wethepeopleofamerica.org

I contend we don’t need “Immigration Reform” but “Enforcement Reform,” meaning the federal government should do its job and enforce the existing laws on the books. However, the children of illegal aliens believe they should get a pass because they didn’t do anything wrong.
Here’s my analogy on this situation….
Let’s say one day a family wakes up to the sound of the front door of their home being bashed in. The father is handcuffed and escorted out of the home by federal law enforcement officials and is charged with embezzlement. The family is told they have five minutes to gather their most personal belongings and then vacate the premises because their home and automobile are being seized because stolen money is believed to have purchased said assets.
The family soon finds out their bank accounts have been frozen because they too may contain monies as a result of the father’s possible theft.
Who should the family be mad at, the federal government that suspected the father of theft or the father for putting the family in the precarious position they find themselves in now? I suspect the wife would be rightfully furious with the husband, as would be the kids. But when it comes to parents who knowingly violated our sovereign border, no blame is being issued to them by their children. No, it’s the federal government’s fault for not letting those kids have their way and let them operate freely in a country they are in illegally.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff Paul Babeu is hopping mad at the federal government.

Babeu told CNSNews.com that rather than help law enforcement in Arizona stop the hundreds of thousands of people who come into the United States illegally, the federal government is targeting the state and its law enforcement personnel.

“What’s very troubling is the fact that at a time when we in law enforcement and our state need help from the federal government, instead of sending help they put up billboard-size signs warning our citizens to stay out of the desert in my county because of dangerous drug and human smuggling and weapons and bandits and all these other things and then, behind that, they drag us into court with the ACLU,” Babeu said.

The sheriff was referring to the law suits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Department of Justice challenging the state’s new immigration law.

“So who has partnered with the ACLU?” Babeu said in a telephone interview with CNSNews.com. “It’s the president and (Attorney General) Eric Holder himself. And that’s simply outrageous.”

Last week, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton placed a temporary injunction on portions of the bill that allowed law enforcement personnel during the course of a criminal investigation who have probable cause to think an individual is in the country illegally to check immigration status. The state of Arizona filed an appeal on Thursday with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Our own government has become our enemy and is taking us to court at a time when we need help,” Babeu said.

Babeu and Sheriff Larry Dever of Cochise County Ariz., spoke by phone with CNSNews.com last week about the May 17 ACLU class-action lawsuit, which charges the law uses racial profiling and named the county attorneys and sheriffs in all 15 Arizona counties as defendants. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on July 6, charging the Arizona law preempted the federal government’s sole right to enforce immigration law.

“If the president would do his job and secure the border; send 3,000 armed soldiers to the Arizona border and stop the illegal immigration and the drug smuggling and the violence, we wouldn’t even be in this position and where we’re forced to take matters into our own hands,” Babeu said.
Dever said the federal government’s failure to secure the border and its current thwarting of Arizona’s effort to control illegal immigration within its borders has implications for the entire country.

READ FULL STORY @ CNSNEWS.COM

An anti-illegal immigration group is calling on the Obama administration to ensure a smooth exit for illegal immigrants who are trying to leave the U.S. due to the weak economy and Arizona’s strict new immigration law.

Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) is urging U.S. citizens to pressure the White House and the Homeland Security Department to establish “safe departure” border checkpoints along the U.S. border for illegal immigrants so they can leave without fear of being detained or prosecuted for immigration crimes.

“The peaceful and gradual exodus of illegals from Arizona shows there is no need for comprehensive immigration reform amnesty,” William Gheen, president of the group, said in a written statement. “Comprehensive immigration enforcement works and has the desired effect without mass deportations.”

Gheen said the safe passage would ensure that illegals “leave in an orderly fashion, instead of trying risky desert crossings, paying money to the cartels for passage south, or fleeing to other states.”

“This is about the only situation we would ever advocate that our immigration laws be waived,” Gheen said. “We want to encourage the illegals to leave America on their own and thus we ask Obama to provide them safe passage out of America.”

Neither the White House nor Homeland Security responded to e-mails seeking comment.

The call comes as the Obama administration seeks an injunction in federal court to block Arizona’s immigration law, set to take effect on Thursday, that would make illegal immigration a state crime and require police to check the residency status of anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. A ruling on the case is expected Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

An estimated 100,000 illegal immigrants have left Arizona in the past two years as it cracked down on illegal immigration and its economy was hard hit by the recession. A Department of Homeland Security report on illegal immigrants estimates Arizona’s illegal immigrant population peaked in 2008 at 560,000, and a year later dipped to 460,000.

It is not clear how many have left since the new law passed in April. Some are leaving the U.S. and others are heading to neighboring states.

A pro-immigrant group called the safe passage proposal “a little suspicious.”

“I think it’s clearly part of the attrition strategy. Make things so horrible for immigrants that they will self deport,” said Sarahi Uribe, a regional organizer for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “But while it’s true some people are leaving Arizona, a great deal of people are staying.”

Uribe dismissed Gheen’s idea as a “thinly disguised” strategy to “drive people out of the state of Arizona.”

“It’s kind of sick they would paint this as humanitarian relief when Arizona’s immigration law has created a humanitarian crisis.”

Gheen told FoxNews.com that he would not want safe passage for illegal immigrants accused of serious criminal offenses, such as murder or rape.

“The main thing is, we just want them to leave,” Gheen said, adding that if all immigration laws were enforced, the number of illegals would be reduced to less than 1 million in 10 years.

Wife Still Reeling from Loss of Rancher

A group of Tennessee lawmakers will be traveling to Arizona next week to show their support for the western state’s tough new immigration law. Tony Shipley of Kingsport will join two state Senators and three other state Representatives on July 30th on a trip to Arizona. Shipley says they will meet with Governor Jan Brewer, Majority Leader Chuck Gray, and the sponsor of the Arizona bill, Senator Russell Pearce. They will be delivering the resolution the Tennessee General Assembly passed showing their support for the bill, as well as gathering information.

“We will be considering the same type of legislation for Tennessee in the upcoming 107th General Assembly,“ says Shipley, “we believe the state has the right to protect its citizens.“ He says he doesn’t want trouble caused by illegal immigrants in other states to make its way to the Volunteer state. “Some of the border towns inside the United States are having running gun battles now between illegal immigrants, drug people, and so forth,“ he says, “we don’t want to see that migrate to Tennessee.“

Shipley says safety is his top concern, but their are financial reasons to enact similar legislation in Tennessee. He says illegal immigrants cost Tennessee taxpayers around $360 million dollars in expenses last year. However, he says that it’s important to understand he has no problem with immigrants who come to the country the right way. “We certainly support legal immigration,“ he says, “no problem, obey our laws, obey our border, and do it the way you’re supposed to.“ But he says those who don’t should be punished fully. “Break our law, go to jail, get deported.“

Read Full Story here @ tricities.com

By Bryan Fischer (The Moral Liberal)

I devoted the final hour of my program Friday to a lively discussion with Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, over the evangelical approach to immigration. The debate can be viewed by going to our Facebook page (American Family Radio – Focal Point) or by going to RightlyConcerned.com.

Mat is the author of a high-profile position paper on the evangelical approach to immigration reform, which you can read here. This position statement was signed by such evangelical luminaries as Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, Lou Engle of The Call, and Ken Blackwell.

Mat and I agree that a double-layer security fence should be built along the entire southern border, and that this should be a first priority. So on that very, very significant point we are in complete harmony.

However, Mat disagrees with the Arizona law, on the grounds that immigration should exclusively be a federal matter, while I support the Arizona law completely. I pointed out that the Arizona law is patterned after federal law (word for word in significant portions), and is even more restrictive than federal law since federal law – upheld by the Supreme Court – allows immigration officials to check anyone’s immigration status at any time, with or without probable cause. In Arizona, an illegal has to break a law first, and then give law enforcement some reason to suspect he is in the country illegally, before his status can be checked. There is nothing remotely racist about the Arizona law, since its implementation is based on conduct, not skin color.

Plus federal law actually requires local law enforcement to cooperate with federal authorities in enforcing immigration law, something sanctuary cities flatly refuse to do. If the federal government should be suing anyone, it should be sanctuary cities. If creating your own immigration policy is a bad thing, consistency demands that these evangelicals press the federal government to sue every sanctuary city in the land.

Arizona officials are not in fact usurping federal authority on immigration. They simply turn over any illegals they detain to federal authorities. Arizona hasn’t deported anyone. That’s the job of the federal government, and Arizona hands illegals over to the proper authorities for prosecution and deportation, just as the law requires.

READ FULL STORY HERE

By Howie Carr

Welcome to Boston this weekend, Gov. Jan Brewer.

Pay no attention to any rabble loitering out in the street, jabbering in some strange foreign tongue. It’s funny how we’re always told how they have to live in the shadows, but they always seem to find the time to emerge long enough to throw beer bottles at the police.

But don’t sweat it, Gov. Brewer. The majority - the vast majority - of Americans are on your side.

We are all Arizonans now. We all live in border states. We are all overwhelmed by this invasion, even in here in Massachusetts, where the illegals take time out from rioting after the World Cup games to converge on the State House on an almost weekly basis. Each time they’re brazenly demanding some new handout - more medical care, additional translators, free college tuition, drivers’ licenses.

The demonstrations always take place during business hours, even though I thought they were only here to do the jobs Americans won’t do - like driving drunk in their unregistered, unlicensed, uninspected, uninsured vehicles.

It’s not about immigration. It’s about illegal immigration. You cannot have a society where one group is expected to obey the laws, play by the rules, pay taxes and speak a common language, and another group sneaking in and not asking, but demanding, to be given everything, for free, with no consequences whatsoever for any crimes they commit.

Out of control? Last week the feds arrested two Russian spies in Cambridge. They were of course registered to vote. Nobody bothered to inquire about their “papers,” because that wouldn’t be Politically Correct.

Then a drunk Mexican illegal dressed up in a meringue costume rear-ended a state rep in Brighton. Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigo!

The month before, we celebrated diversity by having a roundup of some illegal Pakistanis who were somehow connected to the would-be Times Square bomber. One of those alleged terror-connected Pakistani cabbies was busted in Boston, home of the meatheads known as the Boston City Council. They passed a resolution demanding a boycott of Arizona.

I guess the Boston City Council is boycotting Boston now that the cabbie was lugged in Allston.

Gov. Brewer, we in Massachusetts support you and Arizona - more than 80 percent on some issues in recent polls. This is why even the Democrat legislature is finally starting to get the message. We can’t take care of every foreign layabout who sneaks into this country and either drops an anchor baby or declares himself a political refugee.

Even further north, in New Hampshire, they’re being overwhelmed. Somehow the illegals have misinterpreted the state motto. It’s “Live Free or Die,” not “Live for Free or Die.”

Oh, yes, we all live in border states now - all 57 of them, by Obama’s count. Our PC fool of a governor tells us with a straight face that what he calls “undocumented workers” can’t get state benefits. But Auntie Zeituni, President Obama’s aunt, squats in public housing, “retired” at age 57.

Every few years we check the tax filings of state legislators, and along with the usual collection of U.S. deadbeats, just about everybody who came over from the Third World doesn’t pay taxes. Where would the likes of Marie St. Fleur and Antonio Cabral ever get the idea that paying taxes is only for the stupid gringos?

We know what you’re going through because we’re going through it, only it’s not as bad - yet. That’s why we paraphrase President Kennedy:

I am an Arizonan.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise if next year If Tennessee and Georgia draft their own versions of the Arizona legislation considered the most restrictive immigration law in the country, several state lawmakers said.

“I pray that we will have the votes to do something meaningful next year that will address the illegal immigration problem,” said state Rep. Richard Floyd, R-Chattanooga. “I would like to see more stringent penalties for those who hire the illegal (immigrants), those who rent to them, those who provide haven cities or ministries for them.”

In Georgia, Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, announced he will co-author legislation that will provide for greater enforcement of federal illegal immigration laws.

“Those who are residing illegally are breaking the law and utilizing resources that should be for those who obtain legal residency,” Sen. Mullis said in a news release. “Businesses, local governments and our university system must comply with federal and state illegal immigration laws to relieve wasteful spending and get legal residents and Georgians back to work.”

The Arizona law makes it a state crime to be in the country without authorization and allows police to check the papers of people they stop or arrest.

Last week the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Arizona challenging the immigration law, but that’s not deterring local lawmakers from supporting stricter laws locally.

“Shame on the Department of Justice and the Obama administration for suing one of our states for doing nothing but protecting their borders, shame on, shame on,” said Rep. Floyd. “I hope more states in this country will have the fortitude to pass the same law and let Obama sue the rest of us.”

Tennessee lawmakers this year passed bills allowing employers to require workers or applicants to speak English in some cases and to require law officers to check the immigration status of people who are arrested. They also passed a resolution supporting Arizona’s law.

GEORGIA LED THE WAY

In 2006, Georgia passed what then was considered to be among the toughest immigration enforcement laws, the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act.

The law made it tougher for illegal immigrants to access health care, higher education and public benefits. It also required the verification of legal status for those applying for state and local benefits and for those who work for a business doing government work.

Lawmakers this year put more teeth in the bill, D.A. King, president of the Dustin Inman Society, a group opposed to illegal immigration, has said.

Immigration continues to be a wedge issue in politics, according to Elias Feghali, spokesman for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

“Immigrants, especially in Tennessee, are a minority. … A significant percentage of them cannot vote yet, so essentially politicians are unaccountable to them and so it’s very easy to scapegoat immigrants,” he said. “It’s very easy to draft legislation that targets immigrants.”

But he added that a lot of the bills his organization considered to be anti-immigrant were defeated. That includes a bill to require English-only driver’s license exams that has been introduced annually since 2005.

Ever since Arizona passed the law, immigration reform has returned to the forefront of the debate.

“Arizona made it a more political issue, a nationwide discussion. It led to a lot of activity in the Legislature over the last couple of months,” said Tennessee Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga.

“I don’t think the problem is going to be solved at federal level in next few months, and I would expect to see more bills next year in the Legislature,” he added.

State Rep. Jim Cobb, R-Spring City, said several lawmakers plan to present a Tennessee House resolution supporting Arizona’s law to that state’s governor, Jan Brewer.

“(The resolution) didn’t have any teeth to it, but it sends a message of our support and endorsement of what Arizona did,” he said.

Sen. Berke, who voted for the two bills that passed this session, said he voted against the resolution.

“We certainly need to combat the problem of illegal immigration,” he said. “We can do that, however, without racial profiling.”

FEDERAL FAILURES

The Arizona law is “an excuse to justify hate and racism,” said America Gruner, president of the Coalition of Latino Leaders in Dalton, Ga.

“And now it has become part of the political game for election purposes, since most of the candidates are promoting themselves using this issue,” she said.

“We need to recognize that the immigration system as it is now, it’s broken and it needs to be fixed, while the values of justice and dignity are respected, as well as basic human rights are honored.”

What both sides of the debate agree on is that the federal government has failed to act.

“It’s a federal government’s responsibility to keep illegal immigrants out, and they apparently don’t want to do that and don’t want anyone else to keep illegal immigrants out,” said retiring Georgia Sen. Don Thomas, R-Dalton.

Tennessee Reps. Cobb and Floyd both said they are not opposed to immigration, but they are against illegal immigration.

“I think that Tennessee welcomes legal immigration, and we don’t intend to tolerate people (who are not legal citizens) coming in and taking advantage of our health system, our highways, our roads, our jobs,” said Rep. Cobb.

While Sen. Berke agrees that illegal immigration is a problem, he is not sure state laws are the solution.

“Illegal immigration is a true national security issue. The federal government has failed us in dealing with it and they should be the primary source of fixing it,” he said.
AT A GLANCE

HB 2685: Authorizes employers to require an employee to speak, or an applicant for employment to agree to speak, English while engaged in work, if it’s based on business or safe workplace and the employer notifies employees of the requirement and the consequences of violating it. Gov. Bredesen signed the bill on June 23.

HB 670/SB 1141: Local jails are required to check whether arrestees brought to them are legally in the United States. Gov. Bredesen signed the bill on June 28.

HJR 1253: Tennessee legislators approved a resolution commending Arizona for SB1070. On June 22 it was returned by Gov. Bredesen without signature.

ALIPAC

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