part of the anti-immigration march or the counter-protest.

Police estimated the number of marchers at 200 shortly after 7 p.m. The march began at Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue, Escalante said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Dallas hospital plans to bill Mexico

Parkland Memorial Hospital plans to bill Mexico and other countries to help cover the costs of health care for indigents.
    The plan, which also seeks payments from adjoining counties in Texas, has brought a negative response from the Mexican government, with a diplomat terming it "an act of discrimination."
    Last year, hospital officials said, Dallas County spent $76.5 million to treat people from outside Dallas. Of that, almost $27 million was not reimbursed.
    Much of the cost was for treating patients from adjoining counties in Texas, which Dallas County officials claim is unfair to local taxpayers.
    Collin County, just north of here and one of the state's richest counties, owed the most of any single entity, Parkland officials said -- about $7.6 million.
    County Judge Margaret Keliher said she was not hopeful that other counties -- or countries -- would pay up.
    But, she said, the county commission thought the matter should be made public and bills sent.
    "If you're not Dallas County residents, we think where you are from should pay for your indigent health care," Judge Keliher said.
    Hugo Juarez, a consul official at the Mexican Consulate in Dallas, was visibly perturbed.
    He called the statements made by the judge "a strange posture, a strange reasoning." He said there had been no agreement or contract between his nation and Dallas County that would make such action legal.
    Lobbyists and county officials last year tried unsuccessfully to get the Texas Legislature to come up with a law that forced counties to reimburse those hospitals that took in large numbers of indigents.
    "What's wrong with sending them a bill?" commission member Maurine Dickey said. She said officials "hoped" the counties that sent their citizens to Parkland would pay something. "We owe it to taxpayers to at least try."
    Mr. Juarez also was curious about how hospital officials would know where to send the bill.
    "How do they know who is Mexican?" he said. "Nobody asks for your nationality nor immigration status when you go to the hospital."
    Currently, Parkland is reimbursed by the federal government for treatment of illegal aliens, but Parkland officials said that agreement covers only 48 hours of emergency care and falls far short of what expenses the hospital often incurs.
    The hospital has spent more than a week figuring out how many foreign nationals have been treated and how much to bill each of the nations.
    An estimated 90 percent of those affected are Mexican nationals, one source told The Washington Times.
    John Gates, Parkland's chief financial officer, said he was in favor of sending the bills, though he doubted anybody would pay.

[Soldier4Christ]

States try to block illegal workers

At least 30 states have passed laws or taken other steps this year to crack down on illegal immigrants, often making it harder for undocumented workers to find jobs or receive public services.

Acting while Congress struggles to set policy regarding the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, states have enacted at least 57 laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and a USA TODAY analysis. Among major themes of the state legislation: fining businesses that hire undocumented workers and denying such companies public contracts if they don't verify the legal status of employees.

"The trends ... have leaned toward the punitive side," says Ann Morse, an immigration expert at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "The No. 1 topic has been employment in terms of deterring employers and employees."

Examples:

• A Colorado law enacted in June prohibits awarding state contracts to businesses that knowingly employ illegal immigrants.

• A Louisiana law approved in June subjects businesses that have state contracts and more than 10 employees to fines if they don't fire workers known to be undocumented.

• A Georgia bill enacted in April has a phased-in requirement that public employers and government contractors and subcontractors verify information on newly hired workers through a federal program.

The U.S. Senate and House have passed widely divergent immigration bills. The Senate's legislation would put most undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship. The House bill would make illegal immigrants felons and increase penalties for hiring them.

Some lawmakers and advocates of stricter immigration enforcement say the flurry of legislation reflects states' mounting frustration with federal officials.

"State and local politicians and the grass-roots in those states are up in arms over Washington's conspicuous lack of leadership," says John Keeley, spokesman for the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors tighter controls on immigration. "Immigration ... is a driving factor for the three biggest budget items states face: education, health care and criminal justice."

Under federal law, states must provide some services to illegal immigrants, including public education and emergency medical care. States do not have to provide commercial licenses, food assistance, health care, unemployment benefits or other services.

States' focus on workers' documentation is unfair, says Brent Wilkes, national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a civil rights group. "It feels like we're back to the days when it's OK to discriminate against minorities," he says.

[Soldier4Christ]

States take action on immigration issue

As the federal government wrestles with the immigration issue, states are implementing their own plans. Here's a state-by-state look:

Alabama

• Training 70 state troopers with the power to arrest illegal immigrants.

Arizona

• Required U.S. citizenship or legal immigrant status to receive health benefits. Illegal immigrants can receive emergency care only.

• Sent troops to assist with vehicle inspections along Arizona's border with Mexico.

• Approved ballot initiatives to be decided by voters in November:

Making English the official language of Arizona.

Prohibiting undocumented immigrants from receiving state services such as adult education, child care and in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities.

Prohibiting undocumented immigrants from receiving punitive damages in civil lawsuits.

Requiring judges to deny bail to undocumented immigrants arrested for serious offenses.

Arkansas

Pledged to send troops to the Mexico border.

California

• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature agreed on a $131 billion state budget after dropping proposals to provide health care to children of undocumented immigrants.

• Sent National Guard troops to the Mexico border.

Colorado

• Continued a special legislative session Sunday on illegal immigration.

• Made smuggling people into the USA a felony.

• Barred state agencies from awarding contracts to businesses that knowingly employ illegal immigrants.

• Required businesses seeking state contracts to verify immigration status of workers.

• Created a $50,000 civil fine for counterfeiting identification documents.

Connecticut

Pledged to send troops to the Mexico border.

Delaware

Pledged to send troops to the Mexico border.

Florida

Required proof of legal immigrant status for driver's license applicants.

Georgia

• Required, in a phased-in program that will begin July 1, 2007, that contractors doing business with state or local governments verify citizenship status of new workers.

• Required adult applicants for public benefits to verify eligibility.

• Required all Georgia employers to verify the legal status of employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2008, in order to claim a state income tax deduction on such employees' salaries.

• Required jails to determine the legal status of prisoners charged with a felony or driving under the influence.

Idaho

Limited unemployment benefits to citizens and legal immigrants.

Illinois

Required that people be citizens or legal immigrants to receive state health plan coverage.

Kansas

Limited unemployment benefits to citizens and legal immigrants.

Kentucky

Pledged to send troops to the Mexico border.

Louisiana

Authorized the state to investigate contractors suspected of hiring illegal immigrants. The state can order such workers fired and fine businesses that don't comply.

Maine

Tightened requirements for issuing driver's licenses to non-citizens.

Maryland

Required the governor to fund health care services for certain legal immigrant children and pregnant women.

Massachusetts

Gov. Mitt Romney said he would seek federal authority to empower state police to detain illegal immigrants encountered during normal law enforcement activity.

Minnesota

Will send up to 200 National Guard troops to Mexico border.

Missouri

Denied unemployment benefits to workers who aren't citizens.

Montana

Pledged to send troops to the Mexico border.

Nebraska

In an effort to assist illegal immigrants, made unauthorized immigrant students eligible for in-state tuition at public universities.

New Hampshire

Required proof of citizenship to register to vote.

New Jersey

Pledged to send troops to the Mexico border.

New Mexico

Pledged to send troops to the Mexico border.

New York

• A state appeals court ruled that the state Department of Motor Vehicles can require immigrants to prove they are in the USA legally before obtaining driver's licenses.

• Will send 150 National Guard troops to the Mexico border.

North Carolina

Pledged to send troops to the Mexico border.

cont'd