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02-28-2008
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39368&dcn=e_hsw
House panel urges faster
deportation of jailed illegal immigrants
By Chris Strohm,
CongressDaily
In their first budget
hearing of this year, members of the House Homeland Security
Appropriations Subcommittee Tuesday demanded that the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement bureau give much higher priority to the deportation
of criminal illegal immigrants held in U.S. jails and behaving more
humanely in conducting operations. House Homeland Security
Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Price, D-N.C., and ranking
member Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said ICE faces difficulty identifying all
illegal immigrants among the millions of people held in about 5,000
federal, state and local jails across the country.
www.Fairus.org
., February 25, 2008
Homeland Security and Justice Dept. Annonce Initiatives to Improve
Border Security
At a joint news conference on Friday, Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff and Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, announced the
federal government is undertaking several new initiatives to improve
border security. First Secretary Chertoff announced that
a twenty-eight mile virtual fence using
radar and surveillance cameras has been approved for use along the
border near Nogales, Arizona. The virtual fence employs 98-foot
surveillance towers equipped with radar, sensors and cameras capable of
discerning whether border crossers are persons or animals from a
distance of 10 miles. (Washington Post (February 22, 2008) The
virtual fence, built by Boeing as part of a $20 million project, was
scheduled for completion in 21007, but ran into delays when some of the
technology failed to operate as planned. (and acc. to an earlier FAIR
article, because of lack of supervision from the government) Commenting
on the deployment of gthe virtual fence, Chertoff stated, "I have
personally witnessed the value of the system, and I have spoken directly
to the Border Patrol agents ...who have seen it produce actual results"
(*Reuters, Feruary 22, 2008)
Limits to the 'Virtual Fence' Boeing's project won't expand, but the
quest for electronic border surveillance goes on
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/feb2008/db20080224_162462.htm
. . .Senators Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) did so
during their Feb. 21 debate in Texas. Immigration will be a significant
issue for Texas voters in a Mar. 4 primary. Both Democrats have voted in
favor of hundreds of miles of physical fencing along the Mexico border.
In the Austin debate, however, both emphasized the kind of innovation
that Project 28 represented. "Let's deploy more technology and
personnel, instead of the physical barrier," said Clinton. "I frankly
think that will work better."
. . . Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), once a prime architect of
comprehensive immigration reform, has for weeks urged securing the
border first through a mix of physical and technological barriers.
Two
on 'terrorist watch list' turned over to the FBI (caught at Arizona
border)
Nogales International ^
| 2-26-08 | JB Miller
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2008/02/26/news/news8.txt
Two men on the "national terrorist watch list" have been turned over to
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) following a routine traffic
stop, according to Patagonia Police Chief Ed Dobbertin.
Dobbertin said that on Feb. 12, between 9-9:30 a.m., he was patrolling
State Route 82 near milepost 28 when he pulled over a car for a traffic
violation.
http://www.jobdestruction.com/NewsArchive/2008-02-18 H-1Bs and illegal
immigration.htm
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION
NEWSLETTER No. 1821 -- 2/18/2008 >>>>>
So just how hard is it for someone to come to the U.S. on an H-1B visa
and
then stay here after the visa goes out of status? The correct answer is:
not difficult at all! It may be even easier than walking across
our porous border.
Speaking of our border, it seems that whenever there is talk about
illegal immigration, the center of the conversation is always on
Mexico, or in rare cases Canada. There are
other ways of coming here illegally, like for
instance coming as a student, tourist, or H-1B from Asia and then
overstaying the visa.
H-1B visas typically last three years and can have an extension of an
additional three years. During that time period the visa holder must be
employed or the visa goes out of status. If the foreign worker stays
until the visa expires, or loses his job, he is required to voluntarily
self deport. Some decide not to stay here illegally instead of going
back. Our government has no way of knowing if the H-1B left the country
because nobody tracks where H-1Bs are once they enter the U.S. or
whether they ever leave. In a legal sense, these visa
overstayers are just as illegal as the
aliens who sneak across our border.
Nobody knows how often H-1B visa holders overstay but there is an
estimated 400,000 Indians here illegally, and there are plenty more that
want to come:
"America is a very attractive country; everybody who comes here
wants to stay," said Shah Peerally, a
Silicon Valley immigration
lawyer. "I can tell you right now, there are nearly 1 billion
people in India, of which maybe 800 million want to come here."
02-22-2008
* * * * *
Notice of
next meeting: March 13, 2008 at 7:-00 p.m. at Farmers Branch Recreation
Center, Pecan Room. 14050 Heartside Place,
Dallas, Texas 75234. Mapsco 13K
Speaker: Tina Tucker,
Acting Field Director from ICE. You won't want to miss this!
* * * * *
Barack Obama: I will repair our relationship with Mexico
06:21 AM CST on Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Under George W. Bush, the
United States has not lived up to its historic role as a leader in the
Western Hemisphere. As president, I will restore that leadership by
working to advance the common prosperity and security of all of the
people of the Americas. That work must begin with a renewed strategic
partnership with Mexico.
Starting my first year
in office, I will convene annual meetings with Mr. Calderon and the
prime minister of Canada. Unlike similar summits under President Bush,
these will be conducted with a level of transparency that represents the
close ties among our three countries. (Sounds like the Security
and Prosperity Agreement) We will seek the active and open
involvement of citizens, labor, the private sector and non-governmental
organizations in setting the agenda and making progress.(This could be
an improvement??) ....To reduce illegal immigration, we also have to
help Mexico develop its own economy, so that more Mexicans can live
their dreams south of the border...
that's why I'll increase foreign assistance, including micro-financing
for businesses in Mexico.
Education, Health Care
issues addressed at conference among challenges discussed at Dallas
Conference on Illegal Immigration
Posted on: Friday, 22
February 2008, --SOME 200 PEOPLE -- including the Dallas schools
superintendent and Parkland Memorial Hospital officials -- turned out
Thursday for a frank and detailed discussion on illegal immigration and
some of the challenges the city faces. ...
The conference -- Nation
of Immigrants: 21st Century Challenges -- was sponsored by the Dallas
chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women and included diverse
sessions on medical care, legal and civil rights, and education in
Dallas and the state.
THE CONFERENCE
ENDED WITH STRATEGY SESSIONS THAT INCLUDED A POSSIBLE FOCUS FOR A
DALLAS OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS --which participants
suggested could include education on "the benefit of hybridization of
cultures"; legal services; and a venue that's a "trusted souce of
information".
Please call
Mayor Leppert's office to say that we
STILL DON'T WANT a Office of Immigrant Affairs. You can reach him at
214-670-4054, email him at
tom.leppert@dallascityhall.com
or write him at The Honorable Tom Leppert, 1500 Marilla St. 5EN, Dallas,
Texas 75201. No taxpayer
funds for this, please.
Obama, Clinton Back Off Border-Fence Law
(CNSNews.com) - Democratic presidential candidates
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton agreed Thursday night that the Secure
Border Fence Act of 2006, which directs the secretary of Homeland
Security to construct 700 miles of double border fencing along specific
sections of the U.S.-Mexico border, should not be enforced as written...
Feds Should Give Texas More to Pay for Illegals, Says Clinton
(CNSNews.com) - Arguing that "we need a path to legalization" for
illegal aliens to bring them "out of the shadows," Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said the federal government
should provide more "help" to communities in Texas to cover the health
care, education and law enforcement costs incurred by illegal aliens...
DHS and Labor want to
revamp program for hiring temporary farm workers
By
Katherine McIntire Peters
kpeters@govexec.com February
15, 2008
Last week, the
Homeland Security and Labor Departments proposed modifying
the rules for hiring temporary and seasonal agriculture laborers in
hopes that more farmers will participate in the little-used H-2A visa
program. It was intended to provide an adequate stream of legal workers,
but the program is so cumbersome and fraught with delays that few
farmers actually participate.
Under the program, Labor
issues the certifications and oversees compliance with labor laws;
Homeland
Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services
adjudicates petitions; and the State Department issues the visas to
workers at consulates overseas.
Out of a workforce of 1.2
million, employers sought to hire only about 75,000 workers through the
program in 2007. Federal officials estimate that between 600,000 and
800,000 farm workers are in the country illegally.
"There are simply not
enough U.S. workers to fill the hundreds of thousands of agricultural
jobs that are available in this country," said Labor Secretary
Elaine Chao at a briefing for reporters with Homeland
Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Agriculture Deputy Secretary
Chuck Conner.
"As we have ratcheted up
[immigration] enforcement at the border and in the interior, we have
increasingly heard complaints and cries for help from the agriculture
sector," Chertoff said. The labor shortage was so severe last year that
some states were forced to use prison labor to harvest crops.
Homeland Security
will "continue to turn the screws on illegal immigration," Chertoff
said. "But at the same time, business, agriculture and the well-being of
all of our citizens demands that we find a way to satisfy labor needs
that are not otherwise being satisfied through a path that is legal,
that protects the workers and protects the employers, and that is
efficient so that people in fact want to use it."
02-17-2008
Ease of Immigration Background Checks a Bad
Idea
By Michael Cutler
Family Security Matters,February 14, 2008
. . .
Let me clarify the terminology being used. With regard to the term
'alien,' open borders advocates have done everything in their power to
remove this legal term from the lexicon in an effort to obfuscate the
issues. The term 'background check' also needs to be explored a bit.
When bureaucrats talk about conducting 'background checks' of aliens
seeking an immigration benefit, what they are talking about is simply
running the name on the application through a series of databases. If
the name comes back as 'no record' or 'no hit,' and if the fingerprints
similarly come back as a 'no hit,' then the agency (USCIS) will make the
presumption that the alien poses no threat to national security. Why is
this system foolish? If a terrorist provides a false he would be able to
easily acquire lawful status in our country under this false identity.
A 'background investigation,' on the other hand, requires that
investigators conduct field investigations. They knock on doors and
interview neighbors and people on the job where the alien claims to
work. This effort, as you might expect, is far more rigorous and is far
more time consuming. (This is the way that my security clearance was
renewed every five years.)
Now it appears that the fingerprint requirement is going to be ignored
while the applications are being processed. Perhaps the Department of
Homeland Security should be renamed the 'Department of Homeland
Surrender.'
. . .
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/homeland.php?id=1386611
A
real leader, like Tancredo, doesn't pussyfoot around!
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-104007.html
Border Patrol finds decapitation wire where ATVs patrol
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080214-1103-bn14wiretrap.html
By Greg Gross
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM
11:03 a.m. February 14, 2008
SAN DIEGO – The Border Patrol says assaults against its agents in San
Diego County have taken a dramatic upturn since last fall, including one
attempt to set a booby trap that could decapitate agents riding
all-terrain vehicles. Agents last Saturday night found a thick wire
stretched across a dirt road they use to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border,
attached at one end to a secondary border fence and running through a
hole in the main fence several yards away. When pulled taut, the wire
stretched about four feet over the ground – roughly at the level of an
agent's neck.
BORDER TRIP WIRES TO CUT OFF YOUR HEAD
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6qx0yZABPQ
More illegal immigrants are rushing
to file taxes
Many view move as way to help case
for residency
02-13-2008
Paper: scaled-down immigration plan in the works
By Eunice Moscoso |
Monday, February 11, 2008, 02:19 PM
House Democrats are crafting a “scaled-down” immigration reform measure
despite the political minefields that surround the issue, the Roll Call
newspaper reported Monday.
It says that Hispanic members — including Rep. Joe Baca — are seeking
five-year visas for illegal immigrants who pay fines and pass criminal
background checks. Baca, a California Democrat chairs the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus.
Baca said the prospects for a compromise package were discussed in
high-level meetings that included Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democratic
Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who chairs a key
immigration subcommittee, Roll Call said.
The paper added: “It’s unclear if the behind-the-scenes discussions will
actually result in a bill coming to the floor, but Democrats say drafts
of legislation already have been written and are being vetted behind the
scenes
Border fence no answer
to illegal immigration, Perry says
http://www.star-telegram.com:80/local/story/468349.html
DALLAS -- Gov. Rick Perry told members of an
influential Hispanic organization on Monday that building a fence down
the entire length of the Texas-Mexico border, from El Paso to
Brownsville, is "absolutely not the answer" to solving the immigration
problem.
It's
the Economy, Amigo
Mexico's President talks about migration and reform.
Feb 12
2008
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120277689345260743.html
According
to Dallas Mayor Leppert's office, Calderon is not supposed to come to
Dallas in Feb.,
but has been invited to
visit in April. - Jean -
Sheriff's hopefuls
want jail to check for illegal immigrants
Dallas County: Most
from GOP say jail could detect suspects who are in country illegally
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/local/stories/DN-sheriffimmig_12met.ART.State.Edition1.458780c.html
More immigrants to get
green cards before full review
By Marisa Taylor
The McClatchy Newspapers, February
11, 2007
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/02/10/immig_0211.html
This book will be
good to read before OK State Senator Randy Brogdon speaks to us in
April.
DEADLINE FOR
ORDERING:
February 18th.
CFIR is
offering Jerome Corsi's book,
The Late Great
USA - The Coming Merger with Mexico and Canada
for $12.50. The price is $25.95 in the bookstores.
If you would like to purchase a copy, to be picked up at our meeting on
March 13th, please send your check to CFIR - PO Box 25151, Dallas TX
75225-1151. For further information, please call Lorene at 214.352.9018
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