Free Republic

Exclusive: Has Illegal Immigration’s Effect on Education Become the ‘Third Rail’ of Politics? Vincent Gioia Traditionally, Social Security has been the “third rail” of politics but we now have another third rail – illegal immigration and education. Politicians step all over themselves asking for more and more money to be spent on education; ignoring the fact that money alone does not make for a good public education. Another thing we are not allowed to mention in a discussion about public education quality and costs is the impact of illegal immigration; otherwise we are labeled “racists.” The United States has the...

13 Million Illegal Immigrants Living in the United States March 8, 2009 FAIRUS.org How Many Illegal Immigrants? Illegal Immigrant Problems & Statistics FAIR estimates that in 2007 the illegal immigrant population is above 13 million persons. Government and academic estimates indicate that as of 2006 there were 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. The Center for Immigration Studies estimated the illegal immigrant population at 10 million as of November 2004. It is difficult to have an exact figure because the illegal nature of their presence prevents any enumeration, but the U.S. Census Bureau estimated 8.7...

More than 5,000 people have been killed in Mexico's out of control drug cartel wars this year, so why is our government opening even more border crossings at this time with Mexico. Many elected officials are ignoring Mexico's raging war against the drug cartels and instead of focusing on safety and public security, trying to widen the openings in our border with Mexico strictly for commerce purposes. DOBBS: Disturbing new details emerging tonight from Mexico proving that the raging drug cartel wars there are far more deadly than the government of Mexico has previously admitted. The U.S. response, however, is...

LAREDO – The Rio Grande Valley could be the next place border authorities target for a policy that arrests and prosecutes all illegal immigrants caught crossing, a congressman said Friday. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said he and other congressional leaders have already begun talking to authorities about the possibility of expanding the zero-tolerance policy downriver from Laredo. Laredo will become the third U.S. border zone to begin enforcing the decades-old federal crime of illegal entry when it begins implementing the program next week. The program, which results in jail sentences of two weeks to six months for first-time convictions,...

/begin my translation Two Badly Drunken N. Koreans Wander into the South on a Boat Yonhap News 2007.06.02 10:30 A small wooden boat with two N. Koreans inside was found inside the S. Korean waters. (S. Korean) Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on June 2, "At 2am this morning, a small boat drifted 2.5 miles to the south of NLL(note: a dividing line on the sea between North and South Korea,) from 13 miles to the South West of Yonpyong Island in Yellow Sea. Navy patrol ship spotted the boat and towed it to Inchon." They added that there...

RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Hamas gunmen seized control of the Gaza Strip's border crossing with Egypt on Thursday in a ferocious gunbattle with Fatah-allied border guards after Israel blocked the Hamas prime minister from crossing with tens of millions of dollars in aid. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh was eventually allowed to cross without the estimated $35 million cash but on the Gaza side of the border, his convoy came under intense fire from Fatah gunmen and one of his bodyguards was killed. Hamas said the gunmen had been aiming to kill the prime minister. "The bodyguard to Ismail Haniyeh was...

IXMIQUILPAN, Hidalgo — On a misty, moonless night, the group scurried down the canyon wall, their feet slipping in the an kle-high mud. The sirens grew louder as their guide, clad in a ski mask and known only as Poncho, urged them to run faster. “Hurry up! The Border Pa trol is coming!” A couple in matching de signer tennis outfits loped awkwardly along, the boyfriend clutching a digi tal video camera and strug gling to keep the pop-out screen steady. The 20 or so people flee ing the Border Patrol aren’t undocumented immi grants — they’re tourists about 700...

I just received a notice card in the mail today informing me of the Boulder Passport Fair coming up this Saturday Sept. 23rd. The purpose of this fair is so that Americans wishing to travel to Canada and Mexico can obtain an official passport for crossing the border by vehicle or by foot. Scanned image of the postcard notice from the USPS - I wonder how long it will be before the same standard will apply to illegals crossing the USA border, becoming employed in the USA, etc.??? There seems to be such a high priority on making USA citizens...

Group says it's trying to spread awareness; others call journey insulting.IXMIQUILPAN, Hidalgo — On a misty, moonless night, the group scurried down the canyon wall, their feet slipping in the ankle-high mud. The sirens grew louder as their guide, clad in a ski mask and known only as Poncho, urged them to run faster. "Hurry up! The Border Patrol is coming!" A couple in matching designer tennis outfits loped awkwardly along, the boyfriend clutching a digital video camera and struggling to keep the pop-out screen steady. The 20 or so people fleeing the fictional Border Patrol weren't undocumented immigrants; they...

Several hundred protesters in Tijuana, Mexico blocked vehicle traffic heading to San Diego on Monday, turning the world's busiest border crossing into an empty parking lot. U.S. authorities responded by closing the metal barriers in front of vehicle inspection lanes for "security purposes" about 1 p.m. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, which links Tijuana with San Diego. However, Angelica De Cima, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Customs Service, which runs the port, stressed that the port remained open to the few vehicles that were able to make it through the crowd. "We are there to do our law...

KFOX first reported on Wednesday night that Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West said his deputies caught a Mexican customs officer driving around one of the county roads at 9 p.m. last Sunday night. "His official documentation saying that he is an officer. We called his comandante in Juarez that night, and the comandante verified that he was actually a Mexico customs officer. He didn't know why he was on the American side obviously, but he did verify," West said. West said he has pictures that show the man's uniform and the SUV he was driving, without any license plates. The...

Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) let slip a bombshell disclosure at a news conference today to announce a bill targeting states that allow illegal aliens to get drivers licenses. During the Q&A with reporters, Myrick gave as a reason for proposing the bill the recent capture of three al Qaeda terrorists at the U.S.-Mexico border. A check of Google News turned up no references to this incident, yet Myrick stated this was a 'given fact.' No reporter asked her about this revelation, but it was noted at the end of a Charlotte Observer article by Tim Funk. Two Representatives from North...

"First we have to decide what the purpose of immigration is in this brave new world where both economies and terrorists are "globalized." Is it to maintain a young, dynamic population in the face of aging Baby Boomers, declining birth rates, and unsustainable Social Security obligations? Is it to take in the world's tired, poor, and oppressed such that America can remain the land of opportunity and fulfill its manifest destiny as a shining city upon a troubled hill? Is it to fill gaps in the labor market, whether they present a lack of software engineers or gardeners or nannies?"...

EL PASO, Tx - An alert officer at the El Paso border crossing contributes to America's war against terrorism. Customs and Border Protection Officials announce the arrest of a man who allegedly planned to help foreign terrorists. Tens of thousands of vehicles pass through El Paso's borders every day. A spokesman for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says an officer at the Paso del Norte crossing recalled a description of Mark Robert Walker from a daily briefing. According to the US Justice Department, Walker was arrested Saturday on a Federal charge of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist...

SAN DIEGO - Authorities in California were on the lookout Tuesday for a man believed to be from the Middle East who paid a higher-than-usual smuggling fee to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, but officials said the case had no connection to terrorism. "This is not a terrorist warning," said Homeland Security spokeswoman Lauren Mack. The man, who was not identified, entered the United States Monday near Tecate, Mexico - a small border crossing station about 70 miles east of San Diego. It was unclear how he crossed the border. Once across, the man got into a Ford F150 pickup, according...

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice told the 9/11 Commission Thursday morning that it was an alert Customs agent - and not the Clinton adminsitration "shaking the trees" for intelligence on al Qaeda - who deserves credit for foiling the December 1999 al Qaeda plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport. "It's questionable to me . . . that somehow shaking the trees was what broke up the Millennium [Plot]," Rice told the 9/11 probers, referring to claims by Clinton terrorism czar Richard Clarke that White House alerts had the nation's security apparatus on the lookout for trouble. In fact, said...

More than 300 people marched in protest Saturday, bringing the Nogales Port of Entry traffic into Mexico to a brief standstill. Demonstrators protested U.S. border policy, and other bi-national issues. The protestors from both sides of the border were led by the local human rights organization Coalition for Derechos Humanos. Hundreds of Tucsonans made the trip to Nogales to meet up with others from Sonora, Mexico. It was a peaceful demonstration demanding justice and human rights along the border. Swarms of protesters yelling in Spanish "We want justice," marched from Nogales, Arizona into Sonora, Mexico as U.S. Customs agents looked...

Poll alert. Definately needs some attention. Should the U.S. military be used to stop illegal immigration at U.S. borders? - No. It's not the proper use of the military. 55% - Yes. Guarding the bordes is what the military is for. 35% Poll Link Here I think the second answer is correct. I Can't imagine who would think we should just leave our border unguarded. Maybe they think the border patrol can do the job. Not sure where I read it, but I saw somewhere that over 10,000 people a month get through with the present system.