Saturday, March 26, 2011

I Was Undocumented on "Sesame Street"

In 1993, when I was 14, I became a regular on “Sesame Street.” The show usually liked to have a teenager on, so that was me. My character had my same name, Carlo, and eventually I got a job at Mr. Hooper’s store. I had to make a birdseed milkshake for Big Bird, that was my tryout. I ended up appearing on “Sesame Street” for five years. But the whole time, I had a secret: I was an undocumented immigrant. The papers I’d used to get hired were fake...[Full Article]


3 NJ lawmakers push to end funding to colleges admitting illegal immigrants

TRENTON — Three South Jersey Republican lawmakers want to cut off public funding from colleges that enroll illegal immigrants.

A bill from state Senator Dawn Marie Addiego and Assemblymen Scott Rudder and Pat Delany, all R-Burlington, would take away shares of the state's $850 million budget for higher education from any school determined to have admitted illegal immigrants to the student body...[Full Article]

English only bill introduced in U.S. Congress–co-sponsored by Lamborn and Coffman

Colorado Republican Congressmen Mike Coffman and Doug Lamborn have co-sponsored a bill that would make all federal government operations use English and require all people undergoing citizenship testing to demonstrate their ability to speak English.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-MN, is the bill’s primary sponsor.

The English Language Unity Act of 2011, authored by Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King, was introduced by Bachmann and 59 other Republicans last week.

The bill’s purpose is to “declare English as the official language of the United States, to establish a uniform English language rule for naturalization, and to avoid misconstructions of the English language texts of the laws of the United States, pursuant to Congress’ powers to provide for the general welfare of the United States and to establish a uniform rule of naturalization under article I, section 8, of the Constitution.”...[Full Article]


SEIU leader blasts administration on immigration enforcement

Impatient immigration advocates typically view the Obama Administration as an ally, but a key force in the debate, the Service Employees International Union, is openly criticizing the Department of Homeland Security's shift in enforcement efforts for the first time.

The Obama Administration has shifted the emphasis of enforcement away from workplace raids -- which immigrant advocates had long described as punishing immigrant workers instead of their employers -- and toward so-called "I-9 audits," in which federal agents ask companies to verify their employees' legal status...[Full Article]


Pair of men held on rape charges

GALION -- Two men who may not be in the United States legally are being held on charges of rape, a first-degree felony.

Eduardo Ramirez-Lopez, 25, and Marcos Salinas-Zurita, 26, were arrested by Crawford County sheriff's deputies at 6467 Hillgrove Road, Galion, after the office received a report at 12:30 a.m. Thursday from two women, ages 19 and 43, that they were raped at the residence...[Full Article]


Americas Home Invaders

If someone broke into your home, would you treat him as an invited guest? Would you allow him to move in his family? Would you pay for their food, medical care, and education?

That's what we've been doing with illegal aliens in America.

But that's not how other nations deal with illegal aliens. In England, they face a $16,000 fine. In Italy, it's $14,000 and up to six months of detention. In France, it's $5,000 or up to a year of imprisonment or both...[Full Article]

Friday, March 25, 2011

White House silent on Utah's 'independence'

Advocates for tougher enforcement of U.S. immigration laws say the state of Utah doesn't have the authority to issue its own work permits to illegal aliens -- and that the federal government has the obligation to challenge Utah's effort to become a "sanctuary state."...[Full Article]
The 'crime visa': How 18,000 illegal immigrants got legal status by being the victim of a crime

More than 18,000 illegal immigrants, plus 14,000 of their relatives, have gained U.S. visas under a new law since 2009 because they were victims of crime.

While many immigrants may still be unaware of the U visa, word is spreading fast in some communities.

The controversial rules state that if you are a victim of crime and you cooperate, or are 'helpful' with authorities, then you stand a good chance of getting a U visa...[Full Article]

Illegal aliens arrested at AV company

APPLE VALLEY • According to investigators, nearly half of the employees at an Apple Valley company were using fake Social Security, immigration or identifications cards allegedly purchased on the streets of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

“We worked for more than a year on this case and made several arrests,” San Bernardino County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Todd Newton said. “We had to get ICE involved, had to run all the Social Security numbers and it took a lot of time.”

In all, seven employees of American Integrity Corp. were arrested but eight are still outstanding, Newton said...[Full Article]

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Ex-Worker: Kan. Policies Help Illegal Immigrants

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A former social services case worker told Kansas legislators Thursday that state policies determining who receives benefits enable fraud and favor illegal immigrants over legal residents as she testified in support of a bill addressing that and other immigration issues.

Lana Reed, who worked for the state Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services offices in Overland Park from July 2008 to October 2010, said during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that agency employees were required to ignore immigrants' use of fraudulent documents to obtain benefits. She also criticized an SRS policy on how household incomes are calculated for families with illegal immigrants who seek food assistance...[Full Article]


Crash victim wants justice
Immigration bills could have allowed for driver's arrest


Living in America illegally is not enough to get you arrested. First you have to commit a crime.

That's the consensus among America's law enforcement, but it isn't an easy policy for Jim Batton to accept. His son's girlfriend, Amanda Gschwendner, is still recovering in a wheelchair after a violent wreck Dec. 25 on Hitchcock Parkway in Aiken. The driver of the vehicle responsible was an illegal immigrant, who was charged but not arrested before Aiken Public Safety officers sent him to Medical College of Georgia Hospital for treatment.

The driver was released from the hospital and has since absconded, leaving Batton and Gschwendner outraged and pointing fingers at Aiken Public Safety...[Full Article]


Immigration Audit Takes Toll
Janitorial Firm Harvard Maintenance to Lose Over Half of Minnesota Work Force

Harvard Maintenance Inc., a national janitorial company, will lose over half its Minnesota work force after an immigration audit, making it the second major business in that state to be hit by an Obama administration crackdown on employers of illegal immigrants.

The audit by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will result in about 240 workers losing their jobs, the Service Employees International Union said on Monday.

J. Daniel Duffy, an executive vice president of the closely held New York-based janitorial company, declined to comment...[Full Article]


Va. police arrest illegal immigrant in fatal crash; ICE struggles to track drunken drivers

FORT BELVOIR, Va. — This week's arrest of an illegal immigrant charged in a fatal crash in Fairfax County is again focusing attention on federal efforts to detain aliens accused of drunken driving.

Police charged Carlos Sanchez-Ramos, 33, of Springfield with aggravated involuntary manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and other counts.

Authorities say he lost control of his car on Richmond Highway on Monday, striking a Ford Fusion and pushing it into oncoming traffic. The Fusion was struck head on, killing 54-year-old Paul Krause of Fairfax Station. Police say Sanchez-Ramos fled the scene with a 3-year-old boy. He was arrested a short distance away.

Sanchez-Ramos entered the country illegally and was deported to Honduras in 2004, but returned to the U.S. between his deportation and 2007, according to immigration authorities...[Full Article]
Utah gov. signs package of 4 immigration bills

Gov. Gary Herbert signed bills Tuesday that will increase immigration enforcement but also implement a guest worker program in Utah, as he formally challenged the federal government to address immigration before states make their own fixes.

The package of four measures the Republican-dominated Legislature passed earlier this month has upset people on both sides of the issue, and Herbert made it clear a primary goal of the package is to force a federal solution...[Full Article]


Are Terrorists Flooding Across The Border?

That’s the question we’re left to ask ourselves after reviewing new documents we obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. These records detail FY 2010 apprehension statistics for illegal alien smugglers and illegal aliens from countries considered a high threat to the United States because of their suspected ties to terrorism.

Here are the highlights from the documents, which we obtained pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request filed on January 26, 2011:

  • U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 463,382 individuals smuggled across the border, including 8,905 smugglers. (3,027 of the smugglers apprehended were deemed “deportable.”)
  • U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 59,017 “Other Than Mexican” illegal aliens through October 7, 2010.
  • Among the nations represented in apprehension statistics are the four countries currently on the State Department’s list of “State Sponsors of Terrorism,” Cuba (712), Iran (14), Syria (5) and Sudan (5), as well as Somalia (9), Afghanistan (9), Pakistan (37), Saudi Arabia (5) and Yemen (11).
  • Overall, U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 663 “Aliens from Special Interest Countries.” These countries are deemed “special interest” because of their suspected ties to terrorism.
  • The countries yielding the highest “Other Than Mexican” apprehensions include: Guatemala (18,406), El Salvador (13,723), and Honduras (13,580).

The U.S. Border Patrol estimates that three out of every four illegal aliens who cross the border evade apprehension. So while these apprehension statistics are alarming, it’s the ones that got away that should cause us the most concern. And I don’t think there’s any doubt that a significant number of these illegal aliens intend to do us harm. (You should also know that many of those “apprehended” simply cross the border illegally again within moments of being deposited in Mexico by Border Patrol.)...[Full Article]

FOIA Response from U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Sentencing delayed in sexual-abuse case

Girl, 7, was victimized previously in earlier sexual assault

Sentencing was delayed last week for a Peruvian national who has admitted to sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl last year.

It's the second criminal case in Blaine County 5th District Court involving the same child. The girl was also sexually victimized at the age of 4 by another Peruvian national who was sentenced in 2007 to up to 20 years in prison...[Full Article]

NM secretary of state reviews voter rolls, list of foreign nationals with driver’s licenses

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico’s top elections official told lawmakers Tuesday she is concerned that a review of the state’s voter registration rolls and a list of the thousands of foreign nationals who have been issued driver’s licenses under a much debated state law has turned up evidence of fraud...[Full Article]
Why did the press ignore murderous rampage just outside nation’s capital?

On February 10, 2011, Prince William County police arrested Jose Oswaldo Reyes Alfaro, 37, after he allegedly went on a shooting and stabbing spree which left three people dead and three others wounded. When he was taken into custody, the Salvadoran national had in his possession, a machete as well as a .38 caliber revolver.

The two separate attacks occurred only a few blocks apart...[Full Article]


El Salvador Awaits President Obama’s Visit and His “Commitment” to Immigration Reform

The Catholic Church in El Salvador awaits “a word of commitment“ from the President of the United States Barack Obama, during his upcoming visit to the Country on the 22nd and 23nd of March, for his part in pursuing the approval of immigration reform.

During the usual press conference on Sunday after Mass, Archbishop Escobar Alas of San Salvador said, that he sees this occasion as an “opportune moment”, as Obama is “coming to a country that is very much in need.” “We would like to ask the President of the United States for his efforts and his good will, so that complete immigration reform may take place during his presidency,” said the Archbishop of San Salvador...[Full Article]


Sheriff's Office busts fake ID ring

BRIDGETON -- Authorities arrested six Bridgeton residents in connection with the alleged manufacture and sale of fake identification for illegal immigrants from Mexico, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators said the suspects also are in the United States illegally.

State, county and local law enforcement agencies cooperated in the three-month investigation that culminated in a raid at a North Laurel Street residence...[Full Article]

Lawmaker files bill to stop accepting photo ID from Mexican consulate

RALEIGH — A lawmaker wants North Carolina state and local governments to stop accepting photo identification cards issued by the Mexican consulate as a valid ID, pointing out concerns of federal law enforcement and allegations of a criminal ring creating a wide range of fake documents.

An N.C. House judiciary subcommittee debated Wednesday a measure to remove the “matricula consular” from a list of documents to establish state residency to get a driver’s license, obtain auto insurance or enroll in Medicaid. Under the proposal, local governments also would not be allowed to accept the IDs issued to Mexican citizens living abroad in the U.S., and similar cards created by other countries...[Full Article]


Sunday, March 20, 2011

Outrage! US Government Funding La Raza with Your Tax Dollars

The United States government is funding the National Council of La Raza with our tax dollars. La Raza, which literally means in Spanish “The Race,” is a radical organization that advocates open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens. I pulled and analyzed the tax return Form 990, the form filed by 501(c) 3 organizations to the IRS, and here is what was reported:

Government Grants (contributions) to the National Council of La Raza

2008 Tax Returns, (October 1 2008 to September 30, 2009) $5,136,535

2007 Tax Returns $3,458,351

2006 Tax Returns $3,353,319

Three Year Total $11,948,205

What do people get paid at La Raza?

According to the 2008 tax returns seventeen people listed as officers, directors, trustees, key employees and highest compensated employees of the National Council of La Raza have an income ranging from $119,675 to $378,446, the latter of which goes to Janet Murguia, president and CEO.

To put that income figure in perspective a rank and file United States Senator makes $174,000. A United States Marine Sergeant with five years of service earns a base salary of $29,376, including the raise received for 2011...[Full Article]
Local advocate for immigrants faces deportation

A vocal and visible Twin Cities advocate for immigrant rights and immigration reform is himself facing deportation -- to the surprise of those who have worked with him for years.

Mariano Perez Espinoza, 41, executive director of the Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network, is in jail awaiting deportation for allegedly being in the country illegally after a previous deportation...[Full Article]


Connecticut City Settles Suit in Arrests of Day Laborers

The City of Danbury, Conn., has agreed to pay $400,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by eight day laborers who complained that their 2006 arrest in a local police sting operation was illegal and amounted to racial profiling, lawyers for the laborers announced on Wednesday...[Full Article]
Bill allowing some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition passes Maryland Senate

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A measure allowing some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at Maryland passed the Maryland Senate on Monday.

The bill passed 27-20 still must be approved by the House of Delegates before going to Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has said he would sign it.

During debate, Sen. Victor Ramirez, the bill sponsor who immigrated legally as a child from El Salvador, told opponents that voting against the bill would not solve problems relating to people living illegally in the state. He said the legislation was needed to help people who live here reach their potential and contribute as much as possible to the state.

“It’s about education,” Ramirez, D-Prince George’s, said. “It’s not about immigration.”

The financial implications for students are significant. In-state tuition is $8,416 annually, and out-of-state students pay $24,831 a year.

Opponents said the legislation raised the issue of who subsidizes the education of illegal immigrants covered by the legislation, not whether or not they can attend college.

“I think this sends a terrible message to everyone in the state that you can break the law and you can get a benefit,” said Sen. Allan Kittleman, R-Howard...[Full Article]


Arizona migrants could be denied state-tax refunds

Undocumented immigrants in Arizona might be unable to receive their state tax refunds if they cannot prove that the Social Security Number that they have listed with their employers truly was issued to them.

Anthony Forschino, assistant director of External Services and Special Projects Assistant Director at the Arizona Department of Revenue, told Efe that this year it is being considered a "discrepancy" when the taxpayer identification number on the return does not coincide with the Social Security Number that appears on the W2 statement.

This affects people like undocumented immigrants who apply to obtain a tax ID number, or ITIN, from the IRS.

Forschino said that the state now has a system that detects this difference, and so the state government has held back the refunds from people in this situation...[Full Article]


Guilty verdict reached, death penalty possible in Fairfield double murder

Guilty verdict reached, death penalty possible in Fairfield double murderSource: Butler Co Jail

HAMILTON, OH (FOX19) - A Butler County jury has found a suspect guilty of all charges in a gang-related double murder.

The verdict came Thursday night in Butler County Common Pleas Court in Hamilton.

Edel Hernandez-Martinez was one of two men accused in shooting Evelin Moralex and Marlon Enamorado-Gomez to death outside the Casa Tequila restaurant in July, 2008...[Full Article]
Former Kansas welfare worker says illegal immigrants abused the system

TOPEKA | A hearing on an Arizona-style immigration law drew impassioned testimony today including a statement from a former welfare worker who described “overwhelming” levels of fraud by illegal immigrants.

Lana Reed, who worked as a bilingual specialist for the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services in Overland Park from 2008 to 2010, urged lawmakers to adopt the bill targeting illegal immigration.

She described a system overrun by illegal immigrants who used false Social Security numbers and other fraudulent documents to game the system.

“I witnessed overwhelming levels of fraud and corruption resulting in the waste of millions of taxpayer dollars,” Reed told the House Judiciary Committee. “Most of the fraud was conducted pursuant to policies of the SRS, which required employees to turn a blind eye to fraud and abuse…”...[Full Article]

Why does the state of Ohio hire contractors that utilize illegal aliens for labor?

I am not a racist. This has nothing to do with people being hispanic. Currently my company has 3 school contracts in the Cincinnati area. The jobs are being stopped constantly because the same contractor is in charge of the masonry and can’t seem to get his elevations right. The owner is hispanic and has literally a team of 40 or so illegal aliens and two or three US citizens working for him. His foremen do not speak Spanish and they cannot get anything right. Is it right in the current economy to hire a contractor that utilizes literally 150 illegal aliens to get a low contract price?...[Full Article]
National Hispanic GOP Group Announces Immigration Solution

SOMOS REPUBLICANS is the largest conservative Hispanic Republican grassroots organization in the country committed to promoting positive, principled conservative solutions that confront our community and the nation today. We are happy to announce our 12 Steps to Securing Our Borders and Legal Immigration Plan. We are sharing and delivering our plan to everyone with emphasis given to our church leaders, business leaders, all Congressmen, Senators and the President of the United States.

A healthy and legal immigration solution will secure our borders, create a safer North American Continent and promote a stronger relationship with our contiguous neighbors. Enforcement-only initiatives promote a situation that emulates the failed days of Prohibition, which serves only to encourage the underground labor market. Our government needs the additional tax revenues that new immigrants generate in order to sustain the burgeoning entitlement programs baby boomers require as they continue to retire. By developing a reasonable legal immigration plan, we create a system where immigrants share American tax burdens as they continue to contribute millions of dollars into our tax coffers. New immigrants sharing our tax burdens will help discourage our government from increasing taxes, because under the current system these entitlement programs will drain all federal revenues within 15 years.

Our 12 point plan addresses securing our borders, fixing the immigration system, developing a process for legal immigrants to enter, demand for labor, the D.R.E.A.M Act, sustaining international trade relationships, and employer sanctions that will assuredly be implemented by the current Congress...[Full Article]