GWINNETT DAILY POST

TB on rise in county 7-27- 2008

Spike likely due to influx of immigrants

Goins said the increase is probably because of Gwinnett’s large immigrant population. While people who enter the country legally are tested for contagious diseases such as TB, Goins said there is no way to check those who come here illegally – until they present with symptoms.

Marietta Daily Journal

Robert W. Henry/Letter to the Editor: Background checks right for business licenses 07/30/2008

Our county officials do not have the option to enforce only those state laws they agree with.

Our county officials do not have the option to enforce only those state laws they agree with.

Every county has a business license division and requirement, and Cobb needs to check the legal status of everyone who decides to do business in our community. The Commission Chairman can call it whatever he wants – business license or occupation tax certificate – but it is permission granted by our county to operate their business. Legal residency is not only the law, but it should have been required from a security standpoint. If someone is operating a business here and a resident is harmed, without proper identification the injured cannot find this person to obtain legal recourse.

In fact, you cannot rent a movie without proper legal ID.

Our state legislators have enacted laws to hamper and discourage illegals from coming to our state, and we thank D.A. King of the Dustin Inman Society for pointing out the sanctuary status granted to illegal business operators in our county. We expect to have these laws enforced fully and do not want a business or occupational tax certificate issued to someone without proper legal identification. This should have been required long before the law was passed.

Robert W. Henry

Marietta

Marietta Daily Journal

Harry Hagan/Letter to the Editor: Our greed contributed to illegal immigration 07/31/2008

Ruinous energy costs, a collapsing banking system, plunging dollar, kaput housing industry, somnolent auto industry, broken school budgets, bankrupt hospitals, exploding prison populations, massive layoffs leading to cascading and mounting unemployment, war on two fronts, both hemorrhaging borrowed money, very little hope on the political horizon.

HERE a MUST READ

Story Contact: Charles Bannister, Chairman

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioner

770.822.7010

charles.bannister @ gwinnettcounty.com

GWINNETT COUNTY TO STEP UP SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION COMPLIANCE

(Lawrenceville, Ga., July 30, 2008) – Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister has directed County government to beef up its compliance with the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act (SB 529), which took effect 13 months ago. In short, state law requires public employers to verify the immigration status of applicants for public benefits. Gwinnett County administers a relatively small number of the dozens of possible public benefits as defined by federal law. ”I feel strongly that tax dollars should be administered not only according to the letter of the law, but to the full spirit and intent of the law,” said Bannister.

Under the act, effective July 1, 2008, Georgia public employers of 100 or more employees must verify information on all new employees using the federal online E-Verify system. Gwinnett County has been using the program since July 1, 2007, to confirm information submitted by potential new hires and required its contractors and subcontractors to do so as well. Gwinnett County is also in the process of verifying information on applicants for housing assistance from the Community Block Grant Development Program through the federal online SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) Program.

“While Gwinnett is already using SAVE for specifically-mandated purposes, I would like to extend its use to similar applications, such as occupation tax certificates, “said Bannister. “We have been a leader in the state with the revision of our purchasing ordinance to require contractors to also employ the SAVE program, but it’s time to redouble our efforts to ensure our community’s continued security.”

Gwinnett County will review the list of public benefits to determine what applies within its jurisdiction and create further policies or adjust procedures as necessary to maximize conformity with the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act. Bannister has instructed County staff to complete any needed adjustments to fully comply with the program by Sept. 1.

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Houston Chronicle

White House sidesteps questions on freeing border agents

Under increasing pressure from congressional Republicans to free two imprisoned border patrol agents, President Bush is showing no sign of hurrying his decision. — White House spokeswoman Dana Perino on Wednesday sidestepped a question about Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s demand that Bush commute Ignacio Ramos’ 12-year sentence and Jose Compean’s 11-year term…

HERE

Des Moines Register

Counterfeit green cards tied to plant

Postville, Iowa — Federal agents who raided the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant here in May found evidence that a human resources department employee helped distribute false immigration documents to workers, court papers say.

HERE

Center for Immigration Studies

Homeward Bound: Recent Immigration Enforcement and the Decline in the Illegal Alien PopulationBy Steven A. Camarota, Karen Jensenius
July 2008

Backgrounders and Reports

Download the pdf version

Monthly data collected by the Census Bureau through May 2008 shows a significant decline in the number of less-educated, young Hispanic immigrants in the country. The evidence indicates that the illegal immigrant population may have declined by over one million in the last year. There are strong indications immigration enforcement is responsible for at least part of the decline. The economy also is likely playing a role.

Among the findings:

Our best estimate is that the illegal immigrant population has declined by 11 percent through May 2008 after hitting a peak in August 2007.

The implied decline in the illegal population is 1.3 million since last summer, from 12.5 million to 11.2 million today.

The estimated decline of the illegal population is at least seven times larger than the number of illegal aliens removed by the government in the last 10 months, so most of the decline is due to illegal immigrants leaving the country on their own.

One indication that stepped-up enforcement is responsible for the decline is that only the illegal immigrant population seems to be affected; the legal immigrant population continues to grow.

Another indication enforcement is causing the decline is that the illegal immigrant population began falling before there was a significant rise in their unemployment rate.

The importance of enforcement is also suggested by the fact that the current decline is already significantly larger than the decline during the last recession, and officially the country has not yet entered a recession.

While the decline began before unemployment rose, the evidence indicates that unemployment has increased among illegal immigrants, so the economic slow-down is likely to be at least partly responsible for the decline in the number of illegal immigrants.

There is good evidence that the illegal population grew last summer while Congress was considering legalizing illegal immigrants. When that legislation failed to pass, the illegal population began to fall almost immediately.

If the decline were sustained, it would reduce the illegal population by one-half in the next five years.

PLEASE read the rest here and pass it on…to your elected officials!

Numbers USA

E-Verify agreement reached in U. S. House

Mostly good news to report this evening from multiple sources in the U.S. House — negotiators have agreed to a 5-year re-authorization of the E-Verify program to keep illegal aliens out of U.S. jobs and without the strings attached that had threatened to strangle it in future years…

HERE

Herb Denenberg — Philadelphia Bulletin

Pull up our anchors to Discourage illegal immigration

Contrary to popular opinion, current practice, and the conventional wisdom, children of illegal aliens born in the U.S. should not receive automatic citizenship. These children, sometimes called “anchor babies,” have been thought to deserve automatic or birthright citizenship in accordance with the Constitution…

HERE

Houston Chronicle
July 30, 2008
Agency allows immigrants here illegally to avoid raids, prison by turning selves in

New immigration strategy — Deport yourself

Rather than risk getting caught, turn yourselves in.

That’s the latest government strategy in its ongoing effort to dramatically reduce the nation’s ballooning population of illegal immigrants.

Scheduled to be unveiled next week, it was announced Sunday by Julie Myers, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in an interview with a Spanish-language television network.

Myers told the network that “Operation Scheduled Departure” will allow illegal immigrants without criminal records a chance to literally “self-deport” by turning themselves in to her agents.

She said the idea derived from a common complaint voiced by immigrant detainees: If given the opportunity, they’d rather just go home than be holed up in immigration prisons.

Under the new program, those still walking free will have the chance to walk into ICE offices, be processed and get a few weeks to arrange their affairs, pack their belongings and ship out of the country without being detained.

“The program basically gives an opportunity to those seeking an organized way to self-deport,” Myers told Univisión anchor Jorge Ramos.

Myers said the program would allow immigrants to avoid the increasing risks of being picked up in a raid at home or at work, but would offer no additional incentives to turn themselves in — no chance at qualifying for an amnesty, for example.

ICE officials in San Antonio, Dallas and Washington refused to elaborate on the program, saying no details will be made available before the official presentation next week.

Proposal met with scorn

Immigrant advocates called it a laughable charade with little to no chance of succeeding without any carrots to offer self-deportees.

MORE….