Twelve hours of public debate. More than 350 speakers. Thousands of people in attendance. And when the smoke cleared after 2 AM this morning, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to block many county services to illegal immigrants.
Next stop for the activists, court.
In Irving Texas (you know, where the Irving Cowboys play football) a program that dovetails the efforts of local law enforcement with ICE has netted 1.600 illegals in just the past 13 months. The program, called the Criminal Alien Program or “CAP,” allows the local police to turn suspected illegal immigrants over to federal authorities for deportation.
The program has been effective. The total number of illegals turned over is an astonishing 11 percent of all arrests made in Irving, which means more than one in every ten arrests nets an illegal alien.
Naturally, Hispanic leaders are angry and want to kill the program. They have done what they do best, which is to organize a big march to the steps of the town hall.
Read the article about the demonstrations in the Dallas Morning News,including the part where the marchers yell “We are America!” in Spanish, and also where one brave woman says the illegals: “have this nonexistent sense of entitlement, and folks are tired of it.”
Oh, and in El Sol de Mexico, a Mexico City daily which also covered the event, an activist named Carlos Quintanilla of “Action America” (whoever they are), says that in the coming days, several lawsuits will be presented to get the program stopped.
Yep. Multiple lawsuits. The activist’s weapon of choice.
In the Washington Post (which is basically the New York Times lite), a little piece on the “Plight of the Undocumented” in Prince William County Virginia. The good citizens of Prince William County have decided, by way of their board of supervisors, to take a firm stand on the matter of illegal immigration; which is mainly that they are against it.
Civil rights groups of all kinds, including “Mexicans Without Borders,” the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Woodbridge Workers Committee (whatever the heck that is) have come out of the woodwork to see that this does not happen. They want the flow of illegals into the county to continue unabated, regardless of the cost to the community.
The big vote on the resolution and plan to deal with illegals is Tuesday. So naturally the Washington Post weighs in today with a ridiculously sympathetic piece that contains one sob story after another.
Read the article here if you must, including the part about Rubin Ochoa Contreras. After living in the United States for eight years he fears he may “not be able to effectively communicate with officers or other county employees and, accordingly, may be needlessly, unlawfully detained or denied benefits or services to which he is entitled.”
That’s right Rubin. Keep an eye on those benefits to which you are entitled.
Why is it that environmental activist groups who oppose the fence because of its impact on pristine lands never talk about this kind of environmental degradation?
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A few days ago, I saw and item about the fact that some illegals in Arizona are actually getting ready to pack up and head home. This is because a new state law scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2008 will really punish employers for hiring them. No job, no money. No money, no reason to say in the U.S.
At about the same time, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer blocked the federal “no-match” law. The no-match law would scan for and use discrepancies in social security numbers to catch illegals using fraudulent documentation to get employment.
Then there’s the case of Hazelton PA, which had its efforts to deal with illegals thwarted last July by U.S. District Court Judge James Munley.
What do Judges Breyer in California and Munley in Pennsylvania have to do with the new law in Arizona? As it turns out, plenty.
These two individuals, Breyer and Munley have, in separate cases and in different parts of the country, shown themselves to have a common sympathy for the plight of the undocumented. They have each, in turn, found ways to side with the ACLU and others who are against any type of enforcement efforts at the federal, state or local levels.
In Judge Munley’s view, illegals have the same constitutional protections as citizens. Maybe more if you consider that in Munley’s World, the citizens do not have the right to protect their borders. In Judge Breyer’s view, the possibility of making a mistake while enforcing the law is reason enough to scrap the entire law.
Their separate decisions have far-reaching ripple effects.
For lawyers like David Selden, an attorney with Ballard Spahr in Phoenix, who is mounting an aggressive challenge to the Arizona employer sanctions law, these rulings are a real gift. Selden and others are very excited because they believe these two decisions together lay the foundation they will need to get the Arizona law overturned before it even takes effect. And with the right judge, it could be that much easier.
Maybe the illegals who are thinking about heading home should wait a while and not do anything rash.
Read more about it here, including the part where Don Ellis, co-owner of the Landmark Restaurant in Mesa and chairman of the Arizona Restaurant and Hospitality Association comes clean on why he likes Judge Breyer’s decision to stop the no-match system:
“We were all relieved by it. We have a hard enough time now finding help,” Ellis said.
Well, at least now it’s clear.
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Just to make sure the good people of Pima County know where their tax dollars are going:
Last month, the Pima County Board of Supervisors authorized spending $25,000 on desert water stations to assist illegals as they cross through the desert into the US. The money actually went to the passionate open borders and sanctuary group Humane Borders.
Pima County is in the area of Tucson Arizona.
Regular folks argued that putting out the water stations violates federal law and serves as an enticement to illegal crossers, thereby worsening the problem.
None of that made any difference to the majority of supervisors. The vote was 4 to 1. Pima Supervisor Ann Day (R) cast the lone dissenting vote. Thanks, Ann. You were just out gunned on this one.
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Meet a group called “Humane Borders.” They are headquartered in the First Christian Church, Tucson, Ariz. They claim to have a network of 8,000 volunteers. Their 2005 budget was over $155,000. I’m sure it’s more now.
Humane Borders claims to be a “faith-based humanitarian group,” but they also claim to be very political. They are dedicated to undermining the immigration policies and laws of the United States, which they call “immoral and unconscionable.”
They have a very big agenda.
“We want to legalize the undocumented migrants now working and living in the United States; create a responsible guest worker program; increase the number of visas for Mexican nationals; demilitarize the border; support economic development in Mexico; provide more federal aid for local medical service providers, law enforcement and adjudication, land owners and managers.”
Since the fall of 2000, they are the people who put have been proudly putting out food, clothing, and over 80 water stations in the desert to make it easier for illegals to cross into the US.
They have a web site where you can order official merchandise. Here is an example of a cool volunteer patch you can buy for just $3 plus $1 shipping. It shows a desert water station.
Of course you can wear the patch if you really are a volunteer. But now you can also wear it if you are simply lingering over a cup of shaken blueberry white iced tea at your local upscale coffee shop while pondering the plight of the undocumented.
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In the New York Times (I read it so you don’t have to).
In Tar Heel North Carolina, many illegal immigrants have been flushed out by increased law enforcement efforts. As a result, Smithfield Hams has replaced their largely illegal immigrant workforce with…Americans.
Well, well. What do you know?
Of course the Times focuses on the difficulties that Smithfield is having in the process. And Hector David, one of the illlegals who is leaving, just can’t resist taking a whack at the Amercians (meaning you and me). He says:
“The Americans just don’t work as well,” Mr. David said. “In Mexico, we work from the age of 5 in the corn fields. We’re used to working hard.”
Whatever, dude.
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This is my problem. I never look at something like illegal immigration and think “What a great business opportunity!”
But others clearly see what I don’t. This explains why there has been an explosion of low-cost airlines in the the last two years that cater to the needs of Mexicans and others from Central America who want to cross the border but have to get there first. Seizing upon this opportunity, airlines such as Volaris, Avolar, Alma, Viva Aerobus, Interjet and Click have jumped into the “Aeromigrante” business. Demand is so great, the airlines are adding planes and routes at a breakneck pace.
Wow. Creating a multimillion dollar business in support of the human smuggling trade. How could I have missed this??
The airlines turn what has been a long, difficult trip into an easy hop. Illegals arrive at the border crossings in style, refreshed and ready to hit the trail. Here’s just a sampling of customer opinion:
“It’s much more comfortable than the bus and about the same price,” said Leopoldo Torres, 37, of Mexico City, as he stretched his legs aboard Volaris Flight 190 to the border city of Mexicali.
Said Guillermo Hernández of San Marcos, Guerrero state, as he arrived in Hermosillo on an Aviacsa flight. “You get here rested, and you don’t have to pay for food along the way.”
Read the whole irritating thing here, including the part about how it’s easy to spot illegals at the Mexican airports because they are wearing new sneakers or hiking boots and have nothing but backpacks.
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You can’t make this stuff up. As reported in Phoenix’s East Valley Tribune:
Two illegal immigrants accused of stealing a truck and robbing a man at a park told police that the state’s employer sanctions law and other illegal immigration crackdowns forced them to commit the crimes.
Read the whole “it-would-be-funny-if-it-wasn’t-so-frustrating” thing here, including the part where the robbery victim took a shovel and bashed in the windshield of the stolen truck the illegals were using.
By the way, this happened in Maricopa County, which is Sheriff Joe’s territory. I wouldn’t be looking to see those illegals out on the streets anytime soon.
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