WSB -TV ABC Atlanta

Sea Island To Lay Off 300-400 Employees

SEA ISLAND, Ga. — The largest private employer in Glynn County said it will immediately begin laying off 300 to 400 employees.

Sea Island Co. said the move is being made because of faltering real estate sales and a weak national economy. The company, which operates The Cloister resort on Sea Island and The Lodge on St. Simons Island, has 2,100 employees.

The company’s chairman and chief executive, Bill Jones, said the job cuts will come across all areas and all levels of the company.

The company said many of those layoffs would involve seasonal workers, who would have departed at the end of the summer.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved

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Marietta Daily Journal Around Town

“….GWINNETT COUNTY HAS FALLEN IN LINE behind Cobb in efforts to verify immigration status of business-license applicants. Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens announced July 24 that Cobb would henceforth check the state of all applicants for what are commonly known as business licenses, although Cobb lately has classified most of those licenses as “occupational tax certificates.” Gwinnett Chairman Charles Bannister just days later announced his county government would follow the same procedures as Cobb. “

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Marietta Daily Journal

Pete Borden: We’ve seen two miracles; Can we hope for a trifecta?
08/05/2008

Residents of Cobb County and Marietta were smiled upon by the gods, not once, but twice in recent days. Most importantly, Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens lifted his head out of the sand long enough to take an objective look at the codes concerning verification of citizenship status for people applying for Business Licenses or Occupation Certificates

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Oliver M. CulpepperLetter to the Editor: D.A. King cherry-picking law, calling kettle black 08/04/2008

It never ceases to amaze me when I see so much space dedicated to immigration reformer D.A. King

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Jack TannerLetter to the Editor:

08/04/2008
Re: Story, “Cobb to verify all business applicants’ status,” July 25 MDJ

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Michael ParnellLetter to the Editor:

08/04/2008
Re: Guest column, “McCain should pledge to make English our official language” by K.C. McAlpin, July 25 MDJ

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Morine CalhounLetter to the Editor:

08/04/2008
I want to thank D.A. King for watching out for my husband, myself and all of Cobb County, about checking on immigrants legal status.

Chattanooga Times

Aug. 2, 2008

Mexican consulate in Dalton

By: Perla Trevizo

DALTON, Ga. — Due to the high demand for renewal of Mexican passports and IDs, the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta is sending a “permanent mobile consulate” through Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee in Dalton this week.

“You save the time and money it takes to go to Atlanta,” said Adolfo Sanchez, who called to make an appointment last week and was waiting here Friday to get his passport.

“A lot of people work and can’t go to Atlanta, or they lose a whole day from work just to go to the consulate,” he added. “If they’re missing a document, they have to come back without getting anything accomplished.”

People may call and reserve one of the 1,200 appointments available from Wednesday through Sunday at each stop.

Mexican Consul General Salvador de Lara said in a prepared statement the “permanent mobile consulate” was requested by Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon to meet the high demand for updated registrations and to eliminate the need to travel to Atlanta.

HISPANIC POPULATION

* Georgia: 70,229

* Alabama: 11,497

* Tennessee: 19,324

Source: U.S. Census, 2006 estimates

MOBILE MEXICAN CONSULATE

* Next stop is Summerdale, Ala., from Wednesday through Aug. 10.

* Third stop is Nashville, Aug. 13-17

* For the complete schedule, visit www.consulmexatlanta.org

* For more information call the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta (404) 266-2233

TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

* Call 1-877–639-4835
The consulate in Atlanta serves Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.

“They run the risk of being stopped by state troopers in Alabama and Georgia that are part of the 287(g) — a federal program that trains local law enforcement agents to enforce immigration laws — which leads to the deportation of those stopped for traffic violations,” Mr. de Lara said.

While U.S. Census 2006 estimates were that there were 100,000 Hispanics in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, acting Consul Maricela Quijano said the consulate estimates there are 800,000 Mexicans in the area.

The number of passports they’ve issued has tripled or quadrupled during this current year, Ms. Quijano said.

The consulate in Atlanta expects this year to issue about 80,000 documents, and about 32,000 through the mobile consulate, a 60 percent increase from 2007, according to the statement.

It’s also opened one Saturday every three weeks and they’ve added 100 appointments every Friday.

Ms. Quijano said because of the demand, the next appointment available in Atlanta is in February.

“We are hoping that through these initiatives we can reduce the waiting time in a month and open up more slots for people to go to Atlanta,” she said.

Braulia Salazar, who traveled from Chattanooga to Dalton to get her passport and a matricula consular, or Mexican ID card, said she was extremely happy she got an appointment.

“For me it’s really hard to go to Atlanta because I have two young children,” she said as waited in line.

Others weren’t so lucky. Mr. Sanchez said four of his sons weren’t able to get one.

“I think a lot of people were left out,” he said. “They should do this more often. It’s a very good thing.”

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HERE for my own matricula consular

National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers

Latest news from south of the border

Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy, Eduardo Sojo, asserted today that the Mexico-United States relationship cannot function correctly while the labor market is kept closed. In an interview with Notimex, he said that the most convenient thing for both countries at this time is to have an immigration reform “which would close the circle of integration.”

La Cronica de Hoy (Mexico City) 8/1/08

Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy, Eduardo Sojo, asserted today that the Mexico-United States relationship cannot function correctly while the labor market is kept closed. In an interview with Notimex (Mex. news agency), he said that the most convenient thing for both countries at this time is to have an immigration reform “which would close the circle of integration.”
“Markets cannot function well if some are open and others are closed, the entire market cannot function correctly if the goods, services and capital market is open and the labor market is closed”, he maintained.
The functionary pointed out that a migratory reform is necessary, “which would facilitate the orderly, legal migration, where the fundamental human rights are respected.”
We hope, he emphasized, “that this migratory reform, which we have awaited for many years, may come about soon because that will benefit both countries.” An immigration reform, he said, does not require the revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because it deals with a different route than that of commerce, services or capital, but if it comes about it would be complementary to those markets.
It would allow us to become more integrated and that the two countries would take advantage of our proximity and that the region be more competitive, he added.
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RELATED QUOTES HERE

Wilkes-Barre (Pennsylvania) Times-Leader

Enforcing immigration laws will help stabilize U.S. economy

…Illegal immigration, as a substantial component of U.S. population growth, does exacerbate our economy, including unemployment and the energy crisis. Americans should be aware that Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain advocate granting amnesty…

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Federation for American Imigration Reform

Congress reacts to soaring unemployment by proposing more foreign workers
J
ittery American workers were greeted with the news today that unemployment in July reached a four-year high of 5.7 percent and that the U.S. economy shed 51,000 jobs last month on the heels of the loss of 98,000 jobs in May and June. For all of 2008, the U.S. economy has lost 463,000 jobs… You likely don’t want to know it…but read it HERE

Cox News Service

Drug violence in Atlanta tied to several cartels

Powerful Mexican cartels have assumed control of drug distribution networks throughout the United States, sparking worry from U.S. law enforcement and experts that they may export the same violent methods that have ravaged Mexico for years…

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