Free Republic

Last month, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill, introduced legislation in the House to reward the hordes of illegal aliens who made it past our Border Patrol agents with legalization, jobs, public benefits and eventually the right to vote as citizens. With the open borders lobby's usual shameless contempt for the intellect of the American people, Gutierrez is calling his bill "Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity." The 2010 battle for repeating the "one-time" amnesty of 1986 has begun. Don't expect the legislation to receive nearly as much attention from the media as Tiger Woods' love life. The hope...

Six people were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, 12 were cited for driving while unlicensed and 18 vehicles were impounded during a New Year's Even checkpoint conducted by the Santa Maria Police Department. A total of 1,386 vehicles passed through the checkpoint, which was set up in the 200 block of South Broadway from 6 p.m. Thursday until 1 a.m. Friday, police said. Officers screened 462 of those vehicles. Of the 18 vehicles impounded at the checkpoint, 17 were driven by undocumented immigrants, police said. Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Office of...

While their fellow college students recovered from the night's revelry, four South Floridians celebrated the New Year with a more active — and activist — approach. The group set out Friday to begin a 1,500 mile journey they are calling the "Trail of Dreams," from Miami's historic Freedom Tower to Washington, D.C. The goal is to raise support for legislation that would include a path to citizenship for eligible illegal immigrants. The four, all immigrants themselves, plan to walk the entire distance, no matter the weather. They expect students and other supporters to join them along the way and plan...

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged on Friday to promote a more open U.S. immigration policy during his third term, much as he made a campaign against illegal guns a hallmark of his second term. "With leaders from across the country, we will assemble a bipartisan coalition to support President Obama's call for comprehensive immigration reform that honors our history, upholds our values, and promotes our economy," Bloomberg said upon being sworn in for his third term as mayor. The White House has said it will aim for immigration reform in 2010, possibly including a...

On Saturday night, Virginia Beach police arrested Jorge Alberto Fuertes Loredo, 31, and Isidor Loredo Amaya, 31, after Florentino Martinez-Melendez, 40, was shot to death in a trailer park. A second victim survived the shooting but remains in critical condition in a local hospital. Apparently, the fatal shooting was the result of a heated argument. Both Loredo and Amaya have been charged with murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Both Mexican nationals are in the country illegally, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have placed a hold on them. Virginia Beach Commonwealth Attorney, Harvey Bryant,...

WASHINGTON — With the health care battle still unfinished, the Obama administration has been laying plans to take up an issue that could prove even more divisive — a major overhaul of the nation's immigration system. Rep. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., in a meeting with Journal editors in Albuquerque, said last week that House Democrats have also been discussing action on the issue in 2010, even though Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the House might defer to the Senate on taking the lead. Senior White House aides have privately assured Latino activists that the president will back legislation next year to...

MILFORD — .I would like to respond to Mrs. (Marie) Parente's article, "Licensed, unlicensed, and the incensed," published Dec. 16, regarding the exploding quantity of benefits, undocumented aliens receive from U.S. taxpayers. It seems that with all good intentions, our elected officials have determined that the best way to solve a problem is by throwing money at it. As a state, we have changed from a land of opportunity, into a land of entitlement, all at the expense of legal residents doing the right thing day in and day out.

WASHINGTON — Immigration reform is increasingly looking like a political albatross that could hurt Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections whether President Obama succeeds or fails in overhauling today's widely disliked system. After postponing action for a year because of the national economic crisis and a drawn-out debate over health reform, President Obama is being pushed by advocates of comprehensive reform to fulfill the campaign promise he made in 2008. But a 2010 reform push faces daunting political challenges like solid Republican opposition to key provisions and division among Democrats over both strategy and substance. Democrats facing tough re-election battles...

GPS-enabled mobile to aid migrants (UKPA) – 10 hours ago A group of California artists are developing a GPS-enabled mobile phone to help dehydrated illegal migrants find water as they trek through harsh deserts into the US. The Transborder Immigrant Tool created by faculty at the University of California, San Diego, is part technology endeavour, part art project. It introduces a high-tech twist to an old debate about how far activists can go to prevent migrants from dying on the border with Mexico without breaking the law. The designers want to load inexpensive phones with GPS software that takes signals...

The immigration debate takes a technological turn with a new cell phone device that helps illegal immigrants crossing the desert into the U.S. find water. The Transborder Immigrant Tool was developed by UC San Diego prof and activist Ricardo Dominguez and UCSD lecturer Brett Stalbaum. Both believe it will save the lives of hundreds of people who die each year during their trek across "Devil's Highway." Here's how the tool works. The phone, loaded with free GPS software, displays a digital compass that locates water stations installed by John Hunter, founder of the Water Stations project. Stations that are too...

Poll: Pew and Pulpit Disagree on Immigration Zogby Survey Finds Religious Leaders and Members at Odds WASHINGTON (December 29, 2009) - In contrast to many national religious leaders who are lobbying for increases in immigration, a new Zogby poll of likely voters who belong to the same religious communities finds strong support for reducing overall immigration. Moreover, members strongly disagree with their leaders’ contention that more immigrant workers need to be allowed into the country. Also, most parishioners and congregants prefer more enforcement to cause illegal workers to go home, rather than legalization of illegal immigrants, which most religious leaders...

On December 15, Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois introduced his version of Comprehensive Immigration Reform to the House of Representatives. Amongst its many provisions, the bill would eliminate the successful 287(g) immigration enforcement program in which local law enforcement are trained and deputized by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out federal immigration law. Yet, Gutierrez’s bill is not the only blow made against 287(g) this year. Following an early 2009 GAO report that resulted in claims of racial profiling and a lack oversight and direction within 287(g), the Obama administration announced changes to the Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs)...

THE TERRY ANDERSON SHOW "Articulating the popular rage!" Sundays - 9 PM Pacific Time KRLA - 870 AM - L.A. --KDWN - 720 - Las Vegas KFNX - 1100 AM - Phoenix -- KCBQ - 1170 AM - San Diego "If You Ain't Mad, You Ain't Payin' Attention!" Call-In Number - (866) 870-5752 Listen Online via KRLA or on the RBN Network at http://www.theterryandersonshow.com/

MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE JUST DROOLING FOR THIS REID/OBAMA HEALTH CARE FARCENow that Christians have once again celebrated the birth of their savior Jesus Christ with love and sharing it’s sad that we must return to the mundane and seriously imperfect world of political correctness where lies and fraudulent promises are everyday fare for the pretenders. But those who are the most guilty of such deceitfulness have too much at stake to suddenly change to truthfulness. I speak mainly of the current rulers of our government in both houses of Congress and the Administration in the White House. They...

Jose Feliciano protests use of his 'Feliz Navidad' for musical spoof about illegal immigrants By: SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS Associated Press 12/24/09 3:38 PM EST NEW YORK — Grammy-winner Jose Feliciano has gotten an apology after accusing a pair of radio producers of trashing the spirit of Christmas by using his popular holiday song, "Feliz Navidad," for a racist musical spoof about undocumented immigrants. Feliciano released a statement Wednesday saying that he was "revolted beyond words" and that the song was never meant to be "a vehicle for a political platform of racism and hate." "When I wrote and composed 'Feliz Navidad,'...

Dear Fellow Arizonan, We face a state fiscal crisis of unparalleled dimension – one that is going to sweep over every single person in this state as well as every business and every family. That is why I held an emergency cabinet meeting yesterday morning where I outlined for our state’s elected leaders and business leaders the ills our state faces. As I told them yesterday, we ARE faced with some of the worst days in our 97-year history. We can debate how we got here, but we CANNOT remain paralyzed in our efforts to address the situation. We must...

Story one: Steel System Erectors, a Southern California construction company, was able to sneak illegal aliens onto Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska last summer. The illegal aliens, one with a criminal record in California, were driven onto the base each day using forged and expired papers thereby putting at risk a “critical infrastructure site essential to national security” as described in an investigative report on the issue. The company flew thirty workers up from California depriving local American steelworkers of jobs in a complete circumvention of the “E verified” system of identification for government purposes. Apparently “E Verified” is...

The Central American countries will present next year to the U.S. an immigration reform proposal focused on comprehensive care for thousands of immigrants from the region, Salvadoran Foreign Ministry announced today. “For the first time Central America will have its own immigration reform instrument, which responds to the needs and aspirations of Central Americans living illegally in the U.S.,” said Vice Minister for Salvadorans abroad, Juan Jose Garcia. The initiative, led by El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic with the support of Central American Integration System (SICA), is in “consultations” with Nicaragua and Costa Rica and seeks to add...

The TERRY ANDERSON SHOW.. Articulating the Popular Rage! A warrior in the fight against illegal immigration and those who promote it for over a decade! From the streets of Los Angeles to the halls of congress, Terry has been there. No one has the passion and common sense of Terry Anderson...He is A MUST listen! The BEST one hour of radio you'll find anywhere. Sunday Nights- Listen on the radio! 12-1 AM EDT, 11-12 PM CDT, 10-11 PM MDT, 9-10 PM PDT KRLA - 870 AM - Los Angeles -- KDWN - 720 - Las Vegas -- KFNX - 1100...

The Senate immigration bill now being resurrected is long on promises and short on actual reforms. Outside of providing amnesty to an estimated 12 million aliens living in the United States illegally, the bill contains little substance. No guarantee for control of our borders. Insufficient fraudulent document protections. No real protections against alien gangs and criminals. And no fixes for our broken visa system. In other words, it is a huge step in the wrong direction, a bill that would reward 12 million lawbreakers and only serve to weaken the security of our nation. To counter this misguided bill, Representative...

La Prensa Grafica (San Salvador, El Salvador) 12/17/09 “El Salvador applauds Migratory Reform proposal in USA” - full transl. - Subheading: The Salvadoran Chancery has estimated that the initiative that senator (sic) Gutierrez supports is an integral migratory reform, more humane, compassionate and comprehensive. The Ministry of Foreign Relations of El Salvador has applauded the introduction of a law proposal for an Integral Migratory Reform in the United States. The initiative is promoted by the United States congressman for Illinois, Luis Gutierrez. The document was presented yesterday in the Chamber of Representatives of the Congress of the United States of...

Math was never my favovite subject, so let me borrow from someone who has figured out how Democrat mathematics works. Mendy Palumbo explains this in his blog post: “The Real Reason Dems Put Healthcare First.” Mendy sees the Democrats’ top three priorities as socialist healthcare, amnesty for illegal immigrants, and Cap and Trade, and he detects a method in the madness of pushing healthcare through first, against the wishes of a majority of (legal) Americans. Knowing that the cost of their radical healthcare makeover already spells economic death for America, Democrats want to get it shoved down the nation’s throat...

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - An illegal immigrant who drove away after hitting a toddler in a Salem parking lot has been sentenced to one year and five months in prison. Juan Lopez-Perez pleaded guilty Thursday morning to failing to perform the duties of a driver in a crash. Defense attorney Steven Walls said his client left the scene Nov. 24 because a crowd was gathering, he feared for his safety and he was in the country illegally. Before his conviction, the district attorney’s office said Lopez-Perez told witnesses he knew he’d struck and killed a child and that he tried...

House Democrats rolled out their proposal yesterday for immigration reform. Today, the White House sent two Cabinet secretaries out to make the case that it’s time to fix what they call a “broken system.” Labor Secretary Hilda Solis knows something about immigration. Her mother is from Nicaragua, her father’s from Mexico. She joined Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, whose mother is from Hong Kong, and father is from China. Both made the case that the time was right for comprehensive immigration reform. Solis said bringing undocumented workers into the light would be good for all workers — and for employers who...

Wednesday, 12/16/09 Diario de Yucatan (Merida, Yucatan) & Excelsior (Mexico City) 12/15/09 Chinese caught en route to the U.S. Odd noises from inside a truck stopped at a highway checkpoint led to the discovery of ten Chinese being smuggled en route to the U.S.; the truck was on a highway between Cosoleacaque, Veracruz, and Nuevo Teapan, Tabasco [an area on the north end of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, near the port city of Coatzocoalcos.] The seven males and three females, all illegally in Mexico, told federal officials that they had traveled from China to Nepal to India and then to...

WALNUT CREEK — Almost a month after an internal probe pushed 50 immigrant workers out of their jobs at a downtown Target store, interviews with former and current store employees portray a mass firing that was selective, planned in advance and confusing to many of those forced out. Sparked by an allegation that illegal immigrants worked on the night shift, the Walnut Creek store last month attracted the attention of the Minneapolis corporate headquarters of the 1,700-store chain. The company sent a team to investigate, according to several people close to the incident. By the end of the second week...

Rosanna Pulido, Citizen Candidate for the Illinois 5th Congressional district seat is strongly opposed to the Amnesty Bill legislation being introduced by Representative Gutierrez of the 4th district. Pulido states that, ‘with one in ten Illinoisans laid off of work ,unemployment rates at the highest level in decades and millions of Americans facing tough financial choices, the last thing our country needs is another short sighted politician trying to fix a real problem by throwing hardworking taxpayers money at it.’ Pulido’s position is that Congress has a responsibility to ensure that available jobs are filled by legal workers. “That is...

House Democrats Tuesday unveiled major legislation to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, pegging its passage to the fulfillment of a campaign promise by President Barack Obama. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who has shepherded the bill, enjoyed chants of “yes we can” from a horde of onlookers in a packed room in the Rayburn House Office Building. But the future of the bill is more uncertain. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, including Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and its most senior member, Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas), lauded the bill, saying it’s long overdue and would help integrate undocumented immigrants into U.S. society. But...

Representative Luis Gutierrez (D, IL) will introduce another stab at "comprehensive immigration reform" this month and it's been given another one of those Orwellian names that you know means the opposite of what it says in the title. Gutierrez is calling this mess the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009, or the CIR ASAP -- in other words Comprehensive Immigration Reform ASAP. The simple fact of the matter is that, regardless of the name, this legislation will do nothing whatever to help our security or our prosperity. In fact it will damage both. In his...

The TERRY ANDERSON SHOW.. Articulating the Popular Rage! A warrior in the fight against illegal immigration and those who promote it for over a decade! From the streets of Los Angeles to the halls of congress, Terry has been there. No one has the passion and common sense of Terry Anderson...He is A MUST listen! The BEST one hour of radio you'll find anywhere. Sunday Nights- Listen on the radio! 12-1 AM EDT, 11-12 PM CDT, 10-11 PM MDT, 9-10 PM PDT KRLA - 870 AM - Los Angeles -- KDWN - 720 - Las Vegas -- KFNX - 1100...

To sum up- the Angel Tree charity requires that the parent who applies must have a social security number. So when an illegal alien was turned down for the free toys, the main newspaper in Nashville wrote a plaintive article about the illegals, termed immigrants by the Tennessean, being turned down by Angel Tree. Now, that same newspaper is reporting the rush from readers to supply the illegal aliens with presents. The original article was published in a newspaper that can't be posted here, but the Knoxville News Sentinel has published a brief except of the article also, so I...

Colo. Court: Immigrants Records Illegally Searched THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 14, 2009 DENVER (AP) -- The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that Weld County authorities violated the Fourth Amendment and privacy rights of suspected illegal immigrants when they used tax returns to potentially build hundreds of identity theft cases against them. The ruling affirmed a decision by a Weld County district judge who suppressed evidence against one of the defendants. That judge said authorities had no probable cause to search the man's tax returns and that the documents are confidential. The defendant was one of more than 70 people charged...

When Barack Obama completely ignored the problem of uncontrolled immigration during his Jobs Summit, my former colleague Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued the following statement that was signed by 21 conservative Republican congressmen: “With a 10 percent unemployment rate, now is the time for the Obama administration to stand up for citizens and legal immigrant workers. Now is the time for the President to enforce immigration laws. When the jobs stolen by illegal immigrants are recovered for citizens and legal workers, American workers will benefit. President Obama could create eight million jobs for citizens and legal workers simply by enforcing...

The TERRY ANDERSON SHOW.. Articulating the Popular Rage! A warrior in the fight against illegal immigration and those who promote it for over a decade! From the streets of Los Angeles to the halls of congress, Terry has been there. No one has the passion and common sense of Terry Anderson...He is A MUST listen! The BEST one hour of radio you'll find anywhere. Sunday Nights- Listen on the radio! 12-1 AM EDT, 11-12 PM CDT, 10-11 PM MDT, 9-10 PM PDT KRLA - 870 AM - Los Angeles -- KDWN - 720 - Las Vegas -- KFNX - 1100...

In the largest such operation in U.S. history, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 286 foreign nationals in California with criminal records in a three-day enforcement surge that ended Thursday night. Of those taken into custody, 119 were from Northern California and 24 were from the San Jose area. ICE reported that about 80 percent of the immigrants taken into custody had prior convictions for serious or violent crimes such as rape, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Also arrested were 30 convicted sex offenders, many of whom had been convicted of sexual assaults on children. At...

Just yesterday I wrote a commentary about the value of United States citizenship not only to decent law abiding citizens of our country but also to a small group of terrorists and criminals who understand that the coveted United States passport that citizens of our nation are eligible to receive enables them to move freely across our nation, gain access to various jobs that may have national security implications and also provides them with the ability to move freely across our nation’s borders and often easily gain entry into other countries. The commentary I wrote yesterday related to a United...

Sotomayor Uses "Undocumented Immigrant" in Supreme Court Opinion; Never Happened Before From this: In an otherwise dry opinion, Justice Sotomayor did introduce one new and politically charged term into the Supreme Court lexicon. Justice Sotomayor’s opinion in the case, Mohawk Industries v. Carpenter, No. 08-678, marked the first use of the term "undocumented immigrant," according to a legal database. The term "illegal immigrant" has appeared in a dozen decisions. This is a relatively minor issue, but expect things to get worse and maybe even much worse. At this point in time, it's worth looking back at those who basically took...

WASHINGTON – California and other financially strapped states will lose tens of millions of federal dollars that they spend to jail illegal immigrants charged with crimes, under Congress' latest spending bill. The $1.1 trillion plan, finalized by House and Senate negotiators Tuesday night, combines six of the large yearly appropriations bills passed by Congress to keep the government running. State officials and members of the California congressional delegation had lobbied hard once again to increase aid to the states for the program, hoping to cash in on California's increased clout in Washington this year. But their efforts fell flat, with...

Those of us who seek to change U.S. immigration policy so that it will no longer serve as a tool to displace, disrupt, and impoverish working Americans get subject to a lot of name calling: "xenophobe," "anti-immigrant," "racist." Those who bash Americans generally get away unscathed in the press. There has been a surge an American-bashing articles recently. This one, claiming Americans don't do their "fair share," comes from Electronic Design news: The H-1B visa program is valuable, and, as the Kauffman Foundation study points out, immigrants have contributed disproportionately to the US economy’s high-tech sector. If Americans are unwilling...

WALNUT CREEK — More than 40 employees at the downtown Target store quit their jobs after an internal probe raised suspicions about their immigration status, according to lawyers who have met with the workers. Managers summoned the overnight crew of the North Main Street department store to meetings last month and gave workers the chance to prove their eligibility to work in the United States by bringing in the proper documents, the lawyers and Target representatives say. Most of the questioned workers voluntarily resigned, Target spokeswoman Kate Gillen said. The Minnesota-based retailer would not say how many workers left the...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The former chairman of the Republican National Committee says that new immigration reform efforts will give his a party a chance to soften its tone on the issue. Ed Gillespie said Tuesday the GOP should present itself as anti-illegal immigration but not anti-immigrant in the debate. Gillespie said he thinks some of the party's harshest voices were the loudest the last time Congress debated immigration reform. Gillespie, who also served as counselor to former President George W. Bush, said Republicans need to do a better job of reaching out to minorities.

American college prof develops cell-phone tool to help illegals cross borderIllegal aliens crossing the U.S.-Mexico border now have a cell phone tool to chart the best route, find food and locate people who will help them enter the country – courtesy of a professor at a state-funded university. Ricardo Dominguez, a University of California, San Diego tenured visual arts professor and activist, designed the Transborder Immigrant Tool, an application much like a global-positioning system used in cars, to help illegals find the best locations for food, water and groups to assist them as they sneak into America. Dominguez is also...

Gabriel Alfonso Gil-Tzun, 23, has been charged by police in Novato, Calif., with lewd and lascivious acts on a minor. He is also facing multiple charges, as he allegedly molested the 13-year-old girl on several occasions. Novato police Lt. Rich Hill said the arrest is the result of an investigation which began several months ago. According to Hill, Gil-Tzun met the girl through a friend and has engaged in intercourse with her at his house. Months ago, a warrant was issued for Gil-Tzun’s arrest. Last week, an off-duty officer noticed Gil-Tzun at a Terra Linda shopping mall. San Rafael police...

Updates in the BARNETT v OBAMA case in Judge Carter's court: Request for investigation of misconduct in legal proceedings, submission of perjured affidavits, submission of a letter to court by an attorney with improper purpose of covering up criminal activity and obstruction of justice, withholding evidence by attorneys, and US attorneys acting under conflict of interest From 11.11.09. to 11.22.09. I had the honor to be a delegate at the Continental Congress 2009. One of the guest speakers for the Continental Congress was a former Immigration officer and currently a private investigator in CO, Mr. John Samson. I have stated...

In an indictment handed down Nov. 20 ....accused 15 individuals of being involved in the trafficking of cocaine and other narcotics in the Chicago area. .... aimed at dismantling the drug trafficking network of La Familia Michoacana (LFM), a mid-sized and relatively new drug cartel based in Michoacan state in southwestern Mexico. The U.S. investigation of LFM has revealed many details about the operation of the group in the United States and answered some important questions about the nature of Mexican drug trafficking and distribution north of the border. .....leaders are known to distribute documents to the group’s members that...

Amendments Expected to Target Issue WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Assurances that the two health-care reform bills would not benefit illegal aliens are not accurate. A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies examines in detail the immigration-related provisions of both the House-passed HR 3962 and the bill now being debated in the Senate, HR 3590. The report concludes that the bills, in their current form, would indeed give illegal aliens access to taxpayer-funded health care well beyond emergency medical treatment. The report, "Immigration-Related Provisions of Senate and House Health Reform Bills," is authored by CIS Fellow James R....

The behind-the-scenes battle over who will be the next speaker of the Assembly is heating up this week, with sources saying a vote on who will succeed Speaker Karen Bass could be coming up soon. A handful of members were said to be jockeying for the spot, but it appears the pool of contenders has been whittled down to two Democrats from Los Angeles. Those left standing are Assemblyman Kevin de León of the 45th District, a friend from way back of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. De Leon's chief rival is Assemblyman John Pérez, the rookie from the 46th...

WASHINGTON (November 2009) – The Center for Immigration Studies is releasing the third video in its series Border Basics by Janice Kephart, Three Years of Fraud in the U.S.: The Case of Manoj Kargudri. Following closely on the heels of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s announcement that she is looking forward to working with Congress on “comprehensive immigration reform,” Janice Kephart explores how the agency that would be responsible for carrying out an amnesty of 12 million illegal aliens still cannot ferret out fraud in a single simple employment petition even eight years after 9/11. Kephart examines the...

A new study examines the costs of education, health care and incarceration of illegal aliens, and concludes the costs to Californians is $10.5 BILLION per year. The state's already struggling K-12 education system spends approximately $7.7 billion a year to school the children of illegal aliens. Another $1.4 billion of taxpayer's money goes toward providing health care to illegal aliens. The same amount is spent incarcerating illegal alien criminals. Back in 1994 California voters rebelled and overwhelmingly passed Proposition 187, which sought to limit liability for mass illegal immigration. Since then state and local governments have blatantly IGNORED the wishes...

Guatemala City, Guatemala) 11/26/09 Guatemala’s immigration reform plan is expected to be considered in the U.S. [Sub-headline]: The National Council for Guatemalan Migrant Affairs (CONAMIGUA) produced a migratory reform proposal which could be strengthened by the inclusion of other Central American countries; the proposal has great possibilities of being taken into account regarding the highly desired reform which is being lobbied in the United States. Erick Maldonado, executive secretary of CONAMIGUA, stated that they are approaching leaders of Guatemalan migrants in the United States and Congressmen of that country [the U.S.] to be able to influence the approval of the...