Free Republic

Issuing a last call for health care, President Barack Obama assured Latinos on Thursday that signing up for new insurance exchanges won't lead to deportation for any relatives in the U.S. illegally. Facing fresh skepticism from one of his traditionally most loyal constituencies, Obama pushed back on the notion of some critics that he's become America's "deporter in chief," insisting that Latinos know that "I've got their back." In a virtual town hall meeting with Spanish-language media outlets, Obama disputed that his credibility had been undermined by the chaotic health care rollout and his failure to secure legal status for...

"Will we hear from you a pledge, a personal promise, that the information provided in the registration process will not be used for deportation purposes in this country?" "Absolutely," Obama said, putting his hand down for emphasis. "It's true that the undocumented are not eligible [for Obamacare], that's how the law was written, but if you are a U.S. citizen or you have a legal presence in this country, you are eligible," he said. "And none of the information that is provided in order for you to obtain health insurance is in any way transferred to immigration services. So that's...

Attorney General Eric Holder’s call to restore voting rights to felons after they’ve served their time in prison has split Senate Democrats. Liberal Democrats who are not facing tough re-elections this year say it’s the right thing to do, but vulnerable incumbents are steering clear of the proposal. ADVERTISEMENT Holder has become increasingly outspoken recently. This week he declared that state attorneys general are not obligated to defend laws that are discriminatory. Political experts say barring ex-felons from voting impacts African Americans disproportionately.

A chilling video of Maryland police silencing an innocent student who was recording the arrests of two other people has civil libertarians outraged. The arrests were made at night on the streets of Towson, Maryland. A University of Maryland-Baltimore County student who witnessed the arrests decided to record them using his cell phone. The student, 21-year-old Sergio Gutierrez, was soon approached by officers who objected — wrongly — to his actions. Gutierrez repeatedly told the officers that he knew he had the right to film them, but the cops were prepared to use any excuse to shut him down. First...

<p>TUCSON - How secure are U.S. military installations? You would think the answer is: very.</p> <p>But, as the News 4 Tucson Investigators uncovered, one installation, right here in southern Arizona, continues to face potential outside security risks, and the problem doesn't seem to be getting any better.</p>

A California Democrat is looking to extend taxpayer-funded health-care benefits to illegal immigrants. State Sen. Ricardo Lara of Long Beach introduced legislation late last week that would extend health-care coverage to all Californians “irrespective of immigration status.” “The purpose of the Health For All Act is simple — provide health care coverage to California’s remaining uninsured by expanding Medi-Cal and creating a new health exchange where the undocumented can purchase coverage,” Lara said in a statement. Lara added that the fact that Obamacare expressly denies illegal immigrants coverage “hurts the overall health of our communities, and does not reflect California...

So if the Illegals want "amnesty" ie a "Pardon" on all the "Federal Trespassing offsenses" for say the last 20 years... Why can't we legal citizens and LEGAL immigrants demand an amnesty for the last 20 years of taxes we have paid? Which would entail a paid in full refund of all taxes paid inthe last 20 years? I mean what is good for the Illegal Goose shoudl be even better for the Citizen gander right? Maybe we should ask our "State-ist Control freak Progressives" if that would be acceptable?... What's a little breaking of federal law between fellow human...

In a global economy, investment follows talent. When we draw top talent to our shores, investment dollars follow because companies want to be near the best workers. An infusion of capital and economic development will be a tide that lifts all boats, creating jobs and opportunity for all Americans. But the reverse is also true. If companies can't find talent on U.S. soil, or if it becomes too costly and burdensome, they will move their operations elsewhere. It's in our own best interests to welcome the world's brightest minds and hardest workers into our economy. Immigrants can help bridge a...

Bye, Fidelity: Law, shmaw, says Justice Sotomayor by Daniel Clark Five years ago, during the confirmation hearings for her Supreme Court nomination, Sonia Sotomayor pacified skeptical Republican senators by declaring that her guiding judicial philosophy was “fidelity to the law.” Given the controversy at the time about her having said that it’s the judiciary’s role to create policy, this newfound devotion of hers was obviously fraudulent. To anyone who had failed to recognize this, however, her recent remarks during a speech at Yale must be terribly confusing. Sotomayor was asked why, in her written opinion in the 2009 Mohawk Industries,...

Residents of a small Nebraska city have reaffirmed their desire to take on illegal immigration. Nearly 60 percent of Fremont voters decided Tuesday to keep an ordinance that requires all renters to swear they have legal permission to live in the U.S. Voters first approved the rules by a smaller margin in 2010. Critics pushed for the new vote, saying the housing restrictions would be ineffective and might cost Fremont millions of dollars in legal fees and lost federal grants. They also said it was hurting the city's image.

TUCSON — “My record is 30 minutes,” Magistrate Judge Bernardo P. Velasco of Federal District Court here said one afternoon, describing the speed with which he had sealed the fates of a batch of 70 migrants caught sneaking into the country. Each of the accused had 25 seconds, give or take, to hear the charges against him, enter a plea and receive a sentence. This is a part of the battle against illegal immigration that many Americans have never heard of. Known as Operation Streamline, it is the core of a federal program that operates in three border states, using...

Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Virginia have bills under consideration that would extend the in-state benefit, said Tanya Broder, a senior attorney with the National Immigration Law Center.

These girls offer and deliver a lot more than the bunch of whores that market their talents on Capitol Hill. I'm going to be organizing a social media and phone campaign, designed to complement the efforts of NumbersUSA and the Heritage Foundation's Sentinel program, in opposing and pushing back against the move in Congress to legalize the status of 15 million Illegal Aliens. That will be starting next week, by which time we will see how aggressive John Boehner and the GOP establishment are going to push for amnesty. But meanwhile, I want to prepare you for that and impress...

With California preparing to offer driver’s licenses to immigrants in the country illegally, the documentation needed to prove residency and the use of personal information emerged as key concerns at a Department of Motor Vehicles hearing on Tuesday.

(CNSNews.com) – Speaking at the United States Conference of Mayors on Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the approximately 11 million people who are in the country illegally have “earned the right to be citizens.”

A new report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), provided exclusively to Breitbart News, shows that Texans are footing a massive financial bill because of illegal aliens in the state. “After a brief hiatus that coincided with the worst of the economic recession, Texas’s illegal alien population is on the rise again,” the opening paragraph of the report reads. “There are about 1,810,000 illegal aliens residing in Texas — 70,000 more than resided in the state in 2010 when we estimated the fiscal burden at nearly $8.9 billion annually.” Specifically, in 2013 alone, FAIR estimates Texans were on...

Here we go again. Yet another letter to the editor ("Illegal immigrants steal American jobs," Jan. 3) blaming undocumented immigrants for all of Maryland's employment and economic problems. And, like all such letters, its argument instantly breaks up once it makes contact with the facts. Contrary to popular belief, many "illegal" immigrants entered the country lawfully and only fell out of lawful status because of the complexity and expense of trying to navigate an immigration system that is almost designed not to work for anyone. Moreover, they are neither liars nor public charges. They live honest lives and work hard...

Amendment would close loophole that allows tax refunds for illegal aliensSenate Democrats on Thursday blocked a Republican attempt to restore military pensions cut in last month’s budget deal, denying a vote that would save up to $20 billion by closing a loophole that allows tax refunds to go to illegal aliens. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) called an effort by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.) to repeal the military retiree cuts “fiddling while Rome burns.” Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) “filled the amendment tree” on Thursday, ending debate and blocking any Republican amendments to a bill to extend unemployment...

(CNSNews.com) – A new law in Maryland that took effect on Jan. 1 allows illegal aliens to get a driver’s licenses in the state.Proponents of the law, passed by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Martin O’Malley, said it would make roads safer, because illegal aliens would have to pass driving tests and could get liability insurance from insurance companies.The Maryland Highway Safety Act allows illegal aliens to obtain a license without a Social Security number or proof of lawful residency, according to the Washington Post.The license cannot be used for federal purposes, including entering a federal building or boarding...

According to a court order obtained by Townhall, the Department of Homeland Security is enabling cartel trafficking of minors, delivering those minors to illegals living inside the United States and completing criminal transactions for illegal immigrants. The order, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on December 13, details a guilty plea from Mirtha Veronica Nava-Martinez for attempting to smuggle a 10-year-old El Salvadorean female into the United States. Nava-Martinez was being paid to smuggle the child from Matamoros to Virgina, but was caught at a Brownsville checkpoint. The order describes Nava-Martinez as a resident...

Caution! This blog is about to heat up with controversy! Arizona and Immigration are the topic. Archbishop Dolan from New York recently blogged on the issue of Immigration and the recent developments in Arizona. And he did what every good blogger does, he kept it a bit edgy. I am going to excerpt that blog below but would like to make a introductory comments of my own, and, as always, invite your comments. These comments of mine try to strike a balance.

We’ve heard a lot about Harry Reid’s “Nuclear Option” to kill any power Senate Republicans might have thought they had. Now we face the threat of John Boehner using the House version of the “Nuclear Option” which he will likely sneak into law during a marathon Friday night/Saturday morning session as a last ditch weapon to keep the TEA party from gaining power and saving America from people like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCoC). The (USCoC) is determined to help Barack Obama and his Democrats destroy America. It has pledged to spend and spend some more to defeat TEA...

Tonight he’ll be discussing the politically correct, anti-anti-crime reign of LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.

Gov. Chris Christie today signed landmark legislation granting thousands of students who grew up in New Jersey but are in the country illegally the benefit of in-state tuition rates at all public colleges and universities. Christie's signature marks the end of a public tug-of-war over the measure, deemed the "Dream Act", which was pared down in its final days in order for Democrats to gain the governor's approval. Both sides hailed the compromise as a historic achievement. A spokesman for Christie, Colin Reed, said in a statement "the governor signed the legislation privately earlier today, and there will be a...

The New Jersey Legislature approved legislation on Thursday that would allow students without legal immigration status to pay in-state college tuition. Gov. Chris Christie planned to sign it on Friday, a spokesman said. During Mr. Christie’s re-election campaign this year, he spoke favorably of tuition equality. The compromise bill will allow access to in-state tuition for immigrants without legal status who have graduated from a New Jersey high school after at least three years of attendance. Mr. Christie said the legislation would become effective immediately, allowing students to take advantage of it in time for the spring semester.

Senate Republicans were unable to stop military pension cuts when Senate Democrats blocked a vote on an amendment to prevent the cuts by closing a welfare loophole for illegal immigrants Tuesday evening. The two-year budget deal brokered by Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, would cut military pensions by $6 billion over ten years, leaving some Senate Republicans scrambling to stop the cuts. “Removing this unbalanced treatment of our military retirees ought to be one of the key actions we should take before this legislation moves forward. In fact, greater savings than this...

TUCSON, AZ - An investigation has revealed an undocumented immigrant was working for over a decade as a Department of Public Safety officer in Arizona. According to KVOA, Carmen Figueroa retained employment with DPS for 13 years possibly by using a fake birth certificate. She served as a spokesperson for the department, and more recently as an officer. The investigation into Figueroa reportedly started when her brother applied for a U.S. visa. After Immigration and Customs Enforcement ran a background check on him, they learned his sister worked for DPS. DPS spokesman Bart Graves told ABC15, “She resigned on Monday...

In a little over half an hour, the White House will be hosting a live immigration question and answer session starring Vice President Biden and Cecilia Munoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. Most of you may know her as La Raza’s point-woman in the West Wing. Fortunately, the Federation of American Immigration Reform has been devising questions to ask of two of amnesty’s chief supporters in the Obama administration. Follow along at FAIR’s Twitter account, or direct your own questions towards the dynamic duo by using the hash tag #AskTheWhiteHouse.

Immigration reform advocates have tried being polite. They’ve staged acts of civil disobedience and warned Republicans the party will pay at the ballot box if they drag their feet on an overhaul. But none of that has worked — so now, immigration activists are in all-out harassment mode. In recent weeks, advocates have taken a decidedly sharper, more aggressive turn in their efforts to pressure lawmakers — primarily Republicans — on an immigration overhaul that would create a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants in the country. They stormed House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (R-Va.) condo in Arlington,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – When the hunger headaches get strong, Lenka Mendoza focuses on why she is fasting and dreams of what she would do if she won the right to legally live and work in the U.S.: She would return to her home country, Peru, to hug her cancer-stricken mom. Mendoza, an undocumented mother of three who works as a motel housekeeper, is one of about a dozen activists fasting on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol. The fasters want the House of Representatives to vote on legislation that would grant some 11 million undocumented immigrants a path to...

Armed with a report showing that Orange County overwhelmingly leads the state in the deportations of children, local activists marched on the streets of downtown Santa Ana on Wednesday and demanded that county probation officials stop referring minors to federal immigration authorities. “It is absolutely unacceptable — as an American citizen, as a human being — that our children are being asked to defend themselves and their immigration status,” said Jose Moreno, president of Los Amigos of Orange County. “That violates not only the law but the sense of human dignity that we all demand of ourselves.” Activists handed probation...

As rumblings of possible illegal immigration reform continue to make noise on Capitol Hill, it's important to keep in mind the southern border with Mexico is anything but secure. On Sunday, a mob of illegal aliens attempting to enter the United States attacked Border Patrol agents with rocks, water bottles and other items. More from San Diego 7: According to CBP, a Border Patrol agent ordered the Mexican nationals to stop, but they continued walking into the U.S. Officials said the agent fired a PepperBall Launcher, but it did not deter the crowd. “They had their phones out so...

A crowd of more than 100 people pelted Border Patrol agents with rocks and bottles as they tried to cross into the U.S. illegally, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The incident happened Sunday in the Tijuana River channel, near the San Ysidro Port of Entry. According to CBP, a Border Patrol agent ordered the Mexican nationals to stop, but they continued walking into the U.S. Officials said the agent fired a PepperBall Launcher, but it did not deter the crowd. “They had their phones out so this group was out to spark an incident. That's what they wanted...

TRENTON — After a decade-long effort by advocates, a bill that would charge in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants who grew up in New Jersey appears well on its way to landing on the governor’s desk. The state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today voted eight to three with one abstention to approve the measure (S2479), which advocates say will affect tens of thousands of New Jersey residents. “This community has waited long enough. Let’s not look for excuses to say no. Let’s look for reasons to say yes,” said Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who has lent his name to...

The Obama administration will allow some relatives of U.S. service members living in the country illegally to stay, according to a policy directive issued Friday. The nine-page memorandum is the latest in a series of immigration policy changes made by President Barack Obama since he took office.

The Obama administration on Friday carved out yet another category of illegal immigrants it says it will no longer deport — in this case saying that relatives of U.S. troops and veterans who previously served can apply to stay in the country. The administration said it was making the move because it was worried illegal immigration was hurting military readiness, and this would be a way to relieve some of the “stress and anxiety” faced by troops whose relatives are illegal immigrants.

Five activists are four days into a hunger strike at a camp set up near the U.S. Capitol to put pressure on legislators to pass immigration reform in the United States. Meanwhile others around the country are joining in – activists are also mounting hunger strikes in New York, Philadelphia and Fresno, California, according to the coalition of groups calling for reform. The organizers, which include CASA in Action and America’s Voice as well as religious and union groups, say that in the coming weeks Omaha, Nebraska, and Phoenix will have their own hunger strikes. At the same time,...

On Saturday, police in Denver arrested Juventino Hernandez-Vazquez, 36, after he crashed head-on into another vehicle, killing one person and critically injuring two others. The wreck occurred around 4:30 a.m. on South Federal Boulevard, according to police. Police have not released the name of the deceased at this time. Hernandez-Vazquez has been charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault, and is being held without bail. View this suspect's booking info... This is not Hernandez-Vazquez's first run-in with the law... ABC News 7 reported: According to public court records examined by 7NEWS, Hernandez-Vazquez has had other aliases, and had a previous...

The close-range shooting of a Stafford police officer began just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday when she happened upon a strange sight: A four-door sedan idling at a green light with its turn signal blinking. After nearly an entire go-cycle, Officer Ann Carrizales followed the Nissan from the 12700 block of Murphy Road to a nearby mobile home park, where she pulled the car over. She approached the vehicle with three men inside and began "asking if they were OK, if they needed anything," according to Stafford Police Department Chief Bonny Krahn. "He responded that they were on their way home...

Calling it a “pivotal moment,” a band of Latino donors has launched a $20 million campaign to unseat those in the House who stand against President Obama’s immigration proposals and oppose Democratic Party reform bills. The Latino Victory Project is a new political committee — akin to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund — that’s poised to spend big to oust those in Congress with a large Hispanic constituency but who oppose the immigration policy overhaul that’s being pushed by Democrats, the Los Angeles Times reported. Leaders of the group met just recently with a few dozen of their key...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)President Obama "has the responsibility" to stop deportations of illegal immigrants if Congress proves unable to pass a comprehensive immigration bill, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) argued in an interview published Friday. "There are devastating effects if the Congress of the United States cannot enact comprehensive immigration reform – then the president of the United States has the responsibility to act to defend those immigrants which he says he wants to provide safety and justice for," Gutierrez told Salon. In 2012, the Obama administration announced it would stop deporting some illegal immigrants who entered the United States as children under certain...

Passing immigration reform is a way for Republicans to get on a positive agenda and regain some of the approval of the American people, Sen. John McCain said Tuesday during a town hall in Tucson. He said the prospects of passing comprehensive immigration reform this year are still strong despite some Republicans saying the government shutdown and the way it was handled by President Obama affected any chance for compromise. But “the same people that said that are the people that oppose immigration reform. They are just trying to find another reason,” McCain said after the town hall meeting attended...

Immigration activist groups have declared they will launch a "week of escalation" this week to pressure lawmakers in Congress with acts of civil disobedience to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. According to Politico, pro-immigration reform groups will target House Republican leaders and over 20 Republicans they think are vulnerable on the issue. Their goal is to get a vote on immigration reform this year. [snip]

Now that the government shutdown is over, progressive liberals are once again returning to their efforts to enact amnesty for the over 12 million (a very conservative number) illegal aliens within the US. However, the liberals have some strange allies this time around: Republicans and business groups. As conservatives, we need to be prepared for the all-out push for amnesty that is coming our way. First up is our old buddy, George Soros, who helps fund the National Immigration Forum. It has been reported that the NIF is flying in "conservatives" to a meeting in an effort to lobby House...

I saw this ad recently on TV in California. Here's the text +++++++++++++++ Published on Mar 12, 2013 Thousands of young people throughout California can only dream about health care. They want to live healthy responsible lives. But that's hard to do when you can't see a doctor or you don't have health insurance. Check out this 30 second video, "Dreaming of Health Care." We made it in partnerships with a group of young Californians. They're all undocumented. Technically that means they're not US citizens. But we think they couldn't be more Californian. California should not be a place that...

According to a well-known “Inside-the-Beltway” watchdog’s report released on Wednesday, an illegal alien who openly defies U.S. immigration and work laws – and promotes such lawbreaking for others to commit –is being paid as an Obamacare subcontractor with U.S. tax dollars to recruit applicants for Obamacare. In New York City, a group called Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York received “navigator funds” from the Health and Human Services Department, according to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that researches legal and illegal immigration in the U.S. According to HHS, “Navigators conduct public education activities to raise...

Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) said on Wednesday at the Heritage Foundation-hosted Conversations with Conservatives press event that House Speaker John Boehner has promised him that the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” immigration bill is dead in the House. “I very recently had a conversation with the Speaker and if immigration reform moves, it’s going to move piecemeal,” Salmon said in response to a question from Breitbart News. “And it will go over one bill at a time and if there is any kind of conference, it will be on specific bills we send over. It will not be on the Gang...

A planned immigration reform rally will take place on the National Mall on Tuesday even though the site is closed due to the government shutdown. Organizers for the "Camino Americano: March for Immigration Reform" were spotted Monday setting up a stage and equipment on the National Mall for the rally which will take place on Tuesday. A few scattered barriers around the park have signs informing visitors that the area is closed as a result of the government shutdown. Susana Flores, a spokesperson for the rally, confirmed for the Washington Examiner that the Park Service will allow the event to...

He had been like an “uncle” to her — but that was before Bejarni Rivas allegedly paid a teenage girl’s mother to have sex with the girl. Rivas, 45 of Gaithersburg, did not show up to his trial, which had been scheduled to start Tuesday. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl A. McCally issued a bench warrant for his arrest, according to one of her clerks.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Thursday granting illegal immigrants driver’s licenses, in a decision immigrant rights groups hailed as a major step forward for their movement. The country’s largest state becomes the latest to reverse course and grant legal driving privileges to illegal immigrants.