Illegal Immigration

[Soldier4Christ]

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."

[Soldier4Christ]

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.

[Soldier4Christ]

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."

[Soldier4Christ]

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.

[Soldier4Christ]

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.

[Soldier4Christ]

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.

[HisDaughter]

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.

[Soldier4Christ]

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.

[Soldier4Christ]

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.

[Soldier4Christ]

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.

[Soldier4Christ]

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.

[Soldier4Christ]

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.

[Soldier4Christ]

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.

[Soldier4Christ]

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."

[HisDaughter]

That's interesting.