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The announcement that starting Sunday, San Francisco would no longer impound the cars of drivers who do not have a driver's license - many of whom are undocumented immigrants - set off a roar of outrage in the city and beyond. It's been called a "get out of jail free pass" and "sanctuary on wheels." ... The reality is that undocumented immigrants are in double jeopardy. They are not allowed to get a driver's license - although they could in California until 1994 - but if they are stopped their car is taken away ... because they don't have a...

If this is the worst economic downturn in 60 years, why can't Michael Gardner find anyone to hire? Gardner, who has run Siegel's Clothing Superstore on Mission for 34 years, says he gets job applications, but they come with conditions. Some applicants only want to be paid under the table. Some say they don't have the time to come in for an interview. And some tell Gardner they have "things to do." "I go out on Friday nights," one told him. "So I can't come in before 2 p.m. on Saturday." Those in retail say that attitude can be typical...

<p>SONOITA, Ariz. — Ten undocumented immigrants "stacked like wood" in the back of a sports utility vehicle crammed with at least 22 people were killed when the driver lost control and rolled over on a remote southern Arizona highway, authorities said Sunday.</p>

A Marysville man was being held in the Sutter County Jail on Monday afternoon on suspicion of hit-and-run driving in connection with an accident in which a 72-year-old woman was injured, according to the Sutter County Sheriff's Department. Juan Alfonso Urbina, 23, was arrested at 12:20 p.m. Sunday, about a half-hour after a driver hit a Live Oak woman at Highway 99 and Elm Street, sending her to the hospital, Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Brenda Baker said.

In a major legal win for immigrant workers, thousands of California construction workers will start receiving checks April 15 to compensate for unpaid wages and other alleged labor violations committed during California's housing boom. The $8.5 million legal settlement benefits nearly 3,100 former and current workers for several companies that built houses in Southern California, the Central Valley, Central Coast and San Francisco East Bay. A few workers initiated the complaint in 2006 after approaching a Spanish-speaking attorney, but lawyers say the case grew into one of the biggest class-action lawsuits in California involving mostly Latino construction laborers, including some...

Exclusive: Has Illegal Immigration’s Effect on Education Become the ‘Third Rail’ of Politics? Vincent Gioia Traditionally, Social Security has been the “third rail” of politics but we now have another third rail – illegal immigration and education. Politicians step all over themselves asking for more and more money to be spent on education; ignoring the fact that money alone does not make for a good public education. Another thing we are not allowed to mention in a discussion about public education quality and costs is the impact of illegal immigration; otherwise we are labeled “racists.” The United States has the...

13 Million Illegal Immigrants Living in the United States March 8, 2009 FAIRUS.org How Many Illegal Immigrants? Illegal Immigrant Problems & Statistics FAIR estimates that in 2007 the illegal immigrant population is above 13 million persons. Government and academic estimates indicate that as of 2006 there were 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. The Center for Immigration Studies estimated the illegal immigrant population at 10 million as of November 2004. It is difficult to have an exact figure because the illegal nature of their presence prevents any enumeration, but the U.S. Census Bureau estimated 8.7...

After impassioned testimony that harked back to the civil-rights struggles of the 1960s, Utah representatives Wednesday defeated a bill that would have required undocumented students to sign an affidavit swearing they had not worked in the state. The vote was 40-34 against the measure. A bill requires 38 votes to pass. "Whatever the purpose of the bill is, the actual impact of this bill will be to narrow the opening of the schoolhouse doors," said Rep. Kay McIff, R-Richfield. He said the measure reminded him of then-Gov. George Wallace trying to block black students from enrolling in the University of...

MIAMI -- The lawyers for over 600 American born children filed a lawsuit against President Obama to suspend the deportation of their undocumented parents until there is immigration law reform. Nora Sandigo, of Nicaraguan origin, is CEO of American Fraternity, a pro immigrant organization based in Miami, filed the lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court. "Children continue to suffer by being separated from their parents because of deportations that the President may be able to suspend." Sandigo asserted. She also explained that filing this law suit is not because she or these children are against him, but to use his...

Riverside and San Bernardino counties added more Latino residents between 2000 and 2007 than all but three other U.S. counties, a new analysis of U.S. Census data found. The report, by the nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based Pew Hispanic Center, also found that most Latino population growth is now from new births. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was mostly from immigration. That means no matter what happens to the immigration rate, the Latino population of Riverside and San Bernardino counties will continue to grow steadily, reaching a majority within several years, experts say. Riverside County's Hispanic population surged 60 percent between...

What part of illegal alien is so difficult to understand? Apparently, there are those who are either too confused, too unwilling or too incapable of understanding the meaning of those simple words. Instead, they'd rather emotionalize any debate on illegal immigration with cries of racism, discrimination and an alleged lack of compassion for our fellow human beings. They choose this course rather than honestly dealing with the established fact we are a nation of laws - laws intended and necessary to preserve civility and order for our common good. I, for one, refuse to be intimidated or influenced by such...

Since Ecuador eliminated requirements for entry visas for all foreigners entering their country, growth in the arrival of Chinese from China has jumped from an average of twenty a month to over one thousand a month with goals of entering the United States illegally Saturday 12/13/08 El Universo (Guayaquil, Ecuador) 12/13/08 "Ecuador, stopping point in the traffic of undocumented Chinese" When officials entered a humble abode in the middle of Guayaquil in early August they found 28 Chinese citizens, the majority of them young women, crammed into two rooms awaiting travel to the United States in search of the American...

For months, CBS News has been following the deepening troubles of tiny Postville, Iowa, population 2,200. Now the shutdown of the town's main employer following a federal immigration raid has Postville at the point of desperation... Postville, Iowa was just decorated with holiday cheer. But looks can be deceiving. "In the last few weeks - it's really gone downhill dramatically," says Mayor Bob Penrod. With empty streets - and shuttered shops - this small town is facing economic calamity. Penrod is taking steps this weekend to declare a state of emergency here - but not a natural disaster - rather...

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office reports that at least a dozen undocumented immigrants have been detained after wandering near a US Air Force Base in southwestern Arizona Sunday. Sheriff's deputies are working with border patrol agents and DPS officers in an effort to locate five to seven more undocumented immigrants who are believed to be in the area of the Barry M. Goldwater Range about 13 miles south of Gila Bend. Two undocumented immigrants have died, likely from dehydration, according to MCSO. The range, which is active with armed military aircraft, has been shut down as authorities search for other...

Latino neighborhood slowly disappearing in central Mesa Cannot quote or excerpt so here is the link http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2008/07/29/20080729mr-neighbor0730.html

Students Must Pay To Make Up Difference In Out-Of-State Tuition. Was it a promise kept, or a promise broken? Four years ago in an auditorium at Cole Middle School, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper promised the 300-plus students in attendance that he would find a way to send each of them to college for free. Now, the first group of those students is set to graduate, and some are finding that the mayor's promise isn't adding up. The promise only pays in-state tuition, and state law requires illegal immigrants to pay out-of-state tuition. So undocumented students must make up the difference....

DOVER, N.J. - New Jersey's top federal prosecutor told a Latino group that it is a civil offense — not a crime — for immigrants to live in the country without proper documentation. In response to a question on illegal immigration at an open forum Sunday that grew heated, U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said living in the United States without immigration paperwork is "an administrative matter" that federal immigration officials are supposed to address. "Don't let people make you believe that that's a crime that the U.S. Attorney's Office should be doing something about," Christie was quoted as saying in...

A recent New York Times article examined a number of decisions by Senator John McCain that raised questions about his judgment over potential conflicts of interest. The article included reporting on Mr. McCain’s relationship with a female lobbyist whose clients often had business before the Senate committee led by Mr. McCain. Since publication of the article, The Times has received more than 2,000 comments, many of them criticizing the handling of the article. Editors and reporters who worked on the article will be answering questions on Friday. Please send yours to askthetimes@nytimes.com.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Monday decried anti-immigrant perceptions in the United States and argued that Mexican immigrants complement American workers. On his first trip to the U.S. as Mexico's president, Calderon said he is working to combat anti-Americanism in Mexico and to improve job prospects there to reduce migration. He said he hopes that Americans resist anti-Mexican sentiments. "The worst thing that happened in this country is this anti-Mexican or anti-immigrant perception of people. We need to contain this," Calderon said after a speech at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. "I need to change...

Digger’s Realm did a terrific job compiling this clip reel of open borders zealot/McCain Hispanic outreach director Juan Hernandez’s greatest hits. He considers Canada, the U.S., and Mexico “a bloc, not one nation.” He puts “Mexico first.” He doesn’t believe there are any criminals among the 12-20 million illegal aliens he thinks should be legalized. He’s been saying all of this for a long time. The McCain campaign knew what it was getting. So should Republican voters: VIDEO at michellemalkin.com

Less then a week after saying he has heard the American people regarding illegal immigration and their opposition to the McCain-Kennedy Pro-Amnesty bill, John McCain would still SIGN THE BILL into law if he was President and it came across his desk: (VIDEO) This explains his receiving the endorsement of fellow Pro-Amnestians, Senator Mel Martinez, (who almost single-handedly bankrupted the RNC with his support of the bill), the NY Times, Florida Governor Charlie Crist and of the Mexico-first pro-amnesty open borders advocate Dr. Juan Hernandez. “My friends", let me give you some “straight talk", a vote for John McCain is...

MIAMI- Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida has decided not to endorse Republican presidential hopeful Arizona Sen. John McCain. McCain was planning to campaign Monday in Miami with Martinez to help woo Hispanic voters,The Miami Herald reported Sunday. A factor in Martinez's decision to withhold his endorsement of McCain's candidacy is that he feels badly for McCain rival, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was a Martinez supporter and had expected his backing in return, the newspaper reported. McCain supporters had been told by the campaign late last week that Martinez was coming to stump with the Arizona senator. But,...

Editor’s Note: By participating in the historic Spanish-language debate on Univision, Republican candidates finally realized that they need Latino votes. But is it “too little, too late?" NAM editor Elena Shore monitors Spanish language media. The first Spanish-language Republican presidential candidate debate couldn’t have come at a better time for the GOP. Latino support for the Republican Party has dropped substantially when the Latino vote is more important than ever. The candidates’ jostling over who is tougher on immigration has alienated Latinos even further. Seven of the eight Republican presidential candidates showed up at the University of Miami Sunday with...

There is, in fact, a dime's worth of difference between the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Why, on immigration, the difference can get into real money. The Democratic candidates were sitting around a big table in a radio studio the other day participating in an altogether civil and restrained debate on National Public Radio. There were no rallying supporters in the room to rile partisan passions and agitate competitive energy. The long-form format by which only three topics were discussed, those being Iran, China and immigration, served thoughtfulness over rancor. The moderator asked the hopefuls if they believed they should...

New Iowa Leader Criticized by for Indecision on Federal Student Aid. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who backed in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants, hedged Sunday on whether illegal immigrants who have gone to school in the United States should become eligible for federal student aid such as Pell grants and subsidized federal student loans. "I'm not sure that I would support that," Huckabee told ABC News, "it was a different program in Arkansas." Huckabee's failure to take a clear position on federal student aid while appearing on ABC News' "This Week with George...

It’s been my opinion for a while that Fred Thompson could be the only top-tier major-party candidate I could comfortably support in the general election. That’s because all the other top-tier candidates have more or less an open-borders policy, which they try to conceal with fool-the-yahoos rhetoric. The latest e-mail from NumbersUSA’s Roy Beck supports my view that Thompson stands out for his immigration views: I find myself overwhelmed with a sense of thanksgiving that – after three decades as a journalist observing reckless, thoughtless federal immigration policies attack the lives of the American people – I can clearly see...

San Francisco will begin issuing municipal identification cards to illegal immigrants next year, becoming the second city in the country to create such a program in the wake of stalled immigration reform efforts in Washington. The board of supervisors Tuesday gave the final OK needed to create the ID card program, systematically legitimizing the city's estimated 40,000 illegal immigrants. The cards will be available to anyone living in the city next August and used as proof of identity when it comes to most facets of city business, from library service to police stops. Although immigrants are the prime target for...

In politics, the surest path to irrelevance and powerlessness is to be taken for granted by one party and written off by another. That's the road Latinos are on, thanks to major blunders by the Republicans campaigning for president. In June, all but California's Duncan Hunter blew off an invitation to address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. In September, a debate on Spanish-language television had to be postponed after all but Arizona Sen. John McCain refused to commit. After taking criticism for the snub, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney have committed to taking part...

<p>It's a big day for political TV ads, and in the case of Fred Thompson, he's got great timing. On the same day Rudy Giuliani releases his first TV ad, and the day Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D-N.Y.) decides to withdraw his plan to give illegal immigrants access to driver's licenses, the former Tennessee senator releases a 30-second spot called, "No Amnesty." It starts airing across Iowa today.</p>

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- At a campaign event Monday, Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson rejected the idea of allowing illegal immigrants to earn U.S. citizenship through military service. Anna Castaner, an Indianola resident, posed the question to Thompson during an event inside a coffee shop. Thompson drew applause from the crowd when he said he wouldn't support it. "They need to go back and abide by the law," Thompson said. The former U.S. senator from Tennessee said the country could have "enforcement by attrition." He called for securing the American border and stopping so-called sanctuary cities from blocking the enforcement of...

"Presionado por su propio partido, el gobernador demócrata Eliot Spitzer dijo que no ha descartado prescindir de un plan ampliamente criticado de otorgar licencias de conducir a los inmigrantes indocumentados, de acuerdo con algunos informes. La propuesta de Spitzer generó un debate político que ha repercutido en la campaña presidencial. El viernes el gobernador expresó que mantenía por ahora el plan, pero sugirió que podría considerar abandonarlo si no encuentra entusiasmo por él, reportó en su edición del sábado el diario The New York Times y otros periódicos neoyorquinos."See below for English/synopsis.

<p>The rapid escalation of the U.S. anti-immigration hysteria fueled by ratings-hungry cable-television hotheads and leading Republican presidential hopefuls is a dangerous trend: It may lead to a Hispanic intifada that may rock this nation in the not-so-distant future.</p>

The USCCB Committee on Migration sent a delegation to the U.S./Mexico border region to study the plight of unaccompanied minors and human trafficking victims. The ever-growing problems with these populations are some of the gravest and many times most overlooked symptoms of the broken and out-dated immigration system currently employed by the United States. The delegation met with a broad cross-section of agencies and individuals involved with or knowledgeable of these populations to gain critical insights and to understand their needs. The delegation also met with Church officials, government officials, community-based organization, and other with important perspectives. Programs established to...

Hillary Clinton -- and the other Democrats running for president -- couldn't possibly have assumed that they would forever skate around the issue of illegal immigration. That notion came to an end in the most recent debate, when the New York senator badly slipped over a question about her state's controversial plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens. Did she think no one would ask? Democrats had better start dealing with this. Polls show a large majority of Americans, including Democrats, opposed to illegal immigration. They also find that most Americans favor some sort of amnesty for many illegals....

October 2007 may turn out to be the month that immigration became a key issue in presidential politics. It hasn't been, at least in my lifetime. The Immigration Act of 1965, which turned out to open up America to mass immigration after four decades of restrictive laws, wasn't one of the Great Society issues Lyndon Johnson emphasized in 1964. The Immigration Act of 1986, which legalized millions of illegal immigrants but whose border and workplace provisions have never been effectively enforced, was a bipartisan measure unmentioned in the debates between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale. There was no perceptible difference...

Retired Kansas policeman Ed Hayes lives a quiet life with his wife and pet poodles in a spacious suburban home near Kansas City, far from the main front line over illegal immigration along the U.S. border with Mexico. But over the last 18 months the 66-year-old grandfather has been drawn into the battle nonetheless, becoming active on a second front. He has joined many individuals, who, with state and municipal leaders, have given up waiting for federal action and are working to control illegal immigration themselves. The issue has become a priority not only for activists like Hayes but also...

TITLE: "Mexican Consulates (in USA) Refuse to Grant Visas to Central American Undocumented Immigrants" By Paula Diaz Diaro Hoy (213-237-4582) pdiaz@hoyllc.com 11 of September, 2007 (TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH FROM SPANISH FOR FREEPERS. From the Original "Consulados de México niegan visas a centroamericanos indocumentados") Los Angeles -- The Consulates of Honduras and Guatemala have expressed their concern about the problems that face undocumented immigrants from Central America, in the United States, when they wish to try to transit back through Mexico to go back to lands of their origin and return home. The Central American diplomats said that the Consulates...

"Si se puede! Si se puede!" That's what motorists up and down Prince William Parkway heard Sunday at the pro-immigration rally and march. The rough English translation to the Spanish statement is "Yes, we can," and it was echoed over and over by the several thousand people gathered at the Sean T. Connaughton Community Plaza to protest the anti-illegal immigration resolution passed by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

City Looks To Deport Criminal Illegal Immigrants Via Program After a recent spate of violent crimes allegedly committed by illegal or suspected illegal immigrants, Nashville has asked to become one of five American cities empowered to deport its own criminal illegal immigrants.On Aug. 15, Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall—with the full support of Metro Chief of Police Ronal Serpas and District Attorney Torry Johnson—filed paperwork to take part in a little-known federal government initiative called the Delegation of Authority Program or section 287 (g) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act.The 287 (g) program gives local law enforcement agencies the “training...

PROJECT: COUNTERINTELLIGENCE SUBJECT: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION / RESPONSE ON THE U.S. LOCAL LEVEL FILE: OPPOSITION RESEARCH TRANSLATION: SPANISH to ENGLISH (w/BABELFISH) Original Spanish Title: ("Más de 40 Estados Reaccionan a la Falta de Una Reforma Inmigratoria") TEXT OF SPANISH-TO-ENGLISH TRANSLATION: "NSN.-Because of the lack of immigration reform, the state legislatures around the United States could introduce legal initiatives to discourage illegal immigration. According to a report of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL, theirabbreviations in English) 1,169 initiatives on immigrants were presented/displayed before the state legislatures until the 15 of April, which is more of than double the 570...

New Haven, CT - A program approved last month by the Board of Aldermen for the city of New Haven, Connecticut, will officially go into effect July 25, when thousands of local undocumented immigrants are issued legitimate U.S. identification cards. The program, approved by a 25-1 vote, runs contrary to a growing national trend in which localities are attempting to curb illegal immigration through punitive measures, such as arrest, deportation and exclusion from public services. The program is believed to be the first of it's kind in the nation. The ID cards will be issued in an attempt to curb...

At least 10 undocumented students from Colorado will get to attend classes at the University of New Mexico this fall, with many not having to pay for tuition or books. A new Colorado law prohibits state colleges from providing in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. In New Mexico, the state is barred from denying education benefits based on immigration status, said Terry Babbitt, director of admissions for the University of New Mexico. While New Mexico's state financial aid is intended for residents, Poudre High School counselor Isabel Thacker in Colorado found a way for her students to receive in-state tuition, plus...

An illegal immigrant has been arrested for allegedly ramming an unmarked sheriff's deputy's vehicle, causing a collision that killed a Valley mom. An investigation into Tuesday night's accident resulted in Guadalupe Perez-Borjorquez, 26, being charged with aggravated assault and second-degree homicide. Allegedly, Perez assaulted a sheriff's deputy by repeatedly ramming the deputy's car. According to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Perez was driving erratically on eastbound Durango Street near 27th Avenue around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. An undercover narcotics sheriff's detective spotted Perez driving erratically and throwing beer bottles out of his car. Detective Rob Kinnett, a 15-year veteran of the...

It’s alive! The amnesty bill that so many Americans are opposed to is being resurrected in the U.S. Senate. Proponents of the measure including President Bush are working hard at finding a way forward, and the result could be the eventual passage of this deeply flawed legislation. Over the past few weeks, we’ve taken some incoming salvos from the measure’s proponents and have had our intentions, our patriotism and even our sanity questioned by those who curiously think it’s a good idea to reward people who break the law with the very objective of their crime and think its odd...

RUSH: I was going to call in to the show on Friday and do some minor gloating and take a little credit here for the immigration bill being pulled, but right about the time I hit my third birdie on the front nine I said, "To hell with it, I'm going to keep playing golf." Besides, in all candor, it's not dead. It's still on life support. The president's going to meet with some people: Congress, GOP, probably Ted Kennedy, too, sometime tomorrow. It may even go up to the Capitol. The original meeting was supposed to be lunch at...

When I travel Idaho’s First Congressional District, one comment I always hear is, "Bill, stand firm in your position on immigration. Do not accept amnesty as a solution to the immigration problem." I have heard the message of my constituents, and I wholeheartedly agree. Amnesty is the wrong solution. Amnesty is no solution. Representing Idahoans in Washington, D.C., has strengthened my resolve. Plainly our immigration problems represent another failing of our federal government, which has not done enough to protect our borders. That is precisely the kind of government failure that I came to fight in Washington. Illegal immigration is...

Bank of America has begun quietly offering credit cards to customers in the Los Angeles are who don't have a Social Security number, The Wall Street Journal reports. Such persons are usually undocumented immigrants. The newspaper said that Bank of America, the country's second-largest bank, is offering credit cards to consumers who have had an account at the bank for three months or more, even if they do not have a credit history or Social Security number. It's the latest indication that American financial institutions are serious about doing business with the millions of undocumented immigrants who until recently have...

Lo and behold, it's still true that if negotiators with divergent views but a common goal work hard enough and long enough, they can produce a workable compromise - even on one of the nation's most contentious issues. Yesterday's breakthrough agreement on immigration reform between President Bush and a bipartisan group of senators also demonstrated the wisdom of including those with relatively extreme views along with more moderate voices. Which is not to say the compromise proposal will have an easy trip through Congress, or that it can't be improved along the way. But all the negotiators - including two...

Terror Arrests in Fort Dix Plot FORT DIX, N.J. May 8, 2007 - Six ethnic Albanians have been arrested in a plot to storm the Fort Dix installation in Burlington County. Five of the suspects were arrested in Cherry Hill. They will be arraigned later today in federal court. Officials say it will happen in either in Camden or Newark. Investigators say the suspects planned to use automatic weapons to storm the base and kill solders. The men were lured into a secret meeting to purchase AK-47s from an arms dealer, who was secretly cooperating with the FBI. Officials say...

Report says that more than $45 billion of the estimate is either in error or undocumented. The State Auditor's Office this morning released a report challenging the validity of almost half of a purported $86 billion shortfall in Texas transportation funding over the next generation, and cautioning that the gap estimate "may not be reliable for making policy or funding decisions." That $86 billion figure has been cited repeatedly by Texas Department of Transportation officials and some legislators as a major reason for the state's increasing need for new toll roads. The number is a compilation of estimates from local...