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Florida businesses join to support immigration "reform" (Laura Wides-Munoz, Laura Reiff)
Laura Wides-Munoz of the Associated Press offers February 23's "State Businesses Build United Front On Immigration Reform":
...During a daylong conference in Clearwater [hosted by Florida TaxWatch, "FTW"], more than 50 [Florida] business leaders agreed on the need for a louder and more unified Florida business voice to pressure politicians in Washington. The need for workers and fear of Homeland Security crackdowns were top issues Thursday....
Victoria Zepp of FTW is quoted, as is Laura Reiff, "a Washington, D.C., lawyer and an immigration expert who attended the meeting."
Wides-Munoz forgot to mention that Laura Foote Reiff is with Greenberg Traurig (bio) and, among her other qualifications was a member of the Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, is a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Immigration Law Foundation and is the co-chair of the Essential Workers Immigration Coalition, a group that has gone as far as cheering on Rep. Chris Cannon (link)
"The anti-immigration forces sought a referendum on immigration policy and they got it," said John Gay, EWIC co-chair. "By a large margin, Republicans rejected nativist policies and endorsed thoughtful reform of our broken immigration laws." ...Congressman Cannon has been one of many targets of anti-immigrant groups seeking to undermine bi-partisan and Administration efforts to bring reason and sense to a chaotic immigration system. "This victory shows that ugly falsities spread by anti-immigrant forces are transparent to the American public," said Laura Reiff, EWIC co-chair. "The average voter is not going to be duped by scare tactics."
And, you can hear her on the "censored AILA tapes" ("tapes that are used to train immigration lawyers on how to exploit the H-1B laws").
And, turning to the press release (PDF) we see a set of ludicrous, parochial complaints, such as this:
"United States immigration officials are sometimes downright rude," said Eileen Forrow, Vice President of Sales at Visit Florida.
Well, boo-hoo. I'm sure a massive amnesty is going to fix that. There are also a couple instances of the "we're running out of workers!" scare tactics, and we also learn that even Tamar Jacoby was apparently invited to the event.
Related:
LULAC, MALDEF, ACLU, business groups fight Texas immigration bills
Posted to Immigration2007a at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)
Sen. Patrick Leahy begins comprehensive immigration "reform" hearings
From his site (leahy.senate.gov/press/200702/022807.html):
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), held a hearing Wednesday to set the stage for work on comprehensive immigration reform, featuring Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. At the hearing, Leahy pressed the Bush Administration officials for firm and clear commitments from them to work with Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year.
Trust me: they're on board, not doing their stated jobs just as hard as they can.
"Finding help on the farm is becoming increasingly difficult for hundreds of Vermont farms," said Leahy. "Many have turned to migrant workers from Mexico and Central America. Currently, Vermont dairies are depending on an estimated 2,000 foreign workers. We need to bring order and common sense to a broken system. Vermont dairy farmers should not have to choose between saving their family farms and obeying the law."
Obviously the system is broken, but not in the way that Leahy pretends it is. Since he knows many dairy farmers are employing illegal aliens, why isn't he looking into why Chertoff isn't raiding those farms? Isn't that what Leahy and Chertoff are supposed to be doing? Instead, they're collaborating to find a workaround for our laws.
Give Leahy a call and suggest he does his job: 202-224-4242
Posted to Immigration2007a at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)
New York Times throws cold water on guest worker schemes
Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times offers "Low Pay and Broken Promises Greet Guest Workers", which details several Thai and Indonesian workers getting ripped off after being brought to the U.S. as "guest" workers. One group is suing labor contractors and erstwhile employers.I don't know exactly what the NYT is getting at here. Perhaps they favor "guest" worker schemes, but they just want to make sure their future serfs are treated fairly. Or, perhaps they've joined the "legalization for all even if they just snuck over the border five minutes ago" brigade. But, whatever it is, let's throw this back in their faces the next time they pull the stuff this article complains about:
Labor experts say employers abuse guest workers far more than other workers because employers know they can ship them home the moment they complain. They also know these workers cannot seek other jobs if they are unhappy.Is the last sentence the secret clue to the NYT's motives?
"I'd say a substantial majority of U.S. guest workers experience some abuses with their paycheck," said David Griffith, a professor in the anthropology department at East Carolina University and author of the new book "American Guestworkers: Jamaicans and Mexicans in the U.S. Labor Market." "It's the recruitment process especially where they get cheated."
The abuses take many forms. Guest workers often pay exorbitant fees and are frequently given fewer weeks of work and lower wages than promised. Many employers fail to make good on their commitment to pay transportation costs. The Thai workers, who were supposed to be paid $16,000 a year for three years, ended up earning a total of just $1,400 to $2,400. Most of the Thai workers had their passports taken away after they arrived, leaving them trapped.
"The program has been rife with abuses, even during the best of times," said Cindy Hahamovitch, a history professor at the College of William and Mary, who is writing a book about guest workers. "There will never be enough inspectors to check every labor camp, contract and field."
For decades, farmers, tree-planting companies, and hotel and restaurant owners have argued that they need guest workers, citing a shortage of Americans willing to fill jobs in their industries. In Washington, many supporters of an expanded guest worker program say they want to strengthen protections to curb abusive treatment.
"The business community supports the idea that these temporary workers should have the exact same employment protections as American workers," said Randel Johnson, co-chairman of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, a business group lobbying to expand the guest worker program. "When an employer can't find an American worker to fill a job, the economy is helped if the employer can find someone else."
Critics, including many labor unions and immigrant groups, say employers exaggerate the labor shortage because they are eager for cheap, docile, temporary labor from abroad. The critics say there would not be such a shortage of American workers if employers offered a living wage for these jobs.
In Congress, proposals to expand protections for guest workers include a provision to bar employers from retaliating when these workers protest and one that would let them sue in federal court over contract violations...
Posted to Immigration2007a at 05:34 AM | Comments (3)
Harry Reid wins LULAC National Legislative Award
This site congratulates corrupt Nevada Senator Harry Reid, who's the proud winner of this year's National Legislative Award from the League of United Latin American Citizens.
His comments are basically just hot air, touching on Searchlight (did you know he's from that small Nevada town?), promoting "comprehensive immigration reform", quoting Cesar Chavez, and sending a shout out to LULAC president Rosa Rosales.
Of course, Harry Reid is torn between two illegal immigration supporters: he received an award from the National Council of La Raza ("The Race") back in 2001, and he might be the one that helped them pick up a $4 million federal grant. Maybe LULAC will get a little something extra in their stocking this year, if you know what I mean.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 02:23 AM | Comments (3)
Did Sam Graham-Felsen, New York Times lie about "Catch the Illegal Immigrant" game? (Howard Dean)
Dr. Gov. Chairman Howard Dean M.D. has come out against the College Republican game "Catch the Illegal Immigrant". More from his site.
Whether this came before or after or at the same time as the New York Times editorial "Game With No Winner" isn't known, but the Democrats.org post links to and quotes from that editorial. And, the editorial contains what may be an extremely scurrilous lie:
...It's a game with a name that says it all: "Catch the Illegal Immigrant." ... "Catch the Immigrant" is the brainchild of an intern with the College Republican National Committee, who lost her post after coming up with this and other campus recruitment gimmicks... ..."Catch the Immigrant" also reflects a larger misunderstanding of the immigration issue...
Yes, that's right: in a variation on the Big Lie, the New York Times appears to have changed the name of the game to make it look like "immigrants" - rather than "illegal immigrants" - were the subjects of the game.
Likewise with the Nation post by Sam Graham-Felsen called "GOP 'Catch the Immigrant' Game Catches Flak"; the form without "illegal" doesn't appear in the text of the post. And, with October 22, 2006's "'Catch the immigrant' is no game for college campuses" by Kecia Judson of the Hispanic Link News Service
A search failed to show any instances of "Catch the Immigrant" (with "game" or "GOP" appended to filter out noise) from any sources other than the ones above, and I doubt whether the College Republicans would be confused enough to call it the way that the New York Times and the others claim.
I'm certainly willing to apologize if I'm wrong, but as it stands now, I'm going to say that the editors of the New York Times, Sam Graham-Felsen, and Kecia Judson are liars.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 05:08 PM | Comments (0)
Larry Kudlow admits he was ignorant about immigration
Larry Kudlow - former Ronald Reagan economic advisor, current CNBC host and guest on Hugh Hewitt's show - has been a minor-league supporter of the Bush/Fox/Democrats immigration scheme. However, he's just admitted on his site just how ignorant he is of this issue.He discusses the recent story "Mexican wives seek ouster of husbands from U.S." (link; pointed out here last April in "Mexican village artisans plead with U.S.: enforce your laws") and says (put on a Hugh Hewitt voice for full effect):
These Mexican wives seem to be saying that family breakup is a bad idea, even though their husbands are sending extra money back home.All this time, this idiot has been promoting Bush's scheme, and he had (or says he had) no knowledge of the social disruption massive immigration to the U.S. causes? What else is he ignorant of? What else are similar hacks such as David Brooks, Tamar Jacoby, Fred Barnes, etc. ignorant of? How thick is their bubble, and are they even able to see anything outside of it?
As a free trader, I favor the Bush comprehensive immigration reform plan, which includes better border security, temporary worker cards, and ultimately, a path to citizenship.
However, family breakup is very troubling for a social conservative like myself.
Frankly, the extent of this family breakup problem is new information to me. I find it troubling.
In brief, Kudlow wasn't aware of these issues when he signed the Independent Institute's Open Letter on Immigration. He wasn't aware of these issues when he was told by president Bush that "immigration helps restore our souls." He wasn't aware of these issues when he said that "[Hispanic immigrants would] become a much-needed churchgoing blue-collar middle class . . . that is crucial to a healthy America." Do the fellow members of the Free Enterprise Fund know as little as he does?
Posted to Immigration2007a at 03:21 PM | Comments (11)
Arnold Schwarzenegger's "totally reasonable, centrist approach" to illegal immigration
Arnold Schwarzenegger - California's Bush-resembling, Mexico-pandering, Rove/Kennedy/Mexico-linked governor - engaged in a three-day "media blitz" in Washington DC, attending the National Governors Association meeting, speaking on Sunday talk shows, giving interviews and speaking before the National Press Club:
..."It is time that we reintroduce the concept of the mainstream back into the American political life, and the place to start it is immigration" ...minutes after leaving a meeting with President Bush in the Oval Office, Mr. Schwarzenegger said there is "a totally reasonable, centrist approach to the whole [immigration issue]."
His plan (legalization, "guest" workers) is actually an extremely radical plan that will have a disastrous impact on the U.S. His plan - which is about the same as the Bush/Democratic plan - will massively increase legal immigration, continue to allow illegal immigration for the same reasons as the 1986 amnesty did, and give even more political power to racial demagogues like Gil Cedillo and Fabian Nunez. The plan will be seen around the world as a massive amnesty, no matter what it's called in the U.S. Those prospective illegal aliens will respond by attempting to come here to take advantage of the next amnesty. The plan will give political power to those who currently support illegal immigration and will enable them to support future illegal immigration in the same manner they do now. And, the plan will give even more political power inside the U.S. to the Mexican Government. Is there any way to define his plan as anything other than extremely radical?
Arnold can be reached at 916-445-2841, and if you press the right sequence of buttons you can speak to an actual staffer.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 12:29 PM | Comments (1)
"Man agents shot ran drugs into U.S. after he was given immunity, DEA report says"
From this:The Mexican national shot by two Border Patrol agents in a drug-related incident in February 2005 brought a second van load of drugs into the U.S. while he waited to testify against the agents, according to Drug Enforcement Administration reports obtained by the Daily Bulletin.
Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila - who was given immunity by U.S. prosecutors in exchange for testifying against former agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean - is the focus of a November 2005 DEA report that identifies him as the person responsible for stashing more than 750 pounds of marijuana in a van parked at a house in Clint, Texas, in October of that year...
Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, whose office prosecuted Ramos and Compean, has denied numerous times that Aldrete-Davila brought a second load of narcotics into the United States after being granted immunity.
Sutton said in a Jan. 17 "Myths vs. Reality" press release that "Aldrete has not been subsequently arrested for drug smuggling. Our office is in the business of prosecuting drug traffickers and alien smugglers ... If we had a provable case against Aldrete, we would prosecute him."
Sutton's assertion that Aldrete-Davila has not been arrested is accurate. However, an Oct. 25, 2005, DEA report shows that DEA investigators believed they had sufficient evidence to indict Aldrete-Davila, but their requests to do so were denied by prosecutors.
According to a high-level source close to the investigation, Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Gregory was notified in October 2005 that Aldrete-Davila was being investigated by the DEA and that the agency had new evidence against him.
Gregory dismissed the warning, the source said...
Posted to Immigration2007a at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)
Wells Fargo considers credit cards for illegal aliens
Apparently, Chris Casacchia of the Business Journal of Phoenix contacted various banks asking whether - like Bank of America - they were going to give credit cards to illegal aliens. A JPMorgan Chase & Co. spokeswoman said they have no such plans. Compass Bank "were not prepared to comment" for the story.
However, as could be expected, the bank that put support for illegal immigration on the map says that they're considering it.
Wells Fargo vice president of regional banking communications Marge Rice says:
"We are exploring the possibility of offering unsecured credit cards to Wells Fargo checking account customers who do not have Social Security numbers... Wells Fargo recognizes a great need for equal access to financial products and services for all customers who want to build credit, establish financial security and achieve the 'American dream'".
If you're a member of the media, you can contact Wells Fargo at corpcsf@wellsfargo.com. Others, please use this form: https://www.wellsfargo.com/contactus
If you'd like to move your accounts to a bank that supports our immigration laws, refer to this list.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 05:59 AM | Comments (1)
Bay City News Wire demands to know why ICE is doing their job
The Bay City News Wire - apparently an even-further left version of the AP operated by KPIX/CBS 5 out of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, alerts us that "SF: PROTESTERS KICK OFF WEEK OF ACTION AGAINST IMMIGRANT ARRESTS". The verbage used is similar to that from their "investigative reporter" Anna Werner, but the author isn't known. As with the article at the link, they don't seem to understand this whole "immigration law"/"city laws vs. federal laws" thing:Several immigrant-rights organizations kicked off a week of action today in San Francisco in response to what they say is a recent spike in Bay Area raids on illegal immigrants.Did I miss the glorious news that San Francisco has seceded from the U.S.? Is there some reason why ICE has to "defend their actions", as long as they're lawful? Is the BCNW unaware that we have immigration laws and an agency that every once in a while enforces them? Apparently so:
The rally coincides with a San Francisco Board of Supervisors resolution that condemns enforcement efforts in San Francisco, a sanctuary city, and lobbies federal lawmakers to change immigration standards.
But officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) defend their actions and deny that there has been a recent crackdown on undocumented immigrants...
Spokeswoman Virginia Kice said ICE has been conducting enforcement operations since 2003 when ICE was formed and began the fugitive operations initiative.After a quick search of Wikipedia, the BCNW crack reporter determined that this "ICE" thing is indeed part of the federal government, as they claim.
Evelyn Sanchez, advocacy coordinator for the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, said ICE isn't admitting to recent raids and shakedowns in low-income communities in San Francisco, Concord and other Bay Area sites."Shakedowns"? What is this, The News Channel for Thugs?
A Board of Supervisors resolution sponsored by Supervisors Chris Daly, Tom Ammiano and Gerardo Sandoval, charges immigration officials with entering homes in their districts without warrants. It also accuses officials of harassing and intimidating residents... She said ICE only goes out to arrest people who have been through the court system and have been ordered by a judge to leave the country. In the process of these operations, ICE runs across other illegal immigrants and makes arrests accordingly...ICE is trying as hard as they can not to do their job, and the far-lefties aren't playing along, allowing people like me to point out that post-"reform", these same far-left groups would continue to oppose the raids mandated by the "reform" they support. Clearly, these groups have no interest in "reform", and are only seeking a massive amnesty combined with open borders in the future.
In related news, Renee Saucedo of La Raza Centro Legal and the San Francisco Day Labor Program, together with St. Peter's Housing Committee, the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, Deporten a la Migra Coalition ("deport the Border Patrol/ICE"), and other groups will be conducting marches in front of the ICE Building in 'Frisco this week: indybay.org/newsitems/2007/02/22/18367355.php
You can read about a Deporten rally here: salon.com/news/feature/2006/04/11/sfrally/ and read Deporten's demands here: liberationink.com/revised/navigator.php?s=2&a=deporten
Just like movements for the redistribution of agricultural land, we demand democratic control of the land. We the workers are the ones creating value from the land, and it is just for us to have democratic control of it.Those doughty capitalists told us we were importing cheerful, compliant workers, but it turns out we were importing land reformers instead.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 12:09 AM | Comments (1)
The "Mexican border town" in Los Angeles: Cudahy
Somewhat surprisingly, the L.A. Weekly offers the seven-screener "The Town the Law Forgot", all about the 1.2-square-mile city of Cudahy, California, located in southeast Los Angeles County near such tourist destinations as Maywood and South Gate. The story shows the dangers of allowing Mexican-style politics to be imported to the U.S.Cudahy is a strange little city; some say a scary one. In 2003, city leaders fired the L.A. County Sheriff's Department — which had policed Cudahy for 14 years, focusing on gang and drug crime — in favor of a nearby municipal police force that recently erupted over public allegations of police brutality and kickbacks to police and city officials from a towing company.Related:
In Cudahy, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has seized almost 20 times more cocaine over the past five years than in Bell, a bordering city of similar size...
...Cudahy resembles a Mexican border town more than it does a Los Angeles suburb. Entrenched gangs and Mexican drug trafficking have trapped working-class legal and illegal immigrants in a cycle of violence and fear, in a city where less than a quarter of the 28,000 residents are eligible to vote...
Anne Taylor Fleming not on immigration
"Corruption hits cities in L.A.'s shadows"
UPDATE: Those living in other parts of the country should pay attention to this quote from Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa:
take a snapshot of Los Angeles and in 25 or 30 years so will go Topeka, Kansas and Des Moines, Iowa.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 10:38 PM | Comments (1)
Minneapolis Star-Tribune immigration editorial lies to readers
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune offers the unsigned editorial "Immigration is an asset, not a liability". Virtually everything in the article concerns illegal immigration, which they consistently refer to without the "illegal" qualifier, only using that word twice.
Not to put too fine a point on it, the "Strib" is lying to their readers. You can see a version with the magic word "illegal" added here, or consider this paragraph:
The big fight is likely to center on the Dream Act, which would extend in-state college tuition rates to immigrant students if they have attended a Minnesota high school for three years and earned a diploma.
They may be refering to the MN-specific version of that bill, but otherwise those "immigrant students" they refer to are actually "illegal immigrant students".
If the only way the Strib can support their argument is through lying, do they really have any argument at all?
Posted to Immigration2007a at 03:16 PM | Comments (3)
Illegal aliens rehired at Buckley Air Force Base after raid
From this:Illegal immigrants say they were working on a military housing project outside Buckley Air Force Base within days after a major immigration raid there last year.Bear in mind, of course, that the latter may or may not have happened, and there doesn't appear to be proof that any of those who had been deported were back working at the base. Of course, whether the DHS is looking for that proof is an open question.
Immigration officials said at the time that they were protecting national security and sending a message to employers with the Sept. 20 raid, which nabbed more than 120 workers.
Most of the workers were from Mexico and were quickly deported. Others came from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Three had outstanding criminal warrants and were turned over to Aurora police.
Julio Cesar Rodriguez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, told the Rocky Mountain News he was back on the job a few days after the raid.
So was Martin Torrez, who said he saw about a dozen workers who returned to Buckley after they were deported...
The housing site is near the giant golf ball-like satellite monitoring systems on the base, which assist in global surveillance, missile warnings and homeland defense operations...
[Juan Guzman, a legal permanent resident who befriended some of the deported workers] said one worker told him he called a foreman while he was still in Mexico to see if he could get his job back.
"He was told, 'Just come back under a new identity, and we'll hire you back,' " Guzman said...
The main contractor in this case is Hunt Building Co. Ltd. from El Paso, and, as could be expected, they have subcontractors.
The rest of the article goes into the details of labor laws, whether the contractors failed to pay their workers, etc. The second part of this series is tomorrow and is entitled... "The construction industry is addicted to illegal labor."
Posted to Immigration_terror at 01:27 PM | Comments (1)
Reuters: Hispanics do jobs others in U.S. "won't stand for" (Andrea Hopkins, Tim Gaynor)
Like a combination between an old-tyme ethnographer and a present-day cheap labor pimp, Andrea Hopkins of Reuters offers this:
As President George W. Bush's plans for a guest worker program languishes in a backlash against immigration, employers both large and small say they rely on Hispanic workers to keep the economy running.
A quote from a landscaper pining for more cheap labor follows, as does a story of an Average Homemaker who hired day laborers ("They do their job and do it well"). The latter paragraphs are highly reminiscent of the April 29, 2006 AP promotional piece "No. 1 employers of day laborers? Homeowners" (link; "It was first time [Chris James of Burbank] hired day laborers but it won't be his last.")
Then, we're treated to the only slight indication that their wonderful "traits" aren't necessarily genetic, but are based on something else: "They do it because they really want to feed their families." In other words, they're really, really desperate. But, part of it might be genetic:
"They'll work in extreme temperatures, in 115 degree (46 Celsius) weather, and most people won't stand for that."
That's oddly similar to the open letter that cheap labor profiteers wrote last year:
...few young Americans want to do hard physical labor, particularly in our climate. And in the less-skilled construction trades – masonry, concrete, drywall, tile – more than 80 percent of Texas' workforce is Latino.
Needless to say, the article doesn't look into the desperation aspect, and simply serves as an infomercial for cheap foreign serf labor. Which leaves me wondering why exactly Reuters continually prints things like this. Whose agenda are they trying to promote: that of the Bush administration, or the Democrats, or those who profit from cheap labor, or racial power groups, or what? And, are they paid to do it?
The article also features "additional reporting by Tim Gaynor in Phoenix", and I'm sure this is his contribution:
Julian Claudio Nabozny, owner of five McDonald's restaurants in Phoenix, sees the work ethic and close cultural ties among his Latino workers as nothing but a good thing... "Latinos [will] come to work even if they feel sick," said Nabozny. About 200 of his 220 employees are Latino... "[One of his assistant managers] comes in sick. We gave her health insurance and we have to tell her, 'Aurora go see a doctor!'" he said. "She wants to make us happy."
I wonder: when hiring people, does he discriminate in favor of Hispanics? And, do you want sick people to be working at McDonald's? Those are certainly good questions for McDonald's corporate offices, and I suggest you ask them.
And, if you're in the area and if you see any of his workers coughing and wheezing, document it and contact the health department. (Only if you see specific instances, of course.)
And, while I have no proof of discriminatory practices, I'd say 200 out of 220 is a very high number, so the Phoenix Human Relations Commission might be interested as well: phoenix.gov/HMNRELAT/index.html
Posted to Immigration2007a at 12:40 PM | Comments (1)
California presidential primary to help reelect incumbents like Nunez and Peralta
The California legislature is trying to move the presidential primary in the state from June 3 to February 5, 2008. That ballot will have two propositions. The first is from Arnie Schwartzenegger and concerns redistricting; presumably it's similar to his earlier proposal.
The second would extend term limits for our wonderful incumbents and would do so before a March 2008 deadline, thus allowing people such as Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez to continue their reigns.
Details here:
Essentially, California would have no real elections over the next four years, because we would have the same people running in the same districts where there is no competition.
UPDATE: For some unknown reason, I've thrice misspelled his name. It's Don Perata.
Posted to California at 12:20 PM | Comments (0)
"U.S. economy leaving record numbers in severe poverty"
McClatchy Newspapers has analyzed Census figures from 2005 and has found that "nearly 16 million Americans are living in deep or severe poverty". The number of "severely poor" (half the poverty line) rose 26% from 2000. The overall number of poor rose 17% in the same period.And, an unknown part of that is due to the immigration policies of the Bush administration and the Democratic Party:
...Severe poverty is worst near the Mexican border and in some areas of the South, where 6.5 million severely poor residents are struggling to find work as manufacturing jobs in the textile, apparel and furniture-making industries disappear. The Midwestern Rust Belt and areas of the Northeast also have been hard hit as economic restructuring and foreign competition have forced numerous plant closings.
At the same time, low-skilled immigrants with impoverished family members are increasingly drawn to the South and Midwest to work in the meatpacking, food processing and agricultural industries.
These and other factors such as increased fluctuations in family incomes and illegal immigration have helped push 43 percent of the nation's 37 million poor people into deep poverty - the highest rate in at least 32 years.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 09:29 AM | Comments (1)
Bill Press is an idiot, Part #4832842 (Bank of America illegal alien credit cards)
Bill Press is a radio (Jones Radio Network), TV, and newspaper pundit and the former chairman of the California Democratic Party. Via this he offers "Bank Of America Rejects English-Only Plastic". As with other things, discussing all the ways it's wrong would take too long. So, let's just concentrate on three things:
1. The "Latino market" certainly includes most of the illegal alien market, but perhaps Press might consider not giving the impression that every Latino is an illegal alien by conflating the two markets.
2. While I never thought I'd say this, there are some statements that are even below sleazy bloggers such as Atrios. And, the Press statement "Tom Tancredo, who has yet to see an immigrant he didn't hate" falls in that category. It's not just false, it's extremely childish. Perhaps Creators Syndicate should look into the editing they give Press' articles.
3. Press strikes a loony libertarian note with "These new credit card customers may have broken the law by entering the country illegally. But that's no business of the banks." They've also almost certainly been hired illegally. What if the bank has a strong suspicion that some customers are drugrunners? Is that not their business either, and should they go after that market as well?
4. Press says "Now conservatives want the federal government to tell banks whom they can do business with." It's actually the other way around: banks weren't originally able to accept Mexico's Matricula Consular card as ID. The Bush administration fought to allow them to accept that card. In brief, Press is supporting Bush administration corruption.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 09:43 PM | Comments (3)
"Speaker Pelosi's Bad DREAM"
IBD discusses Nancy Pelosi supporting the DREAM Act in this editorial:The speaker of the House backs in-state tuition for illegal aliens from neighboring countries but not for American citizens from neighboring states. Arizonans, among others, think otherwise. And, by the way, it's illegal.In 2005, the Washington Legal Foundation filed a complaint with the DHS under the Section above, and here's a March 2006 update. The current status of the complaint isn't known.
...Title 8, Chapter 14, Sec. 1623, clearly states that "an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a state . . . for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national is eligible for such a benefit." Pelosi's legislation speaks only of "alien minors."
This law, passed in 1996, doesn't prohibit children of illegal aliens from getting in-state tuition rates. It merely says that if they do, U.S. citizens from any state must be offered the same benefit if they meet the same qualifications...
Posted to Immigration2007a at 05:37 PM | Comments (0)
"The Kennedy Amnesty Reign of Terror Begins This Next Week"
Starting next week, Senator Teddy Kennedy will apparently try to start the ball rolling on "comprehensive immigration reform" (aka a massive amnesty for illegal aliens). Please sign up at NumbersUSA to receive their action alerts; one such is here, which goes into who needs to be contacted and whether they're leaning for or against amnesty.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 01:42 PM | Comments (0)
Can Barack Obama answer this?
Please go to Barack Obama's campaign appearances and try to ask him the question on the video (reprinted below). The media isn't going to ask politicians any difficult questions, so it's up to us to do it.Note that the same question applies to others who spoke at the May 1 rally: U.S. Reps. Rahm Emanuel, Jan Schakowsky, and Luis Gutierrez. The last also spoke at the March 10 event, as did Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and Chicago mayor Richard Daley.
Here's the question:
You spoke at the May 1, 2006 illegal immigration march in Chicago.
Some of the key organizers of that march have links to the Mexican government and Mexican political parties.
Leaving aside your thoughts on immigration 'reform', is it proper for a U.S. Senator to support foreign citizens marching in our streets demanding that we change our laws, especially when foreign political parties helped organize the marches?
Posted to Temporary at 12:28 PM | Comments (4)
Council on Foreign Relations gets star power: Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie has been elected a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), sources say. Almost all top government leaders of the past several decades have been members of that Rockefeller-linked organization.
As could be expected, the media covers this from an entertainment perspective ("ANGELINA A BABE AMID BRAINIACS", NYPost, link) rather than looking into what the CFR might be after. First, while it will give them a higher profile, she may serve as a pretty face for the group. Second, she may be able to help them get their ideas into popular culture, the same way that another group has been able to do.
Posted to Politics at 11:01 AM | Comments (1)
Bush administration lets Mexican truckers past border zone
From this:The news that Mexican trucks will be allowed to haul freight deeper into the United States drew an angry reaction Friday from labor leaders, safety advocates and members of Congress.She just "misspoke". If she wants to "keep our roads safe", she can work to prevent this. What she's trying to say is that the increased risk is both managed and worth it. Regarding the former, this program will probably be as well managed as other Bush programs, and regarding the latter someone is certainly standing to profit with this, and perhaps Leslie Miller of the AP should follow the money instead of just transcribing remarks.
They said Mexico has substandard trucks and low-paid drivers that will threaten national security, cost thousands of jobs and endanger motorists on the northern side of the Mexican border.
..."This program will make trade with Mexico easier and keep our roads safe at the same time," Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Friday. She announced details of the plan to let 100 Mexican trucking companies travel beyond the border area while she was in El Paso, Texas, at the Bridge of the Americas, which connects to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
According to the Transportation Department, U.S. inspectors will inspect every truck and interview drivers to make sure they can read and speak English. They'll examine trucks and check the licenses, insurance and driving records of the Mexican drivers. Inspectors will also verify that the trucking companies are insured by U.S.-licensed firms.Expect there to be loopholes or those rules to be watered down or just not enforced.
National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman questioned how the U.S. could spare sending inspectors to Mexico when only a tiny percentage of the hundreds of thousands of U.S. truck companies are inspected every year...The trucks will start to roll in 60 days, but when American trucks will be able to drive into Mexico is still being worked out (naturally). And, those Mexican trucks won't have "black boxes" like those on aircraft to make a record of the amount of time the driver's been on the road. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) - believe it or don't - has a hearing on this matter scheduled for March 8.
...One-fourth of all U.S. trucks are taken off the road after random inspections because they're so unsafe, she said. An even higher percentage of Mexican trucks are taken off the road at Texas border crossings, she said.
Posted to NAU at 07:26 AM | Comments (2)
Prosperity promoted in closed-door Canada SPP event
The AP, always willing to act as a transcription service and not ask tough questions, offers:Promoting prosperity topped the agenda at a gathering of U.S., Canadian and Mexican Cabinet leaders Friday, but immigration and the threat of terrorism also were key topics at the gathering.Rice didn't respond by accusing the "journalist" of being high, but she should have.
Nine foreign and security ministers from the North American nations met in Ottawa, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
The Security and Prosperity Partnership talks were a lead-up to a meeting of the countries' leaders this August in Canada.
The officials reviewed a 63-page report from the North American Competitiveness Council on how to streamline border crossings, harmonize regulatory standards and improve the supply and distribution of clean energy sources. They also discussed ways in which to deal with a global bird flu pandemic, natural disasters, organized crime and drug trafficking.
After a full day of closed-door meetings, the officials addressed joint news conferences and discussed security, illegal immigration and terrorism.
...Some critics believe the Bush administration has put too great an emphasis on border security and not enough on the economic alliance. A Mexican journalist told Rice that this was the growing perception in his country.
"I think that if you look at everything from NAFTA on, including our extensive trade relationships, our extensive economic relationships, you can see that the United States and Mexico have been deeply concerned about one another's prosperity," she said. "But as the president has said, ultimately when one talks, for instance, about the issues of immigration, we want very much to see a Mexico in which Mexicans can find work and can take care of their families in Mexico."
..."I have to say it's very, very inspiring to see how vigorously President Calderon has moved, even in his brief term in office, to assert security controls when there are violations of the law," [Michael Chertoff] said.
Posted to NAU at 03:21 AM | Comments (2)
Los Angeles Times: give illegal aliens drivers licenses
The Los Angeles Times has an unsigned editorial called "Let illegal immigrants get licenses". They don't have an detailed list of reasons why we should do that, and they don't answer the large number of objections. Other than "just because", they think we should do it because they're here now, and they might as well have insurance.
As for the objection that "the state shouldn't be in the business of making life easier for people who aren't supposed to be here anyway", the LAT has a ready answer:
It's undeniable that illegal immigrants place a real burden on schools, hospitals and other institutions. But driver's licenses must be earned and paid for, and they benefit not just those who carry them but anyone who uses the state's roads.
The "earning" part is really tough: an hour or two at the DMV. The "paying" part, well, should the state really try to pick up a buck off those who are here illegally? Couldn't we make even more money if we just opened up the borders?
Needless to say, the LAT doesn't offer us the option of California attempting to reduce the numbers of illegal aliens here now. Nor, do they discuss the increased illegal immigration that will likely result from offering yet one more benefit. Nor do they discuss the possibility of terrorists getting the cards. In fact, one of the 9/11 terrorists got a California driver's license using a bypass code designed for use by illegal aliens (that loophole has since been closed).
And, of course, the LAT doesn't discuss the huge benefit this will give to the country of Mexico other than to mention that one document needed to get a license would be an "official ID from their country of origin".
The head of the LAT's editorial board is Andres Martinez, and I don't think it's unfair to question which country he's trying to benefit with this scheme.
Posted to Immigration_dls at 11:56 PM | Comments (1)
Bill: end ITIN mortgages (John Doolittle, R-CA)
From this:...a bill has been introduced in Congress that would prohibit financial institutions from providing home mortgages to anyone who lacks a Social Security number. The bill, introduced by Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., would amend the Truth in Lending Act to make ITIN mortgage lending illegal.Needless to say:
Proponents of ITIN-based lending to home buyers say Doolittle has it all wrong.I'm not entirely sure, but I highly doubt his numbers since legal immigrants can get SSNs. Other quote sources with cash and/or racial cows in the fight are Geoffrey Cooper, director of emerging markets for MGIC Investment and Janis Bowdler, senior housing policy analyst for the National Council of La Raza. If you want to fight corruption, support the bill.
Tim Sandos, president and CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, said Doolittle's bill would be "extremely disruptive" and affect far more people than the illegal immigrants the measure purports to target.
Sandos estimates that there are as many as 7 million to 8 million resident aliens in the United States who do not have Social Security cards but are in some phase of the immigration process leading to citizenship...
Posted to Immigration2007a at 06:50 PM | Comments (0)
Liberals: Wikipedia not biased, Conservapedia a joke
Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum has started an alternative to Wikipedia called Conservapedia.
Needless to say, the usual "liberal" suspects are having a great deal of (what passes to them as) fun (link, link, link,link). They're pointing out "errors" in the encyclopedia, and some of those "errors" may actually be vandalism (link, link,link) and would be refered to at WP as such. Did you really expect anything different?
Of course, those of us with a greater mental age might wonder, "if unthinking 'liberals' say Wikipedia isn't biased, isn't that prima facie evidence that it is indeed biased?" And, we could compare that to the occasional ludicrous statement that the MSM does not have such a bias. And, we could point to entries at WP such as that on Antonio Villaraigosa, or the press-release-manquee for Media Matters. Or, something else I just noticed: Art Torres' 187 quote was added to his entry in April 2006, removed in May, and then not added back in until August. Meaning that all during the Summer of 2006, a very "liberal" POV of Torres was being presented to all those who visited the entry, which turns up at the #1 spot in a Google search for his name.
Nope, no bias in Wikipedia, which is "normal" and "unbiased" in the same sense that the New York Times is "normal" and "unbiased".
I note also that WP publishes an /Interwiki_map, which lets you create links to other wikis. Instead of entering the full, external URL, you use something like [[Disinfopedia:Wikipedia]], which would link to the Wikipedia entry at sourcewatch.org. Unlike almost all other external links, such links don't have the nofollow tag added, which is certainly of benefit to many sites. There are interwiki links for commercial sites such as IMDB, and one was briefly added for Youtube (it was deleted over concerns of linking to copyrighted material). You can suggest adding an interwiki link on its talk page, and no one has so far offered for Conservapedia. I wonder what would happen if someone did?
The bottom line is that the "liberal" response to Conservapedia is similar to their response to Rush Limbaugh, the Washington Times, and Fox News, and their push to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. They aren't content with having their biases presented in almost all of the wider media, they simply want it all.
VERY SPECIAL UPDATE: Certainly, not all the bias at WP is "liberal". In the 06:13, 26 January 2005 revision of the Asa_Hutchinson article (a Republican and a former DHS Undersecretary), I added four negative links, none of them to any of my sites and all relating to illegal immigration:
"Rounding up all illegals 'not realistic'"
"Hutchinson’s Remarks Indicate Cheap Labor Bias of Administration"
Cheers, jeers at immigration town hall meeting
"(Hutchinson) slammed for stopping illegals sweeps"
Those links were deleted 10 weeks later; in August I added them back in twice before giving up. In its current state, no one would know anything about his involvement in the Temecula sweeps, which is about the only thing (other than running for Arkansas governor) he's known for in the past few years.
DON'T MESS WITH MINILIB UPDATE: My Digg post was buried; searching for it by name didn't bring it up until I checked the 'show buried stories' checkbox. I don't know exactly how that works, but if you go here and vote for it it might become un-'liberaled'.
Posted to Miscellania at 01:55 PM | Comments (12)
Sleazy Think Progress, Anderson Cooper lie about Tom Tancredo
Think Progress continues their reputation as illogical smear merchants - and Anderson Cooper continues his reputation as a fluff "reporter" - with "CNN Fact Checks Tancredo, Proves He Once Suggested Bombing Mecca". He did suggest that, but neither Think Progress nor Anderson Cooper properly contextualized his suggestion.
At the post there's a video outtake [transcript] from an unknown date featuring Edina Lekovic from Muslim Public Affairs Council (link: "Los Angeles-based Muslim organization whose leadership defends extremist violence") saying that Tancredo suggested bombing Mecca to "send a message". Tancredo objects, saying that she is being disingenuous and is not putting his remarks in the proper context.
Then, the video cuts to Anderson Cooper who disingenuously pretends that the question is about whether Tancredo suggested bombing Mecca, when his complaint was about the context.
Tancredo's original comment was that he'd only do that under certain conditions: if it was determined that terrorists had struck several U.S. cities with nuclear weapons and it was determined that it had been "extremist, fundamentalist Muslims" that had done it, only then would we bomb their "holy sites". The host said, "you're talking about bombing Mecca", and Tancredo responds, "yeah".
Lekovic did not mention Tancredo's pre-conditions, and her comment as well as Think Progress' complaint and Anderson Cooper's "fact-checking" are completely disingenuous.
You can contact CNN using the link at cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360, and that also links to their blog where you can leave (moderated) comments. Best of all, just don't watch his show.
UPDATE: I've since found and linked the transcript.
Posted to Politics at 11:18 AM | Comments (7)
Flash: Mitt Romney great-great grandson of polygamist!
Breaking news from our "never trust a Mormon" department: presidential contender Mitt Romney is the great-great-grandson of a polygamist!
This shocking news is burning up the wires:
While Mitt Romney condemns polygamy and its prior practice by his Mormon church, the Republican presidential candidate's great-grandfather had five wives and at least one of his great-great grandfathers had 12.
Sure, he condemns it now, but what about then?
America demands answers, and a consortium of liberals - led by the Huffington Post, BrainFireDogFireLake, Hatrios, and ThinkProgress are currently encouraging George Soros to set up a fund to pay Mike Stark to go to Mitt's campaign appearances and scream at him, "WHY AREN'T YOU GOING BACK IN YOUR TIME MACHINE TO STOP THIS POLYGAMY, YOU GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDSON OF A POLYGAMIST?!?! ALL LIBERAL BLOGDOM WANTS TO KNOW!"
It's a win-win: this will also help avoid a grown-up discussion about policy issues and Mitt's close links to the Bush family. And, who wants to discuss that?
Posted to Politics at 10:39 AM | Comments (4)
Charles Rust-Tierney, ACLU of Virginia
Charles Rust-Tierney - who served as president of the Virginia chapter of the ACLU from 2002 to 2005 - was arrested by ICE today on charges of possessing child pornography.
ABC News has a report, and Bill O'Reilly gave it a couple minutes. But, only five to seven local media sources are running the Associated Press' account which, to their credit, starts like so:
A youth sports coach in Arlington County who is also a past president of Virginia's American Civil Liberties Union chapter was arrested Friday and charged with receiving and possessing child pornography.
Disclaimer: he might be innocent, he may have or may think he has some exception because he's doing research or something, the images might not actually be of children but of adults portraying children, etc.
Special tinfoil hat disclaimer: the images could have been planted by ICE or by Interpol.
2/24 UPDATE: The WashTimes has a little more, but there's only one or two more local sources - if that - covering the ACLU link.
2/26 UPDATE: The major sources have (almost) completely ignored this issue. At present, the following are the (almost) only MSM sites with stories featuring both his name and the ACLU affiliation (per Google News):
North Country Gazette, NY
NBC 4.com, DC
Associated Content, CO
Washington Times, DC
WJLA, DC
WTOP, DC
WVEC.com, VA
WDBJ7.com, VA
Daily Press, VA
The Washington Post did cover this, but they offered it on Saturday and buried as the first blurb in their Virginia Briefing/Arlington County section. It got two paragraphs, including the news that he's a "former ACLU chapter president".
2/28 UPDATE: He's due in court today. Oddly enough, this story still hasn't taken off for some strange reason or other.
Posted to Politics at 08:23 PM | Comments (2)
Dick Morris still wrong; Hispanics, unprincipled GOP, religious conservatives
Dick Morris - at one time on Vicente Fox's payroll - offers "The Latino revolution":...Evangelicals, of any race or ethnicity, are fertile ground for Republicans and may provide a huge opening to swing the formerly Democratic Hispanic vote toward a more even-handed stance or even make it a core element of an emerging Republican majority.If those "potential Republican supporters" don't support our laws - or want special favors for their race - are they really good candidates for the Republican Party? Morris is, as usual, completely unprincipled. He sees the GOP as a slight variant of the Democratic Party, with the use of red meat social issues and pandering to religious conservatives to bring in the voters.
I recently met with Rev. Sam Rodriquez, the leader of the national association of Evangelical Latino churches. He's a Republican dream: pro-life, anti-gay marriage, and a Bush voter...
Unfortunately, the hostile reception immigration reform has received from the GOP side of the aisle in Washington is turning off the very voters the Republicans can now, for the first time, hope to attract to their side. Based on a fear of Democratic domination of the Hispanic vote, Republican insistence on barring the way to citizenship and voting rights for undocumented or illegal immigrants may drive these very potential Republican supporters back into Democratic arms...
He's also living in a fantasy world: no matter how much the GOP supports multiculturalism (i.e., Gramscism) and massive immigration, the Democrats will always be able to offer those who want open borders for racial reasons a better deal.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 11:27 AM | Comments (4)
Orange County Catholic Church: fast for immigration "reform"
The local leaders of the Catholic Church are using lent as a pretext to push for immigration "reform", aka a massive amnesty:[Cardinal Roger M. Mahony] said he would travel to Washington in early March to encourage lawmakers to "take active steps" toward immigration reform...To the extent that fasting reduces your ability to reason, yes indeed it would be helpful to coming to a "new understanding". So would downing a pint of tequila.
At St. Boniface Catholic Church in Anaheim, Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto, a longtime champion of immigrant rights, proposed that parishioners fast to reflect on the problem...
...Soto said he conceived the fast for immigration reform with other Orange County Catholic leaders who shared his concern about immigration issues...
...Soto asked parishioners to fill out cards that will be sent to members of Congress, urging them to enact reforms. The Los Angeles Archdiocese conducted a similar postcard campaign last year. Soto said 15 of Orange County's 60 parishes had asked for the cards in recent weeks.
Soto said that although Orange County was "ground zero" for opponents of immigration reform, he was "hopeful that even people who have trouble with the church's position on immigration might dedicate a day to fasting and come to a new understanding that this can be beneficial for all."
As I have a few times before, I strongly urge everyone to go to public events or similar where these open border bishops speak and try to publicly ask them tough questions designed to discredit their positions. Discrediting them isn't hard at all, the hard part is finding a public forum where they're willing to engage in a dialogue about their positions.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 10:46 PM | Comments (3)
Monica Rhor/AP: pro-anchor baby propaganda
Monica Rhor of the Associated Press offers an idiotic article entitled "Bill denying citizenship to U.S.-born babies would cost Texas". She's a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (link), and she appears to have let her ethnic identity get in the way of her ability to do fundamental economic analysis:A Texas legislator wants to challenge the right to automatic U.S. citizenship for babies born to illegal immigrants, cutting them off from receiving state health and education benefits.Quite a list of negatives she got there, didn't she? Of course, whether the sources said that first or whether it worked the other way around isn't clear. And, she seems to have forgotten about the overall goal of Berman's bill: to reduce illegal immigration to his state. Oddly enough, she doesn't figure reduce illegal immigration into her "analysis". She doesn't discuss why those hospitals are "already-overwhelmed", and to what an extent illegal immigration plays in their situation.
But the bill sponsored by State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, that would deny birthright citizenship to those children could end up putting a heavier financial burden on already-overwhelmed public hospitals, increase costs to local taxpayers and create a population of children who do not receive basic medical care or immunizations, state and local health officials said...
One of every four births at public hospitals in Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth are to illegal immigrant mothers, officials estimate. The mothers' obstetrics costs are covered through a special Medicaid program. As U.S. citizens, the babies qualify for Medicaid or CHIPS coverage.Certainly, with illegal immigration at the current or at a higher level, there would be a cost associated with the effects of a lower immunization rate and similar. However, complaining about reduced federal reimbursement is at the least extremely short-sighted: it ignores the fact that that money has to come from somewhere. If Rhor and the District cares about saving money, they'll try to reduce illegal immigration, instead of offering an incentive by providing birthright citizenship.
If the infants are denied automatic citizenship, however, thousands might not qualify for state or federal reimbursement programs — saddling the public hospitals with the extra costs, said King Hillier, vice president of public policy and government relations with the Harris County Hospital District, which includes Houston. "They would further exacerbate the problem of the uninsured in the state."
Rhor also lies:
Birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868.The 14th has only been interpreted to grant birthright citizenship, and the original author of that clause didn't intend it to apply to "foreigners".
Posted to Immigration2007a at 07:44 PM | Comments (0)
Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis defiantly says won't cancel credit card for illegal aliens
Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis has written an editorial for the Wall Street Journal explaining his side of the credit card for illegal aliens his bank offers. In yet another bone-headed move, it's subscriber-only. A large percentage of those who subscribe to that rag will probably already support their position; it's the rest of us he should be trying to hustle. This also underlines that that bank is part of a elite that is indifferent to the concerns of the vast majority of Americans.Fox summarizes it here, saying that they're defiantly continuing the program:
"Bank of America does not deliberately market financial products and services to illegal immigrants from any country." he wrote. Instead, the bank chief said that the program was created to help consumers who lack certain financial tools.And, from the blurb:
"We believe we have an obligation to serve all those in our country who are legally eligible to receive services. To do less would be discriminatory and unfair."
..."As with all our products, the program meets the identification requirements of the USA Patriot Act, U.S. Treasury Department regulations and internal fraud prevention procedures," he wrote...
..."We know some will find this unacceptable. Even so, we feel we have a great obligation to live by the laws of the land, to serve our customers, and to do our part to support the security of our nation's financial systems."
First, the program is not about illegal immigrants, and never was. ...Tell me another one. One of the ways that a customer can obtain the credit card or the required checking account is with Mexico's Matricula Consular card, which is almost a guarantee that the bearer is an illegal alien. If it isn't about "illegal immigrants", then surely Lewis should have no problem with stopping to accept that card (which, by the way, the Bush administration fought to allow banks to accept).
Posted to Immigration2007a at 03:00 PM | Comments (5)
Kennedy-McCain illegal alien amnesty nearing completion; business, racial groups
From this:Senators and lobbyists are putting the final touches on a comprehensive immigration-reform bill that includes an easier citizenship path for illegal aliens and weaker enforcement provisions than were in the highly criticized legislation that the Senate approved last year.Those lobbyists include the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (EWIC) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who ardently supports citizenship rights for illegals, will introduce the bill as early as next week, according to Senate sources knowledgeable about the negotiations. If the Senate Judiciary Committee can make quick work of the bill, it could be ready for floor action in April.
Mr. Kennedy drafted this year's bill with help from Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, and outside lobbyists...
In particular, EWIC and the chamber have taken a leading role in drafting the section of the bill dealing with work-site enforcement, Senate staffers say. Lobbyists in both organizations have shuttled around Capitol Hill drafts of those provisions, which are supposed to impose sanctions on businesses that hire illegal aliens, according to internal e-mails obtained by The Washington Times.The ACLU is indirectly linked to the Mexican government. The NCLR funded one or more MEChA chapters (link,link) and funds a racial separatist charter school in Los Angeles. The SEIU paid one Artemio Arreola to organize immigration marches, and he also serves on an advisory council to Mexico's president. The SEIU, their locals, and various members have extensive links to last year's immigration marches.
"That's putting the fox in charge of the henhouse," one Senate lawyer said about the pro-business chamber's involvement in drafting the punishment of employers.
One of those e-mails obtained by The Times invited Democratic immigration staffers to a briefing in early January with "key stakeholders" to discuss workplace-enforcement provisions. The invitation listed six such "stakeholders," including the chamber and EWIC. The other groups attending the meeting, according to the e-mail, were the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Immigration Law Center, the National Council of La Raza and the Service Employees International Union.
Sens. Brownback and Specter were apparently shut out of helping to write this year's monstrosity, and they together with Lindsey Graham, Chuck Hagel, and Mel Martinez only were invited to a meeting after the bill had almost been completed.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 11:17 AM | Comments (0)
Open borders libertarian loon invades Pandagon!
Pandagon isn't just the place where Amanda Marcotte fights the g****** patriarchy. It's a group blog, and another poster there, one Chris Clarke (see his first post for his bio), offers "Trashing the border". I don't know if he's a libertarian or just a delete-the-border type, but he's as loony as either:Let me say this up front to piss off the Malkinites: I'm an open borders advocate. I think that as long as capital is allowed to cross borders freely, people ought to as well.And, let me say this up front: I appreciate him saving me having to read the rest. So, a quick scan of the rest of the post and the comments, and I left the following comment earlier today. I received the message that it was awaiting moderation, but for one reason or another it hasn't shown up. Now, certainly, some people don't bother to check comments awaiting moderation and there are occasionally technical glitches. So, as a public service to the Pandagon Community, I'll post it here and try to send a trackback:
Did I stumble upon a libertarian blog by mistake?
Sirkowski says: "Why not do like Europe and have an American Union?"
President Bush - in addition to being a strong supporter of massive immigration - is actually working on that plan. Look into the North American Union. There's even a precursor website: spp.gov
Richard: the proposal is to build the fence on the border over which millions of people have come.
Patrick Nielsen Hayden mentions Humane Borders, without disclosing that they are or were collaborating with the Mexican Government.
As for the post:
1. All those who support or enable illegal immigration are partly responsible for those border deaths. Those include useful idiot "liberals", business interests, racial interests, the Democratic and Republican parties, including, of course, this site's friend President Bush.
2. The idea that we can have open borders is extraordinarily ahistoric and childish. Stronger countries would not hesitate to take advantage of it, just as Mexico is currently taking advantage of political corruption and useful idiots in the U.S. in order to make money off their excess population. With open borders, Mexico, China and any other country could send us millions of their citizens and obtain a great deal of political power inside the U.S., almost certainly in changing the political structure of the U.S. to match what those countries want.
No one who supports open borders should be taken seriously.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 09:20 PM | Comments (2)
Keith Ellison endorses Barack Hussein Obama
More good news for Barack Hussein Obama, as he's just received the endorsement of Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim Congressman and someone linked to CAIR.
"Not because he's black... That's identity politics. I reject identity politics... He speaks with a unifying spirit."
As for CAIR, their spokesman Ibrahim Hooper once said this:
"I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future," Hooper told the Star Tribune. "But I'm not going to do anything violent to promote that. I'm going to do it through education."
However, Ellison said that if Hillary Clinton gets the nomination, he might end up supporting her instead.
Posted to Politics at 04:23 PM | Comments (1)
Hillary Clinton endorses Bush on immigration amnesty
From this:Speaking to about 300 community leaders in an area with a large immigrant population [Miami], Mrs. Clinton staked out a centrist position on the hot-button topic [of immigration], saying she supported a "pathway to legalization" for the nation's 11 million to 12 million estimated undocumented immigrants, but only if they waited in line and paid fines. She described her stance as "basically" what the president has proposed.Needless to say, that position is "centrist" only in so far as it's not as extreme as those who want to declare open borders. The Clinton/Bush scheme would vastly increase legal immigration, continue to allow illegal immigration, and give racial demagogues and the government of Mexico even more political power inside the U.S. That's not "centrist", that's extremist.
"I think, on this issue, the president is right," Mrs. Clinton said...
...Mrs. Clinton did not mention the fence issue yesterday. She has said she supports a wall "in certain areas," but she made clear that tougher enforcement of current immigration laws was a top priority. While she scoffed at the suggestion of deporting all illegal immigrants, she had strong words for those who break the law. "The ones who are criminals, let's deport them. If they're criminals, let's move them back to where they came from," Mrs. Clinton said, drawing applause from the crowd.The article ends with someone who attended the lecture complaining about Hillary just giving a stock speech. The power to change that is in your hand, but unfortunately not too many people seem willing to go out and ask tough questions.
She called for stricter sanctions on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and she echoed Mr. Bush in saying undocumented immigrants should have to pay fines and should have a lower priority than legal residents in applying for citizenship, even if it takes "10 to 15 years." Mr. Obama has also stood with the president on immigration, championing legislation that passed the Senate with Mr. Bush's support but that stalled in the House.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 08:47 AM | Comments (0)
Mexico to push even harder for a massive illegal alien amnesty
Looks like Mexico is going to help us determine who's on their side, and who's on ours:Mexico plans to begin an aggressive lobbying effort in the United States to secure an immigration reform agreement, the country's new ambassador in Washington said Tuesday."This country", of course, refers to Mexico. He also said:
Mexican consulates in the United States will talk with state and federal lawmakers, business chambers, civic organizations and "all actors of U.S. society" who support comprehensive immigration reform, Arturo Sarukhan said.
"There are few matters so important to the future of this country," Sarukhan told reporters in Mexico City before departing for Washington.
"We are going to put into place the same kind of diplomatic and lobbying effort that we did in the early 1990s when NAFTA was being decided."What to watch for is an even higher level of propaganda from the usual suspects in the media: the NYT, LAT, WaPo, the AP, and the major networks. Something else to watch for is who he meets with, and what they say and what they mean. Any U.S. representative who gives him anything beyond a polite brush-off should perhaps consider going back with him to Mexico.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 05:22 AM | Comments (6)
Let's help Katherine Mangu-Ward find some Reason
Katherine Mangu-Ward of Reason Magazine discusses Bank of America's credit card for illegal aliens in "Credit Where Credit Is Due" [1]. Let's help her with her thinking:
[ITIN numbers are] a reasonable, practical measure and it enables recent arrivals to the country-legal and illegal-to do business on the up-and-up. In fact, these numbers make it easier for those people to pay their way in taxes for the services they use, and easier for the government to track them.
It all sounds so simple when a Reason hack explains it, doesn't it? Of course those who want to think about it at a deeper level might realize that the use of those numbers allows the government to bring in revenue from illegal alien workers, all or almost all of whom are employed contrary to the laws of the country. And, the more illegal immigration, the more that part of the government brings in. Won't that give bureaucrats or legislators an incentive to increase or legitimize in some ways illegal immigration? Is that good public policy? Is Mangu-Ward even concerned with public policy, or only with Bank of America's bottom line?
But Tancredo and Dobbs imply that private companies should be expected to do the work of government, screening illegals better than government itself can manage.
Bank of America is going out of its way to screen *for* illegal aliens by accepting Mexico's Mickey Mouse ID card, the Matricula Consular. If they want to restrict their no-SSN program to only that small number of legal immigrants and visitors who don't have SSNs, they can ask for a visa. (Cue the crickets). One would have to be a complete simpleton (whether working for Reason or not) to pretend that the whole obvious goal of the scheme wasn't simply to give credit to illegal aliens.
"Its practical effect is an amnesty for illegal aliens," declares analyst John Keely, also of the Center for Immigration Studies. But, of course, it's not at all like a nationwide amnesty.
It does allow illegal aliens to build up a credit history, and this won't be the last program giving credit to illegal aliens. And, those recipients will use the credit to further embed themselves into their communities, making it more difficult to deport them. It's certainly not a "comprehensive" amnesty, but it does help those who have that as their goal.
Critics worried about the ethical implications of offering credit cards to lawbreakers would do well to consider the ethical implications of shutting out an underclass from the banking services the rest of us enjoy.
Oddly enough, I don't feel guilty since I support enforcing our immigration laws, something that would eventually greatly reduce that underclass. Perhaps illegal immigration supporters like Reason Magazine might want to look at the several fingers pointing back in their direction: they're the ones responsible for that underclass, now they're sleazily trying to use guilt to help others profit from it.
When an illegal immigrant is faced with unexpected medical bills, surely it is preferable for him to be able to put it on a credit card and pay it off gradually, rather than turn to various unsavory and potentially illegal ways to get his hands on the money.
Even better: what if he could ask his government - while living in his own country - why they won't help him out? (Those from California will note that this is a variant of the scare tactics opponents of proposition 187 used.)
And, of course, Mangu-Ward doesn't go into issues such as the massive political corruption that allowed Bank of America to reach this point, nor does she mention the government of Mexico's endless campaign to get Matricula Consular cards into as many illegal alien hands as possible, nor all the other troubling aspects of this story.
Since Reason is either unaware of or unwilling to discuss those troubling aspects, should anyone trust anything they say?
[1] reason.com/news/show/118741.html
Posted to Immigration2007a at 07:40 PM | Comments (4)
Barack Hussein Obama brings mania to Los Angeles
Barack Obama Mania visited near-South Los Angeles earlier today, as the presidential candidate delivered a stock speech before a few hundred supporters at the Rancho Cienega Sports Complex. The speech was held outside in the bleachers of a softball field, and that made it a bit difficult to get a good photo.
About the only Los Angeles-specific part of the speech involved him promoting finding jobs for some of the unemployed in the surrounding neighborhoods. Needless to say, he didn't explain how illegal immigration - something that he strongly supports - would make that more difficult than it would be otherwise.
Unfortunately, there was no Q&A session, so I wasn't able to ask him something that would take the wind out his sails a bit:
Senator Obama: You spoke at the May 1, 2006 illegal immigration march in Chicago. That march was organized with the assistance of representatives of Mexico's three major political parties. And, one of the other groups that's organized similar events is partially funded by the Irish government. And, two marches in Georgia were organized by a former Mexican Consul General. Were you aware of this? If you weren't, shouldn't you have been? If you were, I would like you to explain exactly why you find it acceptable for those linked to foreign governments to meddle in our internal politics.
I wasn't able to ask that question, but I strongly urge everyone to go to his future appearances and try to ask it or something similar.
After his brief stop in South L.A., he heads to the Westside (the Best Side) for a Hollywood fundraiser to be held at the Beverly (Hills) Hilton expected to net him over a million dollars.
Posted to Politics at 05:26 PM | Comments (1)
Erika Hayasaki/LAT should write ad copy for illegal alien debit card commercials
Erika Hayasaki of the Los Angeles Times offers "Debit cards for immigrants". As she makes clear in her piece, those "immigrants" are almost certainly illegal aliens. And, the article doesn't read like a news report at all, but rather like an infomercial for the card. Please send an email to readers.rep *at* latimes.com with your thoughts.
The card in question is not the credit card from Bank of America, but a debit card called "Sigo". The program is "affiliated with MasterCard".
Those named as helping start the program include:
- Janice Fine (Rutgers University labor relations professor)
- Lauren Leimbach (Community Financial Resources)
- the Center for Community Change.
It's being distributed at the New Labor "worker center" (New Brunswick, New Jersey), Pilipino Worker Center (L.A.), the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California, and five other unnamed places. They want to expand that to 160 "worker centers" across the U.S.
To many Americans, the idea that major banks are attempting to profit from indirect illegal activity is extremely worrisome. Hayasaki only acknowledges those concerns very briefly and in a negative manner. In fact, illegal immigration-related concerns are brushed aside with one-half of a sentence in a 24 paragraph article:
Critics have denounced such efforts to integrate illegal immigrants into the banking and credit world as aid to criminals, but Sigo organizers worry such offers by traditional banks will take advantage of low-income immigrants.
Certainly, exploitation is an important part of this, but that sentence falsely implies that that is a much more important issue than, for instance, the massive political corruption that allows such programs.
The rest of the article reads like ad copy; perhaps Hayasaki is on the wrong beat or working for the wrong company. Allow me to suggest that she goes to work writing infomercials. First, introduce the problem:
Jose Manuel Aparicio had come up with all kinds of ways to stash his construction job wages: He slipped bills between pages of books hidden in his bedroom closet and stuffed money into an old sock in his laundry — places thieves weren't likely to look... Without a bank account, "somebody can steal it," said the 20-year-old, who came to the U.S. from Mexico three years ago. "That's it, my money is gone."
[...cue peppy music...]
Then three months ago, Aparicio applied for a special debit card created for immigrants who don't have Social Security numbers, which are required to open savings or checking accounts. They're also for people who just don't trust banks.
[...bring in the show's expert...]
A nonprofit worker center here called New Labor, which helps immigrants learn English and find jobs, in November became the first in the nation to offer the Sigo card — combining "go" with Spanish for "yes."
For the rest, turn to channel 347.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 11:45 AM | Comments (1)
Nancy Pelosi: take college discounts from citizens, give them to illegal aliens
Nancy Pelosi spoke at a town hall meeting at Arizona State University in Tempe on Monday, and was joined Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ed Pastor (D-AZ), Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)....In a news conference following the meeting, Pelosi made reference to the effect of Proposition 300, an Arizona initiative passed by voters in November that requires illegal immigrants to pay out-of-state tuition to attend public universities and community colleges.Our country does not benefit by providing yet another incentive for illegal aliens to come here and for Mexico to keep sending us their unwanted population. What she supports would take discounts from U.S. citizens and give them to foreign citizens who are here illegally. She is in effect turning her back on those she's supposed to represent, and she is, yet again, unclear on who she works for: the U.S. or Mexico.
"Our country does not benefit by our depriving young people of an education," Pelosi said.
Pastor said comprehensive immigration-reform legislation will be introduced in Congress next month and it will include provisions that would allow undocumented students who grow up in the United States and graduate from high school to pay in-state college tuition.Aka the "DREAM Act".
Posted to Immigration2007a at 11:29 AM | Comments (1)
Tamar Jacoby: "Stop chasing that busboy"
Tamar Jacoby becomes a caricature of herself (again), offering "Stop chasing that busboy" (via this). That's part of an online debate with Mark Krikorian of CIS.
For those who haven't been following along, the "busboy canard" is a stock talking point from the massive immigration/pro-illegal immigration crowd. The argument is that our border guards should chasing terrorists and such, and chasing busboys, gardeners, greenskeepers, and the like distracts them from that mission.
I've already dealt with one of her "arguments":
It was all but impossible to enforce Prohibition.
Now, let's deal with another:
But the most effective way to get control of illegal immigration isn't on the border; it's in the workplace. It's about ensuring that every available job - every job for which an employer can't find an American worker - is filled by a legal immigrant. Because once we do that - once illegal immigrants can't find work in the U.S. - there will be little or no incentive for them to make the long, difficult trip from their home countries.
Obviously, those same companies that employ illegal aliens in order to achieve a lower cost for labor will play similar tricks if all they have available are legal workers. For instance, many current H-1B scams involve placing ads with an impossible list of requirements, then, after no "qualified" citizens can be found, doing what the company wanted to do in the first place: hire a lower-wage and/or more compliant foreign worker.
And, even with that there's no guarantee whatsoever that illegal aliens couldn't find work in the U.S. There are plenty of crooked employers (and banks) around, and they have a tremendous amount of influence. If Bush won't enforce the laws now, what makes anyone think a future Bush clone would enforce them at that time?
Note also that the "guest" worker schemes from the various Senate bill had only a limited number of visas; a greater demand would equal a greater chance for future illegal immigration, and that would be allowed and enabled by those same forces that are currently allowing and enabling it.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 05:16 AM | Comments (2)
NoCal far-lefties show why immigration "reform" would fail miserably
In March 2006, the dean of massive immigration, Senator Teddy Kennedy, said that his "comprehensive immigration reform" proposal offered "[d]oubled Interior Enforcement" and "authorizes state and local law enforcement officers to investigate, apprehend, arrest, detain or transfer to aliens to federal custody" and had "[a]dditional Worksite Enforcement" (preview.tinyurl.com/2vdhsd).
Unless someone lives in a magical place full of elves and faerie sprites, all that enforcement is going to mean raids, and it's going to mean that illegal aliens caught in those raids are going to get deported. Will those who support "reform" support those raids?
Let's take a trip to a magical place (up north) to see what very special far-lefties say now, and use that as a guide to what they'll say in the future.
Last week, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom issued a statement regarding ICE's "Return to Sender" sweeps, which picked up a very small number of fugitives and criminal aliens, including many who were already in jail:
"These raids jeopardize the public health and safety of the city by instilling fear in those who may come forward to report information about a crime or those who are in need of medical treatment. In the future, I urge ICE to take that factor into consideration when deciding to undertake raids across the United States."
If "reform" passes, isn't Newsom simply going to repurpose that whine when post-"reform" raids are conducted? Isn't it clear that he supports no enforcement in his city at all?
Then, let's consider Sheryl Bergman of the International Institute of San Francisco. She wants Redwood City to pass an anti-ICE raids resolution:
"It would help make parents safer when they take their children to school, when they go to the grocery store to buy milk and when they go to their jobs."
Post-"reform", illegal aliens will still be going to the store on the wholesome-as-apple-pie task of buying milk. Does anyone foresee Bergman supporting raids at that time?
On the semi-plus side, Rose Jacobs Gibson, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors isn't a complete idiot:
"The fact that they're a federal agency, it causes me to pause very thoughtfully about what we can do ... given the fact that we don't have authority over them."
Likewise, Redwood City Mayor Barbara Pierce also isn't entirely stupid:
On the one hand, said Pierce, the city wants to show support to its illegal residents, but on the other hand, "you also have people who have lived here perhaps a long time.. who might have other opinions about what should be done."
Yes, citizens as "old-timers".
Posted to Immigration2007a at 05:32 AM | Comments (3)
Mainland Antarctica not showing global warming effects
Never fear, they're currently looking for them:
A new report on climate over the world's southernmost continent shows that temperatures during the late 20th century did not climb as had been predicted by many global climate models.
Says "David Bromwich, professor of professor of atmospheric sciences in the Department of Geography, and researcher with the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University":
"It's hard to see a global warming signal from the mainland of Antarctica right now... Part of the reason is that there is a lot of variability there. It's very hard in these polar latitudes to demonstrate a global warming signal. This is in marked contrast to the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula that is one of the most rapidly warming parts of the Earth... The best we can say right now is that the climate models are somewhat inconsistent with the evidence that we have for the last 50 years from continental Antarctica... We're looking for a small signal that represents the impact of human activity and it is hard to find it at the moment."
Posted to Miscellania at 12:05 AM | Comments (1)
"A safer, more secure and economically dynamic North America"
The article "'North American Union' plan under fire" by Kelly Patterson says:Officials on both sides of the border strongly deny the charges that they're engineering a North American Union.Millions of us North Americans visit each others' countries each year, but somehow I think he's refering to the "save and efficient movement" of "guest" workers and similar as well.
"All three governments are sovereign democracies, and the SPP work is the kind of standard intergovernmental diplomacy and co-ordination that occurs all the time on various issues," says U.S. Department of Commerce spokesman Matt Englehart.
Any steps that would require legal changes will be vetted by Congress, Mr. Englehart adds.
The pact aims simply to "promote the safe and efficient movement of people and goods" among the three trading partners, he says.
And, a few paragraphs earlier in the article we were treated to this:
The SPP aims "to build a safer, more secure and economically dynamic North America," says Melisa Leclerc, spokeswoman for Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.In addition to quoting Jerome Corsi and the president of the John Birch Society, we get this:
But Robert Pastor, director of the Center of North American Studies at American University and an influential proponent of economic integration, says the SPP is no threat to sovereignty.The bottom line is that he supports the formation of such a union in the future, even if he thinks many preliminary steps need to be taken first. He also said that the formation of the NAU was just a crisis away.
"The idea of a North American Union is impossible.... There's no way these national governments are going to be dissolved," he says, noting that the relationships among the three nations are very different from those in Europe.
Posted to NAU at 02:38 PM | Comments (6)
New York Times' worst immigration editorial ever: "They Are America"
The New York Times offers the unsigned editorial "They Are America". It takes up two whole screens, and pointing out all the problems in it would extend to novel length. So, let's look at just the first two paragraphs:
Almost a year ago, hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers and their families slipped out from the shadows of American life and walked boldly in daylight through Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, New York and other cities. "We Are America," their banners cried. The crowds, determined but peaceful, swelled into an immense sea. The nation was momentarily stunned.
1. Many or most of those marching weren't "immigrants", they were foreign citizens who were here illegally, aka illegal aliens. And, all the marchers were marching in support of illegal immigration.
2. Those banners saying "We Are America" were actually supplied by the eponymous group at the link above. One of that group's members (CHIRLA) has allegedly collaborated with the Mexican government. Another (NCLR) funds extremists.
3. Any march of hundreds of thousands of people is a show of physical force, whether they march peacefully or not.
4. Many people were indeed stunned to see foreign citizens marching in our streets, waving the flags of the countries of which they're citizens.
A lot has happened since then. The country has summoned great energy to confront the immigration problem, but most of it has been misplaced, crudely and unevenly applied. It seeks not to solve the conundrum of a broken immigration system, but to subdue, in a million ways, the vulnerable men and women who are part of it. Government at all levels is working to keep unwanted immigrants in their place — on the other side of the border, in detention or in fear, toiling silently in the underground economy without recourse to the laws and protections the native-born expect.
1. The immigration system is not "broken". What's broken is the enforcement of our current laws.
2. One of the government's main functions is to keep illegal aliens out of the country, something that our leaders have intentionally failed to do.
3. All residents of the U.S. are covered by various laws and protections, even illegal aliens. By using the phrase "native-born", the NYT is trying to imply that naturalized citizens and legal immigrants are in the same position as illegal aliens, something that is self-evidently false.
4. The New York Times has continually supported illegal immigration and has enabled that "underground economy" to blossom. If they were resolutely opposed to illegal immigration - for instance by exposing those who support it instead of enabling them - they could reduce the abuses they complain about.
We will always have laws against illegal immigration; those like the NYT who refuse to see any distinction between the different types of immigration and who support illegal immigration through other means are partly responsible for any consequences.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 01:42 PM | Comments (4)
Corruption in Southampton: Catholic Church, League of Women Voters, Chamber of Commerce, Mark Epley
Southampton (Long Island, New York) is trying to develop a day laborer hangout in their city. Mayor Mark Epley, refering either to the proposed location or the 7-11 where those laborers are currently congregating, says:
"I'm not happy with the close proximity to a school, the impact on traffic congestion and residences . . . but my problem is I've got to get these guys off the street."
If you're like me, you might say, "why not call ICE? UCLA says 75% of day laborers are illegal aliens, so they should be able to handle it. If they won't, then put pressure on them to do their job. And, take other lawful actions such as giving out tickets at the 7-11 and such."
Needless to say, Epley didn't say that, favoring instead the building of the center, as proposed by a group called "Coalition for a Worklink Center". They want to use a location owned by the city, meaning that a municipal entity might be engaged in shading the law.
A trailer for the center would be donated by the Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Other supporters include the Southampton Chamber of Commerce and League of Women Voters of the Hamptons. The LWV keeps coming up as a supporter of illegal immigration, and I'll be looking into that shortly.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 01:18 PM | Comments (2)
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal: let illegal aliens deprive U.S. citizens of college
Randy James of the Waterbury Republican-American offers a PIIPPish article entitled "Illegals seek tuition break". On the 13th, several people traveled to Hartford, Connecticut to support a bill that would give them those breaks. As with similar articles, it starts with the tear-jerking:Victoria Perez traveled to the state Capitol Tuesday to ask for a future... Perez, a senior at New Haven's Wilbur Cross High School, aspires to go to college next year to prepare for a career in criminal justice. But she has no idea how she'll foot the bill... The problem: She's in the United States illegally, and therefore doesn't qualify for in-state tuition rates at Connecticut's public colleges and universities. Out-of-state tuition costs three times as much.Showing either a complete lack of understanding of logical reasoning (or perhaps a knowledge that there are a lot of useful idiots about), Perez doesn't think that's fair:
"We're all created equal. I mean, we're all humans."Needless to say, James doesn't try to help her understand fundamental concepts.
And, we get the news that Perez et al have friends in high places:
"These kids were brought here, sometimes without any choice or against their will," Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said. ...[Regardless of the cost], Blumenthal said, the price would be fully justified, calling it "an investment that will repay itself many times over."Partially redeeming himself, James includes some critics:
During Tuesday's hearing before the higher education committee, Sen. Dan Debicella, R-Shelton, called the bill "a massive subsidy" for illegal immigrants.
"If someone has not followed the laws of the U.S. to become a citizen, why do they deserve to get the same level of tuition as legal residents?" Debicella asked.
"This seems to reward behavior that we seek to deter," the senator said.
Rep. Pamela Z. Sawyer, R-Bolton, worried the measure could hurt the state's aspiring college students by heightening the competition for admission. Many community college students are single mothers struggling to make ends meet, she said.
"There are a lot of pressures on education dollars currently in the state of Connecticut," Sawyer said.
Posted to Immigration_piipps at 10:10 AM | Comments (4)
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Julien Ross, AFSC
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition ["CIRC"; statewide coordinator: Julien Ross] is a five-year old group with 80 other organizations as members.From this we learn:
The coalition is directed by representatives of 12 groups, including the Colorado Catholic Conference, Service Employees International Union Local 105, and the American Friends Service Committee.The AFSC has an indirect link to the Mexican government. And, CIRC's site is hosted at AFSC's site. afsc.org/central/ImmigrantRights/CIRC.htm has a list of their demands:
* driver's licenses for all immigrants, regardless of statusThe Mexican government - or the crooks who hire illegal aliens - couldn't come up with a bet
* in-state tuition for qualifying immigrants who graduate from state high schools
* statewide acceptance of the matricula consular identification cards issued by the Mexican Consulate as official ID
* defeat of English-Only bills similar to Amendment 31
* defeat of attempts to cut all Medicaid benefits to legal immigrants