La Prensa Grafica (San Salvador, El Salvador) 1/12/10

El Salvador pushing for U.S. immigration reform

El Salvador’s Vice-Minister for Salvadorans Abroad visited Los Angeles this weekend to let the Central American community know about the migratory reform that the region’s governments are preparing. On Saturday, Vice-Minister Juan Jose Garcia said, via telephone, that he had met with the “Service Union and with the American Federation,” composed of state employees. He added that they are two of the most important labor unions in the United States who are working on the issue of integral migratory reform. Garcia stated, “For the first time, labor unions with a very large amount of resources and social mobilization are decidedly supporting the issue.” Furthermore, he gave information regarding the document produced by the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. The official emphasized the regional character of the proposal, and that “never before had the region come to an accord about such an important strategic issue” as migratory reform. Likewise, he had a work meeting planned for Saturday with the Guatemalan Chancellor, Haroldo Rodas. A meeting with Salvadoran community leaders in Los Angeles is also foreseen. He added that they are open to suggestions from the community.

http://www.laprensagrafica.com/departamento-15/noticias/85023-promueven-proyecto-reforma-migratoria.html

Lansing State Journal

January 11, 2010
Runestad: Let immigration bills come to a vote

Americans are becoming more concerned that we are losing our representative form of government and rapidly becoming a people subject to the control of special interest syndicates.

When election time rolls around many politicians promise “real change,” “true reform,” and “honest government.” But once safely entrenched in public office they defend the status quo, often selling out the interests of their constituents to the highest bidder. Both major political parties are rapidly losing the trust and support of voters, as Americans have grown weary of watching Democrats and Republicans alike feeding at the special interest trough.

Nowhere is the disconnect between public opinion and public policy more clear than with the issue of illegal immigration. A recent CNN national poll showed three out of four Americans want illegal immigration to decrease. Opposition to illegal immigration is nothing new, yet over the last 30 years, including the recession that has put millions of Americans out of work, politicians simply mouth their concern, then turn their backs on the American people.

To understand how this corruption and indifference endures, one needs look no further than to the primary political motivations that shape immigration policy. Republican officeholders quake in fear of the wrath of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its affiliates. These so-called defenders of “free enterprise” seek to manipulate the political process to undercut the wages and conditions of legal workers. Its goal is to reduce labor costs, and to that end it opposes any attempt to enforce immigration law. The Chamber spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year on ad campaigns, lobbying, and campaign contributions to politicians. Woe to any Republican who dares take a stand in defense of the legal American worker.

On the other side, Democrats have mapped out a strategy to disregard the will of American citizens by legalizing tens of millions of illegal aliens. These Democrats are willing to make U.S. citizenship, with its rights, privileges, and responsibilities virtually worthless in order to expand their base and establish a permanent majority for their party. Under a mask of humanitarian jargon, Democrat elites support polices that hurt our most vulnerable Americans. That is why you will never hear them talk about hardships that illegal immigration imposes on working-class Americans.

These politicians are betting that American voters are too distracted, or too disinterested, to remember campaign promises and to hold their representatives accountable. Unfortunately, this has too often been true. Hopefully, a new political movement is stirring, one in which voters will put in office those who are worthy of the public’s support. For our republic to survive, citizens must educate themselves on the issues and actively participate.

Here in Michigan, we have the opportunity to help put an end to the hiring of illegal workers. Two bills, HB 4355 and HB 4969, would require companies doing business with the state to verify the legal status of all new hires. These bills were marshaled out of committee by Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, but have been bottled up by House Speaker Andy Dillon and Democrat Whip Kathy Angerer. Out of 10 million Michigan citizens, these two decided that imposing their political agenda is more important than establishing protections for legal Michigan workers.

Let these bills be brought to a vote in the House so that the process may proceed. I urge Michigan voters to demand accountability from their representatives. Demand that Reps. Dillon and Angerer allow a vote on HB 4355 and HB 4969.

Jim Runestad
of Waterford is an Oakland County commissioner. HERE

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HERE

Barnesville Herald Gazette

Illegal Immigration – A Crime That Pays

Thursday, January 14. 2010

When I was a kid I often heard the saying, “Crime doesn’t pay.” And back then, such was usually the case. Though there were most certainly exceptions, in general, it seemed to me as though most criminals eventually paid for their crimes. And back then, it also seemed to me that most people believed that’s the way it should be. Boy, how things have changed.

Nowadays, there appears to be a growing number of people who believe criminals should not have to pay for certain crimes. By justifying these crimes in their own minds, they dismiss the impact the crimes have on society at large and, in time, come to view the crime as no crime at all. The most obvious modern example of such a crime is illegal immigration.

Proponents of illegal immigration justify their position in several ways. First, they suggest that illegal immigration is a “victimless crime” and, therefore, should not be considered a crime at all. However, this assertion is prima facie or, “on it’s face,” false. Some parts of America are actually being ravaged by crimes committed by illegal immigrants – their crimes ranging from simple assaults and batteries to more serious offenses including burglary, armed robbery, drug-trafficking and murder.

Second, supporters of illegal immigration purport that “illegals” support the economy by performing tasks that American citizens simply won’t do. This assertion, too, is false to a significant degree. The influx of illegal immigrant labor acts to disrupt the normal economic factors affecting certain labor markets. An abundance of cheap labor artificially deflates wages in certain industries – in particular, agriculture, construction, landscaping, and food service. By utilizing illegal immigrant labor, employers, then, manage to get away with paying a lower wage and, therefore, pocket a higher profit. Absent a supply of cheap labor, these employers would be forced to offer higher wages to attract workers with the result being that a greater percentage of American citizens would find the higher wage levels more attractive and therefore seek such employment. In addition, American workers taking these jobs would pay income taxes unlike their illegal immigrant counterparts. Further, income earned by American workers tends to be spent in America which benefits the economy as a whole. On the other hand, a very large percentage of illegal immigrant income is sent out of the United States which serves to deflate the economy much like air leaking from a tire.

Third, those who support illegal immigration rail that America is a land of unlimited resources and, therefore, shouldn’t oppose the influx of millions of illegals. This, too, couldn’t be further from the truth. No doubt the United States is a nation blessed with resources and opportunities. However, there are limits. In many parts of America, the demand placed on the infrastructure by a growing population of legal Americans is already exceeding capacity. The addition of millions of illegal immigrants merely exacerbates this problem. Many sectors of the American economy are being crushed by the weigh of excessive demand placed upon them by illegal immigrants – in particular, the healthcare industry. America’s emergency rooms are filled with illegal immigrants seeking care for which they are seldom able to pay. The cost of this care, then, is shifted onto the backs of productive Americans who are forced to pay more and more for their healthcare as the unpaid costs are spread across the industry.

Despite all the economic problems attributable to illegal immigration in this country, there is an even more damaging side effect – the total disregard for the law by the illegals. As more and more illegal immigrants ignore the law and as less and less is done about it by the proper authorities, respect for the rule of law become less and less in a general sense among both illegals and, most ominously, by some Americans themselves. Diminished respect for the law among both criminals and average citizens serves to embolden criminals to engage in further criminal activity, thus diminishing the quality of life for all Americans.

No one I know personally believes legal immigration should be eliminated (though I do believe America’s immigration policies should be reviewed and revised with reduced allowances). Real Americans, by nature, are accepting and generous. But illegal immigration is something different. It isn’t a benign act by a few downtrodden individuals seeking to better their lot in life. Illegal immigration is a sophisticated social phenomenon engaged in by millions of foreigners who hold American law in complete and utter contempt. Illegal immigration is nothing less than a crime, one that, in America at least, pays very well.

HERE

To contact Spencer, read his blog, or review an archive of his columns, please visit conservativecommentaries.com.

National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers

Latest NAFBPO update from south of the border

A Mexican organization called the “Consejo [Council] Ciudadano para la Seguridad Publica y la Justicia Penal” has ranked the ten most violent cities of the world. For the second consecutive year, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, heads the list with 2,658 homicides, a rate of 191 per 100,000 residents…

HERE

Ryan Normandin — The Tech — MIT — Cambridge, Mass.

Illegal Immigration: It’s illegal

Blue hats are blue. Big trees are big. Do you agree with these statements? How about this one: Illegal immigration is illegal. For some reason, this point has been a contentious issue in the United States over the past few years. — Some argue that allowing illegal immigrants into our country helps our economy…

HERE

“…The National Council of La Raza received more than $3 million for San Jose and San Diego, as well as Chicago…”

Money & Company

Labor Department gives an additional $150 million in green jobs training grants

January 13, 2010

On the heels of another green jobs announcement last week, the U.S. Labor Department awarded an additional $150 million in training grants for workers interested in energy efficiency careers.

Authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the funds are part of a $500-million green jobs initiative. This round, called the Pathways Out of Poverty grants, will be parceled out to 38 projects around the country, most based in areas where poverty rates are at least 15%.

Target populations include disadvantaged individuals — high school dropouts, the unemployed — as well as minorities. The grants will help develop recruitment and referral services, basic and occupational skills education and other resources.

The awards went to two types of recipients: national nonprofits with networks of affiliates and partners, and local groups including community and faith-based organizations and labor associations.

California recipients included the Los Angeles Community College District, which was awarded $4 million for communities including Watts and Willowbrook. The National Council of La Raza received more than $3 million for San Jose and San Diego, as well as Chicago.

HERE

NOTE on La Raza (NCLR) from Discover the Networks:

Immigration: NCLR strives “to encourage immigration policies that are fair and nondiscriminatory, to encourage family reunification, and to enact necessary reforms to the current immigration system.” In short, it favors amnesty for illegals already residing in the U.S., and open borders henceforth. In La Raza’s calculus, any restriction on the free movement of immigrants constitutes a violation of their civil rights, and any reduction in government assistance to illegal border-crossers is “a disgrace to American values.” Thus La Raza supports continued mass Mexican immigration to the United States, and hopes to achieve, by the sheer weight of numbers, the re-partition of the American Southwest as a new state called Aztlan — to be controlled by its alleged rightful owners, the people and government of Mexico. La Raza is also a sponsoring organization of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride Coalition, which seeks to secure ever-expanding rights and civil liberties protections for illegal immigrants, and policy reforms that diminish or eliminate future restrictions on immigration. At many of the “pro-immigration” rallies that NCLR members have attended in recent times, their signature slogan has been: “La Raza unida nunca sera vencida!” (“The united [Hispanic] race will never be defeated!”)

HERE

Chicago Daily Herald

Lake Co. sheriff: Arrest shows ‘devastation’ of illegal immigrant crime

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said the recent arrest of a Franklin Park man is another example of the havoc wrought by illegal aliens who commit crimes. — Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said the recent arrest of a Franklin Park man is another example of the havoc wrought by illegal aliens who commit crimes. — Curran said Uscanga, who entered this country from Mexico, purchased the name and Social Security number…

HERE

Athens Banner Herald

Law change catches businesses off guard

Dozens of Athens business owners have been peppering the Athens-Clarke Finance Department with telephone calls and questions this year about a state law that now requires proof of U.S. citizenship to get a local “business license.”

The revised law, which took effect Jan. 1, requires the owner or manager of a business to file a notarized affidavit stating that he is a U.S citizen or a legal permanent resident to get a license.

The finance department issues annual occupation tax certificates – commonly called business licenses.

Workers in the finance office have been fielding dozens of calls about the citizenship affidavit since the new year started, Finance Director John Culpepper said.

“We received about 10 calls per day (last) week,” Culpepper said. “People who have been in business for (many years) are calling and asking, ‘Why are you requiring us to do this now?’ ”

Finance department officials mailed the renewal information Dec. 31 to 4,500 businesses and another 400 professional firms that were issued occupancy taxes in 2009.

The renewal notices include an application form, an affidavit sheet and information regarding the state law’s revision, which the Georgia General Assembly passed last year.

For applicants who claim legal permanent residency but who do not have U.S. citizenship, county officials must confirm the residency information by checking a database maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Culpepper said.

The affidavits are required in all Georgia municipalities that require businesses to pay occupation taxes.

Business owners pay according to how many employees they have, ranging from $52 to $3,622. The occupation tax rate for professionals is $400 per professional in a firm.

April 1 is the deadline for renewing occupation tax certificates this year.

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 HERE

Note to all: The Dustin Inman Society worked very hard on both the 2006 GSICA and last year’s HB 2. Most Public Benefits are denied to illegal aliens in federal law. Enforcement works. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED GET BOTH BILLS PASSED INTO LAW. It is what we do! INFO HERE

Chattanooga Time Free Press

Immigrant status law impacts class numbers
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

By:
Perla Trevizo (Contact)

Dalton State College lost about 55 percent of its English-as-a-second-language learners after a law went into effect that required proof of legal immigration status.

But school officials say they can’t attribute the entire loss to the law.

“Normally, we would enroll about 400 ESL students each quarter. Currently, we probably have about 180,” said Sherry Riley, adult education director for Dalton State. “A lot of it is the new law, but also it could be that people have moved away because of the lack of jobs here, so I think it’s a combination of both.”

Under House Bill 2, which went into effect Jan. 1, applicants for public benefits, including adult education, must sign a form notarized on site proving their legal status.

At Georgia Northwestern Technical College, where classes started Jan. 6, it’s too soon to determine the impact of the law, said Susan Hackney, vice president of the Office of Adult Education.

But she said “anecdotal information leads me to think that there will be a significant impact on our English language class enrollment, and a smaller impact on the Adult Basic Education and Adult Secondary Education enrollments,” she said.

During fiscal year 2009, the college, which covers several counties including Walker and Gordon, served 629 English language learners, or about 18.6 percent of the students who spent at least 12 hours in class, according to Ms. Hackney.

At the end of the first two quarters of fiscal year 2010, the English language learners totaled 404, or about 20 percent of the total, she said.

The bill is aimed at clarifying and “putting teeth” in the original 2006 Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act, said D.A. King, president of the Dustin Inman Society, a group that publicizes the consequences of illegal immigration.

PDF: House Bill 02
“The (federal) mandate is that post-secondary education is a public benefit and thereby denied to people who are in the country illegally,” he said. “We are trying to save taxpayer dollars in a budget crisis, and cutting off benefits to people who are not eligible is a very efficient way to do that.”

But people who work closely with the immigrant communities say it has created more fear and confusion.

“Some participants in our community meetings expressed being very sad, feeling excluded and rejected, not understanding why they’re punished for trying to do something positive,” said America Gruner, founder of the Coalition for Latino Leaders.

“The number of students in our English classes has increased since the requirement to show proof of immigration status was announced,” she said, “but CLILA’s message is that, even though this is a challenge, it is also an opportunity to develop alternative solutions together from the grass-roots community.”

The nonprofit group is among several organizations and churches that offer free English classes in the region. The coalition now offers classes twice a week and will add more as the number of volunteers increases, she said.

Martha Ann Robertson, who teaches English as a second language for the adult education program at Dalton State, said the new law hasn’t affected her job at the college.

She had 14 fewer students this quarter, mainly because she had five classes instead of six, she said.

And although she cares about her students, she said, she can’t judge the government.

“I have a personal interest in all of my students and I hate to see anybody have to stop an education program, but I really don’t feel it is my role to sit in judgment on decisions that were made by the Legislature,” said Ms. Robertson, who has taught in the adult education program for more than 30 years.

“I think they have a hard job to do. I don’t think I could handle it any better than the Legislature is handling it,” she said.

HOUSE BILL 2

As of Jan. 1:

Anyone applying for public benefits, except those exempted by federal law, is required to show they are lawfully in the United States.

Every public employer, or contractor doing work for a public employer, must verify employment eligibility of all newly hired workers by using the federal program E-Verify.

Law enforcement must try to determine the immigration status of prisoners in local jails who are charged with a felony or DUI or who are convicted of driving without a license. If jailers cannot verify status, they should contact the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

HERE