immigration news
plainolamerican
June 30, 2010
Kagan Dodges Arizona Question
Talking Points Memo has some detail about yesterday's confirmation
hearing for Elena Kagan. "Kyl asked [Kagan] why the government
supported review [of Arizon's E-Verify mandate] when there was no
conflict among the lower courts on the issue. Kagan said that the
issue was important because it was arising in a number of places
around the country. Not surprisingly given the political saliency of
immigration issues, Kagan made clear that this was a decision based on
the federal government's interests and did not reflect her own views."
Comments
June 30, 2010
Groups Held Amnesty Summit Before Obama Speech
The Washington Post reports that amnesty supporters held a San Diego
Summit earlier this month to plan how to neutralize the minimalist
enforcement efforts of the Obama administration.
"Members of groups from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California were
among the roughly 45 delegates who came together in San Diego. At the
top of the agenda was how to counter Obama's message that further
security measures are needed, including 1,000 more border agents and
as many as 1,200 National Guard troops. The delegates acknowledged
that their goal, comprehensive immigration reform, is unlikely to be
taken up by Congress this year."
Comments
June 30, 2010
Apportionment Effects of Census Count of Illegal Immigrants Yet to Be
Seen, Expected to Be High
Leah Durant, with Progressives for Immigration Reform, says that the
Census is expected to again give undue representation to states with
high illegal immigrant populations. "The failure to distinguish legal
residents from illegal immigrants has caused the apportionment of
House seats to skew unfairly. The distribution of House seats is based
on population, with 650,000 residents per House seat. If states with
large undocumented populations like California were not allowed to
count these populations, they would lose a significant number of House
seats to states that had a higher ratio of citizens to undocumented
immigrants. California, for example, would lose 5 House seats if its 3
to 5 million undocumented residents were not counted in the
population."
Comments
June 30, 2010
Ohioans Support Arizona Style Law
A new poll by Quinnipiac University shows 48 percent of Ohio voters
support an Arizona-style immigration law. NBC 4 Columbus interviewed
Ohioans who echoed the overall public support for the measure.
Comments
June 30, 2010
ICE Raids California Factory
ICE agents arrested 43 people at the Fullerton, California plant of
Terra Universal Inc. as part of a raid targeting illegal employees.
Terra, which makes laboratory equipment, said the shutdown cost
$250,000 so far.
Comments
June 30, 2010
Wells Fargo, Western Union, Other Banks Financed Drug Cartels and Face
No Penalty, Says Bloomberg News
"Wachovia, it turns out, had made a habit of helping move money for
Mexican drug smugglers. Wells Fargo & Co., which bought Wachovia in
2008, has admitted in court that its unit failed to monitor and report
suspected money laundering by narcotics traffickers -- including the
cash used to buy four planes that shipped a total of 22 tons of
cocaine," says Bloomberg News. "No big U.S. bank -- Wells Fargo
included -- has ever been indicted for violating the Bank Secrecy Act
or any other federal law. Instead, the Justice Department settles
criminal charges by using deferred-prosecution agreements, in which a
bank pays a fine and promises not to break the law again."
"There's no capacity to regulate or punish them because they're too
big to be threatened with failure," a former investigator with the
U.S. Senate said. "They seem to be willing to do anything that
improves their bottom line, until they're caught."
Comments
June 29, 2010
Obama, Legislators Plan Next Move for Amnesty
"Even with Washington distracted by the oil spill, a change in
generals in Afghanistan and a Supreme Court nomination, President
Barack Obama and his congressional allies are stoking the immigration
debate, ignoring signals that the issue is dead for the year,"
Politico reports. "According to those involved in the meetings, the
discussions are not about legislation but about keeping the politics
of immigration simmering for a key part of the Democratic base. The
Obama administration is preparing a lawsuit against Arizona,
challenging that state's toughest-in-the-nation immigration law. And
the president told participants Monday that he plans to give a major
speech soon urging Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform."
Comments
June 29, 2010
Tennessee Governor Signs Arizona-Style Measure into Law
Gov. Phil Bredesen signed an Arizona-style enforcement bill into law
Monday. The measure requires police to check with ICE if they cannot
verify the citizenship status of people arrested. "I believe there has
been significant political posturing on this issue," Bredesen said.
"While I do have concerns about this legislation, this bill seeks to
set up a verification process similar to what exists in our state's
major cities, and I have been supportive of these efforts."
Comments
June 29, 2010
Obama Holds Secret White House Meeting With SEIU About SB 1070
"President Obama added a late meeting [Monday] afternoon, a closed-to-
the-media session of what the White House described as 'grass-roots
leaders' discussing 'comprehensive immigration reform,'" USA Today
says.
Comments
June 29, 2010
Illegal Immigrants Allegedly Leave Arizona to Avoid SB 1070
The New York Daily News says "droves" of illegal aliens are leaving
Arizona to avoid SB 1070. "Some point to the recent departures as a
sign that the new law is working and saving the state money because
taxpayers won't have to pay for schools or social services."
Comments
June 28, 2010
Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Arizona E-Verify Law
"The Court's decision to take the case places a harsh spotlight on
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano for an apparent reversal
on her views of how best to address immigration problems. It also puts
added focus on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan and her role as
Solicitor General in asking the high court to take the case," notes
Fox News. "Arizona argues that concern is unwarranted because its law
works in concert with federal measures. 'Although Congress prohibited
the federal government from requiring employers throughout the country
to use E-Verify, it did not prohibit state policymakers from requiring
employers within their jurisdiction to use this federal program,'
Arizona Solicitor General Mary O'Grady told the Court asking the
justices to deny review."
Comments
June 28, 2010
Las Vegas 287(g) Program Succeeds in Deporting Criminals
Las Vegas police are having success at arresting and deporting illegal
alien criminals, the Las Vegas Review Journal says. "Las Vegas police
insist the arrests on minor charges do not violate the department's
stated intent to target only illegal immigrants who have committed
violent crimes. That's because a person who is arrested for
jaywalking, for example, would only be referred to ICE if they had a
police record that included a violent crime, police said. 'You may
have a guy who got arrested for jaywalking, but it wasn't jaywalking
that got him deported,' said Officer Jacinto Rivera, a police
spokesman. 'It was his prior history of robbery and kidnapping.'' That
kind of common-sense hasn't stopped objections from the local ACLU,
which argues the policy is profiling.
Comments
June 28, 2010
Univision Host Says Obama Broke Amnesty Promises
Jorge Ramos, the host of the most popular Spanish-language TV news
show in the U.S., is on the 'warpath' after President Obama missed a
self-imposed deadline to move amnesty legislation. "Armed with a new
book, A Country for All: An Immigrant Manifesto , Ramos is the most
prominent Hispanic voice inside or outside of politics to blast away
at Obama for not keeping his word. 'I believed him and millions of
Latinos believed him,' Ramos said by phone from Miami," says a story
at the Daily Beast news blog. "Immigration usually trails behind
education and the economy in surveys of the most important issues for
Latino voters. Ramos says it's the "most important symbolic issue,"
however, and was crucial to Obama's success. Obama's Promise proved,
in a way that's hard to quantify with numbers, that Obama was a friend
of the Hispanic community. Obama wound up with 67 percent of the
Hispanic vote, 14 points higher than John Kerry's total."
Comments
June 25, 2010
States, Localities Increasingly Look For Immigration Enforcement
"In the first three months of this year, legislators in 45 states
introduced 1,180 bills or resolutions dealing with immigrants, an
unprecedented number, according to the NCSL (National Council of State
Legislatures). By the end of March, 107 laws and 87 resolutions had
been adopted by 34 states, with 38 bills pending. Not all of the
proposals were designed to clamp down on illegal immigrants. Ann
Morse, director of the Immigrant Policy Project at the NCSL, said they
represented "a spectrum" of pro- and anti-immigration measures," the
Washington Post says.
Comments
June 25, 2010
Arizona Boycotts Watered Down Under Pressure
The Christian Science Monitor says that cities that passed boycott
resolutions against Arizona are now watering them down after a
confrontation with reality. "The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday
granted itself an exemption to the city's boycott of Arizona to keep a
red light photo enforcement program operating. The program generates
about $3.6 million in annual ticket revenue for the city. The day
before, Oakland voted to approve a $1 million contract with a
multinational advertising company with corporate offices in Phoenix."
Comments
June 25, 2010
Bloomberg Ramps Up Amnesty Coalition
"Mayor Michael Bloomberg, making good on an inaugural pledge, has
stepped up to help lead the national battle for immigration reform. On
Thursday, he announced a partnership of mayors and business leaders to
make the economic case for [amnesty], including mayors of Los Angeles,
Philadelphia, San Antonio, Phoenix, and top executives of companies
like Walt Disney, Hewlett-Packard, Boeing and the New York Mets," the
New York Times said.
Comments
June 24, 2010
House Judiciary Members Say Kagan Should Answer About 2007 Arizona Law
"Fourteen members of Congress sent a letter today to Senate Judiciary
Committee Ranking Member Jeff Sessions asking him to question Supreme
Court nominee Elena Kagan about her role in the Obama administration's
decision to ask the Court to overturn a 2007 Arizona immigration
enforcement law," notes a statement from Republicans on the House
Judiciary Committee.
Comments
June 24, 2010
Napolitano Picks Sanctuary City Police Chief to Lead ICE Local
Coordination?
"Former Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt, who has been a vocal critic
of a controversial program at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has
taken a high-profile job at the federal agency. At ICE, Hurtt will act
as the new director in charge of outreach with local and state law
enforcement and non-governmental organizations," the Houston Chronicle
reported. "Hurtt and former Mayor Bill White faced harsh criticism
during their tenures over the city's role in immigration enforcement.
Much of the conflict during the past year focused on HPD's
participation - or lack thereof - in ICE's 287(g) program, which
trains local law enforcement to assist ICE with immigration
screening."
Comments
June 24, 2010
Napolitano Says Border Is As Secure As It's Ever Been
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano echoed the purported statements of
President Obama at a forum in Washington D.C. yesterday, according to
Congress Daily. Speaking at the Center For Strategic and International
Studies, she said, "The plain fact of the matter is that the border is
as secure now as it's ever been but we know we can always do more. . .
The notion that you're going to somehow seal the border and only at
that point will you discuss immigration reform -- that is not an
answer to the problem."
Comments
June 24, 2010
CEOs Form Amnesty Coalition
"Chief executives of several major corporations, including Hewlett-
Packard, Boeing, Disney and News Corp., are joining Mayor Michael
Bloomberg to form a coalition advocating for immigration reform --
including a path to legal status for all undocumented immigrants now
in the United States," CBS TV reports. "The group includes several
other big-city mayors and calls itself the Partnership for a New
American Economy. It seeks to reframe immigration reform as the
solution to repairing and stimulating the economy."
Comments
June 23, 2010
Read Mexico's Incredible Amicus Brief Against SB 1070
The Mexican government has managed with the assistance of several U.S.
law firms to produce a brief so stunning in its overall outrageousness
that they have outdone themselves. Mexico's position through their
brief, filed against SB 1070, is that the democratic will of the
Arizona electorate, the inalienable right of self-determination and
republican government guaranteed by the Constitution, is as nothing
compared to the demands of a foreign state that continues to claim the
right to meddle in U.S. domestic policy. Anyone who maintains that
illegal immigrants are "subject to the jurisdiction" of the U.S. for
the purposes of the 14th amendment has better never read this brief,
because the convenient fictions about birthright citizenship would
evaporate in the harsh realization that the Mexican government clearly
believes it has something to say about that conclusion and considers
Mexicans in the U.S. to be, in some form, always under its
jurisdiction.
Comments
June 23, 2010
Arizona Democrats Asking Obama NOT to Sue
"Arizona Democrats facing tough reelection races are distancing
themselves from the Obama administration as it prepares to file a
lawsuit against the state over its controversial immigration law. Rep.
Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) on Monday sent a sharply worded letter to
President Barack Obama urging him not to sue," The Hill's blog
reported.
Comments
June 23, 2010
Arizona Attorney General Steps Down from SB 1070 Defense
"Saying he's saving taxpayer funds, Attorney General Terry Goddard on
Friday bowed out of defending the legality of the state's new
immigration law. In a letter to Gov. Jan Brewer, Goddard said he still
disputes her contention that she alone can control the defense of SB
1070 in five separate federal court lawsuits that have been filed so
far," Capitol Media Services reported. Goddard said that while he
opposed the law, he was prepared to defend it in court.
Comments
June 23, 2010
State Dept. Changes Refugee Stance, Will Allow More Iraqis to Detroit
The State Department has changed a policy restricting Iraqi refugee
resettlement to Detroit because of the bad local economy. The change
comes after the State Department doubled the amount of money given to
resettlement agencies for each refugee.
Comments
June 23, 2010
Bloomberg Defends Mass Immigration, Financial Industry
New York mayor Bloomberg said at the New York Forum conference today,
"Our immigration policy is national suicide. I can't think of any ways
to destroy this country quite as direct and impactful as our
immigration policy. We educate the best and the brightest and then we
don't give them a green card." Bloomberg also criticized Congress for
financial regulations currently being debated.
Comments
June 22, 2010
Arpaio, Brewer Say Suits Against SB 1070 Without Merit
"Arizona's governor and Sheriff Joe Arpaio seek dismissal of a federal
class action challenging the state's new immigration law. Gov. Jan
Brewer and "America's Toughest Sheriff" claim the complaint from the
ACLU, NAACP and others lacks factual basis to show that members will
racially profiled when the law is enforced," Courthouse News reported.
Comments
June 22, 2010
Nebraska Town Passes Immigration Ordinance
Fremont, Nebraska residents approved a measure to help stop illegal
immigration. Unofficial results showed the measure got 57 percent of
the vote. "City leaders said now that the people have spoken, they
will do their best to enact the ordinance. 'We'll just go ahead and
follow the will of the people,' mayor "Skip" Edwards said. 'We just
need to implement it and move forward,'" the Fremont Tribune reports.
Comments
June 22, 2010
All Virginia Counties Now Using Secure Communities
"A new system that lets local law enforcement check fingerprints of
people who are arrested against immigration records maintained by the
Department of Homeland Security is now in use in every county in
Virginia, according to a joint release by the Attorney General's
office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)," the
Washington Post says. DHS's goal is to roll the program out nationally
by 2013.
Comments
June 22, 2010
Tennessee Bill Would Require Police to Verify Legal Status
The ACLU is asking Tennessee's governor to veto a bill that would
require police at jails to verify someone's legal status when they are
taken into custody. "Under the proposed law, sheriffs are required to
send booking information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
for all people who cannot prove their legal status," notes the
Tennessean.
Comments
June 21, 2010
Border Enforcement Hostage to Amnesty
Sen. Jon Kyl says the reason that Obama administration is foot-
dragging on border security is to gain political leverage in passing
amnesty. "They don't want to secure the border unless and until it is
combined with comprehensive immigration reform," Kyl said. "They
frankly don't want to do it. They want to get something in return for
doing their duty."
Comments
June 21, 2010
Tamar Jacoby: I Hate SB 1070 But Obama Shouldn't Sue
Amnesty supporter Tamar Jacoby says that the Obama administration
should not sue to overturn SB 1070 because it will polarize the
immigration debate. "It's a disastrous course -- and one all too
familiar in American politics. How long before the immigration debate
is as stalemated as the standoff on abortion? Each side sees the other
as morally reprehensible. Each is sure it's right. We as a nation
can't resolve the problem, but we can't let go of it, either -- and it
soon poisons other issues, making it hard to do even basic things,
like confirm judges."
Comments
June 21, 2010
Amnesty Supporters Upset By Any Enforcement Effort
"Homeland Security is under fire by disillusioned activists who
believe the Obama administration is only paying lip service to a
different strategy, and that in reality it is detaining criminal and
noncriminal immigrants the same way the administration of George W.
Bush did," according to the Miami Herald.
"As a law enforcement agency, ICE never said we were going to cease
arresting noncriminal aliens. Noncriminals are simply the lowest
priority. ICE still detains and removes noncriminals, but ICE's
priority as an agency is to remove criminal aliens with convictions,"
a DHS spokeswoman said.
Comments
June 21, 2010
Lansing Tries EB-5 Visas to Recruit Foreign Investors
"The term might not be part of the everyday American lexicon. But to
foreign nationals and Lansing officials, EB-5 translates into green -
green cards for the foreign nationals, and money for city businesses
and developments," says the Lansing State Journal. "In May, Lansing
became an EB-5 Regional Center. The designation allows immigrants to
obtain permanent U.S. residency when they invest $500,000 in a
commercial enterprise that creates at least 10 direct or indirect full-
time jobs."
Comments
June 18, 2010
Dan Stein on Fox News: Obama Lawsuit Against SB 1070
White House sources are confirming that the Department of Justice will
file suit to stop implementation of SB 1070. FAIR president Dan Stein
appeared on Fox News this afternoon shortly before the suit was
confirmed. Watch below.
Comments
June 18, 2010
New Video: Dan Stein on SB1070
Comments
June 18, 2010
Fox News Covers Cartel Incursions into AZ
"We have squad sized paramilitary elements that are working deep in
our country," says Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu in this Fox News
clip.
This post updated 6/18, originally posted 6/16
Comments
June 18, 2010
Hillary Says Obama Will Sue Arizona, Gov. Brewer Launches Defense Fund
"The Obama administration has decided to sue Arizona over the state's
controversial immigration law, according to Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton. The Justice Department declined Thursday to confirm
such a plan," the Washington Post reported.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has set up a defense fund to help with legal
costs associated with SB 1070. "Nearly 440 individuals in 46 U.S.
states and the District of Columbia have contributed to the fund. The
smallest contribution is $1 and the largest is for $750, which came
from a Kansas resident," the Arizona Republic reports.
Comments
June 18, 2010
Inman Family Holds Vigil in Georgia
The family of Dustin Inman held a vigil at his grave this week, 10
years after he was killed by an illegal alien drunk driver. "On June
16, 2000, the Inman's were sitting at a traffic light in Ellijay when
another car hit them from behind. Sixteen-year old Dustin Inman was
killed and his mother Kathy Inman was left paralyzed. Billy Inman was
injured and left picking up the pieces. Inman said the other driver
was taken to the hospital, but then checked himself out and went on
the run. Police said the driver was an illegal immigrant," CBS-TV
reported. The Dustin Inman Society was founded after his death to work
for immigration reform in Georgia.
Comments
June 18, 2010
DHS Considers More Drone Patrols
"The Homeland Security Department is "seriously considering" expanding
its arsenal of unmanned drones to patrol the nation's borders and does
not expect to have a comprehensive border security assessment
completed until the end of the year, a senior DHS official told
lawmakers today," according to Congress Daily. "Borkowski did not
offer a timeline for making a decision to buy more drones. Instead, he
said the department is conducting an assessment of two border areas
where SBInet technology is being used and expects it to be completed
by the end of December."
Comments
June 18, 2010
Nebraska Town Struggles To Halt Illegal Immigration
The New York Times reports from Fremont, Nebraska, where citizens
managed to get an ordinance designed to halt illegal immigration on
the ballot. "[I]n a special election Monday, residents will decide
whether to ban businesses from hiring illegal immigrants and bar
landlords from renting to them. Residents demanded the vote, fighting
off challenges by some of their elected leaders all the way to the
State Supreme Court."
Comments
June 17, 2010
Dissention in the Amnesty Ranks?
Alfredo Gutierrez, who writes for La Frontera Times, says the Reform
Immigration For America campaign disrespected DREAM Act activists by
meeting with Sen. Schumer while students were staging a hunger strike
by his office. Gutierrez says RIFA and the major national amnesty
groups are 'aparatchiks'. "Ten years of consistent failure, ten years
of sacrificing the lives and dreams of perhaps six or seven hundred
thousand youngsters should be enough to persuade even the most ardent
aparatchik that one should reconsider. Unfortunately, the uncreative
who populate many of the mainstream advocacy plod on without a hint of
irony arguing that their failure represents loyalty to principle."
Comments
June 17, 2010
Sen. Pearce Says Anchor Baby Problem Next Up for Legislation
"Emboldened by passage of the nation's toughest law against illegal
immigration, the Arizona politician who sponsored the measure now
wants to deny U.S. citizenship to children born in this country to
undocumented parents," notes the Associated Press.
Comments
June 17, 2010
ICE Tries Re-Branding Effort to De-Emphasize Illegal Immigration
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will realign its duties to
promote criminal investigations over immigrant deportation, officials
have announced," the Washington Post reported. "By streamlining and
renaming several offices, officials hope to highlight the agency's
counterterrorism, money laundering and other complex criminal
investigations and in the process "re-brand" ICE, turning the public
-- and political -- spotlight away from its immigration work."
Comments
June 16, 2010
Taking Obama to Heart . . . About Media Coverage of the SPLC
"[President] Obama has had a few choice words for reporters recently.
He warned graduates at the University of Michigan of the damage the
media do by playing up 'every hint of conflict' to produce 'sexier'
stories. Vilification on both sides, Obama said, 'prevents learning -
since after all, why should we listen to a 'fascist' or a 'socialist'
or a 'right-wing nut' or a 'left-wing nut'?" says Jamie Holmes with
the New America Foundation in a Christian Science Monitor Op-Ed.
He continues, "[The SPLC's] exaggerations, and reporters' more-or-less
intentional acquiescence, are deeply counterproductive. They smear
Americans who are merely exercising their right to free speech, and
sap funds from other organizations and issues that are much more
critical to promoting tolerance. Exaggerations like the SPLC's help
stifle rational debate."
Comments
June 16, 2010
Arpaio to Launch New Crime Sweep
"Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he plans to launch his 16th
crime and immigration sweep on July 30, the day after Arizona's new
immigration law is set to take effect," KSWT-TV reported. "The
sheriff's office hasn't revealed where it will conduct the sweep."
Comments
June 16, 2010
Denver Amnesty Rally Ends in Arrests
Denver Police arrested 14 people who were protesting the lack of
amnesty legislation. "The activists who kneeled on the street in front
of the federal courthouse were part of a much larger protest and march
aimed at urging President Barack Obama to immediately tackle
immigration reform. Many of the estimated 110 activists who
participated in yesterday's protest were furious that Obama hasn't
make good on his campaign promise to tackle immigration reform within
his first year of office," the Denver Daily News says.
Comments
June 16, 2010
Mexico Should Skip Immigration Lectures
Barbara Lydick in the Visalia Times-Delta says Mexico has not leeway
to criticize Arizona for enforcing immigration laws. "Absent
enforcement of federal law, what was Arizona to do? There are nearly
500,000 illegal immigrants living in Arizona, availing themselves of
schools, hospitals and social services. Last year, the Border Patrol
apprehended 241,453 people and confiscated 1.3 million pounds of
marijuana in just the Tucson sector and one-fifth of those had a U.S.
criminal record."
Comments
June 15, 2010
Illegal Aliens are Often Career Criminals says Border Agent
Jennifer Kendall tells Human Events readers about her interview with a
Border Patrol agent who explained to her that many illegal aliens are
career criminals. "When it comes to whom illegal immigrants are, the
Border Patrol officer says 'There are a certain amount of people in
the group that are just looking for a better life. They're hardworking
people and they are coming here to do what people have done for many,
many years, come here for opportunity. But there's also a certain
amount of those people that are career criminals, you know... they're
trying to manipulate the system. They just come here and break laws,
not pay taxes, and benefit from all the public programs and that type
of stuff.'"
Comments
June 15, 2010
Why Arizona's Immigration Law Will Work in Massachusetts
"The economic cost of illegal immigration is taking its toll,
especially in Arizona. According to a recent study by the Federation
for American Immigration Reform, Arizonans paid $2.7 billion in 2009
to support illegal immigrants. This figure does not include costs
associated with an increase in violent crime and a flood of drugs in
the state," notes Michael Stoppa in a Boston Globe commentary.
Comments
June 15, 2010
Is Border Security an Inconvenient Truth?
"The dispute over just how much border security is enough looms as the
biggest impediment to any attempt by the Obama administration and
Congress to overhaul the nation's immigration laws," says the LA
Times. "Republicans say they can't support an immigration bill until
the border is under control. The Obama administration points out that
crime in U.S. border cities is down, as are illegal border crossings."
Comments
June 14, 2010
Pinal County Sheriff: Cartels Control Parts of Arizona
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu says that Mexican drug cartels now
control parts of Arizona stretching from the border to Phoenix. "Pinal
County investigators say an area known as the smuggling corridor now
stretches from Mexico's border to metro Phoenix. The area , once an
area for family hiking and off road vehicles has government signs
warning residents of the drug and human smugglers," says MaryEllen
Resendez with ABC News.
Comments
June 14, 2010
SPLC: Amnesty Advocates, Not Impartial Sources
Reporters beware: for those who thought the Southern Poverty Law
Center was a neutral broker on immigration policy, they are actually
pushing their own agenda in what has increasingly become a partisan
policy debate. As recently as 2007, the Southern Poverty Law Center
(SPLC) found funding to start attacking immigration reformers
nationwide - attacks that have now become part of their daily "to do"
list. Early on, SPLC staffers justified their polemical assault by
claiming they were detached and disinterested observers of the
immigration debate, telling reporters the SPLC doesn't even have an
immigration policy position. Now the truth is out - and it turns out
they lied. Recently, the SPLC not only began litigating immigration
issues, but it has taken legislative positions in favor of amnesty -
joining open-borders coalitions virulently opposed to all border
enforcement. Most recently, they've joined the "Immigration Reform for
America" coalition - the main amnesty coalition in the U.S.
So much for claiming to be a neutral broker on the immigration issue.
Even more recently, SPLC staffers have spent months culling through
public archives of materials donated by FAIR and others in this
movement in their attempt to smear political opponents. The SPLC
ignores 99.99% of the professional and creditable material before
their very eyes, all the while trying to find evidence of bias or
unsavory motives in an arcane fragment here and there. To some, this
open access position of the immigration reform movement is a tribute
to our commitment to openness and the spirit of free inquiry. It would
be interesting to know where one can go to examine the private papers
of Morris Dees, Richard Cohen or old SPLC organizational files. An
innocent inquiry into a few SPLC financial matters by the Montgomery
Advertiser earned that paper more than a few legal threats from SPLC
lawyers. Award winning reporters like Jerry Kammer and Ken Silverstein
(Harpers) have published block-buster exposes on the unethical
practices of the SPLC. But do they even respond?
The SPLC's revelatory behavior is leading more and more people to see
the organization for what is really is - an organization out of step
with the challenges facing America in the 21st Century and reduced to
DaVinci Code-style "exposes" aimed at getting donations from anyone
credulous enough to believe them. Beyond a cozy relationship with the
liberal fringe parked at MSNBC, the SPLC's pretensions of being an
arbiter of acceptable speech and thought are viewed with increasing
skepticism.
Comments
June 14, 2010
Clarence Jones: Arizona Law Opponents Should Protest Mexico's Policy
"As an African-American who lived through and before the Civil Rights
Movement, I'm no fan of assessing people based on their skin color.
But holding a struggling State's feet to the fire on tactics is
missing the point . Why are protests not being directed to our
national government and the government of Mexico? Why aren't these
groups demanding that our porous border with Mexico be closed, once
and for all? It's not impossible," says Clarence Jones at the
Huffington Post.
Comments
June 14, 2010
Texas GOP Moves to Support Arizona-Style Law
"Texas Republicans voted Saturday to call for a state law to require
local police officers to verify that people arrested on suspicion of a
crime are in the country legally. If Republicans have their way, the
Legislature would make it a crime for an illegal immigrant to
"intentionally or knowingly" be in the state of Texas. The proposal,
similar to the controversial law in Arizona, is part of the
legislative priorities section of the platform approved Saturday at
the state GOP convention in Dallas," the Southern Political Report
says. The Houston Chronicle has more coverage.
Comments
June 14, 2010
Sheriff's Deputies Raid Sizzler Restaurants in AZ
Maricopa Sheriff Deputies raided several Sizzler restaurants to
enforce the law against hiring illegal immigrants. "The raids were
part of a yearlong investigation into whether the operators of the two
Sizzler locations broke a civil law by knowingly hiring illegal
immigrants, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Lt. Brian Lee said in a
statement," the AP reported.
Comments
June 11, 2010
Rep. Lamar Smith : Holder's Hostility on Arizona Part of a Broader
Pattern
"The Obama administration has all but abandoned worksite enforcement
efforts. Through April, administrative arrests are down 80 percent,
criminal arrests are down 68 percent, the number of criminal
indictments is down 74 percent and convictions are down 75 percent
since 2008. What an insult to the millions of unemployed citizen and
legal immigrant workers who need those jobs held by millions of
illegal immigrants!" says Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) in an op-ed today.
Comments
June 11, 2010
The Immigration Policy Center Sweeps American Workers Under the Carpet
by Jack Martin
The Immigration Policy Center - a creation of the immigration lawyers
association - is trying to convince policymakers and the public that
illegal aliens do not compete for jobs with American workers. They
assert that:
"The data demonstrates. . . that most foreign-born workers differ
from most native-born workers in terms of what occupations they work
in, where in the country they live, and how much education they have.
What this means in practical terms is that most native-born workers
are not directly competing for jobs with immigrant workers because
they are in different labor markets."
The word "most" is used to sweep under the carpet the social injustice
of allowing illegal alien workers to undercut wages and working
conditions of America's most vulnerable workers. Sure, most American
workers are not high school dropouts. Sure, most illegal immigrant
workers do not have college degrees - and would have difficulty
getting a professional job anyway. But that does not mean that there
are not millions of Americans today looking for jobs - or full-time
jobs, and especially jobs that offer some security, and it does not
mean that there aren't millions of illegal aliens filling jobs that
those unemployed and underemployed Americans are seeking.
Comments
June 11, 2010
Is the Ground Shifting on Immigration?
by Ira Mehlman
The political debate over immigration policy in the U.S. and in other
developed nations has often been mischaracterized as a Left vs. Right
one. In fact it has never been, and is becoming increasingly less so
every day. Immigration is (and always has been) an Elite vs. Everyone
Else issue. (cont'd)
The Elite have always been a distinct minority wherever the
immigration debate has played out. But what they lacked in numbers
they have been able to make up for by being - well, The Elite. Lately,
however, The Elite aren't feeling so comfortable, and it's not just in
the U.S. Ordinary citizens in this country and in many other Western
democracies seem to finally have had enough. High on the list of
things they've had enough of is excessive immigration.
Voters in the Netherlands, this week, registered their feelings loudly
and clearly by electing 24 members of the Freedom Party to the Dutch
Parliament. The Freedom Party's leader, Geert Wilders, campaigned on a
platform that called for dramatic reductions in immigration to the
Netherlands. The traditional center-right and center-left parties
claimed just 31 and 30 seats respectively. Perhaps even more
significant than the Freedom Party's large gains in Parliament was
that their message on immigration was so popular with the electorate
that it was all but co-opted by the winning center-right Liberal
Party.
Here in this country the ground has been gradually shifting under the
feet of the political establishment for some time. But they were
really forced to sit up and take notice when, in spite of their most
eloquent expressions of displeasure and consternation, the American
public, nevertheless, cheered Arizona's bold move to enforce laws
against illegal immigration.
After decades of being ignored (even scorned) by both major parties in
the U.S., there are some encouraging signs that even the political
elite are beginning to get the message on immigration. As recently as
2007, there was a sizeable contingent of congressional Republicans
prepared to support amnesty and mass immigration. No more. The open
immigration wing of the GOP has been reduced to a coalition of one:
Sen. Lindsey Graham - and even he isn't sure he wants to be a member.
The Democratic Party line on immigration hasn't changed (although
there are many Democratic elected officials who oppose amnesty and
mass immigration, and are pressuring the party leadership to leave the
issue alone), but even they have been forced to bow to political
realities. A June 10 article in Politico notes that when it comes to
the immigration issue these days, almost no one wants to sound like
they are condoning illegal immigration or supporting amnesty. The
political strategy employed by the Democratic leadership is to talk-
the-talk and hope that no one will notice that they aren't walking-the-
walk.
It seems that Everyone Else may finally be getting their attention.
Comments
June 11, 2010
Socialist Rages Against Arizona and SB1070
"The assortment of older, white, Republican Party functionaries and
political aspirants, Tea Party activists, AM talk-radio entourages and
Minuteman groups reveal the underlying nature of this movement. Far
from being an organic and widespread mobilization of disaffected
citizens, the latest anti-immigrant surge is a highly orchestrated
campaign, emanating from within the Washington beltway," says Justin
Akers Chacon at the Socialist Worker site.
Comments
June 11, 2010
AZ Law Opponents Believe in Unlimited Right to Immigrate to the U.S.
Philip Cafaro with RightSideNews says that the opposition to Arizona's
new law is ultimately due to opponents of the measure believing in an
unlimited right of immigration to the U.S. "[W]hat makes immigration
law-breaking special? It is special, because many immigrants' rights
advocates don't think breaking immigration laws is wrong. In effect,
they believe that immigrants have a right to settle in the United
States regardless of our laws. While this is not the explicit view of
the American Civil Liberties Union, it seems implicit in their overall
stance on immigration."
"One is forced to ask: if all these laws, including the new Arizona
law, are unfair and biased, what law - what law that actually worked -
would the ACLU accept as fair and unbiased? My sense is that the
answer for the ACLU and many supporters of mass immigration is 'none.'
No law that actually worked would be acceptable to the ACLU, for the
simple reason that they don't think immigration laws should be
enforced."
Comments
June 11, 2010
H-1B Body Shops File Suit So They Can Keep Abusing Employees
TechServe Alliance, the American Staffing Association and three body-
shop H-1b companies are suing to stop DHS regulations meant to combat
wage and other abuses commonly committed by firms hiring temporary
foreign workers. The policy changes was announced by Donald Neufield,
of Citizenship and Immigration Services, earlier in the year. It
requires companies that sponsor H-1b employees to directly supervise
them on a daily basis - something that body shops don't do.
"If the mere requirement that people actually work for their employer
will put many companies out of business, that demonstrates the extent
of the rampant abuse in the H-1B program," John Miano, founder of the
Programmers Guild, said in a Computerworld article.
Comments
June 11, 2010
It's Really About Zero Enforcement
Proving that there is no immigration enforcement measure that the open-
border lobby will support, Stewart J. Lawrence attacks the Secure
Communities program in the Christian Science Monitor.
"As with Arizona's recent law, it is susceptible to racial profiling
and a lack of due process in the jailing and deportation of illegal
aliens. It's a program that has potentially far-reaching consequences
if not properly managed. In the rush to tackle immigration, and in the
wrong hands, it could turn into a mass deportation program."
Comments
June 11, 2010
Mass. Legislators Move To Cut Benefits for Illegal Immigrants
The New York Times reports on efforts by Massachusetts legislators to
cut down the benefits given to illegal immigrants. "Five days after
the Arizona measure became law, the Massachusetts House came close to
passing a Republican proposal to block public benefits for illegal
immigrants. A similar bill failed overwhelmingly just a year earlier.
But supporters said the Arizona law - and pockets of anger here over
the case of President Obama's Kenyan aunt, who had been living in
public housing in Boston while fighting a deportation order - turned
the tide."
Comments
June 10, 2010
Immigration Views Swing GOP Primary in Florida?
Fox News says that "A surprising surge by mega-millionaire Rick Scott
in the Republican race to replace Charlie Crist as Florida governor
puts the political neophyte 13 points ahead of Florida Attorney
General Bill McCollum."
"Scott, who came to enjoy some name recognition as a vocal opponent of
the health insurance overhaul enacted into law earlier this year, has
ubiquitously used television ads, to strongly criticize McCollum for
saying that the Arizona immigration law would not work in Florida."
Comments
June 10, 2010
New Videos of Speeches At Phoenix Rising Rally
Dan Amato of DiggersRealm.com has posted video of the speakers at the
Phoenix Rising Rally, June 5th, 2010. The rally was held in support of
Arizona SB 1070.
Comments
June 10, 2010
Continental Breakfast, Other Amenities Coming for Immigration
Detainees
Among the changes coming to detention centers for illegal immigrants
are bingo nights, vocational classes and continental breakfast, says
the Houston Chronicle. ICE union leaders said the changes posed
problems for officer safety. The elimination of pat-down searches and
lockdowns will make it harder to protect detainees from one another.
Comments
June 10, 2010
Utah Counties Move to Adopt Secure Communities
"The Secure Communities Program, an initiative headed by U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement that helps law enforcement
officers match fingerprints to federal immigration records, started in
six other Utah counties in March and is now moving to Washington,
Beaver and Sevier counties," The Spectrum reported. "The program uses
biometric information-sharing technology to take fingerprints already
recorded upon booking and send them to ICE and the Federal Bureau of
Investigations."
Comments
June 10, 2010
Joe Wurzelbacher - FairTax Would Help to Fix Immigration
"You won't hear Senor Calderon talking about his country's failure to
create a viable middle class in Mexico because that might mean
sacrifice by the wealthy class there. Instead, Mexico has built
factories on their side of the US/Mexico border to steal away American
businesses and attract more Mexicans from the interior to our border,"
says Joe Wurzelbacher at Andrew Breitbart's Big Government. "The
FairTax is a national retail consumption tax to replace all federal
taxes on income. It comes with a monthly "prebate" check which wipes
out or offsets the new tax on the necessities of life. Millions of
illegal immigrants become taxpayers, overnight, under the FairTax as
consumers but won't get the monthly prebate. That means that if you
come here illegally you can expect to spend 23% more than anyone else
on your daily purchases. For an American family of four this prebate
allows more than $29,000 a year of federal tax free spending-but
illegal immigrants get no such break."
Comments
June 10, 2010
Sheriff Says Illegal Aliens May Be Working on Oil Cleanup
St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack A. Stephens says he asked ICE to
investigate reports that illegal immigrants were getting jobs doing
cleanup to respond to the Deepwater Horizon leak. "Stephens says he
wants to protect the community from 'criminal elements' and not
'people who want to earn an honest buck,'" according to the AP.
Comments
June 10, 2010
Debate Heats up Over Fremont Ordinance
"Dramatic growth in Fremont's foreign-born population and citizen
concerns about illegal immigration's costs culminated in July 2008
with the City Council narrowly defeating a proposed ordinance aimed at
clearing Fremont of undocumented workers. Now that ordinance is back
before voters June 21," says the Omaha World Herald. "The same day the
Nebraska court ordered the Fremont election to proceed, Arizona's
governor signed a law compelling local police to ask for proof of
residency from people they suspect of being illegal immigrants,
stepping up the debate over immigration nationally. Former Fremont
City Councilman Charlie Janssen, who voted for the ordinance, now is a
state senator who has said he plans to offer similar legislation for
Nebraska."
Comments
June 10, 2010
The Real Story of California Penal Code 834b and Arizona's SB 1070
Many people concerned with immigration reform have been forwarding the
text of California Penal Code 834b. Section 834b is very similar to
Arizona's newly passed SB 1070 in that it provides for effective state
and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Here, FAIR
and IRLI (Immigration Reform Law Institute) provide some answers for
the most commonly asked questions about California Penal Code 834b and
immigration enforcement. (cont'd)
Frequently asked questions:
Q: Why is California ignoring 834b and not enforcing the law?
A: California Penal Code 834b is the statutory language added to the
California Penal Code by Prop. 187. In 1997, then-Governor Gray Davis
moved to put the lawsuit filed (League of United Latin American
Citizens v. Wilson, 908 F.Supp. 755, 763 (C.D.Cal.1995)) into
mediation. Subsequently, the initial injunction that held that
provisions of Prop. 187 were pre-empted was not challenged. The move
by Davis allowed the challenge to Prop. 187 to prevail, and the 9th
Circuit opinion about the pre-emption issue was never litigated to a
conclusion.
Q: How is Arizona SB 1070 different from California Penal Code 834b?
A: Arizona SB 1070 was very carefully drafted after a legal analysis
of the arguments in the LULAC v. Wilson case. Arizona SB 1070
incorporates federal law - a different approach from Prop. 187's.
Arizona SB 1070 represents years worth of research and litigation
(including other state level measures in Arizona upheld by federal
courts) to completely fall within acceptable state action.
Prop. 187 is still the "toughest" state immigration enforcement
measure ever enacted - a point made by IRLI General Counsel Mike
Hethmon in this op-ed on April 30, 2010. (Read Here)
Q: Isn't there a way for California to start enforcing Section 834b?
A: No, because of the decision in LULAC v. Wilson, California cannot
enforce those provisions. California voters or California's
legislature need to pass an Arizona-style immigration measure again,
and also defend it in court as Arizona is preparing to do.
Q: Is there any enforceable provision of California Law Similar to SB
1070?
A: There is a California Code Section that is in place, has been
upheld by a California Appellate Court and is similar to the Arizona
Statute. Under Section 11369 of the Health and Safety Code, "[w]hen
there is reason to believe that any person arrested for a violation
[of any of 14 specified drug offenses] may not be a citizen of the
United States, the arresting agency shall notify the appropriate
agency of the United States having charge of deportation matters."
Fonseca v. Fong, (2008). Similar to that provision, SB 1070 requires
an Arizona State Officer who has reason to believe that someone is in
the country unlawfully, to contact the federal government, so that the
federal government can determine the suspect's immigration status.
Comments
June 09, 2010
Penn. Bills Target Illegal Employment
"Some Pennsylvania employers could be asked to take extra steps to
make sure they aren't employing illegal immigrants, if some lawmakers
get their way. The state House overwhelmingly approved two proposals
that would require contractors to verify that their employees are
legally authorized to work in the state," PennLive.com reported.
"These bills stand up for decent, hardworking Pennsylvanians who play
by the rules and are begging for our help," said bill sponsor Rep.
John Galloway, D-Bucks County.
Comments
June 09, 2010
Border Patrol Says Citizens Should Text Suspicious Activity at Wash.,
Montana Borders
The Border Patrol says it is now encouraging citizens to text in
reports of suspicious activity along the Washington and Montana
borders with Canada. "Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for
American Immigration Reform, said the plan makes good sense, adding
that many police departments are set up to receive text message tips,"
the AP reported. "There is no reason this cannot and should not be
implemented in the area of border security," he said.
Comments
June 09, 2010
Illegal Immigrants Preparing to Leave Arizona
"Though no one has precise figures, reports from school officials,
businesses and individuals indicate worried Hispanics - both legal and
illegal - are leaving the state in anticipation of the law, which will
go into effect July 29," says USA Today in a report on Arizona. "About
100,000 illegal immigrants left Arizona after the state passed a law
in 2007 that enhanced penalties on businesses that hired them,
according to the Department of Homeland Security. Some early signs
suggest another exodus."
Comments
June 09, 2010
LA City Council to File Brief in Case Against SB 1070
The LA City Council voted to file an amicus brief in support of a
legal challenge to Arizona SB 1070. "On an 8-2 vote, the council
agreed to file paperwork siding with the plaintiffs in Friendly House,
et al vs. Whiting, which charges that Senate Bill 1070 interferes with
federal power and authority over immigration matters," the LA Times
blog says.
Comments
June 09, 2010
The Similarities Between Health Care and Immigration "Reform"
"[T]he simple fact is that there is no consensus in the Democratic
caucus for a specific approach because there is no consensus in the
country either. As we hear everyone from Mr. Obama on down talk about
immigration reform as the Holy Grail for ending the public uproar, we
hear echoes of the 2008 presidential campaign when there was consensus
on the need for 'health care reform.' But that agreement on health
care reform quickly morphed into widespread disagreement about what
health care reform meant once the election was over. When it came time
to translate support for the concept into actual legislative language,
the consensus disappeared," says Peter A. Brown with Quinnipiac
University's polling center.
Comments
June 08, 2010
Webb County Reports Success With Secure Communities Program
"Secure Communities, which was launched in Laredo (Webb County) last
June, has led to the removal of more than 20,000 convicted criminal
aliens from the country. Additionally, the biometric information-
sharing capability is being expanded to 12 additional south Texas
counties on Tuesday," says the BorderFire Report.
Comments
June 08, 2010
Knox County Deputies Join Secure Communities Program
"Law enforcement agencies in Knox County are used to working together.
Starting Monday they will also be teaming up with the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement through the "Secure Communities" program," says
WBIR. "Everyone who is arrested and processed in Knox County will have
their information is sent to immigration officials."
Comments
June 08, 2010
Agriprocessors Boss Acquitted in Child Labor Case Because Illegal
Alien Teens Lied
Former Agriprocessors Inc. executive Sholom Rubashkin was found not
guilty on child labor charges because the illegal alien teenagers
working at the plant used false documents to gain employment. The
judgment came after 12 hours of deliberation by the jury, which said
they were unable to find a guilty verdict that Rubashkin "knowingly"
hired children to work at his meatpacking plant. "After the verdict
was read, District Associate Judge Nathan Callahan said the
prosecution had served notice to employers across the state that child
labor will not be tolerated. For that alone, he said the case was
'worth every penny' the state spent."
Comments
June 07, 2010
SB 1070 Supporters Rally in Phoenix
"Hundreds of people supporting Arizona's new law cracking down on
illegal immigration gathered near the state Capitol Saturday afternoon
as temperatures reached 105 degrees. The Pennsylvania-based group
Voice of the People USA organized the demonstration, which it touted
as a grassroots effort. Attendees traveled from every region of the
U.S., Voice of the People president Daniel Smeriglio said," according
to an AP account.
Comments
June 07, 2010
Time to Finish the Fence
"Why did building the fence along our southern border stop? Instead of
building the fence, Barack Obama would rather build a political party
of illegal aliens and their supporters. Unless we want to be dealing
with immigration problems in perpetuity, the fence must be completed,"
says Jeff Lukens of Right Wing News.
Comments
June 07, 2010
Kobach Talk Highlights Immigration Problems
"Kris Kobach, who helped write the controversial immigration law in
Arizona, says terrorists are streaming over the United States-Mexico
border, armed Mexican cartels have taken over some territory on the
U.S. side, and that some Democrats support illegal immigration because
they see potential voters," the Lawrence Journal World says. "Kobach
said the issue of stopping illegal immigrants at the border is a
matter of national security. In 2005, the Border Patrol captured 3,722
people crossing from Mexico into the United States who were from
countries that are considered state sponsors of terrorism, Kobach
said. He said that probably represents one-fourth of the total from
those countries who entered the United States illegally."
Comments
June 04, 2010
NYC Hotel Offers "Birth Tourism" Package Deal
"Thanks to the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, children
born on U.S. soil automatically become U.S. citizens, regardless of
where their parents hail from. Hence the phenomenon of U.S. birth
tourism, which appears to be a growing trend. Enter New York City's
Marmara Manhattan hotel, a Turkish-owned enterprise on the Upper East
Side that emphasizes extended stays through packages such as its
Suddenly Splitsville option for the newly divorced," says
Springwise.com in a write up of the package deal being offered by the
hotel targeted to foreign women.
Comments
June 04, 2010
Obama Promises "Help" in Meeting With Arizona Gov. Brewer
President Obama promised more assistance for Arizona in a meeting with
Gov. Jan Brewer yesterday. Brewer described the meeting for Fox News,
including Obama's deferral to the Justice Dept. on comments about SB
1070. "He indicated to me today that the majority of those [National
Guard] resources will be coming to Arizona. Now, in two weeks, I
assume that we'll have definite information on that. And I'm
encouraged. I'm encouraged by that," Brewer said.
Comments
June 04, 2010
Saturday Rally in Phoenix to Support SB 1070
"Backers of Arizona's new immigration law will rally at the state
Capitol on Saturday and the following weekend in another round of
demonstrations over the controversial legislation. Saturday's "Phoenix
Rising" rally comes about a week after thousands of people on both
sides of the Senate Bill 1070 dispute demonstrated in Phoenix and
Tempe. The rally June 12 is being led by two Florida radio-show
hosts," the Arizona Republic reports. See http://www.phoenixrally.com
for more information about Saturday's event.
Comments
June 04, 2010
AZ Business Groups: Only Illegal Aliens Are Getting Kidnapped So Don't
Worry About Crime
The Phoenix Business Journal says that Arizona business groups are
concerned that bringing attention to the crime problems associated
with illegal immigration will harm businesses. "[It] worries economic
developers, tourism officials and others who want to attract high-wage
jobs to the state. They say it sends a negative message that could
dissuade visitors, skilled workers and companies from coming to the
state." The Business Journal notes that "Phoenix has had 1,000
kidnapping reports the last three years, according to various sources.
Many other crimes against undocumented immigrants, including sexual
assaults against women, often go unreported. Still, much of the crime
related to drug and human smuggling does not impact tourists or law-
abiding Arizonans."
Comments
June 04, 2010
How Arizona SB 1070 Supports Federal Law
Arizona's law supports federal immigration enforcement, says an
Oregonian columnist. "Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has stated, "The federal
government has failed in its obligation and moral responsibility to
secure our border. A government's principal responsibility to its
citizens is to provide safety and security." Since the federal
government has abdicated its responsibility, the state of Arizona has
taken prudent steps to fill that role."
Comments
June 03, 2010
Man From Diverted Flight Detained on Immigration Violation
"The U.S. government said Wednesday it is holding a Somali man on
immigration violations, but gave no indication why the man was deemed
to be a threat to a commercial jet that was denied permission to
overfly the United States on Sunday," CNN reported. "Gaal admitted to
having committed fraud when he applied for refugee status in Canada in
October 2008 and to abandoning his "legal permanent residency" status
in the United States by departing the U.S. for more than 10 months and
applying for refugee status in Canada, a U.S. official told CNN on
condition of not being identified by name."
Comments
June 03, 2010
Whitman, Poizner Split on Arizona SB 1070
"Less than a week before Republicans choose their nominee for governor
of California, the two major candidates appear to be drawing lines in
the sand over a law enacted in a neighboring state. Meg Whitman,
campaigning in San Diego, said she has a better plan for immigration
control than Arizona, according to Signon San Diego," says Michael
McGuire with the Examiner. "Steve Poizner, the other major Republican
contender for governor, on Wednesday again endorsed the Arizona law
and criticized the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for its
vote Tuesday to boycott Arizona over the immigration law."
Comments
June 03, 2010
Obama's National Guard Plan Lacks Specifics
The Austin American-Statesman editors say the Obama administration
needs to release more information about the 1,200 National Guard
troops ordered to the border. "What we haven't heard in that week is
anything resembling specifics of the mission, how Washington imagines
that mission to be accomplished or which states will provide the
troops. There isn't even a hint as to how those units are going to be
dispersed. What is known generally is that the 1,200 troops will
provide sort of very loosely defined 'support' for law enforcement."
Comments
June 03, 2010
Pakistani Man Facing Deportation in Times Square Bomb Plot Faces
Deportation
"One of three Pakistani men arrested in New England last month as part
of the investigation into the attempted bombing in Times Square
entered the country illegally through Mexico, which makes him subject
to deportation, an immigration judge ruled yesterday," the Boston
Globe reported. "Government officials have said the three men might
have handled informal money transfers for Shahzad, but that it was
unclear whether they knew how the funds would be used."
Comments
June 02, 2010
Hate Crime Math by National Hispanic Media Coalition Doesn't Add Up
by Jack Martin, Special Projects Director
According to the Ars Technica website, a number of organizations have
joined a request by the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) to
the Federal Communications Commission to investigate "hate speech" in
the media. In support of their request, the NHMC petition claims,
"Hate crimes against Latinos have gone up 40 percent over the last
four years."
That claim ignores four facts. (1) Because more jurisdictions are
reporting on hate crimes to the FBI, the FBI warns that any increase
may simply represent broader coverage. (2) The Hispanic population is
rapidly growing, so the overall number could rise even though there
was zero change in the number of hate crimes per capita. For that
reason meaningful data must be adjusted for population size. (3) The
selective choice of dates for comparison hides the fact that the trend
over time of hate crimes against Hispanics is downward. (4) The NHMC
complaint ignores that the FBI data on hate crimes show that Hispanics
are the target of hate crimes much less frequently than blacks or
Jews.
The actual FBI hate crime data for Hispanics dropped from a high of
2.91 Hispanic hate crime victims per 100,000 in 1996 to 1.49 in 2003
(down 95%). Then it rose again to 1.85 in 2006 (still down 57%) and
dropped again in 2008 to 1.74 (down 67% from 1996. The NHMC cites just
the short-range upward change and ignores drop after 2007 and the fact
that even the highest recent crime data is down from earlier years.
See also Illegal Immigration and Hate Crimes: Is There a Relationship?
Comments
June 02, 2010
Translating the Code Words of the Illegal Alien Lobby
What the Illegal Alien Lobby Says Versus What They Really Mean
by Bob Dane
Communications Director-Federation for American Immigration Reform
The illegal alien special interests are working overtime making their
last ditch pitch for amnesty before mid-terms elections, robotically
reciting how they want to “fix” our immigration problems. In today’s
media spin-cycle, consistency counts, repetition rules and the illegal
alien lobby is true to form, all working from the same playbook, line
by line, word for word. Whether it’s the National Council for LaRaza,
the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, or America’s Voice arguing
for amnesty, you can rest assured that they will use any one, or any
combination of, the phrases below: (cont'd)
“We need to fix our broken immigration system. We need a path to
citizenship for undocumented workers so they can go to the back of the
line, get right with the law, and implement an orderly flow of needed
workers, and a policy which secures the borders.”
For those in the know, of course, it’s all nonsense - word play and
empty promises. Fortunately, the code words can be deciphered and
their true motives revealed with a minimal of effort:
Fix A Broken System: On its surface this sounds good, urgent and
necessary, but as Plato said, “Everything that deceives is said to
enchant.” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has been
leading the amnesty lobby by repeating the phrase “we must fix a
broken immigration system “and “we need 21st century laws.” When they
say the system is broken they actually mean illegal aliens face
deportation, and that America is not admitting enough legal immigrants
fast enough. The fact is illegal aliens aren’t supposed to be in the
United States—by definition they do not have legal status. As regards
our level of legal immigration, America currently allows in more than
one million people a year, more than any other industrialized country
on the planet.
The bottom line is that the only thing broken about our immigration
system is an unwillingness to impose sensible limitations and enforce
the laws. Truth in labeling might suggest that their version of
“fixing a broken system” should be read as “making a broken system
worse.”
Path to Citizenship: Euphemisms for amnesty wear thin quickly so the
new phrase “path to citizenship” and “earned legalization” has also
entered the lexicon. We already have a “path to citizenship” and it
starts with applying for a green card and getting in line. “Earned
legalization” is kind of crafty. It implies that as long as illegal
aliens actually have to do something, no matter how inconsequential
like paying a modest fine, it is not really amnesty. Beware of both
phrases. Substitute the word “amnesty” and remind yourself it applies
to 13 million illegal aliens and the context and consequences become
abundantly clear.
Go to the Back of the Line: To most people, going to the back of the
line would mean returning home, visiting the nearest U.S. embassy or
consulate, filling out the necessary forms, and then waiting for a
reply. What amnesty advocates mean by going to the back of the line
is that we create a brand new line for those who have broken the law
right here in this country.
Get Right with the Law: This beguiling phrase is meant to imply that
that amnesty recipients will follow the rule of law. If illegal aliens
have already broken the law, what assurance do we have they will
follow the law now? This phrase also suggests that administratively
converting 13 million people from illegal status to legal status “gets
them right with the law.” Accommodating law-breaking by simply
rewriting the rules to fit the circumstances is one of the most
insidious aspects of amnesty.
Undocumented Workers: Given the huge sums of money the special
interests have, one would assume their high-paid consultants would
have told them that this euphemism expired years ago. We all know it
means illegal aliens, but amnesty advocates believe that using the
adjective “undocumented” magically erases the illegality, while
claiming they are “workers” suggests all are gainfully employed, which
they’re often not. And very few who do work pay taxes. The proper
reference is “illegal aliens.” “Illegal” means prohibited by law.
Yes, entry without inspection into the U.S is prohibited. And “alien”
is a term defined in 8 U.S.C. Section 1101 and used by legal
professionals across the board including the United States Supreme
Court. It’s ok to say illegal aliens. You’ll be in good company.
Orderly Flow of Workers: This is a phrase that by its own definition
assumes we actually need more workers. It refers to our foreign guest
worker program. In addition to the 1.2 million legal immigrants the
U.S. admits each year, and the 13 million illegal aliens currently
living here, the U.S. also brings in another one million foreign
nationals through work visas year after year. With a national
unemployment rate of 9.9 percent and 25 million Americans either
unemployed or working part-time involuntarily, any endorsement of our
massive foreign guest worker flow, or a suggestion that we should
increase it, should be challenged on the grounds that it is imposing
unfair competition for scarce jobs. Instead of “orderly flow of
workers” the proper translation is “more foreign labor to take your
job.”
Secure the Border: They save the biggest and boldest claim for last.
Amnesty advocates promise to secure the border for no other reason
than to make their plans for massive amnesty more palatable. The
special interests don’t mean it and they don’t want to do it. After
all, they have stymied every single piece of immigration enforcement
legislation in recent years and relentlessly pressured the Obama
administration to systematically dismantle most existing immigration
enforcement. But, they remember all too well that the amnesty bill of
2007 was shot down because Americans could see that the borders were
not secure and that meaningful interior enforcement was nonexistent.
The amnesty lobby may remember 2007, but we remember 1986 when, in
exchange for roughly 3 million illegal aliens getting their amnesty,
the American public was promised more enforcement. That grand bargain
rewarded illegal aliens with citizenship while the American public got
squat. Promised enforcement was simply a deceitful bargaining chip to
advance an amnesty agenda. Their repeated claim that they want to
secure the border rings hollow given their record of working against
it.
There is immigration enforcement and then there is amnesty. One has
nothing to do with the other and true immigration reformers know
this. Revealing the motives of the illegal alien lobby is an ongoing
responsibility because as Burke said, “a very great part of the
mischiefs that vex this world arise from words.”
Comments
June 02, 2010
AZ Governor Tells DOJ: We'll See You In Court Over SB 1070
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said in an interview with CNN that she plans
on vigorously defending Arizona's new law, SB 1070. "'We'll meet you
in court,' Brewer told CNN' when asked how she would respond if
President Barack Obama's Department of Justice decided to challenge
the law. 'I have a pretty good record of winning in court.'"
Comments
June 02, 2010
DOJ Asks Supreme Court to Rule on Arizona Hiring Law
"The [Department of Justice] told the Supreme Court on Friday that a
2008 Arizona law that punishes employers for knowingly hiring illegal
immigrants may infringe on federal authority and should be examined
and possibly struck down," Yahoo News says.
Comments
June 02, 2010
Examining the Republican Split on Immigration
Ramesh Ponnuru says that the GOP needs more realism on immigration.
"The Right's division on immigration cuts across the usual lines:
There are social conservatives, hawks, and economic conservatives in
each camp. The division goes deep: It reflects differences about not
only what policies the government should adopt but the moral
convictions that should underlie them and the political strategies
that should accompany them. One thing all of these camps share,
however, is a lack of political realism."
"Stepping up enforcement while deferring the question of amnesty is
not a perfect solution to the dilemmas created by current immigration
policy. It does not open the door to a reform of legal immigration,
for example. But it would promote the most important goal of that
reform, assimilation, by reducing the total inflow from Mexico,"
Ponnuru says.
Comments
June 02, 2010
Rand Paul Says Birthright Citizenship Should End
"Children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants should not get
citizenship, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Rand Paul told an English-
language Russian television channel shortly after his May 18 primary
election victory," the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
Comments
June 02, 2010
Interview With Ohio Sheriff on Immigration, Need for State Laws Like
SB 1070
Fox News interviewed Ohio Sheriff Richard Jones about why a law like
Arizona SB 1070 is needed there.
Greta Van Susteren: Sheriff, you were also down there. Tell me, how
does illegal immigration impact your job in Ohio, if at all?
RICHARD K. JONES, BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO SHERIFF: Pretty simple, Greta.
Basically my jail is full. We have people that ripping off our
workers' comp in our county in Butler County, Ohio, the eighth largest
county of 88 in Ohio. Our courts are full. We have interpreters in our
court. Our court system is slowed down.
Comments
June 01, 2010
Obama Jeopardizing 'Win the West' Strategy With Arizona Stance
"Despite the attentive courtship, though, Arizona voters appear to be
even less receptive to Obama's ideas than they were during the 2008
presidential election when McCain eked out an unimpressive victory in
his home state," the Arizona Capitol Times says. "Last month, when
Obama called Arizona's new immigration law 'misguided,' he may have
permanently damaged his image in a state that his party has targeted
for years. Polling shows most people nationwide support the law, but
it's even more popular in Arizona, where a politician's position on
illegal immigration can make the difference between winning and losing
an election."
Comments
June 01, 2010
New Poll Shows Americans Want Arizona-style Law in Their State
A new poll by Quinnipiac University shows that a plurality of
Americans want a law like Arizona's SB 1070 in their state. About 48%
of those polled supported the measure. "The Arizona immigration law
has emerged as a major divide in the country, but the numbers are on
the side of those supporting it," said Peter Brown with Quinnipiac
University's Polling Institute.
Comments
June 01, 2010
Gutierrez/Hayward debate on Meet the Press: Gutierrez Continues to
Pressure Obama
Rep. Luis Gutierrez and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth appeared on Meet the
Press this weekend to debate amnesty for illegal immigrants. "People
want to see the laws enforced. To paraphrase Mr. Justice Brandeis,
when the government itself supports lawlessness, you end up with
anarchy. And the fact is, we need not only to enforce the border, we
need interior enforcement," said Hayworth.
Comments
June 01, 2010
Detained Illegal Immigrants Counted in Census
Over 30,000 illegal immigrants in detention centers around the U.S.
were counted in the Census. "[B]ecause the population snapshot
determines the allocation of federal dollars, those in custody could
help bring money to the towns, cities and counties in Texas, Arizona,
Washington and Georgia where the country's biggest and newest
facilities are located," the AP reported.
Comments
June 01, 2010
Hypocrisy in Opposition to Arizona SB 1070
Kirk Adams tells Atlanta Journal Constitution readers that Arizona's
new law, SB 1070 is a measured response to the severe crime problems
that accompany illegal immigration. He calls out opponents for piling
on when they would demand even harsher measures. "If such drug- and
gang-related crimes were affecting public safety in Manhattan or
Boston, East Coast elites would be declaring a national emergency."
Comments
June 01, 2010
Californians Want Arizona-Style Immigration Measure
The latest poll of Californians says that Californians favor a law
like SB 1070 by a 50-43 margin. The percentage of those who 'strongly'
favored or opposed the law were very high compared to those who 'not
so strongly' favor or oppose.