Free Republic

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says that any possible interference by his administration into the operations of the recently disbanded Moreland Commission would not be subject to investigation. In an interview Wednesday with the Crain’s editorial board, Mr. Cuomo responded to recent comments by Southern District U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara that he would take “very, very seriously any suggestion” that Mr. Cuomo’s office interfered with the Moreland Commission, which Mr. Cuomo empaneled in 2013 to investigate corruption in the state Legislature. Mr. Bharara declined to rule out investigating whether Mr. Cuomo’s office had sought to influence the commission. But Mr. Cuomo told...

Leaders in Milwaukee's Latino community expressed outrage Wednesday that state Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) and other Democrats removed provisions in the state budget that would allow some undocumented students to pay in-state college tuition and let illegal immigrants obtain certificates to drive legally. Both measures had passed the Assembly and are included in the governor's budget. Voces de la Frontera, an immigrants' rights group, and supporters have written hundreds of postcards and lobbied hard for both measures that were spearheaded in Madison by Rep. Pedro Colón (D-Milwaukee), the lone Latino in the Legislature. But late Tuesday the Senate Democratic caucus...

Movie theaters face suit over lack of captioned films Advocates cite disability laws By LEVI PULKKINEN P-I REPORTER For most cinema buffs, silent movies went out with the Coolidge administration eight decades ago. But for film fans who are hard of hearing, today's theaters offer little beyond an indecipherable silence. Captioned showings remain rare, and existing technology that would allow attendees to read along at their seats is rarely used. Now, a small group of Washington residents hopes to change that through a lawsuit filed earlier this month in King County Superior Court. As others have around the nation, the...

Black voters turned out in force and voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. General Colin Powell endorsed him. An emotional Condoleezza Rice spoke Wednesday of how excited she was to see this historic event. Some are pointing to this as black racism. That's nonsense, and here's why.We're all aware of the history of race relations in this country. Even those of us who under no circumstances would have voted for Obama can at least breath a sigh of relief: Finally, race is no longer a barrier to the pinnacle of national and world leadership. As a bonus, we can now look...

–Luis Martínez went from being a successful Dallas businessman to a struggling alfalfa farmer in rural central Mexico because of a North Texas crackdown on illegal immigrants. "You make $10 an hour over there and $10 a day here in Mexico," said Mr. Martínez, who added that in addition to his recycling business he has Dallas property and pays U.S. taxes. Of the 500,000 Hispanics who have lost their jobs since January 2007, he estimates 60,000 are illegal immigrants from Mexico. Some have been forced to take jobs that pay much less..... Meanwhile, U.S. authorities are deporting Mexican immigrants at...

Tuesday, September 9, 2008JBS Swift Musilm workers protest Ramadan reversal Chris Casey More than 150 Muslim workers didn't report to their meatpacking plant jobs Monday in the wake of what they called JBS Swift & Co.'s sudden reversal of accommodation for their religious fasting during Ramadan. The workers initially planned a two-mile march from downtown Greeley's Lincoln Park to the plant, but a gathering that formed mid-morning never left the park. Throughout the day, several Greeley police officers watched from the park's edge. Company officials met with several workers Monday afternoon at the plant, and Somali representatives later spoke with...

“Families have been separated and children are without their mother,” said Pastor Roberto Velez of the Iglesia Cristiana Peniel (Peniel Christian Church) as he continuously worked to talk to many of those affected by federal agents’ roundup of illegal immigrants Monday. “There are some situations where both parents are gone.” Pastor Roberto and Maria Velez have been faced with numerous questions from their congregants about the welfare of family members and people’s nationality. ---snip “We have been getting calls from everywhere,” Velez said. “I’m receiving calls from everywhere about everything. I’m getting calls from Mexico as well as many places...

<p>TIJUANA, Mexico – The towering black gate opens silently to an alley with walls of corrugated metal. Scrawled in large white letters on one wall is: "The End."</p> <p>For those deported from the United States, the words are an unnecessary reminder. Nearly every hour of the day, guards unlock this gate that leads back into Mexico, clicking open the padlocks hung on each side, in each nation.</p>

IRVING, Texas -- Some members of the Hispanic community are calling for a boycott of Frank Parra dealerships after a broken car deal led to an undocumented immigrant's arrest. Frank Parra Dodge insists it is the victim of an immigration smear campaign brought on by community activist Carlos Quintanilla. Quintanilla is calling for a boycott after the sales staff at the dealership had customer Oscar Urbina arrested. Urbina admitted to being in the country illegally and using a fake Social Security number to buy a truck when the finance company flagged the deal. "That's when we said, 'Just give us...

Maria Dolores Tacuri talks with a reporter Wednesday in her temporary home in Brockton as her 5-year-old son, Jonathan, looks on. The Tacuri family is facing deportation to Ecuador and have lost their house and savings. BROCKTON, MA — In December, immigration agents arrested Milford Ecuadorean roofer Daniel Tacuri on charges of hiring and harboring illegal immigrants. From that time until his sentencing in federal court last Friday, the case has had a ripple effect in the Ecuadorean community, immigrant advocates say. Nearly half of its members are gone. Many remain in fear of U.S. immigration authorities and are disheartened...