Rolling Out the Welcome Mat

Safety lines in canal along U.S.-Mexico border may help the invasion

A plan to install safety lines to prevent illegal immigrants from drowning in a canal along the U.S.- Mexico border has won preliminary approval. The Imperial Irrigation District has agreed to allow the lines in the All-American Canal if certain conditions are met by the project's backers, spokeswoman Sue Giller said Wednesday. The volunteers who want to install the lines must obtain insurance that protects the district from lawsuits and they must submit to an independent review of the project, Giller said. In addition, the volunteers must get written permission from the federal agency that owns the canal and the project would have to be evaluated 18 months after the lines are installed.

Schmoozing with The Enemy

Engaging Mexico: Bush-Fox Meeting Sets the Right Tone

During seven hours of talks, Bush and Fox took steps toward putting U.S.-Mexican relations, already improving, on a stronger footing on several fronts: immigration, narcotics trafficking, and trade most importantly. They agreed to form a joint high-level task force to find ways to legalize temporary migration by Mexican workers to the United States. At the same time, Bush spoke more bluntly than any other U.S. president in memory in acknowledging that "the main reason why drugs are shipped through Mexico to the United States is because United States citizens use drugs." [If this Texan believes this malarkey we are done for.]

Tucson Citizen - LTE

Illegal aliens cost state millions

Regarding Tucson Medical Center paying their employees to lure new workers: Included was the fact that TMC posted a $7.6 million deficit for fiscal year 1999. Not mentioned was the fact that $5 million of that loss was uncollectible cost of providing emergency medical services to illegal aliens. A similar problem exists at University Medical Center. Fiscal year 2000 emergency medical care to illegal aliens cost UMC $7.3 million, all uncollectible. Could this be part of why your hospital bill is so high? Additionally, it cost the taxpayers of Pima County nearly $4.2 million for emergency medical care for criminal illegal aliens in fiscal year 1999. Include the cost of the Sheriff's Department, county attorneys, etc., and the total cost of illegal aliens to the Pima County criminal justice system for fiscal year 1999 was nearly $12.7 million. That amounts to $15.04 for every man, woman and child in Pima County.

Colorado Invasion

Immigration among topics at meeting with Sen. Allard

Issues ranging from affordable housing to open space to battleships were raised by an estimated 50 people attending a town meeting hosted by U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) on Tuesday. One of the more interesting topics during the hourlong meeting was immigration. Bruce Baker, who identified himself as a supermarket employee from Thornton, complained that 90 percent of the population growth in the United States comes from immigration and that illegal immigration has gotten out of hand because government officials refuse to enforce the law. Baker complained about trucks loaded with undocumented workers [illegals] rolling down the nation's highways. He told Allard about calling the Boulder Police Department in 1996 to complain about undocumented workers [illegals] and being referred to immigration authorities who did nothing.

Financial Times - London

U.S. downturn threatens to close shutters on cheap workforce

Antonio Ramirez, an immigrant from Mexico, has never had trouble finding a job in the US. Within a month of flying into New York back in 1986 he had a job as a packer at a grocery store. The owners never asked if he had a green card. "They never asked because they wanted cheap labour. Even now, when I have a green card, they still pay me less than the minimum wage," says Mr Ramirez, who came to the US to find work and to experience life in New York. "I have tons of friends who are working here illegally. It is really easy to find a job." Workers like Mr Ramirez have become a growing presence in the US workforce in the last decade. According to the Centre for Immigration Studies, an independent research organisation, there are approximately 6m illegal immigrants [aliens] in the US.

Washington

Bush, Fox split on amnesty for illegals

The Bush administration is examining several options to stop the chronic flow of illegal immigration from Mexico, following the president's summit with Mexican President Vicente Fox last week. If the Bush administration decides to change the current policy of trying to stop all illegal immigration, one proposal would give amnesty to 4 to 7 million illegal immigrants [illegals]. Another would give immigrants [illegals] visas renewable each year as long as they hold jobs. -- The guest-worker proposal unrealistically assumes the workers will willingly return to their home countries when their visas expire, Mark Krikorian (of the Center for Immigration Studies) said. In both cases, illegal immigrants [aliens] who stay in the U.S. would create social problems, he said. "We need to make it as difficult as possible for illegal aliens to get a job," he said.

Steve Sailer

La Causa or La Raza

The California legislature appears poised to make United Farm Worker organizer Cesar Chavez's birthday the 14th paid holiday for state employees, reflecting the growing clout of Mexican-American voters. "But public schools would remain open," notes the April 24 2000 Washington Post. "Teachers would have to spend part of the day giving California's nearly 6 million students lessons on Chavez and leading them in an afternoon of community service in his name." Well, I suppose that's a better way to memorialize Chavez than letting the kids hang out at the mall. But we can be confident that the propaganda fed the students will portray him the way the Chicano verbalist elite prefers: as the patron saint of the reconquista of Alta California by La Raza.

More On The Reconquista Story

U.S. Hispanic Caucus pledges support for guest-worker program

U.S. Latino legislators emerged from meetings with Mexican President Vicente Fox on Tuesday predicting a tough fight in Washington over a new guest-worker deal between the two countries. Immigration from Mexico took center stage in two days of meetings between the Latino legislators -- members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus -- their counterparts in the Mexican Congress, and members of the Fox administration. The Latino lawmakers support a guest-worker program, and promised to help Fox attain his goal of more Mexicans being allowed to work legally in the United States. But they promised to work to block a Republican proposal in the U.S. Senate that would tightly restrict Mexican workers in the United States.

Something Stinks in the Narco State

Congressional Hispanic Caucus meets with Mexican president

After the 1 ¹/₂ hour meeting at the presidential residence in Mexico City, Texas Rep. Silvestre Reyes described Fox as a "a very knowledgeable, very engaging individual." "We are committed to working with President Fox and with our own president to eliminating or changing the certification process," Reyes said, referring to the law requiring U.S. presidents to certify annually which of nearly 30 countries are cooperating in the fight against drug trafficking. Those not certified face possible sanctions. Much of the talk focused on immigration, especially Texas Sen. Phil Gramm's proposal for a guest worker program for Mexican laborers, including some undocumented workers [millions of illegals] already in the country.

From FAIR

Legislative Update

Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO) sent a letter to President Bush on the guestworker proposal before his meeting with President Fox. The letter details serious concerns such as the fact that it will increase illegal immigration, amounts to an amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, has no real method to guarantee that guestworkers return home and that it would be extremely harmful to American workers. Representatives Nathan Deal (R-GA), John Hostettler (R-IN), Robert Anderholt (R-AL), and Virgil Goode (I-VA) signed on to the letter. -- FAIR's Executive Director, Dan Stein, is scheduled to debate Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) this weekend on the subject of amnesty during McLaughlin One on One.

Good Riddance, Chavez

It's About Time

The United States is now home to almost 8 million Mexicans, many of whom -- 3 million -- are here illegally and do not wish to live here permanently. They come because jobs are plentiful here and scarce at home. U.S. immigration policy has small provision for those who want to work in the U.S. temporarily. High-tech workers, such as software engineers, can vie for one of the 195,000 H-1B visas to be given out this year. Farm workers may be able to obtain an H-2A visa, but the availability of these limited visas falls far short of the demand for workers in these areas with an estimated half of the agricultural workforce made up of illegal aliens.

Glenn Spencer to the Wall Street Journal

Re: Walking to Work

In 1993 Senator Phil Gramm promised that NAFTA would solve the illegal immigration problem. Not only did it make it worse, NAFTA created an environmental and social nightmare along our border with Mexico. The Mexican economy did not really grow under NAFTA and it will not grow until there is massive reform of that nation's culture. Speaking to the New York Times, Secretary of State Colin Powell said we share a common culture with Mexico. If he really believes that, there is little hope that we will ever solve the Mexican migration problem, and there is little hope of saving our nation from Mexican demographic warfare.

Mark Andrew Dwyer

Tear down these bars

Deeply concerned with Mexican migrants' safety while (illegally) crossing the U.S. border, the Mexican foreign minister, Jorge G. Castaneda, said that "easing of United States law enforcement efforts along the border that have forced Mexican immigrants to try to cross through isolated desert areas where they die by the hundreds each year from exposure to the heat or cold" is one of the main goals for the Fox's new administration. Secretary of State, General Colin Powell, in a meeting with Castaneda made it clear that the Bush administration shares Fox's concern for Mexican migrants' safety. "We have to do everything possible to see what we can do with respect to workers coming into the United States," Powell said.

Tucson

Mexican national indicted in 1993 killing

A murder suspect spotted in a chance encounter with the victim's brother was indicted yesterday on a first- degree murder charge in a 1993 slaying. Abel Rojas, 35, a Mexican citizen, was arrested Feb. 9 after an off-duty sheriff's deputy at the Tanque Verde Swap Meet, 4100 S. Palo Verde Road, was alerted by the brother. Rojas is suspected of killing George Quintero, 24, at Quintero's home on South Gila Avenue. The two men may have been involved in an illegal drug transaction, with Quintero owing Rojas money, according to news brief in the Tucson Citizen.

Aiding and Abetting Criminals

Latinos Hope Egan Will Help Cause

Leaders of the Latino community- the Catholic Church's fastest growing ethnic group- say they hope Edward Egan uses his new status as cardinal to help struggling immigrants, many of whom are here illegally and working for abusive bosses. "I believe that after he becomes a cardinal he will be able to influence other church leaders in a way that can help us," said Brother Joel Magallan, executive director of the Tepeyac Association, an organization dedicated to helping Mexican immigrants in New York City. Magallan said at the top of his wish list is the passage of a bill in Congress that would grant a general amnesty to illegal immigrants [aliens]. With amnesty, illegal Mexicans and other Latinos would no longer be afraid to complain about employers who they claim abuse them. [Also see: Tepeyac meets with Vicente Fox in New York]

Des Moines

Bill would require cities to OK immigration status

Local officials upset they weren't notified in advance about the governor's designation of their towns as "model communities" for immigration are pushing to assure more input in the future. Gov. Tom Vilsack announced in December that Fort Dodge, Mason City and Marshalltown would receive state money to begin planning for immigrant recruitment. The initiative is part of the governor's plan to increase the state"s population. "I didn't know anything about it until I read it in the paper," said Fort Dodge City Councilman Greg Nolting. "I was not happy that we were not involved in it. I do not feel there was any representation." The House Economic Development Committee voted 18-2 Tuesday for a bill that would require the city council, board of supervisors and school board to approve any future "model community" designation by the governor.

Phoenix

Bill to require CPS be Border Patrol informers is held

A Republican lawmaker ignited a tempest Tuesday when he suggested Child Protective Services investigators should also act as informants for the Border Patrol. Democrats, including several Hispanic members of the House, pounced on a bill sponsored by Rep. Russell Pearce that would require CPS caseworkers looking into child abuse or neglect to report anyone they believe to be an illegal immigrant [alien] to the authorities. Pearce told members of the House Committee on Human Services that he is outraged by reports that caseworkers have been aware of criminal activity, including illegal immigrants [aliens] fraudulently obtaining social services, and have failed to report it. "We are one of the greatest importers of illegal aliens, and we know that some of them do not come here to work," said Pearce.

Your Tax Dollars At Work

Victim May Get Worker's Compensation - illegal alien's medical expenses grow

The Mexican man who came to [snuck into] the US to try to help his family back home [steal a job] and ended up in a near- coma state may qualify for worker's compensation that would cover his mounting medical bills, officials said yesterday. -- New York State Workmen's Compensation Board officials said Hugo Gutierrez has a reasonable chance of qualifying for assistance even though he is in the country illegally. Hospital spokeswoman Shelley Lotenberg said a social worker plans to help the Gutierrez family make an application to the board. His wife, Gladys Gutierrez, arrived in the United States Feb. 7 and speaks no English.

Washington

High Court To Rule On Deportation

Some 3,000 deportable immigrants are jailed or otherwise under the thumb of the INS because the United States cannot force them on an unwilling home country. "The government wants to use detention as an alternative to deportation, and just hold people indefinitely. We say if you can't deport them you must release them," said Judy Rabinovitz, senior counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrant Rights Project. The high court will hear arguments today in the separate Zadvydas and Ma cases. Both men have been released from INS detention and are still living in the United States, but the INS has not changed its view that the men should be deported.