When Arizona’s tough new anti-immigration legislation was signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer the Mexican government took grave exception. Mexican President Felipe Calderon called the law and affront to human rights and accused Arizona of opening “the door to unacceptable racial discrimination.” The Mexican congress wasn’t far behind, using words such as “fascist,” “racist,” as well as “a perverse…law that generates hate.”
Having spent a fair bit of time in Mexico in the past, I am surprised that the Mexican government would show so much concern for the rights of its citizens abroad. Given that the Mexican government in general does not appear to be overly concerned about anyone’s rights, it’s curious that Mexican politicians would be crying crocodile tears about Mexicans living in the US. Or could it be that there is another reason? How about $50 billion per year in illegal drug smuggling?
That’s what currently passes across the border between the US and Mexico every single year and of late evidence has come to light that this is being done with the express approval of the Mexican government.
Currently Mexico is home to seven large and very violent drug cartels, among them the Sinaloa cartel, which is reputed to be the country’s most powerful criminal organization, the Juarez cartel, La Familia, as well as others. The internecine warfare between the various cartels and police have left thousands of people dead and have resulted in a reduction of tourists seeking fun in the Mexican sun.
In the city of Juarez, which lies directly across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, on average seven people are murdered every night. In fact, over 5,300 people have met violent deaths in that city over the past two years alone.
Mexican army as well as the Mexican police were actually assisting the Sinaloa cartel in its efforts to defeat the Juarez cartel
The recent trial in El Paso of one of the Sinaloa cartel’s top capos revealed that both the Mexican army as well as the Mexican police were actually assisting the Sinaloa cartel in its efforts to defeat the Juarez cartel. In testimony given by Jesus Manuel Fierro-Mendez, a former Mexican police captain sentenced to 27 years in prison in 2008, he told the court that he took control of a unit of the Mexican army in order to defeat the Juarez cartel so that the Sinaloa cartel could take complete control. Fierro-Mendez explained that by reducing the number of cartels in Mexico it would enable the Mexican government to eliminate them once and for all.
But a recent joint investigation by American and Canadian journalists has determined that there are elements within the Mexican government that have absolutely no intention of stopping the cartels. And with $50 billion in annual revenue at stake it’s a small wonder.
Anabel Hernandes, a Mexican reporter currently working on a book about the cartels says that the government of Mexico has in effect become the cartel’s muscle. She charges that the Sinaloa cartel has been under the protection of the Mexican government for over nine years. If the Sinaloa cartel and the Mexican government are successful in wiping out the other cartels, it will make Sinaloa the largest and most powerful criminal organization in the Americas. To this end she claims that many of Mexico’s top politicians get their campaign funding from the Sinaloa cartel, which could go a long way toward explaining why Felipe Calderon was so upset about a law that would tighten security between Arizona and Mexico. One wonders how he’ll react if other border states like Texas, California and New Mexico follow Arizona’s lead and pass their own anti-illegal immigration law.
written by Eee Zee
President Obama is refusing to secure the border until Congress reaches a breakthrough on comprehensive immigration reform, Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl said at a recent town hall meeting.
The No. 2 Senate Republican, in a video clip posted on YouTube showing the senator speaking to a local Tea Party crowd on Friday, said the president told him during a one-on-one meeting in the Oval Office that he was concerned he wouldn’t win GOP support on immigration legislation if he took care of border security first.
“The problem is, he said, if we secure the border, then you all won’t have any reason to support comprehensive immigration reform,” Kyl said, as the crowd in the room gasped loudly. “In other words, they’re holding it hostage.”
The White House denied the claim on Monday. Spokesman Bill Burton and Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer both said Kyl “knows” Obama did not make that comment to him in their meeting.
“The president didn’t say that and Senator Kyl knows it,” Pfeiffer said in a written statement. “There are more resources dedicated toward border security today than ever before, but, as the president has made clear, truly securing the border will require a comprehensive solution to our broken immigration system.”
Burton repeated the claim at the press briefing Monday afternoon.
But Kyl’s office stood by the senator’s account. Kyl spokesman Ryan Patmintra said, “There were two people in that meeting, and Dan Pfieffer was not one of them.” He said Pfeiffer’s call for comprehensive immigration legislation “only confirms” Kyl’s story.
While Obama has pledged to send an influx of National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, Kyl said in the clip that the president made clear to him that border security is just a political tool in the broader goal of passing an immigration package through Congress.
Kyl said he was “not so sure” the president’s concern about GOP support was legitimate, but that regardless, the administration has an “obligation” to secure the border.
“They don’t want to secure the border unless and until it is combined with comprehensive immigration reform,” Kyl said. “They frankly don’t want to do it. They want to get something in return for doing their duty.”
written by Eee Zee
On Tuesday, June 8, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed two bills that would require many employers in the state to use E-Verify – the online, electronically operated system that allows employers to confirm that their new hires have presented information establishing legal authorization to work in the United States. (MyFoxPhilly.com). Both bills were introduced by State Rep. John Galloway (D-Bucks County): House Bill (HB) 1502 would require all state contractors to use E-Verify, while HB1503 would require private employers in the “construction industry” to use the program.
Both bills passed the House by overwhelming 188 – 6 votes. Frank Sirianni, president of the Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council, expressed support for Rep. Galloway’s proposals. Galloway himself stated: “These bills target contractors who cheat – who use and abuse a cheap, illegal work force for profit. These bills stand up for decent, hardworking Pennsylvanians who play by the rules and are begging for our help.” (Patriot-News, June 9, 2010). However, the notorious anti-enforcement American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has expressed opposition to the proposals. (ACLU Press Release, June 8, 2010). The bills will now move to the Pennsylvania Senate, where they face a crowded legislative calendar. State Senate officials have indicated that the state budget, transportation funding, and pension reform are the chamber’s current priorities. (Patriot-News, June 9, 2010).
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On Wednesday, June 9, the Georgia State Board of Regents approved two measures aimed at ensuring that illegal alien students do not receive in-state tuition rates when attending Georgia state colleges. The Regents’ actions came in response to a wave of controversy that was set off across the state when it was discovered that Jessica Colotl, a Kennesaw State University Student, was an illegal alien receiving the in-state tuition rate. Illegal aliens are allowed to attend public post-secondary institutions in Georgia, but they are required to pay out-of-state tuition rates. (Atlanta Journal Constitution, June 9, 2010).
The two measures approved by the Board of Regents will (1) prevent any state university president from granting in-state tuition waivers to illegal alien students and (2) require Georgia state colleges to review all of their students admitted for the fall semester “to determine whether any [illegal alien] students are receiving, or about to receive, a state, local, or federal benefit prohibited by federal or state law.” (University System of Georgia Press Release, June 9, 2010) The Board also established a new committee of regents and college presidents that will “explore how best to check residency and citizenship of all students who apply to the state’s 35 colleges and universities.” The committee will report its recommendations to the rest of the Board by October of this year. (WRCBTV, June 9, 2010).
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The controversial Arizona immigration law has found its way into the halls of the N.C. General Assembly.
A proposed Senate resolution makes North Carolina the 18th state to consider a law that would require everyone to carry immigration documents and enable law enforcement to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.
N.C. Sen. Don East, R-Alleghany, has introduced Senate Resolution 1349, asking for a law similar to that of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 to be considered during the legislative short session.
Although it would require a waiver for the bill to be considered this summer, opponents and advocates of the Arizona law are getting in gear to put up a fight.
“We’ve been sending messages to state legislators asking them to stand up and follow Arizona’s lead to help fight illegal immigration here,” said William Gheen, president and founder of Americans for Legal Immigration, a political action committee based in Raleigh.
Gheen said supporters of the resolution have been making numerous calls asking the chairman of the rules committee to allow the resolution to be considered.
“I feel very confident from the fervent and enthusiastic response that our activists are approaching state legislators in all 50 states in this matter,” Gheen said.
Regardless of North Carolina voter support for such a law, it’s not likely to be considered before the next session of the legislature, said Sarah Preston, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina.
“These kinds of policy changes are things the legislature prefers to deal with during the long session. They’d have to move pretty quickly to get it through,” Preston said.
“Immigration law is extremely complicated, and I think rushing this kind of legislation could really just end up confusing local law enforcement and creating bad law.”
While East’s bill still lacks any wording as to what the law would involve, Preston said the ACLU is concerned that the idea behind the Arizona law is unconstitutional.
“The federal government has the authority to enforce immigration law, and as far as I know there’s no permission given by that federal law to states to start to do that kind of thing unless they’re contracting with the federal government.
According to Arizona’s SB1070, “Where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of that person.”
A similar policy active in six N.C. counties, Section 287(g), allows local law enforcement officials to coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement if an undocumented person happens to be arrested for an entirely different offense.
Opponents of SB1070 fear racial profiling will result in arrests of undocumented people who haven’t committed any other crimes.
“Certainly it encourages racial profiling because it makes people carry papers on them that prove their citizenship. But only people law enforcement think look foreign are people who will be stopped,” Preston said.
Dani Martinez-Moore, coordinator for the Network of Immigrant Advocates at the N.C. Justice Center, said federal comprehensive immigration reform is what’s needed, not policy changes from Raleigh.
“We need fixes out of Washington rather than Raleigh,” Martinez-Moore said.
“I think that it could put a huge burden on local police and sheriffs, that our justice system would be overtaxed even more, and issues of public health and safety may go neglected.”
written by Eee Zee
A universal children’s health insurance program created by Illinois’ corrupt former governor is covering mostly illegal immigrants and costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars amid a perplexing $13 billion state budget deficit.
About 75% of the children enrolled in the All Kids Health Care program (also known as KidCare) are illegal aliens and the annual cost of covering them is nearly $55 million, according to a state audit of the 5-year-old insurance program. The findings, issued recently by the Illinois State Auditor General, are detailed in a 14-page report that’s been largely ignored by the mainstream media.
It reveals that two-thirds of the 71,665 children enrolled in the program in 2009 are undocumented immigrants. Illinois taxpayers dished out an astounding $54.9 million to provide them with medical insurance that year alone and there’s no telling what future tabs will be as the enrollees grow.
When former Governor Rod Blagojevich, whose federal corruption trial is set to begin this week, proudly signed legislation to create the insurance program, he assured it would help families who can’t afford health insurance but “are doing everything they’re supposed to do—working hard, paying their taxes.” The program is supposed to be partially funded by low monthly premiums charged to families.
The reality is that the severely mismanaged insurance program keeps paying medical claims when families don’t pay their premiums and many claims are paid after recipients are too old to participate. Additionally, All Kids is only serving about a third of its intended beneficiaries at double the cost estimated by legislators who created it with great fanfare.
Illinois has long offered illegal aliens sanctuary and in fact passed legislation a few years ago restricting employers from verifying whether employees are authorized to work in the United States. Various cities, including Chicago and Addison, forbid law enforcement officers from inquiring about the immigration status of suspected illegal aliens. As a result the state spends more than $3 billion annually on healthcare, education and incarceration for illegal immigrants.
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Federal immigration agents arrested 72 foreign nationals — from countries throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America — in the Chicago area during a two-week action targeting immigration fugitives and criminal aliens.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation, which ran May 10-14 and May 24-28, targeted fugitives with outstanding deportation orders, aliens with criminal records and previously deported aliens, a release from ICE said.
Arrests were made in Addison, Arlington Heights, Aurora, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Bolingbrook, Bridgeport, Bridgeview, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Chicago, Darien, Elgin, Glendale Heights, Hanover Park, Joliet, Lisle, Melrose Park, Mundelein, Naperville, North Chicago, Oswego, Palatine, Palos Hills, Plainfield, River Grove, Rock Island, Round Lake, Waukegan and Willow Springs, as well as Hammond and Merrillville in Indiana.
Of the 72 arrested, 59 were fugitives with outstanding deportation orders, according to the release. Immigration fugitives are aliens who fail to appear for immigration hearings or flee after being ordered to leave the country.
The remaining 13 were arrested based on prior criminal or immigration histories. Some of their convictions and arrests included drug possession, domestic battery, drunken driving, retail theft, residential burglary and larceny. Seven of those were previously deported aliens.
The arrestees, 65 men and seven women, were nationals of China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Israel, Jamaica, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia and South Korea.
They will be processed administratively for deportation, the release said. Those with outstanding deportation orders who returned to the United States illegally are subject to immediate removal. All others face a hearing before an immigration judge.
One of the fugitives in custody is a 54-year-old Jamaican national arrested May 25 outside his Waukegan residence. He has a prior criminal conviction for possessing a firearm and had a loaded pistol at the time of his arrest.
Also arrested was a 50-year-old previously deported Mexican national. He was arrested May 24 in Waukegan and has prior convictions for cocaine possession and retail theft.
The operation was conducted by ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams, responsible for locating, arresting and removing immigration fugitives and at-large criminal aliens
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BOSTON—They gather on statehouse steps with signs and bullhorns, risking arrest. They attend workshops on civil disobedience and personal storytelling, and they hold sit-ins and walk out of class in protest. They're being warned that they could even lose their lives. Students fighting laws that target illegal immigrants are taking a page from the civil rights era, adopting tactics and gathering praise and momentum from the demonstrators who marched in the streets and sat at segregated lunch counters as they sought to turn the public tide against racial segregation. “Their struggle then is ours now,” said Deivid Ribeiro, 21, an illegal immigrant from Brazil and an aspiring physicist. “Like it was for them, this is about survival for us. We have no choice.” Undocumented students, many of whom consider themselves “culturally American” because they have lived in the U.S. most of their lives, don't qualify for federal financial aid and can't get in-state tuition rates in some places. They are drawing parallels between themselves and the 1950s segregation of black and Mexican-American students.
Read more… San Jose Mercury News.
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We’ve all seen the signs erected by highway construction sites that say, “Your tax dollars at work.” Well, Gov. Sonny Perdue might as well start putting up similar signs at the entrances to Georgia’s colleges and universities that say, “Your tax dollars at work: Educating illegals.”
Read more… Georgia editorial roundup – AP – NOLA.com.
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North Carolina just joined seventeen other states which have begun to move forward to pass similar laws to that of Arizona regarding immigration. With the citizens of our country polling between 61 and 80% in favor of Arizona’s law, it only makes sense that more states will follow suit. North Carolina’s Senate Joint Resolution SJ1349 has been filed by State Senator Don East (R), and already has garnered 12 sponsors. The other states that are in the process of or already have similar legislation are: Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
These, of course, were not the first states which began the process towards curtailing illegal immigration. Missouri passed a measure similar to that of Arizona in 2009. Surprising to most people, California, passed their 834b immigration law long before Arizona’s bill. Now that state, and cities within it, demand Arizona’s repeal of the law and has boycotted that state’s businesses.
It doesn’t take a state to pass legislation regarding immigration as Prince William County, Virginia proved They passed their bill in 2007 and now report a 38% drop in violent crime, fewer “anchor babies” born and a significant drop in “English as a Second Language” enrollment. What’s most interesting is that there has not been a single racial profiling claim made against the county in those three years.
To add support to Arizona’s endeavors, Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, stated his strong support for the law enforcement officers of Arizona. Canterbury said, “Our members in Arizona are justifiably offended with some of the assumptions that have been made by the media, pundits, and even elected officials who insinuate or state outright that these professional law enforcement officers will use the new law as a pretext to engage in unlawful racial profiling.” He continued, “They are angry and rightly so”
written by Eee Zee
In Arizona where they have just passed a very important bill to uphold federal law regarding illegal immigration.
The vast majority of folks support this bill and many states are following suit. But there are people who want to continue to flood our country with illegals. They support open borders leaving us vulnerable to crime and acts of terrorism. It’s not just Mexican illegals crossing our borders, but many terrorists from other countries who have attempted to sneak in over the years and who knows how many have gotten through.
The “open borders crowd” includes many government officials and the executive branch of the government. The want to continue to flood the country with illegals, give them amnesty and then let them vote. They do not care about our security, they just want the votes.
See the link below – people being bused in from other states – and think about this – people who have no right to be in this country in the first place demanding that we cave in to their demands. It is an outrage.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7468342
Please call the illegal alien hotline today. The toll free number is 866-347-2423. I called earlier today. You will go through some prompts but eventually get a person. I calmly and politely told the person that pro-illegal demonstrators were going to the state capital and that there would be many illegals there. I asked if someone from their organization (Homeland Security) was planning on going there to make arrests. (If Homeland Security and the government were doing its job, the problem would have been solved long ago.)
Illegal immigration has bankrupted many states and continues to do so. A third of our jail population consists of Mexican nationals here illegally.
Go right to the people responsible for making arrests and hold them accountable.
PLEASE CALL!!!
Email and call everyone you know to do the same. If you have a website or blog or are on any of the networks, like Facebook or Twitter, please post. If you can’t get through today, keep trying and make several calls per week. Let the people entrusted with our safety know we are holding them accountable.
written by Eee Zee
More Americans agree with how Jan Brewer sees the immigration problem than the views of Barack Obama.
But that doesn’t mean they want her to be president.
In a new nationwide Rasmussen Reports survey taken in the days after the pair met — a meeting that gained national attention — 34 percent of the 1,000 likely voters said their views on illegal immigration are closer to that of the president. By contrast, 56 percent said they more closely aligned with those of Brewer.
The pair had sharply divergent opinions on what to do about the issue.
Obama, after their meeting, repeated his call for “comprehensive immigration reform.’’ The White House said that includes more border security but also includes a path to legalization for at least some of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already in the country.
In her own comments following the closed-door discussion at the White House, Brewer said it would be wrong to try to address the question of those already here until the border is secured. She said previous attempts that included what she called “amnesty’’ did nothing to solve the underlying problem of people crossing the border illegally or remaining in this country after their visas expired.
The survey also found that 64 percent of those asked believe the federal government is to blame for the controversy surrounding Arizona’s new immigration law, which requires police to check the immigration status of those they have stopped when there is “reasonable suspicion’’ they are in the country illegally. That blame is based on the government not enforcing its own immigration laws.
Just 27 percent blamed the controversy on Arizona officials for passing the law in the first place.
But the agreement by those questioned with Brewer’s views on immigration are not enough to convince a majority that she should be running the country.
The survey, conducted Monday and Tuesday, found 39 percent would vote for Brewer in a head-to-head race with Obama. The incumbent would pick up 44 percent, with 8 percent unsure and 9 percent saying they don’t like the choice at all and want someone else entirely.
It’s possible, though, the result is based on ignorance of a sort: Asked their impression of the Arizona governor, 26 percent said it was very or somewhat favorable, 20 percent very or somewhat unfavorable — with fully 54 percent said they were not sure what to think of her.
The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Read more… Arizona Local News
written by Eee Zee
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