El Sol de Mexico (Mexico City) 3/9/10

The word, from the U.S. Ambassador

The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Pascual, dealt with various facets on the issue of immigration during a recent visit to the Mexican state of Zacatecas. While discussing them, he reportedly stated that there's no date for immigration reform; "it's most probable that the introduction of that program will wait until after this coming November."

http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldemexico/notas/n1549038.htm

Mexican females in the U.S.

Mexico's "Secretaria de Gobernacion" ("Dep't. of Government" ; no U.S. equiv.) reported that about 5.3 million Mexican women live in the United States, and that nearly 2.4 million of them are in the workforce in low skill jobs such as cleaning, food preparation, maintenance, and in agriculture and manufacturing, in part due to their status as "undocumented."

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Prensa Libre (Guatemala City, Guatemala) 3/9/10

Anarchy rules on the border

[Re the Guatemala-Mexico border] The anarchy that prevails on the borders of the country is the best ally of and a paradise for organized crime, which takes advantage of the situation to move across weapons, drugs, people and merchandise. A Guatemalan army report says that on the dividing line of the country's boundaries with Mexico, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras there are some 1,200 blind crossings, of which 125 can be used by vehicles. The only thing that separates many Guatemalan residential areas from Mexico are markers (see photo below) placed 200 meters apart; there's no other barrier, and anyone can cross on foot or in a vehicle, without any legal restriction.

According to Ubaldo Villatoro, Executive Director of Guatemala's National Migrations Board, at least 500 thousand undocumented, from Central and South America, Asia, and Africa, cross the country's borders each year.

http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/justicia/Desgobierno-impera-regiones-fronterizas_0_221377865.html

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Tiempo (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) 3/9/10

Double cocaine hauls

Two multi-national operations resulted in the seizure of over two tons of cocaine last weekend. First, a "go-fast" launch carrying 1.5 tons of the drug was intercepted in international waters of the Caribbean off Honduras. That one also netted four arrests. Then, on the Pacific side, off Panama, another suspect launch was chased; its crew of four Colombians managed to beach the boat and flee, but all were later captured by Panamanian police. That second boat was reported to have been loaded with 760 kilos of cocaine.  U.S. Coast Guard units took part in both events. The drug was being transported to the United States.

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La Cronica de Hoy (Mexico City) 3/9/10

Weed on the Pacific

A fishing boat carrying 3,625 kilos of marihuana was intercepted by Mexican military personnel near the town of Guerrero Negro. (Shown on the map to be the northern limits of Baja California Sur, on the Pacific Ocean side of the peninsula.)

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Frontera (Tijuana, Baja Calif.) & El Universal (Mexico City)

And more weed in Tijuana

At a warehouse for construction materials on the east side of Tijuana, police and soldiers found 4,630 kilos of weed and 30 kilos of "crystal." The custodian, a 56 yr. old Mexican, had a .38 revolver and a loaded AK47 rifle. The weed was in 444 packages.

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La Prensa Grafica (San Salvador, El Salvador) 3/9/10

El Salvador bleeding

Salvadoran police recorded twenty "violent deaths" during the past weekend. The year's tally of homicides has now reached 791. A group of the country's business leaders has criticized the government for its inability to contain the violence, while the president, during a meeting with Barack Obama, proposes more aid from the U.S. to confront the problem.

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El Universal (Mexico City) 3/9/10

Dissatisfaction with democracy

Abuse of power, corruption and broken promises are some of the reasons 70 percent of Mexicans are dissatisfied with their democracy, according to a recent poll. Those three items are the same as some of the answers given five years ago to questions concerning dissatisfaction with the government. The 70 percent figure is 11 points higher than in a survey taken in 2002. Fifty percent of those surveyed considered the government "unstable" or "very unstable." Some 21% consider the government stable, and the rest either had no opinion or did not answer. The poll's margin of error is 3.2%.

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/primera/34553.html

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Cambio de Michoacán (Morelia, Michoacán) 3/9/10

Political parties of Michoacán agree to be civil during 2010

The Electoral Institute of Michoacán and various officials of the political parties of the state agreed this morning to comply with all laws and to conduct themselves civilly in all political matters.

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La Jornada (Mexico City) 3/9/10

Police become gunfire targets

Four policemen, among them a group chief, have been shot and killed within the last 12 hours in Mazatlan, Sinaloa.

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 El Diario (Chihuahua City, Chih.) 3/9/10

Violence in a Chihuahua prison

Rival gangs of thugs in prison clashed at the "Cereso" (Mexico routinely call its jails "Cereso", an acronym for "Centro de Rehabilitacion Social") at the town of Aquiles Serdan, state of Chihuahua. The two sides are identified as the "Aztecs" and the "Mexicles", the latter affiliated with "La Linea", a larger organized crime group.) The conflict between the rival gang members produced five dead and 14 wounded, some of them critically.

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Diario de Guadalajara (Guadalajara, Jalisco) 3/9/10

H1N1 data from Jalisco

State health officials in Jalisco reported that a total of 4,261 persons in the state have suffered from the recent H1N1 virus and that, of these, 1,219 are current cases. Overall, sixteen deaths have resulted, the most recent one being on February 7^th. Yesterday the State Laboratory confirmed two new cases.

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El Financiero (Mexico City) 3/9/10

Disparity in health spending between US citizens and immigrants

According to a study titled "Gastos por el Cuidado a la Salud de los Inmigrantes en los Estados Unidos," in the year 2006, immigrants in the U.S. spent an average of $1,904 dollars on health care, while the average spent by U.S. citizens was $3,723. The report appears in the March issue of "Health Affairs."

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Commentary note:

New website emerges

There is a new (two day old) website that is dedicated to publishing recent photographs and videos of narcotraffickers, people smugglers and illegal aliens. The videos and photos are taken by hidden cameras along the U.S.-Mexico border, from San Diego, Calif., to Brownsville, Texas. Viewers will be stunned by what they see. The cameras record movements of armed thugs, vehicles laden with contraband, and other criminal acts.

The group is not affiliated with any militia, anti-illegal alien or other controversial organization. They are all citizens like us, who are alarmed by our government's failure to secure our borders.

The site is located at http://secureborderintel.org/

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- end of report -

The National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers (NAFBPO) extracts and condenses the material that follows from Mexican and Central and South American on-line media sources on a daily basis.

Plausible Deniability Ended

According to very reliable sources, the new editor of the Washington Times decided to lift the blackout of American Border Patrol, thus allowing its reporters to tell the truth about the border. The result was the publication of a story on March 1 in which Glenn Spencer, head of ABP, is quoted.

(click image to enlarge)

The story included a large map of the border fence (not shown in the online version).

The map is based entirely on ABP's Operation B.E.E.F. aerial survey that was conducted over a three-year period.

"This is a significant development because for the first time politicians, bureaucrats and reporters in Washington could see what is really going on at the border," Spencer said. Spencer said that although the Times map is not as precise as ABP's maps, its readers could easily access the source material on its Web site.

"Up to now those politicians, bureaucrats and reporters could accept claims by the Department of Homeland Security that it had built 670 miles of fence without fear of contradiction."

Spencer said. "Well, the era of plausible deniability is over."
ABP's maps show that the DHS built about 266 miles of new fencing (assuming the completion of work being done in Texas) - not 670 miles. Eighty miles of what DHS claims they built is ten-foot mat fencing that has been in place for more than twelve years and is easily climbed. About 320 miles of the DHS "fence" is actually vehicle barriers that people can step over, walk through or drive over using ramps.

Click to enlarge and view sector surveys

But I was still a little surprised when I spoke to a Black grassroots group recently to have all the African Americans there also accused. It now looks like pro-amnesty groups are willing to label as racist anybody who advocates for less immigration.

It kind of makes me laugh. But it really is despicable, because the ridiculous efforts to silence our side are not the work just of fringe activists but of the largest pro-amnesty organizations of America. These groups not only spread the same lies and libelous characterizations, but they orchestrate the McCarthyism tactics of intimidation and marginalization.

BLACK AND WHITE TAXPAYERS FIND COMMON GROUND

I was one of five panelists at a meeting of People For Change, a grassroots group in Prince George's County, Maryland -- probably the premier majority-Black county in America. Three of the speakers were Black and I was one of two White speakers. The moderator and leader of People For Change was Black, as are most members of that organization. Also present were members of a mostly-White grassroots organization called Help Save Maryland.

All of us were agreed in our concern for what large-scale illegal immigration was doing to costs for taxpayers and to services for the needy in Prince Georges County and in the whole state of Maryland.

Our calls for mandatory verification to keep illegal aliens out of jobs, and for the use of the SAVE system to keep them out of most public benefits, drew enthusiastic applause from the crowd.

BLACK AMERICANS WHO STAND UP FOR JOBLESS BLACKS OVER ILLEGAL ALIENS ACCUSED OF ACTING LIKE THE KKK

When the panelists were finished and the floor microphone was opened for questions, a middle-aged white woman stepped up and said:

I have always wanted my whole life to see the unity of Black and White workers.

It seemed like she was really impressed to see such a rare display of Black and White solidarity, comity and integration that was evident in the room that night. But she quickly continued:

"But this thing is more like a Klan rally."

The shocked audience groaned and then jeered her attempt to make a pro-illegal-immigration speech, finally allowing her to ask the panel a pointed question.

A number of Black citizens expressed amazement that they had for the first time in their lives been compared to the Ku Klux Klan. "I don't think I've ever been to a Klan rally before," one African-American man deadpanned after giving his name at the microphone and before asking his question.

Interspersed among the citizens asking questions about how to reduce the illegal population in the county, several more white women took to the microphone to accuse the Black citizens in the audience and the leadership of conspiring with the worst dregs of American society against the oppressed undocumented peoples of their community.

Despite the attempt by the white open-borders women to use race to divide the Americans in the audience that night, I saw no sign that any Black or White citizen grew any less resolute about their common cause to fight illegal immigration -- and to fight the local government efforts to encourage and reward illegal immigration.

Perhaps the most popular panelist was a Black woman who was fired from her county job for refusing to break the law to give unsanctioned benefits to illegal aliens.

Also, a big crowd-pleaser was dynamic Washington DC mayoral candidate Leo Alexander who said that Black Americans owe no apology to anybody for saying that the skyrocketing unemployment among fellow Black citizens has a higher priority claim than the needs of illegal foreign workers.

As strange as was the whole encounter, I have to say that it fits with nearly 20 years of experience I have had in which Black and Hispanic Americans who oppose illegal immigration come under the most withering attacks by the high-immigration activists. Even though Black and Hispanic workers are suffering by far the worst unemployment and are most directly affected by high immigration, it continues to take a lot of courage for U.S. citizens within these communities to speak up for themselves on immigration issues. The predominantly white high-immigration advocates' ridicule and condemnation of Black and Hispanic opponents of high immigration is unrelenting.

My summary of the evening would start with the opening sentence of the open-borders agitator: "I have always wanted my whole life to see the unity of Black and White workers." But my second sentence would be: "And I saw it at the immigration forum in Prince George's County."

ROY BECK is Founder & CEO of NumbersUSA

NumbersUSA's blogs are copyrighted and may be republished or reposted only if they are copied in their entirety, including this paragraph, and provide proper credit to NumbersUSA. NumbersUSA bears no responsibility for where our blogs may be republished or reposted.

     .

As if this weren't disturbing enough, state officials want to turn the illegal immigrants over to federal authorities but patient confidentiality laws forbid it because it would violate the illegal aliens' privacy.

The baffling information was revealed this week by a northern Florida newspaper that says the crisis puts the state at the forefront of a national debate over whether illegal immigrants should enjoy the same rights to public health care as legal residents.  

The Sunshine State annually spends about $165 million on healthcare for illegal immigrants. A chunk of that, nearly $20 million, was spent to provide mental health care at public institutions for at least 86 illegal aliens, according to a November survey quoted in the piece. The cost is likely much higher, authorities say, because there are probably more unidentified undocumented immigrants in custody.

This has presented a huge burden on the state's mental health resources and created a waiting list of 60 beds for those legal U.S. residents and citizens who need care. State lawmakers who oppose the current system have spoken out against it but failed to take action. The Republican who chairs Florida's healthcare policy committee points out that it would be more appropriate for the illegal immigrants to "go back to their countries and get treatment there," but so far has done nothing to remedy the situation.

U.S. taxpayers spend tens of billions of dollars annually to provide free medical care for illegal immigrants nationwide with states that border Mexico taking the biggest hit. The expense has become so unbearable in California-long an illegal alien sanctuary-that several municipalities eliminated the perk last year to save tens of millions of dollars in the midst of the state's dire financial crisis.

Adding to the problem is the fact that Mexico, the country that provides the largest amount of illegal immigrants in the U.S., has long promoted America's generous public health centers. It even operates a Spanish-language program (Ventanillas de Salud, Health Windows) in about a dozen U.S. cities that refers its nationals-living in the country illegally-to clinics where they can get free medical care without being turned over to immigration authorities.

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El Sol de Mexico (Ciudad de México) 3-8-10

Fortyfive percent of the Mexicans in the United States are women who live in very poor conditions, according to a Federal Government official.

Nearly 5.3 million Mexican women live in the United States without papers. California and Texas are the preferred states for establishing residence with Illinois, Georgia, New York, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Washington.

Of the Mexicans more than 24 years old, 60% do not have upper level
education (above 6th grade) while 13% of migrants from other regions of the world and 10% of U.S. citizens have the same level of education.  Seven percent of Mexicans in the USA have university educations.

The government points to the international economic crisis impacting Mexican "migrants" with unemployment at 14.6 percent.  Some 63% of the "migrants" are employed in maintenance, cleaning, food preparation, agriculture and manufacturing, while 13% are executives, professionals and technicians.

Less than 98% of the Mexicans in the United States take root and settle as aliens.

(Translator's note:  The Mexican government and the Mexican media make no distinction as to legality and illegality of its citizens in the USA.  So, the above statement; "Less than 98% of the Mexicans in the USA take root and settle as aliens", also means, "A little more than 2% of Mexicans who migrate legally and illegally to the United States ever intend to return to Mexico".)

A common theme among the major newspapers in Mexico today has to do with the inequality and abuse of women, unequal pay, domestic violence and disparity in society.

http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldemexico/notas/n1547956.htm

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Desparecidos

Camgio de Michoacán (Morelia, Michoacán) 3-8-10

In the last 4 years 480 people have disappeared in Michoacan, according to the Commission on Human Rights in Morelia.  The "disappearances" are the consequences of organized crime, says Raul Moron Orozco, the local representative of the Human Rights Commission.

http://www.cambiodemichoacan.com.mx/vernota.php?id=120009

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Narco Messages Appear

Diario de Guadalajara (Guadalajara) 3-8-10

More than a dozen written messages were posted around the city of
Guadalajara to President Felipe Calderon.  They were written in black
printed letters and posted in various public places.  The message:

"Mr. President Felipe Calderon:

With all the respect you merit, we ask you to permit us to help you stop the cancer of the country.  The poison you use to combat the poison will be the same poison we use against them.

Withdraw all Army and Marines.
Sincerely,
(Signed)
Cartels United Against the Zetas"

The messages seem to indicate that the investigative agencies of the state
should know that the cartels like the Sinaloa, Del Golfo and La Familia
Michoacán have made the decision to unite and to end the presence of Los Zetas in the country.

http://www.milenio.com/node/396801

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Fifty percent more deportations under Obama

Diario de Juarez (Cd Juarez, Chihuahua) 3-8-10

In 2009, 387,790 people were deported from the United States.  The previous year, under Bush, there were 264, 503 deportations.  (No source given)

http://www.diario.com.mx/

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Murder in Navajoa

El Imparcial (Hermosillo, Sonora) 3-8-10

Two people were murdered in Navajoa. Several subjects in a late model  red Ford Lobo fired at the men on a corner in Colonia Sonora. Fifty-one cases from an AK-47 and an AR 15 were recovered at the scene by agents from the State Prosecutor's Office.

http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Noticias/
08032010/434329.aspx

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Guaymas Prepares for Bikers

El Imparcial (Guymas, Sonora) 3-8-10

Later this year more than 400 motorcyclists will converge on Guaymas from Sonora, Baja California and Arizona.  It is expected that hotels in San Carlos will be filled to 70% capacity.

(Translator's note:  The lifeblood of Mexico could easily become the tourist industry.  The pristine beaches, abundance of game fish, clean
accommodations, good food and friendly people attract tourists from all over the world.  However, the Napoleonic justice system, corrupt officials, crooked businessmen and the narcotics related violence have greatly diminished tourism in the last decade.  The tourist potential of Mexico is world renowned but remains largely undeveloped due to myopic leadership and corrupt officials.)

http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Noticias/
08032010/434353.aspx

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"Don't Use Force" urges mining officials

El Imparcial (Hermosillo, Sonora) 3-8-10

Leaders of the mining industry in Cananea, Sonora, urge the government to use dialogue and not to use force in settling the mining dispute in Cananea.

http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Noticias/
08032010/434347.aspx

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National Association Of Former Border Patrol Officers
Visit our website: http://www.nafbpo.org
Foreign News Report

The National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers (NAFBPO) extracts and condenses the material that follows from Mexican and Central and South American on-line media sources on a daily basis. You are free to disseminate this information, but we request that you credit NAFBPO as being the provider.
To subscribe, click here

The Obama Regime has tapped Senators Charles Shumer D-NY and Lindsey Graham R-SC to create a Comprehensive Immigration Bill. The bill was supposed to have been introduced and passed into law during Obama's first year in office. But a little thing called "ObamaCare" and "ObamaCare 2.0" got in the way. Not to mention, a recession and, lest we forget -- the near total collapse of the American economic system. So, immigration was pushed back aways.

Well, this week, the President will be meeting with Shumer and Graham for a progress report on the immigration bill they have been working on.

I think we all are aware of what "revised" means to the Obama Regime. Think ObamaCare and ObamaCare 2.0. The latter was supposed to be the revised bill. It was, in fact, the original bill with a couple, or three, Republican suggestions thrown in to make it more palatable to the G OP and the American people. But, as nobody has actually seen a hard copy of the bill, doubt remains that ObamaCare 2.0 even exists.

Now we are to be presented with a "revised" version of The Amnesty Bill dating all the way back to the Bush Administration. Oh, it will be called something other than "The Amnesty Bill." In fact, they are already referring to it as "The Comprehensive Immigration Bill." But you and I know it is the same bill, the one we referred to as The Amnesty Bill.

Once again we will be called upon to rally and throw as many roadblocks as we can into the path of The NEW Amnesty Bill before the Obama forces can push the monstrosity through the Congress.

Many months ago Obama answered a reporter's question concerning so-called "immigration reform" which, translated, means: "Amnesty" for illegal aliens hiding in the US today. Here's what the President said:

"Now, am I going to be able to snap my fingers and get this done? No," said Obama. "This is going to be difficult; it's going to require bipartisan cooperation. There are going to be demagogues out there who try to suggest that any form of pathway for legalization for those who are already in the United States is unacceptable. And those are fights that I'd have to have if my poll numbers are at 70 or if my poll numbers are at 40. That's just the nature of the U.S. immigration debate. But ultimately, I think the American people want fairness," Obama continued. "And we can create a system in which you have strong border security, we have an orderly process for people to come in, but we're also giving an opportunity for those who are already in the United States to be able to achieve a pathway to citizenship so that they don't have to live in the shadows, and their children and their grandchildren can have a full participation in the United States. So I'm confident we can get it done."

That, dear reader, is the President of the US speaking.

I shouldn't have to ask this question, but it seems I must. Have you stopped to consider how many millions more will pile onto "the dole" US taxpayers will have to support if this NEW amnesty bill passes? 12 million is a drop in the bucket to the REAL figure, which you are NOT going to hear bandied about by this administration, nor the democrat/progressive/socialists in the Congress.

Just as we believe the REAL unemployment figure is closer to 20% than it is to the 9.7% being reported by the government, and the number of jobs lost last month, we believe, is closer to 50,000 than it is to the 36,000 the government reported, we believe the real figure representing illegal aliens in America today is closer to 36 million than to the 12 million, or so, the government has been reporting.

Obama and the democrats/progressives/socialists must REALLY think the average American is an idiot! Why, they are so disconnected from the reality in America today that they have no idea the odor they get a whiff of every now and again is the tar and feathers being prepared in their honor!

A few of the Congressmen and Senators attending some of the town hall meetings have felt the heat. But not enough - not nearly enough, to put the fear of God into them! A few of our nation's legislators have seen the handwriting on the wall and have already headed for the exits. They are not waiting for the political blood bath that awaits the Democratic Party this coming November AND the Republican Party, as well, if they do not shape up and listen to what their constituents are asking -- no -- demanding they do on ObamaCare AND on The New Amnesty Bill.

Senator Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, is in very hot water at home and his chances of surviving a challenge in November are certainly not assured. Graham has buddied around with Senator John McCain far too often and the folks at home are not happy about it - at all! He will be in even hotter water if he even hints at amnesty in the so-called Comprehensive Immigration Bill he and Senator Charles Shumer, of New York, are currently formulating.
It is incredible that Washington seems unable to sense the anger of the average US citizen toward relaxation of the immigration laws, especially toward the Hispanics who are flooding our country and straining our healthcare services, our educational services, and our welfare services to the breaking point? How can Congress and the President not know this? How?
Common sense dictates that they MUST know this. So, why the continued refusal to secure our southern border? Why not return those illegal aliens to Mexico or their country of origin? Instead, the US government is pushing for a law to make those who are already here illegally... legal? You have to wonder if they are nuts!
No, they are not nuts. As we have learned, they just don't care what you and I think, or want, or NOT want, as the case may be. We don't count with the current government. They are far smarter than we. They know far better than we what is good for us.

There is very little fear of our dissenting votes in Washington, anymore.

The progressive/socialists have managed to secure the votes of the less literate among us in such large numbers as to override our dissenting votes. We warned, months ago, that the progressive/socialists had dispatched armies of "helpers/organizers" into the field to register "new" voters from among those whose livelihood depends on the government check they receive the first of each month. And it worked in 2008.

Finally, consider this: When you add to those legions the millions of illegal aliens who will be voting for the progressive/socialists -- as soon as the Obama Regime pronounces them "legal," - one can readily see that you and I will be overruled at the ballot box in perpetuity.

If The New Amnesty Bill is passed we will truly lose what little bit of America we currently have left... forever.

--------------------------------------------

J. D. Longstreet is a conservative Southern American (A native sandlapper and an adopted Tar Heel) with a deep passion for the history, heritage, and culture of the southern states of America. At the same time he is a deeply loyal American believing strongly in "America First".

He is a thirty-year veteran of the broadcasting business, as an "in the field" and "on-air" news reporter (contributing to radio, TV, and newspapers) and a conservative broadcast commentator. 

Longstreet is a veteran of the US Army and US Army Reserve. He is a member of the American Legion and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.  A lifelong Christian, Longstreet subscribes to "old Lutheranism" to express and exercise his faith.

Articles by J.D. Longstreet are posted at: "INSIGHT on Freedom" at:

http://csadispatch.blogspot.com/

and at: "Hurricane Alley... by Longstreet" at:

http://dixican.wordpress.com/  

also at "The Carolina Post" at http://thecarolinapost.blogspot.com/  

and at numerous other conservative websites around the web.

   .

• House Passes Amended Jobs Bill; Senate to Act this Week
• House Poised to Act on Senate Health Care Bill
• United Kingdom May Deny Visas to Those Without Proof of Health Insurance
• New Polls Show Broad-Based Support for Immigration Enforcement
• Virginia Man Arrested for Helping Smuggle Somalis with Terrorist Ties into the U.S.
• True Immigration Reformer Rep. Nathan Deal to Retire from U.S. House
 

House Passes Amended Jobs Bill; Senate to Act this Week

On Thursday, March 4, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2847, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) $15 billion jobs bill. (Roll Call Vote #90, March 4, 2010). While the House tweaked the bill by extending a corporate tax break for an additional year (Politico, March 4, 2010), it failed to address the primary issue that FAIR has raised concerning the HIRE Act: the legislation completely omits any mandate that jobs created by the bill go to U.S. workers. (See FAIR's Legislative Updates: March 1, 2010; February 22, 2010).

The HIRE Act, which passed the Senate on February 24, contains two major tax provisions: (1) an exemption from payroll taxes for employers who hire new employees in 2010 and (2) a $1,000 tax credit for employers who keep those employees for at least 52 weeks. (Id.).  Unfortunately, the bill does not require that these new workers be legal or that employers use E-Verify to confirm their work authorization. (See FAIR's Legislative Update, February 16, 2010). FAIR has urged Congress to address these issues by amending the bill to (1) require employers seeking to receive benefits under the bill to use E-Verify and (2) bar employers who do not hire legal U.S. workers from receiving tax benefits. While both the House and the Senate failed to address these issues before passing the jobs bill, it is important to note that, since the House amended the bill, the Senate must pass the legislation a second time before it can be sent to the White House for the president's signature. Accordingly, senators will have at least one more opportunity to correct the problems in the bill.

Stay tuned to FAIR for the latest developments concerning the HIRE Act...

House Poised to Act on Senate Health Care Bill

The Senate health care bill, H.R. 3590, which still lacks adequate verification measures to prevent millions of illegal aliens from accessing taxpayer funded health benefits, is back.  (See FAIR's Legislative Analysis of H.R. 3590 for an in-depth analysis of the bill). President Obama is urging the House to pass the bill with no amendments by next Thursday, March 18^th.  (The Hill, March 4, 2010).

The Senate health care reform bill is problematic for several reasons:

Last December, the Senate debated H.R.3590 for weeks, but still refused to address immigration issues. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Senator John Ensign (R-NV) introduced amendments that would have significantly improved the immigration-related provisions in the bill, but leadership never allowed a vote on either amendment. (FAIR Legislative Update, December 14, 2009).  In fact, the Senate passed this massive legislation without ever acknowledging the significant immigration policy issues within the bill. Now, President Obama and Congressional leaders are putting intense pressure on members of the House to pass the Senate bill in its original form, including the verification loopholes.                       

If the House passes the Senate bill as-is, a separate bill would be needed to fix the issues House Democrats have with the bill.  However, such a bill would have to pass the mine-laden Senate where one Senator can prevent a vote. Senate rules require 60 votes to end a filibuster and proceed to a vote, but the Democrats lost their filibuster-proof majority with the January election of Senator Scott Brown (R-MA).  In an effort to bypass the 60 vote threshold, Senate leaders have indicated they are willing to pass health care legislation using the budget reconciliation process, which requires a simple majority, only 51 votes.   (Politico, March 3, 2010).    

Reconciliation, which was designed to pass budget and tax measures, is controversial for many reasons, and not all Senate Democrats have expressed willingness to use it.  Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told reporters last week that it is not "the best way to do this for a lot of reasons."  (ABC News, March 5, 2010).  Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) generally opposed using reconciliation to pass a comprehensive health care reform bill  (The Atlantic, March 5, 2010), but now suggests that the Democrats' plan to modify the bill through reconciliation is appropriate.  Id.  Meanwhile Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is seeking bipartisan support to block the Democrats from using reconciliation to pass healthcare.  (The Hill, March 5, 2010). 

Whether or not reconciliation is ultimately used, nothing can be done until the House passes the Senate health care bill with zero modifications.  If the House schedules a vote within the next two weeks as the president has requested, it is unlikely any debate or amendments will be allowed, including ones that address immigration in a way that protects the American taxpayer.  The new law will lack a meaningful and effective verification system, it will give the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) the power to waive any existing verification requirements, and it will fail to require that applicants for taxpayer-subsidized insurance verify their identity or eligibility for benefits.  (See FAIR's Legislative Analysis of H.R. 3590 for more information). 

Over the last few weeks, lawmakers and the president have engaged in an ongoing public debate about health care.  Unfortunately, they have remained silent on the immigration issues that FAIR and other groups have raised, and there is no indication that these issues will be addressed as the push to pass health care reform proceeds.  In fact, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said last week that immigration is not central to the Democrats' health care reform overhaul, even though it is an important issue to many in her caucus.  (See The Hill, March 2, 2010).  Though better than the bill passed in the House, the Senate bill falls short of true immigration reformers' expectations and full consideration of these concerns should be allowed before final passage.  (FAIR's Legislative Update, November 23, 2009). 

Stay tuned to FAIR for the latest on immigration and health care reform...

United Kingdom May Refuse Entry to Those Without Health Insurance

As the United States Congress debates health care reform legislation, our friends across the pond are struggling to deal with crippling debt within their own government-run health care system.  To lower costs, United Kingdom's Department of Health has released new proposals that would require visitors to hold health insurance before they can enter the country.  (BBC News, February 26, 2010). The proposals are aimed at "health tourists" who come to the UK for treatment but then fail to pay for it. Id.

There are currently few barriers to access to health care in the UK, as the National Health Service provides that anyone who intends to live permanently in the country is entitled to free treatment.  (Department of Health).  Each hospital has broad discretion in determining an individual's eligibility, which can be shown with anything from a receipt showing the shipment of goods to proof the person is seeking employment.  Id. Under a separate review of immigration regulations, the UK is also considering refusing entry to foreigners who already owe the government for treatment.  Each year, the government is saddled with 5 million pounds from unpaid bills racked up by foreign nationals.  (BBC News, February 26, 2010). According to the Department of Health, 50% of outstanding bills are not paid within a year of treatment and about 5% of overseas patients have three or more unpaid invoices.  Id.

If the proposals are approved, the UK's National Health Service (NHS) would provide a list of aliens with health care debts to immigration officials, who would then prevent them from reentering the country without paying their treatment bills.  (BBC News, February 26, 2010).  In addition to refusing entry to those lacking health insurance or with unpaid bills, the proposals also provide that those currently in the UK will be refused any extension to their visa while long term foreign residents applying for British citizenship will be refused until they settle their debt. The proposals would mark a dramatic change to the government's existing immigration policy, and would explicitly add provisions to the UK's immigration rules that a record of failing to discharge payment obligations to NHS will impact a person's ability to enter and stay in the country.  (Telegraph, February 27, 2010).

The suggested reforms are a concession by NHS that its universal health care has attracted a number of foreign visitors who deliberately abuse the system and leave the government to deal with the debt.  Past incidents include an overseas businessman who received treatment worth 55,000 pounds and a pregnant woman who left an unpaid bill of 5,000 pounds after coming to Britain for the sole purpose of giving birth.  (Telegraph, February 27, 2010).  Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said of the proposals, "The government believes that those who take advantage of our hospitality should respect that hospitality or face consequences."  (BBC News, February 26, 2010).  Health minister Mike O'Brien added, "We cannot afford to be an international health service, providing free treatment for all."  Id.

This news comes the same week that Woolas stirred debate with comments he made about the U.K.'s immigration system. In an interview with the BBC, the Immigration Minister said that his own family and children had "suffered" from the country's immigration policies. (Telegraph, February 25, 2010).  Woolas acknowledged that the sudden influx of large numbers of aliens had had an effect on communities and unemployment, stating, "if you get a big influx of people coming an area...that is the price you pay."  Id.  He refused to expand on his comments, but he is not the first Labour minister to concede that immigration has negatively impacted British towns and cities.  Last December, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that immigration had "cost" parts of Britain by impacting jobs and wages. Id.  And Home Secretary for the Conservative Party Chris Grayling recently stated that "There is no question that immigration has put huge pressure on our public services. How can a Minister defend a policy that he admits his own family has suffered from?"  Id.

The proposals from NHS suggest that the British government is struggling to address a problem that could jeopardize the future viability of its government-run health care system, especially as surveys suggest that up to one in five people regularly travel without any form of insurance at all.  (Telegraph, February 27, 2010).  Shadow immigration minister Damian Green was vocal in his criticism of current policy, stating that "It is clear that the Government's open-door immigration policy has resulted in significant burdens on our public services, including the NHS."  Id.

New Polls Show Broad-Based Support for Immigration Enforcement

While pro-amnesty advocates increase their pressure on the Obama Administration to pass "comprehensive immigration reform," recent polls show strong support for immigration enforcement, even among minorities, business executives, union members, and parishioners. In February, Zogby released the results of a survey of roughly 700 Hispanic, 400 African-American, and 400 Asian-American likely voters. The Zogby poll found that, when asked to choose between enforcement that would cause illegal aliens in the country to go home or offering them an amnesty, 52 percent of Hispanics, 57 percent of Asian-Americans, and 50 percent of African-Americans support the enforcement option. (CIS Backgrounder, February 2010). A Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) analysis of the poll results concluded that despite the perception that minority voters support amnesty as a monolithic bloc, the reality is that minorities "want enforcement and less immigration." (Id.).

Another Zogby poll released in February illustrates the gap between pro-amnesty special interests and the people that these groups purport to represent. Special interest business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition often team with special interest labor groups like the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union to lobby Congress in support of amnesty and in opposition to immigration enforcement. However, the Zogby poll found that 59 percent of executives (e.g., CEOs, CFOs, etc.), 67 percent of small business owners, and 58 percent of union households support enforcement of our immigration laws over granting amnesty to illegal aliens. (CIS Backgrounder, February 2010).  

In addition, a December Zogby poll of 42,026 likely voters similarly found that most parishioners and congregants would choose a policy of immigration enforcement that would cause illegal aliens to go home over an amnesty program. These results conflict with policies supported by many religious leaders, who have actively lobbied for passage of an amnesty. According to the Zogby poll, 64 percent of Catholics, 64 percent of "Mainline" Protestants, 76 percent of "Born-Again" Protestants, and a 43 percent plurality of Jews chose the enforcement option over amnesty. (CIS Backgrounder, December 2009).

One of the main reasons such a wide range of Americans favor immigration enforcement over amnesty is that the American people generally see illegal immigration as a strain on the U.S budget. A March 3 national telephone survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports found that "67 percent of U.S. voters say that illegal immigrants are a significant strain on the U.S. budget." (Rasmussen Reports, March 3, 2010). Of voters polled, two-out-of-three (66 percent) said the availability of government money and services draw illegal immigrants to the United States and 68 percent said gaining control of the border is more important than legalizing the status of undocumented workers already living in the United States. (Id.). Of particular importance, 80 percent of voters said the issue of immigration will be somewhat important in determining how they will vote in the next congressional election; half (50 percent) said it will be very important to them. (Id.).

Virginia Man Arrested for Helping Smuggle Somalis with Terrorist Ties into the U.S.

A Virginia man who has admitted contacts with an Islamic terrorist group has been charged with helping 270 Somalis enter the United States illegally.  (The Examiner, February 23, 2010).  Anthony Joseph Tracy allegedly moved to Kenya last April to set up a business that procured fraudulent Cuban travel visas for Somalis. These Somalis would travel from Kenya to Cuba and then illegally enter the United States through Mexico.   (Fox News, February 23, 2010).  The criminal complaint alleges that Tracy provided fraudulent information to his contacts in the Cuban Embassy in order to gain the visas and that he knew that the U.S. was the Somalis' intended final destination.  The complaint also states Tracy obtained fraudulent visas for as many as ten Somalis a week, charging between $100 and $1,000 for the fake documents.  Id.  Federal agents arrested Tracy last month after returning to the United States.

Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) is searching for the almost 300 Somalis who illegally entered the U.S. with Tracy's assistance, but have yet to locate any of the suspected illegal aliens.  Id.  The search has taken on a troubling significance, as federal officials have uncovered what appear to be ties between Tracy and Al-Shabaab, a Somali group that declared an alliance with al-Qaeda earlier this year. According to court documents, Tracy told authorities that while living in Kenya he was contacted by Al-Shabaab. Id.  At least one ICE agent has testified that the agency is "concerned" about the 35 year-old man's dealings with the terrorist group, despite Tracy's claim during a polygraph that he "refused to help them" when they approached him and asked for his assistance.  Id.  But an email Tracy wrote suggests otherwise, "i helped alot of somalis and most are good but there are some who are bad and i leave them to ALLAH."  (The Examiner, February 23, 2010).  Tracy's emails and information on Facebook indicate that the Somalis have spread across the country and are living in New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Arizona. 

Tracy, who served time in prison in the 1990s and converted to Islam while incarcerated, is not the first American with suspected ties to al-Shabaab, as the FBI has been investigating for over a year how more than 20 young Somali-Americans from Minnesota were recruited to train and fight alongside the terrorist group in Somalia.  (Fox News, February 23, 2010).  That investigation resulted in 14 men being charged with terrorism-related offenses.  Several months ago, FOX News reported that law enforcement officials were concerned that al-Shabaab fighters could be smuggled into the United States to launch attacks.  Id.  An official with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told FOX News, "It's certainly something that quite plainly is definitely on the radar.  We're alert to that and doing our part to make sure that we address that threat."  Id.  FOX News also reported that last February, CBP sent an alert to its offices about al-Shabaab that stated, "It is feared that U.S. citizens and residents are being called to action in Somalia, as well as to support the illegal migration of Somalis to the United States."  Id.  Tracy, who federal prosecutors describe as a public threat and a flight risk, is currently being held without bail.

True Immigration Reformer Rep. Nathan Deal to Retire from U.S. House

On Monday March 1, Congressman Nathan Deal (R-GA) announced that he will soon resign from the U.S. House of Representatives so that he can devote his "full energies" to his campaign for the Georgia governorship. (USA Today, March 1, 2010). While it was initially reported that Deal's resignation would be effective March 8, Deal has since said that he will postpone his resignation in order to participate in an upcoming vote on health care reform legislation. (Rome News-Tribune, March 4, 2010).

Over the course of his 18 year career in the House, Rep. Deal has been a strong and consistent voice in the fight for true immigration reform. Rep. Deal has repeatedly authored legislation (e.g., H.R. 1868) that would end the automatic granting of U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal alien parents. (See FAIR's Legislative Update, June 1, 2009). Recently, Deal fought to incorporate common-sense immigration policy into health care reform legislation by: (1) offering an amendment that would have ensured that illegal aliens would not be able to access taxpayer-subsidized health care benefits through Medicaid (See FAIR's Legislative Update, August 3, 2009) and (2) pushing the U.S. Senate to adopt stronger citizenship verification requirements even after the House had already passed its health care bill. (See Rep. Deal's Letter, November 18, 2009). 

To appease the influential La Raza movement, the commander-in-chief met privately with his staff this week to devise a measure that will grant United States citizenship to the country's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, according to a major newspaper that published interesting tidbits about the secret gathering. 

Among them is that the administration has planned a huge immigration rally in Washington D.C. later this month to "spotlight the issue and build needed momentum." It will be made clear however, that citizenship will not be "granted lightly" and that illegal aliens must register, pay taxes and pay a penalty for violating the law.

Visibly overwhelmed with national security, the ailing economy, sky-rocketing unemployment and other hot-button issues, Obama is dedicating resources to immigration reform because the powerful La Raza lobby is growing impatient and pressuring him to fulfill his campaign promise to legalize the undocumented.

The movement's most powerful group, the extremist Mexican National Council of La Raza, has actually launched a campaign (Let's Remind Him) with an action center that trashes the president for betraying Latinos. It posts a video of Obama as a presidential candidate promising that immigration reform would be a "top priority" in his first year as commander-in-chief and sarcastically states that "sometimes we all get so busy we forget the promises we've made."

A well-known immigration rights community organizer in Chicago claims that Obama's oblivion to the "pain wrought by our broken immigration system" could have a profound effect on the 2010 and 2012 elections. In a piece published this week in a major newspaper, the director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights warns the president that if he fails to pass immigration reform he can say "adios" to the Hispanic vote in 2012.

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Recently, the FAIR Government Relations team has been working closely with Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) and his staff to put forth commonsense solutions to immigration-related issues. Specifically, FAIR has strongly endorsed two bills, both sponsored by Rep. Tiahrt, that would help enforce the federal restriction on in-state tuition for illegal aliens and reinstate effective citizenship verification under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

RELATED:

Cost to Taxpayers 

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On Wednesday, January 27, Rep. Tiahrt - along with Congressmen Rodney Alexander (R-LA), Brian Bilbray (R-CA), and Duncan Hunter (R-CA) - introduced H.R. 4548, the "Fairness for American Students Act." H.R. 4548 would amend current federal law to clarify that illegal aliens attending a postsecondary educational institution are ineligible for in-state tuition unless the institution offers those rates to all American citizens.

The Fairness for American Students Act would help American students challenge the granting of in-state tuition to illegal aliens by creating a civil cause of action for citizens who suffer financially by not receiving in-state tuition from a college or university that simultaneously grants such benefits to illegal aliens. Finally, H.R. 4548 would bar any college or university that provides in-state tuition to illegal aliens from receiving any Federal funding. FAIR President Dan Stein has noted that these provisions are "consistent with the belief held by millions of Americans that our government should not subsidize and reward illegal immigration." Since the bill's introduction, five more Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors, including Reps. Dan Burton (R-IN); Walter Jones (R-NC); Kenny Marchant (R-TX); Gary Miller (R-CA); Christopher Lee (R-NJ); and Buck McKeon (R-CA).

Less than one month after introducing H.R. 4548, Rep. Tiahrt introduced another strong piece of legislation - H.R. 4708, the "Reinstatement of Personal Responsibility for Immigrants Act." H.R. 4708 would reverse several troubling changes that were made to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) when President Obama signed the SCHIP Reauthorization bill into law in February 2009. Specifically, the Reinstatement of Personal Responsibility for Immigrants Act would require applicants for taxpayer-subsidized benefits under SCHIP to be verified through a well-established verification system that requires applicants to present documentation to establish both their identity and citizenship.

In addition, the legislation would reinstate the five-year waiting period before legal immigrants could access benefits under SCHIP. Finally, the bill would require that legal immigrants who apply for SCHIP have their eligibility verified through the proven Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system. In a letter of support for H.R. 4708, FAIR President Dan Stein argued that the bill would "not only help prevent illegal aliens from unlawfully accessing taxpayer-funded benefits, [but would also] enforce a long-standing policy that legal aliens should not be admitted to the United States unless they are able - with the support of their sponsors - to be self-sufficient." Reps. Bilbray and Jones have already signed on as co-sponsors of H.R. 4548, as well as Reps. Sue Myrick (R-NC); Dean Heller (R-NV); and Doug Lamborn (R-CO).

Border Patrol agents seized over 14,937 pounds of marijuana and 64.9 pounds of ecstasy. Agents arrested 19 criminal aliens and 9 gang members. There were 3 rocking incidents.

Reported on February 25, 2010

Blaine Sector - Border Patrol agents seized 64.9 pounds of Ecstasy (MDMA) near Columbia Valley, Washington. Agents received information regarding an abandoned load of narcotics, and found the ecstasy when they responded to the area.

Miami Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested six suspected illegal aliens after the Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine reported a go-fast vessel near Homestead, Florida. A search of the vessel revealed approximately 100 pounds of marijuana. 

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Nogales, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence in the State of California, and had been previously removed from the United States. 

Yuma Sector - Border Patrol agents seized 1,242 pounds of marijuana and recovered a stolen Chevrolet Tahoe near San Luis, Arizona. When the agents approached, two subjects abandoned the vehicle and fled into Mexico. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed the marijuana. 

Reported on February 26, 2010 

El Paso Sector - Border Patrol agents discovered several subjects attempting to cut the border fence with bolt cutters near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. As agents responded, the subjects assaulted the agents with rocks. An agent deployed less-lethal munitions to stop the assault and the subjects dispersed towards a nearby residence in Mexico. 

Rio Grande Valley Sector - Border Patrol agents seized 1,687 pounds of marijuana, a tractor trailer, and arrested a national of El Salvador at the traffic checkpoint near Falfurrias, Texas. The subject presented himself for inspection and a Border Patrol canine alerted to the trailer. A scan using non-intrusive inspection technology revealed anomalies in the trailer and a search by agents revealed the marijuana. 

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Casa Grande, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had numerous violent felony convictions, to include a conviction for murder, and had been previously removed from the United States. 

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Douglas, Arizona. During processing, the subject admitted to being a Sureño 13 gang member and records checks revealed he had a prior conviction for assault in the State of Arizona. 

Reported on February 27, 2010 

El Paso Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Rodeo, New Mexico. Records checks revealed the subject had multiple prior felony convictions, to include attempted sexual abuse in the State of Arizona, and that he had been previously removed from the United States. 

Laredo Sector - Border Patrol agents seized $76,771, a tractor-trailer, and arrested a United States Citizen (USC) and 22 illegal aliens from Mexico at the traffic checkpoint near Laredo, Texas. The USC driver of the tractor-trailer presented himself for inspection and a Border Patrol canine alerted to the trailer. A search revealed the 22 subjects hiding in the trailer. 

Rio Grande Valley Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Honduras near Brownsville, Texas. During processing, the subject admitted to being a Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) gang member, and records checks revealed he had been previously removed from the United States. 

Rio Grande Valley Sector - Border Patrol agents seized 3,263 pounds of marijuana, a tractor trailer, and arrested a USC at the traffic checkpoint near Falfurrias, Texas. The subject presented himself for inspection and a Border Patrol canine alerted to the trailer. A scan using non-intrusive inspection technology showed anomalies in the trailer and a subsequent search by agents revealed the bundles of marijuana. 

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Ajo, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for communicating with a minor for immoral purposes in the State of Washington. The subject had also been previously removed from the United States. 

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Ajo, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for child molestation and had been previously removed from the United States. 

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from El Salvador near Douglas, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for felony sexual abuse in the State of Utah and had been previously removed from the United States. 

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Willcox, Arizona. During processing, the subject admitted to being a 38th Street gang member. Records checks revealed he had multiple convictions for possession of assault weapons and participation in a criminal street gang. The subject served time in a U.S. prison, and had been previously removed from the United States.

Reported on February 28, 2010

Marfa Sector - Border Patrol agents seized 199 pounds of marijuana and arrested six illegal aliens from Mexico near Valentine, Texas. Agents observed the group carrying the marijuana and effected the arrest.

Rio Grande Valley Sector - Border Patrol agents seized 2,957 pounds of marijuana, a tractor trailer, and arrested a USC at the traffic checkpoint near Falfurrias, Texas. The subject presented himself for inspection and a Border Patrol canine alerted to the trailer. A scan using non-intrusive inspection techniques showed anomalies in the trailer and a search by agents revealed the bundles of marijuana.

San Diego Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near San Diego, California. During processing, the subject admitted to being a Latin Kings gang member. Records checks revealed he had an extensive criminal history and had been previously removed from the United States.

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from El Salvador near Naco, Arizona. During processing, the subject admitted to being an MS-13 gang member. Records checks revealed he had three prior convictions for selling and furnishing marijuana in the State of California and had been previously removed from the United States.

Reported on March 1, 2010

Rio Grande Valley Sector - Border Patrol agents seized 1,699 pounds of marijuana, a tractor trailer, and arrested a USC at the traffic checkpoint near Falfurrias, Texas. The subject presented himself for inspection and a Border Patrol canine alerted to the trailer. A scan using non-intrusive inspection technology revealed anomalies in the trailer and a subsequent search by agents revealed the bundles of marijuana.

Rio Grande Valley Sector - Border Patrol agents seized 1,566 pounds of marijuana and a Ford van near Weslaco, Texas. Agents observed the vehicle when it was being loaded with marijuana at the border, and as it proceeded northbound. When agents approached, the driver of the vehicle turned southbound, abandoned the vehicle at the river, and absconded into Mexico.

San Diego Sector - Border Patrol agents reported that two illegal aliens who were arrested near Chula Vista, California claimed that three armed bandits chased them from Mexico into the United States and searched them for valuables. The information about the alleged robbery was turned over to local law enforcement officers.

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Why, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for sexual battery and failure to register as a sex offender in the State of California and had been previously removed from the United States.

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents seized 1,139 pounds of marijuana near Pia Oik, Arizona. Agents tracked an unknown number of individuals until the subjects abandoned the narcotics and absconded.

Reported on March 2, 2010

El Paso Sector - Border Patrol agents were assaulted by several unidentified subjects throwing rocks near Sunland Park, New Mexico. Agents deployed a Pepperball Launching System and the subjects stopped the assault and dispersed further into Mexico.

Marfa Sector - Border Patrol agents seized three pounds of marijuana, nearly one pound of hashish, a Nissan Altima, and arrested three USCs at the traffic checkpoint near Sierra Blanca, Texas. Two of the subjects were associated with the Sureño 13 gang.

San Diego Sector - Border Patrol agents rescued an illegal alien from Mexico near Chula Vista, California. The subject sustained injury in the Otay Mountains prior to his arrest. When agents located the subject, they carried him to safety where he was subsequently transported to a local hospital and admitted for treatment.

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near San Miguel, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for sexual assault of a child and two outstanding arrest warrants issued in the State of Texas.

Reported on March 3, 2010

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents seized 1,085 pounds of marijuana and recovered a stolen vehicle near Gila Bend, Arizona. The vehicle was found abandoned and the marijuana was discovered inside.

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Sells, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for attempted murder in the State of California and had been previously removed from the United States.

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Nogales, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for sex with a minor in the State of California and had been previously removed from the United States.

Tucson Sector - Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Whetstone, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for child molestation in the State of Rhode Island and had been previously removed from the United States.

*This overview is compiled from incidents reported to the Office of Border Patrol and is not intended to reflect all Border Patrol enforcement actions. Most arrests and seizures fail to meet the requirements for mandatory reporting to the Office of Border Patrol. 

Since we've outsourced millions of well-paying American jobs overseas, the one asset we have to maintain our American standard of living is innovation superiority. The United States is the world's leader in technology innovation, which is due to our private enterprise economic system, our constitutional protections of private property, and most especially our unique system of granting patents to inventors.

Other countries can produce things we invent more cheaply because of the pitiful wages they pay, but they have a dismal record of inventing anything. Lacking expertise in innovation, some foreign countries concentrate on stealing ours.

Communist China is the world's top producer of illegal copies of music, movies, software, designer apparel, medicines, and other U.S. products. Chinese agents stole or illegally purchased high-tech machines and systems, restricted electronic components, embargoed components for military weapons, and communications systems, in order to copy them.

Now that Communist China has become America's banker, China is flexing its muscles in a new way that threatens our economy and our jobs. The buzzword is "indigenous innovation."

China has promulgated new anti-American trade rules that prohibit imports of our products unless they are based on intellectual property that is developed and/or owned in China, and associated trademarks are originally registered in China.

These rules mean that U.S. products cannot be sold in China unless the U.S. companies give China their current patents plus their research and development of new products. This targets our most innovative manufacturing and service industries, including computers, software, and telecommunications.

The Chinese government has issued a catalog of products that are subject to this obnoxious rule, and the list is expected to be expanded soon to other industries. China's "indigenous innovation" rule will exclude many major U.S. firms from the Chinese market or require them to give China their patents and advanced technology.

Yongshun Cheng, former senior judge and deputy director of the Intellectual Property Division of Beijing High People's Court, stated bluntly that the proposed U.S. patent bill is bad news for American innovation and good news for foreign infringers. He pointed out that the bill "is friendlier to the infringers than to the patentees in general as it will make the patent less reliable, easier to be challenged, and cheaper to be infringed."

President Obama has promised that exports are the key to our recovery from the current recession. But China's "China First" policy drives a dagger into our hope for more exports. Free trade now means free to China.

Nineteen U.S. trade associations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Business Roundtable, signed a joint letter to six Obama Administration agencies calling China's behavior "alarming." The letter warns that this rule poses "an immediate danger to U.S. companies" and to their "ability to create jobs here at home."

The longtime consensus among government and business elites has been that as China became richer, its interests would become more like ours. It didn't work out that way because China is a Communist totalitarian country striving for military and economic superiority.

Our American patent system is a precious American property right which the Founding Fathers put into the U.S. Constitution even before they added freedom of religion and speech. The inventor's exclusive right to his discovery for limited times was unique in 1787; it still is unique, and 220 years of experience have proved it is the world's best system because the overwhelming majority of great inventions are American.

Our successful system is under attack not only by the foreigners who want to steal our innovations, but also by some big corporations. Most of our breakthrough inventions have come, not from big corporations, but from independent inventors and small companies.

The big corporations, however, have the lobbyists and the lawyers, and they are breathing hard on Congress to change our patent law to make it easier to challenge the patents granted to small inventors. The big corporations want to challenge a patent after it is issued (known as post-grant review), thereby delaying for many years the inventor's ability to use his own invention and forcing him to spend a fortune on litigation.

Congress should hold a new hearing to listen to the views of real inventors. We also want to hear what the Obama Administration and Congress will do to protect U.S. innovation, inventors and small businesses from Chinese theft and arrogant attempts to force us to give away all our patents.

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Further reading:

• Patent Rights
• Opposition Mounts to Patent Reform Act of 2009

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Phyllis Schlafly has been a national leader of the conservative movement since the publication of her best-selling 1964 book, A Choice Not An Echo. She has been a leader of the pro-family movement since 1972, when she started her national volunteer organization now called Eagle Forum. In a ten-year battle, Mrs. Schlafly led the pro-family movement to victory over the principal legislative goal of the radical feminists, called the Equal Rights Amendment. An articulate and successful opponent of the radical feminist movement, she appears in debate on college campuses more frequently than any other conservative. She was named one of the 100 most important women of the 20th century by the Ladies' Home Journal.

It all came about because of the impatience with racially discriminatory merchants and costumers. If they were understood as having firm private property rights, they would have to have their racist practices protected by law, which the courts were unwilling to sanction (unlike the protection of porn!). In particular, in a decision by the United States Supreme Court, handed down invalidating a law enacted by referendum in California pertaining to the right of people to sell their property to whomever they choose, Justice Byron White explained that the California law (Art. I, Sec. 26) enacted via Proposition 14 (in 1964) "authorized private discrimination," even though, he added dubiously, only "encouraging, rather than commanding" it. (Actually it only tolerated it!) He added:

The right to discriminate, including the right to discriminate on racial grounds, was now embodied in the state's basic charter, immune from legislative, executive, or judicial regulation at any level of the state government.

And for him, a loyal modern liberal justice, that was unacceptable! Yet that is exactly what is entailed in the notion of a right - its exercise, wisely or unwisely, is shielded from others' interference. Justice White himself made this evident, albeit disapprovingly, when he observed: "Those practicing racial discrimination need no longer rely solely on their personal choice. They could now invoke express constitutional authority, free from censure or interference of any kind from official source". And what's wrong with that? It's the same with everything else objectionable the constitution protects, such a flag burning.

Notice that by prohibiting racial discrimination as a matter of legal mandate, the court removed the issue from the realm of morality or ethics. How could one freely make a personal choice to discriminate (or not) if government has the legitimate power to stop one from discriminating not as a government official but as a private citizen, within one's private domain? If I want to restrict the potential buyers of my home to only Mormons or White Protestants or Hungarian refugees, that ought to be my business, no one else's. But no, the Supreme Court of the supposedly freest country of the world chose to prohibit bad choices by its citizens. That is exactly like censorship by the government, plain and simple. And recall how so many American commentators were appalled at how Muslims reacted to the Danish cartoons that made fun of Islam! For Muslims what the cartoonists and the papers that published them did was every bit as awful as racial discrimination was to Justice White and his colleagues on the Supreme Court.

Now back to Starbucks and gun rights. Turns out that because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects individual Americans who want to own and carry firearms, this now means Starbucks isn't free to decide about whether its costumers may do so in its coffee shops. Why? Because these shops are "affected with the public interest," because they are located on streets which are public spheres and because government regulates them. Here are proprietors who want to apply their own, possibly sound standards of safety within the establishment they own and aren't permitted to do so because, well, the property is no longer deemed to be really theirs at all but part of the public sphere (square).

Slowly and surely everything in the country will come under public - that is, government - jurisdiction, treated as if it were a courthouse or some other sphere where public administration goes on. The logic of the slippery slope is inescapable here. Moreover, if public officials make bad decisions, they will drag the entire country down since there will not be any private sphere left where those, like the owners of Starbucks, could institute practices that could well make better sense than what the public officials insist everyone must adopt.

One of the ways a free society deals with dubious practices by private citizens is to protect the liberty of those who find fault with such practices to protest, including by refusing to allow them in their own private spheres such as their places of business. But because this principled approach does not immediately do away with some of the despicable practices of the citizenry, such as racism in commerce, the eager beavers have now thrown the baby out with the bathwater, sacrificed individual liberty for the sake of coerced decency. This is exactly like when others abandon liberty for the sake of security. Plague on them both.

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Some of the criminal aliens who were arrested were citizens of African and Middle Eastern countries. Considering the close call on Christmas Day of last year at the hands of a Nigerian citizen when an airliner was nearly destroyed as it prepared to land in Detroit, note that a number of the aliens who were arrested in these publicized field operations were apparently citizens of "Special Interest" countries - those that have ties to terrorist organizations. Both California and Texas are border states and while the information contained in the press released failed to identify the specific countries the aliens came from, it would be interesting to know if they entered the United States via the inspections process or by running our nation's borders. I am willing to bet that at least some of these aliens had run the border, making it clear that the porous nature of our nation's borders provide access to aliens who are not simply intent on doing menial jobs in the United States.

Also, criminal aliens who are deported and unlawfully reenter the United States can be subject to a maximum of 20 years in prison for the single crime of felony reentry. This particular point provides me with a great deal of satisfaction because I coordinated an effort in the early 1980s to convince then New York Sen. Al D'amato to rewrite the immigration laws to distinguish aliens who had been convicted of felonies who are deported and subsequently reenter the United States unlawfully from aliens who have no such previous criminal histories. This is not about patting myself on the back, but rather to show how laws can be written to deal effectively with important issues that threaten national security and the safety of our citizens.

Additionally, it is important to consider the mention of the 287(g) program at the conclusion of these press releases and the fact that ICE acknowledges that:

 "...Sadly, many of the people victimized by aliens who commit crimes are other members of the immigrant community, who are following the rules."

When criminal aliens enter our country, all who live in the United States are placed at risk, but the risk is often greater for the immigrant community.

This why it is astounding that the open borders advocates often vilify those of us who seek to insure our nation's borders are secure and the immigration system has integrity by referring to us as being "anti-immigrant."

I am also at a loss to understand how anyone in the law enforcement profession could possibly oppose the effective use of the immigration laws to thwart the efforts of criminal aliens who are operating, often with near impunity, in communities across our country.

The 287(g) program, under which local law enforcement officers are trained to identify criminal aliens, could be a force multiplier for ICE and the involved police departments. Here are 7 reasons why local law enforcement should welcome the advantages that the 287(g) program would provide:

Access to immigration files can provide investigative leads when a criminal alien is being sought as a fugitive or a suspect of a crime.

Access to immigration files can also provide vital information to a judge when a criminal alien is arrested and the judge is attempting to set the appropriate bail. The immigration file can provide documented evidence of risk of flight based on numerous identities the defendant may have previously used, occasions when the defendant jumped bail in an immigration matter and filed to appear for an immigration hearing. The file can also provide evidence of prior deportations. This could help to prevent those tragedies in which a criminal alien is arrested and then released on bail, only to commit another heinous crime while out on bail.

If a plea bargain is being arranged, local and state prosecutors should work in close cooperation with federal immigration counsels to make certain that in the process of working out a plea-bargain agreement that they don't inadvertently eliminate a conviction for a crime that would render the alien deportable.

Working cooperatively with ICE, it would be easier to cultivate informants. Informants are often essential to the successful investigation and prosecution of criminals and criminal organizations as well as terrorists and their associates. The immigration laws provide a huge "carrot" as well as a huge "stick" to this end.

There are a number of laws that can be used to hammer criminal aliens under the federal code. For example, the penalty for an illegal alien found to be in possession of a firearm carries a 10 year penalty. There are other such laws to be found in the federal code that deals with the possession and use of false identity documents and for the crime of unlawful reentry after deportation. A criminal alien who is deported from the United States and then reenters the United States with the authority of the government faces a maximum of 20 years in jail.

When an alien is convicted of a felony and when state and local law enforcement authorities work in close coordination with federal immigration authorities, a detainer can be lodged to make certain that upon release from custody when the criminal alien's sentence is completed, the criminal alien will face deportation (removal) from the United States.

There are instances when it is advantageous to the investigation to arrest a key individual(s) without alerting other members of the criminal or terrorist organization he is a part of, that the entire organization is being investigated. In such instances, it is often easy to find of violation of the immigration laws to enable law enforcement to arrest these individuals for administrative or criminal violation of the immigration laws, thus not alerting their cohorts to the larger, on-going investigation.  

While I'm pleased to report the successes of ICE personnel, it is vital to think about how many more such success stories there would be if ICE had an adequate number of special agents and support personnel dedicated to looking for criminal aliens who imperil our nation's security and the safety of our citizens. We have seen where troop surges have been highly effective in our military efforts overseas and I can assure you that if ever their was a need for a "troop surge," it would be in the Border Patrol and within the ranks of the ICE special agents right here in the United States of America!

In order to combat crime, the criminals not only need to face possibility of being prosecuted for violating our nation's borders and laws, they also need to understand that they face a real probability of being caught, prosecuted and punished appropriately. 

For our government to fail to deploy an adequate number of ICE personnel to combat the threats posed by aliens involved in terrorism, drug trafficking and other crimes is the equivalent of not allowing a baseball team to have its outfielders take to the field when the other team is at bat.

Similarly, without an adequate number of ICE special agents who are provided with necessary resources, any alien, including those engaged in criminal or even terrorist activities simply need to get past the Border Patrol or the inspections process at a port of entry to be virtually home free.

Nothing less than the safety of all who live in our nation is on the line, along with the security of our nation.

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FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Michael Cutler is a Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and a recognized authority who addresses the implications of immigration on national security and criminal justice. Feedback: editorialdirector@familysecuritymatters.org.

The San Pedro River is a favorite border crossing point because Customs and Border Protection left a quarter-mile hole in the fence where the north-flowing river crosses the border. (See map)
Drugs and illegal aliens flow through the hole on a regular basis.
The San Pedro River has been a favorite crossing point for years and was the site where ABP's smuggled simulated weapons of mass destruction into the U.S. - four times.
The river is a sensitive area and the gap in the fencing is understandable but probably too large.

What is not understood is why the U.S. Border Patrol allows people and drugs to cross at all. It would be a simple matter to install a camera at the ¼-mile gap, coupled with ground sensors. Agents stationed nearby could apprehend any and all trespassers. (ABP built a camera tower to do just this but lacked the funding to maintain it.)

Instead, agents are stationed at locations a mile or more north of the fence, thus allowing migrants to cross in the hope that they are seen and chased down. They probably do this to make the agent's job more interesting. This is consistent with the management philosophy at the U.S. Border Patrol, i.e., chase and release vs. prevention.

(Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 25, 2010).  According to the Seattle Intelligencer, Perez then expressed particular concern that hate crimes directed at Latinos are on the rise  and that Hispanic leaders and organizations are receiving threats, in his opinion, "because they had the audacity to stand up for immigration reform."  (Id.).  

The remarks Perez made are controversial because the most recent FBI hate crime data for 2008 directly contradict them and Mr. Perez provided no other source to back up his claims. The 2008 FBI hate crime data, released in November 2009, show that in all four categories regarding hate crimes against Hispanics, there was a significant drop from the previous year.  (FBI 2008 Hate Crimes Report).  Specifically:

• Anti-Hispanic incidents fell 6%
• Anti-Hispanic offenses fell 5%
• Victims of anti-Hispanic incidents fell 4.6%; and
• Known offenders against Hispanics fell 6.2%

In making his statement, Mr. Perez disregarded these statistics and instead cited an incident of a man sending threatening emails to leaders of the National Council of La Raza as anecdotal evidence. (Id.).  

Mr. Perez has long pledged to make prosecuting hate crimes a top priority, noting last fall that he "spent the better part of a decade prosecuting hate-crime cases."  (The Washington Post, December 22, 2009).  Indeed, Perez served as a deputy assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice from 1988 to 1999.  He previously served as Special Counsel to the late Senator Ted Kennedy and advised him on matters related to civil rights, criminal justice, and constitutional issues.  (White House Press Release, March 13, 2009).  During his time at the Department of Justice, Mr. Perez began volunteering for CASA de Maryland, a taxpayer funded organization affiliated with the National Council of La Raza that advocates amnesty and provides assistance to illegal and legal aliens throughout Maryland.  After leaving Justice at the end of the Clinton administration he became president of CASA de Maryland's Board of Directors in 2002. He was Maryland's labor secretary when President Obama appointed him to the civil rights post. 

Mr. Perez's experience as a federal prosecutor makes his statement regarding hate crime data particularly troubling. Most would assume that an experienced prosecutor would know that the latest available data does not support the charge that hate crimes against Latinos are on the rise.  This has led some to question not only the veracity of Mr. Perez's statements, but the political motivation behind them.

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