Votes Today on Border Security in House, Senate

"A bill authorizing construction of a fence along the U.S. border with Mexico advanced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday as Republican backers pushed to get an immigration measure to President George W. Bush desk before the November 7 elections. The Senate voted 71-28 to limit debate on the bill, which calls for construction of about 700 miles of fence. With the congressional elections looming, Republican backers of the fence bill seek to burnish their credentials on border security and on stemming illegal immigration before lawmakers leave this weekend to campaign," Reuters reports.

Environmentalists criticized the fence measure, saying it would harm animal migration. "Environmentalists and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wardens say the barrier would disrupt the migration of scores of species from jaguars to hawks and humming birds along a wildlife corridor linking northern Mexico and the U.S. southwest known as the 'Sky Islands.'"

The final senate vote on a border fence could take place Saturday. "Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., on Thursday warned that the chamber is headed toward a Saturday session to pass a bill to construct a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border . . . Frist has repeatedly touted the border fence legislation as an important first step in securing the country's borders before enacting a comprehensive immigration bill. The proposal to build a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border has passed the House," GovExec.com reported.

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Illegal Immigrant Movement Deflated

"Hispanic and immigration activists were feeling triumphant. The legions of marchers surprised many of them and spurred talk of a new civil rights movement . . . Yet with little fanfare, the House returned to the immigration issue this September and passed a series of bills that included many of the enforcement measures from the presumed-dead Sensenbrenner bill, such as requiring the mandatory detention of any foreigner considered a member of a street gang and granting state and local police the authority to enforce immigration laws," says Washington Post columnist Marcela Sanchez. "There is no question that the pro-immigrant forces failed to convince politicians that they are strong enough to be courted during this election year. Enforcement-only activists won. Whether the day comes when passing pro-immigrant legislation becomes the politically expedient thing to do remains to be seen."

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Sen. Kyl: Spin Doesn't Change My Immigration Record

"Jim Pederson is now trying to spin his way around the comment he made on KTAR radio earlier this year: that the 1986 amnesty law was 'the last effective measure' Congress passed to address the problem of illegal immigration ('Jim Pederson: 'I oppose amnesty' ' - Opinions, Monday). What he said caught people's attention because just about everyone knows that the only thing the 1986 law did effectively was grant amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants. If it is the employer sanctions and border security provisions of that law that he supports, as he now claims, it would make no sense for Pederson to say the law was "effective," since those other provisions were not seriously implemented or enforced," Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) says in an op-ed. "Maybe Pederson has changed his position; maybe he misspoke. In any case, the immigration plan he has proposed during the course of this year's campaign would put illegal immigrants on an automatic path to citizenship. I oppose that, whatever it's called. I do not believe that people who have broken our laws should be rewarded with something as precious as U.S. citizenship."

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Q&A With David Bossie, Producer of "Border War"

"I recently attended the Washington, D.C., premiere of Citizens United’s latest documentary, 'Border War,' a powerful film that takes place on the frontline of the U.S.-Mexican border. The Georgetown theater was packed with press, members of Congress, film crew and community activists -- but that’s not enough. To thoroughly understand illegal immigration, every American should see this gripping and eye-opening documentary. They should also demand that their member of Congress and local legislators see it and respond to a situation they have overlooked for too long," says Lisa DePasquale with the American Conservative Union.

Q: What makes “Border War” different from the other attempts by conservative filmmakers?

This is the first major effort by conservatives to explore the volatile issue of illegal immigration through film. While we certainly come at the issue from an “enforcement first” perspective, “Border War” presents all points of view and really challenges viewers to consider this enormously complicated public policy issue. Whereas Michael Moore and the propagandist left simply tell their followers what to think, we invite and encourage debate."

Read the full interview

Two Mexican Officials Arrested in Tunnel Investigation

"Mexican federal police arrested two customs officials and three others on charges of digging a secret tunnel that was presumably to be used for funneling drugs to the United States, authorities said Wednesday. The tunnel, which stretched about 25 yards on land owned by the Mexican customs authority, did not cross the U.S.-Mexico border. It was about 100 yards from the San Ysidro border crossing, which connects Tijuana and San Diego," KCAL reports. "Authorities have discovered about 40 secret tunnels on the U.S.-Mexico border since they began keeping track after Sept. 11, 2001, the vast majority in and around San Diego and Nogales, Ariz."

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Intel, Microsoft Among Companies Pushing Back-Door H-1B Increase

"With Congress due to recess tomorrow, advocates of [H-1b increases] have given up on winning immediate change. Now they're hoping members of Congress will focus on the issue in the lame-duck session late this year," the Washington Post reported. "'It is incredibly difficult to pass major legislative reforms in any areas, and they tried to bite off a lot,' said Jenifer Verdery, a policy director for Intel Corp., which has lobbied for more skilled foreign workers. 'We've made a strong case, and we're hoping to take that to the finish line . . . if there is any policymaking left to do after the election.'"

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Another Victory in Mohawk RICO Case for Foster

"The 11th Circuit has reinstated our RICO victory[against Mohawk]. The recent Supreme Court case on causation which we were concerned about (Anza v. Ideal Steel) has been held not to bar this case for wage depression. This is a fantastic opinion - a huge victory in our efforts to get justice against employers of illegal immigrants. Many more RICO cases are now in the works," says attorney Howard Foster, who is currently working on RICO litigation against the Mohawk Carpet company, among others. The full PDF of the 11th circuit decision is available here.

Napa Growers Whine for More Workers; May Have to Mechanize

"It’s A Luxury For Us To Have The [Illegal] Workforce That We Have"

"If Congress passes a law imposing strict penalties and fines for employers of illegal immigrants, the damage to Napa Valley’s $9 billion wine grape industry would be substantial, according to people in all levels of the industry. Such a crackdown potentially could scatter much of the region’s labor pool. According to the U.S. Labor Department more than half of farmworkers nationwide are illegal, but farmworker advocates contend the overwhelming majority of California’s farmworkers are [illegal aliens]," the Napa Valley Register reports. "If immigration shifts triggered a labor shortage, more growers would start turning to machines to harvest and prune, according to labor economists and people in the industry. Those who couldn’t do so because their vineyards are on terrain that is too rugged, too steep or otherwise unsuitable for mechanized harvesting would have to compete for the remaining workers . . . In other wine regions -- Australia and Bordeaux, for example -- mechanical harvesting is common, according to Jennifer Kopp, executive director of the Napa Valley Grape Growers."

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Border Patrol Agents in Trouble For Telling the Truth

Must File "Significant Incident" Report After Meeting Congressman; Form is the Same One Used for Shooting Incidents

"Congressional members interviewed by the newspaper said they were unaware until recently that Border Patrol agents were required to file Significant Incident Reports - normally used for shootings and other serious border incidents - when congressional members made unannounced visits in the summer along the U.S.-Mexico border," the San Bernardino Sun reports. "Michael Friels, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, denied that the incident reports were meant to keep tabs on congressional members, adding that the reports were simply an effort to keep U.S. Customs and Border Protection leadership informed about congressional visits. 'I think a (Significant Incident Report) is a matter of awareness,' Friels said. 'It's to ensure our agency is aware of high-profile visitors, media activity and significant arrests -- anything our leadership needs to know in order to have appropriate situational awareness.'" One agent summed up the policy as, "They want to know what we say and who we say it to. If we say something that doesn't fit with the agency line, then we're reprimanded."

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Columnist Says "Illegal Aliens Are American"

"Illegal immigrants are American. When I hear people angrily speak about illegal immigrants, they are primarily talking about those from Mexico - we are not discussing building a 700-mile fence along the Canadian border - a country to the south of us, a country that is still part of the continent called North America. We U.S. citizens have gotten so comfortable with calling ourselves Americans we mistakenly believe we have sole ownership of it," says Myrtle Beach Sun News columnist Issac J. Bailey. "I strongly object to you granting the title of 'American' to an illegal alien," one of his readers wrote in response. "An American is one born in the United States of America, or legally immigrated and waited the required time and then applied for, studied the required material including English, and was then granted American Citizenship. Legals come here under sponsorship with the promise of a job at which they will be working and paying taxes and assimilating into our society."

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Danbury Mayor: Expect More ICE Roundups, Enforcement

"Federal immigration agents likely will enhance their presence in Danbury over the next several months, arresting more undocumented workers and investigating companies who employ them, Mayor Mark Boughton said Monday," the News-Times reported. "Boughton does not know when or where these crackdowns will occur, but 'expect more enforcement,' he said. Danbury's mayor was part of a conference hosted Thursday and Friday by the U.S. Mission in Brazil at the U.S. Consulate in Sao Paulo." The story also has an audio clip of an interview with Bougthon.

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Herndon, VA Approves Immigration Training for Police

Last night I attended the Herndon Town Council meeting and am pleased to report that after hearing from dozens of local residents on our side the Town Council voted 6-1 to apply for immigration enforcement training from ICE under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Upon acceptance into the program, the Town Council will take the next step of negotiating a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with ICE. You can read more at the Washington Post site.

-- Sandra Gunn, FAIR Eastern Field Director

Also see: States, Cities Begin Enforcing Immigration Law

Senate Balks at Border Security Bills

"In a setback to Republican-led efforts to promote an enforcement-only approach to overhauling immigration law, a congressional negotiating committee on Monday shunted aside several measures the House passed last week. With Congress rushing to tie up loose ends by week's end so lawmakers can recess to campaign for the November elections, the committee balked at attaching the provisions to a 'must-pass' bill to fund the Homeland Security Department next fiscal year. The tactic would have deprived the full Senate and House of a vote on separate items, some of which are controversial," the LA Times reports. "Separately, the Senate is expected later this week to debate and vote on a House bill that would mandate a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. The outcome of the vote remains uncertain. On another front, House Republican leaders are pressing for lawmakers to add an immigration measure to defense-policy legislation - another 'must-pass' bill. The proposal would make it easier for federal officials to detain and deport illegal immigrants believed to be gang members." The Times story indicates that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) is mainly responsible for blocking the border security bills in the Senate.

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Rep. Lamar Smith: News Media Biased in Favor of Illegal Immigration

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), one of the key authors of the 1996 Immigration Reform law, tells Human Events readers that, "For the sake of our country, we must make decisions based on facts. Unfortunately, facts are hard to find in the news coverage of this issue. A report by the Media Research Center (MRC) reveals that the three major broadcast networks, ABC, NBC and CBS, have greatly skewed the immigration story." He concludes, "The Media Research Center report paints a clear picture. The three major networks favor the pro-amnesty or guest worker program positions while shortchanging those who advocate tighter control over our borders. The networks need to recognize that protests are an incomplete measure of public opinion. In addition, both sides of a debate should be given the opportunity to speak in news stories, and both sides of an argument should be part of any story."

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S. Carolina Hopes to Copy Georgia's Immigration Law

"State lawmakers began meeting last week to discuss proposals that they hope to will give South Carolina some of the toughest laws against illegal immigration in the country. With mounting disappointment at the stalled attempts at comprehensive immigration legislation at the federal level, state legislators said they are confident they will be able to introduce a bill in January with wide support in the Statehouse. The bill probably will mirror Georgia's immigration legislation that Gov. Sonny Perdue signed last spring," The Sun News writes. "The Georgia law the committee is particularly interested in immediately drew national attention when Perdue signed it last year, making it one of the toughest such acts in the country, especially for a nonborder state. Most of the provisions go into effect next summer."

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Voting Laws Remain A Big Issue This Election Year

“'You have to show ID for almost everything -- to rent a Blockbuster movie!' said Mr. [Russel] Pearce, a Republican in the [Arizona] State House of Representatives. 'Nobody has the right to cancel my vote by voting illegally. This is about political corruption.' Mrs. Steele and Mr. Pearce are two players in a spreading partisan brawl over new and proposed voting requirements around the country. Republicans say the laws are needed to combat fraud, especially among illegal immigrants. Democrats say there is minimal fraud, if any, and accuse Republicans of suppressing the votes of those least likely to have the required documentation - minorities, the poor and the elderly - who tend to vote for Democrats," the New York Times reported. “'Democrats believe they represent stupid people who are not smart enough to vote,' said Randy Pullen, a Republican national committeeman from Arizona who championed a statewide initiative on the new requirements. 'I do not.'”

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House, Senate Reach Deal on Fence Funding

"House and Senate negotiators agreed Monday evening to spend $1.2 billion to install hundreds of miles of fence and vehicle barriers along the Mexican border as part of a $34.8 billion spending plan for the Department of Homeland Security for the coming year," the New York Times reported. "The biggest increase in spending in the bill, on which the House and Senate are expected to take final action on this week, is in the area of border security and immigration enforcement, which would get a total of $21.3 billion, an 11 percent jump over this year. This includes money to hire 1,500 new Border Patrol agents, increasing the force to 14,800, and to add 6,700 detention beds. The $1.2 billion for border security is designated for a traditional fence, vehicle barriers and a so-called virtual fence made up of cameras and sensors. That money could also be used to help build 700 miles of physical fence along a specific stretch of the Mexican border, a construction project that the House has already approved and the Senate is still considering."

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Iowa Rep. Gets Reputation as Immigration Hawkeye

"Two-term Republican Rep. Steve King doesn't shy from controversy, and his perspective has earned him praise from conservatives _ and disdain from those who consider him outlandish . . . Still, King remains popular, and his penchant for brash, and some say offensive, sound bites has helped the 57-year-old construction company owner become something of a national spokesman for his party's far-right wing," says the Washington Post in a negative profile today. "He called Bush and Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., an amnesty coalition and said 'amnesty mercenaries of the Senate' should have a 'big, bright, scarlet letter 'A' branded on their robes.' King also led a rebellion of 80 House Republicans who opposed renewal of the Voting Rights Act because of a provision that required state and local governments to print ballots in foreign languages or provide interpreters."

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International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Votes No on Amnesty

Lou Dobbs Inspires Delegates to Reject Guest Worker Amnesty

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers recently voted at its 37th international convention for a resolution in opposition to any guest-worker plan. The final resolution reads

"THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the IBEW urges the Congress of the United States of America to adopt an immigration policy based upon the following principles:

• Secure the nation's borders and regulate the flow of immigrants by enforcing the laws now on the books;
• Increase enforcement of labor and immigration laws to punish those who exploit undocumented workers and undercut American workers;
• Establish labor protections, including wage floor provisions when expanding the use of visas to fill labor shortages; and
• Reject any new guest worker programs."

Delegates rejected the part of the resolution that read, "Give undocumented workers the opportunity to pursue citizenship with emphasis on the reunification of families." The vote to reject the amnesty clause came after CNN television host Lou Dobbs addressed the delegates for about 40 minutes, according to one person who attended.

DHS Faces Growing Corruption Problem

"A dilemma confronts the nation's immigration work force, one that goes far beyond sealing borders to would-be terrorists, drug smugglers and undocumented migrants, one that is particularly unsettling in a post-Sept. 11 world. How do you secure the homeland if some of those guarding the gates are dishonest?" the Washington Post writes. "Consider: On the California border, at least nine immigration officers have been arrested or sentenced on corruption-related charges in the past 12 months. One of those convicted of smuggling in illegal immigrants turned out to be an illegal immigrant himself, who had used a fake birth certificate to get hired by the Border Patrol."

"After the next attack, when they find out that an employee was bribed by a terrorist or bribed by a spy, it's going to be too late,' said Michael Maxwell, an ex-police chief who headed internal affairs at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) . . . In February, Maxwell resigned as director of the USCIS Office of Security and Investigations and sought whistleblower protection after he began complaining to Congress about what he describes as rampant corruption that's going unprobed."

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Cop-Killer in Houston An Illegal Alien

Chief Defends Looking the Other Way on Illegal Immigration Even After One of His Officers is Slain

"The shooting of a Houston police officer has sparked a new battle over immigration. Juan Leonardo Quintero, an illegal immigrant, has been charged with killing a Houston police officer last week after a routine traffic stop. Police Chief Harold Hurtt blamed the federal government for failing to secure U.S. borders," Good Morning America reported. "Quintero was deported in 2004 after a conviction for indecency with a child. 'The subject was deported, and yet he came back, so if the government fulfilled their responsibility of protecting the border we would probably not be standing here today,' Hurtt said." In a separate story, Hurtt is still defending Houston's sanctuary policy for illegal aliens. "After a capital-murder charge was filed against an illegal immigrant in connection with the death of Officer Rodney Johnson, Chief Harold Hurtt firmly defended the Houston Police Department's policy of not enforcing immigration laws," the Houston Chronicle reports. "'The city of Houston has created an atmosphere that it's a sanctuary for illegals,' [Rep. Ted] Poe said. 'They knew that, and that's why [illegal aliens] go to Houston.'"

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AZ Paper: It's Unpossible to Seal the Border

"History offers little hope for a nation attempting to seal its southern border. The government slowed illegal crossings to a trickle in targeted areas of El Paso and San Diego. So illegal entrants shifted their routes to Arizona and New Mexico. Now they're shifting back. Whatever officials have tried, the flow of illegal immigration has not stopped. Not even close," claims the Arizona Daily Star, long a supporter of illegal immigration dating back to the 1980's Sanctuary movement. "The[DHS] concedes it may not be able to catch every illegal entrant. Its goal is operational control, which spokesman Mario Martinez defines as 'an area on the border that we can say we are able to, with high probability, detect, respond and interdict border penetration.'"

The Star's story is one in a series meant to protest the recent votes to construct a border fence in Arizona.

FAIR comment: A more balanced commentary is in today's Washington Post, about the need for effective interior enforcement to complement border security as part of a comprehensive security and enforcement solution. However, the author of the Post commentary, from the Heritage Foundation, mistakenly believes that a guest worker program would help control illegal immigration.

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How Immigration is Influencing the 2006 Election

"So many politicians are responding to the public’s demand for enforcement of our outhern border that they could practically form a human chain across its 2,000 miles . . . We don’t mean to overstate the agreement. The majority of Democrats remain opposed to enforcement measures," notes National Review in an editorial. "But take a look at tight races around the country and you will see - contrary to the prognostications of some of our friends on the right - the political resonance of border security. Start with Ben Nelson in Nebraska. Unlike House Democrats who are comfortably ensconced in safe liberal districts, he now takes a tougher line on illegal immigration. His Republican opponent, too, once supported a guest-worker program for illegal aliens already here - but no longer."

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National Review: We’re All Neanderthals Now; How Everyone Came to Support the Fence

"When it comes to the border, we’re all Neanderthals now. When the the amateur border guards, the Minutemen, first set up with their lawn chairs and binoculars at the U.S.-Mexico border and started talking about the need to build a fence, polite opinion scoffed. Now, the fence almost represents a consensus position, embraced by the left and right alike, from likely Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to the rabble-rousing pro-enforcement conservative Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado," says National Review editor Rich Lowry. "Sixty-four Democrats just voted with Republicans in the House to pass legislation authorizing 700 miles of double-layered fence along the border. The Senate recently voted 94-3 to spend nearly $2 billion on 370 miles’ worth of fencing and will take up the House bill soon. As the panicked National Immigration Law Center says, 'In recent days, there has been a serious deterioration of the position of pro-immigrant forces in Congress.'”

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DHS Promises More Oversight of Boeing "Virtual Border" Project

"Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday that the government learned its lessons from failed border-security initiatives and will move cautiously with its private-sector partner, Boeing Co., in the latest effort to use technology to curb illegal immigration," the Washington Post reported. "Homeland Security officials had been criticized by some immigration experts and lawmakers for indicating that the private sector would be given wide discretion in shaping a new system to secure 6,000 miles of land border. Previous attempts to do that have cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars but left little to show for it as equipment malfunctioned, agents were overwhelmed with false alarms and illegal immigration continued to climb."

See also: Color Coded Cronyism at DHS by Michelle Malkin "We've wasted hundreds of millions of dollars on a no-bid contract for a broken U.S.-Canadian border camera system run by a firm that employed Texas Democrat Rep. Silvestre Reyes' daughter as vice president of government contracts."

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DHS Will End Repatriation Flights

"Free flights to Mexico for illegal immigrants caught in Arizona will end on Sept. 30, and U.S. officials have not yet decided if the repatriation program will resume next summer. Since July, the Department of Homeland Security has given more than 12,000 undocumented immigrants free flights into Mexico City as part of a three-year-old program federal officials have credited with saving lives in the Arizona desert," the AP reports. "However, a new Government Accountability Office report found no direct correlation between the number of border deaths and the repatriation program . . . Officials said the goal was to save lives and also break the smuggling cycle along the border. Mexican illegal immigrants are usually returned to the nearest border crossing after being caught, which officials say can put border crossers in a position to quickly try a return trip to the U.S."

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Herndon, VA Police May Get Immigration Training

"Herndon officials are considering applying for a federal program that would train some of the town's police officers to enforce U.S. immigration law, including the initiation of deportation proceedings. Police Chief Toussaint E. Summers Jr. asked the Town Council on Tuesday to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to express interest in enrolling some of the town's officers in the agency's five-week '287(g)' program, a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Officers who pass the course are authorized to question or detain people they believe to be in the country illegally. They can also collaborate with federal agents on immigration cases," the Washington Post reports. "The proposal, which the council is expected to discuss Tuesday night, once again lands the western Fairfax County town of 23,000 in the middle of the national debate over immigration policy. Herndon has the highest proportion of foreign-born residents of any locality in the Washington area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau."

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House Passes 3 Immigration Enforcement Bills; Bush Says He'll Sign Fence Bill

"The House on Thursday approved three new bills targeting illegal immigration, including one that would make it a crime to tunnel under the border and another making it easier to deport gang members who are not citizens. The action followed House approval last week of a proposed 700-mile fence along the border with Mexico - legislation the Senate is now debating - and passage earlier this week of a bill meant to prevent illegal immigrants from voting," the LA Times reports. "The decision by House Republicans to back border security and more aggressive enforcement of immigration laws while eschewing talks over establishing a guest worker program or creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants is in part designed to motivate the party's conservative base in an election year. The question among political analysts in both parties is whether the strategy could earn the GOP short-term gains in November at the expense of the party's longer-term fortunes. Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population and are expected to make up about one-quarter of the population by 2050."

Related: Washington Post editorial criticizing Bush for not doing more to oppose the House legislation.

The Washington Times reports that President Bush says he will sign the fence bill if the Senate passes it. "President Bush will sign the bill to construct 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border if it is approved by the Senate, the White House said, as Congress continued yesterday drafting more legislation to combat illegal immigration. On Wednesday night, Mr. Bush told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he would sign the bill if approved by the Senate, which spent the past two days debating whether they should even consider the fence bill."

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Do Illegal Aliens Benefit Consumers? No, Not Really Paper Says

"More than 7 million illegal immigrants work in the United States. They build houses, pick crops, slaughter cattle, stitch clothes, mow lawns, clean hotel rooms, cook restaurant meals and wash the dishes that come back. You might assume that the plentiful supply of low-wage illegal workers would translate into significantly lower prices for the goods and services they produce. In fact, their impact on consumer prices - call it the =illegal-worker discount' - is surprisingly small," the Seattle Times says. "A decade ago, two Iowa State University agricultural economists estimated that removing all illegal farmworkers would raise wages for seasonal farmworkers by 30 percent in the first couple of years, and 15 percent in the medium term. But supermarket prices of summer-fall fruits and vegetables, they concluded, would rise by just 6 percent in the short run - dropping to 3 percent over time, as imports took up some of the slack and some farmers mechanized their operations or shifted out of labor-intensive crops."

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House Approves Voter ID Plan; Senate Closes Debate on Fence Bill

"The House voted Wednesday to require Americans to show proof of citizenship in order to vote, and the Senate moved to build a 700-mile fence along the Mexican border as Republicans sharpened attacks on illegal immigration before the midterm elections," Fox News reported. "The 228-196 House vote on a new photo ID plan and the Senate's consideration of the fence were both part of a get-tough policy on illegal immigrants that Republicans have embraced after Congress' failure to agree on broader legislation that would set a path for undocumented workers to attain citizenship."

"Republican sponsors of the voter identification bill said it was a commonsense way to stop fraud at the polls. People need photo IDs to board planes, buy alcohol or cash checks, said Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Administration Committee. 'This is not a new concept.'"

Vote total from House site (the House lists vote totals in xml format which may not work in some browsers)

Vote total from Senate site

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Governator Faces Veto Choice on Illegal Alien Tuition Bill

"Legislation that would make illegal immigrants eligible for financial aid at California public colleges is waiting a decision by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bill - named the California D.R.E.A.M. Act - extends more rights to undocumented students, which legislators estimate numbered almost 600 across the UC system last year," the UCSD Guardian reported. "Currently, those students are allowed to obtain in-state residency status if they meet certain criteria, including attendance at a California high school for at least three years. However, undocumented students are not currently allowed to compete for state aid, which bill author Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) said limits opportunities for students who usually need financial relief the most."

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New Mexico GOP Says Gov. Blocked Attempt to Revoke Illegal Alien Licenses

"The state Republican Party claims Gov. Bill Richardson's administration County blocked GOP efforts to determine the names of illegal immigrants who have obtained New Mexico driver's licenses. Republicans expressed concern Tuesday that illegal immigrants could use New Mexico licenses to register to vote. GOP officials said they had hoped to check names against voter registration rolls as a safeguard against potential voter fraud," the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. "The Republicans estimated the number of illegal immigrants holding licenses at 30,000. They submitted requests through the state's Inspection of Public Records Act but said the Richardson administration cited executive privilege and attorney-client privilege in limiting the information that was released. On one document that wasn't entirely redacted, Republicans said a DMV audit indicated 2,423 of 9,631 records didn't match tax identification numbers issued by the Internal Revenue Service."

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I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag of Mexico?

U.S. School Assembly Celebrates Mexican Independence

"Some parents in Freeport were livid after they said a Velasco Elementary School assembly last week included a requirement that children say the pledge of allegiance to the Mexican flag," KTRH - Houston reports. "The mother of one girl enrolled at the school told KTRH News she couldn’t believe a school assembly would include children holding small Mexican flags and reciting a pledge in Spanish. 'Where is the sensitivity to the men and women who have fought and died for this country?' the mother asked. Several parents have complained to the Brazosport Independent School District administration, school officials confirmed, but claims that students were required to recite a pledge to the Mexican flag were simply false, a school spokesman said." The school said "A group of parents, who are volunteers, did get up on stage and recite the pledge to the Mexican flag … the students did not recite the pledge."

More detail at thefacts.com and KTRH has a podcast of the show where the pledge was discussed.

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NC Commissioners Prepare New Immigration Ordinance

"In a move sure to enliven the fall campaign season, Mecklenburg County commissioners tonight will revive a hot-button debate on proposals to crack down on illegal immigrants and companies that hire them. At least two of the board's three Republican members said Monday they will ask the commission to take up two proposals tabled last fall. One would deny some county services to illegal immigrants; the other would deny county contracts to employers found to hire undocumented workers," the Charlotte Observer reports. "With seven weeks until Election Day, the move signals that Republicans aim to spotlight an issue that inspires passions on all sides. Republicans hope to take back the county board from Democrats, who hold a 6-3 majority. Republican Commissioner Bill James, who put the issue on tonight's commission agenda, said voters need to know where elected officials stand."

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House Ready to Approve Voter ID Bill

Move Comes as GA Court Stops State Level ID Requirement

"A measure requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls is expected to pass the House today, marking another step in a push toward stricter scrutiny of citizenship status in the U.S. The legislation is one of a series of tightly focused bills crafted by House Republican leaders who want to strengthen border security and crack down on illegal immigration. Its sponsor, Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.), calls it a safeguard against voter fraud," the LA Times writes. "The proposed Federal Election Integrity Act follows a spate of state laws passed this year that mandate photo ID or proof of citizenship to vote. One such law was declared unconstitutional Tuesday by a Georgia judge, who said the state's new photo ID requirements infringed on voter rights."

The AP has more detail on the Georgia court decision. "In previous elections, Georgians could present any one of 17 types of identification with their names and addresses, including a driver's license, utility bill, bank statement or paycheck. [Gov.] Perdue and other proponents of the law said it is needed to curtail fraud. They cited an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article that said 5,000 dead people were listed as having voted in the eight elections preceding 2000."

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U.S. Nears 300 Million Mark Due to Out of Control Immigration

"While growth is slowing almost everywhere in the developed world, three factors are powering the US population toward the 300 million mark. Couples are having enough babies to replace themselves. People are living longer. And the biggest reason: Immigration to the US has sharply increased in recent decades," the Christian Science Monitor reports. "'It certainly has resulted in the importation of labor substitutes for a wide variety of American workers, with the result that we're widening the wage gap for less skilled workers who've seen real wages declining,' says Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) in Washington. 'Substitutes erode bargaining leverage and decrease offered wages. Supply and demand works here as everywhere else.'"

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Update Senate Agrees to Debate Fence Bill 94-0

Vote total from Senate site

The Senate will vote today voted 94-0 to close debate on whether to approve H.R. 6061 - the Secure Fence Act, passed by the House this month. On his VolPac blog Sen. Frist posted the following:

"A nation that can’t secure its borders can’t secure its destiny or administer its laws. And the reality is that America’s borders today are inexcusably porous. One of the most important and most effective ways that we can stop illegal immigration is through the construction and proper maintenance of physical fences along the highest trafficked, most commonly violated sections of our border with Mexico . . . That’s why I strongly support the Secure Fence Act of 2006 … and that’s why I’m bringing this crucial legislation to the floor of the Senate this week for an up-or-down vote."

"Democrats are likely to try to block the bill. They may try to attach the comprehensive immigration bill the Senate passed in May as an amendment and push debate into next week," the AP reports.

Update: Newt Gingrich - Why I support the Secure Fence Act

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Senate to Consider Fence Bill, Push for Guest Worker Amnesty Remains

"The Senate, which has been the major obstacle to strict border-security legislation this year, will take up a bill this week that calls for constructing 700 more miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. 'It's time to secure the border with Mexico,' Majority Leader Bill Frist said last night before filing the parliamentary motions to force the House-passed bill onto the Senate floor in a final effort to get a major immigration bill on the president's desk before the elections," the Washington Times reports.

The LA Times and Wall Street Journal ran separate pro-guest worker stories yesterday. The Times coverage focuses on the grower's perspective - more workers; lower wages and fewer worker protections. 'We are willing to take losses now, because we are buying time,' said [farm manager Luawanna] Hallstrom, who notes that a number of colleagues have scaled down operations or moved them south of the border. 'On paper, you'd look at it, and say, 'It's not making sense.' But I spent 20 years on this issue, and I'm not willing to give up.' She continues to push the federal government for a more grower-friendly program. Government-mandated wages, she says, should be brought into line with regional averages for each commodity. And she says growers need more flexibility in housing and a shortened period during which they must hire qualified locals, because hiring them in some cases means laying off foreign workers. (Worker advocates are fighting to maintain the wage and housing requirements.)"

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The People Vs. The ACLU in Hazelton

"Louis Barletta, mayor of Hazleton, Pa., has thrown down the gauntlet to those who think America belongs to anyone who can walk across the border. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and a Puerto Rican group have taken up the challenge. And the mayor has upped the ante by hiring as defense counsel the former head of immigration in the Justice Department," says John Armor in a Washington Times commentary. "In this case, Hazleton has not caved. Quite the contrary, it has girded its loins for battle. It has engaged as chief defense counsel, Kris W. Kobach, formerly Attorney General John Ashcroft's chief adviser on immigration law. Also, Mountain States Legal Foundation and the Federation for American Immigration Reform have volunteered staff and lawyers to defend the town's position."

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Western Union Stock Falls on Immigration Warning

"Money transfer company Western Union said on Monday that the U.S. immigration debate should weigh on operating income growth through 2007, pulling shares of its parent company down as much as 7.6 percent. Western Union said it expects operating profit growth for 2006 and 2007 in the single-digit percentage range, below the double-digit growth many analysts had forecast," Reuters writes. "The company had said in July that second-quarter results for the money transfer business were hurt by the immigration debate, as both legal and illegal immigrants feared that wiring money back to their home countries would attract government attention."

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Ohio Residents Demand Enforcement

"Bill Barnhill is determined to stop people living in the country illegally from calling Warren County home. Barnhill's son, Kevin, was killed in Mason last month and the men accused of the crime had entered the United States without a visa, police said. Now Barnhill is among a dozen residents who have formed Citizens for Legal Communities to discourage people who have entered the county illegally from settling in Warren County," the Journal News reports. "He and the other residents met Thursday evening with county officials, including Sheriff Tom Ariss and Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel to learn what law enforcement officials can do to help. Hutzel and Ariss said that in the past six months there's been an increase in violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Warren County. To help, residents must contact their elected officials and demand stiffer penalties for those who commit felonies while living in the United States illegally, Hutzel and Ariss said."

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MSM Catches Up to FAIR, Reports on Lack of Entry/Exit Tracking

"After spending $900 million to set up a database to track foreign travelers arriving in America, the government still doesn't know how many of them stay in the country illegally because the system is incomplete and snarled by controversy. The US-VISIT system screens up to 2 million foreigners a month as they arrive at all international airports and seaports and at most border crossings. Visitors' personal information, fingerprints and photographs are logged electronically into a computer database and their names are checked against criminal records and terrorist watch lists," the San Jose Mercury News reports. "But 10 years after Congress first ordered the system, the Department of Homeland Security hasn't set up a way for the same visa-holders to check out when they leave the country. Instead, the agency continues to test it at 14 airports and two seaports. DHS officials said they didn't know when the checkout system would be launched nationwide because of the difficulty of creating a fast and effective method that travelers could use when they left the country." [FAIR comment: Read more in our 9/11 Report: Homeland Security Held Hostage]

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Wildlife Managers Driven Batty Over Illegal Alien Campsites

Cleanup Requires "Employees Outfitted With Haz-Mat Suits"

"Three years ago, the endangered lesser long-nosed bat had been ousted from a cave here [in Arizona], one of just four known maternity roosts in the United States, by illegal aliens who used the cave as a cool rest stop on their route north. Now, the aliens are out of the cave, the bat is back -- and all it took was a fence," the Washington Times reports. "Even as the U.S. Border Patrol and now the National Guard fight to keep people from crossing illegally into the United States, a secondary battle is being waged to keep some of the nation's most pristine lands and endangered species from becoming collateral damage. 'All the actions we try and do, a lot of it gets minimized or marginalized by the traffic we have to deal with,' said Curt McCasland, assistant manager and biologist at Cabeza Prieta, a national wildlife refuge the size of Rhode Island that contains 56 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border."

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Illegal Aliens Fired Leads to Americans Hired in Georgia Bust

The AP has a story about a recent bust at a poultry plant in Georgia that took away half of the Crider company's workforce. Most of the illegal aliens arrested were released with an order to appear for their deportation hearing. "What happened to the illegal aliens? Well they were rounded up and then it seems let go. I thought 'Catch and Release' was over according to the head of the Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. I guess not. Big surprise," notes Digger's Realm.

The AP story notes that American workers are now being hired to replace the illegal aliens. "The poultry plant has limped along with half its normal workforce. Crider increased its starting wages by $1 an hour to help recruit new workers. Stacie Bell, 23, started work canning chicken at Crider a week ago. She said the pay, $7.75 an hour, led her to leave her $5.60-an-hour job as a Wal-Mart cashier in nearby Statesboro. Still, Bell said she felt bad about the raids. 'If they knew eventually that they were going to have to do that, they should have never let them come over here,' she said."

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McCain Gets an Earful From Conservatives Over Immigration

"[Sen. McCain] has methodically been signing up supporters in crucial states in preparation for a 2008 campaign, part of a strategy to create a stampede to his candidacy. Although Mr. Bush has sharply challenged Mr. McCain and the other senators supporting him in the debate on interrogation tactics, the president and his aides have taken care not to attack Mr. McCain, in clear deference to his position in the party," the New York Times reports. "Still, many conservatives have criticized Mr. McCain for his support for campaign finance legislation, his backing of what they believe are permissive immigration laws, and now this. 'The question is being asked: in the midst of the most difficult and challenging war we have ever faced, can the nation afford a President McCain?' The Union-Leader -- the largest newspaper in the state, which holds the nation’s first presidential primary -- asked in a front-page editorial on Saturday."

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Culpeper, VA Votes to Step Up Zoning, Other Law Enforcement Against Illegal Immigration

"The 'anti-crowding' controversy that roiled Manassas last winter resurfaced this month, in Culpeper, where town officials want to crack down on illegal immigration with zoning ordinances that curb the number of people who can live together in a single-family house," the Washington Post reports. "Culpeper's Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday to move toward hiring a special officer who would aggressively enforce existing zoning codes -- such as one that limits to five the number of unrelated people who can share a household. Proposals to declare English the town's primary language and punish employers and landlords who hire or rent to undocumented immigrants are being debated by the council, which has voted to send a letter to federal officials requesting assistance and advice on curtailing illegal immigration."

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Washington Post Columnist: Guest Worker Programs As Development Assistance?

"In 'Let Their People Come ,' a new book published by the Center for Global Development, Lant Pritchett reports that if rich countries permitted extra immigration equivalent to 3 percent of their labor force, the citizens of poor countries would gain about $300 billion a year," says Washington Post columnist Sebastian Mallaby. "A laborer who moves from San Salvador to Phoenix can multiply his income without altering the type of work he does or how good he is at it. And this process benefits developing countries, too."

Mallaby believes a guest-worker program could be effective, citing Singapore and the Gulf states as examples. "Enforcing repatriation would still require tough government action. The United States would have to decide what to do about migrants who marry Americans, which is one obvious way in which temporary guests turn permanent. Singapore deals with this problem by denying guest workers the right to marry citizens. That is beyond the pale, you say? But if desperately poor migrants accept the no-marriage condition in exchange for a visa, who are we to second-guess them?"

"Because the immigration debate is conducted without reference to development, it is couched in terms of American ideals; we don't want to let people in and then treat them harshly, for that would offend our own self-image."

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Cook County, IL Considers Sanctuary Resolution for Illegal Aliens

"Religious leaders, labor activists and others called Thursday for a guarantee that Cook County employees will not ask about a person's immigration status during routine interactions. County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado (D-Chicago) has introduced a resolution that would make Cook County a symbolic "sanctuary" for undocumented immigrants by placing those restrictions on county personnel," the Chicago Tribune reports. "Jacqueline Herrera of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights added that the county could be sued if officials treated immigrants improperly. She said a sanctuary policy would ensure that inexperienced county officials do not wade into immigration matters." [FAIR comment: What Herrera likely means is her organization will sue if the county permits employees to follow federal law.]

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Long Island Measure to Combat Illegal Immigration Up for Vote

"Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's controversial immigrant workers bill is headed for a vote in the full legislature Tuesday - without an affirmative recommendation from the Ways and Means Committee. The committee voted unanimously yesterday to send the measure to the 18-member legislature, where 13 lawmakers have said they support the bill requiring county contractors to certify their staffs are eligible to work in the United States," Newsday reports. "The legislature's nonpartisan Budget Review Office estimates that enforcement of Levy's bill would cost between $64,000 for one inspector and $332,000 for six to annually scrutinize the 6,000 affected contracts."

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Report: California Rural Legal Assistance Off the Rails, Violated Prohibitions on Political Activity

"A federally funded California nonprofit that gives legal help to Central Valley farmworkers and others violated federal prohibitions against political behavior, soliciting clients and other activities, an inspector general's report said Thursday. The report was requested by Republican Rep. Devin Nunes of Tulare, who's been critical of California Rural Legal Assistance and also of the federal Legal Services Corporation that funds it," the San Jose Mercury News reports. "The report found that California Rural Legal Assistance, which claims to provide free legal help to 20,000 poor rural Californians each year, apparently flouted congressional reforms blocking actions like lobbying and advocacy, getting involved in class-action litigation and representing illegal immigrants . . . The findings raise "serious concerns about CRLA's deviation from Congress' intended purpose in enacting the 1996 reforms, to refocus (Legal Services Corporation) grantees on the provision of basic legal services to indigent persons seeking assistance," said the report."

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Debbie Schlussel: Has Michigan Become TracFonistan?

"Five young Muslim men are stopped by multiple TracFones in the Midwest. That’s not illegal. Yet, they are charged with terrorism. Just weeks later, the charges are dropped. Just a case of Islamophobic law enforcement overreacting to innocents because of Sept. 11. Right? Wrong. There’s a lot more to the story with Adham Abdelhamid Othman, Maruan Awad Muhareb, and Louai Abdelhamied Othman - from Texas with 1,000 cell phones in Caro, Mich. - and Ali Houssaiky and Osama Sabhi Abulhassan — from Dearborn, Mich., with multiple cell phones and $11,000 in southern Ohio," says Debbie Schlussel in her latest column. "The men threw away 1,000 cell phone chargers. Not a good business move, if you’re truly in it for the “business.” Prosecutors told Piechowski that boxes of the phones were addressed for Lebanon, aka Hezbollah Central. The indictment of the men said they installed software on their laptop computers, with which they’d already wired the phones to steal free cell phone service from any company in any location around the world - untraceable. Sounds like a phone any terrorist would want. And it’s certainly a crime to rip off cell phone service providers."

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Your Chance to Tell CNN Why Immigration Will Influence Your Vote

CNN is collecting viewer comments on immigration and the 2006 election. "The battle over illegal immigration promises to rage on until Election Day and beyond. What do you think? How will the immigration issue affect your vote this November? Send us your thoughts."

Visit the CNN feedback form

Just Ignore Those Amnesty Costs Since We're Already in Deficit, Economists Say

Congress Would Just Spend Waste The Money on Something Else

"Would offering undocumented immigrants a path to legalization bust the federal budget? Critics of the Senate immigration bill, which seeks to crack down on illegal immigration while giving many currently undocumented workers a chance to work legally in this country, tout a Congressional Budget Office study that they say shows the bill would cost a whopping $126 billion over 10 years. A fair reading of that study, however, suggests that the bill's actual impact on the deficit would be close to zero and that it could even be beneficial," say Robert Greenstein and James Horney. "So how did critics of the Senate bill arrive at the sensational $126 billion figure, which appears nowhere in the CBO report? First, they counted all of the bill's spending increases while ignoring all of its increases in revenue. For example, they counted the increased costs of Social Security and Medicare benefits for those additional immigrants who would qualify for them, while ignoring the increased Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes the immigrants would pay to qualify for those benefits."

[FAIR comment: Over one third of Federal Tax revenues come from the top 1 percent of income-earners in the U.S. The flow of immigrants being amnestied is closer to the bottom 25 percent - i.e. net beneficiaries of government transfer payments. In addition, the analysis ignores the fact that beyond the 10-year range of the CBO estimate is when the major costs resulting from benefit entitlement begin to be incurred. Finally, pay a visit to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities site - home to Greenstein and Horney. Immediately below their immigration op-ed are the following items: Whose Recovery? Labor Day 2006 Finds Many Americans Not Sharing In The Growing Economy ; Poverty Remains Higher, and Median Income for Non-Elderly Lower, Than When Recession Hit Bottom; and Number of Uninsured Americans Is at All-Time High. Which one of these will be improved by uncontrolled, mass immigration and amnesty? ]

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Simpson-Mazzoli Op-Ed: 1986 Would Have Worked, If Only We Enforced the Law . . .

Former Senator Alan K. Simpson and former Rep. Romano Mazzoli have an op-ed in today's Washington Post where they revisit the 1986 amnesty legislation that they spearheaded. "Since illegal immigration continues nearly unabated today, legitimate questions can be raised about the effectiveness of IRCA. Although we do have pride of authorship, we also believe that the shortcomings of the act are not due to design failure but rather to the failure of both Democratic and Republican administrations since 1986 to execute the law properly," they write. "Would the Senate, knowing IRCA's track record, have settled upon our basic framework for its 2006 bill if IRCA was fatally flawed? We doubt it . . . We believe that our three-legged-stool approach is still relevant and workable if carried out vigorously. We commend the Senate, which, in a worthy bipartisan effort, adopted such a framework this spring. The House bill is basically a tough 'enforcement-only' measure."

[FAIR comment: FAIR respects the hard work done by Senator Simpson to advance immigration reform over the years. He earlier has said that the IRCA enforcement provisions were born flawed as a result of a last-minute change that removed the requirement for a secure identity card for employment eligibility verification. We commend the House for insisting upon implementation of comprehensive security and enforcement legislation to make sure that the open-borders lobby does not again insert last-minute provisions that will defeat meaningful reform. Every witness who testified about the 1986 Amnesty in the recent series of House hearings said it was a mistake.]

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36 Arrested in Arizona Fake ID Scam

"A multiagency law enforcement task force on Wednesday arrested 36 individuals suspected of forging and selling fraudulent identification documents, according to a spokeswoman at the Arizona Attorney General's Office. A Maricopa County Superior Court grand jury returned 10 indictments against people suspected of document forgery, and members of the Arizona Fraudulent Identification Task Force served search warrants on 16 addresses in Phoenix, Glendale and Scottsdale, where they seized computer and printing equipment," the Arizona Republic reports. "Over the course of a two-month investigation, officers bought false government ID cards, Social Security cards, resident alien credentials and other documents."

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Immigration Enforcement Supporter to Face Hillary in Nov.

"The former mayor of Yonkers, John Spencer, defeated KT McFarland in the Republican primary in New York. Yes, I showed up and voted... and I voted for Spencer. John Spencer is an immigration warrior who is in favor of a full 2000 mile border fence. He has some drawbacks, one being that he is a hypocrite when it comes to social issues. Spencer had two children with his chief of staff while being married to another woman and mayor of Yonkers. Then he has the nerve to dictate that abortion should be outlawed. However, John Spencer's stance on immigration just far outweighs any of his social faults," says Digger's Realm. "So, it comes down to the November 7, 2006 General Election between Hillary Clinton and John Spencer for US Senate in New York. John Spencer is going to have a tough shot at winning, but after looking over Hillary Clinton's record on immigration and reviewing John Spencer's stance on immigration below, I'm pretty sure you can guess who I'll be voting for."

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Americans Repairing Their Own Homes After Katrina

Labor Experts Shocked, Puzzled As Average Americans Install Tile, Cabinets

"A push to train thousands of new construction workers on the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast found an unlikely pupil in Sandra Ramsay, a self-employed massage therapist and hair stylist. Like many of her neighbors, Ramsay couldn't find a contractor to repair her storm-damaged home after Hurricane Katrina. So the 55-year-old took matters into her own hands and enrolled in a monthlong, government-sponsored crash course in construction," the AP reports. "[One family is] installing their own kitchen cabinets and tiling their bathroom and kitchen floors, but they don't have enough money left for other jobs. They couldn't afford a plumber, for instance, even if they could find one." According to the story, "The U.S. Department of Labor set aside $10 million in grants for several community colleges in Mississippi and Louisiana to offer free classes in basic construction skills. The money already has paid for around 250 students, including Ramsay, to enroll in a four-week class at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College."

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Update: Border Fence Bill Passes House

Update: the bill passed the house this afternoon. Vote total

"House Republicans seeking to build a pre-election record for getting tough on illegal immigration plan a new vote Thursday on a border fence proposal that won House approval last December. The bill calls for building more than 700 miles of double-layered fencing along the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico. The House approved the same amount of fencing when it passed its enforcement-focused immigration bill last December," the AP reported. "House leaders see the fence construction as a border security issue that needs immediate attention, said Kevin Madden, spokesman for House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. The bill is an 'emergency measure' to add fencing and technology on the border, he said."

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9/11's Impact on Immigration Policy

"It looked like the United States was tantalizingly close to reaching a solution to the mushrooming problem of illegal immigration. Then on Sept. 11, the terrorists struck. But what if they hadn't? Would immigration reforms [read: amnesty] have stayed on track to stem the flow of illegal immigration into Arizona and the rest of the country?" asks the Arizona Republic. "Some experts say it is doubtful immigration legislation would have already passed. A guest-worker program and attempts to legalize undocumented immigrants would have run into stiff opposition in Congress even without the attacks, they say. There is no question, however, that the terrorist attacks complicated the debate and delayed action. The federal government's inability to act heightened frustration over illegal immigration, leading state and local governments to pass a series of anti-illegal immigration measures . . . Audrey Singer, immigration fellow at the Brookings Institution, isn't so sure. Previous reforms have moved slowly in Congress, she said. It took Congress more than six years of wrangling to pass the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, the last overhaul of the immigration system. The legislation granted amnesty to about 3 million undocumented immigrants."

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AZ Prosecutor Says Illegal Alien Should Be Deported, Not Given Treatment

"The question: If an undocumented immigrant is in Juvenile Court on drug charges, can the youth be referred to a state-financed rehabilitation program? Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas answers with a definitive 'no' in court papers to be filed today, arguing that regulations called for by Proposition 200 and federal law ban those who are in the country illegally from receiving government services, including drug treatment," the Arizona Republic writes. "Randy Pullen, who chaired the Yes on Proposition 200 campaign, said the law was written to cover 'all (government) services that aren't emergency services' and Thomas' interpretation is appropriate. 'I appreciate that he (the juvenile) has an issue, a problem,' Pullen said, 'but it's the responsibility of the Mexican government to deal with it.'"

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DHS Shells Out Bonuses, Parties for Making Backlog Deadline - After Re-Defining "Backlog"

"According to information obtained by The Sun's sister newspaper, the Ontario-based Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, from inside USCIS, the backlog of immigration applications stands at about 3.3 million, despite USCIS officials' claims that the official backlog is 140,000. The agency is rewarding its employees for meeting a backlog-elimination deadline of October that was set by President Bush in 2003. To hit that mark, the Bulletin has learned, USCIS officials twice in the past three years redefined what is considered a 'backlogged' application," the San Bernardino Sun reports. "[Rep. Ed] Royce, chairman of the House subcommittee on Terrorism and Nonproliferation, said that the internal problems at USCIS could pose a security threat to the United States. In testimony before the committee in April, Mike Maxwell, former director of internal affairs at USCIS, told congressional members that agency supervisors and managers were holding competitions offering items from movie tickets to days off for employees in an effort to process applications faster," the paper said. The agency released a statement about the bonuses, parties and freebies on Sept. 11th.

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$44 Billion for "Virtual Fence"

"The federal government will spend $44 billion on immigration enforcement this year and next, including the creation of a mammoth new 'virtual fence' along the Southwest border, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee for Homeland Security told Republican leaders Tuesday. With pivotal November midterm elections just two months away, Republicans and Democrats vied to show they are tougher than the other party when it comes to illegal immigration. The results so far show that while a broad overhaul of immigration law is dead for the year, both parties retain a large appetite to spend heavily on tightening enforcement of current law," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., presented the border spending figures at an unusual 'forum,' in which House GOP committee chairmen reported their findings from nearly two dozen immigration hearings they held across the country this summer. . . . House Majority Leader John Boehner of Ohio said GOP leaders may attach border measures piecemeal to various appropriations bills. That tactic has already been used in the Senate, which approved an amendment by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., to add $1.8 million to the military appropriations bill to pay for 370 miles of triple fencing and 461 miles of vehicle barriers on the border."

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Randy Graf Wins Arizona Primary

"A runaway primary victory by Democrat Gabrielle Giffords and Republican Randy Graf's solid triumph over a better-heeled, bitter rival set up a November faceoff for southern Arizona's 8th Congressional District," Fox News reports. "As did the primaries, the general election race will draw national attention as Democrats try to pry House control from Republicans. The key issue for Graf, and for all the Republicans in the primary, was illegal immigration and border security. The issue resonates with many voters in both parties because Arizona has been the nation's focal point for several years for illegal immigrant trafficking, along with fears of potential terrorist intrusions across the porous border."

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Is Bigger Better? U.S. Population Nears 300 Million

"In a few weeks, the US population clock will tick past 300 million. It's a symbolic moment, and over the next five Tuesdays, the Monitor will explore the ways, both profound and mundane, that this number affects the economy, the environment, how we live, and what we hope to achieve. It reveals a present far different from the US at 200 million - and portends a future of equal or even greater change. In the past 39 years, the United States has added 100 million people - the biggest population spurt in its history. At the same time, America has sustained greater economic growth than any civilization before it," the Christian Science Monitor reports. "Has there in fact been enhanced prosperity for Americans during these nearly four decades of extraordinary population growth? There's general agreement, as Henry Paulson said in his recent debut speech as Treasury secretary, that 'amid this country's strong economic expansion, many Americans simply aren't feeling the benefits.' Today's poverty rate is a bit less than it was when there were 200 million Americans in 1967 - 12.6 percent last year, according to a Census Bureau report last month. But because the overall population has increased, the number of those in poverty has also grown - from 28 million to 37 million over the same period."

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Colorado Discovers Enforcement Works

"Colorado farmers are running short of workers and face potential losses of millions of dollars this growing season because of new state laws scaring off immigrant laborers. 'It's been devastating,' said Andy Grant, of Grant Family Farms near Wellington, the state's largest organic grower. 'Farm workers in America are afraid to travel to Colorado,'" the Rocky Mountain News reports. "'The political scene is changing,' said Luis Indacochea, another supervisor at Grant Family Farms. 'Word is getting to the people in the farmworker community that people without documents can no longer find work. You mix that with the rumors that go around, and you end up with a bad situation. I do believe word has gotten out that Colorado is a hostile place.'"

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Illegal Aliens, Guest Workers Hired After Katrina Get Stiffed on Pay

"When attorney Luz Molina met a worker on a street corner to talk about how he'd been stiffed of wages he was owed for helping install a roof, they weren't alone for long. As they spoke, five other men approached Molina with their own stories of work they had not been paid for . . . Most speak no English and often take under-the-table jobs without knowing even the names of those who hire them. A cash-based reconstruction economy has taken root in New Orleans, and reports of worker rip-offs are common," the LA Times reports. And not only illegal aliens are affected, as legal guest workers are also not getting paid. "Last month, the National Immigration Law Center filed suit on behalf of 82 guest workers from Bolivia, Peru and the Dominican Republic against Decatur Hotels, a downtown New Orleans chain. The suit alleges that the workers were recruited, went into debt to get here, then weren't given the work hours they were promised. By law, they aren't allowed to work elsewhere."

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Voter ID Fight Heats Up Prior to Election

"Little noticed by voters, a nationwide melee has broken out pitting liberal and conservative groups in a duel over new laws that could determine who wins close elections in November and beyond. The dispute, which is being fought in disparate and often half-empty courtrooms in as many as nine states, concerns new state laws and rules backed primarily by Republicans that require people to show photo identification in order to vote and, in some cases, proof of citizenship and identification when registering to vote," the LA Times reports.

As a matter, of fact, a federal judge has again upheld the voter ID requirements of Prop. 200 in Arizona. "A federal judge declined Monday to block a law that requires Arizona voters to present identification before casting a ballot. U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silver's order came a day before Tuesday's primary, the first statewide election for which voters will be required to show identification. The law has already been used in some municipal elections," the AP reported.

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Governator Op-ed: Keep the Immigration Debate Civil

"To the immigrant rights activists I say: Change your message . . . What people see today when immigrant rights activists march in the streets carrying Mexican flags and angry signs is that you do not want to join America's house. The message that sends is that you do not want to learn our language or our culture," says California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. "To those who believe illegal immigration is reaching a crisis level in this country I say: Tone down the rhetoric. I myself have said things that caused division even when that was not my intent. Words can be weapons. We must be careful to distinguish between legal and illegal immigration, between those who break our laws to do us harm and those who break our laws to find freedom and prosperity in the greatest nation on Earth. It is hypocritical for Congress to condemn people for coming here illegally when the federal government has been unwilling to do what it takes to stop them from coming in the first place."

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Day Laborers Drop Part of Lawsuit, Say They Won't Reveal [IL]Legal Status

"Day laborers who claim a suburban village was illegally harassing them dropped part of their lawsuit Monday to avoid publicly revealing whether they are illegal immigrants. The decision, just before the start of a federal trial in the case, meant the plaintiffs would no longer argue that the Village of Mamaroneck, about 25 miles north of New York City, was attacking their First Amendment rights to free speech and free association," the AP reports. "The case now rests on the workers' Fourteenth Amendment claim that they were discriminated against because they are Hispanic. Judge Colleen McMahon had warned the plaintiffs last week that lawyers for the village would be permitted to ask whether they are legal or illegal immigrants."

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Frist: "Comprehensive" Amnesty Probably Dead Till Election

"Congress will not address major immigration revisions before the Nov. 7 election, the Senate's top Republican said yesterday, but he and his allies hope to limit political damage to their party by telling voters they have poured millions of dollars into one component of the controversy: tightening the border with Mexico," the Washington Post reports. "Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) acknowledged that a broad-based immigration bill, backed by President Bush and passed by the Senate, is dead for now. But Republican leaders have added money for border fences and patrol agents to recent spending measures dealing with the Pentagon and homeland security. Frist said he thinks that step may lessen public anger over the porous border and the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country."

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Immigrant Demonstrations Dampened by Stalled Senate Bill

"I really expected a change to the immigration law by now, but we haven't gained anything since [the spring]. . . . All I've seen is an increase in the arrests of immigrants," said one immigrant protester, explaining why he didn't go to the Labor Day rally in Washington, D.C. "It was a refrain repeated across the Washington region as immigrants sought to explain how a demonstration that organizers had predicted would mobilize hundreds of thousands fizzled into a gathering of less than 5,000 demonstrators, most from out of town. Rallies in other cities this week drew similar numbers . . . The subdued mood also seemed to have affected local Spanish-language radio shows, which had played a pivotal role in urging listeners to go to the rally in April."

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Hazelton Approves Revised Illegal Immigration Ordinance

"The City Council gave tentative approval Friday to an overhaul of an anti-illegal-immigration law considered to be one of the nation's toughest, hoping to put the measure on sounder legal footing. Like the version it will replace if granted final approval Tuesday, the new ordinance punishes businesses that employ illegal immigrants and landlords who rent to them," the AP reports. "The revisions, however, remove much of the burden that had been placed on businesses. They soften penalties, give landlords and businesses time to correct violations and leaving it to city officials to verify workers' immigration status with the federal government." [FAIR comment: This is misleading to the extent that it suggests the new law is 'softer' when the reality is it is more enforceable and conforms to existing federal law. FAIR is working with other interested communities who are drafting Hazelton-style laws.]

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5 Years Later: 9/11

STEIN REPORT XXXXX Tuesday, September 11, 2001 13:56:25 EDT XXXXX BORDERS ON HIGH ALERT AFTER TERROR ATTACKS The entire US-Canada border is on high alert in response to terror attacks in Washington D.C. and New York City. The terror attacks destroyed both towers of the World Trade Center and part of the Pentagon. The INS has also been placed on high-alert along the Mexican border.

On the fifth anniversary of the tragic assassination of nearly 3,000 Americans and foreign residents in al-Qaeda-sponsored terrorist attacks on America’s homeland, the nation is at a crossroads. One avenue leads towards a continued process of greater control over illegal entry into the country and greater ability to know who is staying illegally in the country after a legal entry. The other avenue leads to continued lax standards on screening of international travelers and more easily penetrated borders. Read the full report.

More links:
National Review: 9/11 Symposium
La Shawn Barber
Michelle Malkin
Front Page Symposium

Miller Beer Spins Support for Illegal Immigration

"Yesterday, we presented you with two different conflicting messages sent out to readers of this site by Miller Brewing Company regarding its $30,000 sponsorship of an illegal alien rally. Now, there's a third. You'd think that if the company was going to lie, at least it could get its story straight--and stick to one," says Debbie Schlussel. "The first claimed Miller did not sponsor the illegal alien rally, this past Labor Day weekend (when in fact Miller DID sponsor it). The second version did not disown the rally, and instead, not only admitted to it, but supported relaxing immigration laws for amnesty. Now, there's a third version that claims Miller not only did not sponsor the rally, but did not authorize the use of its trademarks by the rally attendees."

Michelle Malkin poster her Hot Air video commentary yesterday about the Miller flip-flop on illegal immigration. Also see: Miller Boycott petition.

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More Alabama Troopers Get Immigration Training

"Sixteen more state troopers completed federal training on Friday that enables ities them to arrest illegal aliens in Alabama. Governor Bob Riley, who spoke to the troopers at the conclusion of their training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness, has made Alabama one of only three states in the nation participating in a federal program that grants local and state jurisdictions the ability to enforce federal immigration law," the Thomasville Times reported. "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."

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Marriage Fraud Ring Broken in Virginia: 1,000+ Fake Marriages

"Authorities arrested 19 people Thursday after uncovering a scheme priorities that arranged as many as 1,000 phony marriages in northern Virginia between U.S. citizens seeking cash and illegal immigrants seeking green cards. Many of those who were married never met until they showed up at the courthouse to apply for their marriage license, said U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg," the AP reported. "Among those charged were 'facilitators' who brokered the marriages for fees ranging from $2,500 to $6,000, illegal immigrants who wanted a marriage as a way to obtain permanent residency, and U.S. citizens who received initial payments of $500 plus monthly installments totaling up to $3,600 for participating, authorities said. Most of those involved in the scheme were from Ghana, Rosenberg said."

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Michigan House: Stop Counting Illegal Aliens for Representation

"The state House on Wednesday called for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would count only legal citizens when congressional seats are apportioned to each state. The House passed the symbolic resolution 75-24, with only Democrats opposed. The resolution urges Congress to adopt and send to the states a constitutional amendment aimed at reversing the effect that illegal immigrants are having on the distribution of congressional seats," the Chicago Tribune reports. "Supporters said Michigan lost one congressional seat in 2000 because it could not keep pace with other states such as California that are growing in part because of illegal immigration."

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Justice for the Border Patrol Press Conference

Members of Congress Pledge Support for Agents

Members of Congress including Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-NC), Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) and others held a news conference on Capitol Hill Sept. 7th to support the petition effort to free those agents and clear them. Below is selected video from this morning's news conference.

Vist the Justicefortheborderpatrol.com site

Mexican President-Elect Calderon Vows to Fight for Amnesty

"President-elect Felipe Calderon said Thursday that one of his top priorities will be trying to win an immigration accord before President Bush leaves office. In an interview with foreign journalists, Calderon said he will try to convince U.S. lawmakers that an accord is in both countries' interests. 'We will work intensely over the next two years to arrive at a concrete agreement with the Bush administration,' he said," according to the AP. "Outgoing President Vicente Fox spent much of his six-year term unsuccessfully pushing the United States for an immigration accord. Calderon has said Fox was held back by the diversion of U.S. attention and Washington's crackdown on immigration after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks."

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Updated: D.C. Rally Expected to Show (Lack of) Power for Illegal Alien Lobby

"Immigration activists plan to mass in front of the Capitol today, renewing . their appeal for legislative reform as Congress reconvenes after a recess in which many members experienced a backlash against illegal immigration back home. The turnout at today's rally may provide a barometer of the vitality of the immigrant rights movement, which sent millions to the streets this spring but has generated less public attention in recent months. Local organizers said they expect hundreds of thousands of demonstrators from the East Coast, but protests this week in Phoenix and Chicago drew disappointing crowds," the Washington Post writes.

Update 9/8: The rally had a very low turnout (5,000), especially compared to the ones on the Mall this spring. From today's Washington Post, "A pro-immigration rally that promised to bring tens of thousands of marchers from across the nation to Washington yesterday managed to draw only a paltry number of demonstrators, raising questions about the movement's tactics and staying power.

With fewer than 5,000 people attending, organizers from other localities expressed two worries about the turnout: that they were losing the momentum built up by the huge marches in the spring, and that the movement's national organizers in Washington have lost touch with the people."

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Lou Dobbs: Voters Won't Tolerate "Axis of Amnesty"

"Hang on, the political thrill ride is about to begin. Are you ready? I know I am. And it's gonna be a hoot . . . Congressional and Senate Republicans have discovered that Karl Rove and his friend, President George W. Bush, not only don't have a clue when it comes to their favored "comprehensive immigration reform" plans, but also that Rove and Bush's alliance with open borders Democrats represents an axis of amnesty that their constituents simply won't tolerate," says CNN's Lou Dobbs. "Even the pro-illegal alien and open borders lobby has finally arrived at the conclusion that the American people won't tolerate an illegal alien population demanding the same rights as American citizens. And the in-your-face enthusiasm of illegal aliens and their amnesty-advocate supporters has waned as the public understanding of the facts has risen . . . The open borders lobby and amnesty advocates had hoped to form a new voter bloc to sway elections, but the Associated Press reports there's no indication of a new voter boom in Los Angeles; Chicago; Denver, Colorado; Houston, Texas, or any other city that held large pro-illegal alien rallies only months ago. This weekend's fizzled marches not only failed to energize significant numbers of people to register to vote, but they also didn't even persuade them to show up."

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Pence-King Debate Set for Today at 5:30 on CNBC

"U.S. Congressman Steve King (IA-05) will debate Rep. Mike Pence (IN-06) today on his immigration plan on CNBC's 'Kudlow & Cramer,' at 5:30 p.m. EDT. King, chairman of the House Conservative Opportunity Society, has long said the plan by Pence, chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, is a veiled amnesty plan, because it grants a legal path to citizenship for an unlimited number of illegal aliens," a release from King's office said.

Update 9/7 with video

Hazelton Mayor: We're Enforcing the Law

Hazelton Mayor Lou Barletta tells USA Today readers in an op-ed earlier this week, "When it comes to illegal aliens, some cities have looked the other way. Others have openly welcomed them, establishing 'sanctuaries,' restricting their police departments and other agencies from even asking about a person's immigration status . . . We are taking the steps we need to — steps we are empowered to take under federal and state law — and we will further enhance our Illegal Immigration Relief Act to make it tougher and more defensible." He says, "Four months ago, fear gripped Hazleton. Residents — those who grew up here and those who arrived in recent weeks — were afraid to walk down certain streets and patronize local businesses. Illegal aliens who committed murder, fired a gun into a playground and dealt drugs were responsible for many of those fears. As mayor, I have a duty to protect all legal citizens of my city."

USA Today has a counter editorial, arguing that amnesty is the answer.

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The Five Years War: A New Report from FAIR on Terrorism and Immigration

On the fifth anniversary of the tragic assassination of nearly 3,000 Americans and foreign residents in al-Qaeda-sponsored terrorist attacks on America’s homeland, the nation is at a crossroads. One avenue leads towards a continued process of greater control over illegal entry into the country and greater ability to know who is staying illegally in the country after a legal entry. The other avenue leads to continued lax standards on screening of international travelers and more easily penetrated borders.

Today FAIR is releasing a new report on the immigration policy changes needed to prevent future terrorist attacks on America. There is no question that the country remains vulnerable to further terrorist attacks despite corrective measures to identify and deny visas to potential terrorists. Testimony from experts on security issues have made this point at the series of hearings conducted across the country in the past two months.

Read the full report

Border Agents Sentencing Delayed; Support Pours In

FAIR and Rep. Jones (R-NC), Rep. Tancredo (R-CO) and others members of Congress and immigration reform groups is holding a news conference on Capitol Hill tomorrow about this case.

"Border Patrol Agent Igancio Ramos' life is not what it used to be. Since the Daily Bulletin first published the El Paso man's story in August, his family has seen for the first time what love from complete strangers can do. . . . The nonfatal shooting of a drug smuggler at the hands of Ramos 19 months ago led to the conviction of Ramos and his partner, Jose Alonso Compean, for violating the man's civil rights. Now Ramos, still facing the possibility of 20 years in prison, said he and his family feel like they have been given a second chance," the Daily Bulletin reports. "The response from the public -- in the form of letters and petitions to overturn the agents' conviction -- has been overwhelming for the families of both men, they said. More than 200,000 signatures have been collected and delivered to the White House, while Senate and House leaders called for hearings this month on both the pair's case and general Border Patrol policies before the end of the year."

Visit JusticefortheBorderPatrol.com for more information and to sign the petition.

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Low Turnout for Illegal Alien Rallies

"More than 1,000 marchers took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to call for a general amnesty for illegal immigrants and highlight the troubles of women facing deportation. Organizers put the crowd at 5,000, while police estimated 1,500," the LA Times reported. "Saturday's demonstration focused largely on undocumented immigrant women threatened with deportation. It spotlighted the case of a cleaning woman from Mexico who has taken refuge in a Chicago storefront church to avoid being deported."

In Dallas, "Umbrellas were mixed with flags and protest signs Monday when about 200 people marched in the rain to City Hall to demand rights and legal status for immigrants. All the flags were U.S. flags, and nearly all the speeches and slogans were in Spanish. They called on Congress to recognize illegal immigrants’ contributions and pass a bill legalizing their status," the Star-Telegram reported.

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Fannie Mae Studying How to Help Illegal Aliens Get Mortgages

"Even as immigration levels surged in the last several years, homeownership rates among Asian-Americans and Hispanics, who make up a majority of immigrants, continue to lag behind the rate of non-Hispanic white Americans, according to a recent report by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies," the New York Times reports. "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored companies that help finance most mortgages in the United States, have recently begun studying the new approaches to homeownership among immigrant populations. Fannie Mae, for example, is looking at ways to track the roughly $40 billion sent by Hispanic immigrants to relatives back home each year. By doing so, Fannie Mae hopes it can show lenders that the fiscal responsibility those payments demonstrate would extend to mortgage payments," the paper reports.

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House GOP Sets Aside Immigration To Work on Security

"As they prepare for a critical pre-election legislative stretch, Congressional Republican leaders have all but abandoned a broad overhaul of immigration laws and instead will concentrate on national security issues they believe play to their political strength," the New York Times writes. "With Congress reconvening Tuesday after an August break, Republicans in the House and Senate say they will focus on Pentagon and domestic security spending bills, port security legislation and measures that would authorize the administration’s terror surveillance program and create military tribunals to try terror suspects."

"The GOP strategy seems to be trying to target once more security-minded 'soccer moms' as in previous elections. But leaving immigration out of that strategy is failing to recognize that Americans want protection right here at home from what they perceive as a real and immediate threat to themselves and their families," says one blogger at Redstate.com

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Immigration Rallies Face Tougher Audience This Fall

"Illegal Immigrants and their supporters will take to the streets when today to start a weeklong encore of the rallies that brought millions out in the spring. But as they prepare marches in Chicago, Washington, Phoenix and Los Angeles, immigration advocates are facing a less friendly political climate in the nation's capital," the LA Times writes. "Although Congress may take up immigration overhaul when it returns next week, few on Capitol Hill are optimistic about passing legislation before November's midterm elections. And any new initiatives are likely to focus solely on enforcement, not on providing more legal options for illegal immigrants."

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This Illegal Alien March Brought to You by Miller Beer

Miller's No Longer Made the American Way - Update 9/4

"Marchers had to duck into fast-food restaurants for water when they first took to Chicago's streets in support of illegal immigrants five months ago. At the next two marches, family-owned grocery stores offered free bottled water from trucks emblazoned with their names. This time, as demonstrators march from Chinatown to House Speaker Dennis Hastert's (R-Ill.) Batavia office this weekend, they will have Miller Brewing Co., as a sponsor. The brewer has paid more than $30,000 for a planning convention, materials and newspaper ads publicizing the event," the Chicago Tribune reports.

On her site Michelle Malkin says Americans should avoid Miller products, a view that FAIR endorses. "Live responsibly: Don't drink Miller this Labor Day weekend. Or any weekend," she says.

Update: 9/4 - Michelle Malkin has posted an update about the Miller attempt to spin its sponsorship. Miller now claims it isn't sponsoring the march, just a "conference" about immigrant issues. Read more.

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