Republican legislators teamed up to unveil what one deemed a “comprehensive” plan to deal with California’s illegal immigration problem in Sacramento Tuesday, packaging 22 GOP bills their sponsors say provide crucial reforms that will curb the state’s budget crisis.
Local Democrats were critical of the plan, saying targeting the state’s illegal immigrant population would only hurt state revenues. Republicans countered that the price of providing services to illegal immigrants poses a serious cost to California taxpayers and further burdens the state’s $16-billion deficit.
“Both Republicans and Democrats are getting pressure on the budget issue, and there are a lot of programs that have to be cut,” said Assemblyman Jim Silva, who organized the plan and news conference. “What we’re trying to do here is take out the loopholes in the budget process where we’re losing money and make sure it goes to the citizens of California.”
“The state is in a financial life raft that is sinking,” he added. “The California Assembly Republicans have now offered a number of solutions.”
“I think this is all ridiculous,” Orange County Democratic Party chairman Frank Barbaro said. “We have become incredibly addicted to this workforce — I don’t know what California would do without the Latino immigration that we have, whether it’s legal or illegal…we’d be up a creek without a paddle.”
Silva hopes that his bill, which would add “illegal immigration” to the list of situations in which the governor may declare a state of emergency, would provide additional funding for the state’s Border Patrol operations.
A full list of the proposed bills are available at: http://republican.assembly....
Other local Republican lawmakers were also present for the unveiling and expressed hope their bills would get some traction in spite of the Democratic majority. Assemblyman Chuck DeVore had two bills in the package: one that would no longer exempt illegal immigrants from non-resident tuition fees, and another that would bar state contracts with businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
“I think one of the things Mr. Silva wanted to point out was that, for example, New Mexico and Arizona both have Democratic governors, but have been far more diligent [than California] in taking a look at all of their state policies and fine tune them to close loopholes for people not legally in this country,” DeVore said. “Let’s examine all the things we do differently in California and fix it.”
Sabrina Lockhart, a spokeswoman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said her office does not comment on legislation before it reaches the governor’s desk, but said the governor welcomed support in securing California’s borders.
Efforts to reach Assemblyman Van Tran, whose proposal to require the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to check the immigration status of its prisoners was included in the Republican’s package, were unsuccessful.
life is good
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border fence ??? Ouch !!! Border Patrol implements zero-tolerance policy for illegal immigrants Denver debates college tuition for illegal immigrants Illegal immigration: A glimpse of the other side. I need a Bull.... Daughter for sale......... Charges To Be Filed Against Anyone Caught Crossing U.S.-Mexico Border Illegal Immigrants Arrested On Prostitution Charges Post nasal drip December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 
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Hey there's a concept.....Mexico taking care of it's own citizens.....It's about time! AP news TIJUANA, Mexico — Undocumented migrants deported from the United States will be eligible for free transportation back to their hometowns and other services under a new program launched by the Mexican government. Migrants arriving in the city of Tijuana, across the border from San Diego, will now be offered free tickets home, National Immigration Institute spokesman Raul Zarate said Monday at a ceremony to launch the program. Previously, the government had offered to pay half the cost. The government has also assigned 10 agents to help deportees find temporary shelter and medical care, said Francisco Javier Reynoso, the institute's delegate in Baja California state. The steps are part of a pilot program that will be expanded next to Nogales, Sonora, on the border with Arizona. Officials did not disclose the program's budget but said various government agencies will contribute. About 230,000 Mexicans were deported. I don't want an illegal alien being a security guard, I want them arrested and Deported! AP news DALLAS — A task force led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested nearly 50 illegal immigrants in weekend raids of mostly Latino night clubs in Dallas, officials said Sunday. Authorities raided 26 businesses, including night clubs, restaurants and pool halls. They were targeting employees working as security guards for two security companies, which officials declined to identify. Law enforcement teams of local, state and federal officials simultaneously hit the 26 businesses around 11 p.m. Saturday and arrested 49 people. They recovered four pistols. Those arrested will faces charges of being in the United States illegally. Federal law also prohibits illegal immigrants from possessing weapons. Four people arrested were from El Salvador and the rest were from Mexico, officials said. One of the Salvadorans arrested was a legal immigrant, and it is unclear whether he will face any charges. "Hopefully, this operation will help us send a message that we will not tolerate the falsification of documents for undocumented aliens under the guise of providing security," Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins said. http://www.chron.com/disp/s...
Cezer Chavez day came and went and nobody wished me a happy Cezer Charvez day,Did any one wish you a happy Cezer Chavez day? If not I would like to wish everyone out there a belated Cezer Chavez day. Cesar Chavez Quotes: "When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit that our lives are all that really belong to us. So, it how we use our lives that determines what kind of men we are. It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life." "You are never strong enough that you don't need help." "We can choose to use our lives for others to bring about a better and more just world for our children. People who make that choice will know hardship and sacrifice. But if you give yourself totally to the non-violence struggle for peace and justice you also find that people give you their hearts and you will never go hungry and never be alone. And in giving of yourself you will discover a whole new life full of meaning and love." "I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally non-violent struggle for justice." "When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering and caring for his own family, the whole community of man is sick."
By Kevin Yamamura Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, responding to the mother of a Republican state legislator, said Wednesday it would be a "big mistake" to blame illegal immigrants for the state's looming $8 billion budget problem. The Republican governor was in San Luis Obispo to pitch his budget proposal to local officials and business leaders when he was asked by Diane Blakeslee, mother of Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, how the state should handle fiscal burdens created by illegal immigrants. "There is, you know, always a time like this where you start pointing the finger at various different elements of what creates the budget mess, and, you know, some may point the finger at illegal immigrants," Schwarzenegger said. "I can guarantee you, I have been now four years in office in Sacramento, I don't think that illegal immigration has created the mess that we are in." http://ad.doubleclick.net/c... "http://clk.atdmt.com/go/dbr... 1206595426562)" coords="0,0,0,0" shape="rect" /> The governor's comments came a day after Assembly Republicans announced a package of 20 bills they said would help California reduce the "negative impact" that illegal immigrants have on the state budget. Included are proposals to repeal a law enabling undocumented students to pay in-state college tuition and to demand more money from the federal government for housing illegal immigrants in state prisons. Schwarzenegger said he believes the United States should pursue immigration reform and have tougher border controls. But he added that blaming illegal immigrants "because we have a budget problem would be a big mistake. I think we have to look at ourselves in Sacramento. We in Sacramento have the responsibility to come up with a coherent budget system, and we haven't done that." The governor is seeking a long-term budget fix that would build a "rainy-day fund" whenever the state has a surplus in revenues. He has spent the last two weeks traveling to different cities to discuss the budget and ask local residents to pressure their legislators into early negotiations. The Dems are on the wrong side of this issue. Its about time that California starts to take a serious look at illegal immigration. Republican lawmakers released a legislative package today intended to crack down on illegal immigration in California and punish companies that hire illegal workers. 3,000 Illegals is a great start. I applaud sheriff Daron Hall on his efforts and hope that this program can be put in place all over America. AP news NASHVILLE — Davidson County sheriff’s officials say some 3,000 illegal immigrants have been processed in the past year for deportation at county jails as part of a federal program The U.S. Department of Homeland Security approved the county to participate in the program that provides immigration law training to local deputies and access to DHS immigration databases. Fifteen deputies in Davidson County were trained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to identify and detain illegal immigrants booked into jail. Fox can kiss my azz..... Former Mexican President Vicente Fox pushed North American nations to expand free trade and urged the U.S. Congress to overhaul immigration laws during a visit to Portland on Wednesday night. In a talk laced with humor, the 65-year-old known for breaking the seven-decade rule of Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party in 2000 appeared at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall as part of the World Affairs Council of Oregon speaker series. Fox denounced a wall being built along the U.S.-Mexico border to deter illegal crossings and urged Americans to have compassion for immigrants, not act out of fear. He called a lack of access to education the biggest threat to Mexico.
Fear is not a good adviser," he said. "My message to the U.S. Congress and the federal government is to take the bull by the horns, to respond to the challenge with a sound, intelligent and common-sense plan, to make immigration an asset to both countries." Many in the audience sought a closer glimpse of the former president, who left office in 2006 with a mixed legacy of lowering inflation and curbing corruption, but failing to win an immigration accord with the United States. Some focused on immigration, hoping to get Fox's candid insight on the long-simmering issue. "I want to know, 'What are they doing?' " said Roy Ettinger, a Lake Oswego architect and contractor concerned with the economic impact of illegal immigration. "I feel sorry for them, but I'd feel better if people stayed at home and improved their environment." Outside the concert hall, protesters took issue with Fox. With megaphones in hand, a few dozen marched outside, condemning NAFTA as stealing American jobs and driving Mexicans off their land. Kate Sherman, 22, of Portland criticized Fox as giving Mexico false hopes. "People believed he would offer something new," she said. "But in reality, anyone who stood against him faced opposition." Fox said Mexico has been doing its share to create jobs and provide youth scholarships to deter illegal immigration. Since leaving office, he has been promoting a think tank he established to further democracy in his homeland. On Tuesday, Fox, also a former Coca-Cola executive, met with Nike about partnering to develop aid programs. He said Latin America's economic health and the United States' competitive edge hinge on expanding trade, and he noted Canada's role. He lauded progress from the North American Free Trade Agreement in Mexico, despite its fallout on poor people. Fox called Mexico's relationship with the United States complex. From economic issues to drug trafficking, the countries face a great challenge, Fox said. He's confident his successor, President Felipe Calderon, can do much to create more jobs and combat drug cartels. He urged the United States to avoid isolation and be creative about solving immigration problems. "Of course the United States has a right to sovereignty," he said. "That's not the question here. The question is whether we're going to act with compassion, with love." World affairs - Vicente Fox's talk in Portland ranges from expansion of North American free trade to drug crime
Thursday, March 20, 2008
ESMERALDA BERMUDEZ
The Oregonian Staff Do you think Clinton will get the Democratic Nomination? Clinton takes lead over Obama in national pollBut New York senator trails in state-by-state voting so farReuters WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has moved into a significant lead over Barack Obama among Democratic voters, according to a new Gallup poll. The March 14-18 national survey of 1,209 Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters gave Clinton, a New York senator, a 49 percent to 42 percent edge over Obama, an Illinois senator. The poll has an error margin of 3 percentage points. The poll was a snapshot of current popular feeling, but Clinton trails Obama in the state-by-state contest which began in January to select a nominee to face presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in the November election to succeed President George W. Bush. The nominees are formally chosen by delegates at the parties' conventions in the summer. Gallup said the poll lead was the first statistically significant one for Clinton since a tracking poll conducted February 7-9, just after the Super Tuesday primaries. The two candidates had largely been locked in a statistical tie since then, with Obama last holding a lead over Clinton in a March 11-13 poll. Gallup said polling data also showed McCain leading Obama 47 percent to 43 percent in 4,367 registered voters' preferences for the general election. The general election survey has an error margin of 2 percentage points. The Arizona senator also edged Clinton 48 percent to 45 percent but Gallup said the lead was not statistically significant http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id...
Border fence
Guest worker program
Legalization/Amnesty
Enforcement and Security
US News and World Report 2 down 14,000,998 more to go............. SHENANDOAH — A Saturday traffic stop ended with two illegal immigrants being transported to Schuylkill County Prison. Following an investigation into the traffic stop, the vehicle owner, Alejandro Chagolla Escoredo, 30, of Shenandoah, was interviewed at the Frackville station. Escoredo produced a fraudulent international driver’s license and a fraudulent social security number, and further investigation revealed that Escoredo was also in the United States illegally, police said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement assisted and lodged a detainer on both men, police said
Why have Arizona voters, and by extension others, taken the law into their own hands? First, they see it as an economic imperative. Illegal immigrants absorb far more in government support than what they provide in tax dollars. Second, while illegal immigrants are motivated by a desire to work, not dependence, they also are flouting the law, and ultimately our very sovereignty. It is probably not in Arizonans’ long-term interests to make it difficult for illegal immigrants to enter the middle class through college. But every such concession only maintains the look-the-other-way policy that has been endemic.
Philip J. Romero, professor of business administration, University of OregonMarch 14th, 2008 @ 4:31pm by Associated Press A 25-year-old Sierra Vista man is in federal custody, charged with knowingly hiring and intentionally harboring illegal immigrants. Authorities say Robert Rubio, the manager of an unidentified company in Sierra Vista, tipped off an illegal immigrant in June 2007 that immigration agents were inspecting the firm. The federal complaint alleges that Rubio allegedly told the immigrant to leave with several others to avoid arrest because of illegal status. The complaint says inspectors determined that 10 people working for the company were using fraudulent cards identifying them as permanent residents. It could not be determined immediately Friday whether Rubio has a lawyer.
I am happy that they are enforcing these new laws. Should the boyfriend of toilet seat girl be charged with a crime?
updated 3:26 p.m. PT, Thurs., March. 13, 2008
WICHITA, Kan. - A man should be charged for allowing his girlfriend to sit on their toilet so long that her body became stuck to the seat, the sheriff said Thursday. Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple was among authorities who discovered the woman last month living in the bathroom of a mobile home she shared with her boyfriend, Kory McFarren. “The house was cluttered but not in shambles,” he said. “The smell was overpowering — a terrible smell about the house, obviously coming from where she was at.” McFarren, 36, told police his girlfriend, Pam Babcock, 35, had a phobia about leaving the bathroom and may not have left the bathroom in two years, although he’s unsure how long she was in there because “time just went by so quick I can’t pinpoint how long.” He said beatings she received in her childhood caused her phobia. The only thing I am guilty of is I didn’t get her help sooner," he told the Associated Press on Thursday. McFarren said she moved around in the bathroom during that time, bathed and changed into the clothes he brought her. He brought food and water to her. They had conversations and had an otherwise normal relationship — except it all happened in the bathroom. The sheriff said that judging by the woman’s condition — she had open sores on which the toilet seat would stick — it appeared she likely sat on the toilet continually for at least a month. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id...
I like this law.....We need to treat illegal immigrants like the criminals they are. Or at least we need to make it so that their treated like they don't belong here. NASHVILLE - A proposal to make it a crime for illegal immigrants to accept pay for work done in Tennessee is headed for floor votes in both chambers of the General Assembly. The Senate Commerce Committee voted unanimously today to advance the proposal to make it a misdemeanor for illegal immigrants to accept pay. The measure sponsored by Sen. Joe Haynes, a Goodlettsville Democrat, could lead to fines of $500, up to six months in jail and require illegal immigrants to forfeit any earnings they receive. Haynes says the Legislature is prevented from enacting tougher penalties against employers who hire illegal immigrants because the state must defer to federal laws on the matter. But federal laws do not pre-empt increased penalties against workers. The companion bill is also awaiting a House floor vote. Erik Schelzig, Associated Press Man talk about sitting on your pitty pot ha ha
updated 12:05 p.m. PT, Wed., March. 12, 2008 NESS CITY, Kan. - Deputies said a woman in western Kansas sat on her boyfriend's toilet for two years, and they're investigating whether she was mistreated. Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said a man called his office last month to report that something was wrong with his girlfriend. Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman’s skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital. We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital,” Whipple said. “The hospital removed it.” Whipple said investigators planned to present their report Wednesday to the county attorney, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the woman's 36-year-old boyfriend. “She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body,” Whipple said. “It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself.” He told investigators he brought his girlfriend food and water, and asked her every day to come out of the bathroom. “And her reply would be, ‘Maybe tomorrow,”’ Whipple said. “According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom.” The boyfriend called police on Feb. 27 to report that “there was something wrong with his girlfriend,” Whipple said, adding that he never explained why it took him two years to call. Police found the clothed woman sitting on the toilet, her sweat pants down to her mid-thigh. She was “somewhat disoriented,” and her legs looked like they had atrophied, Whipple said. “She said that she didn’t need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave,” he said. She was taken to a hospital in Wichita, about 150 miles southeast of Ness City. Whipple said she has refused to cooperate with medical providers or law enforcement investigators. Authorities said they did not know if she was mentally or physically disabled. Police have declined to release the couple’s names, but the house where authorities say the incident happened is listed in public records as the residence of Kory McFarren. No one answered his home phone number. The case has been the buzz in Ness City, said James Ellis, a neighbor. I don’t think anybody can make any sense out of it,” he said. Ellis said he had known the woman since she was a child but that he had not seen her for at least six years. He said she had a tough childhood after her mother died at a young age and apparently was usually kept inside the house as she grew up. At one time the woman worked for a long-term care facility, he said, but he did not know what kind of work she did there. “It really doesn’t surprise me,” Ellis said of the bathroom incident. “What surprises me is somebody wasn’t called in a bit earlier.” A look from the other side...................
By Dan McFeely
Without a visa or a welcome, Juvenal Gamarra walked into the United States 21 years ago -- hiking overnight through the mountains near Tijuana, Mexico -- into a land of freedom and opportunity.
"One of my friends almost got bit by a rattlesnake," the Peruvian-born Gamarra said, recalling his journey to cross the border into California. "The risks were many, but all I could think about was making it here."
Like those of millions before him, his reasons for risking arrest and deportation -- even death on the dangerous trek across the border -- were well established: to escape economic hardship in his homeland and live the American dream.
It's a commonly heard refrain in the Hispanic community of Indianapolis, home to a growing number of legal and illegal immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American nations.
Entering and staying in the United States legally isn't a viable option for most unskilled
foreign workers; the U.S. grants only a limited number of temporary visas. So they sneak across borders and typically live in the shadows.
These back-door arrivals include women such as Veronica Guerrero, who entered the country with her parents illegally as a 9-year-old, eventually went to work in a hotel kitchen and, after winning her citizenship through an amnesty program in the 1980s, now owns a shop that sells fancy First Communion dresses for Mexican girls.
Jose Luis Alcauter arrived with only a temporary visa and little money and now runs a thriving small bakery operation and is a legal resident.
Like many who share their background, Gamarra, Guerrero and Alcauter are paying close attention to a hotly debated bill before state lawmakers this year: a proposal to crack down on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, who wrote the measure, says the growing number of illegal immigrants has become a drain on Indiana taxpayers who help foot the bill for health care, education and, in some cases, the incarceration of those here illegally.
His legislation goes after employers who, he said, profit from the illegal workers who earn much less than legal citizens, giving them an unfair advantage over employers who only hire legal workers.
Opponents of the legislation say illegal immigrants are not a drain on the economy. On the contrary, they say, these workers are part of the fabric of society and fill the jobs that most Americans simply will not do.
So why not enter legally? Why not obtain the proper documents and live as Americans with civil rights, better pay and health care rather than toil in the dark corners of the U.S. economy?
Skilled workers -- such as doctors and scientists -- can apply for an H-1B visa, a temporary card that allows them to work here while applying for a green card and citizenship.
But unskilled workers, such as those at farms, hotels and in construction, can apply only for a temporary H-2B visa, allowing one to stay just long enough to complete a short-term job, such as seasonal work.
The U.S. limits the number of these visas each year, and critics say those limits are not high enough to fill the jobs available in the U.S.
Until that imbalance is addressed, illegal immigration will continue to be a problem, they say.
Worth the risk Most of the 250,000 to 300,000 Hispanics in Indiana are legal, but about 85,000 are not.
"Every immigrant that decides to make the (illegal) journey here is risking their life," Gamarra said. "But it is worth it that they try, because of the situation in our homeland."
The 49-year-old Brownsburg resident lost hope in Peru because his family was not politically connected, and that made it difficult to advance in society, he said.
He obtained a tourist visa to visit Mexico in 1987 and promptly crossed the border into the U.S.
"We were on foot, crossing the mountains all night to get into the U.S.," Gamarra recalled. "It was one night, and one long walk."
After arriving in Los Angeles, Gamarra became a laborer in the hotel industry and enrolled in a school to learn English. He also married and started a family. Once he was able to speak his second language, he joined a cousin in Bloomington and worked as a salesman for a computer company.
Apart from a year in Virginia, Gamarra has never left, deciding to move his wife and three children to Brownsburg, where "the schools are much better compared to California."
He became a U.S. citizen five years ago and owns the Machu Picchu Restaurant on the Westside.
He's hoping the illegal-immigration legislation will die. If not, he fears there will be a mass exodus of workers, hurting both Latino and American employers.
"It is going to affect the way a lot of people view their lives in this community," Gamarra said. "And it will affect a lot of non-Hispanic folks, too. There is not enough thought going into how this will affect people's lives."
From tears to action Guerrero used to cry every morning.
As a young, illegal immigrant to America, she worked as a laborer for hotel chains in Chicago and Los Angeles. It was hard work, with long hours in the kitchen.
"I would cry in the morning because I would think, 'This is not for me,' " said Guerrero, 41, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico. "Some people said, 'You know, that is just what you gotta do.'
"But I would get up every morning and think, 'This is not for me.' "
So Guerrero set out on a path toward a better job and a better life -- a path that brought her to Indianapolis in 2000, where she had heard through friends and family that work was plentiful and life was less dangerous.
With little money to spare, she found cheap living accommodations on the Westside, working to put her three boys through Catholic schools.
"It was not appealing, but we could not afford to live in Carmel," she said with a laugh. "You know, you always want something better for the kids. But I am very happy we did what we did. I have good boys."
Guerrero was one of the lucky illegal residents to take advantage of amnesty offered by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. Today, she is a U.S. citizen who cherishes her right to vote.
After her move here, Guerrero took classes to become a licensed real estate agent, then a lending agent. Eventually, she landed a job with a local bank. But still, she believed, there was more opportunity.
And then she found out that friends wanting to celebrate their daughters' "sweet 15" parties -- a Mexican tradition for girls coming of age -- and other traditional milestones were struggling for supplies.
"Everything the Hispanic community needed, they had to go to Chicago to get, like First Communion dresses."
So she opened up her own shop on West Washington Street, Creaciones Guerrero, where she sells dresses, party favors and gifts. She also has become a community leader, often speaking out for better living conditions and public safety. Lately, she has been speaking out against the immigration bill.
"I understand his view," she said of Delph. "I am a U.S. citizen, and I want the borders to be protected, too.
"Deport the gang members and the criminals. But we have some good people who have been here for 20 years. They missed the Reagan amnesty, but they have kids, grandkids.
"This bill is like you are handicapped, and somebody is going to pull the wheelchair from you."
Honored for success Alcauter, the owner of Merry's Bakery on the Westside, has the same fears.
Tickets to the Indy 500 brought him to Indianapolis for the first time in 2000. He was surprised that, while here, he was unable to order a torta -- a Mexican sandwich with meats and vegetables on big, crusty white bread -- at a local Mexican restaurant.
A year later, during another race weekend, the veteran distributor of breads and pastries in Mexico fanned out across the city, scouting out the "bread scene." He found it to be lacking, and a dream was born. Actually, a second dream.
The first occurred back in 1980 when Alcauter was visiting family in California and made an eye-opening discovery: Dishwashers in America were making as much money as he was making as a seasoned executive with Mexico's Bimbo Bakeries.
"I thought, 'Boy, I am really missing the mark' ," said the father of six, who is a legal resident but not yet a citizen.
Using a work permit, he first worked in Houston, then moved to Chicago and spent 11 years there before moving to Indianapolis.
In 2002, the Alcauter family -- which eventually included children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters and extended family -- arrived with no jobs, rented apartments on the Northside and began looking for a place to start a bakery and a neighborhood to live in.
They found an old brick building a few blocks north of West Washington Street and set up the bakery -- securing deals with local restaurants (Mexican eateries and American cafes) to sell their breads and sweet rolls -- and then opened two stores to sell their products.
In April 2006, Family Service of Central Indiana, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving and strengthening families in times of crisis and change, honored the Alcauter family for its success.
Alcauter, 58, hopes others will have the chance to emulate that success, a prospect he says will be dampened by the immigration bill he thinks will cost him and other employers a valuable labor pool.
"If this bill passes, we will still have to produce good quality bread and keep our costs down," Alcauter said. "(But) this will have an impact on our people and on others in the community."
Federal personnel rescued 15 suspected undocumented immigrants at sea Wednesday as the group drifted for a third day in a disabled fishing boat off the coast of San Diego. http://www.fox6.com/news/lo...
I think these crimes will get worse not better
With anti-immigrant sentiment at a steady boil across the nation, it’s not surprising that hate crimes targeting Latinos are on the rise. New FBI statistics suggest a 35 percent increase in hate crimes against Latinos between 2003 and 2006. Nor is it surprising that hate groups are once again on the march. A new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center estimates that 888 hate groups are operating in this country, including 11 in Oregon. That is 44 more than the center counted in 2006 and 286 more than in 2000. Anger over immigration has been a feature of American life for years. That anger has intensified since last year’s congressional meltdown over immigration reform. Thoughtful people can disagree about, and respectfully debate, immigration policy: What’s the best way to secure this country’s borders? How many foreigners should be admitted and for what purpose? What should be done with the 13 million illegal immigrants already in this country? But extreme sentiments, once the exclusive province of white supremacists, have begun to seep into the mainstream. They’ve become the common verbal currency of nativist immigration-reform activists, talk radio hosts, cable TV commentators and even elected officials who smear immigrants as criminal aliens, invaders, terrorists and cockroaches — human detritus whose dangerous, lawless presence must be swept from this country. Few go so far as to actually endorse violence against immigrants. But no one should be deceived — that’s the inevitable result of dehumanizing rhetoric, as white nationalist, racist skinhead and an array of other groups are agitated by the anti-immigrant rhetoric. The presidential primaries have done distressingly little to address this problem, and, in some instances, have fanned the flames. With the exception of Sen. John McCain, now the presumptive nominee, Republican presidential candidates seemed determined to out-tough each other on immigration. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who once supported financial aid for illegal immigrant students, offered up a “Secure America Plan” that required the expulsion of all illegal immigrants within 120 days. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who once supported a Senate bill that provided undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship, declared during the primaries that he despised amnesty. Even McCain, who took heavy fire for his co-sponsorship of a bipartisan immigration bill that would have provided a means to grant legal status to illegal immigrants, distanced himself from talk of legalization, focusing instead on get-tough border enforcement. Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have done better than the Republicans, with both committing to support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But they have tiptoed around many of the difficult, complex issues that must be addressed by serious immigration reform. Ultimately, the blame for the recent surge in anti-immigrant sentiment reflects back on Congress, which failed to pass a comprehensive reform bill that despite its flaws contained workable fixes for the border and workplace, and a coherent strategy for dealing with the illegal immigrants who are already here through a demanding path to earned citizenship. When Congress failed to pass an immigration reform supported by President Bush last year, lawmakers understood it was their last chance to act — that the presidential race would make it impossible to address the issue until 2009 at the earliest, and perhaps later. They knew state and local governments would fill the void in federal leadership by approving their own mishmash of laws, most of them punitive and none capable of fixing a broken immigration system that’s becoming more dysfunctional by the day. Because of Congress’ failure, this nation is increasingly divided over immigration, hate groups are proliferating, and bias crimes against Latinos are on the rise. In this year’s elections, Americans should choose candidates for both Congress and the White House who will help make true reform a reality and begin healing a nation that has been too long and too deeply torn over immigration. A conservative black pastor from Los Angeles warned of racial conflicts, primarily between Hispanics and blacks, if Hoosier lawmakers don't pass an illegal immigration bill this week.
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson -- who was flown in from California by supporters of the illegal immigration bill that is barely alive at the Statehouse -- said because his state has not done anything to stem the tide of illegal immigrants in the Los Angeles area, blacks have felt pushed to the side and have lost jobs.
Indiana could face the same, he warned in a Statehouse press conference this morning.
The comments come after weeks of attempts by the bill's author to keep race out of the debate. Peterson, the founder of the Brotherhood of Organization of a New Destiny, said he has ministered to young black men for the past 18 years. He said overcrowded schools have led to more black dropouts and that it is typical for black "day laborers" to be denied jobs because they don't speak Spanish. Peterson, a constant critic of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, is the author of "Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America." He has been criticized by other national black leaders for taking an extreme view on various matters. This morning's press conference was organized by IFIRE, the Indiana Federation for Immigration Reform and Enforcement, which has been pushing a law to fight illegal immigration. After the press conference Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, the bill's author, distanced himself from the discussion about race. "I can't control what other people say," said Delph, who noted he did not organize the press conference. "Everybody has their right to speak and share their views. "This gentleman is entitled to his view. Obviously he lives in a different world out in Los Angeles than the world we live in here in Indiana." The immigration bill is currently in limbo, waiting for the House of Representatives to appoint conferees for a conference committee -- without which the legislation cannot advance. Delph on Monday unveiled compromise language that he would like to insert into the bill. This morning, he said he remained optimistic. "Right now the Speaker of the House has the ball," Delph said, referring to B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, who adjourned the House yesterday without naming conferees. The House won't reconvene until Thursday, at which time there will be just two days remaining in the session.
ID theft is only one ill of illegal immigration...............
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) - Eight people are charged with conspiring to obtain bogus Ohio identification cards for illegal aliens in Virginia and elsewhere, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday. On the "online community" an oxymoron? post by Jasonsperber Tom W posted this comment posted by TomW on Mar 8, 2008 at 10:24 AM
OK, couple of things: I think people get more leeway in blog posts than they do in comments. If someone wants to post garbage in their own little space and that garbage doesn't cross a bright line of raciscm or hate speech and it;s not specifically aimed at another person in the community, it's probably fine to just let it die alone in its own little self-generated cess pool That got me thinking uhmmmmm ''If your skin is white this is your site'' Welcome to my National White people Blog.
Tackling illegal immigration means first tackling the fear, racism and greed shaping current debate, immigration advocates said Saturday. “Our goal is to speak out against making immigrants the scapegoats of all problems,” said Angela Ferguson, an immigration lawyer and a member of the Common Table Coalition, which organized Saturday’s Seminar on Immigration and Racism. “If you can’t get that off the table, then we can’t have a logical debate about how to fix the situation.” For example, many immigrants are hampered from entering the country legally by a shortage of visas and by long waiting periods, Ferguson said in one of the workshops. The event took place at the Cristo Rey School, 211 W. Linwood Blvd. Organizers estimated that more than 200 people attended. Devin Burghart, the director of the Building Democracy Initiative at the Chicago-based Center for New Community, said many people who say they oppose only illegal immigration actually demonstrate a disdain for all immigrants. “They start there (with illegal immigration), but the legislation they support goes far beyond that to restricting legal immigration as well, and they offer no solution to the current problem or to speeding up the visa process,” Burghart said. “We must reclaim the moral high ground and reclaim the important role immigration plays in this country. If not, not only will we not get comprehensive immigration reform, but we will wake up and realize the country we live in looks nothing like the one we wanted or the one we dreamed of.” In a workshop titled “Who’s Stealing Your Job?” immigration advocates tried to explain what was pushing the nation’s recent immigration wave. In the case of Mexico, there simply are more people than there are worthwhile jobs, said Judy Ancel, the director of the Institute for Labor Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She said that many Mexicans have fled north seeking better jobs that U.S. citizens once held. However, Ancel said, wages in industries such as meatpacking were pushed down not by immigrants, but by U.S. corporations using union-busting and other tactics. Now, mainly desperate workers such as immigrants take those jobs. Ancel also challenged whether there really is an illegal immigration crisis. Only 29 percent of the immigrant population is here undocumented, she said. Sixty-one percent are nationalized citizens or legal resident aliens. The rest are here as refugees or on temporary visas. Ancel said that poverty, a lack of health insurance and problems with education affect more Americans than illegal immigration. By BENITA Y. WILLIAMS
I am verry happy to see legislation like this being itroduced in Califirnia. Its time we stop spending money on illegal aliens, People that don't belong here.
''If your skin is white this is your site'' Welcome to my National White people Blog.
Quoting scripture and invoking the name of Jesus, a small group of Protestant pastors asked Indiana lawmakers to slow down and wait for the federal government to solve the nation's illegal immigration problem.
"Let us pray ... for a pause," said the Rev. Audrey Borschel, a pastor with the local Disciples of Christ denomination. The pastors were joined at a news conference this morning by Rep. Bill Crawford, D-Indianapolis, and members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, who said they also oppose pending legislation designed to crack down on illegal immigration in Indiana.
Instead, they want lawmakers to appoint a study committee to take a closer look at the issue. Under the proposed new law, businesses that hire undocumented workers without first checking on their resident status would be warned, fined and possibly put out of busniess. The law would also set up a system by which state and local police would begin enforcing federal immigration laws. Both the Senate and the House have approved the legislation, despite fierce opposition from business leaders and Hispanic activists. Two separate bills are waiting to be assigned to a conference committee where differences can be worked out. Rev. Mark Powell, a member of the Disciples Justice Action Network, said he was speaking today on behalf of all Protestant ministers opposed to a bill that he says will encourage racial profiling in a state where he says racism still lives. "God today has put the soul of Indiana to the test," said Powell. "Christ is clear in the Gospel: Love your neighbor." Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, did not attend the news conference but issued a simple statement: "Jesus obeyed the law." Also represented at the meeting were ministers of the Presbyterian and Lutheran faiths. Nobody from the Jewish faith nor the Catholic church was present, although the Indiana Catholic Conference testified twice against the immigration bill. The Disciples Justice Action Network is a group that fights for social justice issues, pro-choice laws and gay and lesbian rights, according to its web site, www.djan.net
OMAHA (KPTM) - Three Omaha men have been indicted on three federal charges that they conspired to harbor illegal immigrants, employing them for work on the new federal building in downtown Omaha. Federal prosecutors say that 53-year-old Richard Ridpath, 38-year-ol |
