Cherokee Tribune

Inger Eberhart/Letter to the Editor: Cherokee needs to stand strong against ACLU 01/07/2009

The late Barbara Jordan (D-Texas), first African-American woman elected to Congress from the deep South and chairwoman of the Commission on Immigration Reform, was clear on what it would take to gain credibility on immigration policy: “Those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave.” Illegal aliens must be required to leave.

As an African-American conservative and Georgia resident, I, too, am ready for illegal aliens to leave. Illegal immigration is a burden to our already limited resources and a drain to our economy. Georgia’s interests are not served in perpetuating the crime of illegal immigration. Passage of S.B. 529 is evidence that Georgians are ready for illegal immigration laws to be enforced and illegal aliens deported; Cherokee County is no different.

However, the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF) and the ACLU are out in force working to convince the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners to ignore the law and dismiss a mandate from the citizens they have sworn to protect.

Inger Eberhart

Acworth

HERE

Cherokee Tribune

Local governments face lawsuit over anti-illegal alien act

( Note from D.A. – my Cherokee Tribune commentary column that started this HERE )

Published: 01/07/2009

By Ashley Fuller
afuller@cherokeetribune.com

Cherokee’s county and city governments may end up in court if they don’t begin verifying citizenship of business license applicants.

An anti-illegal immigration activist, who last year filed suit against the Cobb County government, now is accusing Cherokee’s governments of failing to enforce the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act.

The law requires local government agencies in Georgia that administer “public benefits” to collect an affidavit from applicants swearing to either U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status. Agencies then are required to use the federal SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) database to verify the immigration status of alien applicants.

D.A. King, president of the Marietta-based Dustin Inman Society anti-illegal immigration organization, said the law is being violated in Cherokee as officials do not obtain affidavits when they issue or renew business licenses.

He filed a lawsuit last year against Cobb’s county government to force its staff to verify all applications. Before the case was decided by a judge, the county staff began checking the immigration status of every applicant for what can be described as a business license.

King said he would hold a press conference at the state Capitol on Monday to address local governments’ failure to comply with the law. Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), who authored the state law, is among the leaders scheduled to attend.

Cherokee’s county government leaders and organizations that lobby for them disagree with his contention that business licenses fall under the law.

County Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens said, in a written statement, that “clear legal opinions” indicate counties are not authorized to issue business licenses, as that responsibility falling to the state. He said counties collect business and occupational taxes, which can be described as a license but technically are not.

“Under that description, a county is not in violation of any federal or state regulations by failing to secure affidavits,” Ahrens said in the statement.

The county government does require affidavits for contractors hired to work for them.

It also has requested permission from the Department of Homeland Security to use SAVE, but is waiting for the agency to return the executed documents.

“Until those documents come, we are just waiting,” County Manager Jerry Cooper said, adding that until then affidavits for public benefits cannot be checked.

Local cities also are not collecting affidavits for business licenses, but do require them for alcohol licenses.

As far as business licenses, Woodstock City Manager Jeff Moon referenced the position of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, which is similar to the county government’s opinion.

Canton City Manager Rob Logan said the city is researching whether the affidavits are required for its business licenses.

“If it is applicable to us, we will have to do it,” he said.

Ball Ground City Manager Eric Wilmarth said its city attorney also has been asked to render a legal opinion.

Rogers said federal law and his state law both treat business license as a public benefit

“Clearly, the intent, and letter of the law, in [the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act] mandates that all local governments use the tools provided to determine eligibility for benefits based on lawful status,” he said, adding local governments that claim they are against providing benefits to ineligible immigrants should be willing to verify their status before issuing business licenses.

News story AND COMMENTS here

U. S. Customs and Border Protection

Border Patrol in Arizona seizes weapons, marijuana in 2 separate incidents

Tucson — Border Patrol agents from the Tucson Sector seized several guns and ammunition along with various bundles of marijuana in Tucson and Nogales. — Yesterday afternoon, agents working foot patrol on the west side of Nogales, Ariz., saw several individuals carrying rifles and wearing camouflage clothing with ski masks…

HERE

El Paso Times

ICE insider seeks pardon for Ramos and Compean

Miguel Contreras, a retired federal investigative official, said he wrote the letter in hope the president will grant the two El Pasoans a pardon or reduce their sentences… A candidate for assistant secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement urged President Bush in an open letter to pardon ex-Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean…

HERE

Use of SAVE is mandatory in the Georgia security and Immigration Compliance Act of 2006 – there are 535 cities and 159 counties in Georgia.

SEE HERE for more info.

SAVE USERS:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Office of Records Services
Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program
User Agencies with MOUs

Georgia Department of Labor
148 International Blvd., N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30303
Signed MOU: April 1, 2004
Start Date: April 1, 2004
POC: Ann Smith
404-562-2122
ann.smith@dol.state.ga.us

Georgia Department of Human Services
2 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
Signed MOU: April 13, 2004
Start Date: April 21, 2004
POC: Dianne Smith
404-657-3608
dsmith1@dhr.state.ga.us

Georgia Student Finance Commission
2082 East Exchange Place
Tucker, GA 30084
Signed MOU: March 28, 2005
Start Date: March 28, 2005
POC: James Baumann
770-724-9300
jimb@gsfc.org

Georgia Department of Drivers Services
2206 East View Parkway
Conyers, GA 30012
Signed MOU: May 22, 2006
Start Date: May 22, 2006
POC: Jennifer Ammons
678-413-8769
jammons@dds.ga.gov

Cobb County Government
100 Cherokee Street, Suite 130
Marietta, GA 30090
Signed MOU: July2, 2007
Start Date: July 13, 2007
POC: Robert J. Quigley
770-528-2485
rquigley@cobbcounty.org

City of Union City, Georgia
5047 Union Street
Union City, GA 30291
Signed MOU: September 4, 2007
Start Date: September 12, 2007
POC: Ann Lippmann
770-969-9266
alippmann@unioncityga.org

Georgia Secretary of State/PLB Division
237 Coliseum Drive
Macon, GA 31217
Signed MOU: May 8, 2008
Start Date: July 7, 2008
POC: Anna K. O’Neal
478-207-1390
kaoneal@sos.ga.gov

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, Financial Services
75 Langley Drive
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
Signed MOU: June 24, 2008
Start Date: July 7, 2008
POC: Anna K. O’Neal
478-207-1390
kaoneal@sos.ga.gov

Cobb County and Douglas County Community Services Board
3830 S. Cobb Drive, Suite 300
Smyrna, GA 30080
Signed MOU: January 17, 2008
Start Date: August 19, 2008
POC: Randall C. Edna
404-657-2302
ecrandall@dhr.state.ga.us

Hall County Board of Commissioners
P.O. Box 1435
Gainesville, GA 30503
Signed MOU: August 28, 2008
Start Date: October 15, 2008
POC: Susan Rector
770-531-6815
srector@hallcounty.org

City of Marietta, Georgia
205 Lawrence St,
P.O. Box 609
Marietta, GA 30061-0609
Signed MOU: September 4, 2008
Start Date: September 11, 2008
POC: Scott Everingham
770-794-5517
severingham@marietta.gov

City of Acworth
4415 Senator Russell Avenue
Acworth, GA 30101
Signed MOU: September 18, 2008
Start Date: October 1, 2008
POC: Wayne D. Tumbleson
678-801-4035
Wtumbleson@acworth.org

David M. Kinchen — Huntington (West Virginia) News

President Bush: Pardon Compean and Ramos before you head back to Texas

It’s “Pardon Me” time in Washington, DC, but two men who really deserve pardons are still waiting on President George W. Bush. — I’m talking about Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos, two former U.S. Border Patrol Agents convicted of shooting a Mexican drug smuggler who was trying to escape… HERE

Daily Mail — London

Britain’s ‘betrayed’ white working classes believe immigrants receive better treatment

White families on the country’s poorest estates believe they have been ‘betrayed’ and ‘abandoned’ by politicians who favour newly-arrived immigrants, a Government report acknowledged today. — It found that people on council estates think they always come second to immigrants for housing and benefits…

“…She said people should be allowed to talk about their worries ‘without fear of being branded a racist.’
The findings, produced by Mrs Blear’s ‘National Community Forum’, appear another step on Labour’s road away from multiculturalism, the left-wing doctrine that dominated ministerial thinking until the 2005 London July bombings. Under multiculturalism, ethnic minority groups are encouraged to develop their own identity while critics say values associated with white groups are dismissed as racist.

HERE

I was an organizer for the an International Union covering the Eastern US until I learned that the leaders of the union had joined the NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION ALLIANCE which is staffing union halls nationwide with illegal aliens and therefore staffing contractors with same.

I have contacted DHS, FBI, and others regarding the SSN#s these illegals are using which I thought was a federal crime, My SSN# is on my union book; whose are they using? NOTHING , not a word, They tried to make me sign a non-disclosure agreement when I was asked to leave, I told them to shove it. I have union members calling me and I told them, many believed me but I don’t know what to tell them since no-one wants to do anything. Please tell me how to get involved to help .

p.s I am also prior military. THANKS

J.B.

HERE

Many illegal immigrants live in public housing
Associated Press
Elliot Spagat – Thursday Jan 1, 2009

Untold thousands of illegal immigrants live in public housing at a time when hundreds of thousands of citizens and legal residents are stuck waiting years for a spot.

Illegal immigrants make up a tiny portion of the 7.1 million people in federal housing, according to government statistics. But authorities may be unaware of thousands more, and critics say no illegal immigrant should get housing benefits.

The issue made headlines in November with news that Zeituni Onyango, an aunt of President-elect Barack Obama, was living in Boston public housing while in the country illegally… MORE