Free Republic

A bill that would close an IRS tax credit loophole that allows the IRS to funnel over $4 billion to illegal immigrants is being held up by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV). Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, has been vocal in his disdain for the blatant misuse of taxpayer monies: I’m disappointed that the Majority Leader objected to our effort today to prevent billions in tax credits from being wrongly sent to illegal immigrants claiming they have dependents, many of whom do not live in...

MONTGOMERY, Ala -- A group of clergy leaders is airing a TV commercial that speaks out against Alabama's crackdown on illegal immigration.

Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith is threatening to hold Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in contempt of Congress if officials don't provide subpoenaed information by tomorrow. According to Smith, DHS hasn't sufficiently answered the House Judiciary Committee's November subpoena asking for the names and identifying information of the estimated 300,000 people who were flagged by the immigration-status checking program Secure Communities but were released and not placed in deportation proceedings. [Read: DHS Task Force Puts 'Secure Communities' at Risk.] And if the department doesn't fork over the requested information by Friday, Smith plans to hold a vote in the committee,...

PROVIDENCE — Governor Chafee was already on record as favoring a softer approach when it comes to checking the immigration status of new employees, and he was on record as supporting in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants. But driver’s permits for people here illegally? He didn’t say he supports the idea, but he did say this week that he’s looking into it, and in doing so, he touched off a firestorm on talk radio and the Internet. People called the idea an insult and called him out of touch for wanting to “reward people who had broken the law.” Some...

Federal immigration officials say they will not deport immigrants pursuing legitimate civil rights claims, a move hailed by advocates as a way to protect a vulnerable population while critics say it encourages abuses. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a memo Friday that “absent special circumstances,” it is against the agency’s policy to deport immigrants in the midst of a legitimate effort to protect their civil rights. ICE officials said the memos were designed to provide guidance on exercising appropriate discretion.

A Frederick man is charged with wielding a 3-foot-long sword as he walked down a city sidewalk, telling frightened witnesses he intended to kill two people he said attacked him. Orlando DeJesus Martinez-Navas, 30, is charged with carrying a dangerous weapon with intent to injure and concealing a dangerous weapon. He is also being held on a warrant for a failure to appear from January 2009 on charges of driving without a license. snip Martinez-Navas is being held at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center in lieu of two separate bails totaling $7,600. He also has an immigration detainer, according...

The Anti-Defamation League, Mexico and the governments of several Central and South American countries filed court papers Wednesday in support of efforts to halt Georgia’s tough new immigration enforcement law. The other countries joining on the side of those seeking a preliminary injunction in the case include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru. The American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law Center and several other civil and immigrant rights groups filed a federal class-action lawsuit against Georgia's law this month and are now asking a judge to halt the measure pending the...

A Mexican national who has been deported five times after illegally entering the United States was caught in his south Minneapolis home with a semi-automatic pistol, dozens of rounds of ammunition, several pounds of marijuana and other illicit drugs, according to charges filed Thursday.Joaquin Bravo Flores, 25, is charged in federal court with being an "illegal alien in possession of a firearm."Flores' deportations came in two instances of rapid succession: on Jan. 14 and 16 in 2000, and on Nov. 5, 7 and 8 of 2003, according to the indictment.In October 2005, nearly two years after his most recent deportation,...

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The mother of a Bellingham woman, raped by an illegal immigrant, says her daughter's attack should never have happened. KING 5 is not identifying the mother to protect her daughter. "When I heard about what happened my brain didn't know how to react," she said. "This man is the lowest scum on the earth." Hector Salinas, 38, was convicted of raping the 58-year-old disabled homeless woman in a Bellingham park in 2008. Salinas was in the U.S. from Mexico illegally. KING 5 uncovered last week that Salinas has been convicted with several violent crimes in the past,...

MSNBC News Flash: Arizona Law 'Makes it a Crime to be Illegal Immigrant' By Kyle Drennen Created 04/26/2010 - 16:53 Contessa Brewer, MSNBC During the Monday 12PM ET hour of live coverage on MSNBC, anchor Contessa Brewer described the "firestorm" over a newly passed immigration law in Arizona and fretted: "does this lead to a situation where neighbors are turning in neighbors or families turning against families?" Later in the segment, a headline on screen read: "Law Makes it a Crime to be Illegal Immigrant." Brewer discussed the issue with Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and wondered: "Is this an effective...

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department over allegations of discriminatory practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures.... In February, four Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate possible civil rights violations based on complaints that Arpaio's deputies are targeting people based on their skin color during neighborhood crime sweeps and raids at work sites....