Free Republic

The Homeland Security Department has granted legal status to 99.2 percent of all illegal immigrants who have applied under President Obama’s new non-deportation policy for young adults, according to the latest numbers released Friday. That’s a slight drop from the 99.5 percent approval rate reported last month. The policy, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, grants legal status to most illegal immigrants under the age of 31 who came to the U.S. before age 16 ... DACA is seen as a test-run should Congress pass a broad legalization for the 11 million illegal immigrants estimated to be in the...

. . . . . . The office of Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, sent out a press release Wednesday pushing five amendments he filed to the bill, which generally tightens enforcement and provides a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants. Cruz’s amendments seek to further tighten border security, streamline the legal immigration process, deny public benefits to those here illegally, reform the high-skilled worker visa program and prohibit a path to citizenship for the undocumented. . . . . . . In a press release, America’s Voice, a leading national group that advocates for more lenient...

Are snowboard instructors key to American immigration policy? Well, they're important enough to be specifically included in the Senate bipartisan Gang of Eight immigration reform bill. How did that happen? The original 844-page Gang of Eight bill, released in mid-April, granted a break to certain foreigners who come to the United States to work but do not wish to settle here. The Gang -- which includes Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet from the nation's skiing capital of Colorado -- gave one of those breaks to anyone who is "a ski instructor seeking to enter the United States temporarily to perform instructing...

Cesar Conda is Marco Rubio’s Chief of Staff. He recently made his Tweets private (protected) so the general public can’t read them. Cesar Conda has been pushing amnesty for illegals on Twitter and else as Marco Rubio’s PR agent. Conda, who is an immigration lawyer, went to work for George Soros before becoming Rubio’s Chief of Staff. Cesar Conda worked on the editorial advisory board of George Soros magazine, The International Economy Magazine. Cesar Conda had been spinning lies about the amnesty bill about how illegal wouldn’t get welfare, wait more than 10 years for citizenship, etc. Those lies have...

Not a single word in the 844-page "Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act" introduced by Senator Marco Rubio and the "Gang of Eight" addresses the controversial practice of "birthright citizenship." Birthright citizenship is the common description given to the automatic grant of U.S. citizenship to babies born in the U.S. regardless of the citizenship status of the parents. Many experts agree with the verdict of law professor Lino Graglia -- that the practice generates "perhaps the greatest possible inducement to illegal entry." The failure of Congress to confront the subject is nothing new. The "four pillars" of the...

One admitted to kidnapping and ransoming hostages in the Ivory Coast. Others said they had molested children or committed rape. And one, as he prepared for survival in a post-apocalyptic world, contemplated assassinating President Barack Obama. These are among the thousands of applicants who have sought sensitive law enforcement jobs in recent years with the U.S. Border Patrol and its parent agency, Customs and Border Protection. In many cases, these people made it all the way through the hiring process until one of the last steps – a polygraph exam. Once sitting with a polygraph examiner, they admitted to a...

Riding shotgun in a red minivan, his foot propped on the dash, the Republican Party's man of the moment zips down the back roads of southern Kentucky. Rand Paul is on his way to a meeting with Christian leaders in Somerset, a conservative stronghold where locals couldn't buy alcohol until last year. It's his third event in as many hours, and he looks tired; his voice nearly gave out the day before. But social conservatives have rarely enlisted in the libertarian army, and Paul is trying to build a new coalition that can revitalize a deflated GOP. "A new Republican...

(CNSNews.com) – Calling it “The Great Crossover,” a report by academics and social activists shows that for the first time in history the median age of American women having babies is lower than the median age of marriage – 25.7 and 26.5, respectively. These “dramatic changes in childbearing,” the report states, results in dramatic statistics about American children. Among them, 48 percent of first births are by unwed mothers, and by age 30 two-thirds of American women have had a child, typically out of wedlock. Kay Hymowitz, an author of the report and a William E. Simon Fellow at the...

A follow up to this story, in which it was reported that “waves” of illegal immigrants were being released from jail buoyed by the excuse of budget cuts via the sequestration. After that news came to light, an official from the Department of Homeland Security ‘resigned’, and the White House started claiming that it wasn’t waves of criminals being released, but rather “a few hundred”.

Senior Homeland Security Official Announces Retirement On Day Hundreds Of Illegal Immigrants Were Freed Alicia A. Caldwell, Associated PressFebruary 27, 2013, 6:17 PMWASHINGTON (AP) — The senior Homeland Security Department official in charge of arresting and deporting illegal immigrants announced his retirement the same day the agency said that hundreds of people facing deportation had been released from immigration jails due to looming budget cuts, according to a letter obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. The government said he had told his bosses weeks ago that he planned to retire. Gary Mead, executive associate director over enforcement and removal operations...

This. Is. Real. And everyone needs to know it. Get the full story at Fox News, with some great commentary at Hot Air.

Folks, we should have seen this one coming. For weeks, President Obama has campaigned across the country about the effects of the sequester that will begin on March 1. We have heard him make the outrageous claims and insert hyperbole and fear mongering into nearly every public appearance. Head Start will have to shut down, border security will have to be relaxed, firefighters will have to let the fires burn, police officers will have to let criminals walk free, etc., ad nauseam. Obama is even tweeting about how the sequester will affect our military readiness, which is a new low,...

<p>A new driver's license expected to be issued to some illegal immigrants in North Carolina has prompted state lawmakers and immigrant rights groups to voice concerns over the proposal.</p> <p>The proposed North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles license has a bright pink stripe and the bold words "NO LAWFUL STATUS."</p>

Protest ‘flowers’ but misses the point Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like getting badgered by an illegal immigrant in downtown Boston. While forgetful husbands were rushing in a panic to the nearest Hallmark shop yesterday to dig through the near-empty shelves (remember trying to pass off the Passover card as a Valentine last year?) amnesty advocates were stopping commuters to make the case for opening America’s borders. A group calling itself the “New England Coalition for Keeping Families Together” was handing out flowers at Government Center as part of the “Where’s My Valentine” campaign, according to the Associated Press. “The...

DENVER– Once again cheers and applause erupted under the golden dome when a bill to award in-state tuition to illegal immigrants was passed Thursday by the Senate Education Committee on a 6-3 vote. The aye votes were cast by five Democrats and a Republican – state Sen. Owen Hill of Colorado Springs. “We have a great piece of legislation that will finally garner bipartisan support in the general assembly,” declared state Sen. Angela Giron (D-Pueblo), a sponsor of Senate Bill 33. It’s the seventh attempt over the past 11 years to pass a bill granting in-state tuition to illegal students....

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained Roberto Galo on Wednesday morning. Galo is a legal immigrant but an unlicensed driver who, on Nov. 16, 2010, took a left turn at Harrison and 16th streets in San Francisco. His car struck law student Drew Rosenberg. Witnesses later testified that Galo then backed over Rosenberg, who died. The law student's father, Don Rosenberg of Westlake Village, Calif., has been waging a crusade ever since. He's angry at San Francisco's policy, announced by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2009, that shielded unlicensed drivers from an automatic 30-day impoundment of their vehicles. He's furious...

There is a Mexican restaurant that outfits its workers in racist, anti-immigrant T-shirts. Thank God this restaurant is in South Carolina, not Alabama. We don't need another hit to our already battered reputation. Taco Cid, located in West Columbia, S.C., is now selling the T-shirts that depict "How to catch an illegal immigrant" and a drawing of the old-style box traps using a couple of tacos as bait. The restaurant's owner, Leanne Snelgrove, in a television interview, is so unaware and disconnected that she argues there is nothing racist or hateful about the T-shirt. A company statement posted on its...

Unlicensed drivers are nearly three times likelier than licensed drivers to cause a fatal crash in California. Indeed, unlicensed drivers are likelier to cause fatal crashes than drivers who have had their licenses suspended or revoked. So found a new study released by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The study recommended "the use of countermeasures, including vehicle impoundment," to save lives. That's a problem for San Francisco. In 2009, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom said police would allow unlicensed drivers to avoid a 30-day impound if they could find someone with a license to drive away their car in 20 minutes....

BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Deval Patrick wants to allow some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates to attend Massachusetts state colleges and universities. A senior administration official tells The Associated Press that Patrick will send a letter to the state Board of Higher Education on Monday instructing schools to grant the resident tuition rate to illegal immigrants who obtain a work permit through a new federal program instituted by President Barack Obama.

Massachusetts Mayor Bans the Word ‘Illegal’ for Illegal Immigrants By Elizabeth Harrington November 2, 2012 (CNSNews.com) – The mayor of Somerville, Mass., has banned the use of the term “illegals” when referring to illegal aliens. Mayor and Alderman Joe Curtatone announced the new policy at a local board meeting last week, according to the Somerville Journal. The decision was made after a “team of youths” urged the city to stop using the “hurtful” term. “I hadn’t given it a thought until they brought to my attention how hurtful that term is,” Board President Tom Taylor said. “Some of their testimony...

Liz Goodwin. The Ticket. 56 minutes ago... Mitt Romney told the Denver Post on Monday that is he is elected president he will not cancel President Barack Obama's deferred action program for young illegal immigrants before instituting another immigration plan. ...

DES MOINES, Iowa – Three people were charged with felony counts of voter fraud in Pottawattamie County Thursday as a result of an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation probe initiated last month in conjunction with the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office. Class D first-degree election misconduct charges were brought against Albert Harte-Maxwell, 52; Linda Harte-Maxwell, 49; and Maria Ayon-Fernandez, 40, all of Council Bluffs. All three individuals were booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail on Thursday and released on their own recognizance, according to a DCI statement. The investigation was conducted by the DCI and Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office. According...

L.A. To Consider Multi-Use Library Cards For Illegal Immigrants The cards, under study now, would provide a form of identification for those without driver's licenses and could be used to open bank accounts, transfer funds and access cash. By Catherine Saillant September 10 Los Angeles officials are considering a plan to turn the library card into a form of identification that the city's large illegal immigrant population could use to open bank accounts and access an array of city services. The City Council last month voted unanimously to study the plan, which would have Los Angeles join the growing number...

A U.S. judge ruled on Wednesday that a controversial Arizona "show-your-papers" immigration provision that has been upheld by the Supreme Court may go into effect, but in a split ruling blocked another measure making it a crime to harbor illegal immigrants. The measure that was upheld, part of a broader law to combat illegal immigration in the state bordering Mexico, home to an estimated 360,000 undocumented immigrants, requires police to check the immigration status of people they stop and suspect are in the country illegally.

NEA VYSSA, Greece (AP) -- Border police jeeps hurtle along hot, dusty tracks past potato fields on their way to the river that marks the Greek-Turkish border. Sirens blaring, the convoys have been repelling wave after wave of migrants. ... In Athens, the operation is being bolstered by mass roundups of suspected illegal immigrants. They are seen lined up on the streets of the capital every day, many in handcuffs, waiting to be put in detention until they can be deported. In the first week of the crackdown in early August, police said they apprehended nearly 7,000 people for identification...

Authorities in Michigan have shut down a Detroit truck driving school for encouraging students to apply for CDLs with fake documents. As of Wednesday, Aug. 15, Great Truckers Driving School can no longer provide driving instruction in Michigan. Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said in a press release she revoked the school’s certificate and fined it $34,000. The school was operated by Sukhjit Sandhu and Rajinder Sandhu. Johnson’s press release said the school provided students with fake lease agreements that listed addresses of vacant buildings or unknowing residents’ homes. Those fake leases were used by students to show they...

A busload of illegal immigrants has begun a month-long, cross-country tour of protests culminating at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., according to reports. Approximately 30 men and women departed Phoenix, Ariz., on Sunday on a trip scheduled to hit states that have passed aggressive laws against illegal immigration, reports the Charlotte Observer. The bus will pass through Colorado, New Orleans, Atlanta and several other cities en route to Charlotte, just before the start of the convention on Sept. 3, according to USA Today. “We are tired of the injustice,” Fernando Lopez, an illegal immigrant who is originally from...

By this time, it’s obvious that our glorious leader and fearless visionary is facing a very dicey path on his way to ‘another four years’. The facts are that no one in their right mind wants to see another four years of government sponsored penury… or government tyranny. Barack Hussein Obama committed his latest unconstitutional and illegal act by pronouncing the illegal alien ‘dream act’ through imperial fiat. Nothing, but nothing, this president has done to date is going to have the slap-in-the-face effect that his latest pandering will generate. While the extra-constitutional behavior of Barack Hussein has the Kool-Aid...

"This notion I can somehow just change the laws unilaterally is just not true. We are doing everything we can administratively, but fact of the matter is there are laws on the books that I have to enforce. And I think there's been great disservice done to the cause of getting the DREAM Act passed and getting comprehensive immigration passed by perpetrating the notion that somehow, by myself, I can go and do these things. It's just not true." -- Barack Obama, September 2011 President Obama is no longer president in the constitutional sense. He appears to have elevated himself...

Skip Foppiano of Morada Produce is praying for cool weather. The San Joaquin County grower and packer is thick into cherry harvest season and is short on labor - 20 to 30 percent fewer pickers than he had last year. If it gets too hot, his smaller-than-usual workforce won't have time to get all the cherries off the trees before they rot. Farmers across California are experiencing the same problem: Seasonal workers who have been coming for decades to help with the harvest, planting and pruning have dropped off in recent years. With immigration crackdowns, an aging Mexican population, drug...

The 65 page indictment unsealed Wednesday outlines a massive conspiracy to defraud employees, IHOP corporate, investors, the Internal Revenue Service and federal, state and local law enforcement. Background Prior to 2003, Tarek Elkafrawi owned and operated two IHOP franchises; one in Decatur, Illinois and the other in Evansville, Indiana. During his time in Decatur, the indictment alleges, Elkafrowi began a social friendship with Autumn Lee Tangas, an employee of IHOP Corporate in Decatur. Between 2003 and 2006 Elkafrawi purchased, either entirely or in partnership with other investors, 6 other IHOP franchises. Those stores are located in Toledo (2), Holland, Findlay,...

May 15, 2012 Beijing Pledges to ‘Clean Out’ Illegal Foreigners Beijing has launched a 100-day campaign to “clean out” foreigners living or working illegally in the city amid a fervent online debate over the behavior, both good and bad, of outsiders inChina. The campaign, which kicked off on Tuesday and will run through the end of August, was announced in state media as well as on Peaceful Beijing, the official Beijing Public Security Bureau account on popular Twitter-like microblogging site Sina Weibo. A screenshot shows the announcement of a 100-day illegal foreigner “clean up” campaign posted to the official account...

Barely a day goes by that President Barack Obama doesn’t harangue us with complaints that we’re not all paying our “fair share.” Considering the fact that 47 percent of American households pay no federal income tax whatsoever, and that the top 5 percent of wage earners pay almost 59 percent of the total tax revenue, I agree with the president: There are those who are taking advantage of the Internal Revenue Code’s complexity. But it’s not the people the president has in mind each time he delivers his class warfare address. Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR recently uncovered a growing segment...

Investigating the IRS: Why it gives billions to illegal immigrants INDIANAPOLIS - Why are many illegal immigrants getting a bigger tax refund than you? Blame it on the IRS and a massive tax loophole that's now being exposed by Eyewitness News. 13 Investigates has found the IRS is giving away your tax dollars to illegal workers and people who don't even live in the United States - and the problem is costing billions! We want you to see exactly where your money is going and why the IRS is allowing it to happen. From the homes of illegal workers in...

Millions of illegal immigrants are getting a bigger tax refund than you. Eyewitness News shows a massive tax loophole that provides billions of dollars in tax credits to undocumented workers and, in many cases, people who have never stepped foot in the United States. And you are paying for it! Note: This is part one in a two-part series. Read part two here. INDIANAPOLIS - Inside his central Indiana office, a longtime tax consultant sits at his desk, shaking his head in disbelief. "There is not a doubt in my mind there's huge fraud taking place here," he said, slowly...

Greece opened its first purpose-built detention centre for illegal migrants on Sunday in Athens, a week before a national election where illegal immigration has emerged as a key issue. About 130,000 immigrants cross the country's porous sea and land borders every year, the vast majority via Turkey, and the authorities are forced to release those who are arrested because of a lack of permanent housing. With Greece in its fifth year of recession and worries over rising crime levels, illegal immigration has become a major issue in the run up of the May 6 election.

The largest wave of immigration in history from a single country to the United States has come to a standstill. After four decades that brought 12 million current immigrants—more than half of whom came illegally—the net migration flow from Mexico to the United States has stopped—and may have reversed, according to a new analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center of multiple government data sets from both countries. The standstill appears to be the result of many factors, including the weakened U.S. job and housing construction markets, heightened border enforcement, a rise in deportations, the growing dangers associated with illegal border...

Can an immigrant without a green card get a Florida Bar card? Aspiring lawyer Jose Godinez-Samperio, 25, a Tampa-area resident, is hoping the answer is yes. A native of Mexico who entered the United States legally with his parents 16 years ago on a tourist visa, Godinez-Samperio is a graduate of the Florida State University College of Law, the valedictorian of the Armwood High School class of 2004, an Eagle Scout — and an undocumented immigrant.

MICHIGAN— Over 3,000 convicted immigration fugitives were arrested as part of a nation-wide sting operation, with nearly 70 of them in Michigan. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led the six day operation, said to be the largest of its kind. In all, it involved 1,900 ICE officers, with assistance from ICE Homeland Security Investigations. Arrests were made in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, three US territories and Washington DC. Of the 3,100 arrests, 67 were made in Michigan. Twenty-one were arrested in the Detroit area, 19 in the Grand Rapids area and the remainder was arrested around the...

More than 3,100 illegal immigrants living in the U.S., including 139 in South Florida, were arrested and are scheduled for criminal trial or deportation after a weeklong roundup that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement touted as the largest in years. Those picked up across the country last week included almost 1,500 men and women convicted of murder, sexual offenses and other violent felonies.

Without a new kidney, Jesus Navarro will die. Although the Oakland man has a willing donor and private insurance to pay for the transplant, he faces an additional hurdle in the race to save his life: He is an illegal immigrant. That fact prompted administrators at UC San Francisco Medical Center to refuse to transplant a kidney from Navarro's wife because they cannot be sure he will receive adequate follow-up care. Their decision taps into the tension between health care and immigration policies in the state and the role medical professionals should play in trying to save the lives of...

relatively new Georgia Board of Regents policy regulating the admission of undocumented students and illegal immigrants has prevented a football recruit from gaining admission to the University of Georgia. Chester Brown, a 6-foot-5, 340-pound offensive lineman from Hinesville, committed to the Bulldogs in July, but he confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and several other media outlets late Monday night that he was withdrawing his UGA commitment “for personal reasons,” declining to elaborate However, a variety of people with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to the AJC on Tuesday that Brown’s change of heart was because his admissions application to...

JOE vs. JOSE You have two families: "Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal". Both families have two parents, two children, and live in California. Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes $25.00 per hour with taxes deducted. Jose Illegal also works in construction, has NO Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table". Ready? Now pay attention.... Joe Legal: $25.00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000.00 per week, or $52,000.00 per year. Now take 30% away for state and federal tax; Joe Legal now has $31,231.00. Jose Illegal: $15.00 per hour x...

President Obama's plan to ease rules for some illegal immigrants is likely to shore up his standing among crucial Latino voters while igniting a new fight with Republicans as he seeks reelection. His proposal will probably affect tens of thousands — perhaps more than 100,000 — illegal residents. Under the new rule, which does not require congressional approval, immigrants would be allowed to stay in the U.S. and apply for a waiver, which can be granted if deporting an immigrant would cause undue hardship to his or her U.S. family.

The Obama administration on Friday proposed new hardship rules that would make it easier for illegal immigrants to apply for legal status and stay in the country if they have a spouse or parent already living here legally. Immigrant-rights groups called the move a “tremendous” victory while those who favor a crackdown on illegal immigration said it is another step in what they describe as administrative amnesty. Homeland Security officials, who announced the change in the Federal Register, said the change only applies when an illegal immigrant has a family member living in the U.S. legally and who would be...

Reporting from Washington— The Obama administration will announce Friday a proposed new regulation that would allow certain undocumented immigrants to remain in America while applying for legal status -- a step aimed at keeping families intact and one that may also shore up the president's support with Latino voters. As it stands, people living in the U.S. illegally who leave the country to apply for a green card face years of separation from family members. Depending on how long they've lived in America, once they leave they are barred from returning for up to 10 years.

Higher-ups within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are pressuring rank-and-file officers to rubber-stamp immigrants’ visa applications, sometimes against the officers’ will, according to a Homeland Security report and internal documents exclusively obtained by The Daily. A 40-page report, drafted by the Office of Inspector General in September but not publicly released, details the immense pressure immigration service officers are under to approve visa applications quickly, sometimes while overlooking concerns about fraud, eligibility or security. One-quarter of the 254 officers surveyed said they have been pressured to approve questionable cases, sometimes “against their will.” The report does not call out any...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration plans a rule change to help reduce the time illegal immigrant spouses and children are separated from citizen relatives while they try to win legal status in the United States, a senior administration official said Thursday. Currently, illegal immigrants must leave the country before they can ask the government to waive a three- to 10-year ban on legally coming back to the U.S. The length of the ban depends on how long they have lived in the U.S. without permission. The official said the new rule would let children and spouses of citizens ask...

Obama to ease green-card rule? By: Tim Mak January 6, 2012 06:43 AM EST The Obama administration will propose a new rule Friday that will allow certain illegal immigrants to remain in the United States while applying for legal residency, according to reports. Currently, those living illegally in the U.S. are required to leave the country in order to apply for a green card, even if they are married to or are children of American citizens, and they are often barred from returning for up to 10 years, the New York Times and the L.A. Times reported. The Obama administration’s...

Santa Fe police expressed frustration on Wednesday as they said illegal immigrants who were arrested on various different charges are ending up back on the streets time after time. Police said they’re frustrated that they keep arresting the same criminals over and over when there's supposed to be a system in place to prevent that. Mario Orantes-Munoz, 22, is a wanted man. Police said he's accused of breaking into someone's home and stealing two powerful rifles. In June, he was also charged with burglary. According to his records, Munoz is not in this country legally, and in June, U.S. Immigration...