Free Republic

Under pressure from the toughest crackdown on illegal immigration in two decades, employers across the country are fighting back in state legislatures, the federal courts and city halls. Business groups have resisted measures that would revoke the licenses of employers of illegal immigrants. They are proposing alternatives that would revise federal rules for verifying the identity documents of new hires and would expand programs to bring legal immigrant laborers. Though the pushback is coming from both Democrats and Republicans, in many places it is reopening the rift over immigration that troubled the Republican Party last year. Businesses, generally Republican stalwarts,...

Presumptive Republican U.S. presidential nominee John McCain told Mexican leaders security at the border is a precondition of immigration reform. McCain ended a visit to Colombia and Mexico Thursday, The Arizona Republic reported. I believe we must have comprehensive immigration reform. The American people want our borders secured first, McCain said at a Mexico City news conference. That will require some walls. It will require virtual fences. It will require high-technology equipment. We must secure our borders, and then we will address the issue of comprehensive immigration reform. McCain was one of the authors of an immigration reform bill that...

San Bernardino County officials vowed Thursday not to become a dumping ground for San Francisco criminals, saying they may sue that city for exporting juvenile offenders to local group homes. "The county is exploring every option to recoup all our police expenses," said county Supervisor Gary Ovitt. "This lunacy needs to stop now." Ovitt, joined by other officials at a news conference in San Bernardino, expressed anger over recent revelations that San Francisco sent illegal immigrant cocaine dealers from Honduras to group homes in Yucaipa. Eight juveniles walked away from the homes. One was recaptured in San Francisco this week,...

WASHINGTON – Latino gang members were hunting for black people in the Harbor Gateway community of Los Angeles. Age was not a factor. Neither was gender. Cheryl Green, 14, was on her scooter, talking to friends when a hail of bullets killed the 8th-grader and injured several other black youngsters. That was December 2006. But the race-motivated carnage has only increased since then, say law-enforcement authorities from coast to coast – with Hispanic gangs targeting blacks and black gang reciprocating as their communities are increasing surrounded by the exploding population of Hispanics, much of it fueled by illegal immigration. In...

The San Diego City Council will vote next Tuesday to declare July 8 “National Council of La Raza Day.” Well, they already gave their blessing to “Happy ACLU Day” despite the litigious group’s long-standing efforts to take down the Mount Soledad cross. Might as well put their weight behind the ethnic supremacist group fighting against assimilation, funding reconquista schools, advocating speech suppressiong, and promoting lawlessness, too!

SAN FRANCISCO -- California's best-known sanctuary city -- a haven for illegal immigrants -- has been escorting convicted juvenile offenders back to their home countries at city expense for nearly a generation and shielding them from federal officials in the process But after several recent embarrassing incidents, this famously liberal enclave has been forced to reconsider how it deals with young undocumented criminals. Ever since a city juvenile probation officer was detained by federal immigration authorities in Houston nearly seven weeks ago and questioned about two offenders he was escorting back to Honduras, the city has stopped flying such people...

As pointed out by this representative of the Florida Attorney General's office, it is impossible to separate national security issues from illegal immigration, and one of the most important illegal immigration issues in Florida is the issue of human trafficking. And as Jake at Freedom Folks notes (thanks for the tip), this story doesn't appear to have been covered by the news wires. Here, a horrifying story is described of a little girl who, after being taken to the Florida panhandle from Mexico, resisted while being raped, and was subsequently made an example of by being beheaded in front of...

A Pasadena homeowner who fatally shot two men suspected of burglarizing his neighbor's house is cleared by a Harris County grand jury, KPRC Local 2 reports.

Scores of heavily armed federal agents last month stormed into Agriprocessors, which produces up to 70 percent of all kosher meat in America. The feds seized almost 400 of the plant's 900 workers in the largest single roundup of illegal immigrants to date, charging about 300 of them with identity theft and using stolen Social Security cards. Some of those workers have since sued the company, alleging abuse, fraud and sexual coercion. Postville, which once sold T-shirts boasting of the peaceful coexistence of its many cultures, has been left "absolutely shattered," said the Rev. Paul Ouderkirk of the town's St....

When Chicago GOP's Tom Swiss alerted IR to the possibility that Cook County was sending voter registrars to a huge immigration rally this weekend, it reminded us of the serious allegations we ran across in 2006. In August of 2006, we first realized the heated nature of registering illegal aliens to vote while working on a registration drive among churches in the 6th CD. When IR questioned a report in the Chicago Tribune about Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-4th CD) encouraging illegals to register to vote, a blog controversy erupted as Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights blasted us for...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The man charged with murdering a San Francisco father and two sons during a traffic incident appeared in court today and listened quietly as he was ordered held without bail. --snip-- He appeared shackled at the waist in a jail jumpsuit, a large tattoo of the Salvadoran national crest visible on the back of his closely shaved head. ... --snip-- The three murder counts carry special circumstances of multiple murder and murder as part of a street gang, which both carry the potential of life imprisonment without parole or the death penalty. Police say Ramos is a...

<p>Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff issued a strongly worded statement Wednesday on the release of a Mexican man suspected of killing a Yuma Sector Border Patrol agent in the Imperial Sand Dunes west of Winterhaven. SNIP The 22-year-old Navarro Montes, an alleged narcotics smuggler, is suspected of running over 32-year-old Agent Luis Aguilar in a Hummer while fleeing agents on the morning of Jan. 19.</p>

Police documents show that at least one of the suspects involved in a home invasion and homicide were active members of the Mexican Army. View Police Documents: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 A top member of a Phoenix police union is standing by reports that at least one of the men involved in a Monday morning home invasion and homicide was an active member in the Mexican Army. Click Here for the update. "Even if you put aside the Mexican military, you have illegals in the country...they're protected with tactical gear using tactical strategies in police uniforms willing to...

Police reports show that three men arrested in a Phoenix home invasion and homicide Monday may have been active members of the Mexican Army. While on the J.D. Hayworth show, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association President Mark Spencer said that the men involved were hired by drug cartels to perform home invasions and assassinations. The Monday morning incident at 8329 W. Cypress St. resulted in the death of the homeowner. Between 50 and 100 rounds were fired at the house. Spencer said a police officer told him that one of the men captured said they were completely prepared to ambush Phoenix...

An illegal immigrant dishwasher who lost $49,000 to the U.S. government as he tried to take it home to Guatemala will get some of the money back, his attorney told CNN Wednesday. Pedro Zapeta, an illegal immigrant, managed to save $59,000 while working as a dishwasher for 11 years. Pedro Zapeta was "very, very happy" when he learned about a federal appeals court ruling that says he is entitled to recover some of the money, said attorney Robert Gershman, who handled the financial end of Zapeta's case. Zapeta was carrying $59,000 in cash when he was stopped at a security...

A judge is scheduled to rule today on a challenge to a taxpayer suit that seeks to repeal a long-standing directive prohibiting Los Angeles police officers from asking arrestees about their immigration status. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu is being asked by the city and the American Civil Liberties Union to dismiss the lawsuit on grounds there are no triable issues. He heard arguments on the motion June 10 and has had it under submission since then. Los Angeles resident Harold P. Sturgeon filed suit in May 2006 against police Chief William J. Bratton and members of...

A Maryland judge sentenced an illegal immigrant to more than seven years in prison for coercing a 14-year-old girl into prostitution and forcing her to engage in sex with more than 25 men a day, according to federal prosecutors in Maryland. Javier Miguel Ramirez, 35, a Mexican national living in Hyattsville, was sentenced Monday to 87 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for sex trafficking of a minor girl. He had pleaded guilty in March. U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said the case was one of the most shameful human trafficking cases he’s seen. “Javier Miguel...

Republican voters in Utah ousted Rep. Chris Cannon in Tuesday’s GOP primary, expressing their dissatisfaction with the six-term congressman over his left-of-center positions on immigration by nominating a challenger who made crackdowns on illegal immigration a central part of his platform. Cannon was trounced by Jason Chaffetz, the former chief of staff to Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-Utah.) With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Cannon trails Chaffetz by 20 points – 60 to 40 percent. The AP has called the race for Chaffetz.

US officials on Tuesday cracked-down on the violent MS-13 gang, arresting 26 people for a range of crimes committed in three US states and the Central American nation of El Salvador. "Early this morning, federal, state, and local law enforcement officials here in North Carolina began executing arrest warrants against 26 alleged members of the gang La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13," US Attorney General Michael Mukasey said. The defendants face a variety of charges stemming from crimes committed between 2003 and June 2008 including four murders, narcotics distribution, robberies, illegal firearms possession, extortion, assault, intimidating witnesses and obstruction...

Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado drew attention early in the Republican primaries as a champion of securing our nation's borders against illegal crossing and fighting against amnesty for illegal immigrants. Now, in an open letter to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, Tancredo is questioning McCain's role in a private meeting with Hispanic leaders in Chicago last week, and is challenging the candidate to stand firm on border security, regardless of the audience he's addressing. The finger-in-your-chest tone of the letter may have subtly accused McCain of backpedaling on border security pledges in Chicago, where it was reported McCain...

Jason Chaffetz's promise to change Washington, starting with Rep. Chris Cannon, resonated with Republican voters, who appear to have ousted the six-term incumbent in a Republican primary tonight. "You rock, and you rocked the Republican Party," Chaffetz told supporters gathered in Springville, shortly after polls closed. "We've done this all with volunteers, with no free meals and no polling. We've done it the right way. You can never convince me that one person can't make a difference." With nearly three-quarters of precincts counted, Chaffetz led Cannon by more than 20 points. Chaffetz now advances to face Democrat Bennion Spencer in...

The evidence suggests the answer is yes. Regardless if they are secret or not, the bigger problem is that McCain just won’t let go of his Pro-Amnesty agenda:

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Comments from bloggers that say, "Hartford is a piece-of-scum city populated by animals," and, "It is the African/ Latino people that have ruined our country,” are the kind that Mayor Eddie Perez said he no longer wants to see on www.hartford.com. Perez and community leaders held a rally Friday afternoon in front of the Broad Street headquarters of the state's largest newspaper, the Hartford Courant. Perez said he's asked the Courant to better monitor comment from readers

The two presidential candidates will discuss matters of interest for the latin american community in this country. The Angeles.- The two main presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, will be the guests of honor at the third Latin American National Congress, that will be carried out on July 18 and 19 in Los Angeles. The organizers confirmed the participation of the two politicians in the event, that will be performed in an exclusive hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, where it is expected that more than 300 organizations of 20 cities will attend. On the first day, McCain...

The American Civil Liberties Union today asked the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office for documents related to its plans to check the immigration status of all people arrested in the county who are suspected of being in the United States illegally. "We believe these kinds of policies are ill-advised in all circumstances, placing the federal responsibility to implement immigration laws in local hands and leading to hostile relations between local governments and their Latino communities," said Kent Willis, executive director of ACLU's chapter in Virginia. "But where these policies do exist, those in charge must train police officers in non-discriminatory practices,...

People don’t have much faith in government, especially the federal government…and who can blame them? The public looks to Washington and sees neither competence nor integrity in the people and institutions who are determining their fate. Into the vacuum have stepped the evangelists for a new god: the free market. In his new book, Let Them In:The Case for Open Borders, Wall Street Journal editorial board member, Jason Riley, argues that immigration policy ought to be set not by legislators and bureaucrats in Washington, but by the demands of the free market. Americans have been raised to believe that free...

McALLEN, Texas -- The thousands of National Guardsmen sent to reinforce the U.S.-Mexican border two years ago have almost completely withdrawn, despite pleas from border-state governors once skeptical of using soldiers to catch illegal immigrants and drug smugglers. When the Guard was posted along the southern frontier in 2006 to help the strapped Border Patrol, critics warned that sending soldiers would be an insult to Mexico and that innocents could get shot by troops trained for combat, not law enforcement. But none of that happened, and now those worries have given way to fears that a bloody drug-cartel war on...

The Bush administration has sharply ratcheted up prosecutions of illegal immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in the last year, with increases so dramatic that immigration offenses now account for as much as half the nation's federal criminal caseload. In the widening crackdown, administration officials prosecuted 9,350 illegal immigrants on federal criminal charges in March, up from 3,746 a year ago and an all-time high, according to statistics released Tuesday. Those convicted have received jail sentences averaging about one month. The prosecutions are among the most visible steps in a larger effort that includes work-site raids, increased border patrols and the...

They while away the long hours behind drawn shutters, in front of televisions tuned to Spanish-language soap operas. Though they realize it's irrational, many of them still live in fear that immigration agents will return, crash into their homes with drawn guns, yell obscenities at them, call them dogs, and drag them away amidst screams and tears. That's what happened May 12, when the largest, single-site workplace immigration raid in U.S. history engulfed this small Iowa town. The raid targeted hundreds of undocumented workers at the Agriprocessors, Inc. kosher meatpacking plant, which dominates the local economy. Over a third of...

Loudoun County law enforcement officials said yesterday they will start routinely checking the immigration status of all people arrested in the county if deputies suspect they are in the United States illegally, implementing a policy similar to one that set off controversy in neighboring Prince William County. Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson (I) told the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors that he had reached agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to participate in a program that ultimately seeks to deport illegal immigrants convicted of serious felonies.

Two years ago I traveled the country talking with people of all walks of life about the threat of illegal immigration. As the Chairman of Team America, an immigration PAC, I did town hall meetings, press conferences, and dozens of radio and TV interviews. Everywhere I went one question dominated the discussion. “Why?” “Why does the President not secure the border?” “Why does this Administration refuse to enforce our laws?” “Why is nothing being done to stop the invasion?” The questions were closely followed by first hand accounts of heartbreaking consequences of massive uncontrolled illegal immigration. Initially I tried to...

NEW DELHI, June 17 (UPI) -- India's Supreme Court has ruled stricter sentences should be imposed on infiltrators from Pakistan and Bangladesh. "There is need for imposing stricter sentence under the Foreigners Act," the Supreme Court held in its ruling. A vacation bench consisting of Justices Arijit Pasayat and P.P. Naolekar dismissed an appeal by a Pakistani national, Habib Ibrahim, who illegally entered India to meet his wife and children in Jaipur. He challenged a Rajasthan High Court order, which upheld a five-year imprisonment awarded by the trial court. "The only plea to justify the appellant's presence was that he...

BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline) - The Idaho Supreme Court on Monday ruled that an illegal immigrant who was injured is entitled to medical assistance. In their ruling, the high court sided with Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, which sued Ada County Commissioners after they denied an application for medical indigency assistance.

--snip-- Always interesting to review the responses to our former scrivenings -- never forgetting that, as Bastiat preached in "What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen," sometimes the most interesting response is silence. Responding to my recent missive on illegal aliens, a number of hand-wringers complain we should not take a punitive attitude toward under-age illegal aliens, since their being here is "not their fault." I'm never sure whether to attribute to ignorance or disingenuousness the failure to note that -- under current federal law -- if these kids are granted legal resident status, the parents can then apply...

Hands down, Joe Arpaio is the toughest sheriff in America. And although he is most well-known for his tough treatment of prisoners, Arpaio has over 30 years experience with different federal drug enforcement agencies, and, as the former head of border and drug enforcement in Texas and Arizona, he is one of the country’s leading experts on how to shut down illegal immigration and cross-border drug trafficking. His is a hard-core, no-frills approach to incarceration, with 10,000 Maricopa County, Ariz., prisoners held in old Army surplus tents, fed on bologna sandwiches, and clothed in black-and-white striped, old-style prison uniforms and...

32% Angry About Immigration, but Not Mad at Immigrants Friday, June 13, 2008 One-third of U.S. voters are still angry about illegal immigration, an issue that neither presidential candidate has made central to his campaign. But, voters blame Washington, not immigrants (see video). The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that along with the 32% who express "anger," an additional 27% are frustrated with the lack of action. Thirty-nine percent (39%) say it’s just one of many issues they have an opinion about. Eighty-three percent (83%) of those angry about immigration direct their anger at the federal government while...

Father-of-four finds 12-strong colony of illegal immigrants living in his LOFT By Sophie Borland Last updated at 3:13 AM on 13th June 2008Unexpected: Lee Bradley discovered a colony of illegalimmigrants living in the loft of his new house (file picture)A family moved into their new home only to discover 12 illegal immigrants living in the roof. Lee Bradley was inspecting the loft of his rented terraced house when he made the shock discovery. Under the roof, a colony of Kosovan migrants had knocked down the wall between his house and the two adjoining properties to create living space for several...

(CNSNews.com) - Members of Congress are split on whether the National Guard should end its deployment along the U.S.-Mexico border in July, as planned. On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff predicted the border would not be secured until 2011. (See earlier story)The Guard built 38.1 miles of new fencing, 18.5 miles of new roads, 94.5 miles of vehicle barriers and repaired 717 miles of road. The final withdrawal for the National Guard working in Operation Jump Start is planned for July 15. The National Guard's Noller said that Operation Jump Start is winding down because of a presidential directive....

The U.N. plans to examine Prince William County's aggressive crackdown on illegal immigrants during a visit next week. Jorge Bustamante, the United Nation's special rapporteur on migrants' rights, plans to receive briefings on local enforcement measures, and meet with local officials. County Chairman Corey Stewart said he is willing to meet with Bustamante, but sharply rebuked the international body for what he called an anti-American agenda. But the UN should not have a role, said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. "Our immigration policy is not a subject for the U.N. or any foreign institution, pure...

Yesenia Rangel, 12, looked out her window on a Friday morning in February and saw several officers with the letters "ICE" on their sleeves. Yesenia immediately called her neighbors to warn them that immigration officers were outside their Compton apartment building. Then she watched in tears as officers handcuffed her father and took him away. "I thought, 'I'm never going to see my dad again,' " said Yesenia, a U.S. citizen by birth. As federal authorities expand immigration enforcement in California and throughout the nation, teachers, mental health professionals and immigrant rights advocates are raising concerns about the effect on...

WASHINGTON - The tricky politics of immigration, an issue once seen as a driving force of the 2008 election, have relegated it to a back but hot burner in the presidential campaign debate and paralyzed Congress on the topic. Both John McCain and Barack Obama support giving legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, a position that strategists see as crucial to winning over Hispanics. But Republican and Democratic candidates are also wary of alienating white conservatives and blacks who oppose granting legal status or benefits to people who broke the law to come to the United States. The searing...

In response to my recent piece on enforcing our established immigration laws (I did not mention the potential effectiveness of machine guns and land mines, which would be the first resort of any statesman or military commander who really wanted to "secure our borders"), some well-meaning souls have responded with the traditional Libertarian prescription that there's "no need to limit immigration; all we have to do is get rid of the welfare state." First, before anyone tries to insist that "most illegal aliens aren't on welfare," let's stipulate once again that the so-called "public schools" are one of our most...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Mexico has appealed to the U.N.'s highest court to seek a stay of execution for Mexican citizens on death row in the United States. It argues that U.S. authorities have failed to comply with an earlier ruling ordering a review of their trials. The 2004 ruling said the prisoners' rights were violated since they were denied contact with the Mexican consulate before being tried. The International Court of Justice said Mexico on Thursday asked the court for an "interpretation" of its 2004 judgment to clarify that the U.S. government must actually see the cases are reviewed....

PHOENIX -- Two men opened fire on a marked patrol car Tuesday night, Phoenix police said. Police said the men fired at the two-man patrol car from a maroon Chevrolet Tahoe around 10:40 p.m. in west Phoenix. The officers followed the Tahoe about 5 miles before the men stopped the SUV and fled on foot into an apartment complex, police said. Officers set up a perimeter in the area and used K-9 units to search for the men. Police said both men were taken into custody, though one was bitten by a police dog. The men initally gave police false...

The nation's economic downturn — especially a slump in the construction industry — is having a disproportionate impact on Hispanic workers, a study released Wednesday found. Hispanics have lost nearly 250,000 jobs over the past year in the construction sector alone, pushing their unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) to 6.5 percent in the first quarter of this year. By comparison, the unemployment rate for non-Hispanics was 4.7 percent, said the study by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group in Washington. Two years ago, the gap was much smaller. At the end of 2006, the unemployment rate for Latinos was...

As the construction industry has slumped, the unemployment rate among Hispanic immigrants has climbed, an analysis released Wednesday shows. For the first time in five years, foreign-born Hispanics have a higher unemployment rate than do Hispanics born in the U.S., according to the Pew Hispanic Center's analysis of census and Labor Department data. The unemployment rate for Hispanic immigrants was 7.5 percent during the first months of this year, compared with 6.9 percent among native-born Hispanics. During the same period in 2007, the rates were 5.5 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively. "The unemployment rate has shot up because of the...

It wasn't your typical field trip that Danielle Quinto took her fourth-grade class at Our Community School in North Hills on last week. Her 25 students - all from lower- to middle-class working families - didn't go to the Los Angeles Zoo or Travel Town. Instead, they went to see men whom they said scared them, men they thought were dangerous and stole things. Quinto took her class of 9-year-old children on a field trip to a city-funded, day-labor work site in North Hollywood near a Home Depot. "It was a little weird taking the kids on a field trip...

WASHINGTON-The United Nations plans to examine Prince William County’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigrants during a visit next week. Jorge Bustamante, the United Nation’s special rapporteur on migrants’ rights, plans to tour Manassas and Woodbridge, receive briefings on local enforcement measures, and attempt to meet with local officials. He contacted immigrant leaders in the county two months ago to begin preparing for a visit, saying he was interested in the landmark nature of the county’s actions. Special rapporteurs are tasked with reviewing human-rights issues of international concern to raise political pressure and shape public opinion, but cannot issue sanctions. The...

More than half of new California immigrants who are permanent legal residents lived in the state illegally before getting green cards, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California. The study suggests that the conventional notion of a legal immigrant as a brand-new arrival who has waited in a home country to get a green card is not the norm. "The idea (is) you sit at home, you wait, you get the green card," said research fellow Laura Hill. "That's certainly an experience for immigrants, but it's not the most common." Of green card holders...

A federal judge today blocked enforcement of employer-related provisions of the state's controversial immigration law, ruling it likely interferes with federal regulations regarding the hiring of unauthorized workers. Several business groups challenged House Bill 1804 — which has been called the toughest immigration statute in the nation — in federal court in Oklahoma City. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The State Chamber, the Oklahoma City and Tulsa chambers of commerce, and the Oklahoma restaurant and hotel and lodging associations contend the law places unreasonable burdens on businesses, according to the lawsuit filed Feb. 1 by the National Chamber Litigation Center....