VoteKansas.org

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Republican leaders today said the federal government should be sending Alabama accolades and thank you notes instead of lawsuits for trying to addressing the problem of illegal immigration

"President Obama should be sending the state of Alabama, the state of Georgia, the state of Arizona and every other state that is proactive on illegal aliens a thank you note. Congress should be sending those states thank you notes for helping the federal government do a job that the federal government has been derelict in doing," said U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville
"Instead, this president and this judiciary department is sending a lawsuit. That is the exact wrong thing. That is encouraging illegal conduct," Brooks said.

Brooks, Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead and Rep. John Merrill , R-Tuscaloosa, said held a press conference this morning to praise Alabama's sweeping and controversial immigration law. While they applauded the law, nearly a several members of Congress are scheduled to speak in Birmingham tonight to rally for the law's repeal.

Topics: illegal immigration, Alabama, US Immigration, ICE, DHS, Rep. Mo Brooks

SIERRA VISTA — While many federal officials claim the American border with Mexico is safe, a retired U.S. Border Patrol Supervisory Agent vehemently disagrees.

“It’s more dangerous than I’ve every seen it during my 26 years in the Border Patrol,” Zach Taylor said Sunday afternoon.

Speaking to more than 40 people at the Cochise County Building in Sierra Vista at an event arranged by the Cochise County Republican Committee, Taylor said the Border Patrol, which is now under the Department of Homeland Security and not under the Department of Justice as it was prior to 9/11, has become more of a political tool for those who do not seem to be willing to address border issues as a law enforcement matter, he said.

One of the founders of the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers, he said agents of the former organization he served are being denied the right to do their jobs in as federal law enforcement agents.

Topics: Illegal immigration, U.S.-Mexico border, drug cartels, U.S. Border Patrol, border violence

Unemployment rates have fallen in Alabama amid new legal pressure on companies to comply with a popular immigration reform law.

September was the first full month that the reform was in force, and the unemployment rate fell from 9.8 percent in September to 9.3 percent in October, according to a Nov. 18 report from the state government.

The rates fell from 9.9 percent to 9 percent in Etowah County, from 8.8 percent to 8.1 percent in Marshall county, and from 11.6 percent to 10.6 percent in DeKalb county.

“The latest fall in unemployment numbers is proof that American citizens will work, and continues to solidify [the evidence] that self-deportation [by illegal immigrants] due to the Alabama Taxpayer & Citizen’s Protection Act is occurring,” said Chuck Ellis, a city council member in Albertville — the main town in Marshall County, northern Alabama.
Topics: illegal immigration, Alabama, DOJ,ICE

The conviction and life sentence of a day laborer who brutally murdered a Morristown boy in 2001 has been upheld by a state appellate panel, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi announced Thursday.

Public defenders for Porfirio Jimenez, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, had tried to overturn the conviction by challenging details surrounding a search warrant and testimony of an expert witness.

“In summary, we find none of the arguments raised by defendant to be sufficient to warrant reversal and a new trial,” stated the decision by appellate Judges Edith Payne, Marie Simonelli and Margaret Hayden.

Topics: illegal immigration, Morristown NJ, US/Mexico Border

Discretion urged with immigrantsU.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., urged a standing-room-only crowd Sunday to unite in fighting against South Carolina’s new immigration law during a community forum to raise awareness on the issue. 

While in Charleston, the Chicago-area congressman heard community testimony putting down the state’s immigration law, which was scheduled to take effect in January.

One such testimony came from Elizabeth Davis Rios, a white woman and U.S. citizen who said her Hispanic husband has been stopped by police for alleged traffic violations that led to his being considered for deportation.

“We all need to band together and do whatever we can. That way, the government cannot continue to separate families,” Rios said.

The law is now subject to a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit fueled by questions pertaining to its constitutionality.

Topics: illegal immigration, US Rep Luis Guttierrez, US Justice Dept, South Carolina, ICE

"I have learned to live with trash," said fifth-generation Arizona rancher Jim Chilton.

He saw his once-beautiful ranch, just a few miles from the border with Mexico, is now dotted with clusters of crushed trees and cactus, whole hillsides have been turned into charred eyesores, years worth of his award-winning conservation projects obliterated -- and the whole thing is littered with trash, tons and tons of trash. And some of the trash was dead bodies.

Chilton had the misfortune of settling in the path of what would become a dangerous drug- and human-smuggling route on the U.S.-Mexican border, parallel with the notorious Peck Canyon Corridor.

"I've got 30,000 to 40,000 illegal aliens coming right through the ranch every year, and the Forest Service says each one leaves about eight pounds of trash. That means 100 tons of trash. Some cows eat the plastic bags and about 10 head a year die a slow and painful death. At $1,200 a head, that means we lose $12,000 a year to trash."

Subjects: Illegal immigration, border trash, human smuggling, Obama administration, border control

November 19, 2011
Judson Berger
FOX News Network, LLC

A top House Republican is threatening to enforce a subpoena for criminal immigrant information "to the fullest extent" of the law, after claiming the Obama administration "stonewalled" his request.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith for months has been seeking a comprehensive list of names and other information for the thousands of immigrants who are flagged, but not taken into custody or deported through a program known as Secure Communities.

Earlier this month, a subcommittee on his panel subpoenaed the Department of Homeland Security for the information, claiming it was "not acting in good faith." It was the first subpoena issued by the committee since it came under GOP control.

The department ended up turning over documents by a Nov. 10 deadline -- but Smith claimed all he received was a list of numbers.

Topics = Illegal immigration, Obama administration, Secure Communities Program, immigration databases

When my good friend, Gary Brugman, called me a couple of months ago to tell me that the reign of terror against US Border Patrol Agents by now formerly (thankfully) US Attorney Johnny Sutton was not yet over, I was stunned. It seems that Mr. Sutton had to kick one more border patrol agent in the teeth on his way out the door.

For those not up to speed, US Attorney Sutton (aka Johnny Satin) made a habit during his tenure as the US Attorney for the Western District of Texas, of persecuting US Border Patrol agents for doing their jobs while rewarding drug dealers with get out of jail free cards and US visas. The most famous of these cases involved US Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean. One of the best things that happened when Barrack Obama took office was, Johnny Sutton was replaced. Ramos and Compean were finally released after then President George W. Bush reluctantly commuted their sentences.
 
However, on his way out the door, he found one more agent to go after. That being US Border Patrol Agent Jesus Diaz. Once again, it appears that Jesus Diaz was simply doing his job. He had arrested a drug smuggling illegal immigrant. He had the suspect on the ground and handcuffed him. As he was lifting the suspect to his feet to take him to his vehicle, the suspect tensed up. This is recognized by police officers that a suspect is about to resist or attempt to flee. Agent Diaz exercised a control method used by police officers and federal agents across the country. He grabbed the handcuffs and lifted the suspect's hands upwards. This is uncomfortable, but does not cause injury. It also quickly returns the suspect to a position of submission.

Subjects: Illegal immigration, Justice Department, Johnny Sutton, drug smugglers, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S.-Mexico border

RIO GRANDE VALLEY - Stash houses raided across the Valley continue to top headlines. There have been people and drugs hidden inside these homes. No neighborhood is immune. Police say you can help point out these houses.

Border Patrol agents raided a stash house in San Juan on Thursday where 19 illegal immigrants were found inside. Many of them are from Mexico.

Stash houses like that one are found all across the Valley. The people who run them rent homes in all types of neighborhoods, including the one in which Jax Caceres lives.

Topics: Illegal immigration, stash houses, drugs, U.S. Border Patrol, illegal immigrants, human trafficking

November 18, 2011
Courthouse News Service

SAN DIEGO (CN) - Coyotes, or smugglers of humans, are earning a good living these days: $4,000 to $5,000 a head for driving people from the California desert to Orange County, according to a federal indictment against eight men who were arrested this week.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the eight men "were drivers or recruited drivers to pick up illegal aliens at designated locations in San Diego County and transport them to their sponsors in Orange County for payment; the fee ranged from $4,000 to $5,000 per illegal alien."

The indictment accuses the men of conspiring to smuggle aliens from Mexico to Orange County, but prosecutors said their job was to pick them up from somewhere near Jacumba, in Eastern San Diego County, and drive them to Orange County.

Subjects: Illegal immigration, coyotes, human smugglers, U.S.-Mexico border, recruited drivers

HONOLULU —

A Honolulu driving instructor and a motor vehicles clerk conspired to sell Hawaii driver's licenses to illegal immigrants from South Korea, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging In Chan Park, 53, a Honolulu driving instructor, and Paige Teruya, 47, a DMV clerk, with criminal conspiracy and fraud.

Park, who has been an instructor for about 20 years, is accused of providing customers' biographical information to Teruya, who produced licenses for them, according to the indictment filed Wednesday in Honolulu.
 
Topics = Illegal immigration, licenses for illegals, document fraud, identity theft

Friends of ALIPAC,

Obama's unlawful and dictatorial Amnesty for illegal aliens has just started going into full effect and federal authorities are ordering authorities to release illegal immigrants from our jails, even in places like Georgia, Arizona, and Alabama. In many cases, they are handing the illegal immigrants work permits signaling to all illegals in America that it is OK to stay. This unprecedented form of Amnesty may stop the reversal in illegal immigration which our efforts to pass state level enforcement has caused in combination with the bad economy.

Yes! I want ALIPAC fighting against Obama's unconstitutional Amnesty for illegal aliens and will donate today at...
http://www.alipac.us/content-9.html

Patriotic American citizens in California, Utah, and Maryland have plans underway that have strong chances of reversing recent illegal alien incentive legislation in these states. ALIPAC is ready to put our national organization's resources behind these efforts which would serve as major victories for the American defender side vs. the illegal immigrant invasion..

On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security began a review of deportation cases which will undoubtedly allow untold thousands of illegal aliens to remain in the country. In June, the policy known as “prosecutorial discretion” was quietly announced through a memo from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton.

The ICE memo said that immigration officials no longer have to deport illegal aliens if they are enrolled in any type of education program, if their family members have volunteered for U.S. military service, if they have filed a civil rights lawsuit or even if they are pregnant or nursing, among other exemptions.

While the Obama administration has claimed that the new policy is simply an effort to “fast track” the removal of illegal aliens who have committed serious crimes, many see the move as a large-scale amnesty.

Topics: Illegal immigration, DHS, review deportation cases, amnesty, Rep. Lamar Smith, Republicans, unemployed Americans

November 17, 2011
FOX News Network LLC

The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday launched an initial review of deportation cases in a bid to fast-track serious offenders through the immigration courts while potentially letting illegal immigrants deemed less of a threat stay in the country.

The announcement marked the latest phase of a program the department has steadily rolled out since the summer. While critics decry the change as tantamount to "backdoor amnesty," the Obama administration says it's trying to focus limited resources on "those who put public safety at risk."

Immigration and Customs and Enforcement in July issued new guidelines for deportation cases allowing prosecutors to prioritize them on a case-by-case basis. Starting "immediately," government attorneys will now review "all incoming cases" in the courts to determine who to deport and who potentially can slide, the department announced Thursday.
 
Subjects = Illegal immigration, amnesty, Obama administration, DHS, guidelines for deportation cases

Eight men have been charged in an unusual sting that investigators say highlights a new tactic in which immigrant smugglers never cross the border from Mexico - and instead use cell phones from nearby mountaintops to bark out real-time instructions to their customers as they navigate each step of the desert trek into the U.S.

The defendants were part of one of the first immigrant smuggling rings dismantled on the U.S.-Mexico border that exclusively uses cell phones, employing none of the foot guides commonly employed to lead groups across the border, said Derek Benner, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's special agent in charge of investigations in San Diego. The arrests took place Tuesday and Wednesday in the Los Angeles area.

As a general rule, smugglers still employ foot guides but cell phones are turning up more frequently in areas where Mexican mountaintops afford sweeping views into the United States. Scouts keep customers on well-traveled paths and away from Border Patrol agents.

Topics = Illegal immigration, U.S.-Mexico border, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, human trafficking

Undocumented Northside woman is free after arrest in Alabama protest

An undocumented immigrant who lives in Northside was released Thursday from local jail in Montgomery, Ala., after an act of civil disobedience against the state's immigration law led to her arrest Tuesday.

Alma Diaz, 30, who entered the United States without papers eight years ago from her native Mexico, is expected to return home Friday, said a Cincinnati immigration reform activist.

"Alma will ride back to Indianapolis with that group and then catch a bus back here," said Marco Saavedra, an organizer with the social action AMOS Project. "She was getting her phone service back."

Diaz, mother of a 5-year-old daughter born in the United States, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for refusing to yield the right of way on a Montgomery street near the state capitol. All 13 people arrested - all undocumented immigrants - were released Thursday, Saavedra said.

Subjects: Illegal immigration, Obama administration, state immigration laws, amnesty

The Cokie and Steven Roberts Nov. 13 is titled "Base immigration policy on facts." Yet, the Robertses begin their article with an non-factual rant about the Republicans' stupid stance on immigration, as shown in the GOP presidential primary debates.

They then deliberately fail to distinguish between legal and illegal immigration, a common ploy by liberals to confuse voters. The Robertses state that "Immigrants contribute enormously to America's economic well-being." True for legal immigrants, not true for illegal immigrants.

The GOP presidential primary debates discuss illegal immigration only. A study released by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates that illegal immigration now costs federal and local taxpayers $113 billion per year. The report, The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on U.S. Taxpayers, is the most comprehensive analysis of how much the estimated 13 million illegal aliens and their U.S.-born children cost federal, state and local governments. illegalimmigrationstatistics.org/.
Topics: illegal immigration, US Mexico Border, Anchor babies

President Obama’s illegal alien half-uncle argued in court today his arrest on a drunken driving charge this summer violated his constitutional rights and he wants evidence suppressed and the case thrown out.

Onyango Obama’s lawyer filed a motion to suppress in Framingham District Court today, claiming he questions the legality of the illegal alien’s Aug. 24 arrest on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol and whether the arrest violated Obama’s Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure.

The motion is to suppress the entire traffic stop by police that night, on claims Obama was not committing any motor vehicle violations that night at 7.

Topics: illegal immigration, Obama administration, 

A suspected drug smuggler, whose 2008 arrest resulted in a two-year prison sentence for a U.S. Border Patrol agent accused of violating his civil rights, was interviewed by officials at the Mexican Consulate in Texas and later made available to testify against the agent under a grant of immunity, records show.
The suspected smuggler, then 15, told Mexican officials he had been beaten and threatened by agent Jesus E. Diaz Jr. following his Oct. 16, 2008, arrest near Eagle Pass, Texas. Consulate officials interviewed the teenager just hours after he had been detained.

In a letter that same day to the Border Patrol, the consulate officials demanded the agent be prosecuted and complained they had not been notified of the arrest, learning about it through another source, who was not identified. They said that after their interview, the teenager was repatriated to Mexico, where he would be made available to testify in the case.

Topics: illegal immigration, Mexico, US Border Patrol, ICE

With federal funds being cut left and right for critical programs, the Congress did manage did find an “extra” $240 million dollars to pay for jailing illegal immigrants. The action reflects the circling of the political wagons by California and Texas House and Senate voices strategically placed on key committees to push for the specific needs of two of the post populated states in the U.S.

According to the Los Angeles Times, California “spends more than $938 million in annual state costs for incarcerating illegal immigrants convicted of crimes.” Nationwide, there are more than 300,000 convicted illegal immigrants. Under a spending bill approved by House-Senate negotiators that would prevent a government shutdown in a few days, the bill gives California $65.8 million for the jailing of illegal convicted immigrants at a time when the federal focus is on cutting the budget.

Topics: Illegal immigration, illegal immigration costs, convicted illegals, State Criminal Alien Assistance Programs