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Border fence funds pulled at request of lawmakers WASHINGTON — A provision to build an additional 300 miles of pedestrian fence along the U.S.-Mexico border has been stripped out of a $42.8 billion spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security. The provision by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., was removed at the behest of House members from Texas, Arizona and California who called the fencing a waste of taxpayer money and an ineffective way to secure the border. “We need to invest and secure our border and our land ports without being tied down to an amendment that is out...

In the Medieval era -- when the periodic table of the elements was comprised of only Fire, Earth, Air, and Water -- alchemists posited the existence of a fifth magical substance, Quintessence, which when mixed in combinations of the other four would create every other form of matter. They searched in vain for this ethereal substance in their pursuit of a means of changing base metals into gold. Their quest went unrealized, but this magical quintessence was subsequently discovered five centuries later by the new alchemists: mortgage bankers and investors. They found a way to turn worthless mortgages into hordes...

When President Obama addressed Congress last month he made a promise. "There are also those who claim that our [health care] reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false - the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally." Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican, yelled, "You lie," which made that section of the president's speech a part of every newscast. Illegal immigrants technically are not covered in the bill. However, the health care bill that the Senate Finance Committee likely will pass today does not contain any mechanism to keep illegals from receiving...

There's still no love lost between Supervisor Chris Daly and Mayor Gavin Newsom. Daly, making a guest appearance Monday at the Board of Supervisors' public safety committee to support Supervisor David Campos' amendment to the city's sanctuary ordinance, said Newsom should be "held accountable" for releasing a confidential legal memo that said Campos' amendment violated federal law and would invite a legal challenge to the entire sanctuary policy. Daly downplayed the memo, saying it outlines a worst-case scenario and "exaggerates the legal risk involved." But he also said Newsom had provided a road map to anyone looking to challenge the...

A man whose friend was teaching him how to drive crashed a minivan into a Lanham area apartment Monday, injuring a resident who was sitting inside, authorities said. The crash occurred just after 10 a.m. at a three-story garden-style apartment building in the 9700 block of Good Luck Road, authorities said. A 46-year-old man sitting inside his apartment was hit by flying bricks and hospitalized for a leg injury that was not life-threatening, according to authorities, and was expected to be released Monday. The two men in the van were uninjured, authorities said. Authorities said nearly all of the van...

In general, how does this country handle illegal immigrants? Too harshly Too leniently About right

Former hotels, nursing homes and other sites would be used to hold immigrants who are not criminals or violent as part of a larger plan to reform immigration detention proposed by the homeland security secretary, according to documents obtained Monday by The Associated Press. Janet Napolitano is proposing that illegal immigrants awaiting deportation be confined according to the risk they may pose and will detail her plan on Tuesday. The reforms were previewed by the agency in August without as much detail. The alternative sites are intended to cut the costs of detaining immigrants, which reached nearly $2 billion in...

One of the enduring lies about illegal aliens is that they do the jobs Americans won’t do. This lie is designed to fool people into believing illegals are just harmless gardeners or drywall hangers who only want to work and fill a need in the labor market that would otherwise go wanting. Here’s some truth A recent USA Today article outlined the realities of our sorry employment situation and why efforts to find and deport illegal aliens are a very valuable job protecting step that has to be repeated again and again. It cites a Vanderbilt University study on Immigration...

Providers are reducing staffing and services and increasing rates, and hospitals are closing or facing bankruptcy. And the Obama administration wants to extend medical insurance to the uninsured. What they won't face is the role immigration has played in driving up the number of uninsured and the rising cost of health care for native-born Amereicans. Here is some substantiated research data: *Between 1989 and 2007, immmigrants and their U.S.- born children accounted for 71% of the increase in the uninsured. *Approximately 65% of illegal aliens in the U.S. are uninsured. *In many hospitals, as much as two-thirds of total operating...

A Michigan man has filed suit against the Lansing office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) seeking damages for “bad business advice.” Rodney Mack, a would-be whorehouse entrepreneur, says that local ACORN representatives “did not adequately advise me of all the risks that I would be exposed to when I set up my ‘performance art’ business. I got the loan from the bank like they said I would and I was able to bring in the undocumented workers. But a business rival stole my money and beat up my ‘hos. I lost everything.” The suit is...

(CNSNews.com) – The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has asked the Obama administration to “immediately terminate” a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program that has identified more than 120,000 illegal aliens over the past three years.. “On behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), we write to ask that you immediately terminate all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) under the 287(g) program and cease to establish such agreements,” reads the letter to President Obama. “These agreements are the subject of serious concern as local law enforcement agencies have used the new powers to target communities of color,...

Americans expect to show a photo ID when they board a plane, enter many office buildings, cash a check or even rent a video -- but rarely in voting or applying for government benefits such as Medicaid. Many Democrats seem to view asking citizens for proof of identity as an invasion of privacy -- though what's really being protected is the right to commit identity fraud. Exhibit A is Tuesday's 13 to 10 party-line vote in the Senate Finance Committee rejecting a proposal to require that immigrants prove their identity when signing up for federal health care programs. Chuck Grassley,...

La Raza President Wants Health Care Reform for ‘Everyone,’ Including Illegal Aliens Friday, October 02, 2009 By Matt Cover (CNSNews.com) – National Council of La Raza President Janet Murguia said that health care reform should include “everyone,” and this means illegal immigrants as well because with more people paying into the system it might lower the costs of health care. Speaking to reporters Thursday at a press conference in support of President Barack Obama’s efforts to pass a government-led overhaul of the nation’s health care system, Murguia said that while the issue of illegal immigrants was politically difficult, there were...

Although President Obama has put off an immigration overhaul until next year, the federal agency in charge of approving visas is planning ahead for the possibility of giving legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, the agency’s director said Thursday. “We are under way to prepare for that,” Alejandro Mayorkas, the director of the agency, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in an interview. Mr. Obama has told immigration officials that a legalization program would be part of legislation the White House would propose, said Mr. Mayorkas, who became director in August. The agency’s goal, he said, is...

GASTONIA, N.C. -- Two state representatives announced plans today to fight a recent ruling to allow illegal immigrants into state community colleges. "What part of illegal don't you understand?" said Rep. Wil Neumann as he spoke in front of the Gaston County Courthouse Tuesday morning. He said he has received a number of calls and e-mails about the state community college system's decision to allow illegal immigrants the chance to enroll in any of the 58 state community colleges as long as the student graduated from a high school in the United States. The students would have to pay out-of-state...

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The number of deaths at unauthorized U.S.-Mexico border crossings must be recognized as an international humanitarian crisis, a civil liberties group said. U.S., Mexican and international officials must respond to the deaths with reforms that make human life a priority, a report released Wednesday by American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties and Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights said. The report, "Humanitarian Crisis: Migrant Deaths at the U.S.-Mexico Border," found that border deaths have increased despite fewer unauthorized crossings because of the economic downturn, the ACLU said in a news...

Going back to Mexico is not an option, said the 43-year-old man, kneeling next to his wife's wheelchair.His wife, 45, lost her eyesight to diabetes. She also has high blood pressure. And her kidneys are failing. For years, he has taken her to a dialysis clinic attached to a public hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. The facility that gave her free care plans to close Saturday. They are illegal immigrants with no health insurance and, they say they have nowhere to go for his wife's vast medical needs. The closing clinic offered to help return them to Mexico...the latest known case...

The healthcare/illegal immigration issue has risen again, thanks to 2 letters sent by about 20 or oso extreme leftist in the House of Representatives led by Congressman Mike Honda. The 1st letter is a request for quicker access to Medicare benefits for legal immigrants, benefits that we can't even afford for U.S. citizens. Here's a quote from the 1st letter below. Notice the lack of concern over the tenth amendment of the U.S. Constitution (The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to...

The "entitled" Generation has taken office! The "entitled to" generation is now in charge and it is being proven by not letting failures fail! It appears to me that the best lessons learned in life are the failures turned into successes. When a child takes a fall, they learn to get back up and walk again. When a newborn calf stumbles and falls, they scramble back to stand again. When a young horses running through a field, take a tumble, they get back up and run again. These are all failures with successes in the learning cycle. In the "entitlement...

Despite a 50 percent drop over the past two years in the number of people caught illegally entering the United States from Mexico, the number of those who died while trying to cross the border increased this year and is the highest since 2006, according to new U.S. data and a study by human rights groups in both countries. The American Civil Liberties Union and Mexico's human rights agency allege that consistently high numbers of border deaths -- hovering around 350 to 500 a year, depending on which government's figures are used -- are a predictable but largely unrecognized result...

As time goes on, the truth about if Obama's healthcare plan to get illegals into it are being answered more as each day comes. Well at least they’re honest about it. More importantly, had the American people not spoken up … this is where they most assuredly would go. At this point I think its just politicking, since I am not sure this has any chance of getting through … but then again. They are pretty “waskally wabbits” when left to their own devices.

For the first time, the decennial census will be distributed in the two languages to 13.5 million households in predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhoods. Latino advocates hope the forms will lead to a more accurate count by winning over the trust of immigrants who are often wary of government and may be even more fearful after the recent surge in immigration raids and deportations.

Fearful that they're losing ground on immigration and health care, a group of House Democrats is pushing back and arguing that any health care bill should extend to all legal immigrants and allow illegal immigrants some access, The Washington Times reported on Monday. The Democrats, trying to stiffen their party's spines on the contentious issue, say it's unfair to bar illegal immigrants from paying their own way in a government-sponsored exchange. Legal immigrants, they say, regardless of how long they've been in the United States, should be able to get government-subsidized health care if they meet the other eligibility requirements....

Fearful that they're losing ground on immigration and health care, a group of House Democrats is pushing back and arguing that any health care bill should extend to all legal immigrants and allow illegal immigrants some access. The Democrats, trying to stiffen their party's spines on the contentious issue, say it's unfair to bar illegal immigrants from paying their own way in a government-sponsored exchange. Legal immigrants, they say, regardless of how long they've been in the United States, should be able to get government-subsidized health care if they meet the other eligibility requirements. "Legal permanent residents should be able...

Police are looking for a man convicted of an Arlington rape more than 10 years ago in connection with the recent rape an 11-year-old girl in Oklahoma City. Melvin Urbina, 33, was sentenced to two years in prison for the 1998 sexual assault of an Arlington woman. He was deported to Mexico after his release in 2001. He returned to the United States illegally and worked in Oklahoma City. Police want to question Urbina about the July 25 sexual assault of a girl who was trying to find some extra chairs for the guests at her godfather’s wedding anniversary party...

The fight to secure the southern border has been a long one, as with a viable national security and millions of criminal trespassers coming as they please, the southern border has been in need of complete shutdown (not at border entrances, along the American border where illegals enter), ultimate security from the Border Patrol, and support from both major political parties.

WASHINGTON – On the morning of Jan. 28, federal agents knocked on Shirley Tan's door, showed her a deportation letter and put her in handcuffs. "I was put into a van with two men in yellow jumpsuits and chains and searched like a criminal in a way I have only seen on television and in the movies," said Tan, 44, a housewife and mother from Pacifica. But Tan is still in the United States today, and she says there's only one reason why: "the great compassion" of California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. People seeking to get around U.S. immigration laws...

Even though the Border Patrol now reports that almost 1,300 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border is not under effective control, and the Department of Justice says that vast stretches of the border are “easily breached,” and the Government Accountability Office has revealed that three persons “linked to terrorism” and 530 aliens from “special interest countries” were intercepted at Border Patrol checkpoints last year, the administration is nonetheless now planning to decrease the number of Border Patrol agents deployed on the U.S.-Mexico border.

DALLAS - Dallas FBI agents arrested a Jordanian citizen Thursday afternoon for attempting to bomb a skyscraper in Downtown Dallas. According to the bureau, 19-year-old Mosam Maher Husein Smadi was arrested and charged for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Smadi had been under continuous FBI surveillance and was arrested after he allegedly placed and tried to detonate an inactive car bomb near Fountain Place, a 60-story glass office tower located at 1445 Ross Avenue, the FBI said.

House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) Suggested last week that health care reform would save on the money spent on health care for illegal aliens.

"Twenty years after the state began to address the problems faced by colonias — a byword for poor communities that lack basic infrastructure — bad water and sewage issues continue to plague them. Roads are rutted, and some toilets are known to flush into backyards, even if a homeowner is lucky to have a septic tank instead of an outhouse. Quality drinking water can be iffy. Even as colonias along the border have received assistance from state and federal officials, colonias here — near Corpus Christi — and in other parts of the state have historically been left out by...

One in three Mexicans would migrate to the United States if they had the chance, and many would go illegally at a time of rising drug violence in Mexico, a survey released on Wednesday showed.

Police have arrested two of the three drivers who authorities say tried to storm their immigrant-filled vans past U.S. border inspectors, resulting in agents opening fire. The driver of a third van has fled to Mexico.

Many immigrants are drawn to the Midwest for the same reasons that anyone moves to the heartland: job opportunities, the strong educational system and the high quality of life. However, new immigrant workers are too often vulnerable to discrimination, exploitation or unsafe working conditions, according to Amy Weismann, University of Iowa Center for Human Rights deputy director. The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded a grant of $50,000 to the UI Center for Human Rights, the UI Labor Center and Nebraska Appleseed for Law in the Public Interest to extend significant outreach activities to immigrant workforces in Iowa and Nebraska....

Amnesty is back, and with a vengeance. This was the dominant theme I heard at this week's annual talk-radio gabfest in Washington sponsored by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the country's leading anti-amnesty organization. "As we gather here in the nation's capital, another illegal alien amnesty bill has been introduced in the Senate," FAIR President Dan Stein said. It is no surprise that, after passing health care "reform," President Obama plans to move on to his next big domestic initiative: granting citizenship to more than 12 million illegal immigrants. For decades, Beltway and business elites have championed a...

LOS ANGELES — The chickens have come home to roost for Los Angeles city dwellers who keep roosters. The City Council on Tuesday passed an ordinance that — with few exceptions — allows only one rooster per property. It was spurred by complaints over noise and hygiene and concerns over illegal cockfighting. Janice Hahn, who authored the bill, says it will give residents of her district some peace and quiet.

I’m not usually one to care much what a celebrity thinks, but I’m going to briefly comment on Eva Longoria’s statement about immigrants before I get offline for the evening. Longoria is the national spokesperson for the Padres Contra el Cancer (Parents against Cancer) non-profit organization, and she attended their 9th annual fundraiser gala in Hollywood. She was either asked a question at the event about illegal aliens or just brought it up herself. From FoxNews’ Pop Tarts column.

Amnesty is back, and with a vengeance. This was the dominant theme I heard at this week's annual talk-radio gabfest in Washington sponsored by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the country's leading anti-amnesty organization. "As we gather here in the nation's capital, another illegal alien amnesty bill has been introduced in the Senate," FAIR President Dan Stein said. It is no surprise that, after passing health care "reform," President Obama plans to move on to his next big domestic initiative: granting citizenship to more than 12 million illegal immigrants. For decades, Beltway and business elites have championed a...

Los Angeles religious leaders have launched a phone campaign to urge lawmakers to include undocumented immigrants in any healthcare reform plan. At a religious service Friday, faith leaders called access to healthcare a moral and spiritual imperative. More than 150 worshippers attended a Mass at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church and prayed for an all-inclusive reform plan.

The health care debate and amnesty for illegal aliens could soon be an informal packaged plan. Some have wondered why immigration groups – in favor of amnesty legislation – are not complaining about President Obama’s assurance illegal aliens would not be covered in H.R. 3200. They know amnesty legislation is around the corner, so they are placing their bets at another table.

President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage. He also staked out a position that anyone in the country legally should be covered - a major break with the 1996 welfare reform bill, which limited most federal public assistance programs only to citizens and longtime immigrants.

Washington Times: "Even though I do not believe we can extend coverage to those who are here illegally, I also don't simply believe we can simply ignore the fact that our immigration system is broken," Mr. Obama said Wednesday evening in a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. "That's why I strongly support making sure folks who are here legally have access to affordable, quality health insurance under this plan, just like everybody else. Mr. Obama added, "If anything, this debate underscores the necessity of passing comprehensive immigration reform and resolving the issue of 12 million undocumented people living...

President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage. He also staked out a position that anyone in the country legally should be covered - a major break with the 1996 welfare reform bill, which limited most federal public assistance programs only to citizens and longtime immigrants. "Even though I do not believe we can extend coverage to those who are here illegally, I also don't simply believe we can simply ignore the fact that our immigration system...

(Automatic Translation from Spanish to English)Source: Channel T47, TelemundoTitle: Immigration / "Illegal Immigrants Can Buy Homes" (Indocumentados Pueden Comprar Casa) by Delinés Batlle (BEGIN TRANSLATION) PUBLISHED: September 7, 2005 at 12:11 pm (ET) UPDATED: 30 September 2005, at 9:16 am (eastern) NEW YORK, NY. -- Thanks to an initiative of private banking it is now possible for illegal immigrants to buy homes in the United States without having a social security number. A new program helps immigrants who can not afford home to fulfill their American dream. Elena Hernandez has long had the dream of buying a home, but...

President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage. "Even though I do not believe we can extend coverage to those who are here illegally, I also don't simply believe we can simply ignore the fact that our immigration system is broken," Mr. Obama said Wednesday evening in a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. "That's why I strongly support making sure folks who are here legally have access to affordable, quality health insurance under this plan,...

The journalists at the center of an embarrassing scandal for the grass-roots organization ACORN also paid a visit to the ACORN office in San Diego County. Grass-roots organizing has gotten a black eye on the national stage after undercover videos involving ACORN, a controversial group with a local office, were released that were shot during a series of visits from a hidden-camera crew. At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, a video was broadcast on Fox's "Hannity" that purported to show a San Diego ACORN staffer discussing human trafficking with two people who were undercover. Earlier in the day, local ACORN officials,...

WASHINGTON DC – The NAACP announced today, unwavering support for Tom Perez for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. In a letter to the United States Senate, the NAACP urged the Senate to confirm Perez expeditiously. “The NAACP strongly urges the United States Senate to confirm Tom Perez for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. His breadth and depth of experience on the local, state and federal level make him the best candidate to work with Attorney General Eric Holder to rebuild the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice,” stated Hilary O. Shelton, Senior Vice President for...

Like virtually every issue that faces the nation, our healthcare problem is greatly exacerbated by mass immigration—both legal and illegal.  A total of 43% of non-citizens lack health insurance, compared to just 12.7% of native-born Americans.  These uninsured immigrants impose huge strains on our healthcare system that helped create the crisis we currently face. Plenty of analysts and commentators have exposed how illegal aliens will receive healthcare under Obamacare.  They point out that while the bill claims to prohibit illegal aliens from receiving benefits, the Democrats repeatedly blocked Amendments that would screen for legal status.  Steve Camorata of the non-partisan...

... President Obama was blasted by a top Latino ally on Monday for modifying his health-care plan in the face of conservative criticism. The criticism was leveled in Spanish by Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat from Illinois who was the first Latino member of Congress to endorse Barack Obama for president. Referring to the Obama administration, Gutierrez said: "Those who should be our friends, our allies, are more and more giving Rep. (Joe) Wilson, R-S.C., exactly what he wants to continue with this prejudice against our community." Gutierrez, who made his remarks in Washington, D.C., while participating in a panel...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The family of a father and two sons who were slain in San Francisco last year can go to state court with a claim that the city is to blame for failing to turn their alleged killer over to immigration authorities when he was arrested earlier as a juvenile, a federal judge has ruled. City Attorney Dennis Herrera had asked U.S. District Judge Susan Illston to rule on the claim herself after dismissing the rest of the suit last month by Tony Bologna's widow and daughter. But Illston said Friday that the remainder of the family's case...