Free Republic

One of the more controversial elements of ObamaCare is the mandate for most individuals to purchase insurance beginning in 2014. There is really no precedent for a federal mandate of this scale requiring individuals to purchase a product or service. So not surprisingly a number of state Attorney Generals have indicated they will be filing suit questioning the constitutionality of this provision.

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced changes to the Pentagon’s regulation on homosexuals serving in the military that he said make the Defense Department’s enforcement of the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law “fairer and more appropriate.” On Feb. 2, Gates announced he’d ordered a review to understand the implications of a possible repeal of the 17-year-old law that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. President Barack Obama has called on Congress to repeal the law. The initial 45 days of that review, he said, produced findings that “would enforce...

.....Last week, I wrote that being in California can drive people crazy – political correctness, diversity, multiculturalism and all that. This time it deals with the law, the courts, local government, public safety, a vicious triple murder and illegal-alien gang members protected by the misguided concept of a "sanctuary city." Illegals become almost untouchable – police can't consider immigration status, schools can't ask and neither can medical providers, social services and more. It allows churches to provide "sanctuary" for people breaking a basic law of a sovereign nation – that borders have meaning and should only be crossed with legal...

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is doubling down on his defiance of the Feds. In November, the Department of Homeland Security stripped 100 Maricopa County deputies of their ability to make immigration arrests, amid a slew of complaints that the controversial sheriff was using racial profiling techniques to round up suspected illegal immigrants. But now, in what can only be described as a giant F.U. to the U.S. government, Sheriff Joe has announced that he'll train all 881 of his deputies to enforce federal immigration law, reports the AP. Arpaio said that, per federal law, his office doesn't need sign-off from Washington...

On the first day of what was supposed to be tighter screening ordered by the U.S. for airline passengers from certain countries, some airports around the world conceded Monday they had not cracked down. The United States demanded more careful screening for people who are citizens of, or are flying from, 14 nations deemed security risks. But enforcement of the U.S. rules appeared spotty. "Everything is the same. There is no extra security," said an aviation official in Lebanon, one of the countries on the list. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak...

When I linked to a USA Today story the other day about Americans elbowing illegals out of the way for day-labor jobs, under my headline of "And Yet, We Still Haven't Suspended Immigration," one reader replied, "Yah, because protectionism is clearly the answer for our economic woes." This betrayed a widespread misconception about immigration and trade, one that's important to keep in mind as the president unveils the political theater production called his "Jobs Summit." Restricting immigration is fundamentally different from restricting trade in two ways, one theoretical, one practical. First, people are not things — in addition to being...

WASHINGTON – A Goldman Sachs executive has been named the first chief operating officer of the Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement division. The market watchdog says Adam Storch, vice president in Goldman Sachs' Business Intelligence Group, is assuming the new position of managing executive of the SEC division.

PHOENIX | The man who likes to call himself "America's toughest sheriff," Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., is planning a Friday showdown with the feds. The sheriff has announced he will defy the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by doing a street sweep for illegal immigrants one day after the expiration of the agreement that has permitted him to conduct such operations for the past three years. The sheriff has said he expects the deal not to be extended, though federal officials have remained publicly noncommittal. Deputies, and Sheriff Arpaio, will stake out an intersection somewhere in the Phoenix...

Over the past two years, Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren has been referred to as a hero, a racist and a few other things unfit to print. That’s because his department’s partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, which allows deputies to detain inmates suspected of being in the country illegally, has stirred the passions of immigration reform advocates as well as citizens who want current immigration laws enforced. **** Since July 2007, 6,386 inmates suspected of being illegal immigrants have been detained for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to records provided by the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office. About of...

In December 1917 Bolshevik Russian leaders, including one of the founders of Socialist thuggery Vladimir Lenin, established the Cheka—Russia’s first political secret police. With almost unlimited power, the Cheka implemented “campaigns of terror” against the wealthy, land owners and those who opposed Lenin and Bolshevism. !n 1922, once most of Russia’s opposition to their new absolute rulers had lessened, the Cheka was disbanded. However, under the singularly oppressive Josef Stalin, Cheka was reinstated and ultimately renamed “The People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs” (NKVD) and what would be known as Stalin’s “Great Terror of the 1930s began. The NKVD was used...

Radio Talk Hosts Prepare for Historic Two-Day Broadcast Blitz Live from Washington 50 Talk Hosts Gathering to Support Secure Borders and Continued Immigration Enforcement (Washington DC) The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) announces September 15th and 16th as the dates for its annual Hold Their Feet to the Fire radio rally in Washington, D.C. 50 radio hosts, led by Roger Hedgecock of KOGO-AM in San Diego and Lou Dobbs of United Stations Radio Network and CNN, are scheduled to broadcast live from “Radio Row” on Capitol Hill. As in previous events, talk show hosts from around the nation will...

The US Census has released its employment documents and they are an eye-full. US Census Form D-262 of 23 June 2009 indicates who is eligible for employment as a census taker. To be eligible for the job, non-citizens are eligible if they present One Each from Lists A, or B, plus one from C. List A is the toughest: US passport (expired or unexpired) Permanent Resident or Alien Registration Card Unexpired foreign passport Employment Authorization Document Form I-766, I-688, I-688A, I-688B Then there’s List B: Drivers License or state-issued ID ID card issued by local, state, or federal government School...

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Saturday he ordered his deputies to tape conversations with federal officials after a dispute over who called for the release of illegal immigrants arrested in a crime sweep. Arpaio said a total of 13 illegal immigrants have been released — three on Thursday and 10 on Friday — after federal officials said their arrests didn’t fit new Department of Homeland Security policies and ordered the deputies to release them. The sheriff’s claim over the releases was initially contradicted by a Homeland Security official. In the recording, multiple tracks detail conversations between deputies and ICE...

As Congress moves slowly on immigration reform, President Obama is making numerous policy changes in enforcement and other areas that are designed to shift priorities and boost confidence in the administration as it lays the groundwork for possible legislation. The recent administrative changes include: * New guidelines directing immigration agents to target employers who hire illegal immigrants rather than simply arresting undocumented employees. * A requirement that all local police agencies deputized to check immigration status and turn criminals over for possible deportation sign new agreements pledging to focus on those who pose a risk to public safety. * The...

DOTHAN, Ala. — An Alabama judge set a $20,000 cash bond for a native of Mexico who reportedly has been deported from the United States 28 times. Houston County Sheriff's Sgt. Jackie Smith said he charged Luis Hernandez-Arellano, 38, with felony obstruction of justice...for giving deputies false identification. Smith said deputies stopped a vehicle on Alabama Highway 109 Thursday for running a stop sign. The driver told deputies his name was Caesar Garza. After Garza failed to provide a driver's license or other identification, deputies were able to positively identify him as Carlos Cortez. Investigators later learned through Immigration and...

The city's plans to step up cooperation with federal authorities in efforts to deport illegal immigrants is garnering new debate in the 2009 mayoral contest. Latino advocates have pressed candidates to distance themselves from Mayor Bill White's request that Houston be allowed to participate in two federal programs that, at least within the confines of the city's jails, would put police officers in the immigration enforcement business. While each of the four major candidates generally opposes diverting too many resources to immigration enforcement, they all support the thrust of the city's new effort to screen jail inmates and turn over...

Local police agencies empowered by the federal government to enforce immigration law must focus their efforts on criminals who pose a threat to public safety, with less emphasis on those who commit minor crimes, Department of Homeland Security officials announced Friday. The announcement aims to clarify a controversial program that deputizes police to turn over suspects or criminals to immigration authorities for possible deportation. Normally police do not enforce federal law. The law, known as 287(g), took effect in 1996. Most of the participating police agencies signed up under President George W. Bush, whose administration promoted it as a tool...

(07-02) 22:16 PDT San Diego, CA (AP) -- Authorities say they have found another secret tunnel near a San Diego border crossing. The 53-foot passageway, reinforced with plywood and equipped with battery-powered lights, was discovered Thursday as law enforcement officials were investigating an incomplete cross-border tunnel west of the San Ysidro crossing.

This Backgrounder examines illegal immigration-related document fraud and identity theft that is committed primarily for the purpose of employment. It debunks three common misconceptions: illegal aliens are “undocumented;” the transgressions committed by illegal aliens to obtain jobs are minor; and illegal-alien document fraud and identity theft are victimless crimes. It discusses how some community leaders rationalize these crimes, contributing to a deterioration of the respect for laws in our nation, and presents a variety of remedies, including more widespread electronic verification of work status (E-Verify and the Social Security Number Verification Service) and immigrant outreach programs to explain the ramifications...

Blue-collar workers who voted for Barack Obama may want to reconsider their support in light of current unemployment trends. The president is re-opening a campaign for "comprehensive immigration reform" (some call it amnesty) even as jobless rates keep rising. Legal and illegal immigrants have swelled America's labor force in the recent years. In fiscal 2008, 1.45 million new migrants were granted work permits. Combined with the influx of millions of undocumented workers, this excess supply became the equivalent of the housing bubble -- it was bound to burst. Since 2007, jobless rates have doubled. In the first quarter of this...