Illegal Immigration
2/22/2008 | Illegal Immigration, Terrorism
Arizona 'Virtual Fence' to Get Final OK
My Way
WASHINGTON (AP) - A 28-mile "virtual fence" that will use radars and surveillance cameras to try to catch people entering the country illegally has gotten final government approval. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Friday was to announce approval of the fence, built by the Boeing Co. (BA) and using technology the Bush administration plans to extend to other areas of the Arizona border, as well as sections of Texas. These projects could get under way as early as this summer, officials said. The virtual fence is part of a national plan to secure the southwest border with physical barriers and high-tech detection capabilities intended to stop illegal immigrants on foot and drug smugglers in vehicles. As of Feb. 8, 295 miles of fencing had been constructed. The virtual fence already is working. On Feb. 13, an officer in a Tucson command center - 70 miles from the border - noticed a group of about 100 people gathered at the border. The officer notified agents on the ground and in the air. Border Patrol caught 38 of the 100 people who tried to cross illegally, and the others went back into Mexico, a Homeland Security official said.
Recommended Guests:
Zakariah Anani, Shoebat FoundationJoel Anderson, Assemblyman, California State AssemblyDavid Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCMajor Eric Egland, Author, The Troops Need You, America: Six Ways to Help...Steve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyPaul "Dave" Gaubatz, Owner-Director, Wahhabi CT PublicationsColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAPeter Lillback, President, Westminster Theological SeminaryJan Markell, President, Olive Tree MinistriesJoe Murray, Columnist, The BulletinKamal Saleem, Shoebat FoundationWalid Shoebat, President, Shoebat FoundationTimothy Watkins, Producer/Director, Renegade Productions2/12/2008 | Illegal Immigration
Arizona Seeing Signs of Flight by Immigrants
The New York Times
PHOENIX — The signs of flight among Latino immigrants here are multiple: Families moving out of apartment complexes, schools reporting enrollment drops, business owners complaining about fewer clients. While it is too early to know for certain, a consensus is developing among economists, business people and immigration groups that the weakening economy coupled with recent curbs on illegal immigration are steering Hispanic immigrants out of the state. The Arizona economy, heavily dependent on growth and a Latino work force, has been slowing for months. Meanwhile, the state has enacted one of the country’s toughest laws to punish employers who hire illegal immigrants, and the county sheriff here in Phoenix has been enforcing federal immigration laws by rounding up people living here illegally. “It is very difficult to separate the economic reality in Arizona from the effects of the laws because the economy is tanking and construction is drying up,” said Frank Pierson, lead organizer of the Arizona Interfaith Network, which advocates for immigrants’ rights and other causes. But the combination of factors creates “ a disincentive to stay in the state.” State Representative Russell K. Pearce, a Republican from Mesa and leading advocate of the crackdown on illegal immigration, takes reports of unauthorized workers leaving as a sign of success. An estimated one in 10 workers in Arizona are Hispanic immigrants, both legal and illegal, twice the national average. “The desired effect was, we don’t have the red carpet out for illegal aliens,” Mr. Pearce said, adding that while “most of these are good people” they are a “tremendous burden” on public services.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin1/17/2008 | Illegal Immigration, Presidential Issues
Huckabee vows to send all illegal aliens home
The Washington Times
TIGERVILLE, S.C. — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee yesterday continued to move to the right on immigration during this year's presidential campaign, signing a pledge to enforce immigration laws and to make all illegal aliens go home. The pledge, offered by immigration control advocacy group Numbers USA, commits Mr. Huckabee to oppose a new path to citizenship for current illegal aliens and to cut the number of illegal aliens already in the country through attrition by law enforcement — something Mr. Huckabee said he will achieve through his nine-point immigration plan. "Some would say it's a tough plan. It is, but it's also fair and reasonable," Mr. Huckabee said. Mr. Huckabee signed the pledge in South Carolina, whose Saturday Republican primary is shaping up as the most important contest so far. Unlike the previous primaries and caucuses, which have been contested usually by just two candidates, four Republicans are making all-out efforts here: Mr. Huckabee, former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Chuck Colson, Prison FellowshipTom DeLay, Former House Majority Leader, United States House of RepresentativesWilliam Devlin, National President, Redeem The VoteJessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyFrank Gaffney, Founder and President , Center for Security PolicyRick Green, President, Torch of Freedom FoundationColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USADr. Janice Hollis, Bishop, Progressive Believers MinistriesBishop Harry R. Jackson, Senior Pastor, Hope Christian ChurchGary Marx, Executive Director, Judicial Confirmation NetworkJoe Murray, Columnist, The BulletinGrover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)12/27/2007 | Illegal Immigration, Marriage, Presidential Issues, Pro-Family
Faithful find controversy within ranks
USA Today
In 2007, believers took their principles into the streets and the political arena. And sometimes, they found themselves opposing fellow believers.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedPhil Burress, President, Citizens for Community ValuesAlan Chambers, President, Exodus InternationalRev. Clenard Childress, Jr., Assistant Director, Life Education and Resource NetworkDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Chuck Colson, Prison FellowshipWard Connerly, Author/Founder and Chairman, American Civil Rights InstituteScott Davis, Director of Student Ministries, Exodus InternationalTom DeLay, Former House Majority Leader, United States House of RepresentativesLen Deo, President, New Jersey Family Policy CouncilWilliam Devlin, National President, Redeem The VoteChuck Donovan, Senior Research Fellow-DeVos Center for Religion a, The Heritage FoundationJessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumTim G. Echols, President/Founder, TeenPactJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyTodd Friel, Radio Host, Way of the MasterFrank Gaffney, Founder and President , Center for Security PolicyMike Gottfried, Founder, Team FocusRick Green, President, Torch of Freedom FoundationColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USALowman Henry, Chairman & CEO, Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, Inc.Dr. Janice Hollis, Bishop, Progressive Believers MinistriesBishop Harry R. Jackson, Senior Pastor, Hope Christian ChurchPeter Lillback, President, Westminster Theological SeminaryJennifer Marshall, Director of Domestic Policy Studies, The Heritage FoundationGary Marx, Executive Director, Judicial Confirmation NetworkAlex McFarland, President, Southern Evangelical SeminaryJoe Murray, Columnist, The BulletinJeff Myers, Incoming President, Summit MinistriesGrover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder and President, Brotherhood Organization of a New DestinyElizabeth Racine, Founder, Moralert.comPhyllis Schlafly, President and Founder, Eagle ForumChristopher Slattery, Founder and President, EMC Frontline Pregnancy CentersDavid Smith, Executive Director, Illinois Family InstituteRandy Thomas, Executive Vice President, Exodus InternationalLorianne Updike, President & Executive Director, The Constitutional Sources ProjectDavid Wheaton, Author, Speaker, Radio Talk Show Host, TheChristianWorldview.com12/20/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Virginia groups unite against illegals
The Washington Times
Seven grass-roots organizations across Virginia have joined together to form a statewide coalition to lobby state officials for tougher enforcement of immigration laws. The umbrella group, called Save the Old Dominion, was started Dec. 13. A mission statement on the group's Web site, at www.savetheolddominion.org, says its members are dedicated to "preserving the commonwealth for future generations" and "pursuing legislative action in Virginia to reduce the number of illegal aliens unlawfully present in the commonwealth."
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin12/13/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Stoking the Immigration Fire
Wall Street Journal
MERRIMACK, N.H. -- Only 5% of the New Hampshire population is foreign-born, but even here, illegal immigration is among the most volatile issues in the presidential primary campaign. Dennis Williams is one reason why. Mr. Williams, a retired computer project manager, says he has faxed his senators, representative and the presidential candidates 217 times in the past 20 months about his opposition to illegal immigration. He has made dozens of phone calls to Washington. He emails immigration news to a circle of 100 friends. "Have I ever felt so empowered politically? No," says Mr. Williams in his living room here, which is crowded with Christmas decorations. "Something is finally happening." Mr. Williams, who calls himself a conservative Republican, is a member of what political scientists call the "issue public" -- people whose passion about an issue elevates it to prominence and keeps it there.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin12/10/2007 | Illegal Immigration, Presidential Issues
Republican Presidential Candidates Tone Down Illegal Immigration Rhetoric at Spanish Debate
FoxNews.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Republican presidential candidates sought to embrace Hispanics in a Spanish language debate, striving to mark common ground with a growing voter bloc while softening the anti-illegal immigration rhetoric that has marked their past encounters. The candidates avoided the harsh exchanges and name-calling of their most recent debate, while still emphasizing the need for border security and an end to illegal immigration. The polite debate Sunday night came less than four weeks before the Iowa caucuses that traditionally start off the months of primary contests in which the parties decide on their final candidates. In the topsy-turvy race, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has bolted to the lead in Iowa. Only Sen. John McCain warned that harsh immigration views voiced by some Republicans have driven Hispanics away from the party. The senator from the border state of Arizona has stood apart from most of his Republican rivals because he supported changing immigration laws and creating a path for citizenship for illegal immigrants. "I think some of the rhetoric that many Hispanics hear about illegal immigration makes some of them believe that we are not in favor of or seek the support of Hispanic citizens in this country," he said.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Chuck Colson, Prison FellowshipTom DeLay, Former House Majority Leader, United States House of RepresentativesWilliam Devlin, National President, Redeem The VoteJessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyFrank Gaffney, Founder and President , Center for Security PolicyRick Green, President, Torch of Freedom FoundationColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USADr. Janice Hollis, Bishop, Progressive Believers MinistriesBishop Harry R. Jackson, Senior Pastor, Hope Christian ChurchGary Marx, Executive Director, Judicial Confirmation NetworkJoe Murray, Columnist, The BulletinGrover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)11/20/2007 | Illegal Immigration, Terrorism
Lawmen outgunned on Mexico border
The Washington Times
Alien and drug smugglers along the U.S.-Mexico border have spawned a rise in violence against federal, state and local law-enforcement authorities, who say they are outmanned and outgunned. “They’ve got weapons, high-tech radios, computers, cell phones, Global Positioning Systems, spotters and can react faster than we are able to,” said Shawn P. Moran, a 10-year U.S. Border Patrol veteran who serves as vice president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 1613 in San Diego. “And they have no hesitancy to attack the agents on the line, with anything from assault rifles and improvised Molotov cocktails to rocks, concrete slabs and bottles,” he said. “There are so many agent ‘rockings’ that few are even reported anymore. If we wrote them all up, that’s all we would be doing.” Assaults against Border Patrol agents have more than doubled over the past two years, many by Mexico-based alien and drug gangs more inclined than ever to use violence as a means of ensuring success in the smuggling of people and contraband.
Recommended Guests:
Zakariah Anani, Shoebat FoundationJoel Anderson, Assemblyman, California State AssemblyDavid Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCMajor Eric Egland, Author, The Troops Need You, America: Six Ways to Help...Steve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyPaul "Dave" Gaubatz, Owner-Director, Wahhabi CT PublicationsColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAPeter Lillback, President, Westminster Theological SeminaryJan Markell, President, Olive Tree MinistriesJoe Murray, Columnist, The BulletinKamal Saleem, Shoebat FoundationWalid Shoebat, President, Shoebat FoundationTimothy Watkins, Producer/Director, Renegade Productions11/19/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Agents' pardon urged of Bush
The Washington Times
Top conservatives have joined ranking House leaders in their bid to pressure the president to pardon two Border Patrol agents imprisoned for the nonfatal shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler in El Paso, Texas, in 2005. In a letter that was delivered today to the White House, 31 major conservative petitioners joined a campaign led by Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican and presidential candidate, asking President Bush to pardon Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean before Thanksgiving. The letter comes on the heels of the arrest of admitted drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila on charges of trafficking marijuana while he was profiting from the federal immunity deal as the star witness in the shooting case against the agents.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin11/7/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Poll: 77% oppose illegals' licenses
Washington Times
Voters oppose driver's licenses for illegal aliens by a nearly five-to-one margin, a new Fox 5/Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll finds. As immigration politics explode into the presidential race, polls show Americans are taking a hard line on benefits for illegal aliens, including opposing driver's licenses and such taxpayer-funded benefits as scholarships at state colleges for illegal-alien students. The new poll found 77 percent of the adults surveyed opposed making driver's licenses available to illegal aliens, while just 16 percent supported the idea. Licenses fared poorly across party lines, including near-blanket opposition among self-identified Republicans, at 88 percent. Among independents and Democrats, it was still overwhelmingly unpopular, drawing 75 percent and 68 percent opposition, respectively.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin11/6/2007 | Illegal Immigration
GAO: 21,000 Crossed U.S. Borders Illegally
CBS News
(AP) Some 21,000 people who should not have been allowed to enter the United States came through official border crossing points between Oct. 1, 2005 and Sept. 30, 2006, according to a government report released Monday. After the 2001 terrorist attacks, the government reorganized its border security operations and increased security measures to prevent people from falsifying travel documents or using other deceptive methods to enter the country through such legal entry points as airports and border crossings. Some of the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks entered the United States this way. "The point is that we need to actually do a better job," Ahern said. Customs, as mandated by Congress, has stepped up efforts to make sure everyone who enters the country has a valid document, he said, and about 400 million people enter the United States through legal checkpoints each year. Staffing shortages and poor management at legal border crossings are among the reasons that people got through improperly, the GAO found. A publicly released version of its report states "several thousand" of these people made it past Customs and Border Protection officers. An official with access to more detailed information told The Associated Press the number is about 21,000.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin11/5/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Fence's presence felt
Chron.com
PALOMAS, MEXICO — At this fabled border crossing, where the last armed conflict between the United States and Mexico flared, the rancorous debate over the new U.S. anti-immigrant fence has been resolved. The fence works, residents north and south of it say. At least it works for now on this snippet of the line. "You hear it all the time: Fences don't work. Fences don't work," said Mark Winder, a transplanted New Englander and part-time deputy sheriff who lives on a small ranch outside Columbus, N.M., where a 3-mile stretch of wall was completed in August. "I live 2½ miles from the border, and the fence is working." Many merchants agree in Palomas, once a sleepy farm town, now a booming haven for smugglers. "The fence has destroyed the economy here," said Fabiola Cuellar, a hardware-store clerk on the main street of Palomas who used to sell supplies to the throngs heading north from here. "Things are going back to the way they were before." Of course, with only about one-fifth of the fence complete, migrants from Mexico and other countries who had planned to cross the border illegally in places such as Palomas-Columbus can simply go elsewhere.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin10/26/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Republican Hot Flashes
Washington Post
Has America become a mean, ungenerous, cramped and crabby nation, a deeply insecure colossus -- one that just might be taking all those Viagra and Cialis commercials a bit too personally? Is the country desperate to find scapegoats for a perceived decline in, um, vigor? Or is America still a confident land of hope and promise, a place still potent with possibility? It's watching the Republicans in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail that makes me pose those big-picture questions. I'm just suggesting a context for assessing the actions and rhetoric of a party that seems to be in the throes of andropause. That's the popularly accepted term for "male menopause," which medical dictionaries tend to describe as a "purported" syndrome rather than an actual clinical diagnosis. I'm not qualified to offer an opinion on whether dads go through a Y-chromosome version of what used to be euphemistically called the "change of life." But I think the "Daddy party" has been presenting clear symptoms. The latest was the Senate vote Wednesday in which Republicans, supported by a handful of red-state Democrats, narrowly scuttled the Dream Act, a bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for some young undocumented immigrants -- but only those who did everything this country once found worthy and admirable in pursuit of the American dream.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin10/24/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Senate faces new immigration-bill showdown today
Arizona Star News
WASHINGTON — The Senate faces another contentious showdown on immigration today when it considers legislation designed to put thousands of illegal immigrant students on track to U.S. citizenship. Though far more limited than an immigration bill that collapsed in the Senate in June, the debate on the proposed DREAM Act will nevertheless resurrect the same warring sides. The Senate faces a vote to take up the measure today, with backers needing at least 60 votes to move forward with debate. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the chief sponsor, acknowledged that his side has solid assurances of only about 55 votes. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act would allow illegal-immigrant children who have grown up in the United States the opportunity to apply for citizenship if they graduate from high school and get two years of college or serve in the military.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin10/23/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Amnesty is BACK in the Senate; Crucial vote Wednesday
WeNeedAFence
The Senate leadership is readying a new “sneak attack” on us – a massive amnesty for illegal aliens is coming up for a vote Wednesday in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-Nev.) has just filed for "cloture" on S. 2205 (the DREAM Act amnesty). That bill, masquerading under the guise of being “all about the innocent children” of illegal immigrants reaches far beyond them and would have the effect of providing amnesty to millions of people, perhaps even tens of millions, many of them adults. As our friends at NumbersUSA have said, “After the American people overwhelmingly rose up against the big compromise in June that traded an amnesty for some mediocre extra enforcement, Sen. Reid is trying to push through an amnesty WITHOUT ANY ENFORCEMENT MEASURES!.” This time there will no hearings or deliberations. Filing for cloture means that he can bring the amnesty up on Wednesday. The first vote will be on whether to allow the amnesty to come to the Senate floor for full debate and eventual vote. Everyone must emphasize to your Senators that a YES vote on cloture will be interpreted by all of us as a vote for rewarding millions of illegal aliens with amnesty.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin10/17/2007 | Illegal Immigration
DHS Secretary Chertoff may overrule Judge who tried to stop border fence
Arizona Daily Star
PHOENIX — The nation's top security official may use his power to unilaterally trump a federal court order halting construction of a fence on a stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is weighing whether to invoke a section of federal law that allows him to exempt border construction projects from any law, his press aide, Russ Knocke, told Capitol Media Services. That includes requirements for studies on environmental impacts of federally funded projects. The move would not be unprecedented: Chertoff used the power at least twice since it was granted. In 2005 he decided to build fencing near San Diego without conducting environmental studies. And in January he issued a waiver from all laws for a project along the edge of the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range in Southwestern Arizona. The possibility of Chertoff again exempting his agency from environmental laws comes days after a federal judge in Washington stopped construction of a nearly two-mile stretch of fence at the foot of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area southeast of Tucson. The conservation area, designated by Congress in 1988, is described on the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Web site as ecologically "one of the most important riparian areas in the United States."
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin10/12/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Calif. Law Forbids Landlords From Asking Tenants' Immigration Status
FoxNews.com
SAN FRANCISCO — California is again forging its own path on immigration reform by becoming the first state to prohibit landlords from asking tenants' immigration status. Amid frustration over the federal government's failure to reform immigration laws, cities across the country have taken their own action to keep out illegal immigrants, including barring property from being rented to undocumented tenants. The law signed this week by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger elicited a sigh of relief among landlord associations concerned that without it, they'd be forced to take on the cost and the liability of enforcing federal laws as "de-facto immigration cops," said Nancy Ahlswede, executive director of the Apartment Association, California Southern Cities. "We have huge anti-discrimination obligations," said Ahlswede, whose organization was among the legislation's sponsors. "We understand the frustration, but that burden shouldn't be placed on landlords."
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin10/5/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Unguarded paths challenge Border Patrol
USA Today
ALBURGH, Vt. — The United States ends where Blair Road becomes "Chemin 4eme Concession," Noyan, Quebec, but for someone headed north on the gravel road there is nothing to mark the divide other than two unobtrusive signs and a broken down border marker hidden in a ditch. There are cameras and sensors to alert the Border Patrol when southbound people enter the United States, but nothing to stop them physically from making the two or three mile dash onto U.S. Route 2 and disappearing. Most of the traffic is local and legal. But smugglers — going north and south — know the roads are unguarded. In August, a Border Patrol agent had to fire his weapon at a car he had stopped not far from Blair Road that had tried to run him down before fleeing back into Quebec. "There's a lot more going on out here than people realize," said U.S. Border Patrol Supervisor Bradley Curtis. There are about a dozen similar unmarked back roads between Vermont and Quebec and many more across the 3,987-mile U.S.-Canadian border. In the age when the United States is trying to secure it's borders against illegal immigrants and potential terrorists, some see the challenges as a direct threat to national security.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin9/27/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Illegal immigrants moving out
USA Today
Illegal immigrants living in states and cities that have adopted strict immigration policies are packing up and moving back to their home countries or to neighboring states. The exodus has been fueled by a wave of laws targeting illegal immigrants in Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and elsewhere. Many were passed after congressional efforts to overhaul the immigration system collapsed in June. Immigrants say the laws have raised fears of workplace raids and deportation. "People now are really frightened and scared because they don't know what's going to happen," says Juliana Stout, an editor at the newspaper El Nacional de Oklahoma. "They're selling houses. They're leaving the country." Supporters of the laws cheer the departure of illegal immigrants and say the laws are working as intended.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin9/26/2007 | Illegal Immigration
Towns Rethink Laws Against Illegal Immigrants
New York Times
RIVERSIDE, N.J., Sept. 25 — A little more than a year ago, the Township Committee in this faded factory town became the first municipality in New Jersey to enact legislation penalizing anyone who employed or rented to an illegal immigrant. Meanwhile, the town was hit with two lawsuits challenging the law. Legal bills began to pile up, straining the town’s already tight budget. Suddenly, many people — including some who originally favored the law — started having second thoughts. So last week, the town rescinded the ordinance, joining a small but growing list of municipalities nationwide that have begun rethinking such laws as their legal and economic consequences have become clearer. In the past two years, more than 30 towns nationwide have enacted laws intended to address problems attributed to illegal immigration, from overcrowded housing and schools to overextended police forces. Most of those laws, like Riverside’s, called for fines and even jail sentences for people who knowingly rented apartments to illegal immigrants or who gave them jobs. In some places, business owners have objected to crackdowns that have driven away immigrant customers. And in many, ordinances have come under legal assault by immigration groups and the American Civil Liberties Union. In June, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against a housing ordinance in Farmers Branch, Tex., that would have imposed fines against landlords who rented to illegal immigrants. In July, the city of Valley Park, Mo., repealed a similar ordinance, after an earlier version was struck down by a state judge and a revision brought new challenges. A week later, a federal judge struck down ordinances in Hazleton, Pa., the first town to enact laws barring illegal immigrants from working or renting homes there.
Recommended Guests:
David Bossie, President, Citizens UnitedDemos Chrissos, Writer/Producer, RapidResponse Media, Inc.Jessica Echard, Executive Director, Eagle ForumJames Edwards, Cofounder, Olive, Edwards, & Cooper, LLCSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAJoe Murray, Columnist, The Bulletin