Free Republic

Vast tracts of our most treasured public lands, supposedly set aside in perpetuity for Americans, are no longer controlled by the United States government. Instead, they have been invaded and taken over by Mexico’s violent criminal drug organizations to grow marijuana. Even more shocking: Mexican cartels have been growing marijuana for at least 10 years in Sequoia National Park, one of the crown jewels of the system. Nature-loving hikers are compelled to accept that parts of Sequoia are "no go zones" during the growing season. These Mexican marijuana messes are an ecological disaster. They are not innocent little plots that...

Arizona’s Supreme Court chief justice has agreed to enforce the Hispanic Bar Association’s demands of banning the terms “illegal” and “aliens” in all of the state’s courtrooms. Claiming that the terms are inflammatory, the president of Arizona’s Hispanic Bar Association, (known as Los Abogados) has asked state Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor to stop using them at trials or hearings because they create perceptions of judicial bias. In a strongly worded letter to the chief justice, Los Abogados’ president says attaching an illegal status to a person establishes a brand of contemptibility, creates the appearance of anti-immigrant prejudice and...

AUSTIN - A proposed detention facility for suspected illegal immigrants was labeled a "holding pen for wetbacks" on a public meeting agenda written by a rural city council member.Charles Laws, 75, apologized Thursday for using the derogatory term but defied calls from state lawmakers and officials in nearby Austin for him to resign as Mustang Ridge's mayor pro tem and as general manager of a local water supply company. "If I hadn't been in such a hurry I would have said ‘illegals' or something like that, but that's a term that I grew up with out here and everybody said...

Drug War: Mexico's battle against drug traffickers is getting dicier by the day. Officials there have asked for U.S. aid, and we should give it to them. But they must be serious about victory. Late last year, Mexico's new president, Felipe Calderon, made an impressive start by tackling drug traffickers as soon as he was sworn in. His boldness was a direct response to Mexican voters, who told IBD on election day that nothing mattered to them more. It wasn't hard to see why. Like a rat infestation, Mexican drug dealers had grown strong in an earlier atmosphere of ineffectual...

Millions of migrants have crossed illegally from Mexico into the United States. Their experience could hardly be more real. But now at a controversial theme park in Mexico, tourists can pretend to be an illegal migrant. Torch, check. Heavy boots, check. Willingness to hide under bushes, check. Ability to see in the dark, an advantage. Preparation for what, you might think? A hike across Dartmoor? Try a night out in a theme park. But when I say theme park, do not think Alton Towers or Disneyland. Think, instead, illegal migrants. Because now you can pretend to be an illegal migrant...

Illegal immigrants planning to cross the desert and enter the US on foot are to be given hand-held satellite devices by the Mexican authorities to ensure they arrive safely. Those who get lost or fall sick during the dangerous four-day crossing will be able to activate the device, to alert frontier police on both sides of the border. The satellite tracking service will require would-be illegals to register their intentions before setting off — a paradoxical move, given that secrecy is necessary for success — but Mexican authorities are predicting that about 200,000 devices will be handed out when the...

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I only have room for about 700 here so let me be more concise. Just the other day, an editorial cartoon, set in the 1600s, depicted a rowboat full of Pilgrims coming ashore in the New World and encountering a group of Indians constructing a log wall to keep them out. Standing next to a boulder marked "Plymouth Rock" (in case you didn't get it) on the shoreline, one of the Indians, with his arms folded in an unwelcoming position and a disapproving frown on his face, blocked their way....

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico's Congress was swayed Tuesday by a 7-year-old boy on a mission to save his mom. Second-grader Saul Arellano, a U.S. citizen, appeared in Mexico's 500-member Chamber of Deputies to plead for help in lobbying Washington to stop the deportation of his mother, an illegal immigrant who has taken refuge in a Chicago church. His efforts paid off with a resolution calling on the Bush administration to suspend the deportation of Elvira Arellano and any other illegal immigrant parents of U.S. citizens. If the U.S. agrees, it would "create a precedent that will benefit more than 4.9...

LAGUNA BEACH – City officials are violating federal law by collecting fees from workers at a day-labor site in Laguna Canyon without checking immigration status, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. Judicial Watch, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest group, filed the lawsuit against the city on behalf of Eileen Garcia and George Riviere, Laguna residents who have questioned the site's legality to City Council members in the past. The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, contends day laborers are charged a $1 referral fee each day they work, and that employers using the site get $5 for each day...

RAMONA – Clint Hamilton says he'd rather be playing softball with his 10-year-old daughter. Instead, the Ramona resident said “patriotic duty” pushes him to spend at least 20 hours a week trying to stop day laborers from gathering outside the downtown grocery store where he once shopped. A one-man Minuteman army, Hamilton videotapes and photographs people hiring workers and said he's been criticized and threatened. “All I ask them to do is get out of our parking lot,” he said. Hamilton, 44, speaks in calm tones and wears a U.S. Border Patrol baseball cap. “I'm basically a nice guy,” he...

Only 483 Guard Working on Mexican Border Jun 30 9:35 PM US/Eastern By AARON C. DAVISAssociated Press Writer SACRAMENTO, Calif. On the deadline to have 2,500 troops along the Mexican border, the National Guard said Friday that only 483 were in position and working with the U.S. Border Patrol as the Bush administration had directed. But Guard officials said more than 2,000 others were somewhere inside the four southwestern border states, training or helping plan the deployment. He and Bush administration officials argued Friday that the presence of troops in those states spelled success in the first stage of...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. population is on target to hit 300 million this fall and it's a good bet the milestone baby — or immigrant — will be Hispanic. No one will know for sure because the date and time will be just an estimate. But Latinos — immigrants and those born in this country — are driving the population growth, accounting for almost half the increase last year, more than any other ethnic or racial group. White non-Hispanics, who make up about two-thirds of the population, accounted for less than one-fifth of the increase. When the population reached 200...

Citizens group confronts sheriff on immigrants 'Copwatch' calls for sheriff to release immigrants from jail Friday, June 16, 2006 Members of a citizens group known as Copwatch protested outside Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office Friday morning. They held signs asking Arpaio to release illegal immigrants that his deputies and volunteer posse members have arrested. The arrests came under a state law making it illegal to conspire to smuggle humans into Arizona, or to conspire to be smuggled. Arpaio came down from his 19th floor office in the Wells Fargo Building to let the members of Copwatch present their complaints in person....

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A civil rights watchdog agency opened an investigation on Monday into a Philadelphia cheese steak restaurant that posted a sign saying "This is America - when ordering, speak English." The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations complaint effectively opens a case against Geno's Steaks of South Philadelphia, said Rachel Lawton, acting executive director of the agency. The Philadelphia controversy has fed a national debate over immigration in which the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would declare English the national language and politicians have raised objections to a Spanish version of the national anthem.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The two Massachusetts women walk down a fly-infested alley where sewage from mud huts drains onto the dirt walkway. In a tiny backyard, they find two dozen chickens, five children -- and one Afghan war widow. Patti Quigley of Wellesley and Susan Retik of Needham -- whose husbands were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks

This Local has nothing to do with any alleged management directives to report the location of the Minutemen volunteers to the Mexican government. Our position on the Mexican government and their military is very clear. They are corrupt, they shoot at us, they smuggle drugs, they encourage illegal aliens to invade this country...

I've never posted a new thread before and was going to put this with Santa Ana but now there are details so I think it needs it's own thread. Reports for help from all police to respond to Vista, California for unrest related to the immigration protests. I'd been hearing sirens racing north on 15 for over the last 50 minutes and was trying to find out what was going on, as after hearing and seeing groups of 2-6 patrol cars racing up the freeway sirens wailing every 4-8 minutes made it apparent something was going on.

Monday's immigration march exceeded the expectations of its organizers, angered some opponents but remained peaceful throughout. Nearly 1,500 people walked across the city in one of the largest demonstrations in Yuma. The march through the city was followed by the sounds of cheers, honking horns and, at times, words of rebuke. When people were gathering near the Yuma Civic Center prior to the event, counter-protesters were already out with their own messages. When asked why he was marching, 15-year-old Jesus Ruiz had a simple answer: "For my country," he said. When asked which country that was, he said Mexico. This...

OLYMPIA -- A state audit has questioned nearly $1 billion that Washington's Medicaid program spent last year -- including $75 million that may have to be repaid to the federal government because it was used for unauthorized medical services for undocumented aliens. Undocumented aliens received prenatal care, chemotherapy, kidney transplants and other procedures the federal government prohibits its money from being spent on, the audit released Thursday found. The report examined Medicaid payments in the fiscal year that ended in 2005. Medicaid, a joint state and federal program, spent $6.2 billion last year on health services for the state's poor...

Well, the U.S. Congress has been given plenty of time to work on addressing our illegal immigration problem. Commentators across the country have provided lots of thoughts on the issue, including lots of ideas on how to address the problem. You would think that our elected representatives would listen to the people (meaning the citizens, not the law-breaking illegals), thoughtfully consider all the polls, review the studies on the economic impact (good and bad) of the huge illegal influx, think back on their oaths of office and what is expected of them by the citizens that vote, and come to...

“The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names” – Old Chinese proverb. The elite media have always been out of touch with American values, and their reporting has often been at odds with reality. (See “Offensive, Tet.”) However, their coverage of the last week’s massive pro-illegal immigration rallies bordered (no pun intended) on the Orwellian, virtually requiring one to believe the inverse of everything they reported. Among their many distortions, sanitizations, euphemisms, and lies were: “Pro-Immigration Rallies.” The elite media consisted presented the protests as rallies in favor of immigration or immigrants rights. The Washington Post...

I always love reading articles by Walter Williams, well-known professor of economics. He has a succinct way of avoiding a lot of verbal claptrap and cutting right to the chase. In a recent column on illegal immigration he wrote: "At the heart of today's immigration problem is its illegality. According to several estimates there are 11 million people who are in our country illegally, mostly from Mexico...First, there's the refusal to call these people 'illegal aliens.' The politicallY preferred term is 'undocumented workers,' which is nothing less than verbal sleight-of-hand." Professor Williams also mentions his colleague, Thomas Sowell, who refers...

LOS ANGELES — The protests that drew national attention to the future of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants are relaunching even though sweeping reform legislation has stalled on Capitol Hill. Weeks ago organizers picked Monday for dozens of demonstrations nationwide, a signal that what began as a string of disparate events — attracting tens and even hundreds of thousands of people — has become more coordinated. “We don’t have a leader like Martin Luther King or Cesar Chavez, but this is now a national immigrant rights movement,” said Joshua Hoyt, director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee...

You've got to hand it to Americans. If ever there was a group of people more patient, more willing to turn the other cheek, more forgiving and tolerant – I just don't know who it would be. Every day now, it seems, hundreds of thousands of ungrateful human parasites rally in American cities condemning their host country's lack of hospitality. Think about this. Somewhere around 20 million foreigners have entered this country illegally and stayed here – taking advantage of America's health-care system, educational system, welfare system, taxing its criminal justice system and competing for jobs with those at the...

I've had it! I've watched Mexicans all over the Houston area and nationally waving Mexican flags. I've seen Mexicans raise the Mexican flag at public schools. I've seen Mexicans carrying signs stating "I'm Already Home!" I've heard over and over again that Illegals are here because they will do jobs Americans will not. I have had a Mexican lady cleaning my house twice a month and a Mexican lawn crew doing my lawn. I make a check out to the Mexican lady by name and leave the lawn guys check blank. I have never asked if they are illegal or...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryMarch 25, 2006 President's Radio Address       Audio      In Focus: Immigration      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Monday, I will attend a naturalization ceremony here in Washington. It's always inspiring to watch a group of immigrants raise their hands and swear an oath to become citizens of the United States of America. These men and women follow in the footsteps of millions who've come to our shores seeking liberty and opportunity, and America is better off for their hard work and love of freedom.  Radio Address 200620052004200320022001  Radio Interviews 20052004 America is a nation...

Hudson (N.H.) police Chief Richard E. Gendron says he has nothing against immigration but warns that "if you want to come to this country, come in the front door." Otherwise, he vows, illegal aliens caught in his town of 25,000 will be charged with criminal trespass.

HOUSTON- The reputed leader of a violent gang with roots in El Salvador was sentenced to seven months in prison Friday for illegally re-entering the country, U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg announced. Lester Rivera Paz, 29, of Honduras, is expected to be deported after completing his sentence. He has been in federal custody since his arrest in February near Falfurrias. He was indicted in March on one count of illegal entry into the United States after being deported. Rivera, who officials say has many aliases, including "El Culiche" or The Tapeworm, Eber Anibal Rivera Paz and Franklin Jairo Rivera-Hernandez, was the...

Lee Driscoll is cracking down on illegal immigrants in his restaurants. And it's breaking his heart. He's not just going the extra mile. He's taking the full trip. And it's tearing him up inside. He's going to fire as many as 51 of his employees - for crimes that include trying to make a living for their families. And, Driscoll says, it's not unlike firing members of his own family. "I think it will make me very emotional," he is saying on the day the story breaks. "I think it will make me cry." Lee Driscoll is CEO of...

There are untold and extraordinary costs to US taxpayers and individual Americans associated with the illegal criminal activities of those Mexicans who sneak into the US in violation of US law.Why isn't the Mexican government held responsible for these costs? The Mexican government has an obligation to prevent it's citizens from committing crimes. The fact that the victim is the US doesn't change that obligation.If our courts can blame all sorts of companies for asbestos damage and accept the claims of millions of claimants, why can the courts do the same for claims against Mexico. Where are the predatory US...

A new opinion poll by Zogby International indicates Americans are hardly pleased with the Bush administration on the subject of illegal immigration. The poll, cited on CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" program yesterday, noted a huge majority – 81 percent – believes local and state police should help federal authorities enforce laws against illegal immigration. Only 14 percent disagreed. Voters were also asked, "Do you support or oppose the Bush administration's proposal to give millions of illegal aliens guest worker status and the opportunity to become citizens?" Only 35 percent gave their support, and 56 percent said no. "A majority opposed...

New Jersey's escalating population of illegal immigrants is placing an ever-growing burden on the state's hospitals, which expect to lose $200 million this year on care to the underground community.Doctors and administrators around the state are complaining that the cost of treating illegal immigrants has forced them to delay the purchase of life-saving technology or the addition of valuble staff.And according to the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) in West Windsor, the burden will only increase unless state or federal agencies step in and pay the bills.'snip'Given the uncertainty about how many immigrants live in the country illegally, no one...

In a surprise move, former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik abruptly withdrew his nomination as President Bush (news - web sites)'s choice to be homeland security secretary Friday night, saying questions have arisen about the immigration status of a housekeeper and nanny he employed. The decision caught the White House off guard and sent Bush in search of a new candidate to run the sprawling bureaucracy of more than 180,000 employees melded together from 22 disparate federal agencies in 2003. Kerik informed Bush of his decision to withdraw in a telephone call at 8:30 p.m. EST. "I am convinced...

KLOL, 101.1 FM announced Friday that station has changed formats. The station switched from a classic rock format to a Latino music format branded as Mega 101. KLOL is now branded as Mega 101 FM. The station's web site was listed as under construction, but KLOL's former morning show hosts Walton and Johnson announced on their web site that they were informed Thursday night of the change. The radio hosts stated on WaltonandJohnson.com that, "Thursday night Walton and Johnson were informed by lower-level management sources via a last-minute phone call that there would be no Walton and Johnson Show tomorrow....

All The News That Is Fit To Print" appears on every issue of the New York Times. Immigration Daily has not yet had a comparable slogan which would appear on our masthead for every issue. But Immigration Daily is a work-in-progress and the time has come for us to select a suitable slogan/tagline/motto. And in this, as in much else, we seek our readers' suggestions first. The ideal phrase or sentence would express a principle or sentiment which animates the body of immigration law and stands for its essence and spirit. Please send your ideas in Letters to mailto:editor@ilw.com. All...

Hospitals losing millions from non-paying Mexican Nationals are now sending collections agents across the border. At University Medical Center, both legal and illegal immigrants racked up $16 million in unpaid bills last year. A huge debt, collection agents are now tracking patients down in Mexico to pay. If patients can't pay, it's written off as charity. If they can afford a payment plan, but refuse, agents inform them the hospital will turn their name over to Immigration and Naturalization and Border Patrol agents. This can hurt their ability to cross back into the U.S. freely. Typically, collection agents only recover...

<p>Dozens more migrants seized at Newark airport Monday, April 12, 2004 Associated Press More than 40 illegal immigrants on two flights were detained this weekend when their planes landed at Newark Liberty International Airport, authorities said.</p> <p>Four other illegal aliens awaiting the planes' arrivals were arrested and charged with smuggling the immigrants, said Janet Rapaport, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.</p>

'Undocumented' preferred by some for certain immigrants; others see cover-up By RICK BADIE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution For Jerry Gonzalez, the term "illegal immigrant" packs as much vitriol as some racial slurs. Many Latinos, he said, find it offensive. "It's easy to dismiss someone when you use a disparaging term such as 'illegal immigrant' or 'illegal alien,' " surmised Gonzalez, who oversees the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, an Atlanta-based political action committee. "I can't speak for other immigrant groups," he said, "but on behalf of the Latino community, many people I speak to on a day-to-day basis think it...

<p>Up until last night, people had been very cooperative with this effort, and for that I was grateful. Last night, I think there must have been a full moon or something, but we'll get that straightened out.</p> <p>Sean Hannity just used the word "asinine" in regards to any immigration change until we gain control of the current immigration situation.</p>

I'm know you've seen them and you probably have interacted with them. They are coming out of the woodwork here on FR and on the radio talk shows and everywhere else as we move towards the next defeat of the Demonicrats in 2004. Who are they? Who knows! Rush calls them "Seminar Callers", Hannity seems to be able to screen them out and does not have a name for them that I know of. OReilly gets 'em and lately we've had SCADS of the little eight legged things crawling all through some of the more controversial posts here. They are...

<p>Senate Democrats, in a reversal, join in vote to deny illegal immigrants in California the right to drive. The Assembly is expected to follow suit.</p> <p>SACRAMENTO -- In a victory for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senate Democrats joined with their Republican counterparts Monday to repeal a controversial law that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain California driver's licenses.</p>