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The Obama administration on Tuesday announced a new "public advocate" charged with listening to immigrants' concerns about its law enforcement policies — but Republicans said the position amounts to an official mouthpiece for illegal immigrants being deported.

Reporting from Vancouver, Canada— For years, Canada has had one of the most generous immigration policies in the world, welcoming tens of thousands of asylum applicants who claim to be fleeing persecution in their homelands. But Canada's Conservative government has begun rolling up the welcome mat, stepping up efforts to track down and deport thousands of asylum-seekers whose applications have been denied.

President Obama's plan to ease rules for some illegal immigrants is likely to shore up his standing among crucial Latino voters while igniting a new fight with Republicans as he seeks reelection. His proposal will probably affect tens of thousands — perhaps more than 100,000 — illegal residents. Under the new rule, which does not require congressional approval, immigrants would be allowed to stay in the U.S. and apply for a waiver, which can be granted if deporting an immigrant would cause undue hardship to his or her U.S. family.

Santa Fe police expressed frustration on Wednesday as they said illegal immigrants who were arrested on various different charges are ending up back on the streets time after time. Police said they’re frustrated that they keep arresting the same criminals over and over when there's supposed to be a system in place to prevent that. Mario Orantes-Munoz, 22, is a wanted man. Police said he's accused of breaking into someone's home and stealing two powerful rifles. In June, he was also charged with burglary. According to his records, Munoz is not in this country legally, and in June, U.S. Immigration...

by John Hill Stand With Arizona As if Obama's plan to cut National Guard troops on the Mexican border by 75% at a time when there has been a sudden surge in border crossers wasn't leaving the United States vulnerable enough, now a report has revealed a new insanity - lowered standards for granting immigration visas: Higher-ups within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are pressuring rank-and-file officers to rubber-stamp immigrants’ visa applications, sometimes against the officers’ will, according to a Homeland Security report and internal documents....A 40-page report, drafted by the Office of Inspector General in September but not publicly...

New laws toughen rules on abortions, immigrants, votersmsnbc.com staff and news service reports updated 12/31/2011 10:12:54 AM ET About 40,000 state laws taking effect at the start of the new year will change rules about getting abortions in New Hampshire, learning about gays and lesbians in California, getting jobs in Alabama and even driving golf carts in Georgia. Several federal rules change with the new year, too, including a Social Security increase amounting to $450 a year for the average recipients and stiff fines up to $2,700 per offense for truckers and bus drivers caught using hand-held cellphones while driving....

The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday that it has sued a major San Diego hospital, saying it discriminated against immigrant employees and job applicants. The department said UCSD Medical Center demanded excessive documentation from non-citizen job applicants and employees to prove they were eligible to work.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.-Nearly 1 million undocumented immigrants could live and work openly in California with little or no fear of deportation under an initiative unveiled Friday by a state legislator and others. Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, a Democrat, is helping spearhead the measure, called the California Opportunity and Prosperity Act. The proposal was filed Friday with the state Attorney General's Office, marking a first step toward a drive to collect the 504,760 voter signatures needed to qualify for the ballot. Fuentes called the measure a "moderate, common-sense approach" necessitated by the federal government's inability to pass comprehensive immigration reform. "I hope this...

WASHINGTON--At the CNN GOP presidential debate on Tuesday, current front-runner Newt Gingrich called for a "humane" immigration policy and said he was "prepared to take the heat" for his stand, which he got from his rivals. On Wednesday, the Democratic National Committee sort of stood up for Gingrich, using him as a foil to target Mitt Romney, who the Obama team believes will eventually get the nomination. The DNC, looking ahead to an Obama--Romney matchup next year, said in a statement, "During last night's debate, Mitt Romney's extreme anti-immigrant views were on clear display. Romney once again went to the...

With our music teacher, Mrs. Feigenbaum, at the piano playing the melody -- the Toreador's Song from the opera Carmen -- and the lyrics handed out to us on mimeographed pages, my 4th-grade classmates and I practiced one of the songs we were learning for our school's Thanksgiving assembly: Thanksgiving Day comes once each year Our president proclaims it far and near. Thankful for the bounty of our land, The harvest that makes this nation grand, Bestowed us from above, God bless this land, This precious land we love. I was a student at the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, a...

SEATTLE- The U.S. Border Patrol has quietly stopped its controversial practice of routinely searching buses, trains and airports for illegal immigrants at transportation hubs along the northern border and in the U.S. interior, preventing agents from using what had long been an effective tool for tracking down people here illegally. ... The situation is similar in upstate New York... instead of checking buses or trains, agents have spent shifts sitting in their vehicles gazing out at Lake Erie and Lake Ontario..."They're already bored," the agent said. "You grab the paper every day and you go do the crossword."

Dayton, Ohio, welcomes immigrants as policy pointBy DAN SEWELL - Associated Press | AP – 17 hrs ago DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — On the same afternoon thousands of Hispanics in Alabama took the day off to protest the state's strict new immigration law, Mexican-born Francisco Mejia was ringing up diners' bills and handing containers piled with carnitas to drive-thru customers on the east side of Dayton. **SNIP** Dayton officials, who adopted the "Welcome Dayton" plan unanimously Oct. 5, say they aren't condoning illegal immigration; those who come here illicitly will continue to be subject to U.S. laws. While states including...

The Prime Minster gave a speech to Parliament on Monday on reforming British immigration laws. He is immediately directing immigration officials in his administration to crack-down on immigrants from mostly Muslim countries who have no loyalties to Britain, British values or British culture.  •Forced Marriages to be a criminal offense •End to Anchor babies - Families will need to post a bond of thousands of pounds to bring in other family members from overseas •A call on all loyal Citizens of Great Britain to turn in illegal immigrants, particularly those who overstay their Visas •Lengthening and strengthening the Test...

As states such as Alabama and Georgia make waves with a hard-line approach to illegal immigration, California took a leap in the other direction this weekend when Gov. Jerry Brown signed a host of bills that make the nation's biggest state one of the most accepting of immigrants living here illegally. Some saw the flurry of new laws, especially the California Dream Act, as a rejection of the political fervor against illegal immigration in other parts of the country. "Wherever California goes, so does the nation. It may put a halt to some of this," said Assemblyman Paul Fong, D-Cupertino,...

A number of Latino and immigrant groups are planning a boycott of Clear Channel's talk KFI-AM (640) and the popular John & Ken Show. The team has been accused of both a disregard for and a disrespect of the Latino community. The plans follow a canceled meeting between station management, when it became known that the groups wanted KFI to remove afternoon hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou from the air. Things came to a head when John & Ken discussed the situation on the air, and then gave out the phone numbers to an immigrant rights group. Callers allegedly...

Governor Rick Perry is quick to tout the job growth in Texas as one of his defining characteristics, accomplishments and results that Americans should depend on when considering him for the Republican nomination for president. Placing this issue front and center has pushed him forward and convinced many that he may be the candidate to support to resurrect a climate of positive job creation in this country. As there is a continued downturn in the US job market it seems like a plausible consideration until you actually take a look at the job climate Perry created in Texas. As with...

Immigrants arrested at Charlotte 'coming out' rallyBy Franco Ordoñez Updated: Wednesday, Sep. 07, 2011 06:52 AM CHARLOTTE - Police arrested at least 10 young illegal immigrants as they blocked traffic near Central Piedmont Community College Tuesday to protest policies they say discriminate against undocumented immigrants. Nearly 200 people met on CPCC's central campus for a 1 p.m. "coming out" rally in which some protesters publicly announced they're living in the country illegally. The group then marched around the school toward the intersection of Kings Drive and Fourth Street. The large group proceeded to block all four directions of traffic while...

Illegal immigrants to protest education lawsTuesday, September 6, 2011 (Updated 6:39 am) By The Associated Press CHARLOTTE (AP) — Illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children plan to risk arrest and deportation at a rally in Charlotte where they'll protest laws that make it harder for them to get an education. The Winston-Salem Journal reported that the rally will be held Tuesday at Central Piedmont Community College. Rally organizer Domenic Powell says high school- and college-age youths will publicly declare their immigration status in what he referred to as a "coming out" rally, culminating with a march at...

Barack Obama Cannot Get Congress To Pass Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants So Now He Is Just Going To Ram It Down Our Throats Any Way That He CanAugust 19, 2011 If you are an illegal immigrant and you have not been arrested for committing a crime, the odds that you will ever be deported have now gone way, way down. With the Republicans in control of the House of Representatives, Barack Obama knows that he simply is not going to be able to get amnesty for illegal immigrants passed by Congress. But instead of giving up, Obama has decided to...

HARRISBURG, Pa.—Foreign students who walked off their jobs in protest this week at a plant that serves The Hershey Co. may soon be getting a free trip to see some of the United States' cultural and historical landmarks. Rick Anaya, chief executive of the nonprofit that helped bring the students to the U.S., said Friday that the plan emerged after a two-hour conference call with representatives of the other companies involved in their employment. The students began a strike Wednesday, saying their work was so strenuous and low-paying they've been unable to see much of the country.

Dems cheer Obama’s more lenient rules on illegal immigrantsBy MIke Lillis - 08/18/11 05:30 PM ET Democrats in both chambers are cheering Thursday after the Obama administration unveiled more lenient rules surrounding the deportation of illegal immigrants. The changes — announced by the Department of Homeland Security — will allow many illegal immigrants to remain in the country and apply for work permits. Under the new rules, DHS officials will perform a case-by-case reviews of those in line for deportation, weeding out violent criminals and other high priority cases while closing the books on those considered no threat. The changes...

A new opinion survey shows that more than half of all Europeans believe there are too many immigrants in their countries and that immigration is having a negative impact on their lives. The findings – which come as Europeans are waking up to the consequences of decades of mass immigration from Muslim countries – point to a growing disconnect between European voters and their political masters regarding multicultural policies that encourage Muslim immigrants to remain segregated rather than become integrated into their host nations. The survey results mirror the findings of dozens of other recent polls. Taken together, they provide...

An immigration officer returned home to find gipsies had moved in, ransacked the place and dressed in her clothes. Julia High was even offered a glass of her own wine by the Romanian squatters. They claimed they had rented the property from her ‘son’ because she had died, and produced a set of fake documents. Miss High, 55, has no son.

The Netherlands, where six per cent of the population is now Muslim, is scrapping multiculturalism: The Dutch government says it will abandon the long-standing model of multiculturalism that has encouraged Muslim immigrants to create a parallel society within the Netherlands. A new integration bill (covering letter and 15-page action plan), which Dutch Interior Minister Piet Hein Donner presented to parliament on June 16, reads: “The government shares the social dissatisfaction over the multicultural society model and plans to shift priority to the values of the Dutch people. In the new integration system, the values of the Dutch society play a...

SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) - An Albuquerque woman was indicted on Thursday on charges of creating fraudulent residency documents to help illegal immigrants get New Mexico driver's licenses. New Mexico is currently one of three states, including Utah and Washington, that allow undocumented immigrants to lawfully obtain driver's licenses if they can show proof of residency and identity. The grand jury indictment accuses Ana Hernandez, 45, of more than 300 felony counts over accusations she used her Albuquerque business address on documents she fraudulently created for Mexican nationals so they could obtain licenses. "This is yet another egregious case...

If the U.S. soccer team were hoping for the home advantage during Saturday's Gold Cup final then they were in for a nasty surprise. Despite being the 'home' side in California's Rose Bowl stadium, the majority of fans - most of them American born of naturalized Mexicans - booed and jeered the U.S. team. The surprising scenes were followed by angry outbursts from U.S. team goalkeeper Tim Howard, who was visibly shaken after the entire post match ceremony was conducted in Spanish. Speaking after the game, Howard said: '[tournament organisers] CONCACAF should be ashamed of themselves. 'I think it was...

A Texas state senator is under fire for telling a man that his Spanish-language testimony was "insulting" during a committee hearing earlier this week. Republican Chris Harris interrupted Antolin Aguirre of the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition just minutes into his statement against the Lone Star State's new sanctuary cities bill. The legislation, which was passed by the Senate Wednesday, allows police officers to verify the immigration status of detained suspects. Harris told Aguirre that he "should be speaking in English." "Did I understand him correctly that he has been here since 1988?" Harris asked. "Why aren't you speaking in English...

Lolita Mancheno-Smoak, an immigrant from Ecuador who once dreamed of becoming her country’s president, has found an unlikely home in the tea party movement. When she launched her campaign for county school board last week at Brion’s Grille in Fairfax, Va., she was not alone — flanked by immigrants from Europe, Asia and Latin America who have joined tea pascrty groups in the face of unrelenting criticism that the movement is isolationist and anti-immigrant. Mancheno-Smoak, who started attending tea party meetings in February, is one of several immigrants running for local office in Virginia under the tea party banner. Tito...

There are certain opportunities that are so rare and so special, you'd be nuts not to grab them. This is how I ended up at the Phillip Burton Federal Building on Friday afternoon watching my friend Nadir be sworn in as an American citizen. Born in Portugal and arriving in California at age 9, Nadir has spent the past decade working towards his citizenship. Now 26 years old, it's not like Nadir's been lounging around, twiddling his thumbs, waiting for a passport. Nadir put himself through college, he's currently working in Washington DC for a Congressman and next year, he'll...

The most successful wooing of the immigrant vote--even if the losers playing the same game decry it as political pandering, not wooing--was obviously pulled off by the Harper Conservatives. Kudos to them. But now that Stephen Harper has secured his first majority as PM, thanks primarily to Jason Kenney's marathon dance in the multicultural mosh pit, the time has come to get real with our immigration policies. The Fraser Institute, a leading public policy think tank, has released a report that echoes the position we have been advocating since Pierre Trudeau's blind-eyed liberalism opened the floodgates. And it's time a...

A Saudi Arabian national faces hate crimes charges after allegedly spitting on several people at a Florida Walmart. Nuha Mohammed Al-Doaifi was arrested in Palm Bay after police responded to a 911 call, Florida Today reported Tuesday. The 39-year-old, who was with her 2-year-old son at the time, allegedly admitted to authorities she spat on several people because "Americans are pushing us around." The incident began, police said, when a woman approached Al-Doaifi when she appeared to be having difficulty entering the Walmart. "All I was trying to do was tell her she was coming in through the out door,"...

The controversy has been stirring Denmark for some days. “The economists behind the report on the cost of immigration oppose the government,” writes Information, accusing the government and its majority of exploiting the economists’ work for political ends. Drawn up at the government’s request, their report is now being used by the Danish People’s Party — the far-right party supporting the Liberal-Conservative majority in parliament — and the integration minister to call for further restrictions on immigration. Denmark is already applying the most restrictive immigration laws in Europe. The conservative daily Jyllands-Posten revealed this report on April 28 under the...

BANGOR, Maine — A Newport woman was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to three months in federal prison for her part in a marriage scam that enlisted Maine residents to wed immigrants. June White recruited others to marry immigrants, including the man who is now her husband. The family was part of a conspiracy federal prosecutors claimed was run by two African men. Rashid Kakande, 37, of Woburn, Mass., who was convicted by a jury. Kakande, originally from Uganda, is being held without bail while awaiting sentencing. A second man, James Mbugua (pronounced umm-BOOG-wa), was indicted in July 2010...

Thirteen years after Congress overhauled the American welfare system, 57 percent of immigrants with children — those in the country legally or not — use at least one government, welfare program... . In comparison, 39 percent of native-born Americans with children are signed up for welfare, the report found. In Texas,.... 70 percent of illegal immigrants receive welfare assistance, with illegal immigrants generally receiving benefits on behalf of their U.S.-born children Overall, Texas tied with California and New York for the second highest immigrant welfare rates behind Arizona. Texas showed 61 percent of households headed by an immigrant utilizing at...

BANGOR, Maine — The Sabattus woman who enlisted more than a dozen other Mainers, including family and friends, to enter into sham marriages with immigrants was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court to 10 months in prison. Angela Roy, 37, sobbed as a federal judge described her role as a recruiter and wedding planner in the state’s first spouses-for-hire conspiracy as “extremely significant.” Roy was recruited more than seven years ago by two Massachusetts men, who are natives of Africa, to find men and women willing to marry foreign nationals for a fee so the immigrants could more easily achieve...

"Immigration: standoff between Italy and France”, reads La Stampa. Relations between the two countries reached a new low on 7 April following the French government’s refusal to recognise temporary visas issued by the Italian authorities to migrants arriving on its shores in the last few days, and France’s decision to continue sending back those who try to enter French territory. Italy has been issuing six-month visas to ease numbers at the country’s overburdened retention centres. According to Italian interior minister Roberto Maroni, quoted in the Turin-based daily, France cannot expel migrants who hold a valid visa without suspending the Schengen...

"Refugees ought not to come to Germany," announces Die Welt. The position that Berlin is expected to adopt when European interior ministers meet to discuss immigration on 11 April is unlikely to be welcomed by Italy which has called for solidarity in the drive to cope with thousands of immigrants who have recently arrived from North Africa. “Italy’s dirty tricks amount to unacceptable blackmail," remarks the conservative daily, which nonetheless acknowledges that "it is inadmissible that Italy and Malta pay the price for changes that are in all of Europe’s interest." For Die Welt, Europe should come together to invest...

Households headed by immigrants have a substantially higher rate of welfare use than native-headed households, according a report released by the Center for Immigration Studies this week. The report examined census data about the use of welfare programs – cash assistance, food assistance, housing assistance, and Medicaid – and compared usage by immigrant headed households with at least one child – those headed both by legal and illegal immigrants – with usage by native headed households with at least one child. 57 percent of immigrant headed households participate in at least one welfare program, compared to 39 percent of native...

Md. House passes bill to allow in-state tuition for illegal immigrants who meet conditionsBy Associated Press, Friday, April 8, 6:57 PM ANNAPOLIS, Md. — As many southern states pass news laws to crack down on illegal immigrants, the Maryland General Assembly on Friday moved toward allowing them to pay in-state college tuition, if they meet certain conditions. The Maryland House voted 74-66 on Friday for the measure after intense debate. The Senate already has passed similar legislation. Democratic supporters say the legislation would create opportunity for people who have lived in Maryland for years and paid state taxes. **SNIP** The...

...Census Bureau data reveals that most U.S. families headed by illegal immigrants use taxpayer-funded welfare programs on behalf of their American-born anchor babies. Even before the recession, immigrant households with children used welfare programs at consistently higher rates than natives, according to the extensive census data collected and analyzed by a nonpartisan Washington D.C. group dedicated to researching legal and illegal immigration in the U.S...The majority of households across the country benefitting from publicly-funded welfare programs are headed by immigrants, both legal and illegal. States where immigrant households with children have the highest welfare use rates are Arizona (62%), Texas,...

Welfare Use by Immigrant Households with Children: Panel to Examine New Report with Latest Data– Tue Mar 29, 7:50 am ET WASHINGTON, March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new Center for Immigration Studies report finds that, 13 years after welfare reform, the share of immigrant-headed households (legal and illegal) with a child (under age 18) using at least one welfare program continues to be very high. This is partly due to the large share of immigrants with low levels of education and their resulting low incomes – not their legal status or an unwillingness to work. The major welfare programs...

Obama rules out back-door legalization of immigrantsBy Stephen Dinan The Washington Times 5:38 p.m., Monday, March 28, 2011 President Obama said Monday that he does not have the power to suspend deportations, putting the nail in a plan some administration officials had explored that could have granted de-facto legal status to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. **SNIP** The answer came in response to a videotaped question from a girl who held up a deportation order document and asked why students were still receiving those, even though many lawmakers and Mr. Obama himself believe they should be granted legal status....

Obama: Measure students with more than testsThe Associated Press March 28, 2011 Updated: 11:13 pm WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Monday that students should take fewer standardized tests and school performance should be measured in other ways than just exam results. Too much testing makes education boring for children, he said. **SNIP** Latino students make up one in five of all students in prekindergarten through high school in the U.S. but lag far behind whites in educational attainment, with less than one in three graduating from high school, according to federal Education Department figures. Obama emphasized to his largely...

Never Forget: Arizona State Capitol, July 31st, 2010 This infantile tantrum of a protest was in reaction to passage of Arizona's SB1070- take a moment to re-aquaint yourself with the reality of what the illegals Obama can't wait to pardon/register as Dems think of our nation's proud traditions, honor, and veterans' sacrifice: sadly, not much better than the rest of the traitorous, self-hating 'progressive' Left... And yes, Snopes confirms it- the pugnacious protesters -largely illegals and tweaked hippies outraged that the democratic process produced a fair, legal, and popular result they don't particularly like- trampled and smeared toilet paper/set a toilet seat on American...

LAPD officers manning sobriety checkpoints will no longer impound cars discovered to be driven by unlicensed illegal immigrants. Yes, you read that correctly. Anyone surprised by this hasn’t been paying attention. Los Angeles Police Department officers manning sobriety checkpoints will no longer, as a matter of department policy, impound cars driven by unlicensed drivers. That is unless the unlicensed driver is a United States citizen or lawful resident, in which case he can say adios to his car for 30 days, as authorized by California law. I can see you out there shaking your heads and saying, “Wait a minute...

More than 18,000 illegal immigrants, plus 14,000 of their relatives, have gained U.S. visas under a new law since 2009 because they were victims of crime. While many immigrants may still be unaware of the U visa, word is spreading fast in some communities. The controversial rules state that if you are a victim of crime and you cooperate, or are 'helpful' with authorities, then you stand a good chance of getting a U visa. Since 2009, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has issued 18,654 and rejected 5,639 U visas — a 77 per cent approval rate....

Indiana State Sen. Mike Delph, R- Carmel not only wants to implement a Arizona style bill but wants to bar the use of any language but English in most government transactions. “We’re taking the handcuffs off of law enforcement. We’re holding employers who are thumbing their noses at the law accountable. And we’re lifting up the English language,” Delph said Friday. Opposition groups fear the bill will lead to profiling and hurting businesses in the state.
“I’m worried that the unintended consequences of what he’s doing is to put a sign on our state saying we don’t want immigrants,” said John...

Official figures to be published on Thursday will confirm that foreign immigration under Labour added more than three million to our population. At the same time nearly one million British citizens voted with their feet, some saying that they were leaving because England was no longer a country that they recognised. How could all this have happened in the teeth of public opposition? Even the Labour government’s own survey last February showed that 77 per cent of the public wanted immigration reduced, including 54 per cent of the ethnic communities, while 50 per cent of the public wanted it reduced

The number of white residents in Washington's suburbs has dropped significantly in the past decade, a shift experts say will continue to increase over the years as the population ages. Meanwhile, the number of whites has risen in the more bucolic, outlying counties and in the District, where urban renewal has attracted new generations of professionals. Although every county in the region is becoming more diverse as their minority percentages increase, the change is accompanied by fewer non-Hispanic white residents in Fairfax, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, new census data show.

Bill Brim is worried about the extra costs he said his fruit and vegetable farm in Tifton would have to absorb if state lawmakers pass tough Arizona-style laws aimed at illegal immigration in Georgia. Charles Shafer Jr., meanwhile, says the proposed laws could be a step in the right direction, so long as they are enforced here. The Lawrenceville resident said he was forced to shut down his home construction business years ago because he could not compete with others he suspected were hiring illegal immigrants. Such different views have put state lawmakers in a bind. While they want to...