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30 November, 2008

Canada not cutting back

Despite uncertain economic times, Ottawa announced plans yesterday for Canada to take in up to 265,000 new permanent residents in 2009 and to speed up the processing of applications for potential new Canadians in dozens of high-demand occupations. At a news conference in Toronto, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said while countries such as Australia, Germany and England are cutting back on the number of people they allow to immigrate, Canada will maintain its immigration levels.

Under the plan, people wishing to move to Canada who work in 38 highly skilled job fields, such as health, finance and the oil industry, will go to the front of the line. That means skilled immigrants could have their visas processed in six to 12 months instead of having to wait five to six years. "Nurses for instance, are needed whether you are in Nunavut or Vancouver or Toronto," said Mr. Kenney, adding that Canada is one of the few G7 countries that still has labour shortages, despite the economic downturn. "Having said that, we will have to monitor the economy as it develops and, of course, we reserve the right to modify our policy if need be."

However, critics argue that when the government consulted with the provinces and with labour representatives, it did not take into account how deeply the global economy would fall. Sergio Karas, chairman of the citizenship and immigration section of the Ontario Bar Association, believes the list of skilled workers gives potential new Canadians the impression there are jobs when those jobs could soon disappear, a problem he says that will "create chaos." "We are going to be granting residency like lollipops and we're going to encourage them to come to Canada because they are on the list and we do not know, given the economic situation. We're giving them the impression that there are jobs to be had," he said.

While some occupations on the list, such as doctors and nurses, do not relate to the economic crisis, Mr. Karas said most are technical jobs that may be affected by the downturn. And he cited positions in Alberta's oilsands as an example. He suggests the government speed up the admission of temporary workers rather than hand out permanent residencies.

But Mr. Kenney said a backlog in foreign applicants has grown to 900,000 cases, up from 50,000 in 1993. He said of those, 600,000 people waiting in the queue are in the skilled-worker category. "This is unacceptable and we need to take action," said Mr. Kenney. The Minister said the government also will accelerate the immigration process for people who have an offer of employment or have already been living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or international student. Mr. Kenney said the list of 38 occupations was developed after consultations with the provinces and territories, business and labour.

The Liberals have criticized the immigration reforms, arguing everyone should be treated on a first-come, first-served basis. The Immigration Department said it expects 156,600 immigrants in the economic category; 71,000 in the family category; and 37,400 in the humanitarian category. The Immigration Department also has expanded its Web site -- www.cic.gc.ca -- in an effort to make it easier for people to navigate the range of immigration options open to them.

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Australia: The flow of "boat people" has resumed

The new Leftist government's softer policy was noticed immediately. A problem that the previous conservative government solved is back again

Indonesian and Australian police have stopped 14 boats laden with asylum seekers from travelling to Australia this year, including at least three in the past six weeks, as people-smuggling activity accelerates across the archipelago. Four boats have made it to Australian waters. On Thursday, one of them, with 12 Sri Lankans aboard, became the first boat in two years to reach the mainland, near Shark Bay in Western Australia. Government sources said the arrivals, who were being transferred to Christmas Island, would have access to Australian law should they claim asylum.

The previously undisclosed figures on people-smuggling disruption, confirmed by Australian Federal Police, highlight the success of the joint operation combating human trafficking. But the data also points to a spike in asylum seekers trying to come to Australia, a politically sensitive issue for the Rudd Government. This year, the Government softened its policy towards illegal immigrants and has allowed the navy - which intercepts boats - to stand down for two months over Christmas due to a manpower shortage.

"We have a lot of problems with this smuggling," Paulus Purwoko, deputy chief of criminal investigations at Indonesian National Police, told the Herald. He said the number of boat crossings to Australia had increased, particularly in recent months. "They transit first through Malaysia, then from Malaysia to Indonesia. We believe it is organised by a syndicate. "When they get to Indonesia, they try to make a deception to the Indonesian police. They throw away their passports. They get a UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] letter of recommendation or ID. Some of them have originals, the rest have fakes."

The Australian Federal Police has played a critical role in combating human trafficking by providing intelligence. But Mr Purwoko said it was difficult to keep tabs on smugglers due to Indonesia's long coastline and because the boats were leaving from different places each time. He expressed grave fears for the asylum seekers, saying the syndicates use the flimsiest of boats to save money, creating huge risks for their human cargo. The worst time to attempt the crossing is over summer, when the seas are roughest. It is also when the navy will be undertaking limited operations.

Indonesian police have made numerous arrests, including Afghan, Pakistani and Indonesian nationals. Many of the asylum seekers are from Afghanistan, reflecting the deteriorating security there and rise in persecution against ethnic minorities as the Taliban exerts more control. Others have come from Iraq, Somalia and Sri Lanka, all countries besieged by violence.

The Herald interviewed two Afghan asylum seekers this week in Jakarta. The men, who cannot be identified because it would jeopardise the safety of their families, said people-smuggling syndicates are paid up to $US12,000 a person. "They promise they will arrive in Australia or some other country like Britain," said one of the men. They said asylum seekers wanted to come to Australia because it was "safe".

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29 November, 2008

British immigration boss rejects 'immorality' claim

Phil Woolas has rejected criticism from the Archbishop of York about his stance on immigration and asylum issues, saying "being tough is not immoral". Dr John Sentamu attacked "unmerciful" immigration policies in a speech on Thursday and comments by Mr Woolas about asylum lawyers. Although he took the criticism "very seriously" Mr Woolas said it was moral to have a "fair and efficient" system.

Mr Woolas has sparked much controversy since becoming immigration minister. Dr Sentamu condemned his "tough talking" rhetoric and said attitudes to Zimbabweans seeking asylum in the UK lacked mercy. And he singled out recent comments by Mr Woolas that many lawyers for asylum applicants undermined the system by dragging out appeals and did "more harm than good", saying they were simply wrong. Dr Sentumu also suggested the language used by Mr Woolas on sensitive issues since being appointed to the job in October had muddied the waters in the immigration debate.

Mr Woolas has said he was appointed to raise the profile of the government's immigration policy and get its message across to readers of tabloid newspapers. In a recent interview in the News of the World, he vowed the government would "kick out" more illegal immigrants next year. He has also said he wanted to reassure people that Britain's population will not reach 70 million as some experts, including the office for national statistics, have predicted although he has said he does not favour a "cap" on immigration.

"May I be forgiven for suggesting that the honourable member in question does not advance his stated desire to have 'a mature debate about immigration' by this carry on?" Dr Sentamu argued. Mr Woolas told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he did not believe his comments on immigration and asylum polices were either "unmerciful or authoritarian". "I don't accept the central charge that being tough is being immoral," he said. "I would argue the opposite." "I think the morally right thing to do is to have an efficient and fair immigration and asylum system."

Mr Woolas said he would not back down from his argument that some delays in the asylum process was caused by lawyers "frivolously" dragging out the appeals process. Dr Sentamu had said Mr Woolas' stance was "worrying" given the number of initial decisions refusing asylum subsequently overturned. But the minister said unnecessary delays in the process "perpetuated" the suffering of applicants and said he believed it was moral to ensure decisions were taken faster.

However, he pointed out that he was not accusing the majority of lawyers of such behaviour and accepted that some delays in the asylum process were the result of failings in the system itself. "You cannot manage a system unless it is efficient. That is fairer for the immigration and asylum seekers who are using the system."

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Prime Minister's promise of 'British jobs for British workers' rings hollow, statistics show

Migrant workers have more than accounted for the increase in employment in the last two years while the number of Britons in work has plummeted. Jobs filled by foreigners has soared by almost half a million over the period while the number of UK-born employees has slumped by 149,000.

It shows the huge influence immigration is having on the workforce and critics said it makes a mockery of Gordon Brown's pledge of "British jobs for British workers". Young migrant workers and those over 50 also now earned more, on average, than their British counterparts.

Figures last week showed net immigration has hit its second highest level on record after increasing five-fold under Labour. And a report by one of Prince Charles' official charities warned rural communities are struggling to cope with the unprecedented number of overseas workers descending on their towns and villages.

The shadow home secretary, Dominic Grieve, said: "This makes a mockery of Gordon Brown's ill-advised comment that he would create British jobs for British workers. "As well as being a ridiculous thing to say it has shown he does not have any credible answers to the problems we face, which are being made worse by the recession."

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the overall level of employment increased by around 320,000 between September 2006 and September this year - up from 29.17 million to 29.49 million. However, during the two year period the number of UK workers in jobs fell by 149,000 while the number of migrant employees increased by 469,000. Similarly, in the years since Labour took power, non-UK born workers have made up around two thirds of the growth in employment. Total employment grew by 2.79 million between September 1997 and September 2008 but 62 per cent of that was made up by an increase of 1.7 million migrants in work.

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch, said: "The number of jobs in the economy is not fixed but it is striking that there have been a major increase in the employment of economic migrants of nearly half a million while the number of British people in employment has fallen by 149,000 in the same period. "It is hard to believe that these two developments are entirely unconnected."

Separate statistics from the ONS show UK workers earn more a week, on average, than their foreign counterparts (438 pounds a week), with only Americans (635), those from Australia and New Zealand (577) and western Europeans such as the French and Germans (510). However foreign workers in the 18 to 24 age bracket now earn more than their British counterparts (290 a week as opposed to 288), as do those aged over 50 (469 a week compared to 462 for Britons).

MPs warned last week that public services will be unable to cope after immigration rose to its second highest level on record. Despite the Government's pledge to cut numbers, net immigration has increased fivefold since 1997 to 237,000 last year and means immigration has added more than 1.85 million to the population in a decade.

A separate report for one of the Prince of Wales's official charities last week also warned a threefold increase in the flow of migrant workers into the countryside has had a "disproportionate impact'' on small rural towns and villages, which lack the necessary resources and infrastructure to adapt. Housing, health care, education and policing have come under increasing pressure, according to the study for the Business in the Community charity.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "Government and independent research continues to find no significant evidence of negative employment effects from migration. "The tough new points system will ensure only those foreign workers we need - and no more - can come here to work. It is also flexible, allowing us to raise or lower the bar according to the needs of the labour market and the country as a whole."

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28 November, 2008

Canadian madness

Convicted killer allowed to sponsor wife for immigration

A man convicted of killing his sister-in-law in India 11 years ago by dousing her in kerosene and setting her on fire will be allowed to sponsor his new wife for immigration to Canada, the Federal Court has ruled. The court found Immigration Board provisions against allowing someone convicted of a domestic violence offence to sponsor an immigrant are only for those convicted of harming a blood relative, and not an in-law.

Baljinder Singh Brar, a Canadian citizen, was married in March 1997, one month before he was convicted in India of culpable homicide in the death of his brother's wife, who died from severe burns. Brar was released from jail in July 2004, returned to Canada, and six months later submitted an application to the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi for spousal sponsorship.

An immigration official rejected the application, citing Brar's conviction as a failure to comply with Immigration and Refuge Protection Regulations, which bar those who have caused bodily harm against a relative. Brar successfully appealed the decision citing that an offence involving a "sister-in-law" is different than an offence involving a "relative" as defined by the board.

The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration asked that the decision be reviewed, noting that another clause in the regulations provides a broader definition of "relative" which includes "family members" such as common-law partners or spouses. This month, the Federal Court ruled that the Brar is eligible to sponsor his wife to come to Canada, and that the board had not erred in its interpretation of the regulations. The word "sister-in law" does not fall within the definition of "family member" as outlined by the Immigration and Refugee Board, the ruling states.

Reached for comment Wednesday, Brar's lawyer, Stephen Green, with Green and Spiegel, said: "It was a very technical legal argument and that's what the judge made a determination on, based on the legalities of it," he said.

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Obsessive immigration secrecy in Britain

What are they trying to hide? One guess: An out of control system

Police arrested the opposition Conservative Party's immigration spokesman on Thursday over alleged leaks of information which he made public, British media said. The reports said Damian Green, who is a member of parliament, was arrested by London police at his home in Kent, south east of the capital, and his offices were searched. The information leaked was said to have come from the Home Office (Interior Ministry).

The Conservatives were unavailable for comment on the allegations when contacted by Reuters, but the arrest was condemned by the party's shadow Chancellor George Osborne. "I think it is absolutely extraordinary that the police have taken that decision. It has long been the case in our democracy that members of parliament have received information from civil servants," he said on BBC television "I think to hide information from the public is wrong. It is very early days. It's an extraordinary case and I think there are going to be some very, very big questions asked of the police."

Police issued a statement which said that a 52-year-old man had been arrested in Kent and taken to a central London police station on Thursday afternoon. "The man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office and aiding and abetting, counselling or procuring misconduct in a public office," they said in a statement. They added that they had searched two residential addresses and business premises in Kent and central London.

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27 November, 2008

Options Abound for Executive Action on U.S. Immigration

Even if comprehensive immigration legislation is a low priority in the 111th Congress, President-elect Barack Obama will have plenty of tools at his disposal for altering the border security and interior enforcement landscape. The new administration can use executive orders, departmental reviews, regulations and personnel appointments to affect policy without Congress having to weigh in. And having apparently settled on a Homeland Security secretary in Gov. Janet Napolitano , D-Ariz., viewed as possessing border security credentials, such a strategy makes sense, with the president otherwise engaged in confronting economic troubles at home and war and terrorism abroad.

Likely to be high on the immigration to-do list: re-examining the stepped-up worksite enforcement conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent months. Human rights and immigrant advocates have blasted the raids, which are effective at netting large groups of illegal workers but can create public relations problems. "I think that the Obama administration is definitely going to dial back on workplace raids, but I don't see them putting it that way," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates reduced immigration levels. "They're going to say `we're re-assessing workplace raids.'"

Obama and his Homeland Security Department leadership will also need to decide if they will enforce, rewrite or ditch a Bush administration rule that would allow Social Security "no-match" letters to be used as evidence of knowingly employing illegal workers for prosecution purposes.

Another Bush administration enforcement scheme that uses Social Security data is E-Verify, DHS's electronic employment verification tool. Obama has said he supports E-Verify, but he will inherit the tool's largest mandated expansion in January, when most federal contractors will be required to use it for new hires. Critics, which include businesses and civil libertarians, say the tool is error-prone, burdensome for employers and could lead to the misidentification and firing of legal workers. Napolitano's signed into law perhaps the toughest employer-sanction statute in the country, but has expressed concerns about its effect on commerce.

Two other areas of concern to immigrant advocates that could see relatively quick action are asylum and health care. Marshall Fitz, director of advocacy at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, says he can see the Obama administration "being more proactive in their policy guidance [for ICE] in the use of parole, in particular for vulnerable populations, asylees and refugees."

And if the new administration wants to tackle another contentious immigration issue, it "could take a careful look at [ICE] medical standards to make the detention system operate more humanely, without sacrificing community safety," Fitz said. ICE and the Department of Immigrant Health Services came under fire in the last year after several detainee deaths were linked to improper treatment in custody.

When it comes to legal immigration, reducing application backlogs and the management of a huge, recently awarded contract to overhaul customer service at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services could be another big undertaking for Obama.

If Napolitano is indeed appointed, as several news outlets reported last week was likely, that would be a clear signal of an executive branch focus on immigration. "Right off the bat you have, at the top of the department, somebody who was selected to signal that the immigration portfolio is going to be taken seriously in this administration," said Doris Meissner, head of the Immigration and Naturalization Service under President Bill Clinton and currently a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute.

Her public image is one of toughness on the issue, as a two-term Democratic governor of a Republican state sharing a long border with Mexico. But illegal immigration hawks are skeptical of Napolitano's enforcement credentials. Krikorian said she cultivated a tough image to appeal to her conservative, anti-immigration Arizona constituents, but didn't deliver much on the ground. Whichever view reflects reality, Napolitano's mandate for action - and the accompanying controversies - will grow considerably if she takes over DHS.

Meissner said Napolitano will likely perform an in-depth review of departmental border security policies early in her tenure. "I would think that border enforcement and how it is promoting national security and achieving better immigration results would be very high on her list," Meissner said.

Another option: promoting national identity. Audrey Singer, a senior fellow of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, sees an opportunity for Obama to zero in on better assimilation for new immigrants. The administration "could organize something like a national `new Americans initiative' to fund or provide seed funding to states for local municipalities to fund programs" that aim to help new immigrations with language, housing and job training.

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Black Anglican archbishop attacks British immigration boss

The Archbishop of York is to launch a blistering attack on Britain's beleaguered immigration minister, accusing him of making dangerous and inaccurate claims. Dr John Sentamu will say Phil Woolas has made serious allegations about the conduct of lawyers which were not supported by the facts, and express concern over the minister's "unmerciful" attitude. He says the minister has been immature in his handling of immigration at a time when the Government should be setting an example to brutal regimes in countries such as Zimbabwe. Instead it has tried to make political capital out of the issue by "tough-talking" designed to win votes, says the archbishop.

In a wide-ranging critique of British society, Dr Sentamu argues that such cynical tactics have contributed to a breakdown in community and neighbourliness and are "a worrying development". Consumerism and materialism have become rampant under Labour and have led to the current economic crisis, he says.

In a speech at the Royal Society to be delivered on Thursday evening, Dr Sentamu will urge the Government to find a vision for the country rather than just concentrating on short-term solutions to the recession. He says that society deserves better than politicians such as Mr Woolas, who recently attacked lawyers representing asylum seekers for "playing the system". "Speaking as someone without a vested interest and is not a member of any industry to which the honourable member was referring, I would suggest that the allegation that lawyers are undermining the Law is very serious indeed." The archbishop suggests that Mr Woolas is suffering from "terminal inexactitude" and is ignoring the facts.

The attack from the archbishop follows a string of high-profile gaffes made by Mr Woolas since he took up the immigration brief in October. He appeared to call for a cap on migration to Britain in a strongly worded newspaper interview, saying he would not allow the population to reach 70 million, only to backtrack the next day. Mr Woolas then admitted Labour had made a series of mistakes in handling the number of people coming to the country, but was again forced to issue a "clarification" hours later. He was further humiliated when he was pulled from a scheduled appearance on the BBC's Question Time debate, and at a public appearance in Manchester he was hit in the face by a custard pie thrown by a pro-migration campaigner. Mr Woolas has also caused controversy during his brief time in the spotlight by predicting the disestablishment of the Church of England, going against stated Government policy.

Dr Sentamu will claim that the Labour Government has failed to provide a vision for Britain, and that despite growing prosperity society has been allowed to fall apart. "It seems to me that the poison fruit that has sprouted within our democratic system is that of apathy, disempowerment and a loss of memory of our history, culture and tradition," he will say. "It is a lack of interest, or boredom borne not only of material excess, where consciences have grown so fat on consumption that they ceased to function but also through a lack of shared big picture. The lack of a bigger vision to hold us all together. "Whilst we have all benefited from the economic progress of past decades the consequences of rampant consumerism and individualism - both economic and social - have been to eradicate the glue that coheres communities together."

Dr Sentamu will also argue that Government policy and the legal system in Britain takes no account of morality or of the Christian imperative to love one's neighbour. He is to cite the example of a seriously ill Ghanaian woman, Ama Sumani, who in 2006 was deported from the UK back to her home country because her visa had expired, and who later died because she could not afford treatment. "Sadly, the separation of religion, morality and law has gone too far, leading to such dire unintended consequences," the archbishop will say.

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26 November, 2008

Big shift in Congress?

In an interview published in Gannet News Service over the weekend, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke candidly of plans to both address and pass immigration reform legislation in the 111th Congress. Reid told Gannett News, "On immigration, there's been an agreement between (President-elect Barack) Obama and (Arizona Republican Sen. John) McCain to move forward on that. ... We'll do that." The Senate Majority Leader went on say that he did not expect "much of a fight at all," and expressed his optimism about passing common sense immigration reform in the near future.

Why is Reid so confident? It may have something to do with the failure of anti-immigrant politics at the ballot-box, the growing power of the Latino and immigrant vote, or the realization that Americans are looking to those they elected to tackle and solve the toughest issues of our day.

What's more, in this new landscape, Senator Reid's comments join a distinctly bipartisan chorus. Chiming in are many Republican strategists and leaders speaking out against the GOP's restrictionist, enforcement-only approach to immigration. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) recently said on NBC's Meet the Press: "There were voices within our party that if they continue with that kind of anti-Hispanic rhetoric, we're going to be relegated to minority status."

In Newsweek, Karl Rove argued that, in order for the GOP to stay afloat, Republicans must truly support policy that "strengthens citizenship, grows our economy and keeps America a welcoming nation." Given this new political reality, all signs point to a monumental shift in how immigration reform may be taken up and tackled in the 111th Congress.

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EU bids to bring Africa into immigration pact

Do I see "aid" payments coming up to bribe African countries into co-operation? African governments control very little that goes on in their countries so even if co-operation is bought with such "development programmes", it won't do much to stop the flow

European Union ministers sought Tuesday to enlist counterparts from 27 African countries in a new effort to curb the flood of illegal immigration. EU leaders last month adopted a new immigration pact, largely with France's input, that seeks to tailor policies of the 27-nation bloc to meet labour needs while tightening the screws on illegal residents. But African governments view the shift with unease, concerned that "Fortress Europe" is toughening its stance as they struggle with a food crisis at home.

"A policy on migration cannot be defined without or against Africa, but rather with Africa," French Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux told the opening of the EU-Africa ministerial conference in Paris. "The objective of the European pact is to avoid a Europe that is a bunker or a sieve." "A willingness to hold a dialogue must be at the centre of our migration patterns," he added, noting that two thirds of immigrants in France are from Africa.

Ministers are to adopt a cooperation programme for the next three years to step up the fight against illegal immigration and also look at development programmes to create work opportunities for Africans at home.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri called on Europeans to be "realistic", arguing that tough immigration laws would not discourage migrants from trying to reach Europe. "We urge, we demand that our northern partners opt for a constructive and open stance," he said, and called for "opening up legal immigration channels" as way to combat illegal flows.

Alain Bedouma Yoda, the foreign minister of Burkina-Faso, said more development projects were needed to bolster prospects at home and an easing of entry regulations to combat human-trafficking.

Some 80 delegations are taking part in a one-day meeting including the 27 nations of the European Union and 27 from northern, western and central Africa. In the run up to the meeting, a coalition of 300 non-governmental organisations called "Bridges, not Walls" had denounced the EU's new immigration stance as "essentially security-driven and self-serving."

The European Pact on Immigration and Asylum adopted in October sets out principles for managing migration, fighting illegal immigration and forming partnerships with countries where people leave or travel through to get to Europe. Rights groups charge that the new pact is repressive and puts too much emphasis on regulating immigration flows to allow more skilled workers and fewer refugees.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade this month used the historic win of Barack Obama, the first African American in the White House, to take a swipe at the EU's new immigration pact. "Why did they do that? They did it to close the doors to black people except for officials, managers, engineers, doctors: the people they need. There the racism disappears," he said. Getting the immigration pact voted through was a priority for the French EU presidency, which ends on January 1, when the Czech Republic takes over.

The second EU-Africa ministerial conference was held after a meeting in Rabat in July 2006 produced agreement on setting up a partnership to fight illegal immigration through a combination of development aid, stepped-up border controls and controversial agreements on repatriation. France sees accords it has signed with Gabon, Senegal and other African countries allowing for repatriation of illegal migrants as models for managing immigration flows. Immigrants make up about 10 percent of the labour force in the EU plus Switzerland and Norway, working in all sectors and massively recruited as household staff, construction workers and in sales, according to a recent report by the French INSEE statistical institute.

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25 November, 2008

The Border Mess

The following 20 items are simple headlines to recent stories regarding the violence along the southern U.S. border and other areas of Mexico. Thanks to the mainstream media, the average American hasn't an inkling of the level of lawlessness preparing to flood the U.S.

- Mexico news reports that "only" 814,000 Mexicans left the country last year

- Interpol to send a team to Mexico to investigate possible misuse of their information systems

- Mexico crimewave yields 32 deaths in one day

- More than thirty Tijuana police officers desert their posts and flee

- Twenty-one police officers arrested

- President Felipe CalderĒn appoints Gomez Mont to post of Secretary of Government

- Mexico hopes to convince President-Elect Obama to embrace open migration

- Mexico: Confrontations result in 33 deaths in less than 24 hours

- Mexico: First fifteen days in October the year's most violent

- Formal Travel Alert to Mexico Issued by U.S. Department of State

- US confirms illegal Mexican military incursion

- Mexico: Past three days most violent period this year with 84 execution-sytle murders

- Tijuana becoming a no man's land - very dangerous place to be

- Mexican drug cartels are extending their tentacles in Latin America

- Lawlessness and organized crime spiraling out of control in Mexico and Latin America

- Organization of American States Secretary General decrys drug traffic

- Creation of a new drug cartel in Tijuana

- Mexican Counsul Guillermo Reyes asking his fellow citizens not to emigrate to the United States

- Tijuana crimes on the rise! Thirty-six murders in the past week

- Mexico: Majority of homicides commited go unresolved (sic all)

Remember, these are only headlines of stories which contain even more disturbing details. Check BorderFireReport.net for more.

Any rational person must question why the level of lawlessness and mayhem isn't given prominence by the American elite media. Think about it. During one weekend last month, there were 84 execution-style murders in Mexico and I would bet a paycheck that none of your acquaintances knows the story. Meanwhile, virtually everyone in the English-speaking world knows that the Republican Party spent $150,000 on clothes for Governor Sarah Palin.

I don't think it's merely curious to want to know that mass murder is being committed just down the road from where I live. The elite media have abdicated their responsibilities to inform the public. One might say that it conflicts with their agenda.

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If politicians open their eyes, the BNP spectre will vanish

The purloined BNP membership lists are revealing, beyond the Anglo-Saxon or Viking nostalgia of their house names or email-addresses. Most of the male, middle-aged membership hale from areas of deprivation - like Blackburn and Stoke or the farther wastelands of east London. They are not all former soldiers or policemen who do a bit of Hitler in their spare time. As well as one witch and a vicar, they include a couple of academics from Cambridge and Leeds, doctors, teachers and social workers. Many are former Labour supporters. This partly explains why the Left is so keen to ramp up the distant thud of jackboots, for it has always needed "anti-Fascism" like a regular blood transfusion.

Beyond an implacable core, obsessed with Jews, Blacks and Asians, BNP supporters are driven by the creed of "England for the English", with diffuser resentments towards the EU and foreigners in general. Possibly their biggest handicap, apart from the fundamental decency and sanity of most British people, is that their local activism invariably translates into ineffective, useless representatives wherever BNP candidates have been elected.

Another handicap is the absence of a charismatic leader. Fascist parties need them to conceal policies that are like a leap of faith into a mythic past and future. Britain's last Fascist dynamo was Sir Oswald Mosley, a Labour MP who crossed to the dark side in the 1930s, although his cut-glass tones and manic Hitlerian gestures seem ridiculous. Mr Nick Griffin resembles one of those bulbous creatures that excite one's curiosity on the fish counter, but which would bring no joy to purchase. He is devoid of the steely style of the Italian far-Right politician Gianfranco Fini, a former professor of economics, or the gay ski-instructor charm of the late Joerg Haider. This is not to imply that the BNP is only one charismatic leader away from real power - as distinct from maybe getting a Euro MEP elected next time round. We can probably cope with that.

The last really grave Fascist challenge came in the wake of a lost war, Bolshevik revolution, hyper-inflation, and a Depression which saw nine million unemployed in Germany. Many Nazi Stormtroopers could not afford shoes, let alone boots, and were fed by party soup kitchens. The Nazis went from 2.8 per cent to 36 per cent of the vote in four years because of a leader who epitomised his "movement" and spoke to people in fear of an abyss. The democratic alternatives either imploded, or had no solutions to Germany's problems. Nor did Hitler, but that is another story.

Such conditions do not exist in contemporary Britain, though there is admittedly poverty of other kinds, such as drug misuse in substandard housing where the inhabitants have been weaned off responsibility by decades of welfare dependency. Iain Duncan Smith has spoken to and for such constituencies highly effectively. Others need to move up a notch to the BNP's likely constituency of C2s.

All parties need to listen to the concerns of their potential audience and find ways of addressing them. Rather than painting a Fascist spectre on the walls, politicians can start by acknowledging that it is not "racist" to be concerned about culture, identity, mass immigration and the cynical misuse of our asylum laws. If they fail to do this, they may find more people turning to politicians who are even less plausible than themselves.

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24 November, 2008

British immigration Minister brands Boris Johnson a 'naive nincompoop' for suggesting illegal immigrant amnesty

Boris Johnson is a very amusing man and I like a lot of what he says but I think his privileged background (Bullingdon club) has deprived him of full awareness of this matter

Boris Johnson was last night labelled a 'naive nincompoop' by a Government minister after calling for an amnesty for illegal immigrants. The London Mayor has ordered a study of the potential benefits of allowing hundreds of thousands of long-term immigrants to earn the right to stay in Britain. But immigration minister Phil Woolas warned it could lead to more vulnerable people being exploited by traffickers.

The Tory Mayor's remarks have also opened up a rift with party leader David Cameron who has distanced himself from the idea. An estimated 700,000 people are thought to be working illegally in the UK, some 400,000 of them in the capital.

Mr Johnson said allowing longterm illegal immigrants to earn the right to stay would see 'hugely increased' tax revenues. He suggested those given an amnesty would have to have at least five years' residency and be able to demonstrate their commitment 'to this society and to this economy'.

But Mr Woolas said: 'His comments might start with the best of intentions but will lead to more people traffickers making more money and exploiting more vulnerable individuals.' Speaking at an EU immigration summit in Paris, he added: 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions. 'I have always thought that Boris was a bit of a nincompoop and these proposals are naive in the extreme.'

The immigration minister added that, under a government crackdown, illegal immigrants were being thrown out of the country at a rate of one every eight minutes. Mr Woolas said: 'The UK Border Agency is committed to stopping illegal migration. We are putting in place the biggest shake up of the immigration system for 45 years and we are seeing the results of this.'

Government sources later went as far as saying Mr Johnson's calls for an amnesty were ' dangerous' as they would encourage more illegal immigrants to head for the UK. They pointed out that instant communication meant new trafficking routes would open up 'within days' of the UK being viewed as 'going soft' on immigration.

The Mayor also risks accusations he is overstepping his remit as he has no power over immigration policy and can only put pressure on the Government to act. Sir Andrew Green, chairman of MigrationwatchUK, said the proposal was 'unbelievably irresponsible. An amnesty would cost the taxpayer at least 500million pounds a year,' he said. 'It would add hundreds of thousands to the housing lists who would move up the priority list as their families would be allowed to follow them. 'So the reward for breaking our laws for long enough would be a meal ticket for life. 'This could only encourage still more illegal immigrants to come and take their place -- as the Spanish have found with their six amnesties in the past 20 years, each larger than the previous one.'

Mr Johnson insisted he did not want to incentivise illegal immigration but said there were significant legal and financial obstacles to mass deportations. He acknowledged illegal immigrants had broken the law and should 'in principle' be deported. But he added: 'Unfortunately it is just not going to happen.'

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Dallas school system aids ands abets illegals

Years after being advised by a state agency to stop, the Dallas Independent School District continued to provide foreign citizens with fake Social Security numbers to get them on the payroll quickly. Some of the numbers were real Social Security numbers already assigned to people elsewhere. And in some cases, the state's educator certification office unknowingly used the bogus numbers to run criminal background checks on the new hires, most of whom were brought in to teach bilingual classes.

The practice was described in an internal report issued in September by the district's investigative office, which looked into the matter after receiving a tip. The report said the Texas Education Agency learned of the fake numbers in 2004 and told DISD then that the practice "was illegal." It's unclear how long DISD had been issuing the phony numbers, and district officials didn't know Thursday how many had been given out. But the investigative report and interviews with DISD employees indicate the practice went on for several years before it was discontinued this past summer.

DISD human resources chief Kim Olson, who came to the district in 2007, said that she learned about the false numbers this past summer around the time the district's investigative unit was looking into them and that she put a stop to the practice. "There's no way we should be doing that kind of stuff," Ms. Olson said. "Even if your intention is good to help employees get paid, you can't use inappropriate procedures to do that."

The investigative report, obtained by The News through a records request, found "that the inappropriate procedure of assigning false SSNs has been systemic for several years" within DISD's alternative certification program, which prepares new teachers for state certification when they don't have traditional credentials. A call Thursday to DISD's alternative certification office was not returned. In recent years, DISD has hired people from various countries, including Mexico and Spain, to deal with a shortage of bilingual teachers.

The fake numbers were assigned as a stopgap to expedite the hiring process, the report says. The numbers were supposed to serve as temporary identification numbers until employees received real Social Security numbers. Once employees got the real numbers, they were supposed to tell district officials so the fake ones could be replaced. The investigation found no indication that the fake numbers were provided to the Teacher Retirement System, the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration.

However, according to the report, a sampling of several fake numbers showed that they had been included in a July quarterly report sent to the Texas Workforce Commission. Also, when investigators reviewed a sampling of personnel files, they learned that the fake numbers were entered on Department of Homeland Security and IRS forms. The forms are not transmitted outside the district but are made available to the appropriate federal agency upon request.

In July, the district discovered that 26 of the false numbers were in use after matching DISD employee Social Security numbers with the Social Security Administration database. The numbers were already being used in Pennsylvania. DISD officials did not know Thursday whether the practice had caused problems for anyone holding the legitimate numbers. The district's investigative unit, called the Office of Professional Responsibility, began looking into the fake numbers after the Texas Education Agency's division of educator investigations advised the unit in July that it had discovered the district issuing false numbers in 2004.

That year, the TEA division became aware of the practice when DISD faxed copies of about 100 new Social Security Administration cards for foreign citizens - most of whom had been assigned district-issued numbers - and asked TEA to replace the old numbers, according to the investigative report. The state office told DISD at the time that it's illegal to make up Social Security numbers and pass them off as legitimate, the report says.

Doug Phillips, TEA's director of investigations and fingerprinting, said his office believed the district had stopped the practice because there was no evidence that it continued. He said Thursday that he didn't know which laws forbid issuing fake Social Security numbers. "We just knew it looked bad and smelled bad," Mr. Phillips said. "That was the first time we'd ever heard of that one."

Mr. Phillips said it created "a mess" in a state database. He said teacher applicants who don't have a Social Security number can receive a temporary identification number, which begins with a "P," from TEA until they get one from the federal government. ..

Ms. Olson said new processes have been put in place to address problems noted in the report, including making crosschecks with the Social Security Administration. "You can't just arbitrarily issue Social Security numbers," she said. "Even if your intention is good, it's not legal."

More here





23 November, 2008

Stanford professor leads Obama immigration team

This guy is clearly no dumb Hispanic but it would be amazing if his Hispanic background did not bias his thinking towards a more permissive attitude to Hispanic immigration. The claim that he is a bureaucratic efficiency expert is encouraging, though. The immigration bureaucracy could sure use a shakeup

Stanford law Professor Tino Cuellar was named this week to lead President-elect Barack Obama's transition working group on immigration, putting him among the many scholars from the Bay Area who are helping shape the next administration. The team is one of seven policy groups Obama has convened to develop priorities for the first months of his presidency on topics ranging from education to the economy to national security.

Through a law school spokeswoman, Cuellar declined to be interviewed, but lawyers and immigration experts across the country praised him Friday for his intellect and his grasp of both regulatory minutiae and the big picture of American immigration policy. "He's brilliant beyond his years," said John Trasvina, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, who met Cuellar when he was a law student at Yale and encouraged him to go to work in Washington.

At 36, Cuellar already has an impressive resume. Raised on the U.S.-Mexico border in Calexico (Imperial County), he earned his bachelor's degree at Harvard University before going to Yale Law School and finishing up with a doctorate in political science from Stanford, where he's now a full professor specializing in administrative law. Along the way, he spent two years at the U.S. Treasury Department under President Bill Clinton, where he worked on fighting money-laundering operations.

Cuellar has been described as a close adviser to Obama on immigration, and the American Bar Association recently suggested he could be on the short list to head the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency. "He has considerable experience in the federal government, and his academic work has focused on analysis of complex organizations and the way they administer and devise public policy," said Yale Law School Professor Peter H. Schuck, who was one of Cuellar's teachers and counts him as a friend. "He'll bring a very keen eye for organizational performance and a very innovative mind."

Cuellar will co-lead the immigration policy group with Georgetown University Law Center Dean T. Alexander Aleinikoff, who was second in command at the Immigration and Naturalization Service during the Clinton years. While Aleinikoff's background in immigration law is deep, Cuellar brings a broader perspective, said Muzaffar Chishti, a senior staff member at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute in Washington.

The fact that Cuellar grew up on the border may mean he has strong views about the border fence currently being expanded by the Department of Homeland Security, said Chishti. "He also has ideas on how issues of trade and economic development (in other countries) implicate immigration movements," he said. "I think he will be very responsive to the concerns of American workers in the immigration debate."

Source



400 foreign criminals allowed to stay in Britain

Up to 400 criminals involved in a foreign prisoner scandal, including some of the worst offenders, have been told they can stay in Britain, the Home Office has disclosed. Less than a third of the 1,013 convicts have been deported two and half years after the scandal broke and subsequently cost Charles Clarke his job as Home Secretary. And many more could end up staying because 90 are still missing, 31 are in jail again and 160 are still going through the process.

The figures emerged as immigration minister Phil Woolas admitted too many migrant workers have been let in under previous Government policies. He also launched another attack on asylum lawyers as he revealed the case of a Nigerian who had his claim rejected four times and was removed, only to have to be brought back because his solicitor lodged a judicial review. Moves to ban individuals taking out multiple judicial reviews will be contained in the forthcoming Queen's speech, he said.

Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: "It is outrageous that over two and a half years after the former home secretary lost his job over this fiasco just a third of these offenders have been deported and 90 have not even been found. "Not only does this put the public at risk, it shows the government are patently incapable of getting a grip on this longstanding problem."

It emerged in spring 2006 that more than 1,000 foreign prisoners had been wrongly released without first being considered for deportation, including murderers and rapists. But despite the ongoing anger over the issue, Lin Homer, chief executive of the UK Border Agency, told MPs that only 333 have so far been removed from the country. Another 399 have been told they can stay in the UK, including some in the most serious category of crimes, which includes murder, rape and armed robbery.

Ms Homer would not detail what offences they had committed but admitted some will stay because they have been in the country for so long. Ms Homer said only 15 more of the criminals still missing have been tracked down since her last update meaning 90 are still at large. "Although we have reached the point where the change in numbers is small, we are still making progress," she told the Commons Home Affairs Committee. "We are not in any sense giving up."

She was appearing alongside Mr Woolas who repeated his attack on asylum lawyers, who this week he accused of "playing the system". Asked about it, he said: "If you look at the number of appeals and the number of judicial reviews which we believe are being used deliberately to frustrate the system." He highlighted the case of a Nigerian who applied for asylum, was turned down, lost an appeal, put in a second claim which was refused, appealed again and lost again. He was removed but the following day the Home Office was informed his lawyer had submitted a successful application for a judicial review on the day he left the country and the court had requested he be brought back to hear the case - all at the taxpayers' expense.

Mr Woolas also announced that anyone who is jailed while waiting to become a British citizen will be barred from settlement. The Government has anounced plans for a "probationary citizen" scheme where candidates eligible for naturalisation will have to serve a year "on probation" after the usual five-year stay and demonstrate they are contributing to the country. Most convicted criminals are already barred and Mr Woolas said anyone who is jailed while a probationary citizen will now also be barred.

The minister was asked if the Government had let too many migrants come to the UK. He said the Government had already suspended the route for unskilled workers from outside the EU and added: "The implication of that is that in the past it was not as controlled."

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22 November, 2008

Homeland Security pick signals moderate immigration approach

The media declaration below that Napolitano is "moderate" is of course media-speak for "moderate Leftist". It does NOT translate as "centrist". The present status quo is centrist

In making Gov. Janet Napolitano his top pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, President-elect Barack Obama has signaled a moderate approach toward immigration and border policies and laid the path to pursue comprehensive reform later.

As the Democratic governor of a border state and a former federal prosecutor, Napolitano would bring to the job years of experience in dealing with border and immigration issues, something previous Homeland Security chiefs have lacked. She also negotiated the political minefield of the immigration debate in a state where the issue has often reached fever pitch.....

One of the governor's principal advantages is her ability to steer a centrist course, observers say. On immigration, "she has a reputation that largely is one of not going too far to the left and not going too far to the right, but seeing the shades of gray," said Arizona State University political science Professor Rodolfo Espino.

Napolitano also has worked with officials in Mexico on border security without disrupting commerce. "She has made efforts to strengthen ties to Mexico and not shutting down the border in a way that would be detrimental to the flow of goods and people across the border," said Jos‚ Cardenas, the former president of the Arizona-Mexico Commission.

Matt Rojansky, executive director of the Partnership for a Secure America, a bipartisan think tank of former national security officials, said Obama and Napolitano are unlikely to chart a significantly new course.....

Napolitano has been critical of the federal government for failing to pass reforms that combine get-tough border security and immigration enforcement with actions that consider the country's labor needs, including a temporary-worker program. She edged to the middle on border security and immigration enforcement, often to the dismay of the state's 1.8 million Latinos, some 650,000 of whom are immigrants. Early in her tenure, she supported allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, but more recently she signed one of the toughest employer-sanctions laws in the country.

She led the charge for placing National Guard troops on the border and declared a state of emergency along portions of the Mexican border. The declarations freed up state money to help border communities deal with escalating crime and violence tied to human smuggling. Still, Napolitano has resisted pressure from the state's Republican-controlled Legislature to take an even harder stance against illegal immigration. She vetoed more than a dozen bills aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants.

Earlier this year, Napolitano also yanked $1.6 million in state funding from Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to blunt his efforts to arrest illegal immigrants through crime sweeps that critics said were terrorizing immigrant communities and violating civil rights.....

If confirmed, Napolitano is expected to follow through with the Bush administration's emphasis on beefing up border security, raiding work sites and deporting more illegal immigrants. The strategy is aimed at gaining public credibility in the nation's immigration system to pave the way for comprehensive reforms that were shot down in 2006 and 2007.

But some fear Napolitano would place more attention on deporting criminals and arresting unscrupulous employers while giving undocumented immigrants a break. "There are ways of softening enforcement, but they can't just pull the plug all the way," said Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a research group in Washington, D.C., that favors an enforcement-only strategy. "She (Napolitano) has cultivated an image of toughness on immigration enforcement, but much of that image is for show," Krikorian said. Napolitano signed Arizona's employer-sanctions law "unwillingly because she was afraid voters would pass a tougher" ballot initiative, Krikorian said. She also has criticized erecting hundreds of miles of fencing along the border, saying, "You show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder at the border. That's the way the border works."

Napolitano is also expected to review the federal program known as 287 (g) that allows the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and other local police to partner with federal immigration authorities to enforce immigration laws. Arpaio said he had lunch with Napolitano this week, and they discussed a bit the possibility of her moving to Washington to work in the Obama administration.

He said even if Napolitano alters or scuttles the 287 (g) program, he will continue to arrest illegal immigrants under the state's anti-smuggling law. "It doesn't matter to me. I'm still going to enforce the state laws, and those laws are pretty strong," Arpaio said. " . . . I think the governor has an open mind."

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Hard-working, decent, honest people right?

It was just an ordinary Wednesday evening for me. Run to the bank, grab some groceries, and head home. As I approached a busy intersection, I watched as a pick-up truck made a crazy, unexpected left turn directly into the path of an oncoming car. The crash sent pieces of metal flying in all directions. Smoke poured from the front of the sedan occupied by a young woman. The pick-up driver backed up a few feet -- and then, unbelievably, he sped off.

It took my brain a few seconds to comprehend what was happening: in broad daylight, during rush hour traffic with people everywhere, this guy was actually peeling off and trying to escape the accident scene. I decided to do something of which my wife would have definitely disapproved. I didn't want this jerk to get away with what he did and he obviously was running away for a reason. So off I went, cellphone pressed to my ear while calling 911.

I wasn't alone. I guess in our post 9/11 world, more Americans are getting involved than ever before. Next to me was a lady driving a big SUV, in front of me was a guy in a little sports car. The three of us were determined to follow this guy and get the police to dispense justice. As this strange medium-speed chase proceeded, I noticed the guy's pick-up truck was wobbling all over the road. The impact of the accident bent one of his tires dramatically, making his escape pretty unlikely. And that explained why he wasn't driving any faster than he was. He couldn't. About a mile down the road, he finally pulled over into a parking lot, smoke pouring out of the front of his pick-up. I noticed that there was yard care equipment in the back of the truck.

Both doors opened and four Hispanic men, all covered in dirt from a day spent working outside, poured out of the vehicle. Suddenly, it seemed pretty obvious why the men were fleeing the scene. I was a witness to a scenario played out on a regular basis in the USA. The odds were pretty good that these were not legal citizens of our country. Without a drivers license or insurance, they knew that after they had the accident, their best chance was to try and get away as quickly as possible.

Never mind that a young woman minding her own business driving down the street could have been killed. These guys wouldn't dream of taking responsibility for what they did. They are part of an army of people who is constantly defended by people who like to claim that illegals are just hard-working, decent, honest people. These guys in the truck might be hard-working, but running from a car accident they caused sure doesn't bring the terms "decent" or "honest" to mind.

And as one of the bystanders said to me, if their tire wasn't bent so badly, wouldn't it be likely that they would have been tearing down the road at a high rate of speed, putting every man, woman and child's life in their path in danger?

This is the dirty little secret about illegal immigration. While people debate labor costs and the economic aspects of illegals, very few want to focus on the kind of crime I witnessed. When you sneak into a country and hope to stay off the radar by refusing to pay taxes or be an official part of our society, this is something that is bound to happen, over and over again. And it does.

In Tempe, Arizona, a beautiful young high school band member was killed by a drunk driving illegal immigrant, a man who was cited two years ago for the very same offense, driving while intoxicated. It seems to me that if we do anything at all, we can at least deport illegals who drive drunk, beat their wives, or rob someone. When the police arrived at the parking lot where the four men in the pick-up were waiting, they were met with a brick wall of silence. Who was driving? No answer. Do you speak English? Nothing. Why did you guys run? Silence.

Fortunately, the lady in the SUV knew exactly who was driving and pointed him out to the police. Within minutes, he was in handcuffs being led away to jail. One down. How many more to go? We can't count that high.

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21 November, 2008

Foggy immigration debate in the U.K. Parliament

Comment from Britain by the satirical Ann Treneman, parliamentary reporter for "The Times". She reports what happened, but with an eye to the absurdities involved. And with characters like the unusually frank Phil Woolas and the slimy Keith Vaz, she has much to amuse her (and us)

Phil Woolas, the new Immigration Minister with special responsibility for putting his foot in it, came before MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee yesterday, supposedly ungagged. I was pleased to see him, for I had been under the impression that Mr Woolas was being kept under office arrest. I couldn't see his leg, though, and I suspected that he had probably been tagged.

Keith Vaz, the pugnacious committee chairman, feared for his human rights. "Was there an attempt to gag you?" he demanded. "Did the Home Secretary prevent you from appearing on Question Time?"

"We took the decision that. . . " Mr Woolas began. "We?" cried Mr Vaz. "Meaning you and the Home Secretary?" "We, meaning me and the Home Secretary and the Government," explained Mr Woolas. Mr Vaz chortled: "The whole Government was involved!" "The whole Government was NOT involved," Mr Woolas said, denying what he'd said only seconds before, which must be a record, even for him. "We took a decision that it was better. . . "

Mr Vaz pounced again. "So it was a collective gag!" "It was NOT a gag and it was a collective decision."

The only thing that was clear, after this exchange, was that Mr Woolas had now been gagged on the subject of the gag. Mr Vaz tested the conditions of Mr Woolas's bail further by asking him about comments he'd made to The Times about how the Government would not allow the population to reach 70 million. "So do you favour a numerical cap on immigration?" Mr Vaz asked. Mr Woolas said that he did not. "Therefore the comments you made in The Times were misinterpreted?" Mr Vaz asked.

"I find it interesting that the debate about immigration and population are confused," Mr Woolas mused. "Fertility and death rates are a major variable of population." Mr Vaz nodded briskly: "A cap is unenforceable, unless the Government is proposing to issue chastity belts to everybody in this country!"

Mr Woolas sat back. "Mr Chairman, we considered the electoral implication of that suggestion and we decided against it!" "That is one very good piece of news!" Mr Vaz exclaimed.

And so it went on. Denial followed denial. At times Mr Woolas became almost runic. When asked whether the economic nightmare would affect immigration levels, Mr Woolas announced: "That is what Donald Rumsfeld would call a known unknown."

There was a prolonged spat about whether Mr Woolas supported Gordon Brown's statement on British jobs for British workers. Mr Woolas said that he did and then repeated himself (his electronic tag may now have been zapping him). "But how can you enforce this?" Mr Vaz demanded. "It's actually EU jobs for EU workers!"

"I think that is slightly unfair," Mr Woolas said. Mr Vaz announced: "The statement is not worth making is it?" "It is very much worth making," Mr Woolas insisted.

"But you cannot enforce it, Minister!" "I see no contradiction," Mr Woolas said. The subject turned from immigration to curry (as it so often does at Westminster). Mr Woolas, after a recommendation from the committee, was allowing more curry chefs into the country, thus averting the much feared chicken tikka crisis. So had the minister had any reaction from the curry industry? "Mr Chairman!" cried Mr Woolas. "I think I should declare an interest. . . " Mr Vaz chortled: "On behalf of all of us!" Mr Woolas looked almost shy. "The Leeds Tandoori is extremely grateful."

So there you have it. Mr Woolas, unplugged though still clearly gagged and bound to government policy, tells all on chastity belts and curry. But on immigration, well, it's not so clear.

Source



The Big Lie about Immigration Enforcement

Training for local police is readily available for those who want it

How many times have we heard mayors and governors, when faced with complaints regarding illegal aliens, claim that their police officers aren't authorized or trained to enforce immigration laws? Too many times, if you ask me. Either these government leaders are too ignorant to hold office or they're out-and-out lying to the American people.

The Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement directorate recently authorized 16 additional Alabama state troopers to enforce federal immigration law, following their completion of ICE training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, AL. A Florida deputy sheriff was also authorized to enforce federal immigration law after participating in the same class. That graduating class boosted the number of Alabama troopers trained and certified to a total of 60.

The Immigration and Nationality Act includes section 287(g), added in 1996, that grants local and state jurisdictions the ability to enforce immigration law with proper training and supervision by federal authorities. In 2003, Alabama became the second state in the nation to participate in the program by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Homeland Security. Florida was the first state to participate, in 2002.

While many politicians claim their police officers are not allowed to enforce immigration laws, their excuse for ignoring illegal aliens is a canard. Too few police agencies are taking advantage of the training offered by ICE and DHS. "Partnerships with our state and local law enforcement colleagues have always been essential to our fight against illegal immigration," said Paul Kilcoyne, ICE deputy director for investigations. "ICE and the Alabama state troopers are building on an existing strong foundation by agreeing to train and certify law enforcement officers to carry out certain duties that are traditionally handled by federal immigration officers."

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley said the training and authorization allow the troopers, during the course of their regular duties, to question, detain and arrest individuals who are in this country illegally. "Alabamians are proud that our state is at the forefront of a growing national effort to combat illegal immigration," said Riley. "This innovative and cooperative effort allows our state troopers to become force multipliers for America's border security mission. We always welcome those who enter our country legally, but we won't stand idly by and do nothing when we catch illegal aliens, some who have committed crimes like armed robbery, rape and drug smuggling, in our state."

Joining Riley in praising the graduating officers, in addition to Kilcoyne, were Alabama U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers; Michael A. Holt, special agent in charge, ICE, New Orleans; and James M. Wright, ICE section 287(g) program manager. Rogers praised the troopers and expressed his appreciation to ICE and the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) for providing the training. "This program is a win-win for the citizens of Alabama and for federal immigration officials," said the congressman.

"The training our troopers received will help get criminal aliens and immigration violators who pose a threat to our national security and public safety off our streets. I applaud these troopers and the Alabama Department of Public Safety for participating in this important program," he added.

The 16 troopers completed a five-week course at the CDP that mirrors the training ICE agents receive. The course focuses exclusively on immigration and nationality law and issues related to its enforcement, including cultural sensitivity and civil rights instruction. Under the terms of the Alabama MOU, troopers do not conduct immigration-related enforcement actions at businesses and workplaces. They are authorized to enforce federal immigration law only as necessary in the course of their normal duties as state troopers, such as enforcing traffic law, responding to motor vehicle crashes and issuing driver licenses.

Since the first Alabama troopers completed ICE training in 2003, troopers have made 218 arrests of illegal aliens. Many of those arrested also had previous criminal convictions, including armed robbery, rape and drug smuggling. Others also were charged with crimes such as illegal possession of firearms and Social Security fraud. The first class of 21 Alabama state troopers completed ICE training in October 2003 and a second class of 23 graduated in November 2005, with the third class completing the training program in 2006. All three classes were trained at the Center for Domestic Preparedness, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security training facility in Anniston, AL.

"We're honored to have had the opportunity to once again open our doors to Alabama's responders and to ICE, a sister DHS agency, for this very important training," said CDP Director Marion Cain.

Since 1998, the center has trained emergency responders at the federal, state and local levels, delivering high-quality, cutting-edge preparedness training. The CDP specializes in advanced, hands-on training aimed at preventing, responding to and recovering from terrorist acts, particularly those involving hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction.

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20 November, 2008

British asylum seeker charities and lawyers 'play the system' by encouraging bogus applicants, claims immigration minister

Many asylum seekers are economic migrants encouraged by lawyers and charities to 'play' the system with false claims, the Immigration Minister has said. Phil Woolas believes genuine claims are 'fogged by cases that are misusing the law'. There are those who manage to claim asylum after several appeals, who had 'no right to be in this country', he said. Mr Woolas spoke ahead of figures due out today, which will show that Labour has not cleared the backlog of 285,000 failed asylum claims.

But yesterday he declared: 'As immigration is the second biggest issue in communities, we have to bloody well talk about it.' 'Most asylum seekers, it appears, are economic migrants,' the minister told The Guardian. They are given 'false hope' to make a claim by charities and migration lawyers. 'By undermining the legal system [they] actually cause more harm than they do good. The system is played by migration lawyers and non-governmental organisations to the nth degree.'

Mr Woolas gave the example of an asylum seeker who won after six layers of appeal. 'That person has no right to be in this country, but I'm sure that there is an industry out there that has a vested interest.' 'One lady showed me the scars on her thighs from where the soldiers had raped her, so I know, but I cannot take a decision on that lady's behalf if I am fogged by cases that are misusing the law.'

However, Sophie Barrett-Brown, chairman of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association, said: 'Lawyers can only work with the law. To say they are undermining the law is an extraordinary comment to make.'

Although he has only been in the job two months, the minister has been involved in several controversies. He has previously suggested that the UK population could be capped at 70million, although these remarks were later withdrawn. Critics have already accused him of acting as the 'new Enoch Powell', Mr Woolas has said.

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said: 'This is the second crass attempt this month by a new minister desperate to look and sound tough. The real issue is uncontrolled immigration under his government. As long as he continues to substitute reckless rhetoric for robust action, he will remain part of the problem, not the solution.'

But Mr Woolas said it was important to speak out. 'You can hide behind your desk and not say anything or you can get out there and get your hands dirty. That's particularly true on immigration.' He defined the 'prime purpose' of the Government's immigration policy to be 'reassuring the public' by showing that the state is in control.

He spoke out as ministers came under fire for their claim to be deporting an 'immigration offender every eight minutes'. Critics said it gave the impression these were all people who were being rounded up in the UK and removed. But figures released to Tory immigration spokesman Damian Green revealed that 55 per cent of these 'removals' were in fact applicants turned away at UK borders or even overseas. Mr Woolas said: 'This proves the success and strength of our border and juxtaposed controls.'

Source



Bungling British officials wrongly issue 300,000 visas to 'illegals' every year

Almost 300,000 foreigners a year are allowed into Britain with wrongly approved visas. Up to 15 per cent of short term visas issued by British embassies abroad are given in error, MPs were told. Once here, migrants with dubious credentials are free to stay on illegally. The visas are granted because it is easier for staff trying to hit processing targets to approve an application than reject one, explained Linda Costelloe Baker, who monitors Government visa refusals. She told the Commons Home Affairs Committee there were errors in about 15 per cent of short-term visa approvals. Officials were 'under pressure' to issue visas rather than reject the applications because of productivity targets, she said.

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said: 'This makes a mockery of Labour's claims to have a grip on our immigration system. It is obvious that its operation is neither firm, nor fair. 'This error rate not only increases the scope for increased illegal immigration, but is obviously a security threat. 'The public will be dismayed that Labour targets are making our border controls more vulnerable.'

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch UK, said: 'This will add massively to the scale of illegal immigration in Britain and is a direct result of the Government's failure to resource the immigration system they are putting in place.'

Almost two million visas are approved each year, giving foreign nationals the right to come to the UK for six months, said Miss Costelloe Baker. Each year, embassies and consulates examine 2.4million applications from tourists, businessmen and those visiting relatives. They check if they intend to leave after their visa expires, if they have enough money to live in the country and are not coming here to seek work. The checks are to weed out those of dubious credentials who - rather than visiting for a few months - plan to stay here permanently.

But for officials considering visa applications, issuing was a 'much faster' process than refusal, Miss Costelloe Baker said. 'I don't think there has been adequate scrutiny of decisions to issue. I think there is pressure to issue visas because it helps people hit their productivity targets.' Approving an application is quicker, as the staff do not have to list reasons for refusal, or carry out work to prepare for any possible appeal.

Tory MP David Davies asked if it was reasonable to assume that 15 per cent of approval notices were 'incorrectly approved'. 'I think that's a reasonable supposition,' she replied. Once here, a migrant who might have been refused a visa if staff were less rushed, has a good chance of remaining for good. It could mean that the Government's current estimates of 570,000 illegal immigrants is a vast underestimate.

LibDem spokesman Chris Huhne said: 'Exit checks must be reintroduced immediately so we know how many people, whether their visas are dodgy or not, are leaving when they are supposed to.'

Mark Sedwill, international director of the UK Border Agency, said: 'Our decisions are fair and objective, and last year the independent monitor determined they were right and reasonable in 99 per cent of cases.'

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19 November, 2008

Wisconsin students protest law enforcement

Note that the word "illegal" is used nowhere below. The illegals have "simply have been arrested" for no apparent cause!

UW-Madison student organizations such as Student Progressive Dane and the Black Student Union rallied down State Street Monday night to protest the Dane County sheriff's policies toward undocumented immigrants. About 75 students from various UW-Madison student groups gathered Monday night to protest the Dane County Sheriff's Department's practice of reporting undocumented immigrants detained in the county to the federal government.

The protestors marched up State Street to the Madison City-County Building, where members of Progressive Dane were presenting an amendment to the county budget that would deny the sheriff's department's request for increased funds and divert the funds into area workers' rights programs. Despite the efforts of Progressive Dane and its supporters, the amendment did not pass and the sheriff's department received its requested funding for 2009.

Protesters said Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney reports all non-U.S. citizens detained in Dane County to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency. According to Student Progressive Dane member Adam Porton, Mahoney is not obliged to do so by law and has "gone rogue." Porton said Mahoney's policies are used to target and intimidate immigrant communities. "The policy has resulted in a number of long-term prison holds and deportations of individuals convicted of no crimes, but rather [who] simply have been arrested by Dane County authorities," he said. "It's causing an extreme culture of fear and mistrust of law enforcement in Dane County's immigrant community." Porton said Mahoney's policy also causes crimes in immigrant communities to go unreported, as fearful community members are reluctant to interact with police.

The protest included members of several UW-Madison student groups, including Student Progressive Dane, the Campus Antiwar Network, the Black Student Union, the Multicultural Student Coalition and others. Danez Smith, public relations coordinator for the Black Student Union, said it was important that his organization be present at the protest because of the necessity for communities of color to stand in solidarity to make their voices heard. "There's really nothing that truly affects only one community; we're all affected by this," he said. "Today we're fighting for immigration, but tomorrow we might have to fight for something that's affecting the black community."

Source



Migrants boost UK population by 1.8 million... and leading thinktank insists they need extra rights

Immigration has swollen the population of Britain by 1.8million since Labour came to power, according to Government statistics. Ministers are braced for new demands for a cap on the number of arrivals from overseas in the wake of the figures. These will show that net migration - the number of people arriving in Britain, minus those leaving - hit 200,000 last year. It will take the total increase in population attributable to net migration to around 1.82m in 11 years. The level of net migration, which stood at less than 50,000 a year in 1997, has increased four-fold since Labour was elected.

The figures from the Office of National Statistics, to be released tomorrow alongside a raft of Home Office immigration statistics, will leave Britain firmly on course to have a population of 70million by 2031. New immigration minister Phil Woolas has insisted the 70million milestone will not be reached. The new ONS net migration total is an increase on 2006, when the figure was 190,000.

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said: 'These estimated figures betray a Labour Government that is not in control of immigration policy. Immigration can be of real benefit to the country but only if it is properly controlled. 'They should answer our call to establish an annual limit on non-EU immigration, transitional controls on future EU immigration and to establish a dedicated UK Border Police force.'

Yesterday, an international organisation, which receives funding of 25 million pounds a year from British taxpayers, demanded increased rights for migrants living here during the economic downturn. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said the Government should try to employ more migrants in the public sector. It also suggested lower taxes and possible subsidies for low-skilled jobs, which migrant workers often fill. Martine Durand, from the OECD, said 'immigrants are the most vulnerable in times of economic crisis'. The OECD added that immigration was unlikely to go down because the situation in migrants' home countries would also be very tough.

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch UK, said: 'This report is completely irrelevant to Britain which does not have any shortage of workers. On the contrary, unemployment is heading for two million, possibly even three million. 'It is amazing that the OECD should produce such a crass report. They are clearly completely out of touch with the real world.'

Brussels is expected to call for the UK to lift restrictions on the rights of Romanians and Bulgarians to work in freely in this country. The Home Office has until the end of the year to make a decision on whether to keep the current limit of around 20,000 work permits in place. Vladimir Spidla, EU commissioner for employment, is to publish a report underlining that every EU worker has the 'fundamental right' to migrate to Britain.

A Home Office spokesman said the Government, through its new points based immigration system, was committed to ensuring that 'only those with the skills we need - and no more - can come here to work and study'. She added: 'The system is flexible, allowing us to raise and lower the bar according to the needs of the labour market.'

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18 November, 2008

Bail for illegals too easy

Many illegal immigrants out on bail commit another crime or vanish before trial

The bailiff called the murder suspect's name for the second time, scanning the courtroom. "Juan Sanchez?" It was June 30, the day Sanchez's trial was scheduled to start in Harris County District Court in the killing of Gregorio Diaz, a 25-year-old paramedic and U.S. Navy veteran. Even though Sanchez told Harris County jailers he was in the country illegally when he was booked on the murder charge in July 2007, he was released on $35,000 bail, according to Harris County Sheriff's Office records. Now, he was nowhere to be found.

Judge Joan Campbell called Sanchez's defense attorney and the prosecutor to the bench. "I am revoking bond on Juan Sanchez," she said. "Now." Under her breath, the judge said, "So much for that murder case."

A Houston Chronicle investigation found dozens of cases in Harris County involving suspected illegal immigrants who posted bail and absconded on criminal charges, including murder, aggravated sexual assault of a child and drug trafficking. The Chronicle examined arrest and immigration records for 3,500 inmates who told jailers that they were in the country illegally during a span of eight months starting in June 2007, the earliest immigration records available.

The review found at least 178 cases involving suspects who absconded, meaning they had their bails revoked for missing court dates or allegedly committing more crimes. Of those, 30 cases involved felony charges and two-thirds had initial bails set below $35,000 - the minimum recommended in the county's bail schedule for illegal immigrants accused of felonies.

Local officials [Meaning local bureaucratic buckpassers] said the problems stem from a shortage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents dedicated to identifying illegal immigrants in the county's jails. When ICE doesn't file paperwork to detain illegal immigrants, prosecutors and pretrial services officers said, they have few tools to verify defendants' claims of legal status.

Lynne Parsons, Harris County district attorney central intake division chief, said the DA's Office runs criminal history checks on all defendants and sometimes gleans limited immigration information from an FBI database. But without word from ICE or other law enforcement, Parsons said, it generally must "rely on the person being charged to tell us the truth" when questioned about immigration status. ICE officials have acknowledged difficulties screening all foreign-born inmates in the county's jails but said they have increased staffing and are identifying more criminals before they can post bail.

The Chronicle review found a wide range of cases involving defendants who told jailers they were in the country illegally, posted bail and absconded. The cases include:

Jose Blanco, a 64-year-old accused of repeatedly sexually molesting a 6-year-old girl in southwest Houston, told jailers when he was arrested in June 2007 that he was in the country illegally. He was charged with indecency with a child and posted $10,000 bail. That charge was dismissed and replaced with more serious allegations: two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Blanco absconded after missing a court date in October 2007 and remains a fugitive.

Juan Fernando Villalon, 43, told Harris County jailers twice in 2007 he was an illegal immigrant from Mexico - both times after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. He posted $10,000 bail in December 2007 and was released from Harris County Jail. In January, while out on bail, he tracked her down and punched her, leading to another felony assault charge. He was arrested in June and is serving a two-year prison sentence.

Arturo Munoz Osorio, 62, was charged in August 2007 with aggravated sexual assault of a child. He told jailers he was in the country illegally when he was booked into jail Aug. 2, 2007. He posted $10,000 bail four days later and missed a September court date. A warrant for his arrest was issued in January.

Debbie Mantooth Stricklin, administrative judge for the county's 20-plus criminal district courts, said she did not know why felony defendants believed to be in the country illegally had initial bails set below the $35,000 guideline. She said the criminal judges adopted the higher bails for illegal immigrants in December 2006 to reduce their flight risk. "There is no consistency at all," when it comes to illegal immigrants and bail, said S. Bruce Hiran, a defense attorney and a licensed bail bondsman in Harris County. "It depends on which court you land in. ... It depends on the Sheriff's Office personnel who input the data" into the computer system.

In addition to ICE manpower shortages, the number of defendants moving through the court system makes it difficult to identify illegal immigrants before bail is set, officials said. More than 100,000 people were arrested and charged with Class B misdemeanors or higher in Harris County last year. The bail-setting process generally moves quickly after an arrest. An initial bail amount is set using guidelines that factor in the severity of the charge and the defendant's criminal history. Pretrial services officers interview most defendants about their personal history and prepare reports designed to help magistrates set bail.

In October, Harris County jailers were given access to a Department of Homeland Security database that allows them to check suspects' immigration records automatically. But prosecutors and pretrial services officers do not have direct access to that database. Carol Oeller, the county's pretrial services director, said her department has tried different methods to verify immigration status over the years, including testing an immigration database in 2007 and calling ICE about individual cases. She said pretrial services officers note in their reports whether ICE has placed a hold on a defendant. Oeller said she has found that most defendants are honest about their legal status. "They own up to it" if they're undocumented, she said....

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Iranian Americans Celebrate Thirty-Year Anniversary of Immigration to U.S.

There have been many Iranian American accomplishments since the exodus from Iran that the Islamic revolution spawned. Iranians seem to be an unusually energetic people. Perhaps as a consequence of that, Iran (Persia) has an amazing record of civilization. They even have a notable mention in the Bible. And the Biblical Persians were unusually tolerant by the standards of the day. And as one Iranian civilization fell, another arose. The Achaemenids were succeeded by the the Seleucids, then the Parthians, then the Sassanids and finally the Safavids. In the 6th century, Ctesiphon was the largest city in the world. Even the latest Iranian civilization -- the Islamic one -- had its days of glory. It is very sad how the new fanatical Ayatollah regime has redirected Persian energies down a destructive path. But it is good for America that some of that Iranian energy is now working constructively in the USA

The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) launched a national campaign today to raise awareness of the positive contributions Iranian Americans have made to the United States since their immigration from Iran during the Islamic Revolution thirty years ago. Nearly one million Iranian Americans reside in the U.S., making significant contributions to the public and private sectors alike.

PAAIA's campaign begins with the release of an online video profiling Dr. Pardis Sabeti, a Boston-based geneticist recently named by CNN as "one of eight geniuses who will change our lives." Dr. Sabeti developed the first statistical method to identify sections of the genome that have mutated due to natural selection rather than chance.

Dr. Sabeti, born in 1975, completed her undergraduate degree at MIT and continued her education at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar before becoming the third woman to graduate summa cum laude from the Harvard Medical School. There, she is currently an assistant professor in the Center for Systems Biology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, as well as a Rhodes Scholar and the lead singer in a rock band.

Dr. Sabeti is one of several distinguished Iranian Americans to be featured in PAAIA's online video mini-series that showcases compelling stories about high-profile Iranian Americans. "Because of Iran's current geopolitical image, it has become increasingly important to preserve the culture and positive identity of Iranian Americans, who so passionately work to contribute and support the United States," said Rudi Bakhtiar, former CNN anchor and PAAIA official, who produced the mini series. Ms. Bakhtiar continued, "Iranian Americans' ability to overcome exile and reestablish their purpose and identity within only three decades is truly remarkable."

Several Iranian Americans hold tenured positions at top U.S. universities and serve in senior leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies--including Pierre Omidyar (Ebay) and Omid Kordestani (Google). In addition, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration's 2008 report on immigrant-owned businesses, 21.5% of Iranian Americans are business owners. PAAIA's awareness campaign seeks to celebrate the extraordinary successes of Iranian Americans over the past thirty years.

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17 November, 2008

Even the worst alien criminals are often not deported from the U.S.

Thousands of inmates admit they're in the U.S. illegally, but even those convicted of violent crimes are often released right back onto Houston's streets

Federal immigration officials allowed scores of violent criminals - some ordered deported decades ago - to walk away from Harris County Jail despite the inmates' admission to local authorities that they were in the country illegally, a Houston Chronicle investigation found. A review of thousands of criminal and immigration records shows that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials didn't file the paperwork to detain roughly 75 percent of the more than 3,500 inmates who told jailers during the booking process that they were in the U.S. illegally.

Although most of the inmates released from custody were accused of minor crimes, hundreds of convicted felons - including child molesters, rapists and drug dealers - also managed to avoid deportation after serving time in Harris County's jails, according to the Chronicle review, which was based on documents filed over a period of eight months starting in June 2007, the earliest immigration records available. Other key findings in the investigation include:

In 177 cases reviewed by the Chronicle, inmates who were released from jail after admitting to being in the country illegally later were charged with additional crimes. More than half of those charges were felonies, including aggravated sexual assault of a child and capital murder.

About 11 percent of the 3,500 inmates in the review had three or more prior convictions in Harris County. Many had repeatedly cycled through the system despite a history of violence and, in some cases, outstanding deportation orders.

The investigation found that the federal government's system to identify and deport illegal immigrants in Harris County Jail is overwhelmed and understaffed. Gaps in the system have allowed some convicted criminals to avoid detection by immigration officials despite being previously deported. The problems are national in scope, fueled by a shortage of money and manpower.

In reaction to the Chronicle's findings, U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, said ICE needs more resources to target immigrants convicted of crimes. "There's no question about it," Poe said. "Criminals from foreign countries who get caught after committing a crime and prosecuted should go to the top of the list of people we deport."

ICE removed 107,000 convicted criminals from the U.S. in the 2008 fiscal year, which ended in September. But during the same time frame, ICE sent home more than two times as many illegal immigrants without criminal records, prompting criticism from some members of Congress.

Kenneth Landgrebe, ICE's field office director for detention and removal in Houston, said officials are doing the best they can with the resources they have. ICE trained nine Harris County jailers this summer through a federal program that empowers local law enforcement to act as immigration agents. The Houston ICE office set a record by removing 8,226 illegal immigrants with criminal records from Southeast Texas last year, an increase of about 7.5 percent from fiscal 2007.

"No agency has enough law enforcement officers to do the job the way they'd like," Landgrebe said. "If you look at law enforcement in general - at Houston or New York City or Los Angeles police - do they apprehend every criminal that commits a crime? No. Do they arrest every person that speeds in a traffic zone? No. "We have to prioritize what we handle," Landgrebe said.

ICE officials estimated that between 300,000 and 450,000 inmates incarcerated in the U.S. are eligible for deportation each year. Though ICE has improved screening in federal and state prisons in recent years, the agency estimates it screens inmates in only about 10 percent of the nation's jails. This spring, ICE officials announced a plan to identify and deport the most serious offenders in the nation's prisons and jails, estimating it would cost between $930 million and $1 billion and take about 3 1/2 years.

Congress is pressuring ICE to move faster. "The present situation is unacceptable," said Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the House Homeland Security appropriations committee. "The highest priority for ICE should be deporting people who have proven their ability and their willingness to do us harm. Immigration is a very, very contentious issue, but this seems to be one thing almost everyone agrees is a priority." Yet, the Chronicle's review found hundreds of missed opportunities to deport convicted criminals, perpetuating a cycle of crime and violence.

Armando De La Cruz, a Mexican national, told jailers on two occasions in 2007 that he was undocumented. Both times, he was convicted of assaulting his wife and released after serving his jail time. De La Cruz is now back in Harris County Jail, charged with raping a woman at knife point behind a southeast Houston apartment complex in July, and attempting to rape another woman less than a week later. His defense attorney, Ricardo Gonzalez, did not return phone calls.

Pedro Alvarez, a convicted sex offender from El Salvador who was first deported in 1991, racked up eight convictions in Harris County over a span of two decades and was allowed to walk free from jail multiple times - as recently as the spring of 2007. Immigration officials finally charged him with re-entry after deportation in February. Sandra Zamora Zayas, the attorney who represented Alvarez in federal court in South Texas, did not return phone messages. "It's just amazing how long it took them to catch up with him," the mother of a 5-year-old girl Alvarez sexually assaulted in 1988 said in an interview with the Chronicle, after learning about Alvarez's extended criminal history.

Miguel Mejia Rodriguez, 36, is locked up on the fifth floor of the San Jacinto Jail downtown, accused of raping and sodomizing a second-grader. It is the fourth time in 12 years that Rodriguez, an unemployed drifter from Zacatecas, Mexico, has landed in Harris County Jail. Over the years, Rodriguez has served time for drug possession, theft, trespassing and indecent exposure. He told jailers he was in the country illegally in December 2006, after a security guard caught him touching himself in an apartment complex parking lot, records show. But ICE officials did not file paperwork to detain Rodriguez. He was released after serving his 25-day sentence. "I never lied about who I am, or where I'm from. I'm 100 percent Mexican," Rodriguez said in a jail interview with the Chronicle in September, after he was accused of the rape and sodomy of a 7-year-old.

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U.S. Border fence still farcical

Mario Garcia Salcido and a friend left home in Culiacan for this dusty speck of a border town last week, headed for jobs in an Idaho milk-processing plant. They met up with the tallest obstacle the U.S. government has ever erected along the Mexican border: an 18-foot, mesh-metal fence west of here, with poles sunk deeply into concrete. Garcia hoisted his friend, who wouldn't identify himself, up the barrier, and in 20 minutes, they clambered into the United States illegally. An hour later, the U.S. Border Patrol arrested them for the third time in a month.

Garcia and his friend say the tall fence won't deter future illegal immigrants. "Everybody can climb it. They cross by every manner," Garcia's 42-year-old friend said as he waited in Naco's Migrant Resource Center after being returned to Mexico.

The United States is spending $700 million to build 670 miles of new fencing along the border, but lured by U.S. jobs with higher wages, immigrants are adapting. The tallest portions of the fencing are 15 to 18 feet high, aimed at stopping both pedestrians and vehicles. The shortest barriers are 3 to 4 feet high and designed to stop vehicles in remote areas.

The large fences stretch in broken but growing segments across the 1,950-mile border. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it has put up 114 miles of truck barricades and 118 miles of new 15- and 18-foot fences. That's about half of the total planned. The fences are high enough to deter some would-be illegal immigrants. But the Border Patrol and immigrant-aid centers report that people are devising ways to scale the fences, be it by two-by-four ladders, tree limbs or rope - and some are injuring themselves in the process.

The Border Patrol says the fence is doing its intended job. "The border fence is a speed bump in the desert," spokesman Mike Scioli said. "It slows them down long enough for us to respond." Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff talks of the fence as just one facet of a more comprehensive strategy to secure the border. The fence is intended to complement, not replace, extra agents, surveillance sensors, inland checkpoints and technology.

Border Patrol Agent William Schaeck was amazed at the feeble barriers when he came to Naco three years ago. "All of this was barbed wire," he said, motioning to a stretch of 18-foot fence that went up in the past year. The fence stands in the windswept scrub like a line of crooked teeth, as far as the eye can see. East from the Naco port of entry, there are six types of fence in the first 2 miles. Types range from 10 feet to 18 feet, from corrugated-steel wall to a picket of metal poles to reinforced-wire mesh. A freshly graded dirt road runs alongside, and in some places, a string of floodlights sit atop tall aluminum poles. "It has helped," Schaeck said.

Borderwide, arrests by agents dropped 18 percent this year, although a slowing U.S. economy is a major factor. For the past six months, crews have been building a 15-foot mesh fence about 15 yards behind the main 12-foot corrugated-steel wall west of the crossing. Security purists want such a double barrier along the length of the border.

When Congress passed the Secure Fence Act in 2006, it authorized 670 miles of double fence. Last year, the act was amended to give Chertoff discretion to build 670 miles of any barrier he saw fit. Last month, Chertoff conceded that a deadline to finish that work by January will not be met and that 90 to 95 percent would be under contract.Near Douglas, 25 miles east of Naco, there is no double fence and very little of the 18-foot barrier. A few miles east, the fence turns into 3-foot-high barricades intended to stop drug smugglers' trucks. Walkers can easily slip through and reach a highway 5 miles north. "Just look at how open this is," said Ray Borane, former Douglas mayor and now Gov. Janet Napolitano's border adviser. Borane does not think even a continuous 18-foot barrier will stop immigrants. There's just too much open territory to patrol, he says.

Garcia and his friend say they scaled the fence by hand because they couldn't afford the $2,500 smugglers' fee. The desert around Naco is littered with makeshift ladders, shelter volunteer Cecile Lumer said, showing a picture of a ladder made of weathered two-by-fours. It lies in the dirt 20 feet from the new fence, waiting to be reused.

Across the border, in the Border Patrol office, Schaeck holds up a ladder fashioned from barbed wire twisted around rungs made of wooden dowels. He has seen others made from thick tree branches, through which holes were bored and rope strung. He has seen crude grappling hooks, ropes with knots and ladders with barbed-wire rungs.

Lumer and Mexican border agents say they have seen more people trying their luck on the fence and more injuries in recent months. The immigrants come into the shelters with broken ankles, swollen knees, dislocated fingers and bad cuts.

The fence is the last resort for illegal immigrants, especially those who've been arrested by the Border Patrol after paying all their money to coyotes. Some coyotes now charge 1,000 pesos, or about $80, to let immigrants use their ladders. Garcia and his friend said the journey into the United States was too difficult. They were going home to stay.

Not everybody makes that choice. The Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California-San Diego found that nearly half the illegal immigrants whom its researchers surveyed in 2007 and 2008 in Mexican villages and U.S. cities had been arrested during their previous journey. Two-thirds also said the crossing was difficult. But nearly all made it to their U.S. destinations eventually, a consistent finding since 1995.

Asked what the U.S. government could have to do to keep all illegal immigrants at the border, Garcia answered in pantomime: jiggling spasmodically, closing his eyes and sticking his tongue out. "Electrify it," he said, laughing. "That, or post soldiers every 10 meters."

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16 November, 2008

500,000 illegal immigrants defying deportation orders

Zeituni Onyango came to the United States seeking asylum from her native Kenya but was turned down and ordered to leave the country in 2004. Four years later, she is still here. And her nephew is about to become president of the United States. Onyango's family connection to Barack Obama has thrown a spotlight on a phenomenon many Americans might find startling: An estimated half-million immigrants are living in the United States in defiance of deportation orders.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stepped up efforts to catch fugitive aliens, as they are known, and now has about 100 "fugitive operations teams" around the country. In the past year, the teams have made 34,000 arrests, more than double the number two years ago. But there are still 560,000 such immigrants in the U.S.

Fugitive aliens include people who, like Obama's aunt, sought asylum in the United States but were rejected and ordered to leave the country. Others were caught entering or living in this country illegally, and failed to show at their deportation hearings. Often, illegal immigrants who have been issued deportation notices are given a certain amount of time to get out of the country on their own. They are not forcibly put aboard a plane; these deportations essentially operate on the honor system. Generally, if these immigrants stay out of trouble - if they don't get pulled over by police or swept up in a workplace raid, for example - they are in little danger of being thrown out of the country.

That galls many immigration reform advocates, who say the practice breeds disrespect for the law and emboldens immigrants to sneak in and stay. "We are strong believers of enforcement of our immigration laws, and this is a priority area for getting the message across to this country, that if they've been convicted of committing crimes or if they have been ordered deported, that they will be apprehended if they try to hide and continue to stay in the country," said Jack Martin of the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Government officials say that they do the best they can with the money and manpower available to them, and that they focus on the most serious cases, including those involving illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in this country. "ICE has taken tremendous steps at closing these cases and apprehending fugitives," spokesman Richard Rocha said. "However, we prioritize our efforts on egregious violators and criminal aliens."

Overall, there are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. In the last year, the government arrested and deported a record number of illegal immigrants, nearly 350,000, according to ICE.

Critics of the agency complain of the government's former "catch and release" policy along the border, in which non-Mexicans caught sneaking across were released into this country with a date to appear for an immigration hearing. Officials ended the practice in 2006. Now, these immigrants are held until their hearings.

After paying smugglers $40,000 to get his family to the United States, Juan, his wife and 3-year-old son were caught the moment they crossed into Arizona from Mexico. A judge ordered them deported, released them on bond and gave them three months to leave. Nine years later, they are still living in the United States. But they avoid going out in public and refuse to drive for fear of getting pulled over by police. "It's really painful to wonder if, tomorrow, somebody will knock on your door and everything will be over," Juan said. But he said that is better than going back to their native Bolivia, where their financial prospects are bleak. "For me, the best chance is to provide education to my children, and that's something that I can do for them here," said Juan, a 38-year-old construction worker in Maryland who supports two older daughters in Bolivia. He asked that only his first name be used to protect his family.

Advocates say many immigrants defy deportation orders because they have lived in the United States for years, married, had children and put down roots in their communities. "Is it worth going around with that feeling that you might be discovered? Or packing up your entire family now and settling all your obligations in the United States, buying airplane tickets for your family, moving back to a country where you haven't lived for many years, where you are worried about you are going to find a job? There's another whole set of uncertainties," said Maureen O'Sullivan, a Boston immigration lawyer.

It is not clear when Onyango, the 56-year-old half-sister of Obama's late father, first came to the United States. But she moved into a state-subsidized public housing project in Boston in 2003. After it was reported days before the election that she was in the country illegally, Onyango left Boston and went to Cleveland, where she hired an immigration attorney to fight her deportation order. She is staying with relatives in Cleveland, said her new attorney, Margaret Wong.The Obama camp has said the candidate did not know about his aunt's status. "If she is violating laws, those laws have to be obeyed," Obama said just before Election Day.

Advocates say the only way to reduce the number of illegal immigrants is to overhaul the nation's immigration laws. "I ask the new president, I implore the new president to provide legislation that would allow us to become legal, to have papers," Juan said. "I don't mind paying fees, but I want to come out of the shadows."

Source



Leftists frantic to keep British National Party head out of Australia

Leftists use words for their emotional impact rather than their simple meaning so it is entirely expected that the proposed visit of Nick Griffin to Australia is being opposed on the Left by calling him a "Fascist". See below. The amusing thing is that, probably unknown to them, they are absolutely correct. The BNP has lots of policies that sit comfortably on the Left, just as the prewar Fascists did. Like the Left from at least Karl Marx on, the BNP and all the Fascists of history want the government to control large swathes of what people do. So the only real beef that the Left have with the BNP is its patriotism. The BNP is not even nationalistic. Far from wanting to embroil Bitain in more wars, it claims that Britain embroils itself in too many wars. Its only distinctive policy is its wish to reduce the immigrant proportion of the British population and that view is now so widely held in Britain that even the British Labour party is now clamping down (in appearance anyway) on immigration.

After all the name-calling, however, the idea that the Cambridge-educated chief of a legal and influential British political party should be kept out while disgusting creatures like American "rappers" are allowed in, is quite absurd. It is certainly an attack on free speech but what Leftist ever cared about free speech? Free speech only for themselves and those they approve of is their definition of free speech. It is true that Griffin has expressed doubts about the Holocaust but even many Jewish writers have opposed attempts to suppress such views, on the grounds that suppression efforts tend to give such views enhanced credibility. Even the article below probably does that

Denying a visa to British fascist leader Nick Griffin, who has a conviction for inciting racial hatred, will only increase the likelihood of Cronulla-style racial conflict, his supporters say. Mr Griffin, head of the far-right-wing British National Party, has applied to visit Australia to tackle the issue of "the demographic genocide . caused by large-scale immigration of people from the Third World". Darrin Hodges, the NSW head of the extreme Australian Protection Party, which is backing his visit, said: "Having a full and frank debate was more helpful than not . and suppressing the debate leads to events like Cronulla." He said Mr Griffin would speak at private forums in Sydney and Melbourne.

However, Jewish lobby groups opposed to the December speaking tour by Mr Griffin - a Holocaust denier with long-standing links to far-right-wing groups throughout Europe - believe the free speech argument has to be balanced against the harm done to local communities. British anti-fascist activists who track his movements say Mr Griffin and the BNP have a history of fomenting racial hatred in Britain. "Australia should not let the racist in," said Matthew Collins, a former member of the BNP who now works for a London-based anti-fascist monitoring service. "Nick Griffin is as dangerous to the community as any radical Islamic preacher."

The BNP has 49 elected councillors and 51 parish councillors among Britain's 6000 local councillors.

Jo-anne Schofield, the head of Catalyst, a left-wing Australian think tank opposed to his visit, said: "The BNP is very clever at moderating its message to appear more acceptable. But scratch the surface, they still have a hateful message at their core. "The burden of free speech is carried by the people harmed by his message."

Mr Griffin, who reportedly lost an eye when a shotgun pellet he threw into a fire exploded [Note: Shotgun pellets don't explode. Sheer Leftist ignorance], was denied entry to Australia in 1998. He once called the Holocaust the Holohoax: "I have reached the conclusion that the 'extermination' tale is a mixture of Allied wartime propaganda, extremely profitable lie and . hysteria."

A spokesman for the Immigration Department said because Mr Griffin's name appears on a Movement Alert List for individuals who may be a security, character or immigration concern, his application was not electronically approved and will be reviewed by the department. No decision had been made yet on whether to issue him a visa

Source





15 November, 2008

'Economic benefits of mass immigration are close to zero', House of Lords told

The economic benefits from record levels of immigration to Britain are 'small and close to zero', the Lords was told today. A report by a committee of peers, including two former Chancellors and several former Cabinet ministers, called on ministers to set an 'explicit target range' for immigration and make rules to keep within that limit.

Tory former Cabinet Minister Lord Wakeham said the report by the Economic Affairs Committee, which he chaired, rejected the Government's claim that immigration is needed to prevent labour shortages as 'fundamentally flawed'. He told peers the Government had said immigrants brought large economic benefits to the UK in boosting economic growth, filling job vacancies that Britons could not or would not do and paying more tax than British-born workers. But there was no evidence of such benefits, which had been 'wildly overstated' by ministers.

In a debate on the report, Lord Wakeham said: 'The committee found no evidence of these large economic benefits. 'What we did find was serious flaws in the Government's arguments and we concluded that on average the economic benefits of immigration were small and close to zero.' The report found certain groups in Britain - the low-paid, some ethnic minorities and some young people looking for a foot on the job ladder - may have suffered because of competition from immigrants. It said ministers should set an 'explicit target range' for immigration and set the rules to keep within that limit. And it raised the prospect of cutting the number of partners and other family members allowed to settle in Britain because a relative is already here.

Peers also warned that the much-trumpeted new points-based immigration system carried a 'clear danger of inconsistencies and overlap'.

The Government's decision to use GDP as the main measure of immigration's economic contribution was 'irrelevant and misleading', added the report. Instead, the yardstick should be income per head of population or GDP per capita. [Amazing that something so basic has been ignored]

The Tories last month said the Government's immigration policy was in 'chaos' after new Immigration Minister Phil Woolas suggested there could be a population cap of 70 million, before appearing to row back. Last week a Commons cross-party group on Balanced Migration said immigration rules should be further tightened during the economic downturn.

Lord Wakeham stressed that Britain 'as a whole' had not lost out from immigration and neither had particular groups lost out significantly. The committee also recognised the very 'valuable contribution' made by immigrants, he added. He said the Government had rejected the committee's report - suggesting it contained 'combined conclusions that were overspun with analysis'. 'Thoughts of pots and kettles immediately came to mind. The minister's words accurately describe the Government's position - not our report,' Lord Wakeham added.

Liberal Democrat Lord Vallance of Tummel, former BT chairman, said that when large numbers of immigrants arrived in a limited number of locations, the 'shoe will begin to pinch'. Councils, particularly in the popular parts of London and the south east, complained they had not had the right resources to deal with this.

Crossbencher Baroness Valentine, chief executive of the London First business organisation, said the report asked the right questions and she agreed with some of its conclusions. 'We must have better and more meaningful data if we are to fully understand the implications - both positive and negative - that immigration has for our country. 'Our challenge is to ensure that the best talent is found in, and keeps coming to, the UK. 'Allowing British businesses to recruit globally does not open the doors to an unstoppable influx of immigrants if education and training systems equip British workers to compete. 'I'd like UK workers to win on merit not because we have changed the rules to prevent the best competing at all.'

More here



Contractors must verify immigration status

Beginning Jan. 15, contractors will have to verify the immigration status of all employees working on federal contracts. The requirement, published as a 275-page rule in the Nov. 14 Federal Register, applies to new federal contracts worth more than $100,000. Contractors would report the immigration status of their employees using the Homeland Security Department's E-Verify online system.

Contractors have hotly opposed earlier proposed versions of the rule, saying it was too burdensome and costly. The final rule is not much better, said Eric Bord, an immigration attorney for Morgan, Lewis and Bockius in Washington. "Administratively this requires a substantial investment of human resources time to run through E-Verify, in many cases, all of the employees of a federal government contractor," Bord said. "There will be thousands upon thousands of nonconfirmations that will have to be rectified by the employer," he added.

The potential failure of the system to confirm the status of employees thought to be legally employed was a concern in many comments. Many who responded with comments on the proposed rule said neither the Social Security Administration nor DHS, which keep the necessary data, are adequately staffed to handle the increased number of nonconfirmation appeals. Under a pilot program, nonconfirmations were difficult to resolve, the respondents said. Claims that E-Verify had an error rate of less than 1 percent had to be wrong because source data, such as the Social Security Administration's database, had error rates of 4 percent to 5 percent, the comments said.

The rule says modifications have been made to E-Verify to reduce the number of erroneous nonconfirmations among naturalized citizens by 30 percent. The final rule embodies some changes asked for by contractors in their comments, said Alan Chvotkin, vice president of the Professional Services Council. For example, the final rule extends the time contractors have to complete immigration status reviews from 30 days to 90 days. It also excludes workers who have security clearances or the clearances required for the government's smart ID cards, and those workers make up the bulk of the contractor work force at many companies, Chvotkin said. Still, he noted that those changes might not be sufficient to ease the burden on the system, considering rule makers estimate there will be more than 4 million initial queries submitted.

Bord said that exclusions for workers with clearances would not lessen the burden on companies whose employees are not required to have those clearances to perform the work. In addition, the rule does not address contractors' concerns about who is responsible for verifying employees of subcontractors, said Jennifer Kerber, the Information Technology Association of America's senior director for federal homeland security programs. It is not clear if the prime contractor or subcontractor is liable should a subcontractor fail to comply with reporting requirements, she said. Less clear is who is responsible for the subcontractors several times removed from a prime contract managing a major acquisition, she said. "Although you are complying with the rule and you tell the subcontractors to do the same, how do you enforce compliance?" Kerber asked.

Homeland Security rule makers countered in the published notice that 96 percent of long-term users under the pilot program said the program was neither burdensome nor costly. The Homeland Security Department first proposed the rule in June in response to an executive order directing agencies to confirm legal employment by using the department's electronic verification system known as E-Verify. The department received more than 1,600 comments on the rule, most in opposition.

Source





14 November, 2008

Obama's Ability to Help Illegal Immigrant Aunt May be Limited

President-elect Barack Obama will not have executive power to unilaterally grant his aunt legal immigration status

President-elect Barack Obama has promised to use his executive power to help struggling Americans with a variety of issues, but his hands may be tied when it comes to helping an illegal immigrant -- his own aunt -- stay in the country. Zeituni Onyango was ordered to leave the country in 2004 by an immigration judge who rejected her request for asylum from her native Kenya. Her illegal-immigrant status was revealed to the public days before Obama's election on November 4, and now she is fighting the deportation order. Onyango fled her public housing apartment in Boston, where she had lived for five years, and is now staying with relatives in Cleveland.

Contrary to popular opinion, Obama will not have executive power to unilaterally grant her, or anyone, legal immigration status when he becomes president. His only course of action would be to appeal to Congress to file a private bill providing citizenship. "It is an avenue that exists for anyone," said Kelly Nantel, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But for President Obama, it would be an avenue dotted with pitfalls. "It looks untoward," immigration attorney Jay Marks said, although he said would probably succeed if he tried. "For a guy like me, I might as well be trying to have a snowball not melt in hell," said Marks, who has unsuccessfully pursued this option for many of his clients. "But for him, it might be easier to do." Marks said he would advise Obama to do nothing, in order to avoid any appearance of showing favoritism. He added that the publicity surrounding his aunt's case shouldn't affect the outcome, especially to her advantage.

"Having seen what goes in immigration court, I don't see how this is going to favor her," he said. "The immigration judge would have to spell out his decision in very clear terms in what should be a lengthy decision and whether or not this woman has met her burden under the law," he said. Onyango will need to show that she has physically spent 10 years in the country, has not been convicted of certain crimes and has qualifying relatives with extreme hardship. Her attorney, Margaret Wong, has said she may file a motion to reopen Onyango's case or file an appeal for her to stay on humanitarian grounds.

Onyango is Obama's father's half-sister. The president-elect met his father's side of his family for the first time when he traveled to Africa 20 years ago. He referred to Onyango as "Auntie Zeituni" when describing the trip in his memoir, calling her "a proud woman." She attended Obama's swearing-in to the U.S. Senate in January 2005, but his aides have said Obama provided no assistance in getting her a tourist visa and he doesn't know the details of her stay. They say said he last heard from her about two years ago when she called to say she was in Boston, but he did not visit her there.

Onyango has been ailing since her immigration status became public, and she may have neurological problems, said her spokesman, Michael Rogers. He said Onyango is happy in Cleveland and is hopeful that she will win her deportation fight.

Source



Obama's Illegal Alien Aunt: The Rest of the Story

I hope Barack Obama remembered to thank George Bush on behalf of his illegal alien aunt this week. The lame-duck Republican president did the Democratic president-elect a generous -- and dangerous -- favor right before Election Day: Putting politics above homeland security, the Bush administration ordered immigration authorities across the country to halt all deportation enforcement actions until the campaign season was over.

According to my sources, the Bush administration issued a 72-hour cease-and-desist order to all fugitive apprehension teams to spare Obama embarrassment over his Kenyan half-aunt, Zeituni Onyango. The Associated Press reported on Nov. 1 that Onyango was a deportation evader -- one of an estimated 700,000 illegal alien absconders who have ignored orders from immigration judges to leave the country. The wire report mentioned that the Department of Homeland Security distributed "an unusual nationwide directive within Immigration and Customs Enforcement requiring any deportations prior to Tuesday's election to be approved at least at the level of ICE regional directors."

But the politicized order was even worse than the AP reported. The deportation process wasn't simply slowed down for public relations reasons and fear of a media backlash. The process was completely frozen.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement source familiar with Western field offices told me: "The ICE fugitive operations group throughout the United States was told to stand down until after the election from arresting or transporting anyone out of the United States. This was done to avoid any mistakes of deporting or arresting anyone who could have a connection to the election, i.e., anyone from Kenya who could be a relative. The decision was election-driven."

Another source close to ICE operations in a Southern California field office confirmed that immigration officials there received the same directive: "The reason they included all offices in the United States was to show that they were not targeting the district office where Aunti lived. They don't want to pick her up by mistake and cause a big problem."

In other words, the Bush Department of Homeland Security determined that protecting Obama from the negative publicity surrounding a potential arrest of his illegal alien aunt was more important to the general welfare of the country than tracking down untold numbers of deportation absconders who received an extra three-day pass last week. DHS refuses to comment publicly about the case. Warped homeland security priorities are bipartisan. Democratic Rep. John Conyers has called for an immediate investigation -- not into the rank politicizing of our deportation policies, but into who leaked Onyango's deportation fugitive status to the press.

Question: Why shouldn't this information be public?

As for President-elect Obama, his true views about ICE are well known. Despite telling Katie Couric that his aunt should be required to follow the law because "we're a nation of laws. . I'm a strong believer you have to obey the law," Obama scolded ICE agents, who are doing their jobs, for "terrorizing" communities.

Onyango arrived in the United States in 2000 on a temporary visa. Her asylum request was rejected in 2004. She defied the immigration court order to go back to Kenya, moved into Boston public housing and is now hiding with relatives in Cleveland while contemplating how to extend her illegal stay.

Question: Will an Obama White House reinstate the deportation enforcement freeze in Ohio? Wouldn't want to "terrorize" the community.

(Meanwhile, real terrorists have benefited enormously from lax enforcement of deportation orders and asylum loopholes. Ramzi Yousef, Gazi Ibrahim Abu Mezer and Mir Aimal Kansi all exploited our catch-and-release system by invoking asylum and evading swamped authorities before plotting and executing jihadist attacks.)

Onyango's options, like those of hundreds of thousands of deportation fugitives like her, are wide open. With the help of a seasoned immigration lawyer, she can take another bite at the judicial apple and appeal her deportation order. She can take her case all the way to the Supreme Court. She can find an illegal alien sanctuary church to give her refuge. Or she can take advantage of the longstanding congressional practice of creating "special relief" bills to help individual deportation fugitives escape punishment and acquire U.S. citizenship.

The post-9/11 Bush homeland security equation looks pretty much like the pre-9/11 one, and that will continue under Obama: Cowardice plus rank opportunism times political correctness equals a lasting recipe for immigration chaos.

Source





13 November, 2008

Big CIS update

CIS Press release below

1. `I'm a Strong Believer You Have to Obey the Law'. A look ahead at Obama's immigration policy.

EXCERPT: Obama's selection of Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff actually bodes well for immigration. It's not that he's a nice guy, like the Josh Lyman character on West Wing that he inspired. As Yuval Levin recently wrote at The Corner, Emanuel is "a vicious graceless partisan: narrow, hectic, unremittingly aggressive, vulgar, and impatient." But it is precisely this partisanship, combined with an awareness of the visceral public sentiment on immigration, that has led him to counsel caution for his party on the issue. To the chagrin of hard-left activists, Emanuel has said of immigration that 'For the American people, and therefore all of us, it's emerged as the third rail of American politics. And anyone who doesn't realize that isn't with the American people." Last year Emanuel told a Hispanic activist that "there is no way this legislation ["comprehensive immigration reform"] is happening in the Democratic House, in the Democratic Senate, in the Democratic presidency, in the first term." One lefty activist has described Emanuel's cautions as "disgusting and immoral," while another called his stance "cowardly or xenophobic," and a third described him as a "war-mongering anti-immigrant NAFTA-pusher." Considering the sources, those are pretty good endorsements!

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2. No "illegal aliens" in Arizona?

EXCERPT: Illegal-alien and open-borders advocates may succeed in getting the Arizona Supreme Court to ban numerous immigration-related phrases, including "illegal alien" and "open-borders advocates." In a significant blow to the First Amendment and the use of legally-correct terminology, Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor has advanced the demands of the Arizona Hispanic Bar Association by moving to ban the following language from all of the state's courtrooms:

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3. No Amnesty - Now or in Two Years

EXCERPT: That warning about 2010 is one that Congress should also heed. Whatever the presidential candidates have said about pushing for amnesty in their first year in office, or first 100 days, or first day, Democratic lawmakers understand that the next election is just two years away, and amnesty would give voters 12 million reasons to take away their control of Congress.

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4. A Micro Look at the Current State of Securing Against Terrorist Travel: The Case of Manoj Kargudri

EXCERPT: On September 9, 2008, Manoj Kargudri, a 36-year-old Indian national, was arraigned in U.S. District Court in San Antonio on charges of visa and immigration fraud. Considered a flight risk, he was held pending trial. Kargudri was not just another run-of-the-mill illegal immigration case. This one had patterns of terrorist travel in it, taking advantage of vulnerabilities in U.S. border systems for the purpose of entering and embedding in the United States.

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5. Mass Immigration - and Exploitation. Frontpage interview's guest today is Dr. Stephen Steinlight, a Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Immigration Studies.

EXCERPT: Who are the real victims of mass immigration? Steinlight: I'm grateful you have used the phrase "victims of mass immigration" because this transformational social engineering has produced and is producing millions of victims. The mass immigration we're experiencing by the uneducated and unskilled is having a disastrous impact on the most vulnerable of our fellow citizens: the unemployed, partially employed, the elderly still working, African American males, recent legal immigrants, young people entering the job market, and all working-class or lower-middle class Americans with no more than a high school education. These consequences are not debatable: a wealth of data from the most prestigious social science research bodies has established them as fact. Among the most significant literature is the National Research Council of the National Academy of Science's study New Americans: Economic, Demographic and Fiscal Effects of Immigrants; the National Bureau of Economic Research's Immigration and African-American Employment; and the Russell Sage and Ford Foundation's Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality, among other seminal work. The mass of uneducated and unskilled immigrant workers is lowering wages and worsening working conditions for millions of Americans while creating feverish competition for the shrinking stock of low-income urban housing with resultant social conflict, most often between black and brown.

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6. Where does she stand? Palin and Immigration

EXCERPT: This could be where Mrs. Palin comes in. She'd be much more believable selling 'border security first' to voters because she's more likely to actually believe it. But if the Republican ticket does win, Vice President Palin will have a decision to make next year, when Mr. McCain will again try to push through a massive amnesty, whether the border is secure or not. The White House will be tempted to exploit her credibility with the right to try to sell amnesty to conservatives. But given the unprecedented outpouring of opposition to last year's amnesty bill, it would be a serious mistake for her to agree to such a role, as it would undermine her own political viability in the future. Grass-roots enthusiasm about, say, a Palin-Jindal ticket in 2012 would be significantly dampened if she were to vigorously push the position that has caused Mr. McCain the greatest problems within his own party. Barring a political blunder like this on her part, we probably won't learn Mrs. Palin's real views on immigration until she comes out from Mr. McCain's shadow, either after his loss in November or when she runs to succeed him.

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7. Visa Waivers: Ready or Not, Here They Come

EXCERPT: A new GAO report sharply criticizes the Dept. of Homeland Security for its reckless disregard of legitimate security and law enforcement concerns and standard operating procedures in pressing forward to offer visa waivers to visitors from at least nine new countries, mostly in Eastern Europe. These concerns were first raised in a Senate Judiciary hearing earlier this year on February 28, at which I testified and will be discussed again at another Senate hearing tomorrow. Expansion of this program beyond the few clearly qualified countries is sure to encourage more illegal immigration and facilitate entry for terrorists and criminals.

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8. E-Verify ambush

EXCERPT: Kinks in the system are continually being fixed at a remarkable pace; 94 percent of hires are now verified instantly, with a mere 1 percent requiring further action - and most of these are new citizens who haven't had their Social Security information updated. The rest are rejected as not authorized to work. Chilling - and perhaps good proof that E-Verify is doing its job - is that the numbers rejected by E-Verify as not authorized to work closely parallels the estimated percentage of illegal aliens in the work force, about 5 percent.

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9. MS-13 Involved in N.J. Slayings

EXCERPT: Last year, Newark city officials downplayed the immigration and gang connections in the brutal execution-style slayings of three New Jersey students. Terrance Aeriel, 18, Dashon Harvey, 20, and Iofemi Hightower, 20, were lined up against a schoolyard wall and shot in the back of the head. A fourth victim, Natasha Aeriel, survived after being sexually assaulted and shot in the face. . . . State prosecutors now say the following: "Certainly there was a strong gang component underlying each of these crimes." The gang cited is the violent and rapidly-expanding MS-13, a gang made up largely of illegal aliens.

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10. Another court rejects challenge to mandatory use of E-Verify

EXCERPT: Yesterday, a Rhode Island judge rejected a request from the ACLU and three others to halt the state's implementation of Governor Don Carcieri's Executive Order requiring all state contractors, vendors, and grantees to use E-Verify, or lose their government contracts. This ruling, while preliminary, is the latest positive test of strength, both for the E-Verify program and for state action to prevent illegal employment.

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11. Impure Meat, Foul Ethics, Rotten Arguments

EXCERPT: Oceans of ink will spill before AgriProcessors ceases to be red meat for news and commentary. Before the recent ICE raid at the Howard Industries transformer plant in Laurel, MS, that led to the arrest of some 600 illegal aliens - making it the largest workplace immigration enforcement action in US history - the ICE raid at the slaughterhouse in Postville, IA, had the dubious distinction of holding first place. Some 389 illegal aliens were arrested there, half the workforce. Investigative journalism, an undercover operation and subsequent media coverage have revealed shocking, sordid conditions, with allegations of corporate inhumanity, illegality, and chicanery surfacing continually. There are numerous reports of barbarous working conditions, gruesome cruelty to animals, multiple infractions of workplace safety regulations, charges of sexual harassment of female workers, a spotlight on the lowest wages in the industry, accounts of cheating workers out of overtime pay (with shifts averaging 12-16 hours six days a week), and hundreds of violations of USDA health codes (250 in 2006 alone), with citations for inadequate protection against mad cow disease and multiple instances when fecal material was present in food-processing areas.

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12. How Many Americans?

EXCERPT: When the Census Bureau released its new population projections last month, most of the media focused on the country's changing racial composition. But this was almost certainly not the most important finding. The projections show that the U.S. population will grow by 135 million in just 42 years -- a 44 percent increase. Such growth would have profound implications for our environment and quality of life. Most of the increase would be a direct result of one federal policy -- immigration. If we reduced the level of immigration, the projections would be much lower. The question we have to ask ourselves is: Do we want to be a much more densely settled country?

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13. Senator Biden & Co: Not Hegelian on Immigration

EXCERPT: Though Biden is presently Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (immigration falls under the purview of the Judiciary Committee) that's hardly cause to give a pass to a senior legislator, a six-term senator, for failing to possess basic facts about a vast socio-economic-political phenomenon transforming the United States. Especially not this Senator. Biden has served for many years on the Judiciary Committee. He Chaired the Judiciary Committee from 1987-1995 and served as Ranking Minority Member from 1981-1987 and 1995-1997. It also seems astounding that a Senator with so many years on the Judiciary Committee and who supposedly has great expertise about foreign countries would be totally clueless about which ones send the most immigrants to the United States, especially when immigration is the highest in all American history.

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14. Los Angeles Demands Private Businesses Assist Day Laborers

EXCERPT: Of course, the whole point of a day laborer center is to match employers with laborers. The main problem is that the overwhelming majority of day laborers are illegal aliens who, obviously, are barred from employment by nature of their immigration status. By passing this ordinance, private companies wishing to do business in Los Angeles - like Home Depot - are effectively being thrust into the immigration debate and forced into potential liability. Aiding and abetting the harboring of an illegal alien and facilitating the hiring of an illegal alien is actionable, depending upon the circumstances. And considering public opinion on illegal immigration, a business likely doesn't want to give customers the impression that it is encouraging the employment of illegal aliens.

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15. If It's Fixed, Don't Break It: Reauthorizing E-Verify

EXCERPT: Arguably E-Verify sits as the most successful programmatic upgrade to infusing integrity into our interior border systems that we have seen in years. Yet in an irony befitting to Washington, E-Verify may not be reauthorized because just one of the 535 members of Congress has decided to put a 'hold' on it in order to insist that some pet immigration provisions get a piggyback ride from what should be a slam dunk reauthorization. (Interesting too, the effect of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on the process, but that's for a future posting.) In fact, both Sen. Specter (R-PA) and Sen. Grassley (R-Iowa) have E-Verify reauthorization bills pending, both with support (and the House has already reauthorized the program). But if Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) doesn't release his hold, or if the hold isn't voted down by 61 senators, E-Verify will disappear on November 30, 2008.

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16. Ignoring problems of illegal immigration leads to exploitation

EXCERPT: The immigration policy embraced by the Jewish community establishment is disastrous for America. It condones illegal immigration, and that doesn't improve working conditions for immigrants but has brutal consequences for struggling Americans. By supporting legalization of illegal immigrants, the Jewish establishment endorses the Bush administration's immigration policy, which seeks to create a huge, permanent legal underclass of impoverished immigrants that will drive down wages and worsen working conditions for all Americans. Progressive Jews should oppose returning American capitalism to the Dark Ages.

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17. Immigration Enforcement? Yes, We Can!

EXCERPT: The challenge will be to maintain this new enforcement climate under a new administration. After all, 90 percent of illegal aliens are still here, and the pressure will have to continue if the problem is to be shrunk down from today's crisis to a more manageable nuisance. Unfortunately, both presidential candidates have an digital, all-or-nothing view of the problem, and have legalization as their chief priority.

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18. Hartford, CT - Sanctuary City?

EXCERPT: If Hartford mayor Eddie Perez signs an ordinance sent to him by the city council, the Connecticut state capital will be the latest to join the list of cities that are obstructing the identification of criminal aliens, and almost certainly endangering their residents in the process. (See .) The ordinance forbids city police from arresting illegal aliens they encounter who are the subject of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) administrative warrant. What the council doesn't realize (or maybe they do and don't care) is that a very significant share of these individuals are actually dangerous criminals. It is unclear what public safety purpose could possibly be served by making sworn law enforcement officers ignore warrants issued by a federal law enforcement agency. If Mayor Eddie Perez wants to serve his constituents, citizen and immigrant alike, he should refuse to implement the ordinance. Here's why:

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19. Counterfeiting the 'E' in E-Passports: The Top Reason Why a Heist of 3,000 UK E-Passports Matters

EXCERPT: Last week I wrote about the top ten reasons why a heist of 3,000 blank UK e-passports matters. In that piece, I laid out the many reasons why this heist is a concern to the US, mostly stemming from how these e-passports - even assuming the blank chips that hold biographical and biometric data are not susceptible to counterfeit - still present multiple opportunities for undercover terrorist travel and identity theft. Subsequent analysis in the UK bears out the concerns I listed, but as it turns out, the UK government's assurances that the e-passport chips are hardened against counterfeit is dead wrong.

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20. Immigration to the United States and World-Wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions

EXCERPT: The findings of this study indicate that future levels of immigration will have a significant impact on efforts to reduce global CO2 emissions. Immigration to the United States significantly increases world-wide CO2 emissions because it transfers population from lower-polluting parts of the world to the United States, which is a higher-polluting country. On average immigrants increase their emissions four-fold by coming to America.

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21. The 1965 Immigration Reforms and the New York Times: Context, Coverage, and Long-Term Consequences

EXCERPT: Years later, surveying the impact of the legislation, journalist Theodore White said the 1965 reforms were "noble, revolutionary and one of the most thoughtless of the many acts of the Great Society." If that is the case, the Times bears a good share of responsibility for the lack of thought about unintended side-effects, which ramify to this day. And while no subsequent immigration reform debates have generated coverage quite so egregiously one-sided and myopic, since 1965 the Times has failed to report on various immigration debates with needed balance and rigor. Demagogic accusations of nativism continue, as well as an institutional resistance to framing and pursuing vital journalistic questions, demonstrating, on too many occasions, a "contempt prior to investigation" that the 19th century liberal political philosopher Herbert Spencer said "is a bar against all information" and "proof against all arguments."

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22. On Immigration, Enforcement Works

EXCERPT: None of this should be a surprise. Illegal immigrants are people like any others, and they respond to changed incentives. When we essentially prevented immigration authorities from doing their jobs and held out the very real prospect of amnesty, illegal immigrants stayed put, and more of them came. Now that we are sending a very different message - that the party is over and immigration enforcement is steadily increasing - fewer are coming and more already here are leaving. The only question is whether the next administration and the next Congress will pull the plug on this new enforcement climate, and return to business as usual.

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23. Illegal Immigrant Population Dropping: New Report Finds Significant Decline Since Last Summer. Panel Discussion Transcript

Speakers: Mark Krikorian, Executive Director, Center for Immigration Studies; Steven Camarota, Center for Immigration Studies; Senator Jeff Sessions, R-AL; Congressman Tom Feeney, R-FL

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Center for Immigration Studies
1522 K St. NW, Suite 820
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 466-8185 fax: (202) 466-8076
center@cis.org www.cis.org





12 November, 2008

Zogby Post-Election Poll Reveals No Mandate for Illegal Alien Amnesty

Press release from FAIR [bdane@fairus.org] below

A nationwide survey of actual voters reveals that Americans strongly support immigration enforcement, and that less than one-third of Obama voters favor granting amnesty to illegal aliens. The poll conducted by Zogby International on behalf of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) on November 5 and 6 also found that a decisive majority of voters believe that an illegal alien amnesty would "further harm the interests of struggling American workers." Among the key findings of the poll are:

Only 32% of Obama voters considered his support for amnesty as a factor in their decisions to vote for him. 67% said it was either not a factor at all, or they voted for Obama in spite of his stance on amnesty.

60% of voters said reducing illegal immigration and cracking down on employers who hire them is important to them, while only 21% supported "legalizing or creating a pathway to citizenship" for illegal aliens.

57% of voters stated that amnesty would harm American workers and further strain public resources, while only 26% believe amnesty would aid economic recovery and ease public burdens.

The findings of the poll commissioned by FAIR of all voters are similar to an unrelated poll conducted of Latino voters by Zogby and Univision on the eve of the election. That poll found that 54% of Latino voters placed concern about the economy as their top voting priority, while only 11% said that immigration was their number one concern.

"Senator Obama received a mandate from the voters to fix our ailing economy, which has shed more than a million jobs so far this year, not to enact a massive amnesty," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "Voter turn-out increased across the board as record numbers of all Americans expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the country. Immigration policy was clearly not a decisive factor in the presidential election, as it was not discussed during the campaign, and the records of both candidates were nearly identical."

To the extent that President-elect Obama and the 111th Congress have a mandate on immigration, it is to secure American jobs and get control of the borders. Driving home the concern voters have about the economy and jobs, Arizonans overwhelmingly rejected a deceptive ballot measure which would have made it easier for businesses to hire illegal aliens. Proposition 202 was rejected by 60% of Arizona voters, including 56% of Latino voters in the state.

"All voters, including Latinos, turned to the Democrats last Tuesday in the hope that they will get our economy back on track. Notwithstanding a massive spin effort on the part of the ethnic advocacy network, the electorate, including Latinos, did not vote for amnesty and more immigration. In fact, the polls show that voters believe amnesty would be an impediment to economic recovery and putting American back to work," Stein concluded.

Full results of the Zogby poll can be found at www.fairus.org.



Britain Cuts Skilled Work Permits by 20% as Unemployment Rises

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government said it will cut by 20 percent the number of visas it issues for skilled workers to enter Britain as unemployment gains the most since the end of the last recession. The Home Office said it will issue 800,000 work permits under a section of its new Australian-style visa system that begins on Nov. 27 for skilled workers. That's down from 1 million spots open under the old system being phased out to clamp down on migrant flows. [That's still a rather amazing number per year for a nation of 60 million]

Brown's Labour government is under pressure to crack down on immigration after record inflows since 2004. Today's decision comes on the eve of a report likely to show the number of people receiving unemployment benefits probably rose 40,000 last month, the most since 1992. ``Had the points-system been in place last year, there would have been 12 percent fewer people coming to work through the equivalent route,'' said Immigration Minister Phil Woolas.

The government also said it was trimming the list of jobs that Britain doesn't have enough skilled workers to fill. Workers outside the European Union must show either that they have skills to perform those jobs or that they have sponsorship from an employer who can show a British resident can't be found. Mangers of big construction projects, civil engineers, physicists, geologists, meteorologists, chemical engineers, doctors and dentists are among the groups where labor is short, according to the government's list.

The U.K. is trying to reduce the inflow of immigrants after the arrival of more than 500,000 annually for the past five years. The record numbers since the Labour government took office 11 years ago have put a strain on schools, police and hospitals.

Today's changes are part of the biggest revamp of immigration rules in Britain since the 1950s, when the nation opened its doors to attract low-skilled workers needed to fuel the post-World War II economy. Britain also needs biological scientists, therapists, high school teachers of math and science, quantity surveyors, nurses, skilled ballet dancers, skilled sheep shearers, jockeys and social workers. [They need jockeys??] Employers seeking to hire a migrant worker who is not on the government's list of shortage occupations must meet the so- called resident labor market test. They must show that no suitably qualified settled worker can fill the job by advertising the vacancy before it is filled.

The U.K. is replacing a labyrinth of 80 separate categories under which immigrants could apply for a visa with a five-tier, points-based system. It gives credit for education and previous wages, not for accomplishment in life or potential. Tier 1, which opened in February, is aimed at doctors, academics, computer experts and bankers. Today's list refers to Tier 2 workers, covering employees with job offers and temporary workers. Tier 4 for students begins in March 2009 and Tier 3, for low skilled workers, possibly after that. Tier 5, for temporary workers, begins later this year.

Responding to concerns about a shortages of specialist cooks, the U.K. said today it will allow in chefs from outside the EU, provided they earn more than 8.10 pounds ($12.61) per hour. Care assistants from outside the EEA must earn more than 8.80 pounds per hour to qualify for a visa.

Source





11 November, 2008

111 Arrested in Florida Immigration Raid

Two days after immigrant rights groups in southern Florida sent a letter asking president-elect Barack Obama to intervene and curb immigration raids, ICE announced the arrest of 111 undocumented immigrants in a new Florida raid, Univision reports. The five-day operation was carried out in Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa and surrounding areas. Those arrested in Florida are from Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Tunisia, Romania and Venezuela. Of the 111 arrested, 69 remain in ICE custody of ICE and 42 were released on parole.

On Thursday, Florida activists called for a moratorium on raids until Congress passes an immigration reform bill that includes a path to legalization. The office of the president-elect responded, saying that "our position is well-known" and that his commitment "to immigration reform and all the important issues for Latinos in the U.S. still stands."

ICE teams will continue to seek out and detain "foreigners who have ignored a judge's order to leave the country," said Michael Rozos, director of ICE in Florida.

During fiscal year 2008 (Oct. 1, 2007 to Sept. 30, 2008) ICE deported nearly 350,000 immigrants, the majority of them of Latin American origin. The figure represents an 20 percent increase over the number deported in fiscal year 2007.

Source



British panel seeks tougher immigration laws

A British parliamentary panel on immigration has suggested tough measures to prevent migrants taking away British jobs. The House of Commons cross-party group said the new immigration points system is allowing thousands of foreign workers to come to Britain just to look for work. "The government's claim that it wants 'British jobs for British workers' is simply not being put into practice. Everyone knew that the government could do nothing to stop EU citizens from applying for UK jobs," committee's co-chairman and Labour MP, Frank Field, said. "What isn't known is that for the last few years tens of thousands of non-EU citizens have been given jobs in the UK and there has been no obligation for any of these jobs to be advertised here first," Field said.

A research by the pressure group Migrationwatch shows at least three categories in the new immigration points-based system allow for jobs to be filled by workers from overseas without any obligation to first advertise the vacancy in Britain.

Last year around 8,400 foreign workers were admitted to so-called "shortage occupations", jobs for which firms can bring in foreign labour, and 38,100 foreign students were employed because of intra-company transfers, the research reported. Tier 1 of the points system allows highly skilled migrants to come to Britain even if they do not have a job.

The report added that last year about 30,250 migrants came here under Tier 1 or its predecessor, the highly skilled migrants programme, and this year 48,500 applications have been approved so far.

Source





10 November, 2008

Arizona results mean immigration still key issue

The re-election of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas keeps the issue of illegal immigration at the forefront of Arizona politics, even though it has fallen off the national radar. "Thank goodness we still have great men in power. . . . At least they will help keep Phoenix safe," said Bill Chenausky, 41, of Phoenix. Chenausky said he voted for Arpaio and Thomas because he is frustrated with illegal immigration and they seem to be the only ones doing anything about it. Both Arpaio and Thomas vowed to continue to combat illegal immigration, and they suggested they may even step up their efforts in light of their victories.

But the prospect of a new level of immigration enforcement disturbs civil-rights advocates. "These (Arpaio and Thomas) are folks who have terrorized our community," said Raul Yzaguirre, the former president of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino civil-rights organization, and now a professor at Arizona State University. Yzaguirre said Tuesday's election results show that voters in Arizona remain deeply frustrated over illegal immigration. "I thought the pendulum was swinging the other way," he said.

In addition to the incumbents' victories, voters in Arizona also rejected Proposition 202, a measure backed by business groups that would have weakened aspects of the state's tough employer sanctions law.

Despite the votes, some experts say it would be wrong to interpret them as simply an endorsement of the sheriff's immigration crackdowns, which have bitterly divided the community, spurred civil rights lawsuits and ignited accusations of racial profiling. Although the crackdowns clearly helped Arpaio and Thomas win votes, other factors also played a significant role in their victories, experts say. "It's important not to jump to conclusions. It may or may not be a mandate on illegal immigration," said Rodolfo Espino, a political science professor at ASU. For example, Arpaio and Thomas both had the advantage of name recognition and incumbency. Their main Democratic opponents - former Buckeye Police Chief Dan Saban, who ran against Arpaio, and Phoenix attorney Tim Nelson who ran against Thomas - were not well known, Espino said.

Phoenix pollster Earl de Berge said Arpaio's victory had more to do with his longstanding popularity with voters as a tough-on-crime sheriff. "I don't think it's a statement on his immigration enforcement," de Berge said. In the county attorney race, "a complete unknown was trying to overcome the incumbent. That's a very hard thing to do," de Berge said. De Berge said the defeat of Proposition 202 also indicates that voters were not necessarily in a mood to crack down on illegal immigrants. Television advertisements portrayed the measure as a way to toughen immigration laws. "The public said, 'We've had enough of that,'" de Berge said.

Over the past year, Arpaio and Thomas have teamed up to launch a series of immigration-related sweeps and worksite raids that have led to the arrests of several hundred illegal immigrants. Many county residents have cheered the efforts. Some supporters acknowledge reservations, however. Chenausky, for example, said he has been turned off by some of Arpaio's immigration raids, which he said seemed aimed more at drawing publicity than enforcing immigration laws. He disagreed with a raid that Arpaio conducted in Guadalupe in April, where he said deputies seemed to be stopping Latinos in order to look for illegal immigrants. "I'm hoping that he continues some immigration enforcement, but I hope he doesn't go overboard," Chenausky said.

Yzaguirre said he is concerned that the current economic downturn could deepen frustration over illegal immigration as more Americans lose their jobs. "Economic uncertainty also makes people more fearful. People are looking for scapegoats and these folks (illegal immigrants) are easy scapegoats," Yzaguirre said. Yzaguirre and other immigrant advocates said they are hopeful that President-elect Barack Obama and the Democrat -controlled Congress will pass immigration reforms that will solve illegal immigration. "At a certain level, (voters) have a right to be frustrated. The current system is not working and we need reform," Yzaguirre said.

Source



Italy considers legalising vigilante groups

The Italian parliament is considering the legalisation of citizen vigilante groups as part of a further crackdown on law and order. Unauthorised patrols of several northern Italian cities have been underway for the last year and authorities have turned a blind eye to them as concerned locals fight back against rising crime rates. Under the proposals by the anti-immigration Northern League, the vigilante patrols would have the backing of the local police. The plan is now to be considered by the Italian Upper House.

Another controversial proposal by the Northern League the introduction of a referendum before a mosque or other place of worship is built. The League is part of centre right Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's coalition. Mr Berlusconi was elected on a tough law and order campaign. Northern League MP Mario Borghezio said: "Thanks to the initiatives of the Northern League these ronde (vigilante) patrols will soon be working with the forces of law and order. "Now all honest citizens will no longer feel that they have to hand over the areas where they live to criminals, drug dealers and prostitutes. It's a very proud day."

The Northern League, is led by firebrand Umberto Bossi, who once said the Italian navy should shell boats carrying immigrants. In April's general election it doubled its national vote to more than 8 per cent. The League capitalised on the fear of immigration with its election posters which showed an American Indian in a feathered headdress, with a caption saying: "They suffered immigration: Now they live in reserves."

Many of the vigilante groups are based in the Veneto region which has a high proportion of Muslims and the outcry against the building of mosques has been stronger there than anywhere in Italy. Last year the League's Roberto Calderoli suggested a 'pig day' against new mosques across Italy. The idea was that a pig should be taken to any land where Muslims proposed to construct a mosque. He said:"We will walk up and down on the land where they want to build, after which it will be considered infected and no longer suitable."

The League has also proposed that no mosque should be able to have a minaret or loudspeakers calling the faithful to prayer, and sermons must be in Italian, not Arabic. Given that many of the one million Muslims who are in Italy live in areas with a heavy Northern League influence, if passed the legislation is almost certain to mean no new mosques.

Source



9 November, 2008

Bush admin. makes immigration strides in 2008

The U.S. government arrested and deported record numbers of illegal immigrants -- nearly 350,000 -- in the past year, authorities say. It has also naturalized a record number of new Americans during the same time period, more than 1 million. Bush administration officials consider these to be great accomplishments within a system that President-elect Obama calls "broken and overwhelmed" on his transition Web site. "We are seeing the kinds of results that the country hasn't seen for many years," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said last month.

When Congress failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform in 2007, the administration kicked up its enforcement of the immigration laws already on the books. The government also hired more people to process applications for immigrants who want to enter the country legally. These enhancements led to increases in arrests of illegal immigrants and employers who hire them; decreases in the amount of time it takes to process immigration applications -- it now takes 9-10 months for naturalization applications, compared with 16-18 months before that. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has reduced its backlog to 1.1 million, which is down from its biggest backlog of 3.6 million in 2004; it's on track to eliminate the backlog by October 2009. The government recently awarded a five-year, $491 million contract to IBM to convert a paper-based immigration processing system to an electronic system.

There are about 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S., which reflects no increase from the previous year, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. It was recently discovered that Obama's aunt is among the estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally. The woman, Zeituni Onyango, had been instructed to leave the country four years ago by an immigration judge who rejected her request for asylum from her native Kenya. She has been living in public housing in Boston and is the half-sister of Obama's late father. Federal officials are prohibited from talking about her case, citing privacy laws. "If she is violating laws, those laws have to be obeyed," Obama said in a television interview Nov. 2. "Obviously that doesn't lessen my concern for her, I haven't been able to be in touch with her. But I'm a strong believer you have to obey the law."

But to solve the immigration problem completely, Chertoff -- who oversees immigration -- has said the next administration will need to go back to Congress for comprehensive reform.

Pressure to revisit immigration reform will build quickly from Latino supporters, immigration groups and some business interests. Larger Democratic majorities could help to move a bill through Congress, but those majorities will be built, in part, with Democrats from conservative districts who are wary of going too far. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said Democrats may have to give up some of their priorities in immigration reform to get an agreement, such as giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

Source



Fagin's army of Romanian children earns gang millions in UK

A "Fagin's army" of 200 gypsy children from Romania has been smuggled into Britain and could be earning more than œ19m a year from street crime and fraud, the European Union's head of police has disclosed. The children, who have an average age of eight, have been trafficked into the UK with the consent of their parents in return for a "hiring" fee from gangsters.

The activities of the gang, which Romanian police believe has smuggled 1,107 children into EU states, have been disclosed to MPs by Max-Peter Ratzel, the director of Europol. "All of these children were trafficked into the UK for the specific purpose of being exploited through the commission of street crimes and with the ancillary purpose of defrauding the UK social security system," he wrote in a letter to the House of Commons home affairs committee last month. "Many of their parents were complicit in their trafficking as they expect a return on the profits made, with the trafficking group involved expecting to earn up to $38m per year from these 200 children. It is suspected that most, if not all of this money is sent back to Romania."

James Clappison, a Tory MP on the committee, said the evidence highlighted the gravity of the threat posed by eastern European gangs. "The trafficking of these children is very worrying, both from the viewpoint of their own welfare and the consequences of their presence in the UK," he said.

Last January, in a related inquiry, police raided 17 homes in Slough, Berkshire. They arrested 25 people and removed 10 children, many of whom were under the age of 10. They were handed over to social services.

Source





8 November, 2008

Judge Bans Use Of "Illegal" and "Aliens"

This is very much in keeping with the usual Leftist fantasy that changing the word for a thing changes both the underlying reality and people's attitude towards it. In fact, the new term rapidly acquires all the associations of the old. Already, I am not the only one to use "undocumented" derisively, for instance

Arizona's Supreme Court Justice has agreed to enforce the Hispanic Bar Association's demands of banning the terms "illegal" and "aliens" in all of the state's courtrooms. Claiming that the terms are inflammatory, the president of Arizona's Hispanic Bar Association, (known as Los Abogados) has asked state Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor to stop using them at trials or hearings because they create perceptions of judicial bias.

"The Webster's dictionary defines the adjective "alien" as "belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing" and the noun "differing in nature or character typically to the point of incompatibility". This is exactly what is intended. The denial of using this language is itself prejudicial. This goes to the core of the debate. They are "alien" and "different". "Illegal" is also not allowed"

In a strongly worded letter to the chief justice, Los Abogados' president says attaching an illegal status to a person establishes a brand of contemptibility, creates the appearance of anti-immigrant prejudice and tarnishes the image of courts as a place where disputes may be fairly resolved.

It further points out that no human being is illegal and that a national Hispanic journalism association has roundly criticized the reference for dehumanizing a segment of the population. The letter goes on to criticize the state's High Court for using the term "illegals" in at least two opinions and the term "illegal aliens" in dozens of others.

It concludes with a list of acceptable and unacceptable terms relating to illegal immigration. Among those the group wants banned are; immigration crisis, immigration epidemic, open borders advocates, anchor babies and invaders. Among the acceptable terms are foreign nationals, unauthorized workers and human rights advocates.

Source



Mistrial ends murder case against Ariz. border agent

A judge in Tucson declared a second mistrial in the high-profile murder prosecution of a Border Patrol agent. A defense attorney said he was told that prosecutors will not seek a third trial. The mistrial on Tuesday left Border Patrol agents feeling vindicated and human-rights groups worried that violence against illegal immigrants on the border could increase.

The jury in the two-week-long retrial of agent Nicholas Corbett reached deadlock after deliberating three days. The reason for the impasse was unknown because the jury foreman's note to the judge was sealed. However, defense attorney Sean Chapman said a juror told him the jury had been leaning, 11-1 toward acquittal on one charge, negligent homicide, and had agreed to acquit on second-degree murder and manslaughter.

Corbett faced a four- to 22-year sentence had he been convicted. It was the second mistrial in the case in eight months. The Cochise County Attorney's Office couldn't be reached for comment, but Chapman said the office told him it would not seek a highly unusual third trial. "We never doubted Nick Corbett for a minute," said Edward Tuffly, president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 2544, a union representing the agent. Tuffly described Corbett's handling of the arrest as textbook. Tuffly said agents were elated at the outcome, adding, "This will tell people we are doing the right thing and not to believe every allegation you hear."

Jennifer Allen, executive director of Border Action Network, a Tucson-based humanitarian group, said the non-verdict shows people in uniform can escape justice. "It sends a disastrous message that Border Patrol agents are above the law," she said. "Folks are so afraid that violence against immigrants and violence against Hispanics living in the border area will increase." The trial inflamed powerful emotions on both sides of the immigration debate. Advocates on each side held courthouse demonstrations.

On Jan. 12, 2007, Corbett spotted four illegal immigrants fleeing south to Mexico. He whirled his patrol truck to intercept the group and ordered the Mexican nationals to lie down and surrender. Francisco Javier Dominguez-Rivera, a 20-year-old worker in a New York cereal plant, refused. Corbett shot him from less than a foot away, from slightly behind and above the smaller man, evidence showed.

Prosecutors presented Corbett, 41, as a cold-blooded killer and liar. They argued that forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts disproved Corbett's initial claims that Dominguez-Rivera was getting ready to pelt him with a rock from a few feet away.

Defense attorneys painted the witnesses as unreliable lawbreakers. They argued that detectives at the Cochise County Sheriff's Office bungled the investigation by losing evidence and not keeping witnesses apart. They insisted Corbett acted in self-defense because Dominguez-Rivera was about to smash his head with the rock.

Corbett was the first border agent since 1994 tried for murder in Arizona for official actions on duty. The 1994 case ended in an acquittal. Cochise County hired former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods to retry Corbett. He praised the jury for its hard work to wrestle with a flawed investigation. "It is very difficult to convict somebody in law enforcement on the word of somebody here illegally, and you combine that with a very poor investigation, it's even harder," Woods said.

The jury included one Latino and 11 Whites, but it was unknown whether the 11-1 impasse broke along racial lines. Chapman said he's disappointed Corbett wasn't acquitted outright. Corbett's trial came months after two agents in Texas were convicted of shooting a drug smuggler and trying to cover up the crime. Both cases have incensed security advocates, who point out that securing the border is an inherently dangerous job.

Along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, agents were attacked 1,085 times in the year ending Sept. 30, an 11 percent increase from the year before. Rock attacks have increased more sharply. The 769 assaults represent a 19 percent increase over the previous year. Despite the increases, agents shot back fewer times. In the year ending Sept. 30, agents fired weapons 38 times, down from 54 times the year before that. Border Patrol agents have killed 12 people in the past two years along the 1,950-mile frontier. Immigrants' rights activists say those kinds of statistics show a pattern of border crossers being abused at the hands of unchecked agents.

Last year, Border Action Network alleged in a report that mistreatment and violation of the rights of immigrants and citizens is routine on the U.S.-Mexican border. During a three-month period, Border Action Network volunteers documented 116 cases of abuse, ranging from unlawful arrest and torture to verbal abuse. Border Patrol agents were blamed in about a tenth of the cases, and local police and sheriff's deputies in much of the rest. The Border Patrol insists that the maltreatment claims are exaggerated.

Source





7 November, 2008

The people love Sheriff Joe

Maricopa County voters re-elected Sheriff Joe Arpaio to a fifth four-year term on Tuesday after a couple of years of high-profile conflict over his tenure, particularly on immigration issues. His easy victory left a couple of his opponents wondering if he ever can be beaten. When he won Tuesday, Arpaio made this promise: "This is not my last campaign." Arpaio will be nearly 80 years old when he comes up for re-election in 2012.

One ardent opponent, immigration rights activist Elias Bermudez, said to beat Arpaio, you need to be like Arpaio. "We have to look for a person who has the character, also the charisma, to go against Arpaio," said Bermudez, who has clashed frequently with the sheriff. He added, "Arpaio knows how to use the media, he knows how to use his persona, the way he handles things. He is so overtly an extremist, to the point that he causes people to look his way."

Former Buckeye Police Chief Dan Saban, who has lost twice to Arpaio, said the sheriff's use of the media has made him unstoppable. "He's created an image that -- when you don't have the same opportunity to compete in the media like he does -- it's hard to dismantle."

Source



Anti-illegal sentiment strong in Florida

An obscure ballot initiative in Florida intended to end a legacy of bias against Asian-Americans was defeated Tuesday, apparently because voters incorrectly assumed it would prevent illegal immigrants from owning property. Had it passed, the initiative, known as Amendment No. 1, would have removed from the state's Constitution language adopted in 1926 allowing the Legislature to prohibit foreigners who were barred from citizenship - Asian-Americans at the time - from owning land. No such legislation was ever enacted here, and every other state that had such laws has scrapped them on grounds of equal protection. But on Tuesday, Florida's effort to delete the provision went down, with 52 percent voting "no" and 48 percent voting "yes."

Immigrant advocates said they were stunned. "It's terribly disappointing," said Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. "At a time when our country has turned away from a history of racism, we have left a racist and anti-immigrant provision in Florida's Constitution."

Ms. Little and others who supported removing the provision said that a mix of confusion and prejudice seemed to have led to defeat. The language before voters did not explain that the laws first appeared around 1913 during a public panic that Asian immigrants, mostly from Japan, would work on farms for less than Americans and buy up vast tracts of land. It failed to spell out that state provisions were intended to work hand-in-glove with discriminatory federal laws that prevented Asian-Americans from becoming naturalized citizens until 1952. Rather the ballot simply asked voters if they were willing to delete "provisions authorizing the Legislature to regulate or prohibit the ownership, inheritance, disposition and possession of real property by aliens ineligible for citizenship."

Steve Geller, a former state senator who worked to get the initiative on the ballot, said Florida election rules only allowed a description of 75 words, and required that the language of the old provision - "aliens ineligible for citizenship" - be included. As a result, he said, "a lot of people thought it had to do with illegal aliens, and it had nothing to do with illegal aliens."

In fact, some organizations opposing illegal immigration latched onto the provision and advised people to vote no. On the Web site of one group, Americans for Legal Immigration, a member wrote that it should be left standing because " `illegal aliens' should not have `rights' like U.S. citizens have. The only right they should have is deportation!" The group's president, William Gheen, did not respond to e-mail messages seeking comment but Enos Schera, 81, who posted the message, said that he was "1,000 percent" satisfied that the law remained in place. He is a founder of Citizens of Dade United, a Miami group opposing illegal immigration, and he said he knew the provision's history but hoped that keeping it on the books would encourage lawmakers to prevent all illegal immigrants from owning property. "They're buying up the whole country," he said.

Source





6 November, 2008

Immigration and the economic crisis

Immigrants are not to blame for the nation's economic crisis, but immigration policy as it has been implemented (or ignored) over the past several decades is both emblematic of and a major contributing factor to the circumstances that landed our nation in the current mess.

Immigration policies have flooded the American labor market with tens of millions of workers we neither need, nor could really afford. The net effect of decades of mass immigration was a heavily subsidized labor force that was sustainable only as long as the industries that employed them could pass the costs off to the public sector, and government could get away with borrowing vast sums of money.

As the number of immigrants grew, they, and self-anointed ethnic advocacy networks, became a political force to be reckoned with. Under extreme pressure from groups like the National Council of La Raza to increase minority home "ownership," politicians from both parties leaned on the financial industry to make irresponsible mortgage loans, even if it meant waiving sound lending practices.

Given the mess we're in, continued mass immigration and a massive amnesty for current illegal aliens (which both Barack Obama and John McCain support) are special interest perks that this nation can no longer afford. An illegal alien amnesty must be taken off the table.

The bad economy coupled with a belated enforcement effort by the Bush Administration have resulted in modest declines in the number of illegal aliens, but there are still in excess of 11 million living here. The economic and social costs of implementing any sort of legalization program - staggering under the best of circumstances - would be unsustainable in light of current realities.

Amnesty would further devastate workers. While it's true that millions of people who would be eligible for amnesty are already in the labor market, the impact is concentrated in a few sectors. Amnesty would instantly affect the entire labor market, as millions of newly legalized workers would be able to compete for jobs even in sectors that had previously refrained from hiring them because of their immigration status.

The federal bureaucracy could not manage an amnesty. A massive bureaucracy would be required to administer an amnesty program. The cost and manpower necessary to process millions of applications, screen out fraud, and carry out meaningful background checks, would likely costs tens of billions of dollars. In fact, symptomatic of the culture of irresponsibility that has gripped Washington, no amnesty proponent has ever bothered to even estimate the costs.

State and local governments are even less able to manage the costs of amnesty. Most of the costs for an illegal alien amnesty would be borne by cash-strapped state and local governments. At a time when revenues are way down as a result of declining real estate values and rising unemployment, and social costs are rising because more people are using benefits and services, amnesty could bankrupt many states and localities. Nobody knows how many (because nobody has bothered to ask), but amnesty would inevitably result in millions of new kids crowding into public schools and millions of new medically uninsured relying on public health care. Because of the educational level and job skills of most illegal aliens, they would remain heavily subsidized even after they are brought "out of the shadows."

Government mandated immigration must also be reduced. Insanely, even as our economy has been shedding jobs at an alarming rate (some 750,000 so far this year), not only isn't Washington adjusting legally mandated immigration downward, they are pushing for increases. Even as the economy was collapsing around them, the House Immigration Subcommittee approved a measure to "recapture" some 570,000 unissued green cards going back to 1992, while in the Senate Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) single-handedly prevented reauthorization of the E-Verify system in order to force the issuance of these new green cards. Instead of adding 570,000 new immigrants - on top of the million or so we are already admitting legally - at a time when our economy and labor market are contracting, the numbers should be reduced to reflect the harsh new economic realities.

The common denominator among all the factors that have led to this national (and probably global) crisis is the complete abandonment by financial institutions and the government of any sense that they have any responsibility beyond the next quarter's profit sheet or the next election. Immigration is a prime example to the sort of self-interested policies that helped create the current situation, and which must be changed if we are ever to find our way out of this morass.

Source



Foreigners over 60 to be banned from moving to UK simply for retirement

One gathers that the existing arrangements have led to many older people with expensive health problems coming to Britain for the "free" healthcare

Foreigners will be banned from moving to Britain to retire, it has emerged. The Home Office is scrapping rules that allow non-EU pensioners who have sufficient money to look after themselves to move to the UK after they have stopped working. Officials said the policy did not fit in with the idea of 'earned citizenship'.

But it will raise concerns that countries whose citizens will lose out could retaliate by imposing similar restrictions of their own. This could see older Britons denied the chance to move overseas to non-EU countries, which could affect thousands every year. Thousands leave every year for New Zealand, Australia and America.

The current route into Britain is known as Retired Persons of Independent Means. It applies to those who are aged 60 or over, have a net disposable income of at least 25,000 pounds a year, can demonstrate a close connection with the UK, intend to make the UK their home and are able to maintain and accommodate themselves and any dependants without needing public funds. They are not required to have worked or paid taxes in the UK but have free access to healthcare on arrival and full access to the benefit system after five years. After five years, they are also entitled to apply for settlement and a British passport.

The Home Office admitted it had received a large number of objections to the idea, but had decided to press ahead. Papers issued by officials say: 'It is difficult to reconcile the existence and entitlements of this route with the Government's conviction that citizenship should be earned and that migrants must demonstrate certain requirements in order to progress on their journey. 'Although the migrants need to be self sufficient, the amount of disposable income that these migrants must demonstrate may not match the demands they may place on public services.'

The rules do not apply to EU citizens, so there is no risk of countries such as Spain - where thousands of Britons retire to every year - putting in place reciprocal arrangements.

Source





5 November, 2008

Sweden to become a lot browner

Indians are generally good workers and peaceful people so should be a big improvement over most of Sweden's now-large Middle-Eastern population

Sweden is revising its immigration laws that could provide openings for both high-skilled and low-skilled workforce from India. The new policy, expected to come in force from December, does not limit the number of workers seeking employment from a particular country and also grants two-year work permits as against the current validity of one year. Currently, India is the number one country of origin of labour migrants in Sweden.

Stating that migration is a "positive force," Sweden's Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy Tobias Billstrom said here on Tuesday that this was the one of the most significant reforms of immigration policy in several decades to counter the effects of an ageing population. Elaborating on the new migration rules at a seminar organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Billstrom said that in contrast to existing immigration regulations permitting immigration only for high-skilled jobs the new policy focuses on employers' demand for high as well as low-skilled workers. Sweden currently faces a shortage of doctors, nurses, engineers, electricians, IT technicians and welders.

Once the new rules are enforced, an employer who is not able to meet labour needs through recruitment in Sweden or in the European Union will be able to recruit labour from any other country. Decisions regarding residence and work permits will be based on employers' own assessment of the needs. The Labour Migration Board of Sweden will avoid "social dumping" by examining the terms of employment which should be at par with the existing employees.

Another unique feature of the policy is the right to family reunification, which means the spouse or the family of the migrant will also have full access to the labour market. After four years, a permanent residence permit can be granted to those who wish to remain. As of now, the work permit is available only for one year which is extendable to one and a half year.

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Britain raises age for marriage visa

Britain has raised the age at which foreigners can apply for a marriage visa to enter the country, to clamp down on forced weddings and immigration abuse, a minister said Tuesday. The age will rise from 18 to 21 at the end of November, said immigration minister Phil Woolas. From then both partners in a marriage will have to be at least 21. "It is important that we protect vulnerable young people and this measure will help avoid exploitation," he said, while the Home Office described the move as "the biggest shake-up to immigration and border security in 45 years."

Opposition Liberal Democrats welcomed the move, but their home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said other steps were needed. "The increase in age limits for marriage visas is a welcome defence against abuses such as forced marriage. But we must also give more help to legitimate spouses to learn English so they can play a full part in society," he said.

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4 November, 2008

No nurses wanted?

U.S. authorities have imposed a ban on the immigration of Indian nurses. The USA can handle 12 million low-skilled illegals but cannot handle a few thousand English-speaking professionals??

Sneha Shetty, a 31-year-old nurse from Bangalore, was through with 90% of her visa formalities and had even packed her bags. All she needed was a stamp on her US visa. That's when retrogression [a moratorium] struck, putting a spanner in the works. US immigration laws for registered nurses and physical therapists, which were already strict, have now become almost impossible thanks to retrogression of these employment-based visa categories (which means immigration visas in a certain employment category have been put on hold temporarily). Shetty and thousands of nurses aspiring to go abroad, particularly to the US, have been left with no option but to wait for the retrogression to be lifted.

The recent US economic meltdown hasn't helped matters either. "It's been a year since then and I have decided to work in India as I am not sure when I will get an opportunity to go abroad," said Shetty. "I am not sure if going abroad, in the current financial scenario, would be a good thing either," added Anu Nair, 26, who also came to Mumbai only to see her hope of moving to the US being dashed to the ground. "Several of my friends from Kerala had shifted to cities in the US and I knew there were several vacancies for nurses. However, unfortunately, I have been unable to get a visa," said Nair. "The future is very uncertain as I don't know when I will be able to go to the US," she added.

However, the senior nursing staff in hospitals, both private as well as government, say this may work out to India's advantage. "Hospitals across the country are facing a severe shortage of nurses and they will benefit if the brain drain stops," said Belinda Fernandes, nursing manager, PD Hinduja Hospital, adding that she knew several nurses who were waiting for their visas to be processed. "This slump is going to continue till things change in the US," said Fernandes.

On the other hand, the Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI), which is organising a conference to commemorate its centenary, says the future of nursing in India looks bright. "During the two day conference, which starts on Tuesday, our members will be making certain recommendations to the government. We will recommend the revision of the salary structure of nursing staff, regulated working hours, travel allowance etc," said Francesca Rebello, member TNAI, who works with the Prince Aly Khan Hospital. "Another issue we will focus on is work environment. In Mumbai, nurses enjoy a lot of facilities, but that is not the case in other cities and in rural areas," she said.

According to Rebello, while earlier every nurse aimed at fulfilling the great American dream, trained nurses are now not inclined to go to the US at all. "There are fresh pastures opening up for nurses in the UK, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia," said Rebello. "The next best option right now is working in the Gulf, which is also facing a shortage of nurses and which pays nurses up to one lakh [100,000 rupees or about $2,000] per month," said Jessy Thomas, a registered nurse who will be moving to the Gulf in January.

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Foreign Investors Use Immigration as a Vehicle While Economy is Weak

Foreign persons are making a deal with the United States. They are investing their much-needed equity into our economy and in turn obtaining investor visas, reports US-Immigration-Explained.com.

Overall, this may be very good for the United States. Outside investment in the real estate market will remove a lot of excess inventory from the markets, causing the demand-supply curve to favor higher prices and a return, hopefully soon, to previous valuations.

The three major ways in which foreign persons enter the United States are with the E and L visas, as well as the EB5 program. The EB5 program requires an investment ranging from half a million to a million dollars and the enterprise must hire 10 US workers for a period of two years. At the end of that time, the investor files a "Removal of Condition" and is eligible for a permanent Green Card. This is a summary and of course there are many requirements and it would be wise to contact a US immigration lawyer.

The E visa is composed of the E-1 for persons involved in import-export and the E-2 for all other investments. Not all countries qualify, and they must have a treaty with the United States. The best known countries are the Western European ones, Canada, and Mexico. Although there is no set dollar limit for an investment, and there are many strict requirements, US-Immigration-Explained.com reports that many people have successfully entered on an investment of $100,000 USD.

The L visa is popular amongst people who are not from Treaty Countries. One has to invest in a branch, subsidiary, or affiliate of their company. The main requirement, therefore, is that the foreign person must have owned or been a manager, executive, or person with Specialized Knowledge of a firm abroad. This relationship must have taken place for one year out of the past 3. The big benefit of the L-1 visa is that a manager or executive who later thinks he or she wants to remain in the United States can do so and apply for the highest level Green Card known as the EB1. The EB-1 or EB1 Green Card does not require that the job be advertised and this cuts down the processing time and makes it a much easier process.

The main difference between the E and the L is that the L visa can lead to a Green Card whereas the E requires a mental intent to return to your country of origin at some time in the future. The EB-5 on the other hand requires a substantial investment and is not suitable for everybody. An L-1 can be obtained with an investment of even less than $100,000. The foreign company, however, cannot be sold or the L-1 will fall with that sale. The E visa, on the other hand, does not require a foreign operation or even experience in business; this could be first-time venture.

More here





3 November, 2008

Is Australia persecuting Falun Gong followers too?

It seems so. There is no doubt that Falun Gong followers are persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime -- even though they are a spiritual movement rather than a political one

The Immigration Department is endangering failed Falun Gong asylum seekers by forcing them to apply for travel documents from the Chinese consulate in Sydney, exposing their status to authorities and putting them in danger of persecution, refugee advocates say. One woman, Zhang Lilin (not her real name), now needs to file a sur place claim, one created when the Government's actions, in forcing her to go to the consulate, initiate a need for her protection.

A spokesman for the department denied that it alerted foreign authorities about former protection visa applicants. Australia deported 770 Chinese nationals in 2007-08 but the department could give no figure on what percentage of them were failed protection visa applicants.

The chairwoman of Balmain for Refugees, Frances Milne, who works with Chinese asylum seekers, said it was naive to assume, as the Australian Government did, that because it did not consider the asylum seeker a refugee, the Chinese Government would not be offended by a person claiming protection from alleged human rights abuses. Last month a Chinese consular officer told Ms Zhang that China opposed its citizens applying for asylum. "If you don't understand, I have to say simply this is policy. As you applied for a protection visa, you should know this is against the Chinese Government's policies." A transcript of that conversation has been sent to the Immigration Department.

The Chinese Government has described Falun Gong as an "evil cult" and banned its practice since 1999. Since then it has staged frequent crackdowns on practitioners, detaining and torturing members because of their religious beliefs, Amnesty International says.

Mrs Milne said "the crackdown on human rights protests throughout the Olympics clearly indicates that China is very sensitive and brutal when it has to defend its human rights record against overseas claims of human rights abuses". In a letter to the Immigration Minister, Mrs Milne said "the Government has created the situation where [Ms Zhang] needs to make a sur place claim for protection". She called on the minister to change departmental regulations that create such situations.

The Herald spoke with three Falun Gong practitioners who have had their claims for protection rejected, and are facing deportation. However, none of the women has a valid Chinese passport - two have expired passports and the third has lost hers since arriving in Australia - so new documents must be issued.

The three are caught in a Catch-22 scenario: the Department of Immigration, seeking to deport them, will only issue a bridging visa (removal pending) that allows them to stay if they present travel documents that show their intention to leave Australia. The Chinese consulate will only issue them with travel documents if they spell out the nature of the bridging visa E they are seeking. Fearing persecution from authorities, none of the women want to reveal they have applied for protection from China. A second woman, 57, who came here in 1999, was told to get a new passport or the department would send her to Villawood. She said, through an interpreter, that she went six times to the consulate, and each time she was refused help. The consulate had said her letter from the department did not clearly mention the immigration category so it would not take the application.

One time a consular officer asked her directly: "Are you applying for the refugee visa? They said if you are . you must give us all the [protection claim] documents. I dare not say directly [I am a refugee] because spies here take pictures of Falun Gong activities here," she said.

A third woman, 47, who arrived in 2002, gave the consulate with a letter from the Immigration Department requesting travel documents. The consulate asked "'What is an E visa? What kind of visa?' Finally I said I am a refugee and they threw [the passport application] back across the counter at me. They looked very angry." Despite the women's experience, a departmental spokesman said its officers would undertake to get travel documents for them if asked.

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Australia's Dr. Moeller case: Where is the flexibility at the political level over this?

The bureaucrats are just following their rules. The immigration minister should see that this is an exceptional case and intervene. Or has all that Leftist "compassion" gone out the window? The pic below is of the minister concened, the rather dimwitted Chris Evans



Former Cabinet minister Mary Delahunty has blasted Immigration officials over the handling of a migrant doctor's visa application, saying she is "flabbergasted at the stupidity". Dr Bernhard Moeller's application to stay in Australia was rejected last week because his son has Down syndrome.

The prospect of losing the only internal medical specialist at Horsham has outraged its residents, who have demanded the decision be overturned. Ms Delahunty yesterday revealed the German-born doctor had treated her late father in hospital at Horsham until August this year. "If we're serious about providing decent health care in regional Australia this decision has to be overturned," she said. "Why are we disadvantaging regional Australia? We must end this lunacy."

Ms Delahunty's comments follow Premier John Brumby's slamming of the decision to reject Dr Moeller because the potential long-term costs of caring for his 13-year-old son are too great. Mr Brumby said last week he was shocked to learn the specialist's application had been rejected, and had written to Immigration Minister Chris Evans demanding an urgent review.

Ms Delahunty, a former arts minister who retired before the last election, said she and her family got to know Dr Moeller this year, and was outraged the decision had not already been overturned. "We are so short of doctors in regional Australia, and you have to experience it to appreciate the disadvantage," she said. "I've been out of government coming up to two years and I've never spoken on anything, but there has to be an end to this lunacy, this doctor has to be allowed to stay."

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2 November, 2008

The illegal Auntie

The revelation that Obama has an illegal immigrant aunt living in the USA has not been used in any negative way by the McCain campaign and it is a very minor unsavoury association in the great pantheon of unsavoury Obama associations.

Nonetheless, America's political Left are furious about it. Are they furious about the lawbreaking? Not at all. They are furious that the truth is out. Below, for example, is the comment from the widely-read Leftist blog TPM. All the rage is about who it was who let the cat out of the bag. There is not a shred of regret or concern about the aunt staying on after a court ordered her to go. As usual with the Left, propaganda matters far more than truth or the law

Here's how the right's big eleventh-hour smear on Obama was carried out. First the Murdoch-owned Times of London reported Thursday that Obama's aunt, Zeituni Onyango, is living in a Boston public-housing complex. It's unclear how the paper learned of the woman's presence in the U.S. From there, the story quickly got taken up by the right-wing echo chamber. Fox News (also Murdoch-owned, of course), Drudge, the Boston Herald, and various conservative blogs -- as well as some mainstream outlets -- began breathlessly hyping the story. But the Times had been unable to tie up one key detail. It reported:

The Times could not determine their immigration status and an official at Boston City Hall said that Ms Onyango was a resident of Flaherty Way but not registered to vote on the electoral roll. However, that Ms Onyango made a contribution to the Obama campaign would indicate that she is a US citizen.

But that was easily taken care of. The Associated Press was the first to confirm, in a story posted this morning, that Onyango is here illegally after her request for asylum was rejected by an immigration judge four years ago. But note the way in which AP seems to have obtained the information. High up in the story, it reports:

Information about the deportation case was disclosed and confirmed by two separate sources, one a federal law enforcement official. The information they made available is known to officials in the federal government, but the AP could not establish whether anyone at a political level in the Bush administration or in the McCain campaign had been involved in its release.

In other words, it looks like someone in the Bush administration leaked the information, with the goal of throwing a last-minute wrench into Obama's campaign. And someone else confirmed it, with similar motives.

On the record, of course, the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, is telling reporters it can't comment on any individual person's immigration status. It would appear to be a violation of department procedures, at the least, to leak such information.

We've seen this same tactic used recently by the Bush administration. Earlier this month, law enforcement sources leaked the news, also to the AP, that the FBI has begun a nationwide investigation into ACORN. Again, the obvious purpose of the leak was political -- to bolster a Republican campaign to stoke fears about voter fraud, in an effort to de-legitimize an Obama win. The Justice Department still has not confirmed the existence of the investigation.

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Britain: Labour party split on immigration

Labour has been plunged into a deepening row over immigration as a senior MP publicly took issue with a minister's pledge to cap the number of migrants coming to Britain

Keith Vaz [Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee and possibly Britain's most corrupt politician] said it was "totally untrue" that Labour would seek to restrict the number of foreign workers entering the country, as suggested by the immigration minister Phil Woolas. Mr Woolas's call for a tough new approach earlier this month sparked a furore in the Labour Party and led to the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith banning him from a planned appearance on BBC Question Time.

Friends of the minister have since insisted that he was speaking with the Prime Minister's backing. His removal from the public arena after his comments sparked dissent amongst left wing MPs resistant to any tightening of the rules was a knee jerk reaction and "totally unfair", they said.

Mr Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee, voiced unhappiness at Mr Woolas's comments during a visit to India where he told business people there that contrary to the minister's remarks there would be no cap on the number of people allowed to migrate to the United Kingdom. He is quoted on several Indian news websites as saying: "There is a wrong perception that the new system will cap the number of migrants, but that's totally untrue." According to the Economic Times of India, Mr Vaz said that the number of skilled migrants entering the UK under the new points based system brought in by Labour would now actually increase.

The Leicester East MP was in India leading an inquiry by the select committee into how the new system was working since being introduced in April this year. It assesses applicants based on criteria such as age, earnings, education and language ability and India was the first nation where it was introduced. During meetings with business people, Mr Vaz pledged that the system would help the UK curry industry by allowing it to recruit more skilled employees from India.

Mr Woolas hit back last night saying: "The points based system is the biggest shake-up in immigration for 50 years and whilst we don't support any specific figure it does allow you to control numbers."

The stand-off is the latest twist in a saga which began four weeks ago when Mr Woolas said that Government policy should reflect the need for an upper limit on the size of Britain's population in order to provide confidence that migration is "under control". He suggested a 70 million limit on the population, saying: "On a common sense level there has to be a limit to the population. You have to have a policy that thinks about the population implication as well as the immigration implication." His comments signalled a significant shift in government thinking. Ministers have previously insisted that it is not practical to set an upper limit.

But Mr Woolas said: "On the one hand is the rationale that we have got to strengthen our economy. But we have got to provide reassurance to communities that the numbers coming in are not bad for us. Community cohesion is crucial. After the economy, this is probably the biggest concern facing the population." The approach is understood to be backed by Gordon Brown, and a growing number of MPs who have contacted Mr Woolas to voice their support, but it is opposed by other Labour figures. Lord Hattersley said the idea of a population cap was "not Labour policy and nor will it be".

The Tories claimed the row showed that Labour pledges of a tougher immigration system were misleading. Damian Green, the shadow immigration minister, said: "Keith Vaz has blown Phil Woolas's cover. The new points based system does not provide a limit, so all Mr Woolas's tough talk since he become immigration minister is just hot air. The Conservative Party has argued all along that we need an annual limit as well as the points based system and that's what we would introduce."

Clarifying his comments, Mr Vaz said: "The Government's immigration policy appears to be in a bit of a mess. A cap of 70 million people as suggested by the immigration minister, but not supported by the Home Secretary is not enforceable.

"The points based system is not about numbers but about skills. The committee has just begun its enquiry but nothing that we have seen so far suggests that the new system talks about a definite number of people coming in. If there is a skill shortage then people will be allowed to enter. Those are the rules. We have asked the immigration minister to appear before us on the 20th of November and the Home Secretary to publish all her proposals on the new Immigration Bill before we conclude our scrutiny of it. At the moment she has not sent us the full Bill to scrutinise."

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1 November, 2008

At last a law-breaking boss is arrested



The former chief executive of the Iowa kosher meatpacking plant that was the site of a large immigration raid in May was arrested yesterday on federal conspiracy charges involving harboring illegal immigrants for financial gain and aiding and abetting document fraud and aggravated identity theft. Federal officials allege that Sholom Rubashkin, son of Agriprocessors founder Abraham Aaron Rubashkin, intentionally helped illegal workers obtain false documentation. The new charges come one day after the Iowa labor commissioner fined the company $10 million for wage violations.

The Rubashkins and other company officials were charged Sept. 9 with more than 9,000 misdemeanor violations of state child labor laws over an eight-month period ending with the May 12 raid. The charges involved 32 minors, some younger than 16, who allegedly were exposed to dangerous chemicals and were operating meat grinders, circular saws and other heavy machinery.

During the raid at the Postville plant, among the country's largest suppliers of kosher meat, agents detained 389 undocumented workers. About 300 have pleaded guilty to federal charges of identity theft. Most of those received five months in prison and were ordered deported.

The raid and ensuing group trials became a rallying point for immigrants' rights groups, who decried that no charges had been filed against company owners or top managers. This week, a human resources employee pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy charges, and two meatpacking supervisors and another human resources employee are facing criminal charges. Agriprocessors did not return calls.

"For years, Agriprocessors used a broken immigration system to exploit workers and to drive down working conditions, and it appears it's finally caught up," said Scott Frotman, spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which had been organizing at the plant since 2005. "It really does appear the Rubashkins developed their business plan directly from Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle.' I think this shows this behavior was systemic throughout the company's operation."

Since the raid, elected officials, rabbis and labor leaders have visited Postville to gather testimony about unpaid overtime, dangerous working conditions and floor supervisors' taking bribes for jobs.... According to a federal affidavit, Rubashkin, 49, lent a supervisor $4,500 to pay for fake documents for about 40 employees. A worker told federal officials that on May 11, the day before the raid, Rubashkin was present while a large number of new job applications were processed. The source thought that the applications were for workers who were supposed to have been fired for lacking legal documentation.

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Deadbeat protesters

A good way to get respect for your message? If you understand that their main message is "Look at me", it all makes more sense, however. (For non-San Franciscans, BART is a fancy name for an electric train service. It stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit)

BART closed three East Bay stations for a time this morning, one of them twice, after hundreds of youths jumped fare gates on their way to a protest in San Francisco against federal immigration policies, authorities said.

Transit system officials warned that they might shut down San Francisco stations this afternoon if protesters tried to jump fare gates again on their way out of town. But by 4 p.m. the danger of that happening was fast diminishing, as the bulk of protesters had dispersed without incident and the situation appeared calm, said BART spokesman Linton Johnson.

The Fruitvale and Coliseum stations in Oakland and the Richmond station were all closed starting about 9:15 a.m. as the youths evaded fares. All three reopened by 10:30 a.m., but BART closed the Fruitvale station for a second time from about 11 a.m. to just before noon as more youths jumped the gates. When the station reopened, security officers with dogs stood watch to make sure everyone paid.

In addition to the station closures, some BART trains bound for San Francisco were delayed at the West Oakland station by protesters holding doors open and demanding that Fruitvale be reopened, passengers and BART officials said.

No injuries were reported in the mass fare-evasion scheme, which took BART officials by surprise. Johnson said it appeared that the youths had made a coordinated decision to jump the fare gates. Police detained three people at the Richmond station. Johnson did not know whether anyone was arrested.

The protesters were heading to a rally at Ferry Park on San Francisco's Embarcadero, where they began a noontime march through the Financial District opposing enforcement actions taken by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The protest briefly tied up traffic on several streets but was peaceful.

BART officers were dispatched to the demonstration to monitor the crowds and were prepared to shut down stations if people tried to jump the fare gates on the way out of San Francisco, Johnson said early in the afternoon. "Our mission is to try to keep the stations open, but our No. 1 priority is to keep our passengers safe," Johnson said. He said extra BART officers had been called in early on overtime. There already were plans to beef up the force to handle the Halloween celebrators expected to pack BART trains tonight.

One of the protest organizers, Sagnicthe Salazar, said the students detained at the Richmond BART station had been "trying to peacefully get to the action in San Francisco." Salazar, who is with an East Bay youth organization called Huaxtex, acknowledged that protesters were jumping fare gates. She said the demonstrators were organized independently and had no funding.

Outside the Fruitvale station, fuming would-be passengers were forced to wait out the delays before they could get on a train. "I am on my way to a family emergency and no, I'm not in a good way right now," said Lisa Roellig of Oakland, whose mother was in a hospital.

At the rally in Ferry Park, protesters said the BART ride from the East Bay was tense as students delaying trains argued with commuters and other passengers. "This was a peaceful protest. We were not trying to start anything," said Kenya Ramirez, 17, who traveled from San Diego for the rally. "We were just trying to get our message out. Our message is civil disobedience." She said the students held train doors open at several stations so fare jumpers could get on board.

"The other people were getting upset because they had someplace to go," she said. "We're doing it for them [That they did not want that is irrelevant to this young thug. The usual Leftist arrogance. Quite Leninist]. They were being a little selfish."

Students from Oakland's Leadership Charter School, Richmond High School and Contra Costa Community College were among the roughly 400 protesters. Many of the students wore skull makeup on their faces and yellow ribbons on their arms and carried signs denouncing immigration policies as well as the detention and deportation of immigrants.

Shortly after noon, the protesters marched up Washington Street with a police escort to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service building at 630 Sansome St. Several chained themselves together near an entrance to the building around 1:30 p.m. and were still there nearly three hours later.

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