Free Republic

COSTA MESA – Immigration checks here have led to likely deportation for people suspected of a wide range of offenses, from robbery to drug possession to jaywalking, a detailed accounting of the 2-month-old program shows. Costa Mesa police recently released arrest records they say include all people detained for immigration violations since a federal agent began staffing the city jail Dec. 4. In January, 58 of about 470 people arrested were flagged. That's up from 46 of about 400 arrested in December. .... Dozens of suspected felons, whose alleged crimes include selling narcotics or stealing cars, have been arrested as...

Panel suggests penalties on employers State should crack down on businesses that hire illegal immigrants, GOP's reform team says. By Alicia Robinson California Assemblyman Chuck DeVore leads an illegal immigration task force hearing at the Tustin community center Wednesday. TUSTIN — If a group of Republican state legislators gets its way, California will start cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Penalizing employers who use illegal workers was the dominant suggestion at a Wednesday hearing by a state GOP task force that aims to bring forward immigration-reform bills in 2007. Newport Beach Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who is helping lead...

Allan Mansoor has had quite a year, however you judge it. Mansoor, the mayor of Costa Mesa, made national headlines by proposing that the city train its police officers to check for criminals’ immigration status. Besides headlines, he also set off a political firestorm and a strident debate that played out at City Council meetings (with one man being arrested), in letters to the editors and in demonstrations in the city. Quite a scene for someone who considers himself a man of few words. It’s tough to imagine what a few words can do. “It’s something that I believe the...

Lawsuit says man arrested at January council meeting was assaulted by police, denied free speech. The ACLU on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the city of Costa Mesa over the treatment of a protester who was arrested at a Jan. 3 City Council meeting. The suit was filed by the ACLU of Southern California on behalf of Benito Acosta, a 24-year-old Costa Mesa resident and Orange Coast College student who also uses the name Coyotl Tezcatlipoca. It claims city officials violated Acosta's rights to free speech, equal protection and due process by silencing him and by using force to restrain...