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.
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.
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."
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."
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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.
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.
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.
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.
The bills would take a number of steps, including eliminating tuition benefits for illegal students.
Another bill asks the Federal Government to reimburse California for the cost of holding illegal immigrants in state prisons.
"I want to be clear. This is not anti-Latino. This is about securing our borders and trying to close loopholes that let other people be employed before our own citizens.
Lawmakers say illegal immigrants cost California taxpayers an estimated $9 billion each year.
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.
Davidson County Sheriff Daron H all requested the program in 2006 after his office came under fire when an illegal immigrant who had been arrested multiple times on misdemeanor drunk driving charges but never deported was charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a husband and wife.
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
Do you think Clinton will get the Democratic Nomination?
Do you Obama Mania is over?
Clinton takes lead over Obama in national poll
But New York senator trails in state-by-state voting so far
Reuters
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
Let’s deploy more technology and personnel, instead of the physical barrier."
Clinton voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which authorized a fence on the Mexican border, but has softened her support by criticizing the fence’s execution.
"The key is to consult with local communities [when] creating any kind of barrier."
Obama voted for the fence but has since joined Clinton in de-emphasizing his support, which is unpopular in border towns and among Hispanic voters.
"Borders are borders, and there should be agreements between the landowners and the federal government."
McCain voted for the fence and has encouraged agreements to allow the government to enter private property to survey land.
Guest worker program
"It is easier sometimes to employ people who are immigrants and… really take advantage of them."
Despite voting for the failed McCain-Kennedy bill, Clinton says she opposes a guest-worker program because it could depress U.S. wages.
"Illegal immigration is bad for illegal immigrants and bad for the workers against whom they compete."
Obama supports a guest-worker program with a database of workers, arguing it will improve wages and conditions for all workers.
"We need workers in this country. There are certain jobs that Americans are simply not willing to do."
McCain cosponsored the failed Senate bill that proposed a guest-worker program with a registry and a path to legalization for illegal immigrants.
Legalization/Amnesty
"[Deporting all illegal immigrants] is absolutely unrealistic, and it is not in keeping with American values."
Clinton supports allowing illegal immigrants to apply for legal residency if they pay a penalty and don’t have a criminal record.
"Give the 12 million people who are here illegally… many of whom have U.S. citizens for children…a pathway to legalization."
Obama supports giving illegal immigrants a path to legal residency, similar to Clinton’s position.
"Make them earn citizenship because they have broken our laws."
As a principal author of the failed immigration bill, which would have given illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, McCain hasstruggled to convince conservatives that his plan is not amnesty.
Enforcement and Security
"It is unconscionable to think that in a post-9/11 world, we do not precisely know who is entering and exiting our country."
Clinton voted for comprehensive immigration reform, which would work to enhance national security by tightening the borders and implementing an employer verification system.
"I will make sure that the federal government does what it’s supposed to do...a better job of closing our borders and preventing hundreds of thousands of people to pour in."
Obama voted for comprehensive immigration reform and has stressed that legalizing workers will boost U.S. wages.
"I will secure the borders first, and I will have the border states’ governors certify that those borders are secured. We can do it with UAVs, with vehicle barriers, with walls, and with high tech and cameras."
McCain, a key player in the immigration reform fight, has moved from pushing the cause of legalization to emphasizing the need for border security first.
SHENANDOAH — A Saturday traffic stop ended with two illegal immigrants being transported to Schuylkill County Prison.
State police at Frackville said Ramiro Olallo, 20, of Shenandoah, was observed going through a stop sign on Chestnut Street and Route 54 and then his vehicle almost hit another vehicle. When Olallo couldn’t provide a license or ID, he was transported to the Frackville station, where he was fingerprinted for identification purposes and found to be in the country illegally, police said.
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
When it comes to immigration, states are attempting what the federal government won’t do. Arizona’s recent law is one example: it imposes state penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants.
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 Oregon
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?
What do you think..................?
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.
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.
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.”
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.
A passing pleasure craft reported spotting the lost group of boaters roughly 12 miles offshore about 8 a.m., according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which monitored the emergency call via maritime radio.
The Customs agency and the U.S. Coast Guard sent vessels to intercept the drifting 24-foot boat, finding its occupants dehydrated, hungry and sunburned but suffering from no serious ailments, CBP spokeswoman Angelica De Cima said.
The government boats picked up the 14 women and one man, gave them water and brought them to a Border Patrol station for documentation checks.
All but one of the detainees turned out to be Mexican nationals, according to De Cima. The other was a citizen of El Salvador, she said.
The suspected illegal immigrants were expected to be processed and deported by the Border Patrol.
It was unclear why the group wound up adrift in the ocean, though the boat they were in was sinking by the time authorities got it to shore, De Cima said.
Federal officials have found evidence of at least 20 illegal border- crossings at sea in the San Diego area over the last year, most of them involving dilapidated boats, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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.
U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said the fraudulent IDs apparently were intended to help the illegal immigrants obtain employment and avoid deportation.
“There is no terrorism at all,” Brownlee said at a news conference. “This is an immigration case.”
Four defendants are from Ohio - two employees of a state Bureau of Motor Vehicles office in Columbus and two interpreters who served as brokers for the conspiracy, according to an indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in Harrisonburg.
Three defendants from Virginia recruited illegal aliens who were looking to purchase Puerto Rican birth certificates and matching Social Security cards, which were provided by defendant Luis M. Rosado-Rodriguez, 29, of Ponce, Puerto Rico, according to the indictment.
The recruiters allegedly sold the documents to the illegal aliens and made arrangements for their travel to Ohio to obtain the illegal state IDs.
Brownlee said Ohio was chosen because Virginia has tightened procedures for obtaining IDs at its state-operated Department of Motor Vehicles offices since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Ohio’s BMVs, in contrast, are franchises that can be obtained by individual state contractors.
The Ohio BMV in this case was managed by Nekeia Mack-Fuller, 29, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. She was charged along with a clerk, Michelle Eckerman, 27, of Canal Winchester, Ohio.
Authorities identified the interpreters as Christina Dawn Cheatham, 23, and Jose Antonio Gutierrez-Ramirez, 34, both of Columbus. Those two also operated a “staging area” and provided information and transportation to the illegal aliens, according to the indictment.
The recruiters were Edwin Roberto Mendez, 32; Jairo Gomez, 32; and a man identified only as Juan, age and last name unknown, all of Harrisonburg.
Brownlee said Rosado-Rodriguez is believed to be in Puerto Rico, and authorities were searching for him. They also were attempting to identify and locate Juan. The others are in custody or have dates to appear in U.S. District Court.
The alleged offenses occurred from January 2004 through February 2008. Brownlee said the investigation began after four Guatemalan nationals possessing Puerto Rican documents and Ohio IDs were detained by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement last August. They stated they had purchased the Puerto Rican documents from Mendez.
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
So as a Joke and to see if my post would indeed receive more leeway I posted my ''national White peoples Blog''
''If your skin is white this is your site''
Welcome to my National White people Blog.
This post is for White people and white people only.
This is a post about White things.
All non White peoples comments will be deleted.
All racial comments will be deleted.
All smart ass comments will be deleted.
All off topic comments will be deleted.
All comments in Ebonics will be deleted.
Post away........
I am happy that it has been left alone. I did think that maybe I would have received a noticed from Jason, But that didn't happen.
I really did enjoy sitting back and reading your comments.
I particularly enjoyed sagefevers comments...........
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.
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.
In early January Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger formally declared that the great state of California was in a fiscal emergency. At the time of the governor's declaration, the cumulative state deficit was estimated to be $14.5 billion dollars. Since then, the Legislative Analysts Office has revised the deficit upwards to $16 billion. Clearly, California needs to rein in out-of-control spending, and do so quickly.
Illegal Immigration, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Budget Crisis (Image: Wenn)
Until now, the governor and the legislature have all but ignored the fact that California spends as much as $10.5 billion a year on state-funded programs that support illegal aliens. In other words, California taxpayers have been driven to bankruptcy by legislators who spend billions of dollars on people who should not even be in America, much less feeding at the public trough.
***
There is good news, however. Namely, Assemblywoman Audra Strickland, R-Westlake Village, who represents the 37th Assembly District, has authored two measures that will end state taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants – AB3x 20 and its companion bill ACA 14.
Assemblywoman Strickland's bills would force legislators to assume fiduciary responsibility and some common sense when it comes to spending taxpayer money. Both of Assemblywoman Strickland's bills should be enacted into law as soon as possible.
Welcome to my National White people Blog.
This post is for White people and white people only.
This is a post about White things.
All non White peoples comments will be deleted.
All racial comments will be deleted.
All smart ass comments will be deleted.
All off topic comments will be deleted.
All comments in Ebonics will be deleted.
Post away........
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-old John Jantzon and 33-year-old Agustin Rios were each indicted on three charges including conspiring to harbor illegal aliens, illegally transporting an illegal alien and encouraging and inducing illegal aliens to reside in the United States.
The indictment alleges that three were either managers or supervisors at Tufly Drywall.
Company chief executive Donald Gatewood says Tufly was disappointed by the indictments but will continue cooperating with federal authorities.
The indictment covers incidents during construction of the Zorinsky building, 2004-2007.
Federal agents and investigators from the Douglas County Sheriff's Department seized boxes of documents from Tufly on June 26th of last year, and one individual was arrested. The search warrant that allowed them to seize the documents related primarily to employees and subcontractor files.
At the time, federal investigators would not comment on the arrest, calling it an "administrative arrest".
KPTM FOX 42 News also covered a protest centered around immigration in February of 2005. Workers from the local Carpenters 444 Union told us at the time they were protesting unfair labor practices involving illegal immigrants.
"(That's) basically what it's all about, substandard wages," Union member Steve Ray said at the time. "We're finding that a lot of the immigrant workers are the ones being abused here."
The company has continued to deny any involvement with employing illegal immigrants, and says it continues to cooperate with authorities.
The three face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
I had to turn off Brett Favre's retirement news conference because I couldn't stand watching one of the best football player ever to play the game cry and go on and on about how he didn't have anything left for the game blah blah blah.............. Favre was one of the NFL's tough guy but now after watching the news conference I think he's just a wussy.
How about going out with style..............Not like a wussy..........
How about just thanking the fans and showing some happiness that he was allowed to play the game he loved and blah blah blah not waah waah waah
Police officers in a Virginia County are now trained to check the citizenship status of suspects no matter how minor the crime.
It's one of the most aggressive efforts nationwide to combat illegal immigration.
If you're an illegal immigrant in Prince William County, these lights could be a very un-welcome sight.
Chief Charlie Deane of the Prince William County Police Department says "if they encounter someone, detain someone who they believe or have probable cause to believe is here illegally they will be checking further into their immigration status."
Prince William County's new illegal immigration crackdown started on Monday with a nearly $6.5 million price tag in its first year.
It requires officers to check a suspect's citizenship even for the most minor of crimes if they believe the person is in this country illegally.
But will the program pay off? Well, that depends on who you ask.
One resident says "why overtax our police force, you know, with this extra stuff when they're not hurting anybody?"
Another resident says "it cannot come soon enough."
Another resident says "why I hope things get better around here, you know."
Supporters assure us officers who received federal training for the program will not profile suspects.
Corey Stewart of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors says "all of these efforts are focused on illegal immigrants who commit crimes."
But as the program hits the road only time will tell if the program will pay off in the cash-strapped county.
New York Times: Opposition To Illegal Immigration Is Racism
The Nativist reaction of the early 20th century started with a similar virulence. In the aftermath of World War I, “there was just this fear that millions of people were going to pour in,” said Mae Ngai, a Columbia University historian. “You could read the discussion from the 1910s and think you were looking at something from today, if you just took out �Italians’ and put in �Mexicans’ “
Anti-immigrant sentiment probably did help Herbert Hoover beat Al Smith—a Catholic, like many immigrants at the time—in 1928. But after Congress overwhelmingly passed new immigration restrictions in 1924, the main political fight over immigration occurred not between the parties, but within the Democratic Party, with those who wanted to embrace the Ku Klux Klan battling those who did not. Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the latter group
Mr. Rauchway, the historian, argues that the ultimate failure of anti-immigrant politics is part of a larger failure of class-based politics in the United States. Running against the rich—or the poor—has rarely worked in this country. Instead, immigrant-bashing has been most successful when it tapped into broader racial fears, as it did in both the 1850s and the 1920s. Notably, the economy was booming in the ‘20s
“As it becomes less and less acceptable to be racist,” Mr. Rauchway said, “immigration is not going to be as politically effective.”
The idea that opposition to illegal immigration = racism is just plain lazy thinking. Do racists oppose illegal immigration? I’m sure they do, but that does not mean that one must be racist to oppose illegal immigration
For instance, this opponent to illegal immigration actually thinks one good way to help solve it is to make it easier for people from all over the world to immigrate here legally. That’s not exactly a position a racist would have
There is, after all, nothing racist about expecting people who come to this country to live and work to actually become citizens and fulfill all the obligations and duties which come with that
A new report by Identity Theft 911 says illegal immigration, fraudulent employment, methamphetamine use and the state's lack of enforcement have helped keep Arizona as the No. 1 spot for identity theft.
Scottsdale-based Identity Theft 911 provides fraud solutions and consumer education to Fortune 500 companies, insurance companies, corporate benefit providers, financial institutions and colleges.
Arizona ranks No. 1 in the nation for identity theft complaints per capita, the number of instances having risen 55 percent since 2002, the report states. Other findings include:
More than 293,000 Arizona residents fell victim to identity theft in 2007.
More than 1.1 million Arizona children's identities have been stolen.
More than a third of stolen identities in Arizona are used for fraudulent employment.
Identity theft cost Arizona victims an estimated $147 million last year.
About 1.57 million Arizona residents, or 25 percent of the state's population, have been victims of identity theft in the last six years.
LINCOLN — The battle of words continued Monday about a bill killed in a legislative committee that was aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from receiving government benefits.
Gov. Dave Heineman predicted that members of the Judiciary Committee will continue to hear from Nebraskans unhappy that the committee voted 5-1 to kill Legislative Bill 963.
But committee members said they weren’t swamped by correspondence — they’re actually getting more emails and phone calls about gun control, thanks to a National Rifle Association alert that went out last week.
Committee members said they have received some “pretty tough” e-mails and phone calls since Heineman and Attorney General Jon Bruning called Nebraskans to voice their disagreement with the committee’s action.
But lawmakers said about 30 to 40 percent of the immigration input came from people who agreed with the decision to kill the bill.
The measure would require all applicants for public benefits to sign a sworn statement that they are citizens or legal residents of Nebraska. All state and local government agencies would be required to verify the legal status of applicants for benefits through a Web site of the Homeland Security Department.
The measure also would repeal a law that allows undocumented immigrants to attend college at resident tuition rates. That law was passed over Heineman’s veto in 2005.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Brad Ashford said Heineman thwarted efforts to find common ground with a Friday press conference in which he angrily demanded the committee reconsider, repeated his call for repeal of the tuition benefit and urged Nebraskans to contact committee members.
“I don’t think right now there is the necessary trust between the legislative branch, in the Judiciary Committee, and the executive branch of government to address this issue today,” Ashford said Monday.
He said lawmakers can negotiate only if they’re confident that both sides are looking for a real solution — not just to score political points on a divisive issue.
“We need to move beyond the politics of confrontation and conflict,” he said. “Let’s move to a new way.”
Heineman said people came up to him to voice support for his stance during his public appearances on the weekend.
“This is an issue the average Nebraskan understands very well,” he said. “They do not believe that illegal immigrants should receive state and local benefits. I just hope the Legislature will listen, and I hope they have the debate.”
Heineman has not cited an instance in which he believed undocumented immigrants received government benefits to which they aren’t entitled under federal law.
State senators have said federal law already prohibits government agencies from providing the benefits in question to illegal immigrants.
Just two years ago, thousands of students – many of them 16 to 17 – took to the streets calling for a comprehensive immigration overhaul for millions of illegal immigrants.
Elections 2008
Their slogan: "Today we march, tomorrow we'll vote."
Many of those students, now 18 or older, are fulfilling that promise and exercising their right to vote in today's primary.
Young people like Gustavo Jiménez, one of the 2006 student march organizers, and Manuel Rendón, who organized several demonstrations in support of the Dream Act, said they will be voting today and continue to push Hispanics to go to the polls.
"Through oppression a lot of things, different things can evolve," said Mr. Rendón, the former youth president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. "And a lot of the students felt oppressed in 2006 and have lately with the Farmers Branch and Irving issues."
Interest in the primaries among young Hispanic voters was evident in the Super Tuesday primaries on Feb. 5, when more than one in five Hispanic voters were 18 to 29, according to a recent report by the Pew Hispanic Center.
"Hispanic voters on Super Tuesday were much younger than black voters," according to the report. "The relative youth of the Hispanic vote is largely a reflection of the relative youth of the Hispanic population overall."
Bruce Sherbet, Dallas County elections administrator, said the involvement of young people could make a difference in the elections.
"Our youth are going to be more engaged in this election than they have been engaged in many years," he said. "I feel a sense of people being energized across the board, and that is including our young people."
Many of those who participated in the 2006 demonstrations weren't old enough to vote, so they got involved in voter registration efforts and citizenship drives, which fed their interest in becoming citizens and exercising their own right to vote.
That was the case with Héctor Luna, who became a citizen five months ago.
Last week, he cast his early vote.
The Monterrey, Mexico, native said he felt hypocritical, urging others to become citizens – when he was not yet naturalized.
"Actually doing it was incredible," the Collin College student said. "I wanted to vote and I wanted to have the benefits [of becoming] a citizen."
Rep. Rafael Anchía, D-Dallas, said involvement is personal for some young people.
"They feel they have to protect their own families," Mr. Anchía said. "They are immigrants, immigrants' children. And at their homes, their grandmothers, their parents sometimes, are illegal and they want to come out and champion and protect their families and defend them with their vote."
Cindy Camacho – who was 16 when she took to the streets with Mr. Jiménez to encourage Hispanics to register to vote – is now focused on her studies at the University of Ohio.
But she still works with LULAC and is analyzing the candidates' platforms before casting her vote.
"The only way we're going to have any change or reform to ...any of the new bills that affect us as youth and as citizens ... is to make sure that people are in office that agree with our political views." Ms. Camacho said. "It's very important that we go out to vote."
And Mr. Jiménez, whose job and studies absorb most of his time now, said he attended several meetings last week in support of one of the Democratic candidates.
"This election will be historic," Mr. Jimenez said.
TUCSON, Ariz.- The Pima County Attorney's Office is working on a plan to get illegal immigrants accused of misdemeanor crimes out of jail and back to their home countries faster.
The effort is to save the hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money that it takes to keep inmates jailed as they await court appearances.
On any given day, about 10 percent of prisoners in the county jail are in the country illegally, said India Davis, the jail's support-operations division commander.
It takes about 10 days to resolve most misdemeanor cases, either through dismissals or plea agreements. But County Attorney Barbara LaWall and Assistant County Administrator Lindy Funkhouser are considering offering misdemeanor suspects plea agreements within a day or two of their arrests when they're arraigned.
In most cases, it would be the same deal suspects would get anyway, only about eight or nine days sooner. They'd be sentenced to time they've already served in jail, or probation, and transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Florence or Eloy.
Funkhouser said every inmate costs the county $62.79 per day. She said about 400 misdemeanor suspects were released to immigration officials last fiscal year.
If all of them were eligible for plea agreements, and the county could cut the number of days they spent in jail from 10 to one, she said the savings would be around $300,000 a year.
Those eligible for plea deals would include suspects accused of such things as trespassing, littering and failure to pay fines. Those accused of more serious offenses such as drunken driving or domestic violence would not be eligible, said Chief Deputy County Attorney Amelia Craig Cramer.
Pima County Public Defender Robert Hooker said he has concerns about offering plea agreements at arraignments.
He said some people will enter plea agreements because they're desperate to get of jail and won't realize all of the ways it may affect their citizenship prospects in the future.
City Prosecutor Laura Brynwood said city prosecutors already offer plea agreements to many misdemeanor suspects at their arraignments. Those plea agreements aren't limited to those being held on ICE detainers.
"We are all sensitive, as public servants, to the cost of housing inmates, and we try to plead out as many misdemeanor cases as possible," Brynwood said.
Reuters) - Following are some facts on illegal immigration and efforts to secure the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada.
* An estimated 11 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants live and work in the United States, roughly one in every 20 workers, according to a study by the Pew Hispanic Center based on government figures.
* The nearly 2,000-mile (3,200-km) border with Mexico is the principal route of entry for illegal immigrants. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested some 880,000 people crossing the border illegally in 2007, most of them from Mexico and Central America, down from 1.1 million a year earlier.
* The U.S. government had built 284 miles of pedestrian and vehicular fence along the U.S.-Mexico border by the close of 2007, and aims to complete roughly 670 miles
by the end of 2008.
* The U.S. Border Patrol now has roughly 15,000 agents deployed on the Mexico and Canadian borders, and aims to have more than 18,300 agents by the end of 2008 -- more than double the number since President George W. Bush took office in 2001.
* The U.S. government signed off on an experimental stretch of hi-tech "virtual fence" last month, built by Boeing Co along a 28 mile section of the Arizona-Mexico border. It consists of nine sensor towers equipped with cameras and ground radar, relaying a "common operating picture" to Border Patrol vehicles equipped with laptops.
* The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has a growing fleet of Predator B unmanned surveillance drones. Three were in operation at the start of the year on the Mexico border, a fourth Predator drone is due to be deployed to Grand Forks, North Dakota, on the Canadian border, in 2008.
* The United States has 5,560 miles of borders with Canada, including 1,550 miles in Alaska).
(Compiled by Tim Gaynor in Phoenix, Arizona; Editing by Eddie Evans)
Reported by: Danielle Dubetz
Photographer: Andy Grosek
Just about every weekend there's a protest outside of El Sol, a center that helps
laborers, regardless of their legal status, find work.
Today the gathering was a protest and a political platform.
Feet away from El Sol, Jupiter's Neighborhood Resource Center,
people held American flags and rallied against illegal immigration.
State Representative Gayle Harrell was also in attendance, to push House Bill 8-21.
"What we have now are illegals coming across the border walking into our emergency rooms, coming here getting jobs, and having broken the law to start with," Harrell said.
Most people want tougher immigration reform but not everyone here agrees.
Elena Garcia came to America as an unaccompanied child, now a U.S. citizen, it wasn't long before she found herself in a heated debate.
"This is a big country, there's a lot of people and the reason it has prosperity is because of the immigrants. Immigrants are human beings, whether they are legal or illegal," Garcia said.
"If they're legal immigrants, fine. We want them, we need them, we're all immigrants," said one protestor, "We're all children of immigrants. We need immigrants to build this country so I have no problem whatsoever with that. The key word is LEGAL!"
Another group was just as passionate.
"I am a legal immigrant-slash-citizen. I waited for 5 years to get my citizenship. I've been in this country for over 50 years. I earned for everything. But when somebody comes in and wants everything for nothing, I'm against it," said Kyria Kidis who's originally from Greece.
"What's the big beef?" asked reporter, Danielle Dubetz.
"That we're being ripped off big time by the government by allowing illegals to stay in the country," said another protestor.
They say they welcome law-abbiding immigrants, as long as they're legal.
"As much as you want to say they pay taxes, they don't!" he said.
El Sol disagrees. Representatives said undocumented immigrants pay taxes any time they make a purchase, including rent.
They also said they'd like to see immigration reform, one that can help those who are already here become citizens and eliminate the necessity for places like El Sol
Immigrants are sworn in as U.S. citizens during naturalization ceremonies in July 2007 in Pomona, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)
Before I state anything else, please note that the focus of this opinion article is illegal immigration, not legal immigration, which are two very different topics. However, I have noticed that in many debates and discussions, the dividing line between the two topics has become blurred or nonexistent. Because of this, many people who wish to address illegal immigration policy are wrongfully labeled as "anti-immigrant."
Have you ever waited patiently in traffic to merge onto a crowded roadway, only to be further delayed when drivers who have not waited cut in? Have you ever stood in line for a movie or to pay for your items in a store and have people cut in? What did you think when that happened?
The woman who cuts my hair immigrated to the United States from Poland many years ago. Her sister applied multiple times during more than 17 years before she was allowed to join her.
Many proposals regarding the estimated 12 million who are here without legal status include amnesty for them, allowing them to stay. Is this fair to those who waited and abided by the law? What will this type of amnesty teach people? It is likely to teach many that following the law is not worthwhile.
Some amnesty proposals include stiff fines and many other stringent requirements, but the essence is that the plans allow people who should not be here … to be here ahead of innumerable people who have been applying for a long time. Amnesty is still a reward. And rewards increase behavior. If we reward circumventing the law, we will only receive more of the same behavior. The problem will increase.
Numerous enterprises, particularly in construction and agriculture, go bankrupt and close because they cannot compete with businesses that are exploiting illegal immigrants by paying substandard wages. So, what have we taught the bankrupt, honest businesspeople who hired workers according to the law and paid them at least minimum wage? The message to legal businesses often is that honesty does not pay.
It has been stated countless times that we should allow illegal immigrants to stay because they fill jobs that U.S. citizens will not apply for. Many economists state that to a significant extent, that assertion is a reversal of cause-and-effect. An underground economy based on illegal immigration created an environment of exploitation in many occupations, which pushes other workers away.
Moreover, illegal immigrants can be oppressed in many other ways besides low wages and poor working conditions. Many die while being smuggled across borders. The smugglers charge exorbitant fees for transport. When people are here illegally, they can easily be victimized because they cannot report crimes to the authorities. How do we know how many illegal aliens have been, robbed, beaten, raped, or even killed?
I have no doubt that there are also innumerable employers who are hiring illegal immigrants for benevolent reasons and who treat them well, but the overall picture ought to be the focus.
In regards to solutions, our country needs to proceed humanely. We should ensure that those who would be in danger to return to their countries of origin have comprehensive opportunities to apply for refugee status or asylum here and elsewhere.
I suggest a different amnesty—an amnesty for those here illegally to return to their home countries without any penalty if they wish to apply for any of the legal routes to returning to the United States. And this could also be an amnesty for those who have been employing illegal aliens. They would not be penalized. In short, everyone would be able to start fresh and on equal footing.
However, like any amnesty, there needs to be an endpoint after which I believe that one of the primary focuses needs to be employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, often fueling the underground system of exploitation.
How many people realize that since Nov. 6, 1986, according to federal statute, the penalty for purposely employing illegal aliens is $3,000 per illegal hire, and that the employer can spend up to six months in jail?
After an amnesty, the United States could rigorously enforce this law. If you think this is unkind, please think of the desperate people dying during botched smuggling operations or the honest employers being bankrupted. We need to dry up the demand for the exploitation. However, any increase in enforcement should be preceded by lengthy and comprehensive warnings, through the media, inserts in relevant federal mailings, and other expedient means.
Many people have already suggested this: We also need to create more legal ways for people to enter the country temporarily to fill any real gaps in our labor pool. This needs to be a cornerstone of weakening the exploitation. We already do this for technical jobs; we need to develop a similar system for general labor. However, we should simultaneously create a system to help unemployed U.S. workers to relocate to fill the same jobs if they wish to.
In short, when applying solutions to this complex problem, we need to understand what rewards and incentives we are giving. Whatever we reward, we will get more of. What we should be rewarding is honesty. For those who are hiring illegal immigrants for benevolent reasons, kindness and honesty need to be balanced.
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