Arizona Politicians Call for Guard, Military at Border After Rancher Killed

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, along with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Sen. John McCain and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth have all called for National Guard and other military units to be stationed along the Arizona-Mexico border.

The slaying of rancher Robert Krentz is believed to have been done by an illegal alien, since tracks at the crime scene led back to Mexico and Krentz indicated he had found an illegal immigrant in his last radio transmission.

"I urge you to take bold and immediate action to protect our citizens by deploying the National Guard to our southern border," Giffords said in a letter to President Obama.

Read more coverage from Michelle Malkin, Tucson Weekly, American Spectator.

Thinking Through the Plan for Amnesty

Victor Davis Hanson outlines how the Obama administration is likely to try to pass amnesty - using a playbook similar to the one for health care. Hanson says that Obama will try to redefine illegal immigration as a civil rights issue, and appeal for sympathy based on a false comparison. Then, the Obama administration (and billionaire supported advocacy groups) will smear patriotic opposition to amnesty using the same arguments used against opponents to health care reform. "The key will be to redefine as liberal something as inherently illiberal as illegal immigration. Thus there will be no discussion of what the surge over the last two decades of more than 11 million illegal aliens has done to poorer American workers."

Illegal Alien Groups Call for DHS Firings After Deportation Quota Revealed

Illegal alien support groups are now calling for the dismissal of John T. Morton after an ICE memo revealed agency plans to boost deportations since enforcement has fallen during the first fiscal year of the Obama administration.

Arizona House Set to Debate Tough Immigration Law

The Arizona House will debate SB 1070 this week, a measure sponsored by Sen. Russell Pearce. The bill would allow police to charge illegal aliens with trespassing and toughen laws against hiring illegal alien day laborers. "It's about time we recognize citizens have a constitutional right to expect our laws to be enforced," Pearce said.

Hayworth Says McCain Wrong Choice for Immigration Reform

Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth spoke to a Tea Party rally in Flagstaff on Sunday and told attendees that Sen. John McCain's support of amnesty is the wrong policy. "It is unconscionable that nearly a decade after 9/11 the backdoor of the United States remains open," Hayworth said, noting the recent killing of a rancher along the border with Mexico and continued drug violence in Mexico.

Whitman Tries to Triangulate Against Poizner in California

California Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is attempting to triangulate against her opponent Steve Poizner. Christopher Guzman with the California Independent Voter Network says Whitman's latest LA Times' op-ed is an attempt to keep Republicans upset with her opposition to Prop. 187 on board while gaining Hispanic support.

Rethinking Birthright Citizenship

Doug Gibson with the Standard Examiner says George Will's argument against birthright citizenship is a good one. He notes that the 14th amendment was never intended to allow birthright citizenship and that ending it would remove one of the big incentives for illegal immigration.

Graham: Moderate Dems Running From Amnesty

"If a moderate Democrat got a phone call from the president, he wants you to come down to the White House and help him with immigration now, most of them would jump out the window. That's just the truth," said Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday.

Wall Street Journal Wakes Up on Health Care Cost of Amnesty?

"Now that Congress has passed ObamaCare, some are pressing the White House to turn to immigration reform . . . But a larger welfare state is not conducive to comprehensive immigration reform. If foreigners start coming for handouts instead of economic opportunity, tighter restrictions will be justified," says Jason Riley in the Wall Street Journal.

College Course Gets An 'F' for Smearing Hazleton

Professor Lori Zett at Temple University is facing criticism for teaching a course called "War in Hazleton: Main Street Meets the Global Village." Hazleton mayor Lou Barletta said, "I am deeply disappointed that they would allow such a biased and untrue characterization of myself and the city of Hazleton. Hazleton is a great city with good people and wonderful neighborhoods." Barletta is scheduled to debate Zett at a forum at Temple University March 30th at 5:30 pm.

Rancher Killed Along Border

Robert Krentz, a rancher near Douglas, Arizona, was found shot to death this weekend. Krentz had spoken out about the dangers of illegal immigration years ago. Former Rep. Tom Tancredo is now with Krentz's family and issued a statement demanding the National Guard be deployed to the border again.

ICE Promises More Deportations, Number Removed Sank Dramatically Under Obama

The Washington Post says that ICE leaders, facing a dramatic drop in overall deportations -- over 20 percent -- are moving to increase enforcement against illegal immigrants by increasing detention space, more prison and jail sweeps to find illegal immigrants, and looking for illegal aliens who lied on visa or other applications.

"We cannot allow a preoccupation with criminal aliens to obscure other critical ICE missions," Rep. Harold Rogers (Ky.) said in a statement. "At best, it appears as though immigration enforcement is being shelved and the Administration is attempting to enact some sort of selective amnesty under the cover of 'prioritization.' "

The Religious Left's New Activism on Amnesty

Mark Tooley at the American Spectator Blog breaks down the arguments used by the religious left in demanding amnesty and finds they are very radical. "It's not clear if the Religious Left believes the Almighty opposes national boundaries for any nation, or just for the United States. Either way, many of these religious activists assert that Christian compassion requires that all of U.S. citizenship's benefits should automatically be available to everyone of the world's over 6 billion people. It is a sweeping claim," he says.

Julie Myers: Immigration Reform Means Enforcement

In an op-ed for the Daily Caller, former ICE head Julie Myers says that any immigration reform effort has to be about enforcement and maintaining the credibility of our laws. She points out that legal reforms must include making sure that illegal aliens ordered deported can't abuse the system through endless appeals, and that immigration enforcement needs to have more manpower.

Immigration A Big Issue in Texas Gov. Race

The Dallas Morning News notes that both Rick Perry and Bill White are talking a lot about immigration in the Texas Governor's race - with good reason. Immigration is the second most important issue to voters according to polls, barely behind jobs and employment. Drug cartel violence that has led the Mexican army to Juarez and other cities along the border combined with the social problems of high immigration have made the issue a hot button.

Napolitano Says Obama Will Push Amnesty to the "Finish Line"

Speaking in Arizona, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said President Obama remained committed to amnesty and the administration would "keep pushing this until we get it over the finish line."

Ira Mehlman: Amnesty Supporters Won't Answer Basic Questions

Ira Mehlman tells Townhall readers that amnesty supporters are dodging the important questions in their push to pass a bill this year. "Acknowledging the security challenges their proposal would pose, Schumer and Graham promise that amnesty applicants would have to pass a rigorous background check. Really? By DHS's estimate, there are about 11 million illegal aliens in the country. How do you do rigorous background checks on 11 million people from countless different countries, many of whom have been using a variety of false identities?"

Ohio Senate Approves Measure Aimed at Local Enforcement

Ohio moved closer to better cooperation in immigration enforcement when the state Senate passed legislation that would authorize more cooperation agreements between local police and the DHS. Agreements in other localities around the country have led to hundreds of thousands of criminal aliens being deported last year. See the Dayton Daily News report.

Healthcare Bill Damages Obama's Momentum on Other Issues

"There will be no cooperation for the rest of this year," said Senator John McCain.

Michael Cutler: How Amnesty Would Overwhelm DHS And Let Terrorists, Criminals In

Michael Cutler with Family Security Matters breaks down the lies behind promises that amnesty legislation would protect America's security by bringing illegal aliens "out of the shadows." "We have been told that aliens who would participate in Comprehensive Immigration Reform would be fingerprinted and they would be subject to a 'Security Check.' This is more smoke and mirrors. If a terrorist or transnational gang member managed to not be fingerprinted by American law enforcement and used a false name, they would all but be guaranteed a pathway to United States citizenship with a brand new name to boot."

Informant Escapes Deportation As Panel Rules Mexico Too Corrupt to Return To

An illegal alien who served as an informant escaped deportation after a federal immigration board approved his appeal. The board ruled that Mexico was too corrupt, and that the informant would be tortured by either government officials in league with drug cartels or turned over to the cartels by the government. See the AP report.

Nebraska Debates Pre-Natal Care for Illegal Immigrants

After Federal agencies told the state that it could not cover pregnant illegal aliens under Medicaid, illegal alien support groups expected an easy path to getting state funds. They were wrong, as Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman helped stop the move to give away tax dollars to illegal immigrants. "The key issue is whether illegal immigrants should be receiving taxpayer-funded benefits," Heineman said.

Arizona Bill to Toughen Immigration Enforcement Advances

"The Arizona Legislature gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a proposal that would allow the police to arrest illegal immigrants on trespassing charges simply for being in the state," according to the New York Times. "State Senator Russell Pearce, a Republican and the chief sponsor of the legislation, brushed aside concerns raised by civil libertarians that the law would open the door to racial profiling. The local office of the American Civil Liberties Union says the bill is unconstitutional. Mr. Pearce said the bill gives the police another tool and compensates for lax enforcement of immigration law by the federal authorities. The police, he said, do not have to arrest every illegal immigrant on trespassing charges, but it gives them that discretion."

DHS Would Be Overwhelmed by Amnesty

"The federal government is not equipped to process the flood of applications from a proposed immigration legalization bill and the agency that would oversee that program won't be ready for 'a few years,' the office of the Homeland Security Department's inspector general told Congress on Tuesday," the Washington Times reports. "Mr. Deffer said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, is in the midst of trying to move from being a paper-based system to having electronic records. He warned that adding millions of new applications, as the bill would do, would be a bad idea."

Minutemen Return to Border

"While we engage our troops to defend Iraq and Afghanistan as well as deploy another 572,000 military personnel around the world on 700 bases in 120 countries--our southern border stands open like a 24 hour mall. Therefore, the heralded Minuteman Project, formerly lead by Chris Simcox and Jim Gilchrist, invited all Minutemen back to the border to do the job that Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano won't," says Frosty Woolridge.

Foreign Workers Compete for Scarce Jobs

"There is ample blame to be laid at the White House door [for unemployment], but the 43 members of the CBC [Congressional Black Caucus] who represent largely black constituencies also bear a large share of the responsibility. While some 8 million existing U.S. jobs are estimated to be held by illegal aliens, the CBC, like Mr. Obama, has consistently opposed tough enforcement of laws against employing illegal aliens. Many of the jobs filled by illegal aliens could be filled by black Americans, especially the huge cohort of black youth who are neither in school nor part of the labor force," says Frank Morris in the Washington Times.

Former DHS Official Convicted in Illegal Nanny Case

"A former official for the US Department of Homeland Security was convicted today of encouraging her illegal immigrant housekeeper to remain in the country. The verdict came more than a year after Lorraine Henderson, 52, was arrested on a federal charge and suspended without pay from her $140,000-a-year job as Boston port director for Customs and Border Protection," the Boston Globe reported. "Henderson testified she did not know that Fabiana Bitencourt, who is from Brazil, had paid $10,000 to be smuggled into the United States in the summer of 2001 when she hired her in March 2004 to clean her two-bedroom Salem condominium."

Duluth Immigration Attorney Sentenced for Fraud

"A Duluth attorney was sentenced Monday to federal prison for helping clients commit immigration fraud. Sai Hyun Lee, 63, pleaded guilty in November to filing false documents with the federal government, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia," the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Republican Gov. Candidate in California Targets Illegal Immigration

"One of the Republicans seeking to become California's next governor is promising to end taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants in a TV commercial that blames liberals for 'doing too much for too many,'" the San Jose Mercury News reports. "The 30-second ad by Steve Poizner appears tailored to appeal to conservatives who will dominate at the ballot box in the state Republican primary in June. But Poizner, the state insurance commissioner, risks turning off Hispanics who make up about a third of the state's population and are a growing force in California politics." "[Poizner's opponent Meg] Whitman has said she opposes cutting off health care or education for children who have come to the country illegally, and she has accused Poizner of changing positions on illegal immigration in recent years."

Kobach Speaks to Local Leaders on Immigration

"Attorney Kris Kobach addressed about 60 civic and governmental leaders Monday at the aviation center at Brumlik Regional Airport, then spoke at the Albertville City Council's work session Monday night," the Gadsen Times reports. "Kobach is a law professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and an authority on illegal immigration litigation. He was invited by Albertville Mayor Lindsey Lyons and councilman Chuck Ellis to give area authorities insight into remedies for dealing with illegal immigration."

Detainees Awaiting Deportation Among "VIPs" At Amnesty March

"In the VIP section behind the big stage with a majestic view of the U.S. Capitol, Esvin Blanco, Oved Vigil and Edwin Mazariegos showed the ankle bracelets they must wear beneath their baggy jeans so U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can keep track of them before they face possible deportation in coming weeks," notes the Washington Post in coverage of yesterday's amnesty march by illegal aliens in Washington D.C. "You need to have raids and arrests, not just of employers, but of illegal workers, in order to make clear you can't get away with this," [CIS Executive Director] Krikorian said. "These are clearly heart-wrenching stories, there's no question about it," he continued. But "you can't just say, 'Here's a guy who has got kids living on a dirt floor in Guatemala, therefore we should just let him violate the whole system of public laws.' . . . It doesn't address the harm that low-skilled immigration does to the American workers, who are competing against immigrant workers."

Amnesty or Else Say Marchers

"From the tens of thousands who rallied for comprehensive immigration reform in Washington on Sunday, the message to President Obama and the Democrats was clear: Make us a priority or don't count on us in November elections," says Eloise Quintanilla in the Christian Science Monitor. "'What [pollster] Sergio Bendixen concluded,' explained Frank Sherry, executive director of America's Voice, 'is that if Democrats don't fight for immigration reform, there's a chance that Latino immigrant voters will stay home in November' - a scary outcome for Democrats in key battleground states like Illinois, Colorado, and Nevada, the argument goes."

Amnesty Legislation Faces Familiar Roadblocks

The Christian Science Monitor says that amnesty supporters face a familiar set of tradeoffs in trying to get a bill passed, including demands by businesses for a guest worker program. FAIR spokesman Ira Mehlman noted that Obama's decision to revive amnesty this year is tied to the health care debate. "[This] is a blatant attempt by the president to buy the votes of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to support his healthcare reform bill," says Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. "The price of their support for the healthcare bill was the revival of amnesty for millions of illegal aliens who, once legalized, would add considerably to the cost of the healthcare package."

Hispanic Caucus Support for Health Care Part of Trade for Amnesty?

OnTheHillBlog takes note of FAIR's argument that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus support for health care legislation is part of a quid-pro-quo for amnesty legislation. "The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), however, alleges a quid-pro-quo for CHC votes in favor of healthcare reform in exchange for immigration reform, which they term as "amnesty" for the estimated 11 million undocumented aliens in the United States."

New Congressional Caucus to Focus on Illegal Workers, Unemployed Americans

Three true immigration reformers in the U.S. House of Representatives have announced the formation of a new caucus to focus on the nexus between illegal immigration and unemployment in America. Headed by Reps. Lamar Smith (R-TX), Sue Myrick (R-NC), and Gary Miller (R-CA), the Reclaim American Jobs Caucus consists of 40 Members from both sides of the aisle who will work to highlight the link between illegal immigration and record unemployment in the United States. As the official unemployment rate hovers around 10 percent and the underemployed rate around 25 percent, these members hope to take concrete steps to get American citizens and legal immigrants back to work by advocating immigration enforcement policies to free up jobs currently held by illegal aliens.

Click here to see Reps. Smith, Myrick, and Miller introduce their new Caucus. Click here to read Rep. Smith's press release on the new caucus.

Michelle Malkin: A Response To Dick Armey

"I have wonderful, grass-roots friends at Freedomworks. Dick Armey is not one of them. He's a clueless promoter of bailout-happy, big government Republican Sen. John McCain. And Armey's a blowhard-y Beltway dinosaur who can't resist shooting off his mouth and alienating the Tea Party base while criticizing other conservatives of alienation. At the National Press Club to promote the D.C. protest against Demcare, Armey veered off into a liberal platitude-littered rant against conservatives who believe in strict enforcement of our immigration laws," says Michelle Malkin. "The open-borders lobby will march on Washington this Sunday. Perhaps Armey can serve as an honorary grand marshal, with his good friends John McCain and Lindsey Graham leading the feckless GOP contingent."

Recession, Immigration Change Household Formation

"The twin forces of recession and broad demographic shifts have sparked a return to the multi-generational household, according to this report from the Pew Research Center," the Wall Street Journal reports. "Asian and Hispanic immigrants, in particular, are more likely to see multi-generational dwellings. Also, people are waiting longer to get married and many of them 'consider their childhood home to be an attractive living situation, especially when a bad economy makes it difficult for them to find jobs or launch careers,' according to the Pew Report."

Labor Dept. To Give Out Crime Victim Visas

"Immigrants who have been victims of crimes and help authorities prosecute perpetrators can now get help from the U.S. Labor Department with their applications for a special type of visa. Investigators of workplace violations have been authorized to certify applications for a U visa to stay in the country, U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said," the AP reports. "To qualify for the visas, immigrants have to show they suffered a specific crime such as sexual assault or being forced to work without pay, and show they helped law enforcement in their investigation."

Levy Plans Run For Governor in New York

Suffolk County executive Steve Levy announced he would run in the New York Republican primary for Governor. As Suffolk County executive, Levy was involved in working to stop illegal immigration in his community, and to make sure that immigration laws were enforced.

Napolitano Yanks Virtual Fence Funds

"Signaling a major shift from her predecessor, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Tuesday said she will spend $50 million of stimulus funds originally intended to build a 'virtual fence' along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border on other more proven and cost-effective security technology," the Washington Times reported. "Ms. Napolitano said the department will instead use $50 million of stimulus funding originally allocated for the first phase of SBInet to buy security technology such as mobile surveillance, thermal-imaging devices, body scanning units, mobile radios, cameras and laptops for pursuit vehicles."

Church Leaders Face Dissent from Mass Immigration Orthodoxy

"Religious leaders hope to bring tens of thousands of activists to Capitol Hill next week to push Congress to act on immigration reform, but at least one study shows they may have to convince the pews before they can try to sway the politicians," says the AP. "[A] Zogby poll released last December by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that most members of religious communities want a decrease in immigration. Among those believing current immigration levels are too high: 69 percent of Catholics, 72 percent of mainline Protestants, 78 percent of born-again Protestants and 50 percent of Jews."

Arizona House to Act on Immigration Enforcement Bill

"The Arizona House is scheduled Wednesday to debate and vote on a sweeping bill to strengthen immigration enforcement laws. The bill has already been passed by the Senate so House approval would complete legislative action and send it to Gov. Jan Brewer," the AP reported.

New Immigrants Avoiding High-Immigration Areas

"New immigrants who once flocked to the large "gateway" cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago are now heading for smaller metropolitan areas like Detroit and Minneapolis, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sarasota, Fla., and El Paso, Tex.," says the Christian Science Monitor in a report on a new real estate study. "Newly arriving immigrants are likely to settle where there are job opportunities and affordable places to live," says Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform. "It also dispels one of the key assertions of the immigration enthusiasts [who] often look at the fact that immigrants tend to congregate in areas of the country where the economy is most robust, and conclude that immigration is the cause of economic growth. This study suggests that they are confusing cause and effect. If a robust economy exists, the effect will be an influx of immigrants."

New Haven Mayor Proposes City Fund ID Cards for Illegal Immigrants

"Grants that paid for the first three years of the Elm City ID card have dried up, and, for the first time, Mayor John DeStefano Jr. is proposing that the program be paid for with general funds," the New Haven Register reports. "The city has offered the identification cards to residents, regardless of immigration status, since 2007. The cards are accepted identification at several local banks, and can be used for parking meters and to access the city beach, golf course, recycling center and libraries."

FAIR Holds "Virtual March" Against Amnesty

FAIR is hosting a "Virtual March" on its Web site to let the White House and Capitol Hill know that mass amnesty is unacceptable. Illegal aliens demanding amnesty will be holding their own march on Washington this Sunday, so it is important that you make your voice heard today. Click here to add your name to our "Virtual March" today.

Graham Says Obama Only Gives Lip Service to Amnesty

"Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) may be working with the White House to craft an immigration reform proposal, but you wouldn't know it from his comments Sunday morning. The South Carolina Republican had no kind words for the president's efforts on the topic, accusing him of ignoring immigration and paying lip service only for temporary political reasons," The Hill reported. "'A hastily called meeting Thursday because of a rally next weekend is not unwavering,' he said. 'This idea that this administration has been unwavering on immigration reform is just political spin and the people at the rally ought to know that.'"

Illegal Immigration Expected to Be Huge Issue in Calif. Elections

"California's budget has wallowed in the red the past two years, many tie the root-cause to benefits doled out to illegal aliens. Gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner, a Republican says he will put end to all taxpayer-funded services to undocumented immigrants, including denying their children public education and health care," says Examiner writer Kimberly Dvorak.

Former Rep. DeLay Says Obama Not Keeping to Immigration Promises

"Candidate Obama was direct, specific and seemingly sincere when he promised three things on immigration: to create secure borders, to remove incentives to enter the U.S. illegally and crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and to bring people out of the shadows. For those who believed that, well ... never mind," says former Rep. Tom DeLay. "Given the complexity and the magnitude of the problem, if immigration reform has any chance of bipartisan success, either this year or next, it must contain border security measures much stronger than the current law. What we are doing now just doesn't work. As a matter of national security, we absolutely must secure our borders."

Guest Worker Plan Faces Labor Opposition

"Sen. Lindsey Graham walked out of his immigration meeting with President Obama last week and said the president needs to pressure labor unions to accept a temporary-worker program as part of any bill. Less than a day later, the AFL-CIO said that was a no-go," the Washington Times says. "'By taking this position, the AFL-CIO ends any realistic chance of legislation this year,' U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President Randel K. Johnson said this weekend, only deepening the rift between businesses and unions."

DHS Official Caught in Sting Aimed at Illegal Hiring

"A former top official for the US Department of Homeland Security in Boston violated a law she had taken an oath to uphold by encouraging a Brazilian housekeeper who was an illegal immigrant to stay in the country, a federal prosecutor told a jury yesterday," according to the Boston Globe.

U.S. Consulate Employees in Juarez, Mexico Assassinated by Drug Cartels

"Gunmen believed to be linked to drug traffickers shot a pregnant American consulate worker and her husband to death in the violence-racked border town of Ciudad Juarez over the weekend, leaving their baby wailing in the back seat of their car, the authorities said Sunday. The gunmen also killed the husband of another consular employee and wounded his two young children," the New York Times reported.

Legal Immigrants Sue Mass. For Health Insurance

"Massachusetts' landmark 2006 comprehensive health system reforms hit another hurdle after a group of legal immigrants who were excluded from Commonwealth Care coverage in the wake of last year's budget cuts sued authorities overseeing the program. As other states look to similar cost-saving cuts, the case raises questions over how to address a growing legal immigrant population and the health costs associated with the largely uninsured group," the AMA reports. The suit is based on equal-protection arguments. "'What the federal government was trying to do was prevent incoming immigrants from immediately having to rely on public coffers ... and [Massachusetts] is just coming on par with federal law [the 5 year ban on welfare],' said Dustin Carnevale, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based Federation for American Immigration Reform, a nonprofit organization that supports reduced immigration levels. FAIR was not involved in the case."

Dairy Lobby Wants Cheap Labor, Access to Guest Workers

Gervais Family Farms in Vermont is among the dairies asking for special treatment and a license to bring in cheap foreign workers. Clement Gervais spoke to the AP after his business was audited and found to have hired 3 illegal workers. "With 950 cows that need to be milked three times a day, Gervais said he's struggled to find reliable workers. Many apply only when they can't find work elsewhere. They often have drug or alcohol problems or troubles at home, he said. He pays his staff $10 to $12 an hour, but said milking can be monotonous and not everyone enjoys it or is good working with animals," the AP reported. "There's not enough people that want to do it. That's the real, true issue," Gervais said. "I mean there's good Americans that can milk, but there's not enough of them that can and want to."

And in Wisconsin, dairies are also lobbying for more cheap foreign labor, that we all pay for.

"Dairy farmers say they want access to workers without getting in trouble. Many say they could go out of business without immigrant labor and consumers would likely end up paying more for milk," Capitol News Connection reports. "Immigrants now make up about 40 percent of the state's dairy labor force, up from 5 percent a decade ago, according to a 2009 study by the UW-Madison Program on Agricultural Technology Studies. Many of the workers are in the United States illegally." The bottom line is: 10 years ago 95 percent of dairy workers were Americans. Now, these businesses have become dependent on the cost advantage of cheap foreign workers and want to legalize this displacement of American workers.

Dan Stein - Obama Has to Choose Between Amnesty and the Rest of His Domestic Agenda

In a blog entry on the Politico Web site, FAIR President Dan Stein says that by attempting to appease the small, but vocal illegal alien lobby, President Obama has jeopardized his entire domestic agenda and the best interests of the country. If the President hopes to move the rest of his agenda forward (and get his presidency back on track), he must take amnesty for illegal aliens off the table and begin enforcing immigration laws. Read the entire blog here.

Health Care Push Threatens Amnesty Agenda

"A pair of White House meetings Thursday designed to chart a path forward for immigration reform instead spotlighted the daunting obstacles ahead -- and showed why many Capitol Hill insiders believe it's quite unlikely an immigration bill will happen this year. After meeting with President Barack Obama, the leading Republican backing a comprehensive approach warned that a Democratic health care push could scuttle any chance of action on immigration in this Congress," Politico reports. "For more than a year, health care has sucked most of the energy out of the room. Using reconciliation to push health care through will make it much harder for Congress to come together on a topic as important as immigration," said Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC).

The New York Times covered yesterday's meeting between Obama, Graham and Sen. Schumer (D-NY) as well. "President Obama said Thursday that he would proceed with an overhaul of the immigration system this year if he could attract substantial Republican support. But a leading Republican who supports an overhaul said an immigration bill could not go forward if the president used a legislative shortcut sidestepping Republicans to pass his health care bill," Julia Preston reported.

Gutierrez Says He'll Vote No on Health Care Over Immigration Provisions

"The healthcare bill's immigration provisions are enough to spur Hispanic members of Congress to vote against it, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) said Thursday. Gutierrez, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) in which he serves as chairman of its Immigration Task Force, said the caucus still has concerns over the extent to which the healthcare bill excludes illegal immigrants as well as legal residents from receiving benefits in the healthcare plan," The Hill reports.

Md. Raids Focus on Restaurants

"Twenty-nine people were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in simultaneous raids Thursday morning in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties at two restaurants, several residences and an office," the Baltimore Sun says. "One of the raids focused on the Timbuktu Restaurant in the 1700 block of Dorsey Road in Hanover and several nearby homes where restaurant workers were housed, according to Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold. Eighteen Anne Arundel County police officers assisted federal agents."

CBP Concerned About Cartel Infiltration

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say Mexican drug cartels are infiltrating federal law enforcement agencies. But, officials say they don't have the resources to weed out all of the corrupt officers," KPBS reports. "TJ Bonner, is president of the union that represents Border Patrol agents. He says it's no wonder cartels have been able to infiltrate. 'They are bringing people on board without giving them a thorough background investigation. Teaching them all the tricks of the trade, giving them access to the keys to the kingdom, and then as an afterthought completing a less than thorough background investigation.'"

Dick Armey Tries to Keep Tea Parties from Opposing Amnesty?

"Recently, tea party profiteer and FreedomWorks chairman Dick Armey has taken a more vocal stance against anti-immigrant rhetoric. In an interview with Charlie Rose that aired late last week, Armey went as far as to list former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) as representing part of the "tea party tent" that he feels "uncomfortable" with due to his "harsh and uncharitable and mean- spirited" immigration positions," says Andrea Nill with Alternet.

California Man Helped Dozens With Student Visa Fraud

Dozens of foreign students from Middle Eastern countries paid Eammon Daniel Higgins hundreds of thousands of dollars to attend classes and take exams for them, authorities say. "Students paid up to $1,500 for course assignments and finals and about $1,000 for English and writing proficiency exams, prosecutors allege," according to the LA Times. "[T] the case raises questions about whether the government has let its guard down since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when one of the hijackers was in the U.S. on a student visa, said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform. 'This is an indication that a lot of the abuses that led to 9/11 are still taking place,' Mehlman said. 'The consequences are not just people getting phony grades. There are potential national security consequences at stake.'"

Schumer Looking for Republican Help on Amnesty Bill

Sen. Charles Schumer is looking for another Republican to join Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) in sponsoring Senate amnesty legislation. "Lindsey Graham and I are working. We only have a couple of more things to get done - and they're hard. One of them is to get another Republican on the bill. One is to finally deal with the issue of getting business and labor on the same side on low-wage workers," Schumer said.

Greece Added to Visa Waiver Program Despite Economic Problems

"Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the designation of Greece as a member of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)--strengthening passenger information sharing and ensuring strict security standards while streamlining travel for Greek citizens visiting the United States," DHS said in a news release.

"It makes no sense to expand the Visa Waiver program until the exit portion of U.S.-VISIT is fully implemented. Without an exit tracking system, visitors to the U.S. can stay here indefinitely and undetected," noted Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) in response. "Without a fully-implemented exit program, the VWP facilitates illegal immigration. An estimated 40 percent of illegal immigrants came to the U.S. under the VWP or with temporary visas and simply overstayed their period of lawful admission."

AgJobs Supporters Prepared for Another Try this Year

"Supporters of immigration reform [amnesty] are making another push to pass a congressional bill that would give undocumented farm workers a path to permanent residency and ultimately citizenship," the Bakersfield Californian reported. "The proposal would allow illegal immigrants who have worked in agriculture for at least two years to get a new "blue card" that would give them temporary permanent resident status if they commit to continue working in agriculture for another three years. During that time, their spouse and children would also be eligible to work in the United States, and they would be able to travel freely between the United States and their home country."

Idaho Lawmakers Won't Help American Workers

"Idaho lawmakers balked Monday at sweeping immigration legislation proposed by state Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, that sought to penalize employers who hire illegal workers and enact an array of other provisions, from penalizing "sanctuary cities" to requiring driver's license tests to be in English," the Spokesman-Review says. "'You can actually create a job immediately if a hiring decision that would have gone to an illegal alien goes to a U.S. citizen,' Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor who drafted Jorgenson's bill, told the committee. 'So it's a way to immediately address the jobs for U.S. citizens.'"

Businesses Favor Foreign Workers Along With High Unemployment for Americans

"In the eyes of our U.S. Congress, clearly, foreign workers and illegal alien workers stand first and foremost for jobs. This week, in Colorado, the legislature voted down E-Verify that would stop employers from hiring illegal aliens. Whom did they serve? Corporations and big money via hotels, restaurants, fast food, construction contractors, roofing and landscaping firms," says Frosty Woolridge.

Jobless Rate Spikes in Nevada

"Pushed by seasonal layoffs that follow the Christmas season, Nevada's unemployment rate rose nearly a percent to 13.7 percent in January. Seasonally adjusted, which takes those layoffs into account, the rate remained the same as it was in December - 13 percent. But any way it's counted, it still means there are 187,700 Nevadans looking for work," the Nevada Appeal says. The Coalition for the Future American Worker (of which FAIR is a member) is running ads in Nevada now about Sen. Harry Reid's refusal to help American workers with his latest jobs bill by enforcing immigration law.

New Ads Promote Jobs for American Workers

As a member of the Coalition for the American Worker, FAIR works tirelessly to promote policies that protect American workers and work in America's best national interest. The Coalition for the American Worker has just launched two new TV ads that are running in markets around the country asking the President why he and leaders in Congress refuse to enforce our immigration laws, especially when Americans need jobs! Check out the ads below and make sure to forward them to your friends, family members, and colleagues.

Audits Target Companies in Five States

"As part of the government's new immigration enforcement strategy, 180 businesses in five states, including Tennessee, will be audited to make sure they are not hiring illegal workers," the Times Free Press reported. Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas businesses have been targeted for the audits, which involve inspection of I-9 forms.

Expected Flood of Haitian TPS Applicants Yet to Show

ABC News says that the expected flood of TPS applications from Haitians hasn't happened yet. "Only 10 percent of the estimated 200,000 Haitians living in the United states illegally have taken advantage of a controversial Obama administration initiative that would allow them to live and work freely here until conditions in Haiti improve." The story notes that many Haitians here illegally don't want to sign up for TPS because they don't want the government to know they are here illegally. Haitians appear to take the TPS program at face value, and not as the permanent amnesty it has become in permanent practice. This reluctance is sure to cause frustration for illegal immigrant support groups, who expected a steady flow of new clients they could file years of deportation appeals for.

Senate Amnesty Bill May Include Secure ID

"Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain. Under the potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate, all legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be issued an ID card with embedded information, such as fingerprints, to tie the card to the worker," the Wall Street Journal says. "It's the nub of solving the immigration dilemma politically speaking," Sen. Schumer told the Journal. "The card, he said, would directly answer concerns that after legislation is signed, another wave of illegal immigrants would arrive. 'If you say they can't get a job when they come here, you'll stop it.'"

Grass Roots Amnesty Groups Try to Pressure Obama

"Leaders of nearly a dozen grass-roots immigrant rights groups excoriated President Obama and congressional Democrats on Monday, accusing them of moving too slowly to legalize the status of undocumented immigrants and citing a record number of deportations in 2009," the Washington Post reported. "No legalization. No reelection," said Emma Lozano, executive director of the Chicago-based Centro Sin Fronteras.

Illegal Immigrants Take Treatment Spots from Floridians

"Mentally ill patients are being placed on waiting lists for treatment because Florida's mental health institutions are crowded with illegal immigrants. The crisis puts Florida at the forefront of a national debate over whether illegal immigrants should enjoy the same rights to public health care as legal residents," the Bradenton Herald reported. "Bob Dane, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington, D.C., which wants to reduce immigration, said legal residents should not have to wait for health care given to undocumented immigrants. 'The tremendous surge of illegal immigrants has put a strain on the health industry,' he said. Florida has no choice but to pursue deportation options, he said. 'Is it really fair to deny legal residents care to give treatment to illegal residents?' he said."

Investor Programs Offer Expensive Route to Green Cards

"You've got half a million dollars. You crave the American dream. May I interest you in a green card? This may sound like a back-alley deal, but this is the arrangement thousands of wealthy foreigners have made with the U.S. government. The EB-5 visa offers a path to citizenship in exchange for investing in an American business. The numbers of these types of visas issued in the past two years have tripled, and around half of the visas are being snatched up by wealthy Chinese," NPR reports. FAIR president Dan Stein said the program could be valuable, "If there was some evidence that they were actually doing something besides just ponying up some cash in exchange for a green card. But it's essentially a pay-to-play system: You put up the money, you get a green card."

Irish Illegal Aliens Demand Amnesty Too

"Irish immigrants would like lawmakers and the public to know that the debate over immigration reform is not about one single group. Speaking in Denver yesterday, Irish American Ciaran Staunton, president of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, said people often forget that of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in America, at least 50,000 of them are from Ireland," the Denver Daily News says. "We really do not need anymore immigration with 10 percent unemployment," former Rep. Tom Tancredo said. "I couldn't care less about the source of the illegal immigration, but I'm certainly concerned about the impact of it."

Obama Looks To Revive Amnesty Effort

"Despite steep odds, the White House has discussed prospects for reviving a major overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, a commitment that President Obama has postponed once already," the LA Times reported. "In the session, Obama and members of his Domestic Policy Council outlined ways to resuscitate the effort in a White House meeting with two senators -- Democrat Charles E. Schumer of New York and Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- who have spent months trying to craft a bill."

The Migration Policy Institute: Give Us E-verify - Just Not Yet

Marc Rosenblum with the Migration Policy Institute tells Dallas Morning News readers that since E-Verify isn't perfect, public concern about illegal immigration should be shelved until even more pilot programs can be tested. "Mandatory E-Verify without broader immigration reform may produce more identity theft and off-the-books employment," warns Rosenblum. Rosenblum remains silent, however, on the subject of REAL ID, which was the most recent attempt to combat identity fraud and drew directly on the 9/11 commission report. At the end of his op-ed, Rosenblum says "Effective employment eligibility screening will be the linchpin of any successful immigration reform, and it is essential that we create the conditions for it to succeed by finding the right model for verification and by linking enforcement to broader immigration reforms." This is exactly what FAIR has warned activists about throughout the E-Verify debate. If E-Verify cannot be killed, amnesty supporters will attempt to hold it hostage by tying it to an amnesty bill.

Florida School Implicated in Visa Fraud Ring

"A Florida language school helped illegally obtain student visas for foreign nationals who never went to class, violating laws enacted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks exposed weaknesses in the program, authorities said Thursday," the AP reports. "Eighty-one student visa holders purportedly studying at the Florida Language Institute have been arrested. None was on any federal watch list or linked to terrorism, U.S. authorities said, though investigators were checking their backgrounds."

ICE Enforcement Pays Dividends

Michael Cutler with Family Security Matters says that "[. . .] ICE can, when working synergistically with other law enforcement agencies, perform a vital function for our nation and our citizens by removing criminal aliens from our midst." Cutler points to recent enforcement actions by ICE that resulted in the arrest of illegal aliens from "countries of interest" due to terrorism concerns. "The 287(g) program, under which local law enforcement officers are trained to identify criminal aliens, could be a force multiplier for ICE and the involved police departments. Here are 7 reasons why local law enforcement should welcome the advantages that the 287(g) program would provide . . ."

Arizona Legislators Work on Tough Law Targeting Illegal Immigrants

"Over the past several years, immigration hard-liners at the Arizona Legislature persuaded their colleagues to criminalize the presence of illegal border-crossers in the state and ban soft immigration policies in police agencies -- only to be thwarted by vetoes from a Democratic governor [Janet Napolitano]," the AP says. "This year, their prospects have improved. A proposal to draw local police deeper into the fight against illegal immigration has momentum, and even opponents expect the new Republican governor to sign off on the changes."

NYT Decides to Recycle Greenspan on Social Security and Immigration

Catherine Rampell with the Economix blog at the New York Times recycles the same discredited logic used by Alan Greenspan in the 1990's when he first floated the idea that more immigration would have an impact on Social Security's solvency. At the time, FAIR produced a publication, A Ponzi Problem: The U.S. Dependency Ratio, Social Security Solvency and the False Panacea of Immigration (2000). "Part of what has saved the United States from some of the entitlement-funding problems plaguing our peers in Japan and Western Europe is immigration, says Stephen Ansolabehere, a professor of government at Harvard. "Immigrants are younger than the typical American," Professor Ansolabehere told me in an interview about the long-term fiscal challenges facing the United States. "These people are entering the work force and paying taxes, Social Security taxes, that sustain these programs."

As comments at the NYT site pointed out, "At least some of those immigrants are displacing American workers. So even if the immigrant is paying taxes, they aren't adding to the tax base - they're just paying into the tax base while the American worker is not. And also, immigrants have pushed down the average wage for many jobs." And, "If Social Security requires an ever-growing population of new workers to remain solvent, then it is a pyramid scheme. It is not sustainable."

Interested readers should also check out the Pension Tsunami blog for more information about not just Social Security but other public pension programs. States and municipalities face staggering pension costs that go far beyond the anticipated draw down of the Social Security trust fund, and with more cities and counties facing bankruptcy due to pension costs it seems unwise to push more immigration as a panacea.

Oklahoma Appeals Decision on Immigration Law

"[Oklahoma] has asked the full 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a decision against key parts of Oklahoma's stringent immigration law," the Oklahoman reported. Among other provisions, "The law bars an employer from firing workers who are U.S. citizens while retaining workers who are illegal aliens." The court upheld some provisions of the law, but not all.

Colorado Democrats Block E-Verify

"A Senate committee yesterday killed legislation that would have required all Colorado businesses to use a federal database to verify the legal residential status of new hires," the Denver Daily News says. "For Sen. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, the fifth time is not the charm. That's how many times the anti-illegal immigration crusader has attempted to pass legislation that would require Colorado employers to use the federal E-Verify system. The online system checks the immigration and residential status of all potential new workers in seconds."

Amnesty Chances Unsure With Democrats Divided

"If Democrats who once appeared united on health care reform can't even pass a truncated version of that, there's not much chance they will produce an immigration amnesty no matter what their leaders might say. For there's nothing even approaching unity on immigration reform. That's because politicians of all stripes well know that no matter how many requirements and fines they might impose on illegal immigrants seeking permanent legal status, there will be strong opposition back home," says Thomas D. Elias in the Mercury News. "Noting that 10 million Hispanic voters turned out in 2008, the vast majority going for Obama, amnesty advocate Frank Sharry, head of a group called America's Voice, threatens that "a lot of those voters won't turn out in the mid-term elections" in swing states like Colorado, Nevada and Florida unless there is an amnesty of some kind. That vague threat carries less clout with most members of Congress than the letters they get from angry constituents -- and two polls late last year found that about 60 percent of U.S. citizens oppose any form of legalization for illegal immigrants."

Poll Shows Two-Thirds of Americans Say Illegal Aliens Pose Budget Problem

"As the country wrestles with a future of historic-level deficits, 67% of U.S. voters say that illegal immigrants are a significant strain on the U.S. budget," Rasmussen Reports says. "Two-out-of-three (66%) voters say the availability of government money and services draw illegal immigrants to the United States. Nineteen percent (19%) think otherwise and do not believe government money and services are a magnet for illegal immigration. Another 15% are not sure."

Utah Bill Would Penalize E-Verify Scofflaws With Jail

"Employers in Utah could be among the first in the country to face criminal charges for failing to verify their workers' immigration status, under a bill passed Friday by a legislative committee that now moves to the full Senate. Several states require businesses to use the federal E-Verify program, but generally only under threat of financial penalties," the AP reported.

Are You Ready for One Billion Americans?

"Some national groups advocating reduced immigration contend that the United States faces unsustainable population growth, due in part to illegal immigrants, that would lead to greater unemployment for legal workers," the Medill News Service reports. "The whole society is negatively affected by population growth that can't be controlled," said Dave Gorak, executive director of the LaValle, Wis.-based Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration. Gorak cited statistics released by the census bureau in January of 2000 as cause for major concern. The projections include three sets of numbers: low, middle and high estimates, with the high projection estimating a population of nearly 1.2 billion by 2100."

Schwarzenegger Flip-Flops on Immigration?

Despite high unemployment in California along with crippling budget deficits, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to push for more foreign workers. "We've got to go and make a decision so that people can come to this country legitimately, rather than having quotas there, because we need the farm workers," said Gov. Schwarzenegger on Feb. 23rd. "We need the construction workers. We need to have people do certain jobs that maybe that we cannot fill otherwise," he said.

Political Bias in the SPLC's Outrage

"The Southern Poverty Law Center has long outlived its usefulness. What was once a noble organization dedicated to protecting civil rights has now become nothing more than a far-left echo chamber," says Rick Spyker in the Montgomery Advertiser. "[T]he SPLC has yet to even comment on the Huntsville massacre, despite the fact that all of the victims were minorities. Amy Bishop killed or wounded every minority member of the UAH biology department faculty. And yet the SPLC, an organization ostensibly dedicated to protecting minority rights, doesn't give this violent racial incident one mention on its Web site."

Article updated Mar. 30th

New Birth Certificates for Puerto Ricans to Combat Immigration Fraud

"Puerto Ricans are already getting greater scrutiny because of America's vexing and often hysterical immigration debate. As motor vehicle departments have gotten into the business of checking people's immigration status - especially people with Spanish surnames and/or accents - Puerto Ricans are often asked for 'green cards' they, of course, don't have," says Douglas Rivlin at Alternet. "Here's an idea: What if the United States had a functioning legal immigration system that allowed people to come to the U.S. with visas within reasonable limits and within reasonable time frames? . . . Maybe then we wouldn't have such a huge black market for false documents and wouldn't have to twist ourselves in knots with workarounds like invalidating millions of birth certificates." The problems with America's document system are well known, and as long as America has a limit on the number of people who can come here, there will always be people who have to wait, and who try to skip the line by coming here illegally.

Tea Party Movement Poses Risks for Some in GOP Willing to Sell Out on Amnesty

Gerald Seib in the Wall Street Journal warns that the GOP should be wary of the Tea Party movement because opposition to amnesty might torpedo efforts underway by some Republicans to pass amnesty in an effort to attract Hispanic voters. Seib says that former Rep. Tom Tancredo's "cringe-producing rhetoric [at CPAC poses problems] for Republicans who are straining to show they are, simultaneously, tough on illegal immigration yet empathetic with the nation's growing bloc of Hispanic voters."

Poor Choices Led to Deportation, Not ICE's Action

The San Francisco Chronicle has the story of one family used as an example by immigrant groups to attack the change in San Francisco's sanctuary policy for illegal alien juveniles. "On Friday, Tracey Washington and her two children are scheduled to be deported to Australia for staying in the United States after their legal status expired in May. They applied for legal residence in December based on her marriage to a U.S. citizen, but a lawyer said those hopes were doomed by the 13-year-old's schoolyard folly and the city's crackdown," the Chronicle reported. After dwelling on the emotional impact of the deportation, the Chronicle finally recounts why Ms. Washington faces deportation - "Tracey Washington arrived on a visa waiver in February 2009 to be with Charles Washington, whom she had met on a U.S. visit six years earlier. He [Mr. Washington] said they waited until December to apply for her green card and legal residence because the application cost several thousand dollars and a federal immigration office told them there was no filing deadline." The visa waiver system is in place for temporary visitors - not fiancés and not people planning on living in the U.S. permanently. Since the Obama administration wants the Visa Waiver program expanded, expect more stories like this where the system is abused and then the person who broke the law says the punishment is unfair.

Lack of Fence Progress Shows "Can't Do" Spirit

Michael Cutler says that the lack of action on securing the border shows that America isn't serious about stopping terrorism or illegal immigration. "Now the news reports indicate that another 6 years may be necessary to secure our nation's border with Mexico! Stop and give this some thought- The fence might require until 2016 to be completed! . . . Today, our nation is the nation of "Can't do" with an explanation and an excuse explaining yet another failure! This is not acceptable!"

WFED Radio has a story up today about the Virtual Fence as well. "During the Bush Administration, officials had high hopes for erecting a 'virtual fence' using high-tech sensors and cameras, along the U.S.-Mexico border, primarily to deter illegal immigration. Now, some U.S. officials are having second doubts about the whole idea."

Obama Administration Says Enforcement Ramping Up Against Criminals

"The nation's top immigration cop said Friday that the Obama administration is stepping up enforcement against immigrants who commit crimes and will move aggressively against employers who hire unauthorized labor," the Dallas Morning News reported. "But the enforcement, which ICE called a "surge," raised the question of why illegal immigrants with criminal convictions hadn't already been deported after serving time behind bars."

A Look Inside ICE Detention

The Brownsville Herald profiles one immigration detention center at Port Isabel, Texas. "As the administration of President Barack Obama undertakes a comprehensive review of the nation's immigration detention policies -- pledging to address the varied backgrounds and situations of its wards -- centers like Port Isabel remain in transition," the paper says. "The facility -- one of the largest ICE-managed detention centers in the country -- houses a population made up of 86 percent criminal aliens, an agency-designated term used to describe undocumented migrants who have also been convicted of crimes while in the United States. As a result, detainees remain housed in locked-down pods, they eat their meals and watch television under guard, and all are escorted from building to building amid rows of fencing and barbed wire. Port Isabel remains prison-like because it has the features to accommodate a criminal population, said Watkins, the warden. But in other respects, that nature is changing."

Amnesty Supporters Expected to Spend Big This Year

"A coalition of pro-immigration groups is preparing for a renewed congressional battle over reform legislation -- and this time they have money to spend," the San Antonio Express News says. "A reform bill was blocked in 2007 by Senate Republicans opposed to legalizing the status of the nation's roughly 11 million unauthorized immigrants. But those who want immigrants to be able to earn legal status or citizenship say they are better funded and more organized this time."

H-2A Changes Boost Ag Worker Wages

"Changes to the federal guest worker program, which will kick in next month, could leave farmers shorthanded with both their labor force and their profits," Highlands Today says. "The changes would increase agricultural workers' minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.21 an hour and require that employers hire all interested domestic workers first. But growers say domestic workers are not a dependable workforce and they face losing money and crops."

"Although the new ruling doesn't change [exempting agriculture workers from overtime], it does improve the working conditions for both U.S. and migrant workers and gives governmental agencies more oversight to prevent abuses and worker violations," noted one farmworker advocate.