Georgia Senate Passes Arizona-Style Bill to Restrict Illegal Immigration

[Jolie Rouge]

Tuesday, 12 Apr 2011, 10:19 AM MDT
By NewsCore

ATLANTA - Despite thousands of residents expressing their opposition to the legislation, the Georgia Senate Monday approved an Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigration.

The Senate approved House Bill 87 after almost three hours of debate in a 39-17 vote, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

However, lawmakers eliminated a contentious piece of the bill which would have required businesses to register their workers on a federal program called E-Verify. The program determines if they are eligible to work in the US.

Because it was substantially amended the bill must now return to the House for its approval, before it can be signed by Gov. Nathan Deal.

Like the law enacted in Arizona, Georgia's bill would allow police to question suspects about their immigration status. It would penalize people who transport or harbor illegal immigrants or use fake identification to get a job in the US.

It is estimated Georgia is home to about 425,000 illegal immigrants -- more than Arizona.

Thousands of residents of Georgia have protested the bill -- both in demonstrations outside the Capitol and in petitions.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/immigration/georgia-senate-passes-arizona-style-bill-to-restrict-illegal-immigration-ncx-04122011#

Wow 425,000 illegal’s and not even close to the Mexican border. Lets say a quarter are female (106,250) and have 2-3 babies each, which is very possible. This amounts to 212,500- 425,000 anchor babies; I wonder how many are actually paying for these births, doctor visits, food, education etc. The protesters are traitors to America; these people are illegal and should not be in this country. It’s all a democrat ploy to hasten a majority-minority population in order to keep absolute control and to push their social justice agenda on the white oppressors. show more show less

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Despite thousands of residents expressing their opposition to the legislation...

More liberal propagandizing in a "news" article. The fact is that 80% of Georgians support this bill. The "thousands" (probably actually several hundred) protestors are all Reconquista activists and members of various radical groups such as La Raza and MEChA.


However, lawmakers eliminated a contentious piece of the bill which would have required businesses to register their workers on a federal program called E-Verify. The program determines if they are eligible to work in the US.

Very disappointing...

[Jolie Rouge]

Business Groups Can't Stop Fla. Immigration Bills
Thursday, 14 Apr 2011, 5:20 PM MDT
BILL KACZOR, Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Neither tears, nor prayer nor opposition from influential business groups could sway a House committee that voted largely along party lines Thursday for a Republican-sponsored bill that would follow Arizona's lead and make illegal immigration a state crime in Florida.

That legislation and a similar Senate bill also would require employers to use a federal database to verify the immigration status of new hires.

While other opponents, some identifying themselves as undocumented immigrants, knelt in prayer and two young girls burst into tears, business lobbyists argued the legislation would hurt Florida's tourism and agriculture industries while reducing tax revenues. "Just the mere consideration of this bill is causing the image of the state of Florida to be tarnished not only nationally but internationally," said Florida Chamber of Chamber Vice President Adam Babington. He said that "will have economic consequences."

It would scare off tourists from Latin American and the Caribbean who contribute billions to Florida's economy and millions to state coffers, Babington argued. "Please do not make Florida employers immigration officials," pleaded Tom Stahl, executive director of Florida United Businesses Association. "We view it as regulation, which is somewhat ironic given the tenor of the Legislature this year."

Following the lead of Republican Gov. Rick Scott, the GOP-controlled Legislature has focused heavily making Florida friendlier to business including reductions in government regulations.

Others argued that Florida produce would rot in the fields without immigrants to pick the crops and that the bill would be unconstitutional because immigration is controlled by federal law.

Supporters said the legislation is needed because the federal government has failed to control the nation's borders and it would put pressure on Washington to fix that problem. "Despite some of the rhetoric and the obfuscation that's gone on here today, the main fear is that businesses will lose their undocumented workers," said Rep. William Snyder, a Stuart Republican sponsoring the House bill.

"Somebody came up here and said we won't have tomatoes in our salad," Snyder added. "I would rather eat bread than eat something that was gleaned off the sweat of someone who has less rights than me."

The legislation is very personal for some who testified. "I am undocumented, unapologetic and unafraid," said Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio, Now 24 and set to graduate next month from Florida State University's law school, he said his parents brought him illegally to the United States when he was 9 years old. "This bill would totally shatter may dreams," said Godinez-Samperio. "I've been raised in this country. I speak just like you. I think just like you. I act just like you. Why?"

Kevin Lopez Gutierrez, a 17-year-old high school student from Indiantown, said his parents brought him illegally to the United States when he was 5 years old. "I don't want to go back to Mexico cause I was raised here in the U.S.," he told the House panel. "I'm proud to say I'm an American, but I can't be; I'm illegal."

"We don't want you guys to separate our families from us," 10-year-old Karla Amaya of Clearwater told lawmakers before she and a young friend broke into tears.

Besides up to 20 days in jail and a $100 fine for a first offense, undocumented immigrants would face enhanced penalties if convicted of other crimes. Like Arizona's law, police could check someone's immigration status only if that person is under investigation for another criminal offense if there is a reasonable suspicion they're in the country illegally.

The Florida legislation does not include Arizona provisions also requiring all immigrants to obtain or carry immigration registration papers and making it a state criminal offense for an illegal immigrant to seek work or hold a job.

A study by the Pew Hispanic Center ranked Florida third among the states with an estimated 825,000 unauthorized immigrants, or 4.5 percent of the state's population, last year.

The House Economic Affairs Committee approved the bill (HB 7089) 11-7 with most Republicans in favor and most Democrats against. It next goes to the House floor. The Senate version (SB 2040) is awaiting a final committee hearing.

The legislation also has drawn opposition from Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, farmworker advocates and Christian and Jewish clergy.

It's got the support, though, of Scott, who already has issued an executive order requiring state agencies and contractors to use the federal database when hiring. "If people are in our country and violating the law then we ought to be able to ask if they're legal or not," Scott said.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/immigration/florida-immigration-4-14-2011

[Jolie Rouge]

Immigration debate ramps up as students take over Senate president's office
By Dara Kam -- Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Updated: 9:59 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2011

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/multimedia/dynamic/00847/immigration_birdsey_847840e.jpg

Demonstrators from the Palm Beach County area protest on the fourth floor of the Capitol on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 in Tallahassee, Fla.


TALLAHASSEE — Division over proposed immigration reform ramped up in the Capitol on Wednesday as undocumented students and other immigrants staged a sit-in in Senate President Mike Haridopolos' office and national advocates pushed for a boycott of Florida.

Immigrants chanted, "We are Florida," said the pledge of allegiance and lined the walls outside Haridopolos' office and the entrance to the Senate chambers as students sought in vain to get a pledge from the Republican leader to oppose a proposal by the Florida House to create an Arizona-style law.

The group, led by St. Thomas University student Felipe Matos, was escorted out of Haridopolos' office at 5 p.m. "He never came out. All we asked was for a response," said Matos, a 25-year-old undocumented immigrant who was born in Brazil and came to the country at the age of 14.

Haridopolos, who met with immigrants from Palm Beach County on Tuesday, refused to concede to the students' demands and instead told reporters the Senate was weighing how far to go with its reform plan.

The Senate is now considering whether to include allowing law enforcement officers to ask for proof of immigration status during routine traffic stops, the most controversial component of the House bill (HB 7089). "A lot of people are talking aboutwhen would you ask for the status of an individual. Would it be a traffic stop or would it be only under a criminal investigation or actually arrested," Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island said.

Haridopolos said he has now tapped Senate Budget Committee Chairman J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, to shepherd the Senate package through a committee meeting Thursday, a sign that the chamber may be taking a harder tack than previously.

Sen. Anitere Flores, a Cuban-American Republican from Miami and sponsor of the Senate bill (SB 2040), had refused to allow the law enforcement component in her proposal. "Obviously anyone who had the opportunity to meet with some of the individuals who've come to the Capitol are concerned about what's going on," Haridopolos said. "We're just trying to make an informed decision. Everybody doesn't want to hurt agriculture but they want a tough immigration policy. We're trying to thread that needle and it's not an easy one to thread."

Meanwhile, the presence of the undocumented protestors Tuesday prompted Geoff Ross, a former tea party activist, to contact Homeland Security officials. Ross said he was upset that state lawmakers, including Flores and Alexander, met with the undocumented immigrants but did not report them to federal authorities.

Ross, originally British, said he waited five years to gain entry to the United States. "I followed all the rules and that's what I think these people from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Russia and other countries should do," the Navarre resident said in a telephone interview. "DHS should be detaining and deporting these people if they are here illegally."

Ross' complaint alarmed immigration advocates, who in turn asked federal officials for protection. "We see the letter from this gentleman as a threat to the constitutional rights of those gathered in Tallahassee and as a clear indication of the culture of xenophobia and racism that is spreading Arizona- copycat legislation slated to destroy Florida's economy and social progress," Florida Immigrant Coalition executive director Maria Rodriguez wrote to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and the White House Wednesday.

Reform Immigration for America sent an e-mail to supporters today asking them to boycott Florida while lawmakers consider the immigration reforms.

Haridopolos said the Senate plan will almost certainly include a requirement that state workforce centers perform E-verify checks on potential workers and that anyone applying for government benefits be screened through the system.

Republican lawmakers are walking a tightrope between appeasing tea party activists, who are demanding that the law require businesses to use the federal E-verify system, and creating a potentially unfriendly environment for tourists.

During his election campaign, Gov. Rick Scott called for an Arizona-like law in Florida, but on Tuesday said he would not sign any bill into law that includes racial profiling.

Within earshot of the "We are Florida" chants, Bill Landes strolled the Senate Office Building handing out letters asking lawmakers to support a measure requiring E-verify.

Landes, chairman of the Florida Minutemen Organization and a tea party leader from Lake Wales, said he and others want to make sure that when the state economy recovers, "legal citizens are first in line to get those jobs."

Meanwhile, the contentious immigration debate in the Capitol morphed into a civics lesson for the students Wednesday afternoon.

Florida International University law professor Ediberto Roman, an immigration law expert, said the immigration discourse has spawned the birth of the state's "DREAM University," a national movement by the Campaign to Reform Immigration for America. The DREAM Act, which Congress failed to pass, would have allowed undocumented and deportable students to remain in the country if they met certain conditions. "This is the birth of a civil rights movement," said Roman, who spent the afternoon lecturing students sitting cross-legged on the floor outside the Senate chambers.

Roman said the Florida House plan is a copy-cat of the Arizona bill, components of which were blocked by a federal judge who found them unconstitutional. An appeals court has since upheld that decision. "It will be struck down," Roman predicted of a similar measure in Florida. "This one's a no-brainer."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/immigration-debate-ramps-up-as-students-take-over-1438839.html?page=2

Illegals=broke the law of the land

Look what is happening in Italy, France and England. They are asking to rescind the open borders to prevent the onslaught of those running from Libya, Tunisa from overwhelming their country.

Does everyone know there IS a legal way to enter the USA. You're welcomed to come that way instead of illegally.

Just goes to show illegals, do illegal things. Tourist would be glad to come to FL, it would be safer than CA.

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If these people are admittedly undocumented, why are they not being arrested and deported? They are breaking the law and should be punished.

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So this is the new strategy in fighting for the rights of foreigners who broke the law. Instead of just calling Americans who believe unregistered foreign nationals don't belong here ugly names, they now try to disrupt legislative operations of any kind if they oppose their presence in the US.

In Tucson AZ Hispanic students disrupted a school board meeting because the board was considering making Latino Studies an elective rather than a required course.

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Any person protesting who is not in the USA legally, should be apprehended and deported. If any others disrupt the peace, they should be arrested and prosecuted.

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This madness has to stop. If you are in the country illegally you are a criminal. You should be arrested and deported . If a child has two illegal parents and was born in this country they are also illegal and should be deported. Illegals are not contrbuting to this country they are stealing the jobs and benefits that belong to true American citizens. Enforce the law arrest and deport all of them. The sooner the better

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There is nothing racist, xenophobic, or hate-filled about these laws.They are designed to repel illegal aliens from the State - people who have absolutely no right to be in this country. They willfully violate our laws by being here, and a great many compound their illegal acts with counterfeit documents, evading taxes, unlawful employment, driving without a license and insurance. Which civil rights, exactly, do these aliens think are being violated? They rant but never give specifics. Deport!

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Wow. The racism is amplified in Florida. Immigration laws are a mess on the federal level as well. Any law that says a person can be ripped away from his/her family for EVER for a misdemeanor ( stealing a pair of shoes from pay less ) and NOT giving them a way to fight it is ridiculous. So who takes care of the us citizens kids left behind? Us tax layers. So stop the racism, fix the laws and stop amending them after a major disaster.

Hint : the parents could take their children WITH them... work on improving the situations in their home countries rather then bringing them here...

[Jolie Rouge]

Mexico's constitution contains many provisions to protect the country from foreigners, including foreigners legally resident in the country and even foreign-born people who have become naturalized Mexican citizens. The Mexican constitution segregates immigrants and naturalized citizens from native-born citizens by denying immigrants basic human rights that Mexican immigrants enjoy in the United States. By making increasing demands that the U.S. not enforce its immigration laws and, indeed, that it liberalize them, Mexico is throwing stones within its own glass house. This paper, the first of a short series on Mexican immigration double-standards, examines the Mexican constitution's protections against immigrants, and concludes with some questions about U.S. policy.

The summary....

Immigrants and foreign visitors are banned from public political discourse.

Immigrants and foreigners are denied certain basic property rights.

Immigrants are denied equal employment access.

Immigrants and naturalized citizens will never be treated as real Mexican citizens.

Immigrants and naturalized citizens are not to be trusted in public service.

Immigrants and naturalized citizens may never become members of the clergy.

Private citizens may make citizens arrests of lawbreakers (i.e., illegal immigrants) and hand them to the authorities.

Immigrants may be expelled from Mexico for any reason and without due process.

[Jolie Rouge]

NO border state Governors, or Sheriffs, for the second straight "immigration" meeting at the White House. Just celebrities - Latino celebrities. That's who Obama invited. Pathetic pandering instead of leadership. Words fail. All I can say is: Only 558 more days until Election Day, 2012. And it can't come soon enough.

Obama Meets with "Ugly Betty" Star and Other Latino Celebrities to Discuss Immigration
President Obama is meeting with Eva Longoria, Don Francisco, America Ferrera, Emilio Estefan, and Maria Elena Salinas, among others, to discuss immigration.

https://www.latino.foxnews.com/obama-meets-latino-leaders-immigration

wth do celebrities have to do with immigration policies?

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Yes, and lets invite Charlie Sheen to the White House to discuss the evils of prostitution and crack.

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Have no problem with immigration its the "illegal" immigration I have a problem with. Shut the damn borders

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Isn't inviting Latino "celebrities" to an imigration discussion the same as inviting bank robbers to a meeting on improving bank security, or is it just me?

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He has to get his votes somewhere....so he is catering to those he believes will garner votes, legally or ilegally. BTW, he had the time to tape the Oprah show... but not visit the storm damaged South... so campaign 2012 is his priority right now.

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Sickening! Plain disgusted with this nonsense. I am a naturalized American. Came here in 1971 LEGALLY from Australia, naturalized in 1995. Why did I bother, seems like ILLEGAL is the fashion these days. Pathetic, and I am angry.

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How has O helped unemployed Blacks by enabling the illegal Hispanic immigration invasion? Shouldn't he have helped his "brothers" first?

[Jolie Rouge]

Obama, reaching out to Latinos, invites all-star cast to White House to talk immigration
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, April 28, 6:57 PM

WASHINGTON — His immigration overhaul stalled, President Barack Obama is enlisting an array of voices, including Latino entertainment and media stars, to help jump-start legislation and reassure crucial but restless Hispanic voters that he has not abandoned his campaign pledge to change the law.

Obama’s political advisers see tremendous potential in a growing Latino electorate. But Obama, who won 67 percent of the Latino vote in 2008, faces a disenchanted Latino community, angry over a record number of deportations and an impasse on revamping immigration laws, and fearful of tough state immigration laws such as one passed in Arizona.

On Thursday, the president invited a dozen influential Spanish-language television anchors and radio personalities as well as comely Latino actresses who have been active in Hispanic causes. Among the high-profile Latinos was Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo, who in 2006 helped mobilize hundreds of thousands of protesters in Los Angeles and across the nation against enforcement-only immigration proposals. Others at the White House were actresses Eva Longoria and America Ferrera and television figures Don Francisco of Univision and Jose Diaz-Balart of Telemundo.

In a summary describing the meeting, the White House said Obama stressed his commitment to a comprehensive overhaul and pledged to intensify his efforts “to lead a civil debate on this issue in the coming weeks and months.”

But immigration legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants has stalled even when Democrats controlled both chambers in 2009 and 2010. Its prospects are even more remote now that Republicans control the House.

Obama also voiced disappointment in Congress’ failure to pass legislation that would have provided a path to legal status for law-abiding young people brought to the United States as children who either plan to attend college or join the military. He asked the Latino media and entertainment figures to use their influence to help “elevate the debate.”

Participants said Obama was pressed to do something about the record 393,000 illegal immigrants forced to leave the country last year, but Obama indicated that without congressional action his hands were tied.

In its summary, the White House said: “The President also noted that the only way to fix what’s broken about our immigration system is through legislative action in Congress, and that he cannot unilaterally change the law.”

Speaking to reporters, Longoria said: “We like to blame Obama for the inaction, but he can’t just disobey the law that’s written.”

Also attending along with Francisco and Diaz-Balart were Bárbara Bermudo, Lily Estefan, Vanessa Hauc and María Elena Salinas, all hosts or anchors of Univision or Telemundo, the primary Spanish-language channels in the United States.

The session comes just a week after Obama invited about 70 elected officials and religious, law enforcement, business, labor, and civil rights figures to help build support for a long-stalled overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws.

The flurry of immigration activity at the White House illustrates both the desire by Obama and his advisers to show engagement on the issue and to halt any potential slide in Hispanic support. Obama political advisers believe Latino voters could reconfigure the political landscape, shoring up support in swing states such as Colorado, Nevada, Virginia and North Carolina and providing a stronger foothold in states that John McCain won in 2008 but that have grown more Hispanic in recent years, such as Arizona, Georgia and Texas.

“We’ve got a lot more work to do to fix an immigration system that’s broken,” Obama told donors in New York City Wednesday evening.

To emphasize his point, a group of demonstrators on the motorcade route held handmade signs and chanted: “Obama. Escucha. Estamos en la lucha” — “Obama. Listen. We are in the struggle.”

At the same time, Republicans have shown some success electing Latinos to high profile offices, including Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. But Republican pollsters concede that their party is still perceived as anti-immigrant, a perception that hurts them at the ballot box. “Both parties at this point are losing an incredible opportunity,” said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum and a participant in last week’s White House meeting. “You have a Democratic administration that is deporting more people than ever. And you have Republican leadership both nationally and locally, looking to replicate Arizona laws. “So the Asian, the Latino the immigrant voter is asking the question, ‘Where do I go?’”.

Diaz-Balart, a Telemundo news anchor and host and brother of Florida Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and former Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, said Thursday’s meeting was encouraging because the Hispanic community had not heard from Obama since the campaign, when he targeted Latino voters with a pledge to push for an immigration overhaul. “The silence was not golden,” said Diaz-Balart.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/obama_gathers_latino_celebs_others_to_discuss_immi gration_reform/2011/04/28/AFecFM6E_story.html?wprss=rss_congress

[Jolie Rouge]

Democrats' Hispanic Problem
Linda Chavez – Fri Apr 29, 3:00 am ET

Creators Syndicate – Among the challenges facing the Democrats in the 2012 election is the prospect that President Barack Obama will not be able to re-energize his base — which included record numbers of Hispanic voters in 2008. Hispanics gave Obama 67 percent of their votes, but just as importantly, Hispanic turnout was higher than usual. More than 10 million Hispanics cast 9 percent of the total vote, the largest ever.

But many Hispanics have soured on Obama — and not just because he failed to deliver on his promise of comprehensive immigration reform. Like most other Americans, Hispanics care most about the economy. High unemployment, which is at 11 percent among Hispanics, rising gas prices and a depressed housing market hurt President Obama's chances to repeat his 2008 performance among Hispanic voters.

A new analysis of 2010 voting patterns by the Pew Hispanic Center shows that voter turnout among Latinos plummeted. Fewer than 1 in 3 eligible to vote actually turned out on Election Day — a much lower proportion than the nearly half of white and the 44 percent of black eligible voters who cast ballots. And among those who did show up, nearly 40 percent voted for Republican candidates, according to exit polls — no doubt aided by the fact that the GOP ran Hispanic candidates at the top of the ticket in three states.

Demographics explain part of the problem with low Hispanic turnout. Even though the number of Hispanics has been increasing at record rates recently — rising from 35 million in 2000 to more than 50 million in 2010 — one-third of Hispanics are too young to vote, and another 22 percent are old enough but not yet citizens. The Hispanic population includes the lowest proportion of people eligible to vote of any major group — just 42 percent, compared with 78 percent of whites, 67 percent of blacks and 53 percent of Asians.

But apathy clearly played a role, as well. The question is, Why? Like many low-income whites and blacks, some Hispanics may feel that participating in elections doesn't have much impact on their lives. But the 2010 elections signal deeper problems for the Democrats.

Hispanics never have been as reliably Democratic as black voters. In several recent elections, more than a third of Hispanics have voted for Republican candidates at the state and national levels, and 40 percent voted for President George W. Bush in 2004. Those GOP Hispanic voters tend to be more affluent and thus more consistent voters, as well.

Among Hispanic Republicans, many are small-business owners who don't want to see their taxes rise. Others are naturalized citizens who've made it up the economic ladder by working two or three jobs. They aren't interested in big government. A far smaller proportion of Hispanics than other Americans work in the government sector — fewer than 10 percent, compared with 15 percent of whites and more than 20 percent of blacks.

In several key battleground states, Hispanics make up more than 10 percent of eligible voters — 13.5 percent in Nevada, 12.6 percent in Colorado, 38.4 percent in New Mexico and 14.5 percent in Florida. And in other states that are either reliably Democratic or reliably Republican, the percentage of Hispanic voters is growing rapidly, too. Some 25 percent of eligible voters in Texas are Latinos, as are 24 percent of California voters and 18 percent of those in Arizona.

But Democrats should take little solace in these numbers. Hispanics have been an afterthought for most Democratic politicians — and certainly have been so for President Obama since he won the election. Hispanics may not flock to Republicans next year, but the problem for the Democrats is that Hispanics won't show up at all. And without Hispanics, neither President Obama nor congressional Democrats can hope to win. Ironically, Latinos may hold the key to the GOP's future electoral success even though the majority of them still don't vote Republican.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20110429/cm_uc_crlchx/op_2017789

[Jolie Rouge]

Obama statement issued after he met with "influential Hispanics" said that Congress must pass legislation to "fix what's broken about our immigration system, and that he cannot unilaterally change the law." WHAT ABOUT ENFORCING EXISTING LAWS? Laws mandating deportation, construction of a border fence, tough penalties for social security fraud, protecting the states from "invasion"? Disgraceful hypocrisy.

Obama appears to rule out acting on his own on immigration
By Tom Cohen, CNN
April 29, 2011 -- Updated 0145 GMT (0945 HKT)

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Thursday appeared to rule out acting on his own to implement some provisions of an immigration reform bill that failed to win congressional approval last year.

A White House statement issued after Obama met with "influential Hispanics" from across the country said the president noted that Congress must pass legislation to "fix what's broken about our immigration system, and that he cannot unilaterally change the law."

Some immigration reform advocates have argued that Obama could issue an executive order or take other unilateral steps to bring changes intended to help children of illegal immigrants eventually gain U.S. citizenship.

For example, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, a leading supporter of immigration reform, told a March 31 news conference that Obama "has a number of avenues available to him under existing law with which he can instruct the U.S. government to prioritize the deportation of criminals and threats to our community and provide relief in pursuing the deportation of the vast majority of immigrants who are assets to our communities."

Gutierrez called for people to petition Obama "to stop the deportations of the families of U.S. citizens, young people who should have been legalized" via the so-called DREAM Act defeated by a Republican filibuster in the Senate last December after winning passage in the House.

However, actress Eva Longoria, who attended Thursday's meeting, told reporters afterwards that it wasn't a matter of Obama being able to act on his own.

"We like to blame Obama for the inaction, but he can't just disobey the law that's written," Longoria said. She urged Latinos to register to vote and make their voices heard about immigration and other issues.

It was the second White House meeting on immigration in 10 days, following an April 19 gathering that Obama held with government, business, political and religious leaders from around the country.

Statements issued by the White House after each meeting expressed Obama's disappointment that the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act fell short of overcoming the GOP filibuster. Thursday's statement included the sentence that Obama "cannot unilaterally change the law," which was not part of the April 19 statement.

In both statements, Obama encouraged efforts to generate community-based pressure on Congress to pass immigration reform, but Thursday's statement had a sharper tone.

"More voices are needed to elevate the immigration debate beyond the politics, false debates, and rhetoric that have dominated the issue," it said.

"The president urged meeting participants to help elevate the debate, and to reach out in their unique capacities and in a public way to forge partnerships across sectors and across demographics," the statement continued. "There was broad agreement that more voices are needed to change the tone of the debate so that Congress acts to fix the broken system in a way that upholds America's history as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants."

With Republicans now controlling the House and holding a stronger minority in the Senate, the chances for any comprehensive immigration reform are considered non-existent in this Congress.

The DREAM Act would offer legal standing to immigrants who entered the United States illegally as children under the age of 16 and have lived in the country for at least five years.

Other requirements include graduating from high school or obtaining a General Education Development diploma and demonstrating "good moral character."

Even then, only a six-year conditional status would be awarded. Before moving to the next phase, the students would need to meet additional requirements -- attending college or serving in the military for at least two years, and passing criminal background checks.

Proponents, such as Obama and Democratic leaders, say the bill would give legal standing to young people brought to the United States who have bettered themselves and served their new country.

Republican opponents called the measure an amnesty that would signal to the world that the United States was not serious about enforcing its laws or its borders.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/28/obama.immigration/index.html?eref=rss_politics&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_allpolitics+%28RSS% 3A+Politics%29

[Jolie Rouge]

Revised anti-illegal immigration plan approved
Dan Carden dan.carden@nwi.com, (317) 637-9078 nwitimes.com | Posted: Friday, April 29, 2011 8:21 pm

INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana House and Senate approved anti-illegal immigration legislation Friday that was significantly watered down compared to the original version. Senate Bill 590, which now goes to the governor, requires most Indiana businesses check the immigration status of new employees, forbids distribution of state aid to illegal immigrants and prohibits local governments from refusing to abide by federal immigration law.

As introduced, the legislation would have required a police officer to check the immigration status of any person the officer suspected was in the country illegally.

While the Republican-controlled Senate approved that provision, it was removed by the Republican-controlled House after concerns were expressed by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, Indiana businesses and tourism officials.

State Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, the sponsor of the legislation, said he was satisfied with the final version. "Lawmakers today sent a clear message that Indiana will no longer be a sanctuary for people who are in our state and country illegally because of our federal government's failure to act on illegal immigration," Delph said.

The compromise legislation was approved 68-30 by the House and 35-15 by the Senate.


http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_e52fc74c-1cb2-5685-9540-0d4f38860937.html

[Jolie Rouge]

Santana scolds Georgia for new immigration law
By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer Sunday, May. 15, 2011

ATLANTA -- Carlos Santana on Sunday used baseball's annual Civil Rights Game as a platform to admonish Georgia and Arizona for their new immigration laws.

Santana received the Beacon of Change Award before the Braves-Phillies game.

The Grammy-winning musician said he was representing immigrants before adding: "The people of Arizona, and the people of Atlanta, Georgia, you should be ashamed of yourselves."

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Friday signed a bill that cracks down on illegal immigration in the state. The bill requires many employers to check the immigration status of new hires and authorizes law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of some suspects.

Georgia's new law shares some similarities to one enacted last year in Arizona. "This law is not correct. It's a cruel law, actually," Santana said in an impromptu news conference after the ceremony. "This is about fear. Stop shucking and jiving. People are afraid we're going to steal your job. No we aren't. You're not going to change sheets and clean toilets."

Added Santana: "This is the United States. This is the land of the free. If people want the immigration laws to keep passing, then everybody should get out and leave the American Indians here."

Rev. Jesse Jackson presented the Beacon of Life Award to Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks. "I haven't done anything to earn it, but I appreciate it," Banks said.

Former Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe presented the Beacon of Hope Award to actor Morgan Freeman, who wore a Braves jacket and a Negro Leagues Atlanta Black Crackers cap.

Al Roker, co-host of NBC's The Today Show, was the moderator for the ceremony and introduced a video tribute to Braves Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, who received a standing ovation from his hometown fans.

The Braves and Phillies wore throwback uniforms from the 1974 season, the year Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career home run record.

Two leaders of the civil rights movement in Atlanta, former Mayor Andrew Young and the Rev. Joseph Lowery, went to the mound for the ceremonial first pitches, thrown to two African-American stars - Phillies slugger Ryan Howard and Atlanta's Jason Heyward.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig attended the ceremony.

This is baseball's fifth Civil Rights Game. The first event was in Memphis in 2007. "Anytime you can honor the people that changed the game, it's a good thing," said Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro.

The game also will return to Atlanta in 2012. "I think it's the perfect city to host this," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/15/3628225/santana-scolds-georgia-for-new.html#ixzz1MYXZTAks

Why don't we just adopt Mexico's own immigration policies ??

[Jolie Rouge]

VICTORY! AL Gov. Bentley announced tonight that he WILL sign the tough immigration enforcement bill. THANK YOU to the more than 15,000 SWA activists who used out Action Center page (http://standwitharizona.com/act/) to Call, Email or Fax the Gov. to urge he sign the bill. We are so proud of our group's ability to rapidly mobilize for action on every issue, as over 280,000 did to help stop the DREAM Act in 2010. WTG!


Bentley to sign into law tough immigration bill


MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley says he will sign into law what critics and supporters are calling the strongest bill in the nation cracking down on illegal immigration.

Bentley has scheduled a ceremony at the Capitol tor 10:30 a.m. Thursday to sign the sweeping legislation that allows police to detain people after a traffic stop if the officer has "reasonable suspicion" the person might be in the country illegally.

The legislation was supported by the Legislature's new Republican majority. It makes it a crime to transport or shelter illegal immigrants and requires employers to use a federal system called "e-verify" to determine if new employees are legal residents.

The bill requires schools to report how many students are illegal immigrants.

Opponents say they expect the bill to be challenged in court.

http://www.cbs42.com/news/state/story/Bentley-to-sign-into-law-tough-immigration-bill/vyME2GvZsUS75wOAcCDsyg.cspx

[Jolie Rouge]

Ala. governor signs tough illegal immigration law
Bob Johnson, Associated Press – 26 mins ago

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama's governor on Thursday signed a tough new illegal immigration crackdown that contains provisions requiring public schools to determine students' immigration status and making it a crime to knowingly give an illegal immigrant a ride.

The bill also allows police to arrest anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant if they're stopped for any other reason. Alabama employers also are now required to use a federal system called E-Verify to determine if new workers are in the country legally.

Gov. Robert Bentley said the law is the nation's toughest, and groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center agree. The groups say they plan to challenge it.

The legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, Mary Bauer, said Thursday that she expects a lawsuit to be filed before the provisions of law are scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1.

"It is clearly unconstitutional. It's mean-spirited, racist and we think a court will enjoin it," Bauer said.

Bentley, who campaigned on passing the toughest anti-illegal immigration bill possible, said he believes the measure can withstand legal challenges.

The House sponsor, Republican Rep. Micky Hammon of Decatur, said the bill was written so that if any part of it is determined to be unconstitutional or violate federal law, the rest will stand.

Alabama's measure was modeled on a similar law passed in Arizona. A federal judge blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's law last year after the Justice Department sued. A federal appeals court judge upheld the decision, and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has said she plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Neighboring Georgia also passed a law cracking down on immigration this year, and civil liberties groups have filed a lawsuit trying to block it.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110609/ap_on_re_us/us_alabama_immigration_law

comments

Groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center agree the new law is the nation's toughest. They say they plan to challenge it.

The question to ask is why they would plan to challenge the law? Illegal immigration is just that, illegal. So someone who is in this country illegally should be taken into custody and deported. What's wrong with the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center? Are they nuts?

----

Everyone who sympathizes with the illegals are going to fight this. Why? They are breaking a federal law by being here. It should be against the law to help them and hire them, oh wait, isn't it illegal already? We spend millions of dollars giving them welfare, paying for them to get guaranteed meals and health care in jail when they commit crimes against legal citizens and legal immigrants, money on treating them in hospitals. I don't know about other states, but I know NY gives them licenses, but does not require them to have insurance, so they can drive and hit you, but how will you get money from an illegal? We are having problems taking care of our own people, look how many are without health care, food, shelter, and education, but we are giving these people breaking FEDERAL law everything.

----

I wholeheartedly agree with Alabama. This law is not racist, mean-spirited. It is about what is legal and illegal, right and wrong.

[Jolie Rouge]

Mexico, several other countries seek to halt Georgia's new anti-illegal immigration law
By Jeremy Redmon The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Anti-Defamation League, Mexico and the governments of several Central and South American countries filed court papers Wednesday in support of efforts to halt Georgia’s tough new immigration enforcement law.

The other countries joining on the side of those seeking a preliminary injunction in the case include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law Center and several other civil and immigrant rights groups filed a federal class-action lawsuit against Georgia's law this month and are now asking a judge to halt the measure pending the outcome of their case. They argue the measure – also known as House Bill 87 – is preempted by federal law and is unconstitutional. “HB 87 substantially and inappropriately burdens the consistent country to country relations between Mexico and the United States of America,” Mexico says in its brief in support of halting the law, “interfering with the strategic diplomatic interests of the two countries and encouraging an imminent threat of state-sanctioned bias or discrimination.”

State officials filed court papers this week seeking to dismiss the lawsuit. They say the law is constitutional and predict it will survive the court challenge. Proponents say the state needed to act to curb illegal immigration because the federal government has failed to secure the nation's borders. Illegal immigrants, say supporters of Georgia's new law, are burdening the state's taxpayer-funded resources, including public schools, jails and hospitals.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash has set the first hearing in the case for 10 a.m. Monday. He indicated he might rule from the bench that day on the plaintiffs’ request to halt the law.

Similar to a law Arizona enacted last year, Georgia’s measure empowers police to investigate the immigration status of certain suspects. It punishes people who transport or harbor illegal immigrants in Georgia or use fake identification to get a job here. And it requires many businesses to use the federal E-Verify program to ensure their newly hired workers are eligible to work in the United States. Much of the law is scheduled to start taking effect on July 1.

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/mexico-several-other-countries-978195.html?cxtype=rss_georgia-politics-elections

[hblueeyes]

If only Illinois would do the same maybe the unemployment rate would drop and there would be money to fix the state police cars that are damaged yet still in use.

Me

[boopster]

Since when has it become permissible for other countries to file court papers to stop the laws in this country?????????????????? IF that is the case, then we should sue every country that has an illegal here (that would bankrupt mexico) and force these countries to pay for the return of their citizens and take away the citizenship of each child born here......and don't forget the cost of having these children here (hospital costs, food, education, all social services etc).

[Jolie Rouge]

Judge hears arguments on Georgia immigration law

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge has heard arguments on a request by civil liberties groups to block Georgia's law cracking down on illegal immigration from taking effect until a legal challenge has been resolved.

The judge said Monday that he would not make an immediate ruling.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash heard arguments from the groups and from lawyers for the state who want the lawsuit dismissed. After the hearing, Thrash said he needs more time to consider the arguments.

The civil liberties groups say the law is unconstitutional. The state says that it should be immune from such challenges and that the law is needed. The Georgia law has some similarities to laws enacted in Arizona and Utah, parts or all of which have already been blocked by federal judges.

http://www.woai.com/news/national/story/Judge-hears-arguments-on-Georgia-immigration-law/7zpFgm_a20OHh9bZJqfx4Q.cspx?rss=70

comments

An Clinton appointee, that means another activist judge. The state of Georgia will lose, the illegal immigrants will when. Even though it is a felony to be in the states illegally, these activist judges ignore the law. Any bets on the outcome?

---

Judge Thrash heard arguments by the ACLU (Alien Criminal Liberties Union) against GA's HB87 enforcement law, and will rule about whether to block it sometime in the next 2 wks before it takes effect July 1st. Don't expect good news from this Clinton appointee, who asked tough questions aimed at the law, including asking what would happen to children taking illegal alien parents to the grocery store (good grief!)

[Jolie Rouge]

US judge hears arguments on Ga. immigration law
Kate Brumback, Associated Press – 1 hr 29 mins ago

ATLANTA – Civil liberties groups argued Monday that Georgia's law cracking down on illegal immigration should not take effect until a lawsuit challenging it as unconstitutional is resolved, and a judge said he likely would rule on that request before the law takes effect.

The lawsuit asks a judge to find the law unconstitutional and to prevent its enforcement. U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash, who was appointed to the bench by former President Bill Clinton, also heard arguments from a lawyer for the state, who said the lawsuit should be dismissed. Thrash repeatedly questioned Senior Assistant Attorney General Devon Orland, with the exchange sometimes bordering on testy.

Omar Jadwat with the American Civil Liberties Union argued the law is fundamentally unconstitutional and infringes on federal authority, while Orland said the measure is needed because medical facilities and prisons are being strained by illegal immigrants.

The possible harm the law could inflict on people and organizations is greater than any harm done to the state without the law, so it should be blocked until the courts rule on the merits of the legal challenge, said Karen Tumlin from the National Immigration Law Center.

At the end of the hearing, Thrash said he needs more time to consider the arguments because the legal and constitutional issues at play are complex. He expects to decide on the issue before July 1, when most parts of the law take effect.

"We're optimistic," Jadwat said after the hearing. "The judge seemed to grasp a lot of the practical problems posed by this law."

The attorney general's office said it's waiting for the judge's ruling and declined to comment.

The measure authorizes law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of suspects who cannot provide identification and to detain and hand over to federal authorities anyone found to be in the country illegally. It also penalizes people who, while committing another crime, knowingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants and makes it a felony to present false documents or information when applying for a job.

During the hearing, Thrash on more than one occasion told Orland not to interrupt him and said she wasn't answering his questions.

The judge expressed concern that the new law allows individual jurisdictions too much discretion, effectively creating a different policy in every county. He also questioned the motive behind the law. Orland responded that it was to prevent the state from continuing to spend money on illegal immigrants.

"So they're supposed to go somewhere else with their husbands, their wives, their children, even though some of them may be U.S. citizens?" Thrash asked.

Thrash later questioned provisions dealing with people who harbor or transport illegal immigrants, raising a hypothetical scenario of an 18-year-old U.S. citizen who gets pulled over for speeding while driving his mother, an illegal immigrant, to the store.

"It would be no different if his mother had pockets full of cocaine and he was knowingly transporting her to go sell it," Orland said, later adding: "Sometimes the law is harsh. There is no question about that. That does not make it unconstitutional."

Orland also said that other parts of the law would actually protect illegal immigrants from exploitation, and that parts of the state policy mirror federal immigration law.

Jadwat argued that the state isn't mirroring federal law because the Georgia law gives local officers such broad enforcement discretion, and that the state is not authorized to enforce certain parts of federal law.

Georgia's law has provisions similar to those in laws enacted in Arizona, Utah and Indiana.

A federal judge blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's law last year after the U.S. Department of Justice sued, arguing that only the federal government can regulate immigration. A federal appeals court judge upheld the decision, and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has said she plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A federal judge also has temporarily blocked Utah's law, citing similarities to the most controversial parts of Arizona's law. A hearing is set for mid-July to determine if the law can take effect. And in Indiana, a federal judge on Monday heard arguments on whether that state's law can take effect next month. Like in Georgia, that judge listened to the arguments and said she'd rule before the law is set to take effect July 1.

Another section of the Georgia law set to be phased in starting in January will require many businesses to check the immigration status of new hires. A separate Arizona law with the same requirement was recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110620/ap_on_re_us/us_georgia_immigration_lawsuit

If US Government would enforce existing laws, individual states would not have to address the issue.

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I am a US citizen and live in the State of Georgia.

If I get stopped for speeding or running a red light I have to show the officer my driver’s license. If I am driving without a license I am breaking the law. If there is an outstanding warrant I will be arrested and taken to jail. If I am driving drunk I will be arrested and taken to jail. If my license has expired I have broken the law and will have to appear in court. These laws apply to everyone, not just me.

I really wonder why people that have already broken the law by entering this country illegally think that they have rights that US Citizens do not.

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You have to provide legal proof during many transactions: purchasing alcohol or tobacco, using a credit card, renting a car, getting on a flight...why should there be any issue with showing ID in the situations addressed by this law?

The illegals have already demonstrated that they do not value our laws and do not intend to abide by them. It's high time we did something about it at the state level, since the feds have obviously abandoned any pretense of protecting our borders.

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I work with a guy from south america who is immigrating here the legally and has no use for illegals. Very few people have an issue with legal immigration. Illegal is illegal

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Yes, this country was founded by immigrants and I have no problem with anyone that wishes to migrarte here legally. BUT, Illegals have no rights: they are protected under no laws, only by bleeding hearts.

I'm going to break their laws & sneak into Sweden, take advantage of their societal benefits, refuse to speak their language, demand free healthcare & then protest in the streets when asked for identification.

Why not, the illegals are doing that here.

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Anyone who is against this law must be an illegal or support illegals. If a person is legal they shouldn't have a problem with this. I sure don't. I wish every state would do this and the federal gov't would support it, it's a great idea to help get rid of illegals who drain our tax dollars, education dollars and health care dollars. These people aren't legal citizens of the US therefore they are NOT protected by the US Constitution therefore they have no rights here! Good job GA, UT and AZ!!

[Jolie Rouge]

Judge blocks parts of Ga. immigration law
Kate Brumback, Associated Press – 7 mins ago

ATLANTA – A federal judge on Monday blocked parts of Georgia's law cracking down on illegal immigration from taking effect until a legal challenge is resolved.

Judge Thomas Thrash granted a request to block parts of the law that penalize people who knowingly and willingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing another crime. He also blocked provisions that authorize officers to verify the immigration status of someone who can't provide proper identification.

Thrash wrote that under parts of the law, the state is enforcing immigration law that should be left to the federal government.

Thrash also dismissed parts of the lawsuit at the state's request.

Most parts of the law were set to enter into effect July 1. Civil liberties groups had filed a lawsuit asking the judge to declare the law unconstitutional and to block it from being enforced.

Thrash on June 20 heard arguments from both sides on the civil liberties groups' request to block the law and the state's request to dismiss the lawsuit. He grilled Senior Assistant Attorney General Devon Orland, with the exchange sometimes bordering on testy.

Omar Jadwat with the American Civil Liberties Union argued the law is fundamentally unconstitutional and infringes on federal authority, while Orland said the measure is needed because medical facilities and prisons are being strained by illegal immigrants.

The civil liberties groups argue the law is unconstitutional and could encourage racial profiling. Provisions that penalize people for harboring and transporting illegal immigrants in certain situations also have the potential to punish people for innocent interactions with illegal immigrants, the groups have said.

Georgia's law has some provisions that echo those in a law enacted last year in Arizona and is also similar to another enacted this year in Utah.

A federal judge blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's law last year after the U.S. Department of Justice sued, arguing the law intrudes on the federal government's exclusive powers to regulate immigration. A federal appeals court judge upheld the decision and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has said she plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ACLU and other civil liberties groups filed a complaint claiming that the Utah law was an unconstitutional burden to legal immigrants and too much like portions of Arizona's immigration law. A federal judge last month temporarily blocked that law, citing similarities to the most controversial parts of Arizona's law. A hearing is set for mid-July to determine if the law can go into effect.

Another section of the Georgia law set to be phased in starting in January will require many businesses to check the immigration status of new hires. An Arizona law with the same requirement was recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110627/ap_on_re_us/us_immigration_law_georgia

comments

Since when do illegal immigrants have more rights than US citizens? They broke the law! Why does the ACLU go against the legal Americans?

---


... the state is enforcing immigration law that should be left to the federal government...

If we followed the laws ALREADY on the books, all of these criminals would already be in jail or deported. Forging State and Federal Identity documents, stealing people's identities, driving without a license, working without a permit, failure to pay taxes.... the list goes on.

[Jolie Rouge]

6 young illegal immigrants arrested in Ga. protest
By KATE BRUMBACK - Associated Press | AP – Tue, Jun 28, 2011

ATLANTA (AP) — Six young illegal immigrants were arrested Tuesday after they sat down and blocked traffic near the Georgia state Capitol to publicly declare their status and to protest state policies targeting people who are in the U.S. illegally, the latest in a string of such "coming out" events in Georgia and other parts of the country.

The young people were protesting a policy that bars Georgia's most competitive state colleges and universities from accepting illegal immigrants and they were opposing strict new state legislation. A federal judge on Monday blocked two key provisions of that law. The young people, who decided to risk arrest and deportation for their protest, say that's not enough.

Federal judges have now blocked parts of similar laws in Arizona, Utah, Indiana and Georgia from taking effect. Civil liberties groups have pledged to sue to block others in Alabama and South Carolina. "It's time to stand up and let the world know that we need to fight for what we believe in," said Nataly Ibarra, a 16-year-old high school student.

Four of the young people arrested are high school students, one is a recent high school graduate and one is a 24-year-old college graduate. All six face charges of reckless conduct, obstructing law enforcement and obstructing the street. The three who are under 18 were to be released to their parents. Two 18-year-olds and the 24-year-old were set to be taken to the Fulton County Jail.

Barbara Gonzalez, press secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, issued a statement after the arrests: "ICE takes enforcement action on a case by case basis — prioritizing those who present the most significant threats to public safety as determined by their criminal history and taking into consideration the specific facts of each case, including immigration history."

Last year, four young people were arrested during a sit-in at U.S. Sen. John McCain's office in Arizona. Students at several suburban Atlanta high schools staged walkouts last month, and a group of seven illegal immigrant young people were arrested in April after they sat down in a downtown Atlanta street and blocked traffic to call attention to their situation. Five others were arrested in May at the Indiana office of Gov. Mitch Daniels after a protest grew confrontational.

Many of the activists hold out hope for the DREAM Act, legislation that would provide a path to legalization for certain young people brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents. The bill has been introduced several times in Congress without success. A Senate subcommittee held a hearing on the legislation Tuesday.

Several dozen students in their caps and gowns attended the hearing, despite their status as illegal immigrants. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced several who had demonstrated excellence in many facets of life but were unable to get jobs in their chosen fields. "They want to serve the country they love," Durbin said. "All they want is a chance."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said lawmakers from both parties have compassion for the students who would be helped by the legislation, but he said the details are important. He pointed to changes that he believes are necessary for the bill before it can gain more Republican support.

Opponents of the DREAM Act often agree that young people brought here when they're young have compelling stories. But giving them a path to legalization could create increased competition for young Americans who already are having trouble finding jobs, they say.

The Georgia university system last fall adopted a policy barring state colleges and universities that have rejected academically qualified students in the prior two years from accepting illegal immigrants.

Judge Thomas Thrash on Monday ruled on a request by civil liberties groups to block Georgia's new illegal immigration law from taking effect until a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality is resolved. Thrash temporarily blocked a provision that authorizes police to check the immigration status of suspects without proper identification and to detain illegal immigrants and another that penalizes people who knowingly and willingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing another crime.

The law's author, state Rep. Matt Ramsey, R-Peachtree City, has said it's needed to keep illegal immigrants from draining the state's resources.

Many parts of the law will take effect Friday. One of them makes it a felony to use false information or documentation when applying for a job. Another creates an immigration review board to investigate complaints about government officials not complying with state laws related to illegal immigration.

Starting Jan. 1, businesses with 500 or more employees must use a federal database to check the immigration status of new hires. That requirement will be phased in for all businesses with more than 10 employees by July 2013. Also starting Jan. 1, applicants for public benefits must provide at least one state or federally issued "secure and verifiable" document.

Also on Tuesday, the Birmingham, Ala., City Council unanimously approved a resolution seeking the repeal of Alabama's new law targeting illegal immigration, with members calling it a hateful reminder of the state's not-too-distant past as a bastion of legalized racial segregation.

http://news.yahoo.com/6-young-illegal-immigrants-arrested-ga-protest-200504853.html




All six face charges of reckless conduct, obstructing law enforcement and obstructing the street.

But not a word about their illegal status that they were so proud of ?? WTH ?


....three who are under 18 were to be released to their parents.

What do you mean "they are being released to their parents"? Why aren't they being put on a bus back to their home country along with their parents?


Thrash temporarily blocked a provision that authorizes police to check the immigration status of suspects without proper identification ...

They check ME if I don't have my "proper identification - why NOT anyone else ??


.... to detain illegal immigrants

because it isn't the police' job to detain people who are committing illegal acts ??


...another that penalizes people who knowingly and willingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing another crime.

Before the Dawn of the Age of Political Correctness ... this was called "aiding and abetting"

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So lawbreakers were protesting the fact they break the law and are tired of being picked on and bullied for breaking the law? Really?

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Americans need to stop letting Illegan's push them around...if you will come into our country illegally then what else will they do illegally? Become an american citizen, or get a green card.

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What’s next: Murderers protesting to the state against their policies that punish murder?

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I do not understand what part of the illegal immigrant they do not understand. Here illegally then get sent back home legally.

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We have to kick them out of the schools. They think they have right's-their illegal -breaking the law just being here. Such attitude. Too many free rides, schools, medical. The tax payors are losing. What farmers make in profit is less than we pay to have illegals in the state. Look at the state numbers.It's putting hospitals and schools at a huge disadvantage.

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if they don't like their situation then they need to go to immigration and become a citizen and quit the protest %%####$$$ if you want to serve this country you love so much then become a CITIZEN

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Illegals complaining and protesting that they do not get everything a citizen of this country gets...? DUH...

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If you cross the North Korean border illegally, you get 12 years of hard labor. If you cross the Afghanistan border illegally, you get shot. If you cross the U.S. border illegally, you get: a job, a driver's license, a place to live, housing benefits, health care, education, child benefits, tax free business for 7 years... No wonder we are a country in debt!

[Jolie Rouge]

Also on Tuesday, the Birmingham, Ala., City Council unanimously approved a resolution seeking the repeal of Alabama's new law targeting illegal immigration, with members calling it a hateful reminder of the state's not-too-distant past as a bastion of legalized racial segregation.

http://news.yahoo.com/6-young-illegal-immigrants-arrested-ga-protest-200504853.html


Illegal immigration is NOT about RACE ... it is about following the LAW.

It doesn't matter if you immigrate from South America, Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, or some island in the Pacific ... as long as you do so in accordance with the LAW. The people who keep thowing out the "racist" card do so because they can not defend their position logically so they must make an appeal to the emotions - postive or negative.

[Jolie Rouge]

Thousands of illegals hit Atlanta's streets to protest HB87, which they say creates an "unwelcome environment" for them. BINGO: You are NOT WELCOME here. Leave! One poster read: "How would you feel if your family got broken apart?" WE DON'T CARE. YOU made the decision to break OUR laws. Go back to your OWN country and protest there. Btw, Where the hell was ICE? So much for "living in the shadows".

DEPORT!


Thousands Rally Against Georgia Immigration Law
Published July 02, 2011

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/02/thousands-rally-against-georgia-immigration-law/#ixzz1R0XilV1L

ATLANTA -- Thousands of marchers stormed the Georgia Capitol on Saturday to protest the state's new immigration law, which they say creates an unwelcome environment for people of color and those in search of a better life.

Men, women and children of all ages converged on downtown Atlanta for the march and rally, cheering speakers while shading themselves with umbrellas and posters from the blazing summer sun. Capitol police and organizers estimated that between 8,000 and 14,000 protesters gathered.

They filled the blocks around the Capitol, holding signs decrying House Bill 87 and reading "Immigration Reform Now!"

Friends Jessica Bamaca and Melany Cordero held a poster that read: "How would you feel if your family got broken apart?" Bamaca was born in the U.S., but her mother and sister are from Guatemala. She said she fears they will be deported. "I would be here by myself," said Bamaca, 13. "I have a feeling (the governor) doesn't know the pain affecting families. If he were to be in our position, how would he react?"

Azadeh Shahshahani of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia called the rally inspiring and said she hoped lawmakers would recognize the law's potential to damage the state. "I think it's going to have an impact," she said. "Unfortunately, the damage has already been done as far as people of color having second thoughts about moving to Georgia."

Several different groups stood with the largely Latino crowd, including representatives from the civil rights movement. The Rev. Timothy McDonald, an activist who has been supportive of immigration protesters, was among the speakers showing his solidarity. "You are my brothers and my sisters," McDonald told the crowd. "Some years ago, they told people like me we couldn't vote. We did what you are doing today. We are going to send a message to the powers that be ... that when the people get united, there is no government that can stop them. Don't let them turn you around."

Saturday's rally follows a "day without immigrants" organized Friday, when some parts of the law took effect. It was organized by the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights. The organization asked businesses to close and community members not to work or shop to protest the law.

On Monday, a judge temporarily blocked key parts of the law until a legal challenge is resolved.

One provision that was blocked authorizes police to check the immigration status of suspects without proper identification. It also authorizes them to detain illegal immigrants. Another penalizes people who knowingly and willingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing another crime.

Parts of similar measures in Arizona, Utah and Indiana also have been blocked by the courts.

Provisions that took effect Friday include one that makes it a felony to use false information or documentation when applying for a job. Another provision creates an immigration review board to investigate complaints about government officials not complying with state laws related to illegal immigration.

comments

A recent incident in Texas highlights the need to make English the official language of the United States. During a hearing in the Texas Legislature, a state senator interrupted a witness, who was giving his testimony in Spanish, and asked him "Why aren't you speaking English?"

The Spanish speaker had lived in America for 23 years, yet was not comfortable speaking English and asked for an interpreter.

He was testifying against a bill to crack down on illegal immigration

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Barack Obama's aunt, who has lived illegally in America for nearly 10 years, says the US is obligated to grant her citizenship. Zeituni
Onyango, half sister of Obama's father, "If I come as an immigrant, you have the obligation to make me a citizen," Onyango said. She stayed in a homeless shelter in the city for two years and was later assigned public housing, all along living illegally and violating the law.

Unemployed, Onyango receives nearly 700 dollars a month in disability benefits. This has not gone down well with taxpayers in the state who "are angry" that she has been living illegally in the country for almost 10 years and has been getting monthly public assistance while others who paid into the system are denied those same benefits. "You can take that house. I can be on the streets with homeless people. I did not ask for it (public housing). They gave it to me. Ask your system. I did not create it or vote for it. Go and ask your system."

On why city taxpayers should be burdened with paying for her needs, Onyango said, "This country is owned by almighty God. You people who
preach Jesus Christ, almighty God ...are here to help people, help the poor, help other countries and help women."

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If they are here illegaly and the police can't ask them for papers, how are they supposed to know they are legal or not legal? Seems like the judges have lost any concept of legalality and common sense. It appears the judges aren't qualified to be judges. And for the 13 year old girl she can go back to Guatamala with her mother, they can file the proper paper work and go through all of the hoops my Grandfather went through. Her mother should have thought about all of that before she broke the law and came to our country.

[Jolie Rouge]

Georgia Begins Appeal of Immigration Enforcement Law (HB87)
By John Hill on July 6, 2011

Georgia on Tuesday began the formal process of appealing the blocked of portions of their immigration law, HB87. On June 27th, Judge Thomas Thrash granted a request by the ACLU, the Mexican Government, and others, to block parts of the law that penalize people who knowingly and willingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing another crime. He also blocked provisions that authorize officers to verify the immigration status of someone who can’t provide proper identification.

Judge Thrash’s absurd ruling sounded in parts as if penned by a petulant staffer from the ACLU…


“The apparent legislative intent is to create such a climate of hostility, fear, mistrust and insecurity that all illegal aliens will leave Georgia,” Thrash wrote in his ruling.

Well, duh – Georgians actually want illegals to leave their state. Is that not obvious? What is disturbing is that a Federal judge would view Georgia’s method for doing so – the enforcement of existing immigration laws – as a “hostile” act. Huh? What document did he swear an oath to uphold? I suggest he read it again as a refresher.

It is also dumfounding that, in the same sentence as Thrash (surprisingly) used the term “illegal aliens”, he would also decry the enforcement of laws against law-breakers as creating “insecurity” and “fear” for them. Does a bank robber have a presumption of security and freedom? Should he stroll out of the bank unconcerned that any sirens, lights and drawn pistols await him? Similarly, should those who violated our border to come to Georgia, broke more laws to obtain employment and false ID, and any number of additional state or Federal felonies, be left free from enforcement and prosecution? Ridiculous.

Georgia’s appeal will go to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, where the ACLU et al will find a less welcoming audience then what they and Eric Holder found at the 9th Circus Kangaroo Court in San Francisco. 9 of the 16 justices at the Atlanta court are Republican appointees, unlike the 70% Democrat court on the 9th. Let’s hope those justices use wisdom as often as Judge Thrash used his emotions, and restore these common sense provisions to the Georgia law.

And above these nascent disputes in Georgia, Alabama and Indiana (and soon in South Carolina) is Arizona’s appeal of Judge Susan Bolton injunction against the bulk of SB1070. If the Supreme Court – which has already given Arizona a major victory this year – sides with Gov. Brewer & Co., then the ACLU, Eric Holder and the Mexican Government can go pound sand, as the rule of law on immigration will be re-established in EVERY state across the land.

http://standwitharizona.com/blog/2011/07/06/georgia-begins-appeal-of-immigration-law-hb87/

[Jolie Rouge]

Alabama Governor on Why He Signed the Immigration Law
By Pamela Gifford – 17 hrs ago

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley was on WFPA 1400 this morning on the Danny Lee Show, a popular news-talk radio program out of Fort Payne. Last winter, the governor braved the cold weather and icy roads to travel up Lookout Mountain in DeKalb County where WFPA is located. Unfortunately, the governor's schedule wouldn't permit the trip this time but he was gracious enough to take the time to answer questions over the phone.

Gov. Bentley started by saying that while it has been a very rough six months, he enjoys the job. "If you don't enjoy your job, you shouldn't be doing it," he said.

Danny Lee, with WFPA manager Mike Wallace, touched on a number of subjects like the Legislative Session, Special Sessions, NASA, and more. Three topics of particular interest were tornado relief progress, unemployment, and the controversial Alabama immigration law.

Tornado relief across Alabama is actually going ahead of schedule, according to Bentley. While FEMA and state emergency agencies have helped, he said it is the locals who have really stepped up. It's been only a little more than two months since April's Fury ripped through the south, causing the most damage and fatalities in Alabama. Bentley says that around 65 percent to 75 percent of debris has already been cleaned up. People have their immediate needs taken care of and now it's time to start long term recovery.

Unemployment in Alabama, according to the most recent data from Bureau of Labor Statistics, puts unemployment still at a high 9.6 percent despite the "official" end of the recession. It isn't the worst in the nation but it's far from being okay. Bentley noted that obviously it isn't something that can be solved overnight and it is still a high priority of his.


He has taken steps to bring jobs to Alabama by introducing tax incentives to small business owners. For example, these businesses would get breaks for hiring new employees or offering health insurance to their employees. The governor has even traveled to Europe to talk with larger company owners in an effort to bring more industry and higher paying jobs to Alabama.

And last, Mike Wallace asked Bentley about what's been on many Alabamians' minds; the immigration law (portions of it will go into effect Sept. 1). Bentley said he believes in strong immigration reform simply because the federal authorities are not doing their job. And because they aren't doing what they are supposed to, states have to take it upon themselves to pick up the slack.


It all boils down to the fact that no matter how sympathetic people are, illegal immigrants are just that -- illegal. "They are breaking the law," he said and it's not something that can be ignored any longer. He admitted that many parts of the bill need clarifying. Despite the confusion, though, he sent the bill through anyway because he was afraid if he sent it back for revision, it would have died before it came back to him. So far no one has challenged it in court but it's still early.

http://news.yahoo.com/alabama-governor-why-signed-immigration-law-224800152.html

[Jolie Rouge]

Some illegal immigrants prepare to flee Alabama ahead of new law
By Liz Goodwin National Affairs Reporter | The Lookout – 5 hrs ago

Illegal immigrants in Alabama are selling off household items such as microwaves and sofas in preparation to leave the state if a tough new law goes into effect Sept. 1.

The Birmingham News' David White collects anecdotal evidence that some of the estimated 120,000 unauthorized immigrants in the state are considering leaving or have already left because they worry they would be arrested and deported under the new law.

An operations manager for a Spanish-language radio provider told White that people are calling in to try to sell trucks, sofas, microwaves and other household items to listeners. "They say they're leaving. They kind of tell you that at the end, so people feel bad for them and buy the item," Orlando Rosa of Rivera Communications said.


A Spanish-language translator who works with immigrants told White that some are waiting to see if the law will be blocked before the school year begins, because they don't want to school officials to request proof of their children's citizenship under the new law. One illegal immigrant with two children who are American citizens told White he has sold his truck so he can go back to Mexico with some extra money if the law goes into effect.

Like Arizona's controversial SB1070 law, the Alabama legislation requires police officers to ask for immigration papers during routine stops if they suspect a person may be in the country illegally. The Alabama law also criminalizes transporting or "harboring" illegal immigrants and makes it a state crime for an illegal immigrant to seek or perform work. (Under federal law, overstaying a visa is a civil offense, and entering the country without papers is a misdemeanor crime.) The American Civil Liberties Union has sued to block the law.

After Arizona's law passed last year, one research team estimated that 100,000 Latinos left the state, though the researchers were unable to determine what percentage of them were immigrants, legal or illegal. The Mexican government said 23,380 of its citizens moved back from Arizona over the same period. A federal judge blocked the Arizona law before it could go into effect, ruling that it interfered with the federal government's control over immigration law.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/report-illegal-immigrants-prepare-flee-alabama-ahead-law-181725883.html

comments

there's a reason it's called illegal immigration.....duh!!!

~~~

Go Alabama. It's about time states start understanding that "illegal" means "illegal". NO legal tax paying citizen wants to pay for illegals to stay, live or go to school here. It's about time more politicians to start listening to "the people"...

~~~

Imagine that...Alabama plans to enforce the law and the "law breakers" leave!!! What a wonderful concept...someone should have thought about this a long time ago!!! Now if only the Feds could understand...they are all about buying votes with entitlements!!!

~~~


One illegal immigrant with two children who are American citizens...

While my heart goes out to children, the 'anchor baby' citizenship status needs to be brought to a screeching halt. Aside from that, Alabama should be an shining example of how the entire Nation could succeed in winning the war against illegal immigration one state at at time. The Federal Government has failed miserably.

~~~

Don't you love that the ACLU works to provide "rights" to those that come here illegally, and disregard our "rights" as CITIZENS to live in a place and be secure in our daily lives, protected from law-breakers and those that would abuse our generous social-welfare system...

~~~

This is not about immigration or race - it's about THE LAW. If you want to immigrate, DO IT LEGALLY and chances are you'll do fine here. If you're doing it illegally, where do you get off trying to get away with it? Run, all right...all the way back home. Until you're ready to do it LEGALLY.

~~~

It amazes me how people will turn anything into a racial issue. The bottom line is the word illegal. Immigration IS NOT a racial issue. If we had 10 million undocumented Iraqi immigrants in this country, the issues would be the same. Over our nations history all different ethnic groups have experienced this so called "racial injustice." If your legal and you can prove it, who cares if you get pulled over? As a citizen, I too am required to have identification to drive, work, vote etc. Its the LAW! Being here undocumented is against the law, so why should it be so crazy to have to prove it? It makes me sick to see families that are undocumented having 10 kids and being on welfare, medical coupons and free school lunch with every single one! Don't you want better? Why do people feel the need to reproduce just because they can, and then expect everyone else to pay for the kids they chose to bring into this world? Kids are not puppies, they require things. I don't care what color you are, have kids when and only when you can afford them. Become a citizen and then you are protected under the Constitution. Then the #$%$ ACLU can defend you, if your not a citizen, your country of citizenship needs to take care of you . That goes for Mexican immigrants, Irish, Chinese, Canadian, etc.

[Jolie Rouge]

‎18-year-old illegal alien Luis Hernandez was charged with drug possession, and faced deportation. But who cares? Under Obama's new "guidelines", that is not a "serious" crime (as if violation of immigration laws wasn't enough), so he was SET FREE, charges dropped, and won't face deportation. So I guess legal Georgians can now go around selling drugs, right? Nope - we are all 2nd class to illegals in ObamaNation.


New deportation guidelines draw criticism
Manuel Bojorquez reports August 24, 2011

CALHOUN, Ga. -- Some illegal immigrants who were held for deportation are being released under new guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security.

One of them is 18-year-old Luis Hernandez of Calhoun.

Channel 2 Action News was there as loved ones greeted him with hugs and tears at his home. He was released from the Stewart Detention Center Tuesday night after a review of his case.

"I feel like going outside and just telling the world: 'I'm back,'" said Hernandez.

He was arrested in June while he was a passenger in someone else's car and was charged with drug possession, but the charge was later dropped.

Under the new guidelines, officials will prioritize cases in order to remove criminal aliens with serious offenses, while giving those who are deemed to not be a threat to public safety a reprieve.

Hernandez said his family brought him to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 2 years old and that he doesn't know anyone there.

"I've been here all my life," he said. "What am I going to do over there? ... My life is here."

His case represents the complexity of the debate over illegal immigration.

The new deportation guidelines have drawn criticism from those who call it mass amnesty.

"It's stunning," said Phil Kent of Americans for Immigration Control, when he heard of the changes.

He said the 300,000 cases under review and a provision that could allow those released to attain work permits will hurt legal Americans.

"That's potentially 300,000 people that you'd be giving work permits to compete with Americans looking for jobs," said Kent.

Hernandez said he now plans to finish up his senior year of high school and go on to college.

His release does not grant him legal status. An attorney working Hernandez's case says the DREAM Act would help students like Hernandez attain that.

But the proposal failed in Congress last year and has staunch opponents who say the federal government should instead focus on stemming the tide of illegal immigrants and removing those who are in the country.

As for why he should be allowed to stay, Hernandez says: "They should just give us a chance to get everything right, and at least a chance to go to college."

( video at link ... ) http://www.wsbtv.com/news/28966104/detail.html#.TlZBwQQZfuY.facebook

[Jolie Rouge]

seriously ??


Georgia profs offer course to illegal immigrants
By KATE BRUMBACK - Associated Press | AP – 2 hrs 20 mins ago

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — As college students return to campus in Georgia, a new state policy has closed the doors of the five most competitive state schools to illegal immigrants, but a group of professors has found a way to offer those students a taste of what they've been denied.

The five University of Georgia professors have started a program they're calling Freedom University. They're offering to teach a rigorous seminar course once a week meant to mirror courses taught at the most competitive schools and aimed at students who have graduated from high school but can't go to one of those top schools because of the new policy or because of cuts to state scholarship programs. "This is not a substitute for letting these students into UGA, Georgia State or the other schools," said Pam Voekel, a history professor at UGA and one of the program's initiators. "It is designed for people who, right now, don't have another option."

The policy, adopted last fall by the university system's Board of Regents, bars any state college or university that has rejected academically qualified applicants in the previous two years from admitting illegal immigrants. That includes five Georgia colleges and universities: the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Georgia Health Sciences University and Georgia College & State University. Illegal immigrants may still be admitted to any other state college or university, provided that they pay out-of-state tuition.

The new rule came in response to public concerns that Georgia state colleges and universities were being overrun by illegal immigrants, that taxpayers were subsidizing their education and legal residents were being displaced. A study conducted by the university system's Board of Regents last year found that less than 1 percent of the state's public college students were illegal immigrants, and that students who pay out-of-state tuition more than pay for their education. "What we're hoping is that people in decision-making positions will reconsider the policy," said Reinaldo Roman, another of the organizing professors. "It goes counter to our aims. We have invested enormous resources in these young people. It makes sense to give them a chance at an education."

For now the course will simply serve to expose the students to a college environment and challenge them intellectually. It will not likely count for credit should the students be accepted at another school, but the professors said they're seeking accreditation so credits would be transferable at some point in the future.

The five founding professors all work for UGA, but they stress that the program has no connection to the institution. UGA referred a request for comment to the Board of Regents. Regents spokesman John Millsaps said faculty members are generally free to do whatever they want with their free time as long as it doesn't interfere with their responsibilities as employees of the university system. But he said he didn't know about enough about the program to comment on this specific case.

Once the professors hatched their plan — which was suggested by an illegal immigrant community member who works with a lot of illegal immigrant teens — they reached out to professors at prestigious schools nationwide to sit on a national board of advisers. One of them is Pulitzer Prize winning author and MIT professor Junot Diaz, who calls policies barring illegal immigrants from state schools cruel and divisive. He said he's ready to help Freedom University succeed. "Whatever they ask of me. I'll do everything and anything I can," he wrote in an email. "This clearly is going to be a long fight."

With professors donating their time and a local Latino community outreach center offering a space for free, the program has few costs. They've started an Amazon.com wish list asking people to donate textbooks for students and gas cards for volunteers who will drive students to and from class.

Dressed in a black fleece jacket and tan cargo shorts and carrying a black backpack during a protest rally Tuesday at UGA against the policy, 25-year-old Karl Kings looked like he could be headed to class. However, Kings says he's an illegal immigrant who was brought to the U.S. when he was a year old from a country in Asia that he declined to identify. "Pretty much, I would be a Georgia boy except I wasn't born here," he said. "I grew up here my whole life."

After graduating from high school in suburban Atlanta in 2004, he dreamed of going to college but couldn't afford to pay out-of-state tuition. He's gotten by doing odd jobs, but has had to turn down some more stable or challenging job offers because they required proof of eligibility to work in the U.S. He was filling out an application for Freedom University at the end of the rally this week.

The program is currently taking applications, with the first class, American Civilization I, set to start Sept. 8. The five professors will rotate teaching the seminar course on their own time at an off-campus location. All qualified applicants will likely be accepted unless there are so many applications that space constraints force them to limit admissions, said Lorgia Garcia Pena, another of the founding professors.

Leeidy Solis,16, was brought to the U.S. illegally by her parents from Mexico when she was 2. A high school senior in Athens, she wants to become a veterinarian. She finds it hard to listen to her friends discuss where they're applying to college because she's not sure she will be able to go. She's looking into where she might get a grant or scholarship to pay for her education.

Her parents are thinking of packing up and heading back to Mexico. They are encouraging her to apply to college there and go with them. But she doesn't remember Mexico and all her friends and cultural experiences are here, so she wants to stay. She said she's definitely keeping Freedom University in mind. Even if they don't count it as a credit, at least we as students can experience what it's like to take a real college class," she said


http://news.yahoo.com/georgia-profs-offer-course-illegal-immigrants-131949856.html"


comments

How about giving class's to deserving American student.

~~~

Why don't they go back to their own country and get their education there. It is time to put an end to all these freebees they are getting. Maybe we could get our country back. Go to Mexico illegally and see what happens to you

~~~

Why should they get to go to college when there are a lot of Georgians who can not get what these illegal immigrants are getting. We should be taking care of our on people instead of giving it away. This is not fair to the ones who really want to go to college and can't. This state needs to go back to some morals and valves here. I am tired of giving things away and not puting back in our on state.

[Jolie Rouge]

School Provision in Alabama Immigration Law Forces Families to Move
Posted: 09.16.11

An immigration law that has been called the toughest in the nation is facing legal challenges in Alabama, especially because of a provision requiring public schools to check the immigration status of their students. As with a hotly-debated immigration law passed in Arizona, law enforcement officials in Alabama would be required to stop anyone they deem suspicious and check their immigration status. However, the Alabama bill goes further by banning illegal immigrants from attending state colleges, making it illegal to harbor or help undocumented immigrants and requiring public schools to report undocumented students.

Already, reports from around the state suggest that undocumented families planned to leave the state before school started.

The bill’s co-author, Alabama state representative Micky Hammon, a Republican, argues that the law is a “job-creation bill for Americans” because it will keep illegal immigrants from taking jobs away from American citizens.

Schools and immigrants

The new Alabama law requires the state to check immigration status of students in public schools. The law, known as HB 56, doesn’t explicitly forbid undocumented children in Alabama from receiving a public education, but it does require that the Alabama Department of Education send the state legislature a report each year indicating the numbers of students in primary and secondary schools who are believed to be undocumented. That report also has to analyze and itemize how much it is costing the state to provide computers, textbooks, meals, extracurricular activities and other support to undocumented students.

Opponents of the law cite the 1982 Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, wherein the court said it was unconstitutional to deny undocumented students a public education. School administrators in Alabama’s communities with a high immigrant population also worry that they won’t have the resources to comply if the law goes into effect. “We don’t have the personnel to do all the work that is needed to find out which parents are legal,” Principal Ed Burke of Crossville Elementary School told the National Education Association. “That’s my biggest concern—putting it off on the schools to police illegal immigration. I don’t think school is the place to do that; we don’t have the resources.”

Alabama judge blocks law

Appeals could keep the law from being enacted for months or even years, and it could end up at the highest court in the land - the Supreme Court. For now, schools are not required to figure out which students are undocumented. That’s because the law, which was supposed to go into effect September 1, was blocked by U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn, who said there was not enough time to hear all the arguments over whether the law is constitutional.

Judge Blackburn’s order will keep the law from being enacted until at least Sept. 29, and after that, it’s likely to be appealed to higher courts. Those appeals could keep it from becoming law for months or even years, and it could end up at the highest court in the land - the Supreme Court. “These are really extreme provisions that are not likely to stand up to...constitutional provisions, which are clearly designed to send a message to immigrants and to foreigners in Alabama that they're not welcome,” Mary Bauer of the Southern Poverty Law Center told the NewsHour.

On the other side of the issue, Kansas Secretary of State Chris Kobach, who helped write the Alabama law, said “Congress has invited states to assist in helping to discourage and deter illegal immigration. That's what Alabama's doing. And I'm confident Alabama will prevail at the end of the day.”

Many illegal immigrants plan to leave Alabama

Reports say many illegal immigrants left the state of Alabama before school even started. There are an estimated 120,000 illegal immigrants in Alabama, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. There are no numbers available on how many have left the state since the law passed, but reports in The Birmingham News suggest that thousands have moved, or plan to move.

Leslie Hillhouse, an interpreter who works with Hispanic immigrants in Birmingham, told the newspaper that she knows of many parents getting passports for their U.S.-born children, or arranging for trusted people to have power of attorney so they can take care of the kids if the parents are detained. Many were afraid to register their children for school and planned to leave before the school year started to “avoid having to provide that information," Hillhouse said.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/us/july-dec11/alabama_09-16.html

See also : Alabama's Immigration Law: Radical or Within Reason?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/july-dec11/alabama_08-24.html

[Jolie Rouge]

Judge lets key parts of Ala. immigration law stand
By JAY REEVES - Associated Press | AP – 9 mins ago

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge refused Wednesday to block key parts of a closely watched Alabama law that is considered the strictest state effort to clamp down on illegal immigration, including a measure that requires immigration status checks of public school students.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Blackburn, appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush, wrote in her 115-page opinion that some parts of the law are in conflict with federal statutes, but others aren't.

She said federal law doesn't prohibit checking students or suspects pulled over by police. She also refused to stop provisions that allow police to hold suspected illegal immigrants without bond; bar state courts from enforcing contracts involving illegal immigrants; make it a felony for an illegal immigrant to do business with the state; and make it a misdemeanor for an illegal resident not to have immigration papers.

She didn't say when those and other parts of the law could take effect, but her previous order blocking enforcement expires on Thursday. Neither Gov. Robert Bentley nor Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange had any immediate comment on when the state would begin enforcing parts of the law.

Blackburn's order temporarily blocked four parts of the law until she can issue a final ruling. Those measures would:

— Make it a crime for an illegal immigrant to solicit work.

— Make it a crime to transport or harbor an illegal immigrant.

— Allow discrimination lawsuits against companies that dismiss legal workers while hiring illegal immigrants.

— Forbid businesses from taking tax deductions for wages paid to workers who are in the country illegally.

Blackburn heard arguments from opponents including the Obama administration, immigrant-support groups and civil libertarians before it was supposed to take effect Sept. 1. The Justice Department contended the state law encroaches on the federal government's duty to enforce immigration law, and other opponents argued it violated basic rights to free speech and travel.

She put the entire law on hold last month, but didn't rule on whether it was constitutional, saying she needed more time.

Similar, less-restrictive laws have been passed in Arizona, Utah, Indiana and Georgia, and federal judges already have blocked all or parts of those.

Immigration became a hot issue in Alabama over the last decade as the state's Hispanic population grew by 145 percent to about 185,600. While the group still represents only about 4 percent of the population, some counties in north Alabama have large Spanish-speaking communities and schools where most of the students are Hispanic.

Alabama Republicans have long sought to clamp down on illegal immigration and passed the law earlier this year after gaining control of the Legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. GOP Gov. Robert Bentley signed it, saying it was vital to protect jobs of legal residents.

Both supporters and critics say it is the nation's toughest partly because of a section that would require public schools to verify the citizenship status of students and report statistics to the state. Illegal immigrants wouldn't be barred attending public schools, but opponents contend the law is designed to decrease enrollment by creating a climate of fear.

In a statement on behalf of 150 United Methodist pastors who signed a letter opposing the law, Revs. Matt Lacey and R.G. Lyons said church leaders were "pleased to see some of the harsh and far-reaching elements of the law have been struck down."

"We feel that many of these elements, written by members of the State House and Senate who campaign on Christianity, are not representative of the message of Christ who welcomed the stranger despite country of origin or status," they said.

http://news.yahoo.com/judge-lets-key-parts-ala-immigration-law-stand-180225029.html

comments


"We feel that many of these elements, written by members of the State House and Senate who campaign on Christianity, are not representative of the message of Christ who welcomed the stranger despite country of origin or status," they said.

Jesus also said "Go Forth and Sin No More" .... you have to ask for forgiveness and stop committing the "wrong".

....

Federal law states it is illegal to transport illegal aliens. Federal law states it is illegal for an illegal alien to solicit work. When will the federal government fully enforce these laws and do their jobs, the primary responsibility of placing the needs of the US citizens foremost.

We don't need to spend extra to deport them all, if they keep companies from hiring illegals through HEAVY and persistant fines and they deny illegals from any sort of federal/state aid (housing, food stamps, medical care, etc) then they will all leave on their own!

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Illegal immigration is a very sore spot with me since I grew up on the farms of this country, scraping a living anywhere I could and we couldn't find work in a lot of states because illegals would do the job cheaper. I say anyone hiring, harboring, selling, or otherwise supporting them should serve a minimum of five years prison time and be fined ten thousand dollars a head for all that are hired illegally.

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My fellow liberals, please explain to me WHY this is a bad thing? It should be illegal to hire an illegal alien, companies should be fined heavily if they did not do the proper checks. It should be illegal to house an illegal alien, it's illegal to house people on the run from the law what's the difference? We should not provide illegal aliens with medical care period and they should not have any access to our banks, schools or facilities. Please tell me, why is this Alabama law a bad thing? Did I miss something here...

...

We should make the immigration laws of mexico our immigration laws and enforce them same as mexico does:

- Immigrants and foreign visitors are banned from public political discourse.

- Immigrants and foreigners are denied certain basic property rights.

- Immigrants are denied equal employment rights.

- Immigrants and naturalized citizens will never be treated as real Mexican citizens.

- Immigrants and naturalized citizens are not to be trusted in public service.

- Immigrants and naturalized citizens may never become members of the clergy.

- Private citizens may make citizens arrests of lawbreakers (i.e., illegal immigrants) and hand them to the authorities.

- Immigrants may be expelled from Mexico for any reason and without due process.

The Mexican constitution: Unfriendly to immigrants

The Mexican constitution expressly forbids non-citizens to participate in the country’s political life. Non-citizens are forbidden to participate in demonstrations or express opinions in public about domestic politics. Article 9 states, “only citizens of the Republic may do so to take part in the political affairs of the country.” Article 33 is unambiguous: “Foreigners may not in any way participate in the political affairs of the country.”

[Jolie Rouge]

Hispanic students vanish from Alabama schools
By JAY REEVES - Associated Press | AP – 17 hrs ago

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AP) — Hispanic students have started vanishing from Alabama public schools in the wake of a court ruling that upheld the state's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration.

Education officials say scores of immigrant families have withdrawn their children from classes or kept them home this week, afraid that sending the kids to school would draw attention from authorities.

There are no precise statewide numbers. But several districts with large immigrant enrollments — from small towns to large urban districts — reported a sudden exodus of children of Hispanic parents, some of whom told officials they planned to leave the state to avoid trouble with the law, which requires schools to check students' immigration status.

The anxiety has become so intense that the superintendent in one of the state's largest cities, Huntsville, went on a Spanish-language television show Thursday to try to calm widespread worries. "In the case of this law, our students do not have anything to fear," Casey Wardynski said in halting Spanish. He urged families to send students to class and explained that the state is only trying to compile statistics.

Police, he insisted, were not getting involved in schools.

Victor Palafox graduated from a high school in suburban Birmingham last year and has lived in the United States without documentation since age 6, when his parents brought him and his brother here from Mexico. "Younger students are watching their lives taken from their hands," said Palafox, whose family is staying put.

In Montgomery County, more than 200 Hispanic students were absent the morning after the judge's Wednesday ruling. A handful withdrew.

In tiny Albertville, 35 students withdrew in one day. And about 20 students in Shelby County, in suburban Birmingham, either withdrew or told teachers they were leaving. Local and state officials are pleading with immigrant families to keep their children enrolled. The law does not ban anyone from school, they say, and neither students nor parents will be arrested for trying to get an education.

But many Spanish-speaking families aren't waiting around to see what happens.

A school worker in Albertville — a community with a large poultry industry that employs many Hispanic workers — said Friday that many families might leave town over the weekend for other states. About 22 percent of the community's 4,200 students are Hispanic. "I met a Hispanic mother in the hallway at our community learning center this morning, where enrollment and withdrawal happens. She looked at me with tears in her eyes. I asked, 'Are you leaving?' She said 'Yes,' and hugged me, crying," said the worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not an authorized spokeswoman.

In Russellville, which has one of the largest immigrant populations in the state because of its poultry plants, overall school attendance was down more than 2 percent after the ruling, and the rate was higher among Hispanic students. There's "no firm data yet, but several students have related to their teachers that they may be moving soon," said George Harper, who works in the central office.

Schools in Baldwin County, a heavily agricultural and tourist area near the Gulf Coast, and in Decatur in the Tennessee Valley also reported sudden decreases in Hispanic attendance. The law does not require proof of citizenship to enroll, and it does not apply to any students who were enrolled before Sept. 1. While most students are not affected, school systems are supposed to begin checking the status of first-time enrollees now.

The Obama administration filed court documents Friday announcing its plans to appeal the ruling that upheld the law.

The state has distributed to schools sample letters that can be sent to parents of new students informing them of the law's requirements for either citizenship documents or sworn statements by parents. In an attempt to ease suspicions that the law may lead to arrests, the letter tells parents immigration information will be used only to gather statistics. "Rest assured," the letter states, "that it will not be a problem if you are unable or unwilling to provide either of the documents."

http://news.yahoo.com/hispanic-students-vanish-alabama-schools-184555038.html

comments

then what the point of having a law if it only their status that is required. what a kick in the face of all the people that stand inline and do the proper paperwork

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Let's set the record straight !! An immigrant is someone who enters a country "BY THE RULES". A "ILLEGAL ALIEN" is someone who enters the country in the dark of night by tunnel, truck, or some other means other than legal entry, as set by laws of that country being entered. This means they are breaking our laws.

I know a lot of you will be chomping at the bit, however, this may not be P.C., or to the liking of the bleeding hearts. Scrub off the crap and that's the bottom line. Nationality has nothing to do with it...... until our politician get a grip on this concept we "The Good Old U.S.A & it's education system. will remain in terminal. No matter how you put it, this cost "YOU" the tax payer money.

The sadness is the children suffer through no fault of thier own.

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Kansas is in trouble now! Especially in my town of Dodge City. USD 443 is over 90% Hispanic and most are illegal. It is not about racism. It is about what our nation can afford. Go to Mexico and see what they do will illegals. They are deported or imprisoned. Why is the US so #$%$ politically correct? There is no need to be. Our nation is bankrupt. Partly because of extending expensive publicly funded social services like WIC and public education to illegals and anchor babies. Time to wake up America. The USA is broke. Time to cut corners and fess up that we cannot afford this luxurious existence anymore and that includes shoring up the debts caused by illegal aliens. America for Americans and that is it.

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If you are here illegaly you are NOT an immigrant, you ar an illegal alien, and I for one want an amendement that does NOT require legal and natural born citizens to pay for the illegal's welfare and schooling.

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sounds like the law is working doesn't it? What this article doesn't point out is the money that could be potentially saved by the exodus and used to support legal American children who will help to build America into a stronger country. I found it odd that here we are in the deepest financial water since 1929 and our President is asking the Supreme Court to overthrow a law that will save one of our poorest states a ton of money. Good job Obama....

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This is just a matter of surviving, we have thousands of americans and legal residents without a job, and it's totally unacceptable the fact of giving benefits as free education, medical, and WIC food stamps to mothers bringing kids illegaly or in their womb across the border. Our laws need to be drasticly enforced everywhere

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I would consider myself a democrat by belief, but I think this law in Alabama is spot on. If they poultry/farm/landscape people lose all their illegal help, maybe then they will hire one or two of the MILLIONS of unemployed Americans!!!!!!!!! If Mexico/Central America is that bad, then these people need to go the LEGAL route -- learn our language, take the naturalization test, PAY TAXES!!!! Enough of the free rides -- our country cannot afford to pay the way for illegals while Americans struggle to survive.....

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in Wisconsin you must have the childs birth certificate to enroll them in school if they were born in Wisconsin you dont need the actual certificate because they have access to all children born in the strate via a data base.....Imunization and proof of legal birth, and they also ask for parental information as well....Been that way for a long time as my children are now out of school or in high school documentation of legal right to live in this country should be part of the enrollment process for public school.

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True, it does show how big the problem is, and there is a legal way to gain citizenship and work visas-those who did it the right way know it was a frustrating process, but also secured themselves in a legal manner. Kudos to the legal immigrants. If more states took up this law, especially Texas- I couldn't imagine a more rapid spur to the economy if all the illegal immigrants left or were deported back to their native land. Imagine the jobs that would open up for legal immigrants and American citizens. Companies would scramble through the stacks of resumes and applications of the millions of citizens who are currently unemployed. Medicaid and Hospitals and Food Stamps, WIC, OAG - all these programs would have millions if not billions of dollars collectively to put back into restoring the US. There are problems worldwide, but if illegal immigrants in their great masses choose rather to inundate the streets in protest against the very citizens who set up and pay for the programs that (for free) - feed, medicate, and educate them and their children, but yet chose not to gather and make a difference in their own country, what do we expect of them here? That was their country that they abandoned rather than take the effort to fix.

[Jolie Rouge]

Obama administration tries again to block Alabama law
By Liz Goodwin National Affairs Reporter The Lookout – 5 hrs ago

The Obama administration is appealing a federal judge's decision to let much of Alabama's immigration law to go into effect last week by asking the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hear the case to block its enforcement. The Justice Department says the law will "expose persons lawfully in the United States, including school children, to new difficulties in routine dealings," the AP reports.

Meanwhile, the state's top agriculture official floated the idea of paying nonviolent inmates to work in the state's fields, since farmers say most of their laborers are fleeing Alabama. Some farmers have complained that they've had to let their crops rot in the field this fall because of the labor shortage.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/obama-administration-tries-again-block-alabama-law-204106177.html

comments

It seems that every time someone tries to stop or hinder illegals, the feds step in and try to steam roller whomever is trying to help this country. I'm sorry the tomato crop is rotting on the vines,but if the owners hadn't used illegals to pick them there wouldn't be a problem,
assuming the owners knew the people they hired were illegal. I agree, the three or four generation welfare recipients should pick them in return for their checks.

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So let me get this right...*trying to find the logic in this*.... We are supposed to let illegals use our public school, health care, food stamps, and welfare, to make it worse these systems are going broke. I don't get how that makes sense?!?

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Enforcing the countrys laws on the book, why is this so hard to understand

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It's bizarre that the Federal govt. is mad a state is trying to enforce a Federal law. It sort of says the Federal govt. doesn't really want the law enforced in the first place.

BTW.. There is no such thing as a Undocumented Worker. They are ILLEGAL ALIENS!

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Let me get this straight... The feds are suing Alabama because they are enforcing laws that the feds are unable or unwilling to enforce? How screwed up is that?

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If they would have hired legal residents they would not have lost their crops from illegals leaving Alabama to escape the law. Next time hire legal residents and you won't have anything to worry about.

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Wait...Alabama is doing his job...and now obama is asking to halt their law which is the job he is supposed to be doing in the first place ??? And people voted him into office- which is the truly scary part... some plan to vote for him again...

[Jolie Rouge]

Can the Obama administration stop Alabama's immigration law?
The Obama administration asked an appeals court Friday to immediately stop implementation of the immigration law, after reports that Hispanic students were staying home as the law took effect.
By By Patrik Jonsson | Christian Science Monitor – 23 hrs ago

The impact of Alabama's immigration law on schoolchildren is a key factor in why the Obama administration asked an appeals court on Friday to immediately stop implementation of the law, which began this week. The Alabama legislation is considered by many to be America's toughest immigration law. Among other things, it requires that school officials determine the immigration status of students when they enroll. The checks aren't meant to identify children, state school officials say, but will instead be used for statistical analysis about the costs of illegal immigration in the state.

In a challenge filed in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, the US Justice Department alleged that Alabama's law "is highly likely to expose persons lawfully in the United States, including school children, to new difficulties in routine dealings."

News reports have described frightened Hispanic immigrants leaving the state. And many are drawing up powers of attorney to establish guardianship for their US-born children, should they be identified as illegal immigrants by Alabama authorities.

On Monday, as the law took effect, more than 2,000 Hispanic children were absent from school. But that number dwindled to about 1,500 midweek.

Last week, federal judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn had cleared the way for the law's toughest rules to take effect. Now, the Obama administration's challenge is likely to force the courts to further clarify the extent to which state immigration laws can impact citizens – as well as the ability of the federal government to regulate immigration if state laws cause immigrants to "self-deport" to other states. "I don't know of another situation quite like this one, partly because it doesn't seem to have been at all thought out as far as [the consequences of the law]," says Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University in New York. "The fact that it's unclear where a lot of these children are is a statement in and of itself that children's lives are being affected, including their education."

Despite Judge Blackburn's view that the Alabama law, for the most part, is copacetic with existing federal law, the Justice Department's appeal said parts of the state law run counter to federal immigration rules. For one thing, the appeal said, "attempts to drive aliens 'off the grid' will only impede the removal process established by federal law."

Alabama legislators agree that pushing illegal immigrants out of the state is the core purpose of the law. “Granted, we need to have a sound immigration policy that allows people into our country who are going to produce more than they are going to consume. But the bottom line is illegal aliens consume far more of our tax resources than they generate,” US Rep. Mo Brooks (R) of Alabama told Politico. "With respect to illegal aliens who are now leaving jobs in Alabama, that’s exactly what we want."

One issue that the 11th Circuit may ponder is the 1982 US Supreme Court decision that made it illegal for schools to shut out students because of their immigration status. In the majority opinion, Justice William Brennan wrote, "It is difficult to understand precisely what the state hopes to achieve by promoting the creation and perpetuation of a subclass of illiterates within society."

In the dissent, Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote, "The Constitution does not ... vest in the Court the authority to strike down laws because they do not meet our standards for desirable social policy, 'wisdom' or 'common sense.' "

The Alabama law targets legal citizens, Hispanic activists point out, because it affects family groups of "mixed documentation" – where some people have legal papers and some do not. Thus, the interests of the entire group veer toward the plight of undocumented family members. Activists describe a "culture of fear" running through Alabama's Hispanic community. "Even here in Alabama, we are all reeling from the impact that this [law] had had in the few days since it's been in effect," said Sam Brooke, a staff attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala. Mr. Brooke spoke during a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

Aside from its impact on schoolchildren, the law should be blocked because it could have repercussions for other states and diplomatic consequences for the country as a whole, the Justice Department said in its plea to the 11th Circuit. The 219-page filing asked for an immediate, "expedited review" of the case, citing the news reports of immigrants leaving the state – what Justice Department lawyers called an "intended but impermissible consequence" of the Alabama law.

"Neither the Constitution nor the federal immigration laws permit a state scheme avowedly designed to drive illeagl aliens out of the State – a program of de facto removal and a blunt instrument that can only impede federal law enforcement, obstruct the overall national regulation of immigration and present new concerns for the states to which aliens 'deport themselves,' " the challenge read.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-administration-stop-alabamas-immigration-law-210929173.html

comments

Our government spends more time and resources arguing with the individual states than it does on working on a solution to the problem - -

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I do not speak Spanish. I am an American and I speak English. I am tired of seeing billboards on American streets that are in Spanish or another language with no English translation. For all I know these billboards could say "Kill Americans". In America the first language is ENGLISH. All other languages are second. All billboards should be in English and if desired...a foreign translation next to the English message.....Stop discriminating against Americans in the United States of America. Where's the ACLU protecting our rights??

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OK, when I registered my kids in school I had to provide proof that I lived in the district - just like every other person. The logic behind that is quite simple - -for why should anyone be allowed to attend a school in someone elses district where they don't pay taxes. If this was such a problem for the federal government; they should tally the costs and forward the bill to the Mexican government for payment. That kind of approach would certainly force Mexico to be more pro-active in preventing illegal crossing of the border. Nothing wakes up a government like a money problem !

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A birth certificate should be required for school. It should be required for any kind of benefit or license with regard to business or government benefit. Obama needs to STOP DEFENDING THE ILLEGALS AND USING TAXPAYER MONEY FOR LAWSUITS AGAINST THE STATES. We just moved to NV and I was surprised that I did not need proof of my residence to get my license changed. Anybody could use my address for anything here

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Alabama is not breaking any law all they are doing is enforcing whats already on the national immigration laws already on the books... that our Government is afraid to enforce.... despite their protestations that this law will "impede federal law enforcement" Really ?? The federal goverment is enforcing our national immigration laws?? Where ? When ? Did I blink & miss it ?

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Obama's administration didn't care about political repercussions when they allowed the ATF to hand over guns to the drug cartels. Why does he care now ? The answer is he's hoping for the latino's to vote him in for a second term. Obama is out to wreck our country because of his own personal gain. Should'nt a president be protecting Our country and borders? We pay taxes to guarantee that security but Our Government could care less about the citizens of this once great country. But when it comes to non tax paying illegals they'll do anything they can for them.

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The government should stop ignoring federal laws on immigration. The laws should be made stronger and more effort should be done to expel illegal immigrants from all nations who entered the U.S. illegally. I applaud Alabama for doing what the federal government refuses to do.

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The law is the law. Illegals are illegal. Let them get their education in their home country.. .

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What about Alabamas right to enforce a US law? and when they do - the government is going to charge them? Alabama has to not only fight illegal immagration, but they have to fight their own government? Proof our government is not on the side of Law abiding US Citizens who pay their taxes. Time to vote em out.

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Visitors from other countries must have an Immigration I95 to enter the United States. But if you can sneak under or over the Southern Border you are entitled to the American Way of Life?? Wake-up America!! Try that in Mexico..... you will sit in JAIL.

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When I was in elementary school I lived in a mostly hispanic neighborhood. All the way up to fifth grade I was doing different classwork than most of my class because they could not understand English. The school played it off like I was a genious or something, made my parents feel good blah blah. Then we moved to a different part of town with far less mexicans. I enroll at at a new school, turns out I'm way behind the rest of the class. Takes me awile to catch up but I did. Then middle school rolls around. ESL? This is the seventh grade and you are still learning English? Not only that but you can pick up a different degree as a non english speaker, what a great system! Great job Alabama the only problem is now the illegals will just come to my state.

[Jolie Rouge]

Alabama Law Pays Off: Unemployment Down Sharply After Crackdown on Illegal Aliens
By John Hill on November 20, 2011

war against Alabama’s immigration law has intensified in recent weeks, with a Justice Department lawsuit, visits by DOJ officials, and a showdown over illegal alien children who have been pulled from Alabama schools. Eric Holder sued Alabama, trying to block every aspect of its enforcement provision.

Why has the Administration and their ACLU and La Raza allies frantically tried to stop Alabama’s law from being enforced?

Because it’s WORKING – and putting legal Alabamans back to work. As illegals have fled the state by the tens of thousands, the jobs they took – particularly in poultry processing, building trades and transportation – are being filled once again by Alabama citizens. And the unemployment rate in the state has dropped as a result.

Alabama’s unemployment rate fell a half percentage point last month – five times more than the national average of 0.1%. And the drop is not seasonal because it is also a far larger drop than in surrounding states.

To further support this trend, in one heavily Hispanic county with one of the highest percentages of illegal alien labor, the drop has been far more dramatic. Alabama House Majority Leader Rep. Micky Hammon, (R-Decatur), said the huge drop in Marshall County showed the power of Alabama’s H.B. 56:


Hammond pointed to Marshall County, which he called “a known hotbed for illegal immigrant labor.” He said the rate there was 8.1 percent for October, down from 8.8 percent in September and 10 percent in June, when the immigration law was signed. “When Marshall County’s unemployment rate drops almost a full 2 percent since the law was signed, it’s difficult to deny the law is having a positive effect on employment,” Hammond said in his statement.



Marshall County Rep. Kerry Rich (R) told WAFF-TV how poultry plants in his county have rapidly replaced illegal workers with legal ones to do the jobs that we are endlessly told “Americans just won’t do”:

A 2 percent drop in just five months in the county highest in illegal labor shows that Arizona-style immigration laws WORK. And at a time when the Federal government has completely failed to produce any programs or policies to create jobs, laws like Alabama’s H.B. 56 are by far the best solution to removing illegal foreign workers and giving jobs back to American citizens.

For every illegal alien with a job, there is an American without one. Thank you for standing with us and fighting for AZ-style laws across the nation.

http://standwitharizona.com/blog/2011/11/20/alabama-law-pays-off-unemployment-down-sharply-after-crackdown-on-illegal-aliens/

[Jolie Rouge]

Alabama Law Pays Off: Unemployment Down Sharply After Crackdown on Illegal Aliens
By John Hill on November 20, 2011

war against Alabama’s immigration law has intensified in recent weeks, with a Justice Department lawsuit, visits by DOJ officials, and a showdown over illegal alien children who have been pulled from Alabama schools. Eric Holder sued Alabama, trying to block every aspect of its enforcement provision.

Why has the Administration and their ACLU and La Raza allies frantically tried to stop Alabama’s law from being enforced?

Because it’s WORKING – and putting legal Alabamans back to work. As illegals have fled the state by the tens of thousands, the jobs they took – particularly in poultry processing, building trades and transportation – are being filled once again by Alabama citizens. And the unemployment rate in the state has dropped as a result.

Alabama’s unemployment rate fell a half percentage point last month – five times more than the national average of 0.1%. And the drop is not seasonal because it is also a far larger drop than in surrounding states.

To further support this trend, in one heavily Hispanic county with one of the highest percentages of illegal alien labor, the drop has been far more dramatic. Alabama House Majority Leader Rep. Micky Hammon, (R-Decatur), said the huge drop in Marshall County showed the power of Alabama’s H.B. 56:


Hammond pointed to Marshall County, which he called “a known hotbed for illegal immigrant labor.” He said the rate there was 8.1 percent for October, down from 8.8 percent in September and 10 percent in June, when the immigration law was signed. “When Marshall County’s unemployment rate drops almost a full 2 percent since the law was signed, it’s difficult to deny the law is having a positive effect on employment,” Hammond said in his statement.



Marshall County Rep. Kerry Rich (R) told WAFF-TV how poultry plants in his county have rapidly replaced illegal workers with legal ones to do the jobs that we are endlessly told “Americans just won’t do”:

A 2 percent drop in just five months in the county highest in illegal labor shows that Arizona-style immigration laws WORK. And at a time when the Federal government has completely failed to produce any programs or policies to create jobs, laws like Alabama’s H.B. 56 are by far the best solution to removing illegal foreign workers and giving jobs back to American citizens.

For every illegal alien with a job, there is an American without one. Thank you for standing with us and fighting for AZ-style laws across the nation.

http://standwitharizona.com/blog/2011/11/20/alabama-law-pays-off-unemployment-down-sharply-after-crackdown-on-illegal-aliens/

[Jolie Rouge]

Georgia Legislature Passes Expansion of Illegal Alien Crackdown (SB160)
By John Hill on April 8, 2013

Way to go, Peach State!

Georgia’s Legislature has approved a tough expansion of the state’s 2011 Arizona-style crackdown on illegal aliens, and it now awaits the Governor’s signature (please contact him to do so – contact info below after the article).

Passed in the final hours of the General Assembly’s 40-day session – and despite fierce lobbying against it by La Raza groups, the Chamber of Commerce, ACLU and pro-amnesty activists – Senate Bill 160 would block illegal aliens from getting state driver’s licenses, grants, public housing and retirement benefits.

It would also prevent people from using foreign passports to obtain public benefits, unless those passports include records indicating they are in the country legally.

Additionally, SB 160 would require all city, county and state government agencies to require their contractors to use a free online work-authorization program called E-Verify. Government agencies with fewer than two employees are now exempt from this requirement.

State lawmakers say the legislation would tighten and clarify the HB87 comprehensive immigration bill Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law in 2011, which was patterned after Arizona’s landmark SB1070 law, passed in April 2010. Republican Rep. Dustin Hightower of Carrollton, who sponsored similar House legislation, spoke in favor of SB 160 before the House approved it by a vote of 113-54.

“It also goes a long way in protecting the taxpayers of Georgia by filling a lot of loopholes that were there where illegal immigrants were taking advantage of different public benefits,” he said. The Senate approved the measure by a 43-9 vote.

“Civil and immigrant rights groups” fought the measure, arguing it is “divisive” and would hurt the state’s reputation. They also have predicted parts of it could become moot if Congress approves a comprehensive immigration overhaul as expected this year.

Asked whether the governor would sign SB 160 into law, his spokesman said Deal would “review the approved legislation and comment afterwards”. “Gov. Deal is a strong supporter of efforts to prevent illegal immigration and to uphold the rule of law,” said Brian Robinson, a spokesman for Deal. Deal is expected to act on the bill this week.

Kudos to SWA’s good friend and immigration warrior D.A. King of the Dustin Inman Society and our Stand With Georgia activists, who were instrumental in helping pass this critical bill.

HB87 was one of the best Arizona-style crackdowns against illegal immigration to date. Now with SB 160 Georgia can do even better – IF Governor Deal signs the bill. The costs of 450,000 illegal aliens to Georgia taxpayers are staggering, totaling $2.4 billion a year: http://www.fairus.org/DocServer/state-cost/Georgia_state_cost_illegal_immigration.pdf


•$1.7 billion a year to educate the children of illegal aliens
•$318 million a year on unreimbursed health care for illegal aliens
•$195 million a year on criminal justice activities for illegal aliens
•$77 million a year on welfare for illegal aliens
•$138 million a year for additional state/local operating costs
•$743 annual cost to each of Georgia’s native born headed households

Georgia must not have in place any policies that facilitate the employment of illegal aliens, permit their exploitation of social services, nor any method which allows illegal foreign nations to obtain a driver’s license nor use their foreign passport or Matricula Consular card as offical ID in the state of Georgia. The combination of HB87 and SB 1650 accomplishes most of these requirements, and should be signed into law.

CONTACT GOVERNOR DEAL NOW…ASK HIM TO SIGN SB 160 to protect Georgia’s workers and unemployed from the Third World wages, and to protect Georgia’s taxpayers from the staggering annual $2.4 billion cost of the 450,000 illegal aliens in the state.

La Raza groups, the Chamber of Commerce and others are fiercely lobbying the Governor to veto the bill – please contact him now!

CONTACT GOV. NATHAN DEAL:
Office Phone: (404) 656-1776
E-Mail Form: HERE http://gov.georgia.gov/webform/contact-governor-domestic-form
Gov. Deal on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GovernorDeal

http://standwitharizona.com/blog/2013/04/08/georgia-legislature-passes-expansion-of-illegal-alien-crackdown/

[Jolie Rouge]

A National Park Service employee in southeastern Arizona was beaten unconscious and left for dead Wednesday afternoon before being found by a hiker in a known drug smuggling corridor near the Mexican border.

The 60-year-old female ranger was found in a park restroom bloodied with a severe head injury in the Chiricahua National Monument area, where she would spend her days giving tours and doing maintenance.

But don't worry...departing DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said she is leaving a border that is "safer than ever".


Arizona Park Ranger Beaten and Left for Dead in Known Drug Smuggling Corridor
Aug. 29, 2013 11:59pm Sara Carter

A National Park Service employee in southeastern Arizona was beaten unconscious and left for dead Wednesday afternoon before being found by a hiker in a known drug smuggling corridor near the Mexican border.

The 60-year-old female interpretive ranger was found in a park restroom bloodied with a severe head injury in the Chiricahua National Monument area, where she would spend her days giving tours and doing maintenance, Cochise County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Carol Capas told TheBlaze. “That whole area is historically known as drug corridor,” Capas said. “But we don’t have any suspects and don’t want to jump to conclusions.”

The woman, whose husband died of natural causes more than a week ago, was flown to a Tucson hospital where she remains in critical but stable condition, the sheriff’s office said.

“You can only imagine what her family is going through,” Capas said. “She is still in critical condition.”

Her government vehicle was also missing from where she had been assaulted.

It was found several hours later after the sheriff’s department traced her missing cell phone, which was left in the vehicle, to the city of Douglas, Ariz. Douglas is approximately 40 miles from where the park worker was assaulted. It borders the Mexican city of Agua Prieta, known to be a human and drug trafficking corridor for Mexico’s powerful Sinoloa drug cartel.

Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels said in a press release that his deputies were working closely with federal and state law enforcement hoping to “ identify the suspect(s) who apparently seriously injured a federal employee.”

Last month TheBlaze visited Dannels in Cochise County, where he challenged the eight senators who drafted the current ‘Gang of Eight’ immigration bill to come visit his county. In particular, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who Dannels noted had never been to his border community.

Capas said the FBI in Phoenix is also assisting in the investigation and aiding in the collection of evidence found in the park ranger’s government vehicle. She said the evidence will be turned over to the Department of Public Safety Crime Lab for analysis.

No suspects have been identified yet but “we’re hoping to have more to go on with the evidence – it can take some time,” she added.

In 1980 Park Service ranger Paul Fugate disappeared while on foot patrol at the monument. His disappearance has never been solved.

Douglas rancher, Rob Krentz, whose shooting death in 2010 is still unresolved, was the impetus behind the passage of Arizona’s immigration law SB1070.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/29/arizona-park-ranger-beaten-and-left-for-dead-in-known-drug-smuggling-corridor/

[Jolie Rouge]

There is no depth to which open borders traitor Rep. Luis Gutierrez will stoop to push amnesty for illegal aliens.

Gutierrez (D-IL) said at a town hall event in VA that women will be raped and others will die or be injured if Congress does not pass amnesty.
Is he concerned about the thousands of Americans victimized by illegal aliens each year? Not on your life. Gutierrez is worried about the "suffering" of illegal aliens who cross the Arizona desert to invade our nation.

This should come as no surprise. In 2010 Gutierrez brazenly made his true loyalties clear, and they are not with the U.S. or his oath to the Constitution: “I have only one loyalty, and that’s to the immigrant community,” he said.

Ask YOUR House Rep. if they stand with Gutierrez, or with the rule of law: http://contactingthecongress.org/


Gutierrez: Amnesty Will Prevent Rapes, Deaths, Children's Tears
by Matthew Boyle 28 Aug 2013

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) said at a town hall event in Chantilly, VA on Monday that women will be raped and others may die or be injured if Congress does not grant amnesty to America’s illegal immigrants.

Gutierrez said that if the Senate’s immigration reform bill, or legislation similar to it, does not pass into law soon, rape and death will happen as a result. http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Gutie

“What we need to understand is today, someone is going to die in that desert trying to return to their families; women and men are going to die in that desert,” Gutierrez said in the video, captured by C-SPAN (beginning at ~47:12). “Someone’s going to lose a finger, a hand, an eye, a life today because an unscrupulous employer is going to put them in harm’s way. Someone’s going to die.”

He continued, “There’s a woman that’s going to be raped in a field somewhere in America today because she has no rights in this country, and we need to end that."

Gutierrez also entreated his audience to think of the children: "There are children who are going to cry and there are marriages that are going to be destroyed because someone is going to be deported, and there are going to be children that are going to be left orphaned in this country.”

“For all of those reasons, we would accept that [the Senate’s bill],” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez has led the House Democratic Party's efforts to push for amnesty.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/08/28/Rep-Gutierrez-Amnesty-Will-Prevent-Rapes-Deaths-Childrens-Tears

[boopster]

i think he possesses the same logic as obama (obama has told us repeatedly that illegals should be made legal so that they can work in this country and pay taxes even though americans are still losing their jobs daily and if obamacare comes to fruition, then more americans will be jobless and can be replaced by those with amnesty so that employers save money on health insurance when they get rid of american workers). perhaps he is also delusional since there have been illegals already in this country who have raped, sodomized, robbed, assaulted, murdered americans. perhaps he thinks we should empty all prisons so that they, the prisoners, don't kill themselves or other prisoners and feel depressed......................

I propose that all elected people have to go through a rigorous mental evaluation before they can be the voice of the people. didn't biden profess he was against people owning guns while telling his wife if she sees something moving in the woods, to just shoot?)

[Jolie Rouge]

OFA - Westerville @OFAWesterville

Tomorrow afternoon, join OFA- Central Ohio at the Ohio Statehouse for a rally in support of immigration reform. http://fb.me/NmuoFOUz

5:41 PM - 29 Aug 2013


Reporter Jesse Hathaway managed to get up close to the action to grab some photos; check Media Trackers Ohio on Tuesday for more angles on this underreported rally, http://mediatrackers.org/ohio as well as OFA Westerville’s same-day press conference with representatives of Mayors of Illegal Guns. We’re told that event was actually smaller.



Jesse Hathaway @JesseInOH

6 attendees at today's Obama for America rally supporting illegal immigration.
#OhRight pic.twitter.com/Vxpf8T3FHc

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BS8cFSzCAAET_4m.jpg

3:49 PM - 30 Aug 2013



Phil Kerpen ✔ @kerpen

@JesseInOH To be fair, infinitely more than their zero at DC climate rally.


3:54 PM - 30 Aug 2013

http://twitchy.com/2013/08/30/ofas-pro-amnesty-rally-in-columbus-reportedly-draws-crowd-of-six/

‘Lulz’: Tens of Alan Grayson bootlickers show up to protest at #Dream13 summit
Posted at 4:30 pm on August 30, 2013



Dana Loesch ✔ @DLoesch

Bwhahaha. Tens of people showed up at the Alan Grayson #Dream13 protest.

2:52 PM - 30 Aug 2013

We were really looking forward to fun times outside the Defending the American Dream Summit in Orlando today.


Michelle Malkin ✔ @michellemalkin

Well, this should be fun. ACORNistas & crazy pants Alan Grayson to protest #RO13 #Dream13 in Orlando. See you soon! http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/08/29/bombastic-alan-grayson-to-protest-conservative-summit-in-orlando-82396 …

10:53 AM - 29 Aug 2013

Rep. Grayson was nowhere to be found, but the Obamacare-lovin’ protesters didn’t disappoint. Just look at the Fluke-like crowd that showed up to protest the conservative conference. http://twitchy.com/2012/11/02/hilarious-sandra-fluke-draws-crowd-of-tens-to-florida-rally-for-obama/


Ben Howe @BenHowe

HUGE protest organized by alangrayson. 10's of ppl attended.
Although he actually skipped it.
http://instagram.com/p/dpmGF3yEu_/

http://instagram.com/p/dpmGF3yEu_/embed/#

3:01 PM - 30 Aug 2013

Or should we wait for the MSNBC crowd estimate?


Mark Sherman @nealsherman

@DLoesch unless MSMBC is doing the counting . The it will be tens of thousands !

2:56 PM - 30 Aug 2013

Nah. We can just look at these pics from the organizers:

https://sphotos-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/p526x296/1006066_598247126885742_1868733823_n.jpg


Tabitha Hale @TabithaHale

What I learned from protesters: ACA is here to stay.
Also Alan Grayson protests don't actually involve Alan Grayson.
That's basically it.

12:36 PM - 30 Aug 2013


ORGANIZE NOW!

Beautiful crowd braving the 95 degree weather to tell Rubio and Scott (aka The Nightmare Pair) that their failed policies are destroying the American Dream.

https://sphotos-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/p526x296/1186293_598263886884066_1880750130_n.jpg



http://twitchy.com/2013/08/30/lulz-tens-of-alan-grayson-bootlickers-show-up-to-protest-at-dream13-summit/

[boopster]

at least those few for amnesty weren't illegals that I have seen in the past proudly announcing they were illegal and demanded american benefits