VoteKansas.org

Rep. Darrell Issa acknowledged Sunday that operations "similar" to the controversial "Fast and Furious" gunrunning probe were conducted under the Bush administration.

But the House Republican spearheading an investigation into the operation under Attorney General Eric Holder's Justice Department claimed the past operations were different in that they were "coordinated with Mexico."

Issa's comments follow fresh reports about gunrunning probes spanning the Bush and Obama administrations.
Newly disclosed documents reveal there was a second Arizona-based investigation during the Bush administration in which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allegedly let guns "walk" as a way to target weapons-trafficking suspects.

Holder, in defending himself against charges over "Fast and Furious," has also noted there was another investigation known as "Operation Wide Receiver." From 2006 to about the end of 2007, those investigators "permitted guns to be transferred to suspected gun traffickers and had not interdicted them," according to a current Justice Department official.

"Fast and Furious" was unique for the sheer number of guns that were allowed to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, and the fact that weapons tied to the investigation ended up at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry late last year.
Topics: Fast & Furious, Eric Holder, illegal immigration,

ATLANTA (AP) — A U.S. appeals court on Friday temporarily blocked parts of what has been called the toughest immigration law in the country, saying the state of Alabama can't require schools to check the immigration status of students but letting stand a provision that allows police to detain immigrants who are suspected of being in the country illegally.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the order after the Obama administration challenged the Alabama law, saying it could strain relations with Latin American countries, and advocacy groups said it had thrown the state into "chaos."

Friday's opinion also blocked a part of the Alabama law that makes it a crime for immigrants to not have proper documentation.

A final decision on the law won't be made for months, to allow time for more arguments.

Many frightened Hispanics have left the state since a U.S. judge upheld much of the law in late September, fearing they could be arrested or targeted by police. Construction workers, landscapers and field hands stopped coming to work, and large numbers of Hispanic students have been absent from public schools.

To cope with the labor shortage, Alabama agriculture commissioner John McMillan at one point suggested farmers should consider hiring inmates in the state's work-release program.
Topics: illegal immigration, Alabama. 11th U Circuit Court of Appeals, 

A detailed report discussing border violence has been released. It documents the spillover violence affecting our border. These stats come from the Department of Public Safety. This is the first time we've seen this kind of detailed evidence.

The stats come from both sides of our border. The DPS reportedly tracked more than 200 decapitations in Mexico since the beginning of 2009. There were 64 decapitations in the first six months of this year alone.

Less gruesome but just as serious crimes are documented on U.S. soil. CHANNEL 5 NEWS has reported many instances right here in the valley. DPS says bullets have crossed from Mexico into the United States at least eight times since 2009. CHANNEL 5 NEWS found a neighborhood in 2010 peppered with fire from across the river. Neighborhoods on the border are high risk.

Topics = Illegal immigration, border violence, smugglers, U.S.-Mexico border, kidnappings, U.S. Border Patrol

PERRY, Iowa - Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann on Saturday signed a pledge to push for construction of a fence along the entire length of the border with Mexico, raising the issue of illegal immigration in an Iowa town where about one third of the residents are Hispanic.

Bachmann also renewed her attacks on the immigration policies of Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, one of the rivals for the Republican nomination, and she criticized President Barack Obama for what she called his failure to control the border.

"President Obama has failed the American people by failing to secure the southern border," said Bachmann. "I will secure that border and that will be job one."

Subjects: Illegal immigration, Republicans, campaigns, national security, border fence, illegal immigration costs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Texas lawmakers say an assassination plot by a Texas man shows how vulnerable the border is to terrorism.

Super secretive terrorist trainers is what Iran's Revolutionary Army is. They're called the Quds. They answer to the president of Iran.

Federal prosecutors say Mansoor Arbabsiar got his marching orders to assassinate the Saudi ambassador from the Quds. Arbabsiar thought he was talking to a cartel member in Mexico to arrange the murder for hire plot. He traveled to Reynosa several times from Austin. The cartel member was actually a DEA informant.

Topics = Border security, U.S.-Mexico border, terrorism threat, drug cartels, Iran

There's a new twist in the government's "gunwalking" scandal involving an even more dangerous weapon: grenades.

CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson, who has reported on this story from the beginning, said on "The Early Show" that the investigation into the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)'s so-called "Fast and Furious" operation branches out to a case involving grenades. Sources tell her a suspect was left to traffic and manufacture them for Mexican drug cartels.

Police say Jean Baptiste Kingery, a U.S. citizen, was a veritable grenade machine. He's accused of smuggling parts for as many as 2,000 grenades into Mexico for killer drug cartels -- sometimes under the direct watch of U.S. law enforcement.

Law enforcement sources say Kingery could have been prosecuted in the U.S. twice for violating export control laws, but that, each time, prosecutors in Arizona refused to make a case.

Topics: Fast and Furious: Gunwalking: ATF: DHS

Opponents of Alabama’s new immigration law can now call the Justice Department directly to make complaints about the state’s effort to crack down on illegal immigrants.

The Justice Department has set up a hotline and email for the public “to report potential civil rights concerns related to the impact of Alabama’s immigration law.”

The Justice Department is seeking to block the enforcement of the law, which is widely considered the toughest in the nation. Justice officials filed a challenge to the law last week, claiming it is “highly likely to expose persons lawfully in the United States, including school children, to new difficulties in routine dealings.”
 
Topics = Illegal immigration, state immigration laws, Obama administration, Alabama immigration law

Donnelly Targets Dream Act

Angered by Gov. Jerry Brown's signing a bill to offer taxpayer assistance to illegal aliens applying to public colleges when the state is strapped for cash, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly said Tuesday he has filed a referendum to repeal the law.

"We need 504,000 valid signatures," said Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks), to qualify for the statewide ballot in either June or November 2012.

Donnelly said he filed papers with the office of Attorney General Kamala Harris on Monday. He estimated he already has lined up some 3,000 volunteer signature gatherers through a new website, his Facebook page and his office e-mail.

Brown's signing of the bill is also expected to add impetus to several already-begun efforts to recall Brown, Donnelly said. "There's chatter all over the Internet" about recall efforts, he said.

Subjects: Illegal immigration, California Dream Act, Gov. Jerry Brown, costs of illegal immigration, illegal alien students

Maryland - Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins Wednesday joined other law enforcement officials on Capitol Hill to laud a strict immigration enforcement program that some groups have criticized as ineffective.

"This is about the rule of law," Jenkins said. "This is about saving America. This is about public safety and national security."
 
In 2008, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office became authorized to act as field agent for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the 287(g) program. Since then, 965 individuals have been detained in Frederick County with 940 of those transferred to federal officials, according to Jenkins.

Topics: Illegal immigration, 287(g) program, illegal immigrant arrests, I.C.E., U.S.-Mexico border

Friends of ALIPAC,

Many thanks to those of you who have already responded to our funds requests over the past week. Unfortunately, the response rate is far too low. We explained to all that we are dangerously low after postponing the start of our final funds drive because we were busy in the fight against illegal immigration.

We have only three days to raise a minimum of $3,000 or we are out of the battle and into full emergency survival mode.

Do you want us fighting for Alabama's HB 56 to come to your state, or do you want us fighting to survive?

Donate now via...
http://www.alipac.us/content-9.html

Do you want us fighting for justice against Obama's gun running scheme to aid the importation of illegal aliens headed your way, or fighting to survive as a national organization?...

Last week it was reported that the State Department and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were deeply involved in the scandal known as Operation Fast and Furious, or Project Gunwalker. Today, however, new evidence has surfaced indicating that not only was Hillary deeply involved in the scandal but was one of the masterminds behind it.

According to investigative citizen journalist Mike Vanderboegh, sources close to the development of the Gunwalker scheme state that early on, Hillary and her trusted associated at State, Andrew J. Shapiro, devised at least part of the framework of what would later become Operation Fast and Furious. It was Shapiro who first described the details of the proposed scheme early in 2009 just after the Obama Administration took office.

Topics - Fast and Furious (aka Gunwalker, Gunrunner), Hillary Clinton, Mexico, gun trafficking, State Department, ATF, Brian Terry, gun control.

 A human trafficking operation was going on inside a southwest Charlotte home, according to investigators.

They said a man who is in the country illegally sold women for sex.

“Shouldn't nobody have to go through nothing like that,” neighbor Shelia Caldwell said.

Caldwell lives across the street from the house that federal agents raided this month.

“Five to six carloads of police and two undercover cops, and I seen them bring them out in handcuffs,” she said.

Filemon Guzman-Martinez is charged with human trafficking and forcing women into prostitution.

Subjects:  Illegal immigration, human trafficking, prostitution, DHS.

Friends of ALIPAC,

Do you want the illegal aliens to leave your state in a peaceful mass exodus like we saw in Arizona when they passed SB 1070? We are seeing this exodus again today in Alabama thanks to the new law HB 56! A federal judge has just upheld this new law that many of our own ALIPAC activists worked hard to pass in the AL legislature. This now clears the way for this type of legislation to be adopted by all states in the nation!

Please spring into action today. We have done this before and our efforts were very successful for the Arizona law before the courts stalled us.

Please take the following simple steps.

Step 1:
Please read and circulate ALIPAC's national press release. You can email it to others, share it with lawmakers and campaigns, post it on Facebook and Twitter, or send extra copies to your favorite local and national media. We release these to the nation using ALIPAC's resources and then you can reinforce our efforts by circulating extra copies! Be the Paul Reveres of our movement!...

For Immediate National Release

October 12, 2011

Contact: Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC)
(866) 703-0864 / Press@alipac.us

While illegal immigrant supporters needlessly terrify children using them as political pawns, the national organization ALIPAC is launching an effort today to circulate Alabama's new immigration enforcement legislation, HB 56 to other states. This effort is to both defend Alabama and recreate the mass exodus of illegal aliens seen recently in Alabama.

"Alabama and Arizona have proven that even the mention of enforcing America's popularly supported existing immigration laws and constitutional provisions lead to the massive, peaceful, and beneficial exodus of illegal immigrants," said William Gheen President of ALIPAC. "That is why we are asking our supporters in all 50 states to immediately deliver copies of Alabama's HB 56 to their state lawmakers with encouragement to pass a version in each state!"

ALIPAC was the first national organization to come to the defense of Arizona and their historic SB 1070 by coordinating an effort to spread the law to other states. While many other states began to quickly respond, progress was stalled by court decisions.

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Alabama attorneys this afternoon urged a federal appeals court not to grant a Justice Department request to stay the state's immigration law.

The 46-page filing is in response to requests made Friday by the U.S. Justice Department and a group of 36 plaintiffs who want the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to stay the law while their appeal of the judge's order, which mostly upholds the law, is pending.

In today's filing, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange argues illegal immigrants are taking jobs from U.S. citizens and others authorized to work in the U.S., that it is difficult to collect taxes from them and that illegal immigrants make up a "substantial" part of the state's prison population.

Subjects = Illegal immigration, state immigration laws, U.S. Justice Department, Alabama immigration law

October 11, 2011
Anthony Kimery
HSToday.us

In interviews with Homeland Security Today, veteran Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and border region federal, state and local law enforcement officials are disputing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's remarks last week that border security and immigration enforcement is smart and effective.

All the sources who spoke to Homeland Security Today requested anonymity.

“Wow! What a joke,” said one of the veteran senior Border Patrol agents in response to Napolitano’s remarks last week at American University in Washington, DC and the subsequent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) "Fact Sheet" about the department's smart, effective border security and immigration enforcement.

Topics = Illegal immigration, border violence, DHS, U.S. Border Patrol, Mexican drug cartels

A summary of Border Patrol activities in the Tucson Sector since Saturday, provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Arrests

Naco Station agents apprehended a 34-year-old male from Jalisco, Mexico, on Saturday for illegally entering the United States. During processing, agents discovered he has convictions in Oregon for third-degree sexual abuse in 1996, multiple DUI offenses, failure to register as a sex offender, and a conviction in 1997 for attempted sexual battery and burglary in Virginia. Records also showed he was previously removed from the United States. He was held for prosecution for illegal re-entry of an aggravated felon.

Casa Grande Station agents apprehended a 49-year-old Mexican national for illegal entry Sunday. During processing, agents discovered the subject was convicted of second-degree murder in California in 1997 and sentenced to six years in prison. After serving the sentence he was removed through El Centro, Calif. He was held for prosectution for illegal re-entry of an aggravated felon.

Subjects: Illegal immigration, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S.-Mexico border, illegal immigrant arrests, gangs, illegal re-entry

Ellen Jenkins had 50 acres of produce and no one to pick it, after Alabama's tough new immigration law sent her field hands packing.

But on Thursday, about 20 workers, mostly inexperienced, arrived at her Chandler Mountain farm to help, by midafternoon picking 125 cartons of tomatoes just in time to keep the harvest from being a total loss.

"Me and my kids were going to just pick what we could and I didn't even think we were going to get any help," Jenkins said.

The fill-in workers were brought to the farm near Steele by Grow Alabama, a Birmingham-based network that works with farmers from around the state to market locally-grown produce. Just a few days after launching the temporary assistance program, it's been overwhelmed, Grow Alabama head Jerry Spencer said Thursday.

Spencer is talking with the state agriculture department about finding funding for transportation. And Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan said Thursday that he's trying to make arrangements to use people from the Department of Corrections' work-release program as field hands, and to pull unemployed workers off the state rolls, as well. McMillan said the details weren't finalized, but there could be something up and running next week.

Subjects - Alabama, illegal immigration, agriculture, farmers, workers, unemployed.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa said Sunday that he could issue subpoenas to the Justice Department this week in connection to a now-discredited federal gunrunning operation.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Issa said that he wants a better understanding of who knew what, when about Operation Fast and Furious.

"But more importantly, we have to understand at what level did the authorization really come?" he said.

"People at the top of (the) Justice (Department) were well briefed, knew about it and seemed to be the command and control and funding for this program."

The operation involved agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowing illegal sales of guns believed to be destined for Mexican drug cartels to "walk" from Phoenix, Arizona, gun stores into Mexico.

Topics:  Fast and Furious (aka Gunwalker, Gunrunner), Darrell Issa, Eric Holder, ATF, subpoena, Dept. of Justice, Mexico, guns, border, drug cartels.

Friends of ALIPAC,

We need a much stronger start to our third and final funds drive of 2011 if we are going to meet our financial needs in the next few days at ALIPAC. Please take a few minutes to visit our secure online donations page to make a donation at...

http://www.alipac.us/content-9.html

There are four ways we can conduct this funds drive needed to meet ALIPAC's base budget for web hosting, postage, email distribution, press release, small salaries, office equipment, event travel funds, and all the other things required to run an effective national organization fighting illegal immigration.

1. We can request the funds displacing a small number of our email alerts and continue full operations which are already stretched to capacity as we go.

2. We can heavily limit our activism, lobbying, and national strategies to focus significant time and resources on the funds drive instead...