Posted on 03/10/2006 1:07:00 PM PST by JustPiper
Chicago police say as many as 100,000 protestors are gathering outside the Chicago Federal Center to voice their concerns about a house bill that would tighten immigration laws. The massive demonstration has blocked many streets in the Loop.
The border security bill would make it illegal to assist any undocumented immigrant. That measure is drawing the attention of numerous groups and lawmakers on both sides of the issue.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered at the Chicago Federal Center to protest the house bill 4437. They believe the bill discriminates against undocumented residents and those who try to help them and it robs them of a chance at the American dream.
(Excerpt) Read more at abclocal.go.com ...
Right. And you have such a primitive concept of the law you would probably have ambulances stopped and fined for running red lights...because you don't grasp the concept that the law was intended for people's GOOD.
I have no apologizes to make to simple minded legalistic puritans like you.
Actually there are provisons in the law that allow public safety vehicles to run red lights. But rewarding illegal immigration is not about public safety, is it?
The thing is, is that every single arguement in favor of illegal, or even a large amout of legal immigration can be shut down, from the jobs that Americans wont do BS to the slogans that so many use about "freedom" or "land of dreams". The cold hard facts is that your views are not just wrong, they are dangerous to the future of this country. You want a glimpse into this future, again, look at what has happened to California socially and politically.
Again, every single arguement that you and people with your mentality have that are in favor of not enforceing immigration lawsd are the same exact arguements of the crowd who wants laws dealing with hard drugs to not be enforced.
By the way jorge, I hope that if this immigration nonsense is not stopped and soon, that you will not mind paying far higher taxes to pay for all of these new programs that these immigrants(again see California) will vote in place once they become US citizens. I hope you enjoy upwards of 10% state income taxes not to mention higher federal taxes and payroll taxes. I make no apolgies to "people" like you who seem to lack critical thinking abilities.
That is exactlywhat all of us have been trying to get through to you. The law states deportation is the remedy for illegal entry. And it's a shame that politicians and others have ignored this for so long that some illegals have established lives and family here illegally.
Probably Foreign Minister Ernesto Derbez.
Excellent point Tammy but if only MsM would see it that way
We lost alot of good people who were committed to this issue
If you had been reading Threat Matrix for the 2 1/2 years and what we'd been posting, you would be terrified
Just two small current problems, read hundreds weekly at TM:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1593657/posts
War on Terror
Weapons could sneak past lax port security
http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/cst-nws-port12.html
Midway gate didn't have security camera
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-midway12.html
ping and your response
I am one of the worst to scream at the TV news...but later I hear so many who watch a story and sift out their own response, usually not the response the media talking heads wanted. I have come to the conclusion that at least some people are still smart enough to really get a story, even when the media is promoting another agenda.
I heard several people comment (not in a nice way) about the Chicago protest, I think it did more harm than good to their cause. Remember the line on illegals for a long time has been they are quiet hard working people, who don't harm anything by being here...after the protest I heard some of the very people who have been saying that get very angry that illegals would have the nerve to protest US policy in any way. I also heard alarm that a large group of illegals could be gathered up to protest. I have no idea how many in that crowd were illegal, but I do know many people got the impression they all were.
As much as we dislike the media, and wish they would report the facts, just by getting any story out about illegals is a gain. Even stories that support them, turn off a number of people. I have said for a long time that most people don't know the facts, just getting the protest out there is better than it was for a long time where the whole illegal situation was totally ignored. I am angry at the media stories about the protest, especially that they tried to hide the fact that many were carrying flags of other countries. But things aren't all bad, it did turn a lot of people off.
This absolutely steams me, JP. You know how I feel about illegal aliens.
The pro-illegal alien activists paint our wanting to tighten immigration controls to protect our values, tax dollars, quality of life, and security as us being mean-spirited and having racial hatred. Bull Sh--! I think such activists know this it crap and they just use the argument to perpetuate their jobs and appeal to the stupid bleeding heart liberals who hate America.
I view the pro-illegal activists as simply a new branch of the time-honored poverty professionals who always strive to keep Blacks and People of Color downtrodden and beholden to them.
On Long Island, we face the same situation with illegals and we hear silly accusations of being mean-spirited when we want to stop 24 illegals from living in a shoddy one family house and urinating on the front lawns! It is ridiculous and it is only getting worse in NY, Illinois and everywhere.
In the world today good is evil and evil is good. I think we will see this accelerating.
Absofrickinlutely DL!
Remember the terror of childhood school drills? Every Tuesday morning here and the Russians Were the Boogey man
You missed my point.
Laws were made for the good of the people.
Shipping people back to a hopeless situation when they have been otherwise law-abiding tax paying contributers to our society has less to do with fulfilling the good intentions of the law, and more to do with a legalistic brand of vengence that does nobody any good at all.
The current or old immigration law on the books...
Federal Immigration and Nationality Act
Section 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv)(b)(iii)
"Any person who ... encourage-, or induces an alien to ... reside . . . knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such ... residence is ... in violation of law, shall be punished as provided ... for each alien in respect to whom such a violation occurs ... fined under title 18 ... imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both," Section 274 felonies under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, INA 274A(a)(1)(A):
A person (including a group of persons, business, organization, or local government) commits a federal felony when she or he:
* assists an alien s/he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S, or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him or her to obtain employment, or encourages that alien to remain in the U.S. by referring him or her to an employer or by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or
* knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.
Penalties upon conviction include criminal fines, imprisonment, and forfeiture of vehicles and real property used to commit the crime. Anyone employing or contracting with an illegal alien without verifying his or her work authorization status is guilty of a misdemeanor. Aliens and employers violating immigration laws are subject to arrest, detention, and seizure of their vehicles or property. In addition, individuals or entities who engage in racketeering enterprises that commit (or conspire to commit) immigration-related felonies are subject to private civil suits for treble damages and injunctive relief.
Recruitment and Employment of Illegal Aliens
It is unlawful to hire an alien, to recruit an alien, or to refer an alien for a fee, knowing the alien is unauthorized to work in the United States. It is equally unlawful to continue to employ an alien knowing that the alien is unauthorized to work. Employers may give preference in recruitment and hiring to a U.S. citizen over an alien with work authorization only where the U.S. citizen is equally or better qualified. It is unlawful to hire an individual for employment in the United States Without complying with employment eligibility verification requirements. Requirements include examination of identity documents and completion of Form 1-9 for every employee hired. Employers must retain all 1-9s, and, with three days' advance notice, the forms must be made available for inspection. Employment includes any service or labor performed for any type of remuneration within the United States, with the exception of sporadic domestic service by an individual in a private home. Day laborers or other casual workers engaged in any compensated activity (with the above exception) are employees for purposes of immigration law. An employer includes an agent or anyone acting directly or indirectly in the interest of the employer. For purposes of verification of authorization to work, employer also means an independent contractor, or a contractor other than the person using the alien labor. The use of temporary or short-term contracts cannot be used to circumvent the employment authorization verification requirements. If employment is to be for less than the usual three days allowed for completing the 1-9 Form requirement, the form must be completed immediately at the time of hire.
An employer has constructive knowledge that an employee is an illegal unauthorized worker if a reasonable person would infer it from the facts. Constructive knowledge constituting a violation of federal law has been found where (1) the 1-9 employment eligibility form has not been properly completed, including supporting documentation, (2) the employer has learned from other individuals, media reports, or any source of information available to the employer that the alien is unauthorized to work, or (3) the employer acts with reckless disregard for the legal consequences of permitting a third party to provide or introduce an illegal alien into the employer's work force. Knowledge cannot be inferred solely on the basis of an individual's accent or foreign appearance.
Actual specific knowledge is not required. For example, a newspaper article stating that ballrooms depend on an Illegal alien work force of dance hostesses was held by the courts to be a reasonable ground for suspicion that unlawful conduct had occurred.
IT IS ILLEGAL FOR NONPROFIT OR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS to knowingly assist an employer to violate employment sanctions, REGARDLESS OF CLAIMS THAT THEIR CONVICTIONS REQUIRE THEM TO ASSIST ALIENS. Harboring or aiding Illegal aliens is not protected by the First Amendment. It Is a felony to establish a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading any provision of federal immigration law. Violators may be fined or imprisoned for up to five years.
Encouraging and Harboring Illegal Afiens
It is a violation of law for any person to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection in any place, including any building or means of transportation, any alien who is in the United States in violation of law. HARBORING MEANS ANY CONDUCT THAT TENDS TO SUBSTANTIALLY FACILITATE AN ALIEN TO REMAIN IN THE U.S. ILLEGALLY. The sheltering need not be clandestine, and harboring covers aliens arrested outdoors, as well as in a building. This provision includes harboring an alien who entered the U.S. legally but has since lost his legal status.
An employer can be convicted of the felony of harboring illegal aliens who are his employees if he takes actions in reckless disregard of their illegal status, such as ordering them to obtain false documents, altedrig records, obstructing INS inspections, or taking other actions that facilitate the alien's illegal employment. Any person who within any 12-month period hires ten or more individuals with actual knowledge that they are illegal aliens or unauthorized workers is guilty of felony harboring. It is also a felony to encourage or induce an alien to come to or reside in the U.S. knowing or recidessly disregarding the fact that the alien's entry or residence is in violation of the law. This crime applies to any person, rather than just employers of illegal aliens. Courts have ruled that "encouraging" includes counseling illegal aliens to continue working in the U.S. or assisting them to complete applications with false statements or obvious errors. The fact that the alien is a refugee fleeing persecution is not a defense to this felony, since U.S. law and the UN Protocol on Refugees both require that a refugee must report to immigration authorities without delay upon entry to the U.S.
The penalty for felony harboring is a fine and imprisonment for up to five years. The penalty for felony alien smuggling is a fine and up to ten years' imprisonment. Where the crime causes serious bodily injury or places the life of any person in jeopardy, the penalty is a fine and up to twenty years' Imprisonment. If the criminal smuggling or harboring results in the death of any person, the penalty can include life imprisonment. Convictions for aiding, abetting, or conspiracy to commit alien smuggling or harboring, carry the same penalties. Courts can impose consecutive prison sentences for each alien smuggled or harbored. A court may order a convicted smuggler to pay restitution if the alien smuggled qualifies as a victim under the Victim and Witness Protection Act. Conspiracy to commit crimes of sheltering, harboring, or employing illegal aliens is a separate federal offense punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 or five years' imprisonment.
Enforcement
A person or entity having knowledge of a violation or potential violation of emiployer sanctions provisions may submit a signed written complaint to the INS office with jurisdiction over the business or residence of the potential violator, whether an employer, employee, or agent. The complaint must include the names and addresses of both the complainant and the violator, and detailed factual aflegations, including date, time, and place of the potential violation, and the specific conduct alleged to be a violation of employer sanctions. By regulation, the INS will only investigate third-party complaints that have a reasonable probability of validity. Designated INS officers and employees, and all other officers whose duty it is to enforce criminal laws, may make an arrest for violation of smuggling or harboring illegal aliens.
State and local law enforcement officials have the general power to investigate and arrest violators of federal immigration statutes without prior INS knowledge or approval, as long as they are authorized to do so by state law. There is no extant federal limitation on this authority. The 1996 immigration control legislation passed by Congress was intended to encourage states and local agencies to participate in the process of enforcing federal immigration laws. Immigration officers and local law enforcement officers may detain an individual for a brief warrant less interrogation where circumstances create a reasonable suspicion that the individual is illegally present in the U.S. Specific facts constituting a reasonable suspicion include evasive, nervous, or erratic behavior; dress or speech indicating foreign citizenship; and presence in an area known to contain a concentration of illegal aliens, Hispanic appearance alone is not sufficient. Immigration officers and police must have a valid warrant or valid employer's consent to enter workplaces or residences. Any vehicle used to transport or harbor illegal aliens, or used as a substantial part of an activity that encourages illegal aliens to come to or reside in the U.S. may be seized by an immigration officer and is subject to forfeiture, The forfeiture power covers any conveyances used within the U.S.
RICO -- Citizen Recourse
Private persons and entities may initiate civil suits to obtain injunctions and treble damages against enterprises that conspire to or actually violate federal alien smuggling, harboring, or document fraud statutes, under the RacketeerInfluenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO). The pattern of racketeering activity is defined as commission of two or more of the listed crimes. A RICO enterprise can be any individual legal entity, or a group of individuals who are not a legal entity but are associated in fact, AND CAN INCLUDE NONPROFIT ASSOCIATIONS.
Tax Crimes
Employers who aid or abet the preparation of false tax returns by falling to pay income or Sodall Security taxes for Illegal alien employees, or who knowingly make payments using false names or Social Security numbers, are subject to IRS criminal and civil sanctions. U.S. nationals who have suffered intentional discrimination because of citizenship or national origin by an employer with more than three employees may file a complaint within 180 days of the discriminatory act with the Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices, U.S. Department of Justice. In addition to the federal statutes summarized, state laws and local ordinances controlling fair labor practices, workers compensation, zoning, safe housing and rental property, nuisance, licensing, street vending, and solicitations by contractors may also apply to activities that involve illegal aliens.
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