Free Republic

Authorities are investigating claims that migrant men in Tijuana, Mexico, are attempting to buy children from poor, single mothers living at shelters so they increase their chances of being released from border detention centers sooner and gaining asylum in the U.S. The San Diego Union-Tribune has reported that women staying at Tijuana shelters fear their children will be kidnapped after seeing groups of men approaching mothers offering to purchase their children to expedite their process of seeking asylum. When children are accompanied by adults crossing the border, current U.S. law stipulates that they ought to be held in custody temporarily,...

"I miss the Republican party. We need a loyal opposition that is engaged in a constructive debate about how we create and expand opportunity, not as we have in the Tea Party, as I experienced them- which seems to be about whether having a country is a good idea at all. The notion that in order to be a bona fide Republican you have to hate immigrants, hate differences, hate Democrats is a dangerous and I think unhelpful idea. And I'm sorry to say Ted Cruz gets a tremendous amount of attention from leading that point of view, but we...

The illegal immigrants, 28-year-old Alfredo Mondono-Fonseca and a 16-year-old Mexican citizen were attempting to cross the Falfurrias Checkpoint with two women and a child. Crystal Azua, her daughter and Erica Hernandez were inside the general area of the vehicle when they came to a stop at the checkpoint. A Border Patrol agent, checking the identities of the three visible passengers, recognized Azua for two previous immigrant smuggling convictions. Because he recognized her, the agent sent their car to the secondary inspection. That’s when agents discovered the 28-year-old and the 16-year-old in the trunk. Once inside for questioning, Azua admitted she...

Jose Maria Islas of New Haven caught a break this week, at least for a while, in his desire to keep from being deported to his native Mexico by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. His lawyer, Danielle Briand, thinks that since ICE is considering their request for a stay of removal, Islas ultimately will be given the stay and allowed to remain in the United States. If Islas is not deported, it will mean he can work at a job that is low-paying for most Americans but allows him to earn the money he needs to support his wife and...

The family of a Mexican national allegedly shot and killed by an unidentified U.S. Border Patrol agent is suing the federal government. The family of Juan Pablo Peréz Santillán claims he was standing on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border when he was shot the morning of July 7, 2012. Peréz Santillán was not armed, his family states in the lawsuit. The incident happened near the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville. The lawsuit is filed by Ernestina Cazares Santillan, the mother of Juan Pablo, and Amada Carolina Martinez Morales, the mother of Juan Pablo’s children. Named in the lawsuit...

On Thursday, the California State Senate approved a measure which will allow illegal aliens attending college to receive financial aid. Assembly Bill 130, which passed by a vote of 26-11 lets illegal aliens, paying in-state tuition rates accept privately funded scholarships. The bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-L.A.), has introduced this same legislation every year since 2005. While former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger always vetoed the measure, current Gov. Gerry Brown is expected to sign the bill. In fact, during Brown’s campaign, he promised to maker it easer for illegal aliens to attend college by extending them financial aid. Assemblyman Cedillo...

SALT LAKE CITY — More than a dozen Latin and South American countries have joined Mexico in expressing potential international fallout over Utah's illegal immigration enforcement law. In a court brief filed Tuesday, the Mexican government lists several reasons for its opposition to HB497, including impeding diplomatic relations, hindering trade and tourism and possible harassment of Mexican citizens. "Mexico respectfully submits that if HB497 is allowed to take effect it will have significant and long-lasting adverse impact on U.S.-Mexico bilateral relations, and on Mexican citizens and other people of Latin American descent present in Utah," court documents say. The brief...

The term "anchor baby" is unfamiliar to most Americans, but it nicely describes one of the more troubling aspects of American immigration policy. Put simply, an anchor baby is the offspring of an illegal immigrant who, under current legal interpretation, becomes a U.S. citizen at birth and, in turn, is the means by which parents and relatives can also obtain citizenship for themselves by using the family reunification features of immigration law. It's estimated there may be as many as 200,000 anchor babies born each year in the U.S. No single agency keeps track, but there is abundant, if fragmented,...

[SNIP] Mr. Luviano, 39, obtained legal residence in the United States almost 20 years ago. [snip] Mr. Luviano is not using his Social Security number. So he is looking for an illegal [snip = alien]use it for him - providing a little cash along the way. [snip] "It is seen as a normal thing to do," said Luis Magaña, an immigrant-rights activist assisting farm workers in the agriculture-rich San Joaquin Valley of California.[snip] [snip]Many legal immigrants, [SNIP] pad their earnings by letting illegal immigrants work under their name and number, they also enhance their own unemployment and pension benefits. And...

<p>WASHINGTON - Border security, not immigration, is expected to monopolize a series of meetings that begin today among top Homeland Security Department officials and their Mexican counterparts in Mexico City.</p> <p>The two-day talks will include a private breakfast meeting between Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Mexican President Vicente Fox on Friday morning.</p>