Ruben Navarrette: Rahm Emanuel is No Friend of Amnesty

"Here's something liberals and conservatives have in common: It may soon be the case that neither camp will have Rahm Emanuel to kick around anymore. Now it's time to give Chicago, Illinois, voters a chance to do some kicking of their own," says columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. "Rahm Emanuel has a lot of explaining to do to Latinos when he gets back to Chicago about his commitment to the immigration issue -- or lack thereof. They deserve answers, and they should demand them."

Mississippi Legislators Learn State Doing Little to Enforce E-Verify

"Mississippi lawmakers who support an Arizona-style immigration bill say they want to deter illegal immigrants from coming here, having already targeted the businesses that hire them," the Clarion Ledger reports. "The Legislature passed the Mississippi Employment Protection Act, also referred to as the E-Verify law, in 2008. It has taken effect in phases, based on company size . . . During a two-day immigration hearing at the Capitol this week, lawmakers heard there have been no investigations into whether companies are conducting the required checks."

Abercrombie Fined $1 Million for Hiring Violations

"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Detroit said Tuesday it had levied one of its largest fines -- $1 million -- against clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch for violations of federal immigration law at its Michigan stores," the Detroit Free Press reported. "The audit uncovered numerous technology-related deficiencies in the retailer's electronic I-9 verification system. The company cooperated throughout the investigation and did not knowingly hire illegal immigrants, the government said in a statement."

[FAIR Comment: DHS will tout this fine as demonstrating interior enforcement against illegal immigration, but note that there was no mention of illegal alien workers apprehended or even identified.]

Menendez Bill Would Provide Amnesty

"Politico has a good story this morning breaking down criticism over Sen. Robert Menendez's comprehensive immigration bill, which could be unveiled as early as tonight. Republicans have shown little appetite for immigration reform, panning even smaller measures such as theDREAM Act and AgJOBS to help undocumented students and farm workers. The main question, then, is why push a bill that isn't expected to pass?" says Elise Foley with the Washington Independent.

Chicago Groups Tell Rahm Emanuel to Skip Mayor's Race Unless He Delivers Amnesty

"Maria Pesqueira, president of Mujeres Latinas en Acción, asked U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, both Democrats, to tell [Rahm] Emanuel that if he wants the support of the immigrant community in a mayoral race, he should make sure a plan to grant citizenship status to certain groups who are here now illegally," Medill News Service reported. "The suggestion came Saturday at Casa Michoacan in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, where Durbin and Gutierrez joined leaders from the Latino community at a rally for immigration reform and to support Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias."

[FAIR Comment: Rep. Gutierrez would no doubt delight in passing that message to Emanuel, since they are rivals for the Chicago mayoralty race.]

Border Congressional District Candidates Compete on Who Will Be Tougher

"The race for Arizona's 8th Congressional District is focused on the U.S.-Mexico border. It's where an Arizona rancher was killed last March, possibly by Mexican drug runners. That incident and the battle over the state's new immigration law are prompting some tough talk from the candidates," says NPR. "The fight for the hard line on the border is no surprise in this congressional district. But Kelly was the surprise Republican nominee who got the Tea Party base to the polls and beat a more moderate Republican."

Arlington, VA, Wants Out of Secure Communities

"The Arlington County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to withdraw from the federal Secure Communities program, saying that it is not the role of Arlington's law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws," the Washington Examiner reports. "The resolution, introduced by board member J. Walter Tejada, directs the county manager to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Virginia State Police of the county's intent."

[FAIR Comment: The Secure Communities program does not put the local police in the position of enforcing federal immigration law. It simply sends information to DHS that enables the federal government to identify and take custody of an alien wanted for deportation.]

If Education is the Key to Economic Success, Why Does Obama Insist on Importing Millions of Uneducated People?

by Ira Mehlman

On a campaign swing through New Mexico today, President Obama returned to a theme that he hopes will energize voters in the midterm elections. The president, as he has done in the past, spoke about the need for an educated workforce to ensure America's long-term economic prosperity. Even his harshest critics would not disagree.

Just one question Mr. President: If America needs an educated and skilled labor force to maintain our economic position in the world, why do we maintain an immigration policy that brings millions of poorly educated workers to our country every year? Why do you insist that we make citizens out of millions more poorly educated and poorly skilled people who have come to our country illegally?

According to a new report, released today by the Brookings Institution, some 30 percent of immigrants who have arrived in the United States since 1980 have less than a high school education, while another 25 percent have not advanced beyond high school. Among illegal aliens - millions of people President Obama wants to legalize - educational attainment is even lower.

If large numbers of poorly educated workers are a drag on our economy, wouldn't it be logical to stop adding to the problem?

Angle Immigration Ads Draw Reid Response

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has issued an ad in response to GOP Senate Candidate Sharon Angle's ads about Reid's support for amnesty. "A few weeks ago, the Sharron Angle campaign stepped into the immigration issue. Armed with internal polling and electoral math on immigration, Team Angle ran a couple of hard-hitting ads. Now, it looks as if Angle may have hit polling pay dirt with independent voters, their targeted demographic," says Elizabeth Crum at National Review. "A Mason-Dixon poll published last month showed 54 percent of Nevadans believe illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from Nevada citizens, which Reid has said he does not believe."

Colbert Testimony Draws Ire from House Members

"Celebrities frequently beat a path to Capitol Hill to raise awareness of issues and bills that otherwise stand little chance of news coverage. Lawmakers crowd into the shot when [Angelina] Jolie advocates for refugees. They hang out publicly with rock stars Bono and Jon Bon Jovi when they're in Washington on official business," notes AP reporter Susan Gamboa.

"[Stephen] Colbert's celebrity is a commodity that California Democrat Zoe Lofgren, who chaired the subcommittee hearing, and the other witnesses that day sought to leverage. Lofgren joked at one point that the last time the hearing room was so crammed with audience members and cameras was for President Bill Clinton's impeachment hearings a dozen years ago. But for all of the attention Colbert might have brought to immigration reform, his testimony also chafed lawmakers of both parties who are engaged in a brutal campaign season."

French Consider Law to De-Naturalize Criminals

"France's immigration minister was presenting a bill Tuesday that would strip naturalized French citizens of their nationality if they threaten the lives of police or other legal authorities -- a measure critics contend will divide citizens into two classes," the AP reports. "The sweeping bill includes measures that target fellow European Union citizens who abuse the generous French social welfare system or overstay their welcome."

Obama Deportation Policy Fails At Enforcement

"In its annual report for 2008, the Department of Homeland Security revealed 558,000 fugitive aliens -- those who fled court or disobeyed orders to leave -- had avoided removal. Under the Obama administration, this number has grown. Some 715,000 people now reside in the U.S. that DHS refuses to deport. In one year, unenforced deportation orders have climbed 28 percent. And the numbers keep climbing," says Mark Metcalf, a former Bush administration official and immigration judge. "Judges and ICE agents are not at fault -- nor are illegal aliens. Blame falls squarely upon officials who disregard federal law and inaccurately report their work. Court officials at the Justice Department come to mind."

California Schools Distributed "How To Avoid Deportation" Pamphlet

San Diego school teachers were encouraged to distribute pamphlets developed by the Quakers that give instructions on how to avoid deportation. "Individuals who shield, harbor or encourage aliens to enter our country in violation of law or remain here illegally thereafter is committing a felony! While the pamphlet does not appear to cross the line, it certainly would appear to do as much as possible to educate illegal aliens about how they may avoid detection and arrest. Perhaps the letter of law is being followed, but I would argue that this pamphlet violates the spirit of the law!" says Michael Cutler of Family Security Matters.

Mass Immigration Benefits A Few, Costs Many

"If you are middle-class and college-educated, immigrants make your busy life a little easier - and cheaper. Over the past generation, immigrants like manicurist Trang Le, a citizen, and cosmetologist Maria Rosa, who immigrated illegally, have flocked to the hairdressing and cosmetology business. Since 1970, wages in that field have dropped by 20 percent," notes the Orange County Register. "The winners from mass migration are the people in the middle and at the top of the economic pyramid. The losers are those at the bottom."

Majority of Texans Favor Arizona Style Law

"A statewide poll by The Dallas Morning News showed that 53 percent of registered voters say police should verify whether people they've stopped are in the country legally, even if it could lead to racial profiling. Thirty-eight percent oppose it," the Dallas Morning News says. "Meanwhile, Texans were almost evenly divided on changing the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to those born in the U.S., with 45 percent favoring change and 43 percent opposing it, the poll found."

Crist Makes Same Flawed Social Security Argument

"Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running as an independent for the state's U.S. Senate seat, is arguing that one of the nation's toughest problems -- extending the solvency of Social Security -- can be tackled by taking on another controversy: creating a pathway to citizenship for the nation's undocumented immigrants," the Huffington Post reported. "The Republican Party of Florida replied that Crist will 'say and do anything to get elected, even reducing himself to proposing widely debunked policies that would directly hurt seniors and erode the rule of law.'"

Colbert Testifies in Character to Support Ag Jobs for Illegal Aliens

"The comic pundit Stephen T. Colbert, with tongue in cheek and fully in character, blustered his way through a four-minute speech about immigration reform in front of a House subcommittee Friday morning," notes the Washington Post. Colbert's message was, "Working on a farm is so hard that Americans don't want to do it, so immigration and labor laws should be reformed to allow illegal crop workers a clean path to citizenship."

Union Calls off Arizona Boycott After Pressure from Democrats

"With its endorsed candidates under pressure, leaders of state's largest grocery union on Thursday called off its boycott of Arizona," Capitol Media Services reports. "Republicans organized a coordinated effort calling on anyone endorsed by the UFCW to renounce the union support because of the boycott call, including a TV commercial by Brewer saying Terry Goddard, her Democratic opponent, is endorsed by 'big labor organizations who are financially supporting the boycott of Arizona businesses.'"

ICE Claims Success in Deportation Strategy

"Every day millions of people are hiding in plain sight. They see police and police see them, but nothing seems to happen. However, more may be happening behind the scenes than most people think," WCSC TV reports. "Washington has been clear about our goal and that's to focus on the criminal aliens and those who pose the greatest threat to you, I or anyone else in the community," said the Regional Director for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Barbara Gonzalez.

Arpaio Easily Passes Detention Audit

"A federal audit gave favorable grades to Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona for his treatment of inmates, amid a Justice Department probe into possible discrimination by Mr. Arpaio against Hispanic inmates. Mr. Arpaio's lawyer said the audit grades from the U.S. Marshals Service show the sheriff runs a clean operation and underscore his contention that the Justice probe is politically motivated. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment," the Wall Street Journal reported.

Robert Driscoll, a lawyer for Mr. Arpaio, said: "These reports are just further evidence that the DOJ's Civil Rights Division has gone rogue to the point of ignoring the findings of federal law enforcement and other components of the DOJ itself in its politically motivated pursuit of the sheriff."

Tancredo Says Colo. Should Face Illegal Immigration Problem

"Tom Tancredo, the American Constitution Party candidate for governor, argues that an obvious way for the Legislature to cut the state budget deficit next year would be to crack down on illegal immigration in Colorado," the Pueblo Chieftan says. "Speaking to The Pueblo Chieftain editorial board on Wednesday, Tancredo claimed that state spending on illegal immigrants in medical costs, education and in law enforcement, totals $1.4 billion a year -- according to a nation- al group, the Federation for American Immigration Reform."

Mexico's New Border Wall With Guatemala Shows Hypocrisy, Say Critics

"Do you suppose that Alvaro Colom Caballeros, the president of Guatemala will be heading to Mexico anytime soon to address the government of Mexico to decry the construction of Mexico's border fence? If he did make that journey, do you suppose any of Mexico's leaders would give him a standing ovation if he called for an open border or legal status for Guatemalans living illegally in Mexico?" asks Michael Cutler with Family Security Matters.

Colbert to Testify at Farm Jobs Hearing

"Stephen Colbert is scheduled to testify at a House immigration hearing, the Daily Caller is reporting," notes USA Today. "A House Judiciary Committee spokeswoman told the DC the subcommittee hearing -- titled "Protecting America's Harvest" -- was a "serious issue . . . this is not a TV stunt."

Mexican Journalist Gets Asylum

"A Mexican journalist threatened by drug gangs said on Tuesday he had been granted political asylum in the United States to escape the cartels' increasingly violent campaign to silence the media," Reuters reported. "Jorge Luis Aguirre, editor of Ciudad Juarez-based online newspaper La Polaka, fled across the border to El Paso, Texas, after receiving telephone threats minutes after the murder of a fellow journalist by hitmen in November 2008."

DREAM Act Vote About Elections, Not Solutions

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told reporters after the latest defeat of DREAM Act legislation in the Senate that the move to bring it up for a vote was motivated only by election-year politics. "It was a blatant and cynical attempt to galvanize the Hispanic vote in the case of the [immigration bill] and also energize the gay and lesbian vote," McCain said. "Two Democrats joined 40 Republicans in support of the filibuster, which blocked the Senate from even beginning debate on the defense bill."

Maryland Mall Owner Backs Down From Threats Against Store Selling Pro-Arizona Shirts

"The owner of a Frederick shopping mall has apologized for telling a merchant he was violating his lease by selling T-shirts supporting Arizona-style immigration enforcement, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday. The letter to James Kehoe, owner of the Antietam Gallery framing shop at Francis Scott Key Mall, was sent in error, said Judy Trias, vice president of retail marketing," the AP reported.

Immigration Doublespeak by DHS - Agency Denies "Backdoor" Amnesty in the Works

"In public, the Obama administration boasts of being tough on illegal immigration . . . Yet in private, the discussion among Obama appointees often turns to ways they can use their administrative powers to give illegal immigrants work permits and an interim legal status, even if Congress does not go through the formality of passing 'comprehensive immigration reform,'" says W. James Antle III in the American Spectator.

The DHS has responded to letters from Republican members of Congress about the memos, saying, "We are not engaged in a 'backdoor' amnesty." According to Fox News, "A DHS official insisted the new guidance is intended to "clear the docket" of cases where defendants are 'likely to get favorable' outcomes and be 'granted status anyway,' so 'we have the space to go after' dangerous and other high-priority illegal immigrants."

Powell "Clarifies" Illegal Alien Home Remodeling Story

"Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has clarified his recent remarks on immigration policy, saying he does not hire illegal immigrants to do repairs on his home," Yahoo News reported. "Even though he is firmly entrenched on the wrong side of the illegal immigration debate, his retraction has only taken place because the GOP has heavily criticized his remarks and perhaps in a moment of lucidity, he realized that such comments could warrant a visit from the IRS. Powell must believe that many of us were not only born at night, but last night," says J.C. Arenas at The American Thinker.

DREAM Act Defeated in Senate Vote Today

Supporters of the DREAM Act failed to get enough votes to prevail today. The Senate voted 56-43 to stop debate on the Defense Authorization Bill that included the DREAM Act. See the vote tally at the Senate site.

Rep. Lamar Smith: Obama is "Me First" On Immigration Plan

"It is widely known that President Obama is a basketball fan and a player as well. In his role as commander in chief, Obama is sort of like the nation's point-guard, the guy expected to run the offense and carry out the team's game plan. But increasingly the president seems less like he's running the offense for the benefit of America and more like the 'me first' sort of point guard who is content to go it alone, regardless of what America's game plan is," says Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) in an op-ed. "The fact is that America has a different game plan when it comes to immigration than the one that President Obama is carrying out. As the president's sagging approval ratings show, nobody likes the kind of point guard who ignores the team."

DREAM Act Vote Expected This Week - Call Now!

"THE US Congress is poised to vote this week on a bill that offers more than 2 million young illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, a move that will reopen debate on the issue before November's midterm elections," The Age newspaper writes. "Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said: 'At a time when our country is at war ... the use of a bill to authorise funding for our military to benefit illegal aliens exemplifies why the American public has grown contemptuous of the way today's Washington operates.'" Look up your Senators' phone numbers and call now.

The Sweeping Amnesty of the DREAM Act

"[The DREAM Act], if made into law, would be unprecedented -- never before has an immigration law been specifically tied to the educational attainment or military service of young people. But opponents say it is merely a ploy, a softer form of amnesty for illegal immigrants that tugs at the heartstrings but ends up encouraging more illegal immigration," notes the Mercury News. "It's a massive amnesty bill cloaked as an educational initiative for kids," said Bob Dane of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. "In reality, it's a sweeping legislation for a very large proportion of the illegal population."

Obama's Aunt: "The System Took Advantage of Me"

"In her first interview since an immigration judge granted her asylum, President Obama's aunt, Zeituni Onyango, blamed 'the system' for her controversial living arrangement in Boston public housing as an illegal immigrant," the Boston Globe reports. "Onyango continually asserted that the immigration system is flawed. 'If I come as an immigrant, you have the obligation to make me a citizen,' she declared. She was adamant that her nephew, the president, played no part in her asylum process, firmly demanding, 'Don't drag my child into this.'"

New Dan Stein Op-Ed: Amnesty Has No Place in Defense Bill

"Using a bill that authorizes funding for our military -- at a time when our troops are fighting in the Middle East -- as a vehicle to reward illegal aliens is, to say the least, cynical. Even Sen. Lindsey Graham, a long-time supporter of amnesty for illegal aliens, denounced the move as 'an all-time low' and 'very offensive,'" says FAIR President Dan Stein in an op-ed for The Hill newspaper. "Aside from the fact that illegal aliens up to the age of 35 - hardly 'kids' - would be eligible, millions of additional illegal aliens would eventually benefit as DREAM Act beneficiaries attain citizenship and sponsor relatives."

Massachusetts Loses Almost $2 Billion to Remittances

"Across the state . . . immigrants showed their enduring devotion to their loved ones last year by sending $1.8 billion home to more than 200 countries, according to the first full accounting of the cash that flows out of Massachusetts. The findings are based on a Globe review of annual reports that money-transfer companies such as MoneyGram and Western Union are required to file each year with the state," the Boston Globe says.

From the Front Lines of the Recent LA Riots

A Los Angeles police officer who writes under the pseudonym Jack Dunphy has a new column at Pajamas Media about the recent riots in Los Angeles that followed a police shooting of an illegal alien who threatened people with a knife. He says, "[The protestors] did not shout for justice, as the Times claims; they shouted for vengeance. They demanded, against all evidence thus far produced, that the involved officers be arrested and tried for murder, and that the LAPD in effect surrender control of the neighborhood to the residents, a good number of whom are illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America."

Reid, McCain Clash on DREAM Act

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. John McCainescalated a confrontation Thursday over the Democratic leader's move to give some illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship, with the nation's military budget hanging in the balance," Fox News reports. "It may have merits or demerits depending on how you look at it. But to put it on a defense bill? And so it's really his [Reid's] effort to get re-elected," McCain said in an interview.

DREAM Act Move is Pure Politics, Not Policy Admit Democrats

"Democrats' decision to put forward legislation that would grant legal status to some students who are illegal immigrants is meant to bolster support among an important voter group going into the midterms and beyond: Hispanics, the largest minority in the country," the New York Times reports. "Don't forget who is standing with you and who is standing against you," said President Obama on Wednesday, at a dinner for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

Mass. Gov. Candidates Debate Immigration

"The three gubernatorial candidates sparred over taxes and immigration in an early morning debate marked by a fiery outburst from GOP candidate Charlie Baker over MCAS standards and charges of religious pandering levied at Gov. Deval Patrick," the Boston Herald reported. "Baker and Cahill said they were in favor of implementing an immigration law in Massachusetts similar to the controversial immigration law in Arizona, which critics say gives law enforcement power to racially profile Latinos. Patrick was opposed to the idea," the Daily Free Press noted.

Mexican Immigration Minister Resigns

"Mexico's top immigration official resigned Monday in the wake of a massacre of 72 migrants that exposed how brutally drug cartels have come to control human smuggling routes in the country. Cecilia Romero stepped down as head of the National Institute of Migration, a post she had held since the beginning of President Felipe Calderon's term in December 2006, the Interior Department said in a statement," the AP reported earlier in the week.

GOP Says DREAM Act Plan a "Political Ploy" by Reid

"Republicans dismissed as a political ploy Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's announcement Tuesday that he would attach a proposal giving young illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship on an upcoming defense bill," Fox News says. "The DREAM Act would allow young people who attend college or join the military to become legal U.S. residents. The young people must have come to the country when they were under 16 years of age and have been in the country five years. Those who join the military must serve at least two years and complete two years of college." [FAIR comment: The "young people" covered by the DREAM Act include 35 year olds who dropped out of college over a decade ago. Read the truth about the DREAM Act - fairus.org/dreamact.]

Obama Says He's Not Walking Away from Amnesty

"President Barack Obama assured Hispanics on Wednesday he was not walking away from immigration reform while expressing disappointment that he had not delivered on a 2008 promise to overhaul U.S. policy," Reuters reported. "'Now, I know that many of you campaigned hard for me, and understandably you're frustrated that we have not been able to move this over the finish line yet. I am too,' he told a gala dinner for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute."

Sen. Nelson Asks Reid to Keep DREAM Act Out of Defense Bill

"Support for a bill setting defense policy in a time of war could erode if the Senate majority leader succeeds in pairing it with a long-sought immigration measure, Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said Wednesday," the Omaha World Herald says. "The defense bill, as intended, sets out a range of key defense policies, including authorization for military spending over the next fiscal year. Nelson said Congress should consider the DREAM Act only as part of a comprehensive approach to immigration reform. And such an approach is politically impossible until the country fully secures its border with Mexico, he said."

Arpaio Says It's Time for Immigration Posse

"Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he is ramping up his fight against illegal immigration and is calling on armed volunteers to do the patrols. Sheriff Joe is always talking about his department's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration but now he wants to commission a posse whose only job will be to enforce illegal immigration and human smuggling laws," AZ Family TV reports. "Details are sparse but, like the sheriff's other posses, this one will be made up of armed volunteers who will patrol rural areas looking for border crossers and human smugglers."

Angle Goes on Offense Against Reid With New Immigration Ad

"In a new ad out Wednesday, former Republican state assemblywoman Sharron Angle slams her opponent, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, as 'the best friend an illegal alien ever had.' 'Harry Reid - he votes to give special tax breaks to illegal aliens and to give illegal's Social Security benefits even for the time they were here illegally,' the ad's narrator says," CNN reported.

USA Today Notes Drop in 287(g) Agreements

"A federal program that deputizes local police officers to act as immigration agents has seen a sharp drop in interest from law enforcement agencies. Seventy-two agencies have signed up for the program since it began in 2002, training more than 1,100 local law enforcement officers in 26 states to perform immigration checks and begin deportations. Nine agencies signed on last year and one so far in 2010," USA Today reports. The paper attributes this to controversy over the program and not the gutting of 287(g) implementation through administrative action by the Obama administration. [FAIR comment: The Obama administration has limited the arrested illegal aliens it will accept in the 287(g) program - letting illegal aliens arrested for less serious crimes go free. The new restriction has both decreased interest in enrolling in the program and it has led some of the police departments that were already in the program to drop out.]

Border Patrol Responds to Public After Las Vegas Bus Co. Raids

Border Patrol representatives at a public forum in Las Vegas said that they targeted Hispanic-owned transportation companies for raids last month because of their involvement in smuggling illegal immigrants. The forum was organized by Sen. Harry Reid; Reid staffers turned away media seeking to cover the event saying that it was by invitation only, and that an illegal-alien supporter who had sent out news releases about the event was not authorized to do so.

Reid Announces DREAM Act Surprise

Harry Reid (D-NV) confirmed today that he will try to attach the DREAM Act amnesty to the defense authorization bill. Reid is looking to boost Hispanic support prior to the election and had hinted previously that he wanted to move some type of amnesty legislation before November.

LAPD Brass Blames "Anti-Immigrant" Sentiment for Mini-Riot

LAPD Chief Charlie Back said that anti-immigrant sentiment explained why a section of Los Angeles experienced several mini-riots last week after the shooting of a day-laborer by police. "This community feels disconnected from the city," he said in an interview with the LA Times. "They feel like they don't have a voice. I think they feel a lot of pressure because of the anti-immigrant sentiment that runs through a very common conversation in America right now."

Hazleton Supreme Court Appeal Under Discussion

"The town of Hazleton, Pa., is threatening a Supreme Court showdown after a panel of judges last week threw out its restrictions against hiring and renting to illegal immigrants, a decision supporters say gives Washington a free pass to ignore its enforcement responsibilities," Fox News reports. "Advocates of the Hazleton law said the 3rd Circuit ignored a lower court ruling in a separate case in Missouri as well as the earlier Arizona decision, and its decision effectively allows the federal government to hold off on its own enforcement while preventing local officials from stepping in."

Majority of Nevadans Want Immigration Enforcement

"According to the latest 8 News NOW, Las Vegas Review-Journal poll, Nevadans want a hard-line stance on immigration. A majority of Nevadans want major immigration reform and they believe our economy would be better off without illegal immigrants," says 8 News Now. "Eighty-nine-percent of those polled say there should be tougher penalties on the companies who hire undocumented workers. Nearly half polled think the economy would be better off if the workers were rooted out."

Pinal Sheriff Becomes Spokesman for Immigration Enforcement

"Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu has been on the job less than two years, but he's already emerging as a leading border security hawk and a rising star in the Republican Party," says the Christian Science Monitor. "With a penchant for publicity and a dogged focus on combating illegal immigration, it's easy to compare Babeu to Joe Arpaio, the Maricopa County sheriff known nationally for his tough immigration enforcement and locally for his battles with political rivals. Babeu says he respects Arpaio but rejects suggestions that he's the next "Sheriff Joe." Their styles are very different, he says."

Poll Shows Democrats Want Immigration Enforcement

"A new Quinipiac poll regarding immigration has caused a stir because a majority of respondents agree that children of illegal immigrants should not be granted birthright citizenship (48 percent to 45 percent). But the results of another question on the survey points to a more significant change in attitudes toward immigration reform," says the New York Post. "Predictably among Republicans 87 percent favor stricer enforcement. The surprise comes among registered Democrats and independents who favor stricter enforcement by margins of 50 percent to 39 percent and 68 percent to 24 percent respectively. "

ICE Plans New Stealth Amnesty?

"The Obama administration is changing the federal immigration enforcement strategy in ways that reduce the threat of deportation for millions of illegal immigrants, even as states such as Arizona, Colorado, Virginia, Ohio and Texas are pushing to accelerate deportations," USA Today reported. "The administration's new direction puts it at odds with those who believe the nation's immigration laws should be strictly enforced and that all illegal immigrants should be deported. ICE is "thumbing its nose at the law," said Rep. Steve King of Iowa, the top Republican on the House immigration subcommittee."

Reaching A Tipping Point to End Birthright Citizenship

Bruce Bialosky says in his Townhall op-ed that the fight to stop birthright citizenship is steadily advancing. "The definition of 'tipping point' is the moment at which an object is displaced from a state of stable equilibrium into a new and different state. That has now occurred with what has become known as "anchor babies," and the problem lies with the misinformation that has been bantered about," he says. "Does anyone really believe that the people living in that era deliberately adopted an amendment that would allow people to come here illegally, have babies, and then make the argument that the child was an American citizen? That would be quite doubtful."

Poll Shows Support for Ending Birthright Citizenship

"While a constitutional amendment would likely be required to stop granting citizenship to U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, the results of a Quinnipiac University poll released on Monday showed that slightly more American say that the U.S. should end the practice than say it should be continued," RTTNews.com reports. "Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said, 'Voters were told that 'our constitution and current laws' blessed the practice, and the prospect of having to change one or both apparently doesn't faze them.'"

Rural Border Areas Not Secure

"[W]hile there's no question areas around border cities like San Diego and Yuma are visibly more secure, with fences, and camera's and lights - people in rural areas say new smuggling routes have never been busier. .We haven't seen much border patrol here and I guarantee you won't see any along this border...there is nobody watching this place at all,' said Gary Thrasher, a rancher in southeast Arizona," Fox News reported.

Utah Law Would Remove Some Sanctuary Protections

"A proposed Utah immigration law that would allow police and federal immigration officials to access Utah's driving privilege-card database could scare some illegal immigrants away from obtaining licenses, immigration attorneys told the Salt Lake Tribune this weekend," the Washington Independent reports. "Utah, along with Washington and New Mexico, does not require proof of citizenship or legal residency for driver's licenses, opening them up to illegal immigrants as part of an effort at road safety."

Misleading Spin - Repealing Birthright Citizenship Would Increase Illegal Immigration?

"Repealing birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment would actually increase illegal immigration rather than decrease it, according to a nonpartisan report," says Politico of a report by the Migration Policy Institute. "The Migration Policy Institute says that by denying automatic citizenship to U.S.-born babies of undocumented immigrants, the nation's illegal immigrant population would grow to 16 million over the next 40 years, an increase of at least 5 million people."

[FAIR comment: The way the report is being spun is misleading - if people who would be counted as citizens are instead properly denied citizenship - the illegal alien population would rise. This does not mean that the number of illegal immigrants coming to the U.S. would increase because of the policy change.]

Appeals Court Rules Against Hazleton

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a Hazleton, Pennsylvania, ordinance today. The Hazleton ordinance was meant to assist federal enforcement of immigration law and the litigation has been ongoing for several years now. The judgment is available here, and the full opinion here.

FAIR has issued a press release in response to today's opinion.

"The Third Circuit acknowledged that the Ninth Circuit and Eastern District Court of Missouri had both upheld laws similar to the one in Hazelton, but still chose to reject the analysis of both of those courts. Instead, the Third Circuit accepted a tried and true formula of the ACLU and its allies that immigration law is too complicated for states to do anything other than dole out services at taxpayer expense, regardless of residency." Read more.

Slate Series Misses the Point on Immigration-Income Inequality Link

Slate magazine is running a series on income inequality is finally discussing immigration as a source of inequality. In the series, Timothy Noah refers to the decline in income inequality from the 1920s to the 1960s as the "Great Compression."

Noah points out that the decline in income inequality coincided with a sharp limit on immigration, and that once the 1965 immigration law opened the floodgates, inequality rose as well.

The overall tone of Noah's article is to dismiss the concerns about labor competition harming American workers because his focus is on "moderately-skilled" "middle-class" workers and not the "poorest" workers.

For example, which category do meat packers fit in? It seems odd that Noah is uninterested in the consolidation of major industries that employ high-school drop outs (such as meat-packing) and the effect on wages. American meat packers made substantially more in the 1970s than the largely immigrant workforce employed by large agri-businesses today.

Virginia DMV Changes Regs After Illegal Alien Drunk Driver Kills Nun

"The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles changed its policy to remove the federal government's I-766 permit from the list of documents that can be used to demonstrate 'proof of legal presence,'" the Washington Post reports. "[The driver], Martinelly-Montano, who had entered the United States illegally at age 8 with his parents, had been awaiting a deportation hearing after convictions for drunken driving in 2007 and 2008. In January 2009, he received a federal employment authorization card from the Department of Homeland Security and used it to obtain a Virginia ID card."

Nevada Schools Burdened With Illegal Immigrant Students

A new study by FAIR shows that Limited English Proficiency classes cost Nevada over $722 million annually. "As long as Nevada has a sizable and growing Limited English Proficiency (LEP) population, these students will continue to consume a significant proportion of the educational budget and will continue to divert precious resources away from the general student population," notes FAIR's report. The Las Vegas Review Journal found that Nevada authorities could not contradict FAIR's findings.

New Film "Machete" Stirs Controversy

"'Machete,' which opened in movie theaters Friday, has garnered plenty of attention for its racy scenes and over-the-top gore. But this spoof of a film also has a subtheme -- immigration," says the Christian Science Monitor. "Is this movie going to change people's minds? No. Is it going to advance the public dialogue? No," says Daniel Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. "Is it going to improve the mutuality of respect and a greater sense of ethical balance of right and wrong? No."

Atlanta Hospital Faces High Cost of Care for Illegal Immigrants

"Grady Memorial Hospital said this week it had negotiated a rough agreement with local dialysis clinics to provide care to 38 uninsured immigrants once served by Grady. While the agreement eased concerns for those patients, most of them illegal immigrants, it does not address the dilemma of the future: What happens to the next wave of uninsured patients facing kidney failure?" the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. "Logically, this should be a responsibility of the government that these people come from," Martin said. "It is basically not a responsibility of the American people other than immediate emergency care because of the fact that these people have not come into the country legally," noted Jack Martin with FAIR.

Largest Trafficking Case Yet, 400 Thai Workers Freed from H-2A Slavery in Hawaii

"A federal grand jury in Honolulu has indicted six labor contractors from a Los Angeles manpower company on charges that they imposed forced labor on some 400 Thai farm workers, in what justice officials called the biggest human-trafficking case ever brought by federal authorities," the New York Times reported. "The charges, prepared by Justice Department civil rights lawyers, were brought against the president, three executives and two Thai labor contractors from Global Horizons Manpower, which recruits foreign farm workers for the federal agricultural guest worker program, known as H-2A."

Arizona Legal Costs Top $1 Million, New Donor Pledges $1.5 Million

"Defending the state against lawsuits related to its tough new immigration law has cost more than $440,000 to date, and outstanding bills could easily add up to an excess of $1 million or more," USA Today reports. "Money to pay for the state's legal costs is coming from Brewer's legal defense fund. So far she has authorized two expenditures: one for just over $77,000 to cover bills received for work in the last 11 days of May, and the second for $363,520.25 to cover the June legal charges. The fund has received more than $3.6 million in donations to date, from 41,478 donors all across the country. A single donation in the amount of $1.5 million was received in the last two weeks from Timothy Mellon of Laramie, Wyo., Brewer's office said."

AP Claims Birth Tourism Not A Big Problem

"When Ruth Garcia's twins are born in two months, they'll have all the rights of U.S. citizens. They and their six brothers and sisters will be able to vote, apply for federal student loans and even run for president. Garcia is an illegal immigrant who crossed into the country about 14 years ago, before her children were born, and the citizenship granted to her children and millions others like them is at the center of a divisive national debate," says the AP in a story about birthright citizenship. "Princeton University demographer Douglas Massey said in 30 years studying Mexican immigration, he's never interviewed a migrant who said they came to the United States just to get citizenship for their children."

John Lott: President Obama Isn't Fooling The Public on Immigration Enforcement

"President Obama thinks that by recently signing a new bill spending $600 million to beef up border enforcement he will look tough on illegal aliens. But decisions such as today's lawsuit by the Justice Department against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to stop his policies regarding illegal aliens shows where the administration's policies are really headed," says John Lott in a Fox News commentary. "Consider Obama's recent decision to hire former Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt to head the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of State and Local Coordination. But Hurtt has been a long-time strident supporter of "sanctuary city" policies, where some cities simply let illegal aliens live without any worry about the police ever checking their immigration status."

42 Illegal Workers Arrested - Were Working on Michigan Oil Spill Cleanup

"Media reports from Texas say 42 people hired to help clean up the big oil spill in mid-Michigan have been arrested on suspicion of being illegal immigrants," the Detroit Free Press says. "The media report from Texas said a tip about two buses charted by the owner of Hallmark Industrial, Phillip Hallmark, led to arrests in Winnie, east of Houston in southeastern Texas."

Mexico's Hypocrisy on Immigration Enforcement

"When Mexican officials come to the United States pretending to have the moral authority to preach about compassion and human rights for undocumented immigrants in this country, they personify hypocrisy," says Miguel Perez in his syndicated column. "To get here [the U.S.], these immigrants have to go through the Mexican gantlet of abuse, in a country where some law enforcement authorities compete with criminal gangs to see who gets to kidnap, extort, rob and even rape the immigrants first. Thousands of hapless people become their victims every year."

FAIR Comment: Sadly, murder now has to be added to the list of crimes of "kidnap, extort, rob and even rape" that face migrants trying to get through Mexico to the United States.

Illegal Aliens Help Social Security?

"The contributions by unauthorized immigrants to Social Security -- essentially, to the retirement income of everyday Americans -- are much larger than previously known, raising questions about the efforts in many states and among Republicans in Congress to force these workers out," says Edward Schumacher-Matos in the Washington Post. "The Social Security actuaries estimate that two-thirds of unauthorized immigrant workers, or 5.6 million people, were paying into the system in 2007. Roughly half used a Social Security number tied to an invented name or one that belonged to someone else. Of the rest, many got legal cards when they entered the country under a temporary work visa. They stayed illegally after their visas expired."

Periodically, claims about the benefits of illegal workers' contribution to Social Security are made. There are two things to remember in that regard. First, the SS tax collections from illegal aliens are vastly outweighed by the fiscal costs they incur. Second, if an amnesty were adopted, those benefits would disappear, because as legal workers, those SS contributions could be reclaimed, and the future retirement benefits that would be paid would further undermine the viability of the system. The belief that continually adding more immigrants will solve the Social Security funding balance issue is the belief in an unending Ponzi scheme. As FAIR reported in 2000 in response to claims by then-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, it is a myth that immigration will "solve" the anticipated Social Security funding problems. Read FAIR's report A Ponzi Problem: The U.S. Dependency Ratio, Social Security Solvency and the False Panacea of Immigration (2000)

Pew Study Claims Illegal Immigration Drop

"The influx of illegal immigrants plunged to an estimated 300,000 annually between March 2007 and 2009, from 850,000 a year between March 2000 and March 2005, according to new study released Wednesday by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group," says the Wall Street Journal. "The decline contributed to a contraction in the overall size of the undocumented population to 11 million people in March 2009 from a peak of 12 million two years earlier, according to the Pew analysis, which is based on data from the Census Bureau."

Gov. Candidates Pledge Support for Arizona Style Laws

"It's not just Arizona. In states far from the Mexico border - from liberal Massachusetts to moderate Iowa - Democrats and Republicans in gubernatorial races are running on strict anti-immigrant platforms, pledging to sign an array of tough enforcement measures into law come January," says Politico. "The prevalence of the issue means the Obama administration could find itself battling Arizona-style flare-ups in statehouses across the country, raising pressure on the White House and Congress to break the deadlock in Washington over comprehensive immigration reform."

SF Sheriff Tries to Keep Sanctuary Policy

"Sheriff Michael Hennessey and a majority of supervisors have blasted a federal program that takes fingerprint information from jails and sends it directly to immigration authorities. The City's sanctuary ordinance prevents city officials from assisting immigration authorities unless a felony is suspected. Hennessey called on the California Department of Justice to shield information from the federal government," the SF Examiner reported. Hennessy seized upon a fact-sheet issued from ICE about the ability to opt-out from Secure Communities to argue that SF could opt-out, but as the office of Atty. General Brown said in a statement, SF county is a political subdivision of the State of California and must abide by Brown's decision to implement Secure Communities statewide.

Kobach Focuses on Election Fraud in Kansas

"Besides Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, Kansas City law professor Kris Kobach may be the most visible supporter of Arizona's recent law to discourage illegal immigration. With a sterling resume and telegenic looks, Kobach has defended the action everywhere from the studios of Fox News to the editorial pages of The New York Times," says Stateline. "I see a breakdown in the rule of law in elections that is similar to the breakdown of the rule of law in immigration," he says. He argues that election fraud, like illegal immigration, is widespread and could be effectively curbed with straightforward ideas.

To combat election fraud, for example, Kobach wants to require voters to show photo IDs at polling places, make voters prove their citizenship when they register and keep better tabs on voters once they are on the rolls.

High Costs of Illegal Immigration Argue for Enforcement

"No shortage of reasons exists to root for a solution to America's illegal immigration problem. Nonetheless, the arrest last week by Pasco County deputies of Alberto Rodriguez Gonzalez and Pedro Ferrat provides yet one more," says Tampa Bay columnist Tom Jackson. "When police and deputies are required to ascertain the immigration status of suspicious characters encountered in legal stops, the result is almost certainly to be fewer encounters with suspicious characters of murky immigration status."

Another Lawsuit Against Arizona Dismissed

"A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday by a Tucson police officer who challenged Arizona's new immigration law. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton says the lawsuit by Officer Martin Escobar alleged an injury that was based on speculation," Fox News reported.

Md. County Narrowly Rejects Arizona-Style Law

"The Frederick County Commissioners have rejected a proposal to establish an Arizona-style immigration law in Maryland. Board members voted 3-2 Tuesday not to include the measure in a package of proposals they will send to the county's state legislative delegation to bring before next year's General Assembly," the AP reported.

Internal Frustrations at ICE Over Enforcement

"The Obama administration has attempted to strike a fine balance on immigration enforcement: Not so soft as to seem pro-amnesty, but not so tough to appear insensitive to the struggling of illegal immigrant families. Immigration and Customs Services officials have alwaysclaimed they make decisions based on resources: ICE can only deport 400,000 people per year, so they argue focusing on illegal immigrants considered dangerous makes the most sense," says the Washington Independent. "ICE officers, managers and lawyers told [the Washington Post] they are frustrated with ICE's leadership, particularly agency Director John Morton and Phyllis Coven, the official overseeing detention reform."

Another Illegal Alien Too Smart to Exist, If You Believe Center for American Progress

From this weeks email to FAIR: "Recently I got a student to host from one of our Universities, we found out right away she was 8 months pregnant, and the first thing she asked was that she needed to find a Hospital. When we ask her if she had insurance, she told us no and she also said that she was told she did not need it in America. She came with no money and told us her husband was coming after the birth of the baby to stay here. She was from Cameroon, Africa. We contacted some of our representatives and one told us the law allowed them to stay if they are in last trimester of pregnancy and many show up at the border like that and they have to let them in. Many Americans are not aware of this law. Just think, this lady came from the other side of the world and she knew how to beat our system. The 14th amendment has to be changed to stop the abuse. We asked that they move her out of our house right away and they did."

[FAIR comment: The email above [lightly edited for typos/misspelling] tells the same story that FAIR receives from people around the country - illegal immigrants from around the world understand America's crazy birthright citizenship policy and are prepared to exploit it.]