Connecting the judicial dots.

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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Pima County Arizona Supervisors spend $25,000 on water stations for illegals.

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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Some people you should know (about).

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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The New York Times is unhappy, which means something good is happening.

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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Illegals arrive at the border in style.

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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“Sob Stories of the Undocumented”

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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It hasn’t even started yet, and it’s working.

For those who say it can’t be done.

According to Mexico City newspaper El Sol de Mexico: Even though it doesn’t take effect until January 1, 2008, the Arizona state law that sanctions employers for hiring illegal immigrants is already having an impact.

The Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix, Carlos Flores Vizcarra said he did not believe there has been a major exodus of immigrants. But there is growing evidence, he added, that many are preparing to move to Mexico or to move to other American states.

“What I am seeing is a growing number of Mexicans who come to the consulate to obtain documents” said Flores Vizcarra. “This is called a process of preparation. Some of them are preparing to leave,” he added.

(Just for the record, I can’t imagine why illegals that snuck into the US would need documents to return.)

Of course, there are multiple activist groups lining up to challenge the law in court, hoping to get a sympathetic judge to overrule what the good people of Arizona voted for by way of their legislature. Unfortunately, these include the Arizona Contractors Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform and the National Federation of Independent Business.

All have their reasons. All misguided.

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A Maricopa Minute

A snippet of a press conference with Maricopa County Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. But a minute with Sheriff Arpaio is better than an hour with Governor Schwarzenegger.

“My philosophy is a pure program. You go after illegals. I’m not afraid to say that. You go after ‘em and you lock ‘em up.”

You go, Joe.

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Another day, another judge blocks illegal immigration enforcement efforts.

It seems like only yesterday that your humble reporter made mention of the fact that U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle had blocked construction of a section of the border fence based on a lawsuit brought by two environmental activist groups.

Wait a minute, it was only yesterday.

Now it’s today, and we have yet another judge blocking yet another Homeland Security initiative. In this case, the blocked initiative is aimed at preventing illegals from using fake social security numbers to obtain employment.

The measure in question would provide for “no match” letters to be sent out when discrepancies in the social security numbers provided by employees are found. Judge Breyer (brother to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer) considers that the “no match” letters would impose such a fearful burden on employers and employees that the entire effort should be stopped cold.

Most of the news sites that have reported on this are using words like “sharp rebuke” and “chastised” to describe Judge Breyer’s attitude towards the government’s position. Reporters seem to love it when judges sharply rebuke and chastise the government, especially when it comes to border enforcement and tracking potential terrorists.

Incidentally, in a 2004 decision, Judge Breyer “scolded” the Bush Administration for not publicly disclosing the reasons some people are on the “no-fly” list. This “rebuke” of Bush Administration anti-terrorism policies was the result of a lawsuit brought by none other than the ACLU, who is also a participant in the effort to stop the no match letters.

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Over 1,300 gang members are off the street.

Federal agents arrested 1,313 violent gang members in a three-month enforcement sweep across 23 cities from New York to San Diego, the government announced Tuesday.

Of those arrested in the three-month enforcement effort, 1,053 (80%) are in the country illegally.

Here’s the list of arrests by jurisdiction since July 1:

-New York and Long Island – 205

-Miami – 160

-San Diego – 128

-Dallas – 121

-Raleigh, N.C. – 93

-Oklahoma City – 65

-Boston – 59

-Fort Myers, Fla. – 59

-Washington – 55

-Chicago – 47

-Phoenix – 47

-Fort Smith, Ark. – 42

-Los Angeles – 37

-Boise, Idaho – 34

-St. Paul, Minn. – 34

-Newark, N.J. – 27

-Las Vegas – 26

-San Jose, Calif. – 26

-Orlando, Fla. – 17

-Indianapolis – 14

-Milwaukee – 9

-Detroit – 5

-Albuquerque, N.M. – 3

The Fort Smith Arkansas Chamber of Commerce says that in 2006, there were a total of 83,461 resdents in the entire town. If you can have 42 violent gang members (most of whom are illegals) arrested there, you can have them anywhere.

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