California to Issue Driver's Licenses to Illegal Immigrants

The New American

The California state Assembly on Thursday voted in favor of a bill that would permit the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants who are eligible for work permits under a new policy handed down from the Obama administration. The bill is on its way to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk to be signed into law.

Fox News reports, “Democratic Assemblyman Gil Cedillo [pictured above, next to photo of California's state capitol] of Los Angeles said he wrote AB 2189 to make roads safer, and allow young immigrants to drive to school and work.”

The bill passed in California’s Assembly by a vote of 55-15 after it passed in California’s Senate on Wednesday by a vote of 25-7.

The only other states to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants are New Mexico, Utah, and Washington.-[Full Article]

Korean suspects arrested in elaborate driver's license scam

Two suspects were arraigned in a California state court in Bakersfield on Friday following their arrest in Los Angeles Wednesday on criminal charges stemming from their role in an elaborate scheme involving illegal aliens from Asia who traveled to Kern County and used altered Canadian passports and legitimate Social Security numbers to obtain valid California driver's licenses and state identification cards...[Full Article]

Social Security numbers used in license scam

Social Security numbers plus altered passports used in plot to get California driver's licences for 200 illegal immigrants. Police arrest two, saying Social Security IDs came from Northern Marianas.

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LOS ANGELES

Two men were arrested in what authorities described Thursday as an elaborate scheme to help more than 200 illegal immigrants from Korea and China obtain California driver's licenses using doctored Canadian passports.

Dae Wahn Ahn, 49, of Diamond Bar, and Chong Hwan Kim, 47, of Norwalk, were arrested Wednesday and charged with manufacturing false documents, using false documents to conceal citizenship, perjury, forgery, conspiracy and false personation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

Authorities said the men charged illegal immigrants between $3,500 and $5,000 to help them obtain driver's licenses at multiple Department of Motor Vehicles offices in Kern County...[Full Article]

13 Illegal Immigrants Arrested in California Wearing U.S. Marine Uniforms

Border Patrol agents recently arrested 13 illegal immigrants disguised as U.S. Marines and riding in a fake military van, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday.

The illegal immigrants were clad in Marine uniforms when they were apprehended at the Campo Border Patrol Westbound I-8 checkpoint at 11 p.m. on March 14 near Pine Valley, Calif., border officials said. Two U.S. citizens in the van also were arrested...[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]

California Spends $21 Billion Annually to Support Undocumented Immigrants

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich reveals the cost of local illegal immigration, and the figures are staggering. When combining the numbers for the CalWORKs program ($22 million) and food stamps assistance ($31 million), the sum totals a confounding $53 million paid to support American-born children of illegal aliens.

Stepping back a bit further, Los Angeles County Supervisor Antonovich explains that 22 percent of CalWORKs and food stamp benefits within the county go to undocumented immigrants. Additional costs of approximately $500 million for health care, $550 million for public safety and $570 million for CalWORKs and food stamps bring the grand total to an estimated $1.6 billion.

This is not the first time that Antonovich sounds the alarm bells for the county of Los Angeles. In May 2010 his office issued a similar news release. It outlined that the cost for the support of illegal immigrants' children stood at $52 million while overall the cost for illegal immigrants -- borne by L.A. County taxpayers -- exceeded $1 billion. It is clear that his warnings fell on deaf ears.

Of course, illegal immigration is not a social issue endemic only to Los Angeles County. Undocumented immigrants present a fiscal drain for taxpayers all over the Golden State. In fact, nationwide California leads the pack with an expenditure of $21 billion on illegal aliens (compare this to the $84.2 billion figure that denotes the statewide cost for undocumented workers across the nation)...

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Making it safer for illegals to enter California

It is illegal to enter the United States without going through the proper channels.

And it is the right of sovereign nations to protect their borders.

So how come a local government agency is undermining both the legal immigration process and the security of our borders by reducing the risk to those who want to break this nation’s laws and enter this country illegally?

The short answer is they don’t like bad publicity directed at them by “60 Minutes” which is apparently a higher authority on securing our borders than the federal government...

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Bill would allow immigrant high school graduates to apply for citizenship

One Democratic representative introduced legislation on Friday that would begin President Barack Obama’s commitment to push forward with comprehensive immigration reform.

San Bernardino County Democratic Rep. Joe Baca of Rialto introduced the People Resolved to Obtain an Understanding of Democracy Act, which would amend the Nationality Act to allow exemplary non-citizen high school graduates to apply for citizenship. Under the PROUD Act, graduates would need to provide the necessary academic transcripts; show an understanding of United States history, government and civics; and prove they are of good moral character...

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Buoys strung on border canal to prevent drownings

CALEXICO, Calif. (AP) — A government agency on the front lines of the immigration debate has begun installing lifesaving buoys in a fast-moving canal along the U.S.-Mexico border where migrants drown each year as they sneak into the country illegally.

The debate over the lifelines has long presented authorities with a moral dilemma: Is it acceptable to do nothing when so many immigrants are dying in the water? Or do lifesaving devices lull immigrants into a false sense of security that they can conquer the channel while giving them extra motivation to enter the country illegally?...

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Dems' 'rising star' trained illegals for jobs
Ran program that kept aliens out of jail, cleared their criminal records

Kamala Harris, California's next attorney general, ran a program that trained illegal alien felons for jobs, kept them out of jail and even helped to clear their criminal records.

After those aspects of the program received local news media attention, Harris corrected the system but still allowed for illegal aliens already using the program to finish her program.

In the run-up to November's elections – where Harris won the slimmest victory in the Democratic statewide sweep – the news media released a slew of glowing profiles of the aspiring politician, casting her as a rising national star, comparing her to Obama or even labeling her as the "anti-Palin," as one Politico article put it...

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Oakland soon will issue municipal ID cards

OAKLAND -- Oakland will soon be following in San Francisco's footsteps by offering a new municipal identification card to homeless people, immigrants and other residents who might have trouble obtaining a state identification card.

But Oakland's ID card will double as an ATM debit card, the first of its kind in the country. The ATM debit card can be used to buy groceries or goods and services wherever ATM cards are welcome, allowing people without bank accounts to avoid high check-cashing fees or walking around with large amounts of cash...

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California Legislature to Expand Illegal Alien Benefits

Dream Act Would Allow Access to Financial Aid, Grants Unless Vetoed by Governor

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly three months into the fiscal year, the California legislature and Gov. Schwarzenegger are finalizing a budget agreement that calls for massive cuts in state programs to close the state's projected $19 billion budget gap. While most Californians will be feeling the pain – and lots of it – the California legislature not only spared, but expanded benefits to at least one political interest in the state: Illegal aliens.

Senate Bill 1460 and Assembly Bill 1413, collectively -referred to as the California DREAM Act, were approved by the legislature and are headed to Gov. Schwarzenegger's desk. By some estimates, these bills could provide over $38 million in state benefits to help illegal aliens attend California colleges and universities. This assistance comes on top of an estimated $88 million a year California taxpayers continue to provide to illegal aliens in the form of in-state tuition benefits, despite the fact that a state appeals court has ruled the policy unconstitutional.

If Gov. Schwarzenegger signs the California DREAM Act before the Sept. 30 deadline, illegal aliens would be eligible to receive taxpayer funded grants and assistance to offset the ever increasing costs of attending public colleges and universities in California. The bill also expands the definition of who is eligible to receive in-state tuition subsidies. Currently, students must have attended three years of high school in California to qualify. Under SB 1460, anyone who completes three years of secondary school, and earns a degree, in California is eligible for in-state tuition. Secondary schools include trade and adult schools...

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OC gov't contractor busted for hiring illegals

FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A Fullerton company busted for allegedly hiring illegal immigrants is now being sued by some of its employees.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed the suit on behalf of immigrant workers who claim the company abused them, denied them overtime pay and threatened them.

The complaint was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and other groups against laboratory equipment supplier Terra Universal Inc.

Illegal immigrants working for a government contractor were kept in virtual economic slavery, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The Fullerton-based manufacturer of laboratory equipment allegedly used the fear of deportation against employees. The lawsuit alleges employees had to work off medical bills and worked without overtime...

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National Guard troops deploy to border Wednesday

SACRAMENTO — California National Guard troops will take up their posts along the U.S.-Mexico border today, becoming the first to hit the ground in response to President Barack Obama’s directive to reinforce Border Patrol agents overwhelmed by drug smugglers and illegal immigrants.

They will be part of the first wave of California troops who will be deployed as they complete training. All 224 committed by the governor will be on the ground by Sept. 1, officials say.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to meet with some of the troops today and tour the border to mark official deployment.

In remarks prepared for the visit, Schwarzenegger will praise the troops and once again urge the president and Congress to set aside partisan differences to pass an immigration overhaul.

“These men and women will provide much-needed assistance to help secure our border, but it’s important to remember that this is only the beginning,” he says.

“We must find a permanent solution to our broken immigration system. We need the federal government to step up with even more manpower and funding and I will continue to push President Obama and Congress for action.”

He plans to laud not only the troops here — who volunteered for this duty — but the Guard in general.

“Our soldiers and airmen are true action heroes who respond to disasters at home and overseas,” according to his statement.

Brig. Gen. Mary Kight, who serves as adjutant general of the California National Guard, will join Schwarzenegger.

“The California National Guard is proud to be at the forefront of homeland security,” she says in remarks prepared for today. “Our soldiers and airmen bring a high level of civilian career expertise and military training to the mission that allows them to be a superb force multiplier to the Border Patrol.”

California’s troops will not be confined to the border. Some are likely to take up posts along routes used by smugglers of drugs and immigrants.

The troops will be armed, but are generally considered support personnel. They will call in U.S. Border Patrol agents when they spot suspicious activity...

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Welcome To Maywood, Mexico

by Roger Hedgecock

06/25/2010

Boasting a population that is 97% Hispanic, more than half foreign born, and 40% illegal, the Los Angeles County, Calif., incorporated city of Maywood has achieved the Reconquista goal. It is now as lawless and chaotic as any place in Mexico. Maywood is a warning to every city and town in America.

The Maywood City Council announced this week that after years of radical policies, corruption and scandal, the city was broke and all city employees would be laid off and essential city services contracted out to neighboring cities or to L.A. County government.

How did this happen? Until recently, Maywood was the model for "brown power" politics.

Maywood was the first California city with an elected Hispanic City Council, one of the first "sanctuary" cities for illegal aliens, the first city to pass a resolution calling for a boycott of Arizona after that state passed a law to enforce federal immigration laws, the first California city to order its police department not to enforce state laws requiring drivers to have licenses to drive, the first American city to call on Congress to grant amnesty to all illegals...

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Rohrbacher Takes Protest Against Mexican ID Cards To Catalina Event

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher flew by helicopter to Santa Catalina Island at dawn Thursday to personally condemn an effort by the Mexican Consulate to offer identification cards to local undocumented workers.

But his hastily arranged visit, which aimed to single out Avalon as an example of a community overwhelmed with illegal immigration issues, drug abuse and crime, drew mixed reviews from island officials and merchants.

Some welcomed the attention in an isolated seaside community, about 22 miles off the Southern California coast, where an estimated 70% of the 3,000 permanent residents are Spanish-speaking Latinos...

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Mexico Opens California Office To Provide ID For Illegals

The Mexican government is opening a satellite consular office on Catalina Island -- a small resort off the California coast with a history of drug smuggling and human trafficking -- to provide the island's illegal Mexican immigrants with identification cards, The Washington Examiner has learned.

The Mexican consular office in Los Angeles issued a flier, a copy of which was obtained by The Examiner, listing the Catalina Island Country Club as the location of its satellite office. It invites Mexicans to visit the office to obtain the identification, called matricular cards, by appointment.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican whose district includes Catalina Island, said handing out matricular cards will exacerbate an already dangerous situation.

"Handing out matricular cards to Mexicans who are not in this country legally is wrong no matter where it's done," he said. "But on Catalina it will do more damage. It's a small island but there's evidence it's being used as a portal for illegals to access mainland California."...

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Mexico-opens-California-office-to-provide-ID-for-illegals-95434969.html#ixzz0q0EmPEZC

California College Offers Scholarship To Illegal Immigrants

A public community college in California has set up a scholarship fund for immigrant students — including illegal immigrants. The $2,500 scholarship has sparked anger by some, including at least one lawmaker who is threatening to cut off federal funding to the school.

Orange County's Santa Ana College says the controversial new memorial scholarship will be funded by private donations and honors former student Tan Ngoc Tran, a student leader and immigrant-rights activist who transferred to Brown University before she was killed by a drunk driver on May 15.

Students eligible for the new scholarship must have a 3.0 or higher grade point average, demonstrate a financial need and must also be trying to become an American citizen. Those eligible include students holding green cards, students who have permanent residency — and illegal, undocumented immigrants.

The scholarship was announced by the Santa Ana College Foundation at an informal memorial service for Tran held at Santa Ana College on Wednesday, said Laurie Weidner, spokeswoman for the Rancho Santiago Community College District, which governs Santa Ana College.

Weidner repeatedly emphasized to FoxNews.com that no public funds would be used for the scholarship.

But Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., whose district includes the taxpayer-funded Santa Ana College, says that isn't quite true — because the scholarship diverts resources from Americans in need of education funds...

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California Must Stem The Flow Of Illegal Immigrants

The state should go after employers who hire them, curb taxpayer-funded benefits, deploy the National Guard to help the feds at the border and penalize 'sanctuary' cities.

The United States, and California in particular, has been built by immigrants who legally crossed our borders in search of a brighter future. For generations, these legal immigrants have made immeasurable contributions to creating a unique and vibrant California. As Americans and Californians, we are right to welcome people from all over the globe when they obey our laws and are willing to play by the rules.

Illegal immigration is another matter entirely. With the state budget in tatters, millions of residents out of work and a state prison system strained by massive overcrowding, California simply cannot continue to ignore the strain that illegal immigration puts on our budget and economy. Illegal aliens cost taxpayers in our state billions of dollars each year. As economist Philip J. Romero concluded in a 2007 study, "illegal immigrants impose a 'tax' on legal California residents in the tens of billions of dollars."...

Judge Dismisses Bologna Family Lawsuit Against SF

Bay City News

February 24, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO — A lawsuit filed against the city of San Francisco by the surviving family members of a father and two sons who were fatally shot in 2008 has been dismissed by a superior court judge.

Judge Charlotte Woolard ruled Monday that the surviving members of the Bologna family can't sue the city for allegedly harboring accused murderer Edwin Ramos from federal immigration authorities under The City's sanctuary policy.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Judge-dismisses-Bologna-family-lawsuit-against-SF-85227152.html#ixzz0grN5hV0b