Daily Thread: Illegal Alien Freedom Ride Counter Protest

Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) ^ | Sept. 27, 2003 | staff

[Missouri]

Isn't it beautiful down there?

We stayed in a town called Santa Claus. And I was able to tune in a lot of good country radio stations there. Great vacation.

Is it true that Indiana will grant illegals drivers licease?

[truthkeeper]

You were kind to help her out. Thanks.

[TLI]

DUH, the pay phone thing... I left out the best part, speak your mind and then don`t hang it up, just leave. It will block that line for several minutes.

[Conservatish]

Thanks, DumptserDiver, but I still couldn't figure out how to make it work. If anyone knows how to add pics, I could send them in e-mail and they could post them in here. I'm just too darned ignorant when it comes to some things on the internet!

[Conservatish]

They have begun accepting the Mexican ID cards. I wrote letter after letter, to the point my poor fingers were numb, without any effect and without one response! I don't know if they can use these cards to obtain drivers licenses or not.

[JustPiper]

This world has come to many hateful websites that call us the wrong names, we have enough hate in this country we don't need no stinkin ME's to hate us.

[JustPiper]

Yes, Indiana under the now dead Gov. O'Bannon was the crusader for it.

[JustPiper]

FAIR Legislative Update


September 30, 2003

House Judiciary Committee Approves Bill to Extend and Expand the Basic Pilot Employment Verification Program

The House Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to extend and expand a pilot program to help employers avoid hiring illegal aliens. The bill, H.R. 2359, by Representative Ken Calvert (R-CA), would extend the program through 2008. It was set to expire Nov. 30. The measure was approved 18-8, with Steve Chabot (R-OH) voting with committee Democrats against the bill.

Immigration Subcommittee Chairman John Hostettler (R-IN) succeeded in amending the bill to expand the voluntary program from five states to nationwide.

The Basic Pilot Verification Program was created by a 1996 law to help companies comply with U.S. laws that bar them from knowingly hiring illegal aliens. Employers participating in the free program receive computer software that allows them to access federal databases to screen all new hires to determine if they are eligible to work.

[JustPiper]

U.S. Treasury Department Gives Green Light to Unregulated Acceptance of Foreign Identification Documents

On September 25, the U.S. Treasury Department gave banks the green light to unregulated acceptance of foreign identification documents, such as the highly controversial and easily counterfeited Mexican matricula consular card. In an unprecedented move, Treasury had reopened the public comment period for regulations it had already finalized in May allowing banks to accept foreign government-issued consular cards. Unfortunately, after reviewing more than 34,000 comments, Treasury recommended no changes to the rules. Treasury rejected the idea of developing an official blacklist of foreign documents that financial institutions could not accept when opening new accounts for non-U.S. citizens. Treasury also rejected recommendations to require financial institutions to retain photocopies of identification documents used to verify customers’ identities.

[JustPiper]

Lawmakers Introduce Companion Farm Worker Amnesty Legislation

On September 23, Senators Larry Craig (R-ID) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Representatives Chris Cannon (R-UT) and Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced companion farm worker amnesty bills S.1645 and H.R. 3142. “The Agricultural Job, Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003” (AgJOBS) provides an amnesty for illegal aliens engaged in farm work and their spouses and children. The bill also expands the H-2A agricultural guestworker program. A broad coalition consisting of labor unions, agribusiness, the hospitality industry, the immigration law bar, and the usual supporters among open borders and illegal alien advocacy groups have aligned themselves in support of the legislation.

FAIR opposes this legislation and all other attempts to reward illegal aliens with amnesty. Please read our action alert to learn how you can help defeat this pro-illegal alien legislation.

[JustPiper]

Entry-Exit Tracking System Faces Criticism

The congressionally mandated entry-exit tracking system, U.S. Visitor and Immigration Status Indication Technology system (U.S. VISIT) appears to be in trouble. This is alarming because one of the keys to identifying potential terrorists, criminal aliens, and visa violators will be the effective operation of an entry-exit tracking system. On September 23, the General Accounting Office released a scathing report citing several factors making the U.S. VISIT program “a risky endeavor.” These factors were attributed to poor management and include the potential cost, the low current staffing level, and the fact that the system’s final structure remains unclear. GAO recommended that DHS establish a multi-agency body to guide and direct the program.

Congressional support for U.S. VISIT also appears to be waning. The 2004 Homeland Security appropriations bill (H.R. 2555) approved by Congress includes only $330 million for U.S. VISIT, a full 31 percent less than the $480 million President Bush requested. Appropriators based the funding reduction on the fact that DHS has been slow to provide congressionally mandated spending plans and other information on the program, as well as more details on how the program will work.

[JustPiper]

Last Week’s Floor Statements
September 23:
• Representative Charlie Norwood (R-GA) presented statements in support of his legislation, H.R. 2671, the “Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2003.”
THE CLEAR ACT OF 2003

• Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) presented statements in support of his illegal alien farm worker amnesty legislation, S. 1645.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

September 24:
• Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO) made comments on “Our Nation’s Immigration.”

Upcoming Events
Tuesday, September 30:
• The Senate Immigration Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine visa security. Witnesses include Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for border security and transportation security, Homeland Security Department; and Maura Harty, assistant secretary for consular affairs, State Department. When: 2 p.m. Where: 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Contact: 202-224-5225

Wednesday, October 1:
• The House Select Committee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing on “Identification Documents Fraud and the Implications for Homeland Security.” When: 1 p.m. Where: 2318 Rayburn House Office Building. Contact: 202-225-9600.
• The House Immigration Subcommittee will hold a hearing on immigration law enforcement and H.R. 2671, the “Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2003.” When: 4 p.m. Where: 2237 Rayburn House Office Building. Contact: 202-225-3951.
Guys, make sure you call These people's offices and these #'s on Thursday 10-2! The Senator/Reps contained in these links needs to be contacted!

[JustPiper]

TAKE ACTION NOW!!! From FAIR:

Help Defeat Illegal Alien Farm Worker Amnesty Legislation
Help Defeat Illegal Alien Farm Worker Amnesty Legislation Take Action Now!
Urge Your Elected Officials to Oppose S.1645 and H.R. 3142
On September 23, Senators Larry Craig (R-ID) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Representatives Chris Cannon (R-UT) and Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced companion farm worker amnesty bills, S.1645 and H.R. 3142. "The Agricultural Job, Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003" (AgJOBS bill) provides a "one-time" amnesty for illegal aliens engaged in farm work and their spouses and children. The bill also expands the H-2A agricultural guestworker program.

A broad coalition consisting of labor unions, agribusiness, the hospitality industry, the immigration law bar, and the usual supporters among open borders and illegal alien advocacy groups have aligned themselves in support of the legislation.

FAIR opposes this legislation and all other attempts to reward illegal aliens with amnesty. Please help us defeat the AgJOBS bill by urging your representative and senators and to oppose S.1645 and H.R. 3142.

Here's how it would work:
Illegal alien farm workers would be granted temporary residence if they worked the lesser of 575 hours or 100 work days during any 12 consecutive months between March 1, 2001 and August 31, 2003.

After working the lesser of 2,060 hours or 360 work days in agriculture in the six year period between September 1, 2003 and August 31, 2009, they could adjust their status to legal permanent resident.

Spouses and relatives gain legal permanent residency along with applicants.

Illegal aliens detained prior to enactment, if otherwise eligible for the amnesty, would not be deported. Type your zip code into the "take action now" box to send a free faxed message to your legislators opposing this legislation.

TAKE ACTION NOW ALERT

Follow up your faxed message with a phone call. Visit the elected officials section of our web site for help contacting your legislators.
Elected Officials Find elected officials, including the president, members of Congress, and more.

Forward this alert to your likeminded friends and family members and ask them to contact their elected officials.

Talking Points:
Any guestworker program that involves "earned legalization" is an amnesty, a reward for law-breaking that is vociferously opposed by the American public.

This is not only an amnesty for illegal aliens, it is also an amnesty for employers who have consistently violated federal employment laws.

Nothing in this bill will prevent employers from continuing to employ illegal aliens once the amnesty is in place.

Nothing in this bill will empower federal immigration enforcement authorities to properly enforce employer sanctions.

Nothing in this bill requires mandatory worker eligibility verification to prevent further illegal immigration. For more information on why guestworker programs and amnesty are a bad idea, read the following FAIR issue briefs:

How Guestworker Programs Harm America

Why Amnesty For Illegal Aliens Is A Bad Idea

[JustPiper]

FYI Update for anyone who asked for SAVE OUR LICENSE petitions:
Our petition drive to overturn SB 60 is picking up steam! We've now mailed petitions to the more than 30,000 individuals that signed up at SaveOurLicense.com.

When you receive your petition(s) in the mail, PLEASE take the time to fill it out and mail it back to us as soon as possible. We need to make decisions in the coming weeks about whether we should hire a paid signature gathering firm. If properly filled out petitions are coming in at a quick pace, we can avoid paying signature gathers. That will save us thousands of dollars.

We are also in the process of setting up regional distribution sites where individuals can pick up additional petitions as well. Several radio stations throughout the state, as well as local CRA units, will be serving as petition pick up points. Once we have locations finalized, we will post the information on our website:
Save Our License!

Please understand that we are printing and mailing petitions as fast as we can afford to. We do not have a big special interest group bankrolling our efforts.

We could really use your financial support. To help raise the money necessary to qualify and win, we have set up a way to donate securely on-line to cover these expenses.

Thank you very much for your help and support.
God Bless,
Mike Spence - CRA President & Proponent of the Referendum
Save Our License is a project of the California Republican Assembly
Post Office Box 877, Monrovia, California 91017

[JustPiper]

LOL! Could you just see, all over our cities phones just a hangin'!

[JustPiper]

Local 2544

National Border Patrol Council

Tucson, Arizona

AFGE - AFL/CIO

Edward Tuffly II, President

We represent Border Patrol Agents and other employees in the Tucson Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, covering most of the State of Arizona. This website is maintained for our Union members, but based on the feedback received by the Local 2544 President it is obvious that the site is heavily used by a wide variety of government employees, retired Border Patrol agents, media, and private citizens. Our members are a diverse work group, comprised of people from all walks of life. We believe it is important for you to understand that we support legal immigration. However, the American taxpayers pay us to stop illegal immigration. Although it may appear to the uninformed party that we are hard on certain politicians and pro-illegal alien activists, everyone should understand that we have a hard job to do and some of these people make our jobs even harder with the positions they take. We are staunchly against any form of "amnesty" to reward illegal aliens for sneaking into this country. It makes us wonder why we risk our lives to stop them in the first place. Currently, no portion of this site is restricted. We are proud of the work we do on behalf of our members. We welcome your comments.

One union who is doing right!

president@local2544.org

__________________________________________________________

ATTENTION MEMBERS: THE AFL/CIO HAS SOLD YOU OUT!

The AFL/CIO is apparently in the Alien SMuggling business now (and you thought they were a labor organization). tHEY ARE ALSO providing a platform for RADICAL ANTI-BORDER PATROL GROUPS SUCH AS "DERECHOS HUMANOS" AND "COMIDA, NO MIGRA"

Would the firefighters' union spend its members' dues money to support arsonists? Of course not. There would be an uproar from the firefighters because arsonists commit criminal acts which endanger the firefighters' lives.

The AFL/CIO, in what can only be termed a total disgrace and an insult to our Union and every Border Patrol agent in this country, is using our funds to support illegal aliens and radical pro-illegal immigration groups.

[Missouri]

Mexican ID cards.

Thats what I was thinking of. Thanks.

[Missouri]

Indiana under the now dead Gov. O'Bannon was the crusader for it.

Just once I'd like to hear one governor speak up for controlling the borders and put up an "Illegals not welcome" sign at their state lines.

[moehoward]

Sent more FAIR faxes to my reps.

They all long ago quit responding to any correspondence on this subject.

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

You did good!