Rally Team Members,

CALLS/E-MAILS NEEDED ASAP:

This coming Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2009, at 10 AM the oppostion will be given an opportunity to speak against both Senate Bills 35 and SB150 at the hearing in the State and Local Government Affairs Committee. Both bills are in their third hearing with only the opposition speaking this time, so it is MOST IMPORTANT for you to call/ e-mail committee members ( see list below) to remind them of our APPROVAL of both bills. In 2008 a similar bill was passed through committee and the Senate in one day, so we have a real chance to get these passed this time.

SENATE BILL 35 sponosred by Senators Bill Seitz (R - Cincinnati) and Jimmy Stewart (R - Albany) would mandate that the Ohio Attorney General pursue a memorandum of agreement with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to deputize Ohio law enforcement officers as immigration enforcement officers. This would provide for the enforcement of both criminal and civil violations of immigration law. This memorandum agreement is commonly referred to as a 287(g) program.

SENATE BILL 150 sponsored by Senator Gary Cates (R-West Chester), would provide that a board of county commissioners may direct a sheriff to take custody of persons who are being detained for deportation or who are charged with criminal violations of immigration law and to expressly authorize state and local employees and county sheriffs to render assistance to federal immigration officials in the investigation and enforcement of federal immigration law. Senate Bill 150 is a reintroduction of the last general assembly's Senate Bill 260, which contained the same provisions. The bill text is currently in the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee.

Chairman - Senator Jim Hughes - sd16@senate.state.oh.us
Senate Building Room # 038 Ground Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: 614-466-5981

Senator Jimmy Stewart - sd20@senate.state.oh.us
Senate Building Room #040 Ground Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Phone: 614-466-8076

Senator John Carey - sd17@senate.state.oh.us
Senate Building Room #127 first Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: 614-466-8156

Senator Timothy Grendell - sd18@senate.state.oh.us
Senate Building Room #042 Ground Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: 614-644-7718

Senator Bill Seitz - SD08@senate.state.ohio.us
Senate Building Room #143 First Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Phone: 614-466-8068

Senator Mark Wagoner - SD02@senate.state.ohio.us
Senate Building Room #129 First Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Phone: 614-466-8060

Senator Ray Miller - rmiller@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Senate Building Room #228 Second Floor
Columbus Ohio 43215

Phone: 614-466-5123

Senator Nina Turner - senatorturner@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Senate Building Room #226 Second Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Phone: 614-466-4583

Senator Teresa Fedor - fedoroffice@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Statehouse Room #051 Ground floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Phone: 614-466-5204

Drug Raid Uncovers Massive Tax Fraud Scheme

An income tax fraud scheme discovered during a drug raid Thursday night is expected to lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal tax refunds.

“I wouldn’t be surprised it went into the millions,” Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin said during a news conference Friday...

Ex Public Safety Director Guzman's Blind Eye to Fraud is Unconscionable (Cleveland, Ohio - February 6, 2010)

At the very least, 'former state Public Safety Director Henry Guzman was lax in not implementing new rules on vehicle registrations. At worst, his failures opened the door to dangerous fraud by allowing thousands of motor vehicle registrations to go to people -- many of them undocumented aliens -- who did not provide a driver's license number, state ID card number or Social Security number, as Ohio law requires...

Obama Agenda: Immigration Will be Overhauled by the Democrats

While the news media feverishly cover the soon-to-be passed health care debacle, the Democrats' echo chamber is slow to reveal renewed plans to "reform" US immigration policy.

To be sure, President Barack Obama and several powerful lawmakers are all on the same page. For example, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called Immigration & Customs Enforcement operations "Un-American," while fellow Democrat Congressman Luis Guttierez called Border Patrol and ICE agents "the Gestapo."...

Immigration Sweep Through DC Area Nets 36 Arrests

Federal police conducted a large-scale immigration sweep of the DC area and arrested 36 people. WUSA 9 reports that 32 of those arrested had previous records, including convictions on robbery and drug dealing charges. At least three were active gang members, officials say...

Our Time to Fight for Immigration Reform is Now

I spent the last week meeting with people from Texas to New York to California who want our nation’s broken immigration system fixed. Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, people of faith and people of conscience, immigrant workers and American workers, labor and business – the people are angry...

'Virtual' Fence a Virtual Bust

Is Homeland Security's "virtual" border fence a virtual bust?

After spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, the government is now rethinking the scope of the $6.7 billion project, which has shown little in the way of reliable results...

Sheriff's Deputies Disrupt Identification/Forgery Operation From Illegal Immigration Hotline Tip

Five Illegal Aliens Arrested and Hundreds of Fake ID’s Seized during Execution of Warrant

Maricopa County, Arizona - Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputies received a tip through Sheriff Arpaio’s
illegal immigration hotline that led to a six-month surveillance operation resulting in the arrest of five illegal aliens and the disruption of an identity forgery ring.

9 Illegal Immigrants Arrested in Avon Lake, Marshals had Set Out to Serve 'Minor' Warrant (Avon Lake, Ohio - February 3, 2010)

AVON LAKE — Officials removed nine illegal immigrants Wednesday from an Avon Belden Road home, and they say the individuals had come from Mexico to work in a local restaurant.

The U.S. Marshals Office arrived at 571 Avon Belden Road around 9 a.m. to serve an arrest warrant for “a minor offense” to a man living at that address, said U.S. Marshal for Northern Ohio Pete Elliott.

That man, whose name wasn’t released, wasn’t home, but nine more were, Elliott said, adding two were hiding in a closet, six were inside the house and one drove up in the middle of everything.

When asked for identification by the marshals and Avon Lake police, the nine men said they didn’t have any because they were in the country illegally...

High-Tech 'Virtual Fence' on U.S.-Mexico Border Plagued by Glitches, Long Delays

PHOENIX, Arizona -- An ambitious, $6.7 billion government project to secure nearly the entire Mexican border with a "virtual fence" of cameras, ground sensors and radar is in jeopardy after a string of technical glitches and delays.

Having spent $672 million so far with little to show for it, Washington has ordered a reassessment of the whole idea. The outlook became gloomier this week when President Barack Obama proposed cutting $189 million from the venture...

President Obama's African Aunt to Ask Immigration Judge to be Allowed to Stay in the U.S.

BOSTON -- President Barack Obama's African aunt is going before a Massachusetts immigration judge for a second time to argue she should be allowed to stay in the United States.

Kenya native Zeituni Onyango (zay-TUH"-nee awn-YAHN"-goh) is scheduled to appear today in U.S. Immigration Court in Boston.

Onyango moved to the United States in 2000. Her first asylum request was rejected. She was ordered deported in 2004. But she didn't leave the country and continued to live in public housing in Boston.

Her status as an illegal immigrant was revealed just days before Obama was elected.

Obama says he didn't know his aunt was living in the country illegally. He says laws covering the situation should be followed.

A judge agreed to reopen the asylum case.

Former Ohio Public Safety Director Henry Guzman Unecessarily Delayed New Motor Vehicle Registration Rules, Inspector General Finds (Columbus, Ohio - February 3, 2009)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio's former public safety director blocked authorities from enforcing rules intended to crack down on fraudulent vehicle registrations, a state investigation has concluded.

Henry Guzman's "lack of action enabled a criminal element to continue to provide blatantly fraudulent and inaccurate information to register thousands of vehicles in the state of Ohio," according to a report from the Ohio Inspector General's Office...

Urge Congress to Reject Latest Amnesty Bill for Illegal Immigrants (Cleveland, Ohio - February 2, 2010)

By Other Voices

February 02, 2010, 4:05AM

Congress will try once again to rush through the same amnesty bill, introduced by the infamous Sen. Harry Reid. This bill will, again, attempt to dupe the American people into believing it is all about border and employment enforcement.

Do not be misled. It is more about securing amnesty. There are about 15 million Americans out of work, plus 1 million more who have given up looking for jobs. Why should 8 million illegal aliens hold jobs in this country?

Every month, about 125,000 foreigners enter the United States with temporary visas or as legal immigrants. Americans should not have to compete with these numbers. How many will take the time to write, telling their representatives and senators to reject this bill and introduce one that will enforce our immigration laws, secure our borders and protect Americans from the impact of illegal immigrants and the monumental number of legal immigrants entering the country?

Jean Brehm, Euclid

US Running Huge Deficits While Giving Billions to Illegals

Take a look at these figures: NBC reported 26 million Americans unemployed or working half time because they cannot obtain a full time job. Countless millions lost their homes to foreclosures in the past three years. At the same time, 35 million Americans subsist on food stamps. Yes, you may check Google for that figure. Our national debt spirals upward at $12 trillion...

Congress Takes Aim at Blocking Illegal Immigrants from Accessing In-State College Tuition

WASHINGTON — A new development has taken place in the ongoing battle to stop illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer-subsidized college tuition.

This week a bill was introduced by U.S. Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) and U.S.Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) called the Fairness for American Students Act that would close a loophole in current law that several states have used to provide lower-cost college tuition to illegal immigrants compared to tuition rates U.S. citizens from neighboring states have to pay. Kansas and Nebraska are two of the states that currently offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants...

13 Young Students Killed at Party on Mexican Border

MEXICO CITY – Armed men stormed a party in a violent Mexican border city, killing 13 high school and college students in what witnesses thought was an attack prompted by false information.

The deaths in Ciudad Juarez were part of a total of 24 people killed across Mexico since Saturday in violence caused by ongoing turf battles between powerful drug cartels...

How Did Dozens of Illegal Immigrants End Up Shoveling Snow at Gillette?

Four days before the New England Patriots’ playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, 60 Guatemalan day workers headed in a caravan from Providence toward Gillette Stadium, prepared to shovel out the world-class home of one of the most valuable football franchises in the country...

Idaho county pushes new bill aimed at illegal immigration

Idaho Lawmakers Pursue Illegal Immigrant Employers

BOISE, Idaho » Idaho lawmakers could debate as many as three bills this session that would punish employers who hire illegal immigrants.

Two bills, including one introduced Friday by Sen. Mike Jorgenson, would punish employers who knowingly hire illegal workers with fines and suspension of licenses. A third, milder measure makes knowingly hiring an illegal immigrant a misdemeanor but doesn't touch their licenses...

Court Says OK to Deny Illegal Alien Public Service

In a rare case for a state that has long offered illegal immigrants sanctuary, an appellate court in Oregon has ruled in favor of a state agency that denied an illegal alien costly public services based on her immigration status.

Oregon’s largest regulatory agency, the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS), rejected a claim to provide and illegal immigrant vocational assistance benefits after a 2005 work injury that resulted in a permanent impairment. The DCBS, which administers state workers’ compensation and occupational safety laws, still awarded the illegal alien an undisclosed award for the impairment...