Free Republic

U.S.-Latin American policy has been marked by erratic and often discontinuous relations with its southern neighbors, betraying an ambivalence toward the region that does not augur well for its future political development. All too often, Washington’s desire to protect narrowly defined U.S. interests has relegated Latin America’s authentic democratization and development requirements to a legislative and budgetary sideline, leaving unaddressed some of the region’s most grave economic, political and social concerns. The White House’s monetary priorities (mainly longstanding anti-drug, national security and anti-terrorism interests) have encouraged its pursuit of paper thin policies ranging from claims of dedicated commitment to Latin...

My name is Jason Mrochek and I live in Menifee. The biggest incentive for illegal aliens to come to the United States is to find work. If there are no employers willing to hire the illegal aliens, the flood of illegal aliens will subside. For too many years, these employees have gotten away with federal crimes. If we are a nation of laws, we MUST expect our citizens to obey them, especially when the consequences of disobeying the laws are so great: increased costs to federal and state social programs that aren’t paid for, increased traffic along with the lost...

Rep. Dave Buhlman, R-Hudson Immigration bills to be introduced soon Published: Monday, Jul. 18, 2005 The two stories in the Sunday Telegraph on July 10 about illegal immigration should contribute to people getting a better understanding of the situation. One aspect that was not mentioned, however, is that the state of New Hampshire has a number of laws on the books regarding illegal immigration. Based on these, members of the New Hampshire House Republican Immigration Caucus will introduce bills in September that will support the law enforcement efforts of Chief Chamberlain of New Ipswich and Chief Gendron of Hudson....

Overcrowding complaints focus on HispanicsAsk an elected official in Manassas to name some of the city's biggest challenges, and chances are residential overcrowding -- or too many people sharing too little living space -- will be near the top of the list. It's been just over a year since the city rolled out a code enforcement strategy designed to tackle the problem. A look at data compiled by the city's residential overcrowding program shows Hispanics are much more likely to be reported for overcrowding, and that overcrowding complaints are reported more often in some areas of the city. City...

Despite the endless blathering and squirming to the contrary on the part of Wired Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Cato Institute and other institutions that normally proclaim the truth of free-market economics, the Law of Supply and Demand applies to labor as much as to any other thing that is bought and sold.  That is to say, if one increases the supply of labor relative to demand, its price will fall. That price is your salary, friend.  And mass immigration is inexorably driving it down. Well, maybe not your salary personally, if you are lucky enough to work in...

n the many eulogies to Ronald Reagan since his passing, virtually all acknowledge his role in defeating Soviet communism and reviving America's self-confidence. But another aspect of Reagan's record that should not be forgotten was his commitment to keeping America open to trade and immigration. Reagan's vision of an America open to commerce and peaceful, hardworking immigrants contradicts the anti-trade and anti-immigration views espoused by Lou Dobbs, Bill O'Reilly, Pat Buchanan, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, and many others who claim to speak for the conservative causes Reagan largely defined. Reagan's heart and head were clearly on the side of...

uly 10, 2005, 9:22PM THE WRONG TARGET Plan by Minutemen to videotape illegal immigrants seeking work in Houston misses the point. If the Minutemen, the group that wants to halt illegal immigration at the border, intends to videotape undocumented workers as they negotiate on the streets of Houston with prospective employers, they had better come armed with crates of cassettes. As anyone who drives North Shepherd or dozens of other streetside job fairs knows, the practice of hiring illegal immigrants as day laborers is widespread, conducted in broad daylight and tolerated by local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration agents.Exactly...

Huntsman aims to bring Utah, Mexico a bit closer It's the economy: Utah's governor hopes to make some connections to boost local business climate By Jennifer W. Sanchez The Salt Lake Tribune Utah's southernmost edge is about a six-hour drive from the U.S.-Mexico border, but no Mexican president has visited the Beehive State for as long as anyone can remember. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. wants to work on changing that with his first economic development trip outside the United States since taking office. Huntsman is scheduled to leave today for a short visit to Mexico City to meet with the...

Utahns to guv: Tackle immigration on trip As Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. heads south of the border this week to talk to Mexican leaders about business and tourism, Utahns say he should not ignore a big state issue - immigration. Many residents - from undocumented Mexicans living here to folks who want them out - say they hope Huntsman doesn't shy away from talking about the fast-growing Latino population here. They also want to see him figure out ways the state and Mexico can work together toward immigration reform. "It doesn't make sense that he goes to Mexico and doesn't...

Posted July 3, 2005 at 8:25 p.m. SACRAMENTO (AP) -- California's lawmakers will take up the debate over immigration when they return to work this week. On Tuesday, an Assembly committee will consider state constitutional amendments to deny benefits to illegal immigrants and create a state border police force. Assemblyman Mark Wyland of Del Mar says the state has to control its border if it hopes to make progress in solving California's problems. He's authored an amendment that would bar illegal immigrants from receiving health care, welfare, retirement and other benefits. The measure also would block the state from issuing...

CAFTA’s Threats to U.S. Independence (with supporting quotes directly from the CAFTA agreement as publicly available on ustr.gov)STOPCAFTA.comJune 29, 2005  CAFTA’s role as steppingstone to hemispheric integration and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). “[The governments of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the United States of America] resolved to: … CONTRIBUTE to hemispheric integration and provide an impetus toward establishing the Free Trade Area of the Americas.” (CAFTA Agreement, Preamble)   CAFTA’s subservience to the World Trade Organization (WTO). “[The governments of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua,...

Bush Encouraged Illegal Aliens, Congressman Says By Jeff Johnson CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer June 29, 2005 (CNSNews.com) -- The co-sponsor of legislation to make it more difficult for illegal aliens to find work in the United States said Tuesday that the Bush administration is encouraging the illegal entry by offering amnesty and is trying to cover up the proof of its actions. U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) has consistently warned that the "Temporary Worker Program," proposed by President Bush in January, would, "encourage millions of people to come here illegally seeking his amnesty proposal." The White House denies that the...

40 percent of ID expiration notices undeliverableSALT LAKE CITY -- More than 40 percent of the expiration notices mailed to holders of a state ID card are being returned as undeliverable.The cards were issued to people who did not have a Social Security card but are expiring under a bill approved earlier this year. State Department of Public Safety spokesman Lt. Doug McCleve said the state will be taking a close look at why the notices are being returned."We need to look at that and determine why it's happening and if there's any criminal responsibility," he said.The new legislation, SB227,...

GREELEY - Prof. Norberto Valdez said the effects of North American Free Trade Agreement on the Mexican economy is a factor in the influx of unauthorized migrants to the United States in the past decade. Valdez, a Colorado State University associate professor in the anthropology department, recently talked about his time and studies in Chiapas, Mexico, studying the Zapatista movement. He said the presence of U.S. corporations in Mexico after NAFTA came into effect in 1994 has caused the a loss of jobs, land and the country's natural resources. As Mexicans lost jobs on farms and in rural areas, they...

Baby boom may add to Hispanics' electoral clout, study finds BY STEVEN THOMMA Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON - (KRT) - A Hispanic baby boom could surge into American politics in the next few years, adding to the growing political clout of the nation's largest minority group, a new study predicted Monday.Two demographic trends are merging to produce the boom - immigration and a higher birthrate among Hispanic women than the rest of the population. Of America's entire population growth from 2000 to 2004, some 5.7 million people - or half the total - were Hispanics. Of them, one-third weren't yet...

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) today urged the civilian "Minuteman" border patrol organization not to begin operation along the Texas-Mexico border in October as planned, expressing concern that the group's activities could do more harm than good. "I would hope that everybody who is concerned about the porous nature of our borders would allow the federal government to act," Cornyn told 1200 WOAI news this morning. The Minuteman action "may actually not help solve the problem but may create a new and additional problem," Cornyn said. "So my preference would be to let the federal government do the job the...

Cornyn: Amnesty for illegal immigrants wouldn't pass in Congress ALICIA A. CALDWELL Associated Press EL PASO, Texas - An amnesty program to legalize undocumented immigrants in the United States is not a viable method to reform immigration, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Saturday.Such a plan is not going to pass in Congress, Cornyn told a group at the bi-national U.S.-Mexico Bishops conference on migration in this West Texas border town.Instead, a guest worker program to allow millions of migrants from Mexico and Latin America to enter the country and work legally is a better solution, said Cornyn, chairman of the...

Lawmakers seek to crack down on illegal immigrants Life for the estimated 10 million illegal immigrants living in the shadows in the United States could soon get even tougher as states and the federal government pass new legislation cracking down on them. In several states, legislators have proposed and in some cases passed bills barring illegal immigrants and their families from receiving health, welfare and other public benefits.Maryland will soon begin cutting off thousands of children of legal as well as illegal immigrants from health care benefits and may also cut immigrant pregnant women off the state's health rolls.Virginia...

Illegal-hiring penalties fall Agency's focus since 9/11 has been protection of U.S. infrastructure By Lisa Friedman LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON - Penalties against employers who hire illegal immigrants have all but disappeared since 1999, a federal homeland security investigator told Congress.Three U.S. employers were threatened with sanctions in 2004, compared with 162 the previous year and 417 in 1999, Richard M. Stana, director of the homeland security and justice team at the Government Accountability Office, testified Tuesday.Meanwhile, he said, the number of agents devoted to enforcing employer sanctions has dropped by more than half."Worksite enforcement has been a low...

Critics cite lax efforts to enforce federal worksite immigration laws U.S. employers continue to hire illegal immigrants because of lax enforcement efforts and the proliferation of fake documents, lawmakers and government auditors said Tuesday. The Homeland Security Department's bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is responsible for enforcing worksite immigration laws, shot back by issuing a fact sheet outlining numerous investigations conducted within the last year. ICE took responsibility for worksite enforcement when the Immigration and Naturalization Service was abolished in 2003. "Worksite enforcement was a low priority for INS and continues to be a low priority for...