Most immigrants in Georgia illegally, study finds
Group’s analysis of census data also sees strain on services nationwide because of influx, but some dispute that.

By BOB DART
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 11/30/07

Washington — Most of the 953,000 immigrants living in Georgia are in the country illegally, according to an analysis for the Center for Immigration Studies released Thursday.

Basing its findings on U.S. Census Bureau data, the analysis said Georgia has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations of any state. It calculated that 53 percent of the state’s foreign-born population — 504,000 people — are illegal immigrants. Only the estimates for Arizona, at 65 percent, and North Carolina, at 58 percent, were higher.

Overall, one in eight people living in the United States is an immigrant, the analysis found, for a total of 37.9 million people — the highest level since the 1920s. The nation’s immigrant population — legal and illegal — reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007, it said.

The analysis was conducted by Steven A. Camarota, director of research at the center, which advocates reduced immigration.

Camarota has been active in the national immigration debate. Independent demographers disputed some of the survey’s conclusions, but not Camarota’s methods of data analysis.

“The immigrant population in Georgia is there because of the state’s severe labor needs, including the poultry, agricultural and carpet industries,” said Lisa Navarette, a spokesman for the National Council of La Raza, an advocacy group for Hispanic-Americans.

The analysis said half of the immigrants from Mexico and Central America are in the country illegally and one-third of those from South America are illegal immigrants. It also documented the surge of new arrivals and described its impact.

“The last seven years have been the highest period of immigration in American history,” it concluded. “Immigrants and their young children [under 18] now account for one-fifth of the school-age population, one-fourth of those in poverty and nearly one-third of those without health insurance.”

FINDINGS
The Center for Immigration Studies’ analysis found that in Georgia:
• 7 percent of the state’s total school-age population — were illegal immigrants or the offspring of illegal immigrants.
• 32.9 percent of immigrant households use at least one welfare program compared to 19.1 percent of native-born households.
• Immigrants and their U.S.-born children under the age of 18 make up 13.3 percent of the state’s total population.
• The number of immigrants in the state has more than tripled in a little more than a decade — growing from 268,000 in 1995 to 378,000 in 2000 to 953,000 in 2007. Since 2000, the state’s immigration population has increased 58.2 percent.
• 39.7 percent of the state’s immigrants and their kids lived in or near poverty, compared to 28.9 percent of the native population and its children.

More to the AJC story here.

Geraldine Wade/Letter to the Editor: MDJ’s headline missed point on illegals

Published: 11/28/2007

I must openly thank and applaud our Sheriff Neil Warren, who is helping to enforce our immigration laws by adopting the measures under 287(g). We know his actions are helping reduce the incentive for illegal aliens to come and stay in Cobb County.

When MALDEF gets upset, we must be doing the right thing. Next, we expect to see the ACLU. Then we will know we are really on the right path.

I take exception to the MDJ headline on Monday, “Immigrants to sheriff: Stop violating our rights” when we all know that these references only apply to illegal aliens and not immigrants.

Why is this distinction so difficult for some? You can hardly call MALDEF a leadership organization that our citizens should respect when they say we are “mean-spirited” for wanting to enforce our laws.

Let’s stop bowing to radical organizations such as MALDEF that care nothing about the rights of American citizens. Let’s get responsible citizens and American organizations to sit on our committees, not those who only want to defend the criminal activity of foreign nationals.

Geraldine Wade MD

We agree with Dr. Wade!

Georgia state Senator John Wiles in the Marietta Daily Journal today:

Cobb Sheriff Deserves Support

Recent comments by certain organizations in the community have suggested that Sheriff Neil Warren of Cobb County is doing something wrong by enforcing the Georgia and federal law concerning those arrested for crimes.

Nothing is further from the truth. As the sheriff in charge of the Cobb County Detention Center, it is his obligation to take everyone into custody brought to him (a majority of who are delivered by the Cobb County Police and the city police departments of Cobb County) and to process them for holding until an order of the court allows them to be released.

Importantly, Sheriff Warren has led the charge to protect the citizens of Georgia from those who commit crimes while in Cobb County.

Warren’s agreement to have his deputies trained pursuant to Section 287(g) of The Immigration and Nationality Act was vitally important for Cobb residents. This training allows Cobb County to comply with all federal laws and treaties concerning those non-citizens who are arrested. When we discussed this process in the Senate while considering Senate Bill 529, Sheriff Warren was one of the biggest proponents of this important legislation, which was designed to protect the citizens of Georgia.

In fact, Sheriff Warren is simply complying with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, a treaty entered into by the United States which provides that it is the obligation of all law enforcement officials holding nationals of a foreign country to immediately notify their government that the person has been arrested or is in custody pending trial. To fail to do this violates a treaty obligation of the United States, which could have repercussions on U.S. citizens arrested abroad.

Much has been made of the claim that Sheriff Warren is holding people for simple traffic violations. Keep in mind, these people have chosen to violate the laws of the State of Georgia and have been arrested because of their violation. Many of the individuals detained in the Cobb County Detention Center are charged, among other crimes, with driving without a driver’s license.

In the past legislative session, I introduced and passed Senate Bill 15, which would increase the penalty for driving without ever having had a driver’s license from a misdemeanor to a felony on the fourth offense. Repeated violations of our laws by anyone, citizen or non-citizen, should be dealt with in a severe manner by making repeated violations a felony. This bill was an important measure designed to protect the citizens of Georgia from those who are not licensed.

Remember, if you are not licensed, you have not taken a driving test and in many cases, you are unable to read the road signs, and almost always, you are driving without insurance!

While the governor chose to veto this legislation, I intend to introduce a modified version of Senate Bill 15 next year in order to continue my efforts to protect the citizens of Georgia from unlicensed drivers….

Read the rest here. Send one of your own!

PHOTO OF THE DAY See border security in Arizona

HERE.

Added December 5, 2007:
COBB COUNTY SHERIFF NEIL WARREN TO BE PRESENTED WITH THE DUSTIN INMAN SOCIETY’S FIRST ANNUAL GEORGIA SHERIFF OF THE YEAR AWARD AT THE DECEMBER 8, EVENT ON MARIETTA SQUARE

Dear Dustin Inman Society supporters:

I hope that everyone is aware of the fact that Cobb County, Georgia sheriff Neil Warren is the only sheriff in Georgia – and one of the far too few nationwide – to have taken advantage of a 1996 law that allows all state and local law enforcement to expand their existing authority to help the feds enforce immigration law.

He has sent two groups of his deputies to be trained by the federal government under section 287 g of existing federal law.

Because of sheriff Warren’s courage and attention to duty, beginning on July 1, 2007, anyone booked into the Cobb County jail has their immigration status checked by the sheriff’s office using a federal data base. Illegal aliens who have been arrested for committing additional crimes are reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). AJC story here.

Since July, the sheriff’s office has been able to alert ICE to more than 500 illegal aliens, many of whom are being deported.

Result? Illegal aliens are leaving Cobb County. The open borders/illegal alien lobby is howling about actual enforcement of American laws. Sheriff Warren is being attacked for doing his job. The former president of Mexico has weighed in on our sheriff.

Cobb and Georgia are becoming safer places in which legal residents and citizens look for a better life and the American Dream.

Enforcement works!

People ask me every day: “What can I do to help”? Here is a simple thing almost everyone can do to help:

ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2007 – 3- 4 PM THE DUSTIN INMAN SOCIETY WILL HOST A PEACEFUL AND RESPECTFUL PUBLIC ASSEMBLY TO SHOW COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND GRATITUDE FOR COBB SHERIFF NEIL WARREN.

We expect a large number of people including elected officials and other law enforcement… as well as the media.

Sheriff Warren will be in attendence. PLEASE COME SAY “THANK YOU”!

LOCATION: MARIETTA SQUARE (EAST PARK SQUARE, THE ENTIRE BLOCK BETWEEN ROSWELL STREET AND LAWRENCE STREET) PLEASE TAKE AN HOUR OUT OF YOUR DAY TO COME AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR SHERIFF WARREN!

RAIN OR SHINE, WARM OR COLD! RAIN OR SHINE, WARM OR COLD!

RULES:

Please feel free to bring a sign to be seen by the media…BUT: YOUR sign must have a positive message and be directed at thanking the sheriff NO OTHER AGENDA WELCOMED AND WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. I have a permit from the Marietta Police and have given my word that we will follow the rules to which I have agreed. Signs should read simply “THANK YOU SHERIFF WARREN!” or ” WE SUPPORT SHERIFF WARREN!” or “NEIL WARREN PROVES ENFORCEMENT WORKS!” … in place of a placard/sign, please bring an American flag. ONLY AMERICAN FLAGS WILL BE ALLOWED!

SORRY, NO BANNERS OR SIGNS FROM ANY OTHER GROUP WILL BE PERMITTED.
This is a Dustin Inman Society sponsored event

We will have a number of speakers to deliver short words of support, please come and show your appreciation for a job well done

AGAIN: Rally to support Cobb sheriff Neil Warren. Saturday December 8, 2007 from 3PM to 4PM on Marietta Square. Hosted and held by the Dustin Inman Society. Polite signs with one of the messages above or an American flag. This is not a protest rally – it is a “THANK YOU” rally. Bring the family, we are told that Santa Claus will be taking orders in Glover Park directly across the street from our assembly.

MAPQUEST MAP TO MARIETTA SQUARE HERE. For directions on MAPQUEST, use “12 East Park Square. Marietta, GA 30090”

Questions can be directed to me, D.A. King, at DA@TheDustinInmanSociety.org

See you there! Please pass this on!
_______________________________
Sincerely,
D.A. King
The Dustin Inman Society
www.TheDustinInmanSociety.org

Proposed security updates for Cobb County Business license application

All business license applications and first time renewals after (on) 1 January 2008

Include in existing application/affidavit declaration of:

U.S. Citizenship
or Lawful Permanent Residence
or Other legal immigration/visa status
(For the last two categories Alien Number and expiration date must be included)

Also included as requirement for processing on updated application/affidavit:

Social Security number and U.S. driver’s license or state issued photo ID number. The Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) will not be accepted as per IRS regulations.
Driver’s licenses from states that do not require legal immigration status not accepted.

This can be accomplished by directive as was Basic Pilot (now known as E-Verify) and SAVE implementation last year.

SAVE program can be used to verify legal status of aliens.

Cobb County can pass on to applicant the fee for SAVE verification costs.

(present application forms here )

The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program is an intergovernmental information-sharing initiative designed to aid eligibility workers in determining a non-citizen applicant’s immigration status, and thereby ensure that only entitled non-citizen applicants receive Federal, state, or local public benefits and licenses. The SAVE Program is an information service for benefit issuing agencies, institutions, licensing bureaus, and other entities. The SAVE Program does not make determinations on any non-citizen applicant’s eligibility for a specific benefit or license. HERE.

“… SSA generally denies that it reports mismatch data to USCIS for enforcement purposes, with one exception: where an employee’s W-2 contains an individual taxpayer identification number (“ITIN”) instead of an SSN. ITINs are issued only to individuals who are not authorized to work in the United States, such as spouses of certain non-immigrant visa holders who wish to file joint tax returns. Employers should be aware that ITINs always begin with the number 9 and should not be accepted as evidence of work authorization”. HERE.

It is now more than six years since the horror of 9/11. A 2006 U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security report illustrates that illegal aliens from nations with known terrorist ties are regularly crossing our borders. HERE.

A recent news report in the Washington Times warned that possibly 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists were to be smuggled into the U.S. with the help of Mexican drug cartels.

Due to the obvious security risk to all Americans caused by the federal government’s failure to secure our borders, it is clear that state and local governments must update various everyday regulations and guidelines to protect their communities.

Illegal immigration and illegal employment – terrorist threat or not – are crimes and we should expect all possible barriers and deterrents to facilitating or encouraging those crimes to be put in place.

According to information I have gathered on the issuance of many types of common business licenses in Cobb County, it is very likely possible to apply for and be issued a license to operate a business here without demonstrating lawful presence in the United States or providing verifiable proof of identity.

Most Cobb citizens, once educated, will no doubt find this as troubling as I do.
I am sure this board does as well and will take steps to correct what seems to be glaring holes in our system.

If we are issuing business licenses to illegal aliens, from anywhere, it is my contention that we are thereby encouraging them to remain in Cobb County and the U.S.

While counting as merely another step of many that are possible, implementing the very simple changes and security updates on the applications for obtaining as business license in Cobb that I propose will go along way to making Cobb a more safe and secure place for all legal residents and citizens to live the American dream.

I hope that these security updates will be carefully considered and implemented effective the first day of January 2008.

It is my respectful observation that if we are not doing all we can to stop illegal immigration and illegal employment, we are actually encouraging and enabling that activity.

While most Americans will recognize these proposed security updates to be merely taking precautions to insure that we are making an attempt to avoid issuing a business license to the many who refuse to obey federal immigration and employment laws, we recognize that some will oppose it on the grounds that it is somehow an effort at improper local enforcement of those laws.

To the latter group, we offer the below:

TITLE 8 – ALIENS AND NATIONALITY
CHAPTER 12 – IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY
SUBCHAPTER II – IMMIGRATION
PART VIII – GENERAL PENALTY PROVISIONS
Section 1324a. Unlawful employment of aliens
(h) Miscellaneous provisions
(2) Preemption
The provisions of this section preempt any State or local law
imposing civil or criminal sanctions (other than through
licensing and similar laws) upon those who employ, or recruit or
refer for a fee for employment, unauthorized aliens.

D.A. King
President www.thedustininmansociety.org

Arkansas Journal
Video of Huckabee’s pandering antics

The following is from one of my favorite readers here at the Arkansas Journal: Huckabee announces his desire to give scholarships to illegal aliens in his January 11, 2005 State of the State address. Huckabee doesn’t say “illegal aliens”. He uses the word “status”. But a newspaper account makes clear his intentions…

VIDEO HERE.

From my friend Wilson Smith in Vidalia Georgia and his terrific blog: What’s Goin’ On.com

Congressman John Barrow on the Southern Border
Published by Wilsonat November 26, 2007 in Podcast.
Tags: congressman, economics, fence, immigration, John Barrow, NAFTA, politics.

Congressionman John Barrow recently went to the Border (you know, the one with Mexico) to find out for himself what was going on. (BTW, this interview aired Thanksgiving Eve, but unfortunately, I just could not get it posted until today.)

READ, and listen to the rest here.

Comments:

As more Americans lose their jobs we are becoming more aware of the impact of illegals on our communities. Here, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts we aren’t allowed to even apply for hotel & construction jobs unless we speak fluent Spanish. My grandparents came here from the Ukraine, LEGALLY. This is the story you’ll hear from all law abiding citizens. We believe in the rule of law but Democrats & illegals do not. Knowing we’re being invaded by Mexico & that Mexico is running our justice system is maddening. Knowing our entire government is allowing this to happen to my country is even worse.

S.K.A.
Pittsfield, MA.

PREMEDITATED MERGER
Mexico’s Fox openly calls for North American Union
Merger with Canada, U.S. is part of his dream to compete with Europe, Far East

October 12, 2007 World Net Daily

WASHINGTON – Mexico’s former President Vicente Fox is making no secret of his desire to promote a “North American Union” to compete economically with Europe and the Far East.

In a promotional tour for his new book, “Revolution of Hope,” Fox told NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” audience: “That’s part of my Americas dream, that we can build our future together. We are partners with United States and Canada through NAFTA. There are other blocs in Latin America, but at the very end a continental trade agreement and union on the long term would be a way to develop ourselves and to be able to have the standards and level of living that we all need.”

More here.