http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/otm/ en-us Sat, 7 Jun 2008 00:14:58 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027392/posts LA JOYA, Texas — Local police are accustomed to dealing with illegal border crossings, but they were astounded by the video of 15 Chinese immigrants unfolding themselves from the back of a red Suburban near this small border town. The vehicle appeared abandoned when police rolled up early on a recent Saturday morning. But when Border Patrol agents arrived and swung open the double rear doors, the Chinese immigrants tumbled out, squinting in the sunlight. "They were in bad shape," said La Joya Police spokesman Joe Cantu. The immigrants were silent, able to communicate only with hand gestures. One man... Houston Chronicle/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027392/posts#comment Sat, 7 Jun 2008 00:14:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1878805/posts There's good news, bad news and worse news on the immigration issue. The good news is that Congress and the White House are moving forward with prudent steps, gaining control of the border, securing the homeland against terrorism and reasserting American sovereignty. The bad news is that, in the past four decades, we've lost a lot of time fighting off the open-borders advocates and the anti-Western multiculturalists. Even as we now seek elementary homeland security measures - so that we can be safe in a world awash with jihadists, narcotraffickers and weapons-of-mass-destruction peddlers - we must first undo the grievous... NewsDay http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1878805/posts#comment Thu, 9 Aug 2007 18:16:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1876633/posts DALLAS – After about 400 foreign nationals – most of them Middle Eastern, half living illegally in the United States – took advantage of a loophole in Texas driver's license requirements from 2003 to 2005. It took the Texas Department of Public Safety more than a year to cancel the licenses, a newspaper reports. The agency says that because of questions as to whether the department had the right to invalidate the licenses and an e-mail miscommunication, it wasn't until May of this year that the licenses were canceled. Since the abuse, DPS has changed its driver's license requirements. "The... Killeen Daily Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1876633/posts#comment Sun, 5 Aug 2007 13:40:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1843368/posts Amid all of the xenophobia and nativism surrounding the immigration debate, there is a real security concern. In the language of the bureaucracy, the problem is referred to as the "OTMs," or Other Than Mexicans. Thousands of non-Mexicans are caught crossing the United States border every year. They cannot be sent back to Mexico, but must be deported to their home country. Until recently, most were given a deportation hearing date and then simply released. Not surprisingly, few showed up for their scheduled appearances. Beginning last year, however, most who are caught are put into detention. They are then put... International Herald Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1843368/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jun 2007 22:37:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1832724/posts Let's see if we have this straight. 1 — Six terrorists right here on U.S. soil plot to kill American soldiers. Those are the charges. 2 — Thankfully, they were nabbed by the FBI in a sting operation. 3 — Three of the alleged terrorists are illegal aliens. Nonetheless, we cannot treat any of the six as enemy combatants. We must go through the criminal justice system, the same system that is available to a masked bandit who knocks off a 7-Eleven.  By any standard, that is nothing short of outrageous. Late Wednesday, this column pointed out that no one... Renew America http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1832724/posts#comment Sun, 13 May 2007 04:45:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1759814/posts COLUMBUS, N.M. - On Sept. 5, a man calling himself Miguel Alfonso Salinas was apprehended off a deserted highway near the U.S.-Mexico border. The tinted windows on Alfonso Salinas' vehicle aroused the suspicion of Border Patrol agents patrolling a dark and desolate stretch of Highway 9, which runs parallel to the border and is the site of large numbers of illegal crossings. The agents discovered three Mexican migrants in the vehicle with Alfonso Salinas. But what they discovered several days later made a far greater impression. Alfonso Salinas was not who he seemed, according to U.S. Department of Justice and... Inland Daily Bulletin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1759814/posts#comment Fri, 29 Dec 2006 13:34:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1716916/posts Several legal advocacy groups asked a judge to order the immediate release of four immigrants who have been detained for months or years without receiving a hearing on why they're being held so long. The motion filed Friday in federal court in Los Angeles asks U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter to release the detainees under conditions of supervision or grant them hearings. The move followed a class-action lawsuit filed Sept. 25 on behalf of six detainees by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project and the Stanford Law School Immigrants' Rights Clinic. Two detainees... AP on Bakersfield Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1716916/posts#comment Tue, 10 Oct 2006 16:51:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1706747/posts From yesterday's (9/21/2006) Press Briefing by Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff: Last November, we announced our moving forward on the Secure Border Initiative, and we laid down a number of milestones and a number of different elements to the strategy. The elements included additional personnel, additional tactical infrastructure, ending "catch and release," which was that pernicious policy that allowed people who got caught at the border to be released into the community, and very importantly using some of the proven tools that we have developed over the years for interdiction in the context of border control. And therefore, we... Department of Homeland Security http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1706747/posts#comment Sat, 23 Sep 2006 03:05:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1688990/posts WASHINGTON – Nearly all non-Mexican illegal immigrants caught sneaking into the United States are being held until they can be returned to their home countries, the Bush administration said Wednesday. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said this marks the end of the “catch-and-release” practice that for years helped many illegal immigrants stay in the United States unhindered. “There is a real deterrent effect to this policy,” Chertoff told reporters in Washington, pointing to a 20,000 drop in the number of illegal immigrants caught crossing the southwest border between this summer and the same period last year. “Although we're not ready... ap on San Diego Union - Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1688990/posts#comment Thu, 24 Aug 2006 02:08:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1687391/posts Almost half of the illegal aliens arriving in the U.S. from terrorist-sponsoring or "special interest" nations in the past few years have been released into the American population following their apprehension. This key finding is published in an internal audit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) obtained by Cybercast News Service . The so-called "catch and release" policies have allowed more than 45,000 illegal aliens from countries that are well known for their anti-American views or considered "hotbeds of Islamic fundamentalism" to be freed. U.S. Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), in conversations with sheriffs operating along the Texas-Mexico border, learned... Cybercast News Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1687391/posts#comment Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:33:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1684126/posts HIDALGO An Afghan man remained in federal custody in the Valley Monday after being caught illegally entering the country. U.S. Border Patrol officials told Action 4 News that the 30-year-old man was captured around 3:00 p.m. Friday about 1 mile east of the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge. As he swam across the Rio Grande, he was quickly apprehended by agents without incident, authorities said. Because it is an ongoing investigation, Border Patrol refused to say much about the man other than that he was being detained and questioned by its agency and the FBI on charges of entering the country illegally.... KGBT4.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1684126/posts#comment Tue, 15 Aug 2006 18:43:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1663825/posts 2-year contract OK'd to operate $50 million detention facility RAYMONDVILLE - Willacy County commissioners entered into a contract with a company through which the federal government could pay the county as much as $13 million a year to house 2,300 illegal immigrants, records show. Late Thursday, commissioners entered into the contract with Management Training Corp. to operate a new $50 million detention center that's part of a national crackdown on illegal immigration. "It will bring economic development to the Willacy County," Commissioner Emilio Vera said Monday. As part of a two-year contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the... http://www.valleystar.com/articles/2006/07/11/local_news/local_news2.txt http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1663825/posts#comment Tue, 11 Jul 2006 18:43:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1645814/posts WASHINGTON — Texas lawmakers filed a bill Wednesday that would overturn a longstanding court injunction and make it easier to deport undocumented immigrants from El Salvador and other countries who qualify for temporary protected status under federal law. The legislation would close a legal loophole under which criminals, including members of a violent Salvadoran gang, have been allowed to stay in the United States pending court hearings, the bill's sponsors said. “We must not allow terrorists and criminals from around the world to abuse loopholes in our legal system, turning our Southwest border into a revolving door,” said Rep. Henry... Express-News Washington Bureau http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1645814/posts#comment Thu, 8 Jun 2006 20:34:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1628049/posts Men claim to be Christians who are persecuted BROWNSVILLE - Three Iraqi men who say they are persecuted Christians and are seeking asylum were sentenced Friday to the maximum six months in prison after being caught sneaking into Texas. Border Patrol agents arrested Ammar Habib Zaya, Aamr Bahnan Boles and Remon Manssor Piuz on April 29 near the Los Indios international bridge near Harlingen, federal court records show. The men, ranging in age from 20 to 25, pleaded guilty Monday to illegal entry, crossing the border from Mexico. Defense attorney Humberto Yzaguirre has said the men were interviewed by federal... Corpus Christi Caller-Times/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1628049/posts#comment Sun, 7 May 2006 02:13:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1607297/posts As more non-Mexicans cross border, agency changes release rules PEARSALL, Texas – Except for the 10-foot-high security fence topped with barbed wire and the concrete barriers at the front door, the institutional gray complex in a former farm field along Interstate 35 could pass for a new high school. It's not. To immigration officials, South Texas Detention Center is simply a part of the nation's effort to efficiently detain illegal immigrants pending deportation. To critics, it's a prison by another name and an example of increasing erosion of civil rights for immigrants. At the heart of the debate is the... The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1607297/posts#comment Sat, 1 Apr 2006 06:07:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1601429/posts EDINBURG - A new program to strengthen border security is changing the face of illegal immigration in the Rio Grande Valley, according to the Border Patrol. NEWSCHANNEL 5, KRGV-TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1601429/posts#comment Thu, 23 Mar 2006 05:56:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1593943/posts WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to force the Homeland Security Department to end its "catch-and-release" practice for non-Mexican foreigners captured near the U.S. southern border - a policy that has allowed thousands of illegal immigrants to disappear once in the country. Instead of releasing the foreigners and ordering them to appear in court later, as has been the practice, the department would have to detain the illegal immigrants until they could be returned to their home countries. The Judiciary Committee added the detain-and-deport mandate to a sweeping bill to rewrite the nation's immigration laws. Supporters said it... Laredo Morning Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1593943/posts#comment Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:16:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1573089/posts The Homeland Security Department plans to stop releasing illegal immigrants into the United States by October, a senior official said Friday. Greg Giddens, program manager for the department's Secure Border Initiative, told Government Executive he has been asked to end the "catch and release" practice by then. A lack of detention bed space has forced the department to release non-Mexican illegal immigrants into the country if they do not have felony convictions and do not pose a threat to national security. Although these illegal immigrants are given a notice to appear in court for deportation proceedings, most never show up... govexec.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1573089/posts#comment Mon, 6 Feb 2006 23:45:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1567645/posts Down on the border By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW ...Mexican human smuggling organizations can charge individuals from Middle Eastern countries $25,000 for safe passage into the United States. And none of these troublemakers are the good guys -- members of al-Qaida, MS-13s, OTMs and SIAs all have shady intent. The threat to our national security and way of life is real and the threat is urgent. It is out there, somewhere in the heartland. What happens at the border never stays at the border. And it may very well be coming to a neighborhood near you... Tribune-Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1567645/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jan 2006 01:54:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1567336/posts Down on the border By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, January 29, 2006 If you ever happen to tag along with the Border Patrol after dark along the El Paso County, Texas, line and Mexico, be proficient in acronyms. And bring your night-vision paraphernalia. Because once you are at the border, you are briefed about OTMs, MS-13s and SIAs. And you're warned that no lights are allowed since it sort of draws unwanted attention from the federales, armed men with anger issues. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1567336/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jan 2006 15:05:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1563167/posts Border wars: Laughable demands Monday, January 23, 2006 Officials in Mexico and Central America are incensed that the United States would have the temerity to propose tougher border enforcement that includes sending illegals back whence they came. Diplomats are demanding -- demanding, mind you -- that Uncle Sam approve guest-worker programs pronto and legalize undocumented migrants. "Migrants, regardless of their migratory status, should not be treated like criminals," according to a joint statement. But they are criminals when they illegally cross borders and flout U.S. immigration laws. ZIP code where you park at night. Do you currently have auto insurance?... The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1563167/posts#comment Mon, 23 Jan 2006 13:20:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1528437/posts Photo shows a rescued alien being attended to by rescue personnel. Photo of an alien being assisted by ICE to a helicopter following a boat capsizing. 5 DOMINICANS SENTENCED TO 73 YEARS IN PRISON FOLLOWING AN ICE HUMAN SMUGGLING INVESTIGATION SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that five Dominicans convicted for human smuggling were sentenced here yesterday by a federal judge to 73 years in prison. Leonardo Hilario-Hilario, Kennedi Martinez, Fernando Jose-Milan, Delgadino Peguero and Santiago Rodriguez were indicted on Dec. 8, 2004 for alien smuggling following an ICE investigation that revealed that the men... ICE! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1528437/posts#comment Fri, 25 Nov 2005 18:13:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1526738/posts ICE ARRESTS 26 FUGITIVE ALIENS IN 5-STATE AREA DURING WEEK-LONG OPERATION CHICAGO-A fugitive from Guatemala who was found in possession of a rifle and a shotgun is one of 26 fugitive aliens arrested following a week-long operation conducted by U.S Immigration and Customs (ICE) officers in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kansas and Missouri. Officers from ICE's Chicago Fugitive Operations Team arrested Angel Castro-Vasquez, 38, at his residence in Carthage, Mo., last Monday. ICE had information that Castro-Vasquez had obtained a hunting license and might be in possession of a firearm. It is a federal crime for an... ICE! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1526738/posts#comment Tue, 22 Nov 2005 15:39:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1525643/posts 330 HONDURANS DEPORTED FROM EL PASO LAST WEEK The new Southwest Border Initiative aims to quickly return illegal aliens to their home countries ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers here last week deported 330 illegal aliens from Honduras under a new program called the Secure Border Initiative (SBI). ICE officers in Albuquerque coordinated deporting 110 Hondurans each day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week. The Secure Border Initiative is a two-month-old program recently announced by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. One aspect of SBI allows ICE to quickly remove “other than Mexican” (OTM) illegal... ICE! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1525643/posts#comment Sun, 20 Nov 2005 17:51:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1523836/posts PRESIDIO COUNTY – Seven Guatemalan nationals were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents on Wednesday, and each given summons to appear before a Federal Immigration Court in El Paso, date to be determined. Four of the nationals were in Presidio, three were in Marfa, said Marfa Border Patrol Sector Public Affairs Officer Bill Brooks. “In accordance to U.S. law, we had to release them on their own recognizance,” Brooks said. “If they were criminals, we would have kept them.” Unlike Mexican nationals, the Guatemalans are considered OTM’s, or Other than Mexicans according to U.S. Immigration laws. With a... Big Bend Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1523836/posts#comment Thu, 17 Nov 2005 16:01:08 GMT