From September 4, 2007, 2007
Judge Puts Hold on Federal Crackdown on Employers of Illegals
From the "what are they thinking" files, a federal judge has put a hold on the White House plan to crack down on employers hiring illegals. The judge put the hold on in order to review a suit filed by the ACLU. The article is from Fox News:
A federal judge has put a halt on a planned White House crackdown on employers who hire illegal immigrants while she considers a lawsuit filed by the AFL-CIO claiming the move would harm citizens and those working in the U.S. legally, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
Click here to read the report from the Washington Post.
The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney, bars the Department of Homeland Security from sending mail notices to 140,000 employers about suspect Social Security numbers.
The AFL-CIO and the American Civil Liberties Union say that DHS is going beyond its mandate to enforce immigration laws and is misusing the Social Security Administration’s database, according to the report.
"We're disappointed by the delay and expect to prevail once the court has the benefit of full briefing and argument," DHS spokeswoman Laura Keehner said.
She added that Homeland Security will continue other immigration enforcement programs.
The ruling allows Judge Chesney to review the lawsuit before issuing a decision on the DHS plan. A hearing on the case has been set for Oct. 1.
The Mexican Rosa Parks?
A great piece written by Larry Elder from today's Townhall.com:
Is Elvira Arellano -- the recently deported Mexican illegal alien -- the new Rosa Parks?
Arellano's justification for illegally crossing the border? "I came to the United States to work. I came because of what NAFTA and other U.S. economic policies have done to my country, in which I could no longer find work that paid a living wage." After her deportation to Mexico, she said, "The United States is the one who broke the law first. By letting people cross over [the border] without documents. By letting people pay taxes. . . . "
That's a new one.
As for the assertion that America "broke the law first," Arellano makes an interesting claim: the failure of America to effectively police its borders constitutes a criminal act that morally and legally justifies illegal entry into America. Arellano's insulting demands simply harden hearts. Instead of displaying even a hint of gratitude, she lectures American citizens that her son has the same rights as President Bush. Who said he didn't?
Union: Mexican Trucks Begin Crossing Border Saturday
WASHINGTON -- The Teamsters Union said it has been told by officials in the Transportation Department's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that the first Mexican trucks will be coming across the border on Saturday.
"What a slap in the face to American workers, opening the highways to dangerous trucks on Labor Day weekend, one of the busiest driving weekends of the year," said Teamsters President Jim Hoffa.
Joining the Teamsters in seeking the emergency stay were the Sierra Club and Public Citizen.
"Before providing unconditional access throughout the country to tens of thousands of big rigs we know little to nothing about, we must insure they meet safety and environmental standards," Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope said. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in a statement, said it was working closely with the department's inspector general "as his office completes an additional assessment of the program and we prepare a detailed response to that report."
Protest May Shut Down Border Crossing
From NBC SAN DIEGO -- All vehicle and pedestrian traffic at the U.S.-Mexico border crossings may be blocked Friday during demonstrations over Mexico's pension laws, authorities announced Wednesday.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection office is urging travelers to avoid the border crossings during the protests, which are set to start at 8:30 a.m.
In June, about 10,000 demonstrators in Mexico briefly blocked traffic between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. The demonstrators, many of them teachers, protested a Mexican law passed earlier this year that raises the retirement age for workers to 60 from 50 and introduces individual retirement savings accounts for government workers.
PBA's Pete Lanteri Subject of Long Island News Station Video Interview
PBA's New York affiliate leader, Pete Lanteri, is the subject of a video interview by Long Island's News 12. It is a two-part interview and is a terrific tool for educating others about the missions of PBA and other border watch operations groups. You can view part one HERE and part two HERE.
Thanks Pete for all you do for PBA and our nation!
Immigration: The "Other" Mom From Mexico
All to often, the only stories about immigration deal with those who have chosen to come to this country illegally. Almost always lost in the debate about illegal immigration are those who have come here legally and in accordance with the rule of law.
Austin Hill, a Phoenix area talk show host, has written a piece for Townhall.com about the plight of a legal alien in the US whose dying wish was to become a legal US citizen. Now a hospice patient, her wish was granted last week:
Maria Torres-DeChamberlin, a resident of Mesa, Arizona, came to the U.S. several years ago with her husband, children, and her "green card." After obtaining a job working for Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff ’s department, she then began to pursue full U.S. citizenship.
Her journey towards citizenship was disrupted in 2000 with a breast cancer diagnosis, and again in 2003 with the death of her husband.
But one week ago, after having studied diligently for her citizenship test and with her cancer spreading to her bones and her brain, Ms. Torres-DeChamberlin, quite literally, was granted her dying wish.
She was sworn in as a U.S. citizen.
She even got a one-hundred percent score on her exam.
Aided by social worker Susana Lenox at a Phoenix-area Hospice organization, and officials at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services department, Ms. Torres-DeChamberlin was sworn in as a U.S. citizen during a private ceremony in her home.
With one arm broken and in a cast (the cancer has left her bones quite frail and breakable), the 50 year-old grandmother recited the Pledge of Allegiance. And afterwards, she stated “for me, it’s a wonderful day. I will have the right to vote, and I will have liberty.”
It is questionable whether or not Ms. Torres-DeChamberlin will live long enough to cast any ballots. But the dignity with which she has carried herself, and the love and respect for the United States that she has demonstrated, are both inescapable, if not overwhelming.
US Woos Top Latin American Students
This article is carried in The Christian Science Monitor:
"Since President Bush's March visit to Latin America, there has been a rhetorical shift in US-Latin American relations to focus on social justice as a main US concern," says Shannon O'Neil, a Latin American studies fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.
"The Bush administration hopes with its rhetorical shift to improve its relationship with Latin American countries by explicitly recognizing issues that matter to Latin Americans and their leaders," she says. "The importance of issues of poverty, inequality, safety, and economic opportunity were readily apparent in the campaigns of last year's numerous presidential elections [throughout the region]. US rhetoric – if not resources – is catching up with these realities."
Ms. O'Neil also points out that this effort is not very big in scale.