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]

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]

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

SALT LAKE CITY

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