Showing posts with label IMMIGRATION. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IMMIGRATION. Show all posts
Thursday, January 12, 2012
FALFURRIAS TEXAS - BORDER BANDITS
COVER STORY
Issue: "Border bandits" December 03, 2011
Border bandits
Illegal immigration may be down, but ranchers and farmers in south Texas say the influx continues and it's becoming more violent and criminal
Jamie Dean
FALFURRIAS, Texas—When Linda Vickers leaves home to feed the horses on her Texas ranch each morning, she takes three things: her dog, her cell phone, and her pistol.
For Vickers, these aren't just the trappings of a typical rural rancher: They're a way to guard against the potential danger of illegal aliens and to call U.S. Border Patrol agents if trouble erupts.
Though she hasn't used the gun, the dogs have warned her more than once: A few months ago, Vickers says the dogs "went ballistic" when she walked into the tack room. She discovered two illegal aliens sleeping on the floor.
On another morning, a large man with a pencil-thin mustache followed Vickers from the barn to her home. She called Border Patrol agents, and they apprehended the Brazilian who had split from a group of 40 other illegal aliens. From her back porch, Vickers has watched groups of 10 or more illegal immigrants tromp through her land, and she admits: "It does feel like an invasion."
Vickers' experience isn't unusual among Texas ranchers, but it is notable for at least one reason: She lives nearly 70 miles north of the U.S-Mexico border. The ranch she shares with her husband, Mike Vickers, sits just outside the rural town of Falfurrias in south Texas, and a few miles from the final U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint heading north on Highway 281.
To clear that checkpoint, illegal immigrants have two options: Try to pass through it or try to go around it. Many try to skirt the checkpoint by fanning into the hundreds of thousands of acres of surrounding farmland—including the Vickers' ranch. Human smugglers—known as coyotes—often drop illegal immigrants south of the checkpoint. Another coyote meets them in the brush for an often-treacherous journey to a waiting car north of the station.
Remarkably, thousands try to pass through the checkpoint, often hidden in trucks and cargo. By late October, agents at the Falfurrias checkpoint had apprehended 9,106 undocumented aliens since January. A sign outside the five-lane checkpoint offered another disturbing statistic that underscores a disturbing reality about some of the traffic moving through these rural areas: Since January, agents at the Falfurrias station had also seized 291,829 pounds of narcotics.
The U.S. Border Patrol reports a sharp drop in illegal immigration, and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano says the border has never been more secure—but local officials and residents in rural Texas tell a different story: Even if some numbers have dropped, illegal immigration remains a consistent problem, and cartel-related drug smuggling poses serious threats.
Indeed, better border security in some areas may be funneling illegal immigrants and drug smugglers to rural lands where the defenses are weaker. A February report from the Government Accountability Office found that the U.S. Border Patrol has achieved operational control of just 44 percent of the southern border. That reality leaves some locals in rural areas fending for themselves and creates national security concerns that extend far beyond border areas.
Examining problems with border security first requires acknowledging progress: The U.S. Border Patrol reported in July that the number of apprehensions of illegal aliens declined by 61 percent over a five-year period. The numbers dropped from 1,189,000 in 2005 to 463,000 in 2010.
The agency acknowledged that a struggling U.S. economy and a weak job market could be factors in the apparent drop in illegal immigration. But agency officials also touted better enforcement efforts, including nearly 700 miles of border fence along the southwestern border. (Many Texans question the effectiveness of the border fence and point to large gaps in many parts of the wall.)
In an El Paso speech in May, President Barack Obama touted the federal government's doubling of Border Patrol agents since 2004, an effort that began under President George W. Bush. Some 20,000 agents now patrol the southwest border. Two months earlier, Napolitano highlighted the low violent crime rates in Texas border towns. She declared: "The border is better now than it has ever been."
Don't tell that to Mike Vickers. On a hot afternoon in late October, the Falfurrias rancher and veterinarian pointed to a fresh set of footprints in the sandy ground on his 1,000-acre ranch. Boot prints followed sneaker prints and revealed last night's chase: Border Patrol agents pursued and apprehended 15 illegal immigrants crossing Vickers' ranch.
The agents had help: Volunteers from Vickers' group—Texas Border Volunteers (TBV)—spotted the illegal aliens during a night watch and called Border Patrol to respond. They gave agents a GPS location for the group and tracked their movements until the agents arrived.
For Vickers, it was a familiar scene. The native Texan has lived in Falfurrias for 37 years and started TBV five years ago to respond to increasing immigrant traffic across the ranches in the area. (The cattle ranches are vast: Vickers' neighbor owns 100,000 acres.) Aside from the trespassing, Vickers says he's suffered costly property damage from immigrants cutting fences and breaking wells.
The rancher runs two-week operations about once a month, and volunteers from all over the country come to patrol for illegal crossings across two counties. On a recent night, volunteers gathered under a shelter on Vickers' ranch ahead of a night patrol. Night vision equipment and binoculars covered folding tables where three men sat, decked in camouflage. Deer trophies hung on an outside wall near a sign with John Wayne's picture and a quote: "Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway."
These guys don't look scared. Rich David—a paramedic from Wisconsin—comes twice a year sporting a handlebar mustache and bringing Wisconsin cheese and beer. He volunteers for two-week stints during his vacation time and says he's provoked to help private landowners protect their property: "Everybody's got to do something." In the last three years, Vickers says the group has reported more than 1,400 illegal immigrants to authorities.
On a pre-dusk patrol the same evening, Vickers pointed to signs of some of those illegal immigrants under a sparse bush: Empty food and drink cans littered the patch of land where a group of illegal aliens had stopped to camp and snack on Vienna Sausages, canned fruit, and five-hour energy drinks.
Sadly, the journey usually takes far longer than five hours, and some immigrants don't make it: Vickers has found dead bodies of immigrants who likely succumbed to soaring temperatures and dehydration. The local sheriff's department has recovered 55 bodies on ranches around the area since January.
Those who do make it follow paths that coyotes and immigrants have created during years of illegal crossings on the ranches. Vickers and his volunteers have given the paths names like "Smuggler's Row" and "Thorny Pipeline." They call another path "Bulls-Eye Crawl" after an elusive immigrant smuggler who wore cowboy boots emblazoned with a bulls-eye. (After years of trying, volunteers helped agents catch the coyote.)
Another path—"The Welcome Center"—got its name after a volunteer patrolman encountered a smuggler and 33 Chinese immigrants passing through the area. Vickers says that's not unusual: Though most of the immigrants are Mexicans, he says he's encountered Sudanese, Somalis, and Indians on his land. Authorities refer to these immigrants as OTMs, an acronym for "Other than Mexicans."
The U.S. Border Patrol reports that 87 percent of apprehended illegal immigrants come from Mexico. Another 11 percent come from South America. While a small percentage are from other countries, it's enough to alarm security hawks. The Border Patrol reported that OTMs apprehended in 2010 included illegal immigrants from four countries on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism: Cuba (712), Iran (14), Syria (5), and Sudan (5). Illegal immigrants came from other countries associated with terrorism, including Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
Meanwhile, reports of Mexican cartel activity abound: The Texas Department of Public Safety reports that six Mexican drug cartels have set up operational command centers in cities across the state.
On the same October day that agents caught 15 immigrants on Vickers' ranch, federal authorities revealed a thwarted Iraqi plot with a disturbing twist: The plan to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States in a crowded D.C. restaurant hinged on an Iraqi national seeking help from a Mexican cartel based in Houston.
That didn't surprise Vickers. "The disposition of the traffic has changed," he says. "They're more violent and they're more combative. ... And there seems to be more and more coming from all over the world."
Danny Davila has similar worries. The lone investigator for the Brooks County Sheriff's Department in Falfurrias works with just six deputies covering 950 square miles of territory. Though much of that territory is sparsely populated, the small force is facing big challenges: Davila estimates that immigrant-related issues absorb about 65 percent of the force's time.
Sometimes that means apprehending illegal immigrants coming to the United States to join families or look for work. Other times it means intercepting drug smugglers carting loads of narcotics from Mexico. Sometimes, it's both: Davila says cartels often run both human and drug smuggling operations. A smuggler might surprise an illegal immigrant who's paying for passage to the United States by requiring that he carry a load of drugs.
In a tiny office that Davila shares with his assistant, photos covering the wood-paneled walls show the results of a two-year effort to crack down on drug smuggling: In one photo, officers stand next to a stash of 2,280 pounds of marijuana. Another picture shows piles of drug money that officers seized with smugglers on the way back to Mexico: The bundles of cash came about $30 short of $900,000.
The department won a federal grant to establish a brush crew in 2009: The two-man team spent the year combing nearby ranches to learn the paths the smugglers most often use and begin tracking routes. The progress of the small force in two years points to hard work and heavy drug traffic.
In a lot behind the office, Davila walks through rows of dozens of impounded cars. Some still bear the marks of smuggling: a small, square hole cut behind the front panel of a black sedan shows a spot where smugglers hid tens of thousands of dollars in cash. Davila opens a nearby trailer, revealing another stash: It's filled with seized marijuana, including a common smuggling device—bundles of marijuana taped together and fastened with homemade straps. Smugglers carry the 90-pound loads on their backs through the brush.
It didn't take long for the deputies to interrupt a major smuggling operation: Authorities say that Jose Maria Carbajal smuggled thousands of pounds of marijuana through local ranches for years. When Brooks County deputies identified the routes and started intercepting substantial loads of the drugs, federal authorities say Carbajal plotted revenge with the notorious Zetas drug cartel in Mexico.
In a 19-page criminal complaint, federal officials say Carbajal told an informant that members of the Zetas cartel traveled to Falfurrias after deputies intercepted 1,100 pounds of the Zetas' marijuana. Carbajal said he showed cartel members where two of the Brooks County deputies lived, and that the cartel planned to kidnap at least one of them. Federal authorities arrested Carbajal during a February raid.
On a recent morning, Mo Saavedra headed out for brush patrol. The two-year veteran was one of the deputies threatened by Carbajal. He says he changed some of his routines for safety, but he kept working just as hard. In an unmarked pickup truck, the deputy lumbers through the brush of a nearby ranch with a semi-automatic rifle next to him in the front seat.
When the federal grant for the brush crew expired, Saavedra began making patrols alone. (His partner patrols during other shifts.) Since the department receives very little outside funding, the deputy depends on instincts and a good memory—the truck doesn't have GPS technology or a digital radio for secure communication. He says he's learned most of the territory by spending hours in the brush: "It's all hands on."
On this morning, Saavedra looks for signs of immigrants hiding in bushes, and slows when he sees a vulture circling. This time it's a dead animal, but the deputy has found dead bodies of immigrants who died in the extreme heat.
That's what bothers Davila most. Back in his office, the investigator has two three-ring binders filled with photos of the 55 bodies the department has found this year. One photo shows a woman with a bloated face, but many are unidentifiable remains like skulls and teeth. One photo shows an intact skeleton lying face-up, still clothed in a blue jacket and brown pants.
If an illegal immigrant grows too sick or weak to stay with the group, the smuggler typically leaves him behind. "They don't care if you're the 28-year-old mother of two," says Davila. "They've got your money, and if you can't keep up you die."
Another binder holds pictures and descriptions of 23 people reported missing this year. If family members in Mexico don't hear from a loved one who attempted to cross the border, sometimes they call the sheriff's office.
They might fax or email a photo and send identifying information. One photo showed a pretty young woman leaning under an arched doorway. Another showed a man holding a young child. The description said he was born in 1973 and offered this tip: "Male was left behind three miles outside of Falfurrias as he was unable to walk."
Dying from the elements isn't the only consequence met by some immigrants: Women and girls face the threat of kidnapping for a thriving underground sex trade in the United States. Others are sometimes raped or murdered. It's a reality that disturbs Davila: "That's no way for anyone to die. I don't care where you're from."
The investigator wonders what his small team isn't catching in the brush, and says more resources would help them apprehend more smugglers and protect the surrounding community: "If you just ignore it, it's not going to go away."
While federal authorities insist they aren't ignoring border issues, Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples says they're at a minimum denying the severity of the problem. Staples' department released an independent study in September that included testimony from Texas ranchers afraid of the traffic crossing their property. One rancher said he's watched smugglers carry drugs across his property right in front of him. Another said immigrants have come to his door in the middle of the night asking to borrow his phone and his truck.
From his office in Austin, Staples said that ranchers have pleaded with him to ask for more protection of rural farmland. The commissioner says he's been met by "denial and rebuff" from federal officials. While he applauds the Border Patrol's work, and says he's thankful the president has continued to send more agents, he says the pace needs to accelerate, not slow down. That's especially true, he says, in rural areas with far less protection than border crossings.
He warns that without securing these rural areas, and committing more resources to fighting cartels in Texas, drugs and drug-related violence will continue showing up across the country: "It's not the tooth fairy dropping off these drugs in Los Angeles and New Jersey and Dallas and cities across the country."
If protecting rural areas means preventing illegal immigrants from ever crossing the border, some Texans agree that a border fence alone won't do the job. The federal government has completed about 110 miles of fence in the state. Vickers says he's against the fence, calling it a waste of time and money. Others say some barrier is better than no barrier, but that a wall won't keep out illegal immigrants willing to climb over or dig under.
At the border fence in places like Brownsville, illegal immigrants have another option: Walk right through. The 18-foot-high fence has gaps at points large enough to walk or drive through. Officials say that the gaps allow Border Patrol agents to travel through if needed and may have gates in the future. On a recent sunny afternoon, I walked through one gap in Brownsville that had a Border Patrol truck nearby. The truck was empty.
The landscape in Texas makes building a uniform fence difficult. In towns like Brownsville, the Rio Grande River cuts so close to city limits, federal authorities built the fence nearly a mile north of the border. That means a slew of homeowners and businesses own property north of the border, but south of the border fence. They call it a no man's land and say their property values have plummeted.
Vickers and others call for more boots on the ground to respond to illegal crossings, and more internal enforcement of existing immigration laws to discourage illegal immigration. That adds front-burner urgency to the back-burner issue of immigration reform in Washington, D.C.
For now locals like Vickers and Davila say they'll keep protecting as much of their community as possible. In an early November email, Davila wrote about an Oct. 24 accident in Falfurrias: A red Ford pickup truck full of illegal aliens and 500 pounds of marijuana struck the vehicle of an elderly couple from a nearby town. The immigrants had backpacked the drugs through the brush. "All subjects involved were critical, but survived the accident," wrote Davila. "Five illegals were arrested, and two absconded into the brush."
UNMANNED TEXAS BORDER CROSSING AT BIG BEND
Two or three years ago, Ted Poe was on a tour of the SW border area (south of El Paso about 30 miles). There were some narrow metal bridges crossing the river and he threw a fit about those and I believe they were removed.
Now they want to open up this crossing again. Ever since this crossing was closed, the people (on both sides of the river in this area) have been complaining about having to travel 16 hours to get across. Apparently someone complained enough to get this opened up again. Bill Brooks, the public information officer at the BP Big Bend Sector (formerly called the Marfa Sector), is in favor of opening this crossing as are others. I think they have been talked into opening this crossing because of the remaining population of the little village on the other side and the hardships of those living there. Those Mexicans made their meager living on the tourists that would cross over and eat and buy handmade Mexican items and they would come across to the U.S. side to buy groceries.
Ordinarily the BP would not be allowed to patrol on National Park land...but the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 1505: National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act in October that has given the BP authority to patrol on NP land (within 100 miles of the border). Conservationists were not happy about it and complained about it being a form of government "land grabbing" and would cause a lot of damage to the parks...but apparently they haven't been to the borders in AZ and witnessed the tons of trash and garbage left by the illegals and smugglers!! I guess the Big Bend BP want to take advantage of this access to park land before the government changes its mind!!
I feel like a lot of others....that this is just going to open up another can of worms for the smugglers...and make it easier for the poor Mexicans to slip across with "a card" and then disappear into the U.S. like millions of others. The Mexicans have been coming across in this area for many years when the river is low enough to wade or walk across....which is probably dry now because of the drought. I believe the river between El Paso and Presidio is still being used by the smugglers....although it may have slowed down some after more and better armed agents were brought in.
I sent the article on this "plan" to Cornyn, AG Greg Abbott, our federal and state reps and senators. I would suggest contacting Perry's office and complaining about this. Since he is running for president...he will be more inclined to listen if he thinks he can get our support. He has been sounding very strong about securing the borders....and this would be a good time to complain to him about the crossing. The $2.3 million cost alone during a bad economy should be enough not to open it.
The Park Service started work on this facility the end of October and are saying it should be completed by spring (unless their plans are "changed")....so they are already building it. While it may be too late to stop the initial construction....complaints can be sent to:
William E. Wellman
Big Bend National Park Superintendent.
Big Bend National Park
P.O. Box 129
Big Bend National Park, TX 79834
Headquarters & Visitor Information
432-477-2251
432-477-1175 FAX
E-mail contact form at:
www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm
John J. Smietana, Jr. is the Chief Patrol Agent at the Border Patrol Big Bend Sector (formerly called the Marfa Sector) in Marfa, TX, and can be reached at:
(432) 729-5200 or 1-888-536-6204
Bill Brooks is the public information officer for the BP Big Bend Sector and can be reached at: (432) 729-5200 or 1-888-536-6204
Mailing address:
Big Bend Border Patrol Sector
P.O. Box I
Marfa, TX 79843
From Pat Kennedy, WTCCC, Midland via e-mail
Read article here.
Now they want to open up this crossing again. Ever since this crossing was closed, the people (on both sides of the river in this area) have been complaining about having to travel 16 hours to get across. Apparently someone complained enough to get this opened up again. Bill Brooks, the public information officer at the BP Big Bend Sector (formerly called the Marfa Sector), is in favor of opening this crossing as are others. I think they have been talked into opening this crossing because of the remaining population of the little village on the other side and the hardships of those living there. Those Mexicans made their meager living on the tourists that would cross over and eat and buy handmade Mexican items and they would come across to the U.S. side to buy groceries.
Ordinarily the BP would not be allowed to patrol on National Park land...but the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 1505: National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act in October that has given the BP authority to patrol on NP land (within 100 miles of the border). Conservationists were not happy about it and complained about it being a form of government "land grabbing" and would cause a lot of damage to the parks...but apparently they haven't been to the borders in AZ and witnessed the tons of trash and garbage left by the illegals and smugglers!! I guess the Big Bend BP want to take advantage of this access to park land before the government changes its mind!!
I feel like a lot of others....that this is just going to open up another can of worms for the smugglers...and make it easier for the poor Mexicans to slip across with "a card" and then disappear into the U.S. like millions of others. The Mexicans have been coming across in this area for many years when the river is low enough to wade or walk across....which is probably dry now because of the drought. I believe the river between El Paso and Presidio is still being used by the smugglers....although it may have slowed down some after more and better armed agents were brought in.
I sent the article on this "plan" to Cornyn, AG Greg Abbott, our federal and state reps and senators. I would suggest contacting Perry's office and complaining about this. Since he is running for president...he will be more inclined to listen if he thinks he can get our support. He has been sounding very strong about securing the borders....and this would be a good time to complain to him about the crossing. The $2.3 million cost alone during a bad economy should be enough not to open it.
The Park Service started work on this facility the end of October and are saying it should be completed by spring (unless their plans are "changed")....so they are already building it. While it may be too late to stop the initial construction....complaints can be sent to:
William E. Wellman
Big Bend National Park Superintendent.
Big Bend National Park
P.O. Box 129
Big Bend National Park, TX 79834
Headquarters & Visitor Information
432-477-2251
432-477-1175 FAX
E-mail contact form at:
www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm
John J. Smietana, Jr. is the Chief Patrol Agent at the Border Patrol Big Bend Sector (formerly called the Marfa Sector) in Marfa, TX, and can be reached at:
(432) 729-5200 or 1-888-536-6204
Bill Brooks is the public information officer for the BP Big Bend Sector and can be reached at: (432) 729-5200 or 1-888-536-6204
Mailing address:
Big Bend Border Patrol Sector
P.O. Box I
Marfa, TX 79843
From Pat Kennedy, WTCCC, Midland via e-mail
Read article here.
Obama Appoints La Raza Radical to Lead Our Domestic Policy
FOR YOUR INFORMATION.....Barack Hussein Obama continues stacking the deck of government leadership in favor of wide-open borders and amnesty for all. His latest move: appointing the former senior vice president of the National Council of La Raza, Cecilia Muñoz, to head the Domestic Policy Council.
Cecilia Muñoz is a LaRaza radical amnesty advocate!!! My definition of an "amnesty advocate" is a demanding, arm-twisting behind closed doors, open borders lobbyist, that will stop at nothing to get their way in Washington....and National Council of LaRaza has produced some of the most outspoken radicals and determined amnesty advocates.
In 2008, LaRaza helped to register nearly 200,000 new Hispanic voters and helped more than 1.5 million eligible immigrants apply for citizenship. The actions of LaRaza will be as strong in the 2012 elections. LaRaza demands and is fighting for open borders and rights for all legal and illegal Latinos.
Janet Murgia, current president and CEO of National Council of LaRaza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil-rights and advocacy organization in the United States, was a deputy assistant to Bill Clinton from 1994 to 2000. Murguia served as deputy director of legislative affairs, managing the legislative staff and acting as a senior White House liaison to Congress. Clinton granted six amnesties during his eight years in office.
Obama is granting his promised amnesties to the open borders activists...but through the back door of the White House!!! (Sneaky little devils aren't they!!)
Pat Kennedy
WTxCC
Read article here.
Cecilia Muñoz is a LaRaza radical amnesty advocate!!! My definition of an "amnesty advocate" is a demanding, arm-twisting behind closed doors, open borders lobbyist, that will stop at nothing to get their way in Washington....and National Council of LaRaza has produced some of the most outspoken radicals and determined amnesty advocates.
In 2008, LaRaza helped to register nearly 200,000 new Hispanic voters and helped more than 1.5 million eligible immigrants apply for citizenship. The actions of LaRaza will be as strong in the 2012 elections. LaRaza demands and is fighting for open borders and rights for all legal and illegal Latinos.
Janet Murgia, current president and CEO of National Council of LaRaza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil-rights and advocacy organization in the United States, was a deputy assistant to Bill Clinton from 1994 to 2000. Murguia served as deputy director of legislative affairs, managing the legislative staff and acting as a senior White House liaison to Congress. Clinton granted six amnesties during his eight years in office.
Obama is granting his promised amnesties to the open borders activists...but through the back door of the White House!!! (Sneaky little devils aren't they!!)
Pat Kennedy
WTxCC
Read article here.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Joe Arpaio in the "Hotseat" again for doing his job!
From Reuters via Internet:
A federal judge on Friday barred high profile Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio from detaining people simply for being in the country illegally, in a ruling that faulted the local lawman for enforcing federal immigration law.
The 40-page written opinion by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow came on the same day he issued legal sanctions against Arpaio over destroyed documents.
The decisions come as a further blow for the controversial sheriff, who already has faced rebukes from the U.S. Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
Both rulings by Snow stemmed from a 2007 civil lawsuit against Arpaio and his agency, which accuses his officers of racial profiling of Latinos in traffic stops the judge found were conducted as immigration sweeps.
The judge also said officers with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department (MCSO), which covers Phoenix and surrounding areas, circulated emails that "compared Mexicans to dogs" and portrayed them "as drunks."
"Local law enforcement agencies, such as MCSO, may not enforce civil federal immigration law," Snow said in his written opinion.
He added that the sheriff's agency was "hereby enjoined" from detaining "any person based only on knowledge or reasonable belief, without more, that the person is unlawfully present within the United States."
In his ruling, Snow also granted a request by plaintiffs to certify the lawsuit as a class action.
He defined the class action as encompassing all Latinos "stopped, detained, questioned or searched" by Arpaio's officers "while driving or sitting in a vehicle" on roads or parking areas in Maricopa County.
EVIDENCE DESTRUCTION
Snow also cited the admitted destruction of emails and patrol records by Arpaio's office related to the case. He noted the sheriff's agency never contested those documents were shredded rather than lost.
Further proceedings in the case are expected to be decided by Snow rather than a jury because the plaintiffs have not requested a jury trial.
Snow's sanctions against Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office were outlined in written opinions issued a day after the judge heard oral arguments on the matter.
Separately last week, the U.S. Justice Department issued a scathing report accusing Arpaio and his deputies of engaging in a "pervasive culture of discriminatory bias" and violating civil rights laws by singling out Latinos for unlawful detention and arrests.
The same day, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security barred Arpaio's deputies from screening jail inmates for their immigration status.
Arpaio was given until January 4 to agree to negotiations addressing the abuses cited by the Justice Department or face a request for a court order requiring compliance.
The Justice Department's report and the similar allegations raised in the lawsuit relate to Arpaio's controversial efforts to crack down on illegal immigration in Maricopa County.
Those efforts have earned him accolades in conservative political circles. Several candidates for the Republican presidential nomination sought his endorsement, which ultimately went to Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Arpaio has denied that his department engages in racial profiling and accused the Justice Department under President Barack Obama of undermining immigration enforcement.
A lawyer for Arpaio was not available for comment.
The sheriff was a strong supporter of controversial new Arizona law SB 1070, requiring police to check the immigration status of anyone they detain and suspect of being in the country illegally.
That law is under challenge by the Obama administration in a case the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide next year.
Aside from the allegation of racial profiling, Arpaio also faces a firestorm over media reports that his office might have given short shrift to hundreds of sex-crime investigations.
~Lordhawke
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Illegal Immigration Tax Break?!
Throughout the entire debt ceiling imbroglio, Democrats incessantly regurgitated the talking point about the need for “a balanced approach.” They were so uniform and synchronized that they sounded like the sheep in Animal Farm. Ironically, their idea of a balanced approach was singularly focused upon Oil Company and corporate tax deductions, which are negligible compared to the crushing debt. The targeted oil tax deductions would have brought in $2 billion in annual revenue, while the cancellation of the corporate jet depreciation deduction would have saved only $3 billion over 10 years!
Well, it turns out that illegal aliens, most of which pay zero in net taxes, enjoyed $4.2 billion from the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) last year. That’s more than the annual revenue from the selected oil tax deductions and corporate jet deductions combined!
Yesterday, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Collection released a shocking report detailing how illegal aliens are able to utilize a filing loophole to obtain billions in ACTC funds. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and ACTC (unlike the base child tax credit) are totally refundable and can award the recipient with a negative tax balance. Appropriations for the EITC in FY 2010 were $54.7 billion and $28.3 billion for the ACTC. While EITC appropriations are protected from illegals (those who don’t engage in identity theft) because they are only awarded to those who provide a valid Social Security number, the same cannot be said for the ACTC.
Here is the punchline of the Inspector’s report:
Talk about a balanced approach!
This ought to "frost" everyone's cake!
~Lordhawke
Well, it turns out that illegal aliens, most of which pay zero in net taxes, enjoyed $4.2 billion from the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) last year. That’s more than the annual revenue from the selected oil tax deductions and corporate jet deductions combined!
Yesterday, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Collection released a shocking report detailing how illegal aliens are able to utilize a filing loophole to obtain billions in ACTC funds. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and ACTC (unlike the base child tax credit) are totally refundable and can award the recipient with a negative tax balance. Appropriations for the EITC in FY 2010 were $54.7 billion and $28.3 billion for the ACTC. While EITC appropriations are protected from illegals (those who don’t engage in identity theft) because they are only awarded to those who provide a valid Social Security number, the same cannot be said for the ACTC.
Here is the punchline of the Inspector’s report:
Many individuals who are not authorized to work in the United States, and thus not eligible to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN) for employment, earn income in the United States. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides such individuals with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to facilitate their filing of tax returns. Although the law prohibits aliens residing without authorization in the United States from receiving most Federal public benefits, an increasing number of these individuals are filing tax returns claiming the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), a refundable tax credit intended for working families. The payment of Federal funds through this tax benefit appears to provide an additional incentive for aliens to enter, reside, and work in the United States without authorization, which contradicts Federal law and policy to remove such incentives.According to the latest employment data, we’ve lost 2.57 million jobs since Obama took office, even though there are 5.1 million additional people of working age in the country. Illegals are not only competing for scarce jobs; they are enjoying billions in handouts ensconced in the tax system, due to willful negligence on the part of the IRS. For most Americans, they are the most belligerent agency in the government, yet they are suddenly indolent in going after illegals. Obama wants them to clamp down on tax deductions for corporations that pay billions in taxes, while blithely allowing them to ignore billions in refundable handouts to those who shouldn’t be here in the first place.
Because concerns were raised by Congress, the Government Accountability Office, and the IRS regarding noncompliance with EITC requirements, a law was passed in Calendar Year 1996 to deny the EITC to individuals who file a tax return without an SSN that is valid for employment. As such, filers using an ITIN are not eligible for the EITC. The change in the law was made prior to the establishment of the ACTC. However, the same law prohibits aliens residing without authorization in the United States from receiving most Federal public benefits, with the exception of certain emergency services and programs.
Nonetheless, IRS management’s view is that the law does not provide sufficient legal authority for the IRS to disallow the ACTC to ITIN filers. In addition, the Internal Revenue Code does not require an SSN to claim the ACTC and does not provide the IRS math error authority to deny the credit without an examination. As such, the IRS continues to pay the ACTC to ITIN filers.
Talk about a balanced approach!
This ought to "frost" everyone's cake!
~Lordhawke
Monday, August 29, 2011
Rick Perry tied to Agenda 21, globalist policies
Selling Texas to foreign creditors while jabbing Obama for same
By Terri Hall
Founder
Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom
August 15, 2011
Rick Perry may be good at invoking states rights and property rights, while disavowing ‘foreign creditors,’ but his actions as Texas’ longest serving governor tell a different story. Public private partnerships (or P3s) are part and parcel of the United Nations’ Agenda 21. Two of the purposes of Agenda 21 are to abolish private property and restrict mobility and P3s act as the vehicle to do it. Perry made P3s a centerpiece of his transportation policy since he stepped in as governor.
It started with the Trans Texas Corridor, known at the federal level as high priority corridors, corridors of the future, or the NAFTA superhighways. Just in Texas, it was to be a 4,000 mile multi-modal network of toll roads, rail lines, power transmission lines, pipelines, telecommunications lines and more. It was going to be financed, operated, and controlled by a foreign company granted massive swaths of land 1,200 feet (4 football fields) wide taken forcibly through eminent domain.
Called the biggest land grab in Texas history, it was going to gobble up 580,000 acres of private Texas land (the first corridor alone was to displace 1 million Texans) and hand it over to well-connected global players using P3s, who would gain exclusive rights to determine the route and what hotels, restaurants, and gas stations were along the corridor in a government-sanctioned monopoly for a half century. It was the worst case of eminent domain for private gain ever conceived.
Property rights shredded
The Trans Texas Corridor, and P3s in general, represent an imminent threat to private property rights. While lawmakers repealed the Trans Texas Corridor from state statute only months ago due to the public backlash, the re-named corridor (‘Innovative Connectivity Plan’) and its threat to property rights lives on through P3s. Two such projects underway by a Spanish developer, Cintra, will charge Texans 75 cents per mile in tolls (nearly $13 a day while Perry claims he hasn’t raised taxes or indebted Texans to foreign creditors) to access lanes on two public interstates -- I-635 and I-820. A third project being developed by the same company for two segments on SH 130 is, perhaps, the only leg of the Trans Texas Corridor TTC-35 project that will ever be built.
While Perry distracted Texans and tea partiers with ‘emergency’ resolutions on state sovereignty during the 82nd legislature, P3s spread from transportation projects to virtually every other type of public infrastructure in a bill, SB 1048, passed by the Texas legislature which he signed into law June 17. Now all public infrastructure, including public buildings, schools, nursing homes, ports, mass transit, etc. can be auctioned-off to private interests in long-term sweetheart deals with taxpayer subsidies and profit guarantees using P3s.
P3s give a private corporation the power to tax the public, whether through charging tolls or other so-called ‘user fees,’ to access their own public infrastructure, and, perhaps more insidious, allowing well-connected private entities to profit from concessions on land taken through eminent domain.
Why shouldn’t the original landowner be able to profit from developing his/her land instead of having the government take it in the name of a “public use” and give it to another developer, one with government connections? Perry’s administration of P3s is like his administration of his Emerging Technology Fund that’s been highly criticized for steering taxpayer money to Perry’s campaign donors -- a case in point, Dan Shelley.
Shelley worked for Cintra, who had its sites set on developing the Trans Texas Corridor. Shelley lands a job as Perry’s aide, steers the $7 billion corridor P3 to his former employer Cintra, then goes back to work for Cintra. That’s how Perry does business -- pay to play.
Texas “Open for Business”
While Perry is staking his campaign on Texas being the top net jobs creator, Perry’s version of Texas being “Open for Business” isn’t about low taxes and less regulation as much as it is about doing business with foreign companies, including selling off Texas’ sovereign land and public assets to foreign creditors, an issue which Perry’s first television ad uses to take aim at President Obama.
Aside from the P3s, Texas has 20 active deals going with the Chinese and has 32 foreign trade zones (FTZs), a vehicle to ease the flow of foreign goods into the United States that are chalk full of tax breaks for importers. Perry’s office promoted these FTZs in a document entitled Foreign Trade Zones: Texas Wide Open for Business and even dedicates a web site for Texas FTZs, http://www.texaswideopenforbusiness.com/.
A recent Washington Post article documents Perry’s work to get Chinese government-owned telecommunications company Huawei, to base its U.S. operations in Texas, a company that the U.S. government has deemed a threat to national security noting that “three times since 2008, a U.S. government security panel has blocked Huawei from acquiring or partnering with U.S. companies because of concerns that secrets could be leaked to China’s government or military.”
Perry’s coziness with the Chinese and foreign investors exposes a huge weakness in his right flank -- illegal immigration and open borders. The Trans Texas Corridor has been linked to the global plan to economically integrate North America, with the eventual goal of a common security perimeter modeled after the European Union. Perry ushered in in-state tuition for illegals and has long been an obstacle to immigration reform or any Arizona-style immigration law.
Perry’s record paints a much different picture than what candidate Perry would have us believe -- that he’s a states rights, Constitutionally limited government conservative that’s responsible for the “Texas miracle.” In reality, he’s more like an Agenda 21 globalist willing to sell America to the highest bidder.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Rick Perry tied to Agenda 21, globalist policies - San Antonio Transportation Policy
Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/transportation-policy-in-san-antonio/rick-perry-tied-to-agenda-21-globalist-policies#ixzz1V8WLRtO9
Friday, August 26, 2011
National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers - smugglers' fees
The National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers (NAFBPO) extracts and condenses the material that follows from Mexican and Central and South American on-line media sources on a daily basis. You are free to disseminate this information, but we request that you credit NAFBPO as being the provider.
Friday, 10/1/10
Frontera (Tijuana, Baja Calif.) 9/30/10
Arizona law SB1070 boosts smugglers’ fees
Crossing over to “the other side” (read: the U.S.) used to cost Mexicans two thousand dollars or more; however, smugglers’ rates have now reached $4,500 dollars starting last June. The approval of Law SB1070 in Arizona has allowed the “coyotes” to fill their pockets due to the criminalization of immigrants in that state. New York’s Tepeyac Association, which looks after the rights of immigrants, pointed out that, nevertheless, this 125% increase has not impacted the attempts to cross the border.
Migrants have changed routes now. Arizona is no longer a viable option and now people attempt to cross mostly through New Mexico, California and Texas, according to Joel Magallanes, executive director of the Tepeyac organization. Magallanes added that prices not only impact on Mexicans: it’s the South Americans who must come up with a larger payment to reach the “American dream.” It used to cost them $7,000 dollars, while now the “pollero” (“chicken herder” or smuggler) demands some $15,000. Central Americans have a slight discount, but their cost has risen from the previous $6,000 and has now reached $10,000. The Tepeyac group also pointed out the insecurity on the border and the current high volume of the Rio Grande River, both of which increase the risk for those who attempt to reach the neighboring country.
http://www.frontera.info/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Noticias/30092010/471...
Friday, 10/1/10
Frontera (Tijuana, Baja Calif.) 9/30/10
Arizona law SB1070 boosts smugglers’ fees
Crossing over to “the other side” (read: the U.S.) used to cost Mexicans two thousand dollars or more; however, smugglers’ rates have now reached $4,500 dollars starting last June. The approval of Law SB1070 in Arizona has allowed the “coyotes” to fill their pockets due to the criminalization of immigrants in that state. New York’s Tepeyac Association, which looks after the rights of immigrants, pointed out that, nevertheless, this 125% increase has not impacted the attempts to cross the border.
Migrants have changed routes now. Arizona is no longer a viable option and now people attempt to cross mostly through New Mexico, California and Texas, according to Joel Magallanes, executive director of the Tepeyac organization. Magallanes added that prices not only impact on Mexicans: it’s the South Americans who must come up with a larger payment to reach the “American dream.” It used to cost them $7,000 dollars, while now the “pollero” (“chicken herder” or smuggler) demands some $15,000. Central Americans have a slight discount, but their cost has risen from the previous $6,000 and has now reached $10,000. The Tepeyac group also pointed out the insecurity on the border and the current high volume of the Rio Grande River, both of which increase the risk for those who attempt to reach the neighboring country.
http://www.frontera.info/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Noticias/30092010/471...
Rep. Gutierrez says Immigrant Voters put Obama in Office
In sharing his joy over Obama's latest immigration policy with the Latino community, Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) let it slip that "immigrant voters" helped put Obama in the White House. It is illegal for immigrants-- legal or illegal -- to vote in U.S. elections.Gutierrez confirms what many in the U.S. already believe: Illegal aliens are voting in U.S. elections -- to the benefit of the Democrat Party -- and each time an illegal alien votes, it cancels out a vote cast by a U.S. citizen.
Following the Obama Homeland Security Department's policy change on illegal alien deportations last Thursday, New York's Congressman Peter King slammed Obama's deportation policy as a blatant attempt to bypass congressional authority and grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens by fiat.
While the move caused anger among many GOP lawmakers and citizens groups, it was praised by the Democrats.
"This is the Barack Obama I have been waiting for and that Latino and immigrant voters helped put in office," Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) told New York Daily News reporter Jack Straw.
Rep. King, who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee accused Obama of cherry picking which laws to enforce and which ones to ignore.
“This new non-enforcement policy announced by the Obama Administration Thursday is a blatant attempt to grant amnesty to potentially millions of illegal aliens in this country, and is totally unacceptable. In reality, this decision to vastly expand the exercise of ‘prosecutorial discretion’ in enforcing our federal immigration laws means that the Administration will now be, in a huge number of cases, simply ignoring those laws," said King.
King (R-Nassau) cited Obama's remarks from July: “On July 25, in a speech to the National Council of La Raza, the President himself said, ‘I know some people want me to bypass Congress and change the laws on my own…but that’s not how our system works…That’s not how our democracy functions. That’s not how our Constitution is written.’ Apparently the President’s understanding of how our system of government works has changed since last month,” King sternly noted.
“The President and members of his Administration must enforce this nation’s laws, just as they have sworn in their oaths of office to do," said the visibly angry Congressman King.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and is a columnist for The Examiner (examiner.com) and New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News KGAB (www.kgab.com). Jim Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe actor Michael Moriarty.
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.10237/pub_detail.asp
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Gov. Deval Patrick’s stand on illegals is indefensible
By Howie Carr
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
It’s going to take some politician’s kid getting killed by a drunken illegal alien before the hacks finally figure out that there’s a mighty big problem here.
You know what happened in Milford on Saturday night. A totally smashed illegal from Ecuador is accused of running a stop sign and mowing down a 23-year-old American on a motorcycle, and then proceeding to drag him, screaming, under his truck for a quarter mile.
When the illegal finally ran off the road, the American became disentangled. He was still alive. But then the illegal backed his truck back over him, according to prosecutors.
Told later he’d killed the young man, Matthew J. Denice, cops say the illegal shrugged.
At his first appearance in court Monday, Nicolas Guaman needed a translator, even though he’s been in the country for five years. Apparently he’s picked up at least a bit of our lingo along the line — in the cab of the truck, cops found cans of Budweiser cerveza, which he was somehow able to purchase.
Right now the pols are fighting over a proposal to round up illegals such as Guaman before they kill. It’s called Secure Communities. You can figure out where the top hacks stand. Gov. Deval Patrick would prefer to give them free tuition to state colleges. Mayor Mumbles Menino recently pronounced that car theft by an illegal alien was not a crime worthy of deportation.
And of course there’s Attorney General Marsha Coakley’s famous quote: “Technically, it is not illegal to be illegal in Massachusetts.”
But even moonbats at least claim to want to get the violent criminals out of society. It’s just that they want to decide what laws will be enforced and which ones won’t.
So far we know this about Guaman. In addition to being arrested three times since 2007 for driving without a license, the Milford police said he got a year of probation for assault and battery on a police officer. This was apparently the same incident in which the alleged killer, according to the Middlesex News, was also charged with attacking a firefighter “after a 2008 incident in which he interfered with the treatment of a family member who had allegedly attempted to enter someone else’s house.”
Gov. Patrick’s flack yesterday issued this statement about Matthew Denice: “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim of this terrible crime. . . . The Governor’s policy is that serious criminals who are here illegally should be deported.”
Maybe, Deval, you should think about doing it before, rather than after they actually killed somebody.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1360938
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
News from Minuteman PAC
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
POLL: VOTERS FAVOR BORDER CONTROL OVER AMNESTY
The latest Rasmussen Reports poll shows that Obama just may be catering to a losing minority when it comes to forcing Amnesty on America.
According to the Rasmussen national telephone survey of Likely Voters, 61% deem border control as the most important aspect of immigration reform while just 31% say it’s more important to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants already here. At the same time, 57% of voters agree that the goal of U.S. immigration policy should be to keep out national security threats, criminals and those who would live off our welfare system welcoming all immigrants that do not fall under those categories.
These results have remained consistent in surveys dating back to 2006.
HUNTER BILL WOULD SPEED UP DEPORTATION
In response to Obama’s “blatant disregard for the law,” Arizona state Rep. Duncan Hunter is planning to introduce a bill that would speed up the deportation of thousands of illegal immigrants whose deportation cases are jamming immigration courts. Rep. Hunter’s effort comes as a stark contrast to the new Obamnesty measure cancelling all pending deportation cases except those of illegal immigrants convicted of additional crimes.
The bill would:
Require that immigration officers order the immediate removal of an illegal immigrant who has not been continuously living in the U.S. for a period of four years, unless he or she has been charged with a crime, plans to apply for asylum or is determined to be a national security risk.
Require that immigration officers refer immigrants who are seeking asylum to an asylum officer only if the immigrant has been in the country for less than a year.
Make it clear that the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has the authority to expedite the removal of criminal immigrants.
Limit the ability to grant stays of removal to illegal immigrants who have been ordered removed.
Hunter is currently seeking co-sponsors and is likely to introduce the bill next month after Congress returns from its summer break.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Lawmaker Wants Investigation Into Administration's New Deportation Policy
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 10:57AM
Staff
Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) says she will hold hearings into whether the Obama administration’s new deportation policy violates the Constitution.
In a statement, Miller, who chairs a key House border security subcommittee, declared that the new policy, in which the administration will focus deportation efforts on illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds over other illegals, “is nothing more than an administrative amnesty; one that ignores our laws and provides a pass to the countless individuals who are in the nation illegally.”
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R), who last year signed one of the toughest illegal immigration laws in the nation, also referred to the plan as “backdoor amnesty.”
Miller said that the administration’s decision breaks a promise made last year by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who said at the time that her agency would not “grant deferred action or humanitarian parole to the Nation’s entire illegal immigrant population or large classes of such population.”
Here’s Miller’s reaction to that statement:
“The policy announced by DHS last week and the explanation Secretary Napolitano made in her response one year ago clearly conflict. It once again seems clear that this Administration fully intends to travel down the road of amnesty which has failed in the past to stop the flow of illegal immigration and made our borders less secure. I believe that this action could pose an imminent threat to our efforts to gain operational control of our borders and requires vigorous oversight. The Administration should be put on notice that I intend to call a hearing in the very near future to exercise the appropriate oversight function of Congress and to make certain we are doing everything in our power to enforce the laws and secure our borders.”
http://www.talkradionews.com/news/2011/8/23/lawmaker-wants-investigation-into-administrations-new-deport.html
Staff
Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) says she will hold hearings into whether the Obama administration’s new deportation policy violates the Constitution.
In a statement, Miller, who chairs a key House border security subcommittee, declared that the new policy, in which the administration will focus deportation efforts on illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds over other illegals, “is nothing more than an administrative amnesty; one that ignores our laws and provides a pass to the countless individuals who are in the nation illegally.”
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R), who last year signed one of the toughest illegal immigration laws in the nation, also referred to the plan as “backdoor amnesty.”
Miller said that the administration’s decision breaks a promise made last year by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who said at the time that her agency would not “grant deferred action or humanitarian parole to the Nation’s entire illegal immigrant population or large classes of such population.”
Here’s Miller’s reaction to that statement:
“The policy announced by DHS last week and the explanation Secretary Napolitano made in her response one year ago clearly conflict. It once again seems clear that this Administration fully intends to travel down the road of amnesty which has failed in the past to stop the flow of illegal immigration and made our borders less secure. I believe that this action could pose an imminent threat to our efforts to gain operational control of our borders and requires vigorous oversight. The Administration should be put on notice that I intend to call a hearing in the very near future to exercise the appropriate oversight function of Congress and to make certain we are doing everything in our power to enforce the laws and secure our borders.”
http://www.talkradionews.com/news/2011/8/23/lawmaker-wants-investigation-into-administrations-new-deport.html
*****
Friday, August 19, 2011
Obama to America: Drop Dead
Obama to America: Drop Dead - San Francisco Immigration
By Rick Oltman
In the most anti-American act of his administration that showed complete contempt for America and Americans, President Barack Hussein Obama amnestied over 30 million illegal aliens on Thursday. There was no legislation, no debate and no consideration for American citizens.
Cecilia Munoz, formerly of the racist group La Raza, posted on the White House Blog that under the president’s direction an amnesty was declared for illegal aliens in America.
Oh, it wasn’t called amnesty, of course. In classic Orwellian Newspeak she said, “Today, (DHS) announced that they are strengthening their ability to target criminals even further by making sure they are not focusing our resources on deporting people who are low priorities for deportation.”
But it’s an amnesty.
Read the rest of the story at Examiner.com .
****
Make your thoughts known - call the President's comment line about this: 1-202-456-1111 - Email him at http://www.whitehouse.gov/. ~ Jean Towell
******
Well, NCLR wasn't satisfied with all the high level governmental appointments Obama paid them in return for their help in getting him elected. They've now twisted his arm by threatening to withdraw their support in 2012 and by actively encouraging him to be a dictator that he has now become a dictator, throwing the Balance of Power, our Constitution, and our laws out the window. Here's some on Cecilia Munoz. I have never liked her since she was on some committee that was discussing how many people from each country we would allow in as legal immigrants. She said something to the effect that she (although she phrased it as "we") didn't want to let too many black people in. Wish I'd kept that. I remember copying it as a comment on some posting on ALIPAC but I haven't been able to find it... that was back when I first started looking at this mess and wasn't familiar with saving things. Anyway, here's Cecilia.
I do believe that is incontestable evidence that the White House knows what the Balance of Powers is, what our Constitution and laws mean and that they have blatantly disregarded all of what this country was founded upon in favor of their own agendas. Our Congress needs to get off their duffs, do their job and reign this president and his entourage in. ~ Faye
Obama Usurps Congress
Administrative Amnesty for Illegal Aliens is a Blatant Usurpation of Congress's Constitutional Authority, Charges FAIR
(Washington, DC August 18, 2011) The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) responded sharply to today's White House announcement that it will essentially halt enforcement against illegal aliens who have not been convicted of criminal offenses. Today's move by the Obama administration amounts to an administrative amnesty and a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration policy without approval by Congress, charged FAIR. The announcement was posted on the White House website.
Under the guise of setting priorities for immigration enforcement, White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Munoz lays out entire classes of illegal aliens who will no longer be subject to enforcement. The plan entails dropping existing cases and taking "steps to keep low-priority cases out of the deportation pipeline in the first place," Munoz writes.
"Today's policy announcement clearly demonstrates the Obama administration's defiance of both the constitutional separation of powers and the will of the American public in its relentless effort to gain amnesty for illegal aliens," stated Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "From the outset, the administration has refused to enforce many immigration laws, essentially placing its own political agenda ahead of its constitutional responsibilities to carry out laws enacted by Congress. It has also acted aggressively to prevent state governments from implementing laws aimed at discouraging illegal immigration, including filing lawsuits against Arizona and Alabama.
"Supporters of comprehensive and targeted amnesties for illegal aliens have consistently failed to win approval by Congress or gain support from the American public," Stein noted. "Having failed in the legislative process, the Obama administration has simply decided to usurp Congress's constitutional authority and implement an amnesty program for millions of illegal aliens."
The announcement seemingly comes in response to growing demands from illegal alien advocates that the administration exercise broad discretionary powers not to enforce laws against entire classes of people who are in the country illegally. "In spite of repeated statements from President Obama himself that he lacks the constitutional authority to implement an amnesty by executive fiat, the administration is now doing precisely that," said Stein.
"This step by the White House amounts to a complete abrogation of the President's duty to enforce the laws of the land and a huge breach of the public trust. Never, in the history of federal immigration enforcement, has an administration willfully and so egregiously usurped Congress's and the people's role to decide immigration issues. In essence, the administration has declared that U.S. immigration is now virtually unlimited to anyone willing to try to enter and only those who commit violent felonies after arrival are subject to enforcement. This is not the nation's immigration law," concluded Stein.
http://www.fairus.org/site/News2/1913722586?page=NewsArticle&id=24343&security=1601&news_iv_ctrl=1741&utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FAIR%20Enews&utm_content=Enews+Aug+19+2011
(Washington, DC August 18, 2011) The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) responded sharply to today's White House announcement that it will essentially halt enforcement against illegal aliens who have not been convicted of criminal offenses. Today's move by the Obama administration amounts to an administrative amnesty and a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration policy without approval by Congress, charged FAIR. The announcement was posted on the White House website.
Under the guise of setting priorities for immigration enforcement, White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Munoz lays out entire classes of illegal aliens who will no longer be subject to enforcement. The plan entails dropping existing cases and taking "steps to keep low-priority cases out of the deportation pipeline in the first place," Munoz writes.
"Today's policy announcement clearly demonstrates the Obama administration's defiance of both the constitutional separation of powers and the will of the American public in its relentless effort to gain amnesty for illegal aliens," stated Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "From the outset, the administration has refused to enforce many immigration laws, essentially placing its own political agenda ahead of its constitutional responsibilities to carry out laws enacted by Congress. It has also acted aggressively to prevent state governments from implementing laws aimed at discouraging illegal immigration, including filing lawsuits against Arizona and Alabama.
"Supporters of comprehensive and targeted amnesties for illegal aliens have consistently failed to win approval by Congress or gain support from the American public," Stein noted. "Having failed in the legislative process, the Obama administration has simply decided to usurp Congress's constitutional authority and implement an amnesty program for millions of illegal aliens."
The announcement seemingly comes in response to growing demands from illegal alien advocates that the administration exercise broad discretionary powers not to enforce laws against entire classes of people who are in the country illegally. "In spite of repeated statements from President Obama himself that he lacks the constitutional authority to implement an amnesty by executive fiat, the administration is now doing precisely that," said Stein.
"This step by the White House amounts to a complete abrogation of the President's duty to enforce the laws of the land and a huge breach of the public trust. Never, in the history of federal immigration enforcement, has an administration willfully and so egregiously usurped Congress's and the people's role to decide immigration issues. In essence, the administration has declared that U.S. immigration is now virtually unlimited to anyone willing to try to enter and only those who commit violent felonies after arrival are subject to enforcement. This is not the nation's immigration law," concluded Stein.
http://www.fairus.org/site/News2/1913722586?page=NewsArticle&id=24343&security=1601&news_iv_ctrl=1741&utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FAIR%20Enews&utm_content=Enews+Aug+19+2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Immigrants plead for end to fingerprint sharing
By AMY TAXIN
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Immigrants who say they were hauled into jail for selling ice cream without a permit and for reporting being the victim of domestic violence had one message for a federal government task force assigned to review an information-sharing effort that gives immigration authorities access to the fingerprints of arrestees.
End the program.
More than 200 people, many wearing signs reading "Terminate Secure Communities" and carrying flags from countries including Mexico and Brazil, packed a conference room in Los Angeles Monday night to recount their experiences with a program they say is making immigrants reluctant to report crime to police out of fear of getting deported.
"Every day I live the nightmare of this program," said Blanca Perez, 38, who said she was arrested in February for street vending without a permit. "Now I am facing deportation for the simple act of selling ice cream in the street."
The meeting was one of the first public discussions of the so-called Secure Communities program since Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Aug. 5 terminated agreements signed with states to jumpstart the effort and said that state approval isn't required to share fingerprints.
The program touted by immigration authorities as an information-sharing effort has become a headache for the Obama administration, which has plowed ahead with it despite vocal opposition from Latino and immigrant rights groups the president counts on for support.
Immigrant advocates say the program lands immigrants arrested for investigation of minor violations in detention and erodes their trust in police. They have also criticized the administration for giving the impression that local governments could choose whether to participate when it is in fact mandatory.
States including Illinois and Massachusetts had decided to opt out of the program, only to be told that they couldn't.
At the at-times boisterous meeting in Los Angeles, several dozen people spoke out against Secure Communities - and the bulk of the crowd walked out halfway in protest after a speaker challenged the two task force members leading the session to resign. But a handful of people gave the program praise, saying more, not less, immigration enforcement is needed.
"Contrary to what you have heard, Secure Communities does not seek out hardworking, law abiding immigrants for removal," said Anna Pembedjian, public safety deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich. "Rather, it seeks out those who prey on them and others in our community,"
On Monday, immigrant rights groups urged members of the task force to call on ICE to end the program and questioned whether any real change would come from the meetings held last week in Dallas and scheduled this week in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Immigrant advocates are planning to hold protests Tuesday against Secure Communities in cities across the country.
Retired Sacramento police chief Arturo Venegas Jr., one of the two task force members overseeing the Los Angeles meeting, said he isn't going to quit.
"We have the opportunity to give voice to you in those halls of government where in the past, in reality we haven't had it," he told the smaller crowd that remained after the walkout in Spanish. "If we leave now, the work will continue, and they will make recommendations without our voice."
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that it has recently developed additional training for local law enforcement along with a new policy to protect domestic violence victims. It also said it created the task force to make recommendations for other changes, recognizing "that there is room for improvement in the operation of the program."
ICE is currently running the program in 44 states and plans to achieve nationwide coverage in 2013.
Local law enforcement agencies routinely send fingerprints to the FBI for criminal background checks when an individual is arrested. Under Secure Communities, the FBI shares the fingerprints with Homeland Security to look for potentially deportable immigrants.
An ongoing source of debate is who is getting identified through this fingerprint sharing. Since 2008, about 121,000 immigrants have been deported after being flagged under Secure Communities, ICE statistics show.
About 6 percent had no prior record with immigration officials or law enforcement; roughly 28 percent had no criminal history, the statistics show.
That has led some immigrant advocates to clamor for changes, such as screening people after they are convicted of a crime instead of when they are arrested. Groups in favor of stricter limits on immigration counter that it's not feasible to wait for a conviction and the sole opportunity for consistent screening is during the booking process.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IMMIGRATION_ENFORCEMENT_FINGERPRINTS?SITE=TXODE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Immigrants who say they were hauled into jail for selling ice cream without a permit and for reporting being the victim of domestic violence had one message for a federal government task force assigned to review an information-sharing effort that gives immigration authorities access to the fingerprints of arrestees.
End the program.
More than 200 people, many wearing signs reading "Terminate Secure Communities" and carrying flags from countries including Mexico and Brazil, packed a conference room in Los Angeles Monday night to recount their experiences with a program they say is making immigrants reluctant to report crime to police out of fear of getting deported.
"Every day I live the nightmare of this program," said Blanca Perez, 38, who said she was arrested in February for street vending without a permit. "Now I am facing deportation for the simple act of selling ice cream in the street."
The meeting was one of the first public discussions of the so-called Secure Communities program since Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Aug. 5 terminated agreements signed with states to jumpstart the effort and said that state approval isn't required to share fingerprints.
The program touted by immigration authorities as an information-sharing effort has become a headache for the Obama administration, which has plowed ahead with it despite vocal opposition from Latino and immigrant rights groups the president counts on for support.
Immigrant advocates say the program lands immigrants arrested for investigation of minor violations in detention and erodes their trust in police. They have also criticized the administration for giving the impression that local governments could choose whether to participate when it is in fact mandatory.
States including Illinois and Massachusetts had decided to opt out of the program, only to be told that they couldn't.
At the at-times boisterous meeting in Los Angeles, several dozen people spoke out against Secure Communities - and the bulk of the crowd walked out halfway in protest after a speaker challenged the two task force members leading the session to resign. But a handful of people gave the program praise, saying more, not less, immigration enforcement is needed.
"Contrary to what you have heard, Secure Communities does not seek out hardworking, law abiding immigrants for removal," said Anna Pembedjian, public safety deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich. "Rather, it seeks out those who prey on them and others in our community,"
On Monday, immigrant rights groups urged members of the task force to call on ICE to end the program and questioned whether any real change would come from the meetings held last week in Dallas and scheduled this week in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Immigrant advocates are planning to hold protests Tuesday against Secure Communities in cities across the country.
Retired Sacramento police chief Arturo Venegas Jr., one of the two task force members overseeing the Los Angeles meeting, said he isn't going to quit.
"We have the opportunity to give voice to you in those halls of government where in the past, in reality we haven't had it," he told the smaller crowd that remained after the walkout in Spanish. "If we leave now, the work will continue, and they will make recommendations without our voice."
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that it has recently developed additional training for local law enforcement along with a new policy to protect domestic violence victims. It also said it created the task force to make recommendations for other changes, recognizing "that there is room for improvement in the operation of the program."
ICE is currently running the program in 44 states and plans to achieve nationwide coverage in 2013.
Local law enforcement agencies routinely send fingerprints to the FBI for criminal background checks when an individual is arrested. Under Secure Communities, the FBI shares the fingerprints with Homeland Security to look for potentially deportable immigrants.
An ongoing source of debate is who is getting identified through this fingerprint sharing. Since 2008, about 121,000 immigrants have been deported after being flagged under Secure Communities, ICE statistics show.
About 6 percent had no prior record with immigration officials or law enforcement; roughly 28 percent had no criminal history, the statistics show.
That has led some immigrant advocates to clamor for changes, such as screening people after they are convicted of a crime instead of when they are arrested. Groups in favor of stricter limits on immigration counter that it's not feasible to wait for a conviction and the sole opportunity for consistent screening is during the booking process.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IMMIGRATION_ENFORCEMENT_FINGERPRINTS?SITE=TXODE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Missouri Ahead of the Game in Dealing with Illegal Immigrants
Nita Jane Ayres has agreed to write a follow-up editorial which will appear in our print edition on June 24. The follow-up will take a close look at the state's legislation and how it deals with illegal immigrants.
We’re down to one week to go in the legislative session and bills are moving through the process at a remarkable pace. My goal is to keep you updated on all the pieces of legislation that may be of interest to you and your family. In the coming weeks, I hope to do that. However, this week I want to talk about an issue that Missouri has already addressed in a variety of ways – the issue of illegal immigration. I’m sure you’ve seen the headlines about Arizona’s new law aimed at dealing with those who enter our country illegally. It has been called the strictest immigration law in generations. While Missouri hasn’t gone to the same lengths as Arizona, our state has made significant policy changes that effectively deal with illegal immigrants who enter our state. Because of those changes, Missouri is ahead of the game when compared to many other states that are now dealing with this issue.
In 2007, the Missouri General Assembly approved HJR 7 to place on the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment designating English as the official language of Missouri. Voters then went to the polls and approved the measure with nearly 90 percent voting in favor. With that, English became the official language for all governmental proceedings in Missouri. It also means no individual has the right to demand government services in a language other than English. A common language is the cornerstone of a cohesive and united state and country. Ensuring that English is our official language is simply common sense.
Another measure that directly addresses the issue of illegal immigration was passed in 2008. HB 1549 requires our Highway Patrol and other law enforcement officials to verify the immigration status of any person arrested, and inform federal authorities if the person is found to be here illegally. It also allows Missouri law enforcement officers to receive training to enforce federal immigration laws. Furthermore, the bill makes it clear that illegal immigrants will not have access to taxpayer benefits such as food stamps and health care through MO HealthNet. With the passage of this legislation, Missouri sent a clear message that illegal immigrants are not welcome in our state, and that they are certainly not welcome to receive public benefits at the cost of Missouri taxpayers.
2009 saw another significant piece of legislation passed dealing with illegal immigration. HB 390 ensures Missouri’s public institutions of higher education do not award financial aid to individuals who are here illegally. The law also requires all postsecondary institutions of higher education to annually certify to the Missouri Department of Higher Education that they have not knowingly awarded financial aid to students who are unlawfully present in the United States. The bill represents another common sense approach to the issue as it ensures taxpayer dollars are not used to subsidize the education of someone who is in our country illegally.
So while Arizona has made national news for its new law, it’s important to remember Missouri has been proactive in addressing this growing problem. The laws we have on the books help ensure the rights and benefits of Missourians are preserved for actual Missouri citizens. It’s also important to remember that this country has always opened its arms to immigrants, which is why our nation is often referred to as the great melting pot. Immigrants from all parts of the world have helped make our country what it is today. However, our doors are not open to those who try to live in our country illegally. I believe Missouri’s laws make that very clear and give our law enforcement officials the authority they need to deal with the problem.
Thanks again for allowing me to represent you in the state capitol. Feel free to contact me with your concerns, suggestions and ideas. My office phone is 573-751-2492. Email address: nitajane.ayres@house.mo.gov Or write to: State Representative Nita Jane Ayres, House Post Office, State Capitol, Room 233-A, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
http://ozarkssentinel.com/missouri-ahead-of-the-game-in-dealing-with-illegal-immigrants-p1034.htm
Thanks for sending this, dragonrider. ~ Faye
Friday, August 5, 2011
Congress Asked To Pledge Respect To Latinos
.Last Updated: Wed, 03/23/2011 - 11:07am
Amid heated immigration debates, members of Congress are being asked to sign a pledge acknowledging the economic, civic and cultural contributions of Latinos and opposing “irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric” that “dehumanizes” them.
The contract is part of the “Pledge for Respect” campaign launched this month by the politically-connected National Council of La Raza (NCLR), which bills itself as the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. The influential Mexican group receives millions of federal tax dollars annually to promote its leftist, open-borders agenda and has hundreds of branches throughout the nation.
NCLR leaders regularly attend congressional hearings as well as White House meetings and President Obama hired one of the group’s top officials (Cecilia Munoz) to serve in his administration. The commander-in-chief even violated his own lobbyist ban to make Munoz director of intergovernmental affairs even though she supervised all legislative and advocacy activities on the state and local levels for the NCLR, which is headquartered in Washington D.C.
With that said, this isn’t merely a publicity stunt for the powerful NCLR, which is pushing the respect campaign as part of this year’s National Latino Advocacy Days. The idea is to reinforce that the Hispanic community is an integral part of the fabric of America, according to the group, which is also using the opportunity to denounce politicians who use Latinos to exploit xenophobia for political gain.
The contract also forces members of Congress to promise that they’ll meet with advocates and leaders from the Hispanic nonprofit (that would include the NCLR) and business communities to hear their perspective on the “issues.” That way they could find a common ground based on “shared values and interests.”
To launch its respect campaign the NCLR enlisted a Los Angeles hip-hop band named after the Aztec astrological symbol of the monkey (Ozomatli). In a public service ad, members of the musical group claim that some candidates for public office have called for landmines on the U.S.-Mexico border and microchips to be implanted in undocumented immigrants. Others have used “stereotypical and menacing images of Latinos in their campaign ads.”
The message goes on to say that elected officials and states have fashioned “extreme draconian” proposals against the immigrant and Latino communities, including the elimination of ethnic studies programs in public schools, forcing publicly-funded hospitals to ask for patients’ immigration status and stripping U.S. citizenship from children born to illegal aliens. “It’s time to tell Congress that we won’t stand for this anymore. We need to know who is with us and who is against us! “
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2011/mar/congress-asked-pledge-respect-latinos
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