HERE….from GALEO. Gracias Gerardo!
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Background:

Legal tide turns: State, local immigration laws upheld
By JULIA PRESTON

Thursday, February 14, 2008

The New York Times

Groups challenging state and local laws cracking down on illegal immigration won a series of high-profile legal victories last year, but the tide has shifted as federal judges recently handed down several equally significant decisions upholding those laws.

Last Thursday, a federal judge in Arizona ruled against a lawsuit by construction contractors and immigrant organizations who sought to halt a state law that went into effect on Jan. 1 imposing severe penalties on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. The judge, Neil V. Wake of U.S. District Court, methodically rejected all of the contractors’ arguments that the Arizona law invaded legal territory belonging exclusively to the federal government.

And, in an even more sweeping ruling in December, a judge in Oklahoma, James H. Payne, threw out a lawsuit against a state statute enacted last year requiring state contractors to verify new employees’ immigration status. Payne said the immigrants should not be able to bring their claims to court because they were living in the country in violation of the law.
More…

Using the “Wayback machine” ( www.archive.org) here is text from the “Immigration” page from the Libertarian Party on August 15, 2007. How cool is this Wayback site?!

Link to old page here

The benefits of open immigration

BY MICHAEL TANNER
America has always been a nation of immigrants. Thomas Jefferson emphasized this basic part of the American heritage, taking note of “the natural right which all men have of relinquishing the country in which birth or other accident may have thrown them, and seeking subsistence and happiness wheresoever they may be able, and hope to find them.”

The Libertarian Party has long recognized the importance of allowing free and open immigration, understanding that this leads to a growing and more prosperous America. We condemn the xenophobic immigrant bashing that would build a wall around the United States. At the same time, we recognize that the right to enter the United States does not include the right to economic entitlements such as welfare. The freedom to immigrate is a freedom of opportunity, not a guarantee of a handout.

A policy of open immigration will advance the economic well-being of all Americans. All major recent studies of immigrants indicate that they have a high labor force participation, are entrepreneurial, and tend to have specialized skills that allow them to enter under-served markets. Although it is a common misconception that immigrants “take jobs away from native-born Americans,” this does not appear to be true. In 1989, the U.S. Department of Labor reviewed nearly 100 studies on the relationship between immigration and unemployment and concluded that “neither U.S. workers nor most minority workers appear adversely affected by immigration.”

Indeed, most studies show that immigrants actually lead to an increase in the number of jobs available. Immigrants produce jobs in several ways: 1) They expand the demand for goods and services through their own consumption; 2) They bring savings with them that contribute to overall investment and productivity; 3) They are more highly entrepreneurial than native-born Americans and create jobs through the businesses they start; 4) They fill gaps in the low and high ends of the labor markets, producing subsidiary jobs for American workers; 5) Low-wage immigrants may enable threatened American businesses to survive competition from low-wage businesses abroad; and 6) They contribute to increased economic efficiencies through economies of scale.

Confirmation can be seen in a study by economists Richard Vedder and Lowell Galloway of Ohio University and Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute. They found that states with the highest rates of immigration during the 1980s also had the highest rates of economic growth and lowest rates of unemployment.

Studies also show that not only do immigrants not take jobs away from American workers, they also do not drive down wages. Numerous studies have demonstrated that increased immigration has little or no effect on the wages of most American workers, and may even increase wages at upper income levels.

Contrary to stereotypes, there is no evidence that immigrants come to this country to receive welfare. Indeed, most studies show that immigrants actually use welfare at lower rates than do native-born Americans. For example, a study of welfare recipients in New York City found that only 7.7% of immigrants were receiving welfare compared to 13.3% for the population as a whole. Likewise, a nationwide study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 12.8% of immigrants were receiving welfare benefits, compared to 13.9% of the general population. Some recent studies indicate that the rate of welfare usage may now be equalizing between immigrants and native-born Americans, but, clearly, most immigrants are not on welfare.

The impact of immigrants on taxes is more equivocal. Most immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in government benefits. However, the majority of immigrant taxes are paid to the federal government, while immigrants tend to use mostly state and local services. This can place a burden on states and localities in high immigration areas.

However, the answer to this problem lies not in cutting off immigration, but in cutting the services that immigrants consume. The right to immigrate does not imply a right to welfare — or any other government service. Moreover, this is not simply a matter of saving tax money. The Libertarian Party believes that most government welfare programs are destructive to the recipients themselves. Thus, immigrants would actually be better off without access to these programs. As Edward Crane, President of the Cato Institute, has put it:

“Suppose we increased the level of immigration, but the rule would be that immigrants and their descendants would have no access to government social services, including welfare, Social Security, health care, business subsidies, and the public schools. I would argue, first, that there would be no lack of takers for that proposition. Second, within a generation, we would see those immigrants’ children going to better and cheaper schools than the average citizen; there would be less poverty, a better work ethic, and proportionately more entrepreneurs than in the rest of U.S. society; and virtually everyone in that group would have inexpensive high-deductible catastrophic health insurance, while the ‘truly needy’ would be cared for by an immigrant culture that gave proportionately more to charity.”

Finally, any discussion of immigration must include a warning about the threat to civil liberties posed by many of the proposals to limit immigration. Recent legislation to restrict immigration has included calls for a national identity card for all Americans. Senator Diane Feinstein (CA-D) has suggested that such an ID card should contain an individual’s photograph, fingerprints, and even retina scans. Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) has proposed legislation that would require employers to consult a national registry of workers before hiring anyone, effectively giving the U.S. government control over every hiring decision by every business in America.

Other legislation has contained provisions penalizing people who fail to “inform” on people they “suspect” might be illegal immigrants. Such Orwellian nightmares have no place in a free society, but are the natural outgrowth of an obsession with restricting immigration.

Here is a link to today’s page, which is new in the last week or so.

From today’s Marietta Daily Journal “Around Town” column

COBB COUNTY ACTIVIST and frequent MDJ More Opinions page contributor D.A. King is challenging former GOP Congressman and potential Libertarian Party presidential nominee Bob Barr to debate. King, who has gained a national reputation on immigration matters, disagrees with Barr’s position that illegals now living here should be legalized, and the Libertarian Party position that King describes as “open borders.”

HERE

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The Libertarian Party has totally re-done their Webpage on immigration in the last week or so ( I challenged Barr on April 8, 2008) . They seem to have modified and changed their position on “open immigration” as previously stated. We are working on getting the “Way-back machine” internet tool to recover the old page…this cracks me up. (Added 2:15: HERE IT IS)

From the current page on “immigration” ( here) “Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders”. …. “Repeal all immigration quotas“. ( Umm…its open borders)

To encourage Bob Barr to debate the big, bald ugly guy…contact info for the Georgia Libertarian Party HERE.

I will address the Cobb County Republican Women’s Club Next Friday, April 25 at their lunch meeting 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. Please come if you can.

This is a great group of very aware and active people and one of my favorite groups to speak to, we expect a lot of elected officials – come by for a lively Q&A.

Details and contact info HERE.

dak

“Asked how often police are seeing fake identifications in Dalton and Whitfield County, Chris Johnson, a member of the Conasauga Safe Streets Task Force, said, “Every day.” The task force investigates violent crimes and gang activity”. Dalton Citizen newspaper HERE from GALEO

More Zacatecans live in the Los Angeles area than in the Mexican city of Zacatecas, which has a population of 122,000. About 1.8 million Zacatecans and their descendants live in the United States, compared with 1.4 million still in Mexico. HERE From GALEO and the Washington Times ( one is in D.C. – the other in Atlanta)

And here is her letter. Great work Ms. Ebbeskotte and thank you!

The Honorable Sonny Perdue Thursday, April 17, 2008

Office of the Governor

State of Georgia

203 State Capitol

Atlanta, Georgia 30334

Governor,

As a citizen of our great state, a former law enforcement officer, and a candidate for Sheriff, I write to you to urge your singing of SB 350 and HB 978. These pieces of legislation are invaluable tools our State Law Enforcement needs to help protect our streets as well as our families.

Your signature on SB 350 will tell illegal drivers that Georgia is serious about the safety of our roads. This piece of legislation punishes Georgia residents, including illegal aliens, caught driving without ever having obtained a Georgia Driver’s license. Being in law enforcement over the past seven years I have seen unlicensed, undocumented drivers grow dramatically, taking the lives of American citizens unnecessarily.

Please sign this bill as soon as possible so we can save more lives on Georgia roads. If we would have had a law of this nature in December 2006, it might have saved the life of one of my fellow deputies when he was senselessly run off the road by an illegal unlicensed alien. This law sends the important message to those, who would otherwise ignore our laws, that driving without ever obtaining a Georgia license will not be tolerated.

Another bill that needs your signature is HB 978. Once again, this piece of legislation will act as another tool for law enforcement. It will allow local jurisdictions to fight the onslaught of illegal immigrations into Georgia by seizing any vehicle driven by illegal immigrants. It is clear from the successes in Cobb County, when local officials take advantage of the tools provided them to fight illegal immigration, real change can happen. I encourage you to sign this legislation as well.

The safety of our state starts with the message our leaders and elected officials send. If we send a clear message that we will not tolerate illegal drivers and that Georgia is not a place where illegal immigrants will find comfort and shelter you will send a clear and unambiguous message to all. Please give both of these pieces of legislation your consideration and signature.

Sincerely,

Nicole Ebbeskotte
Woodstock, Georgia

Asbury Park (New Jersey) Press

Hundreds line up for Mexican documents

More than 380 Mexican nationals lined up in Asbury Park this morning to obtain documents issued by their government. — The passports and consular ID cards, called matricula consular, were being issued at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in the city through the Mexican Consulate on Wheels program.

HERE

One of my own matriculas HERE

Note from D.A. – we think the headline writer meant “ILLEGAL LABOR SUPPLIERS”…either way: HOORAY! PUT THE CRIMINAL EMPLOYERS IN JAIL AND THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY!

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Immigrant labor suppliers indicted

Trail leads from Chamblee site to Chinese eateries

By Mary Lou Pickel
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 04/16/08

Owners of six employment agencies in Chamblee were indicted Tuesday on charges of providing illegal immigrants to work in Chinese restaurants up and down the East Coast.

Fifteen people were named in five indictments handed down by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

The defendants include the employment agency owners; drivers who transported the workers to restaurants in other states; operators of “safe houses” in Chamblee where immigrants waited for jobs; and immigrant smugglers who brought workers up from Florida.

All of the employment agencies operated out of 3245 Chamblee Dunwoody Road.

The companies were: Sing Rong Employment Agency; Ji Chang Sen Employment Agency; Grand China Employment Agency; Dong Sheng Employment Agency; Number One Employment Agency; and Da Zhong Employment Agency, also known as “Work with Lynn Employment Agency” in Spanish.

Each agency operated somewhat differently, but all followed the same pattern and in general recruited Mexican or Central American illegal workers.

The employment agencies would obtain the illegal immigrants by advertising in ethnic newspapers or direct referrals from immigrant smugglers or “coyotes,” the indictments said. They also accepted “walk-ins.” The agencies charged a commission of hundreds of dollars to place the worker, which was deducted from wages.

Some charged for the van ride from Atlanta to the restaurant out of state. In Georgia, the agencies placed workers in Dublin; and also in Tennessee, Kentucky, New York, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio, according to the indictment.

In one case, an agency owner loaded illegal workers into her black BMW sedan and gave them a ride from her agency to another spot in Chamblee. That owner also arranged to bring workers up from Florida.

Restaurant owners and warehouse owners would approach the agencies to hire illegal immigrants, “thereby cutting costs and maximizing profits,” the indictments said.

The restaurant owners would work the immigrants long hours, pay cash and not withhold state or federal taxes. They gave them food and housing, but paid $3 or $5 per hour in some cases.

Entire story here.

Associated Press
Mexican cartel recruiting hitmen

Hitmen tied to Mexico’s Gulf cartel appear to be boldly seeking recruits by posting help-wanted signs in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, including a giant banner hung across a thoroughfare, a federal anti-drug enforcement official said Monday…

HERE