A U.S. Border Patrol agent was fatally shot last night while monitoring the area near Campo, California with a group of other agents. The agents reportedly encountered a group of men believed to be smugglers near one of the areas of spotty border fence coverage.
The confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor is now virtually assured for the U.S. Supreme Court. What might we expect from her in immigration-related cases? Attorney Charles Breiterman has reviewed the immigration cases of her past decisions and offers this first assessment.
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case that questioned whether the federal government could supersede state and local laws blocking a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.
The House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously approved their FY2010 spending budget, and it includes a two-year reauthorization of E-Verify. E-Verify was extended for six months during the omnibus spending bill passed back in March and is currently set to expire at the end of September.
The Mexican Central Bank reported a 20% drop in April in money sent from Mexicans working in the United States. The 20% drop is compared to remittances from a year ago, and the bank reports that it's the largest single month drop since they began tracking the transfers.
It is as if Sen. Schumer (D-NY) and Pres. Obama are moving the goal posts to the 40-yard line and hope to convince a gullible America that it is the real goal line. They are trying to sell the idea that amnesty bills were defeated several times in 2007 merely because our southern border wasn't "secure." Now, they are claiming that just because arrests are down on the Mexican border that it proves the border is secure and Americans are ready to talk about amnesty. Folks, not only is the 40-yard line not the goal line, but the ball hasn't come close to crossing the 50-yard line yet.
A White Source has confirmed that Pres. Barack Obama is scheduling a meeting to discuss immigration on June 8. According to the Wall Street Journal, the source said Congressional leaders will meet to discuss policy discussion, but legislative action isn't planned until next year.
Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Senator Chuck Schumer said during a hearing today that now is the right time for amnesty. Sen. Schumer said the U.S. borders are more secure than ever, which is the first step to overhauling the current immigration system.
The Obama Administration and the Department of Homeland Security is trying to improve border security by using technology that failed pilot tests during the Bush administration. DHS is working on a five-year plan that will link tower sensors along the 2,000-mile Southern border, which the department believes will speed up border agent's response time to illegal aliens and drug smugglers.
Pres. Barack Obama is expected to ask Congress for an additional $27 billion for border and transportation security along the Southwestern border. The move would help fulfill a promise to the Mexican government to stop the flow of guns across the border and will also likely set the stage for immigration reform and Amnesty by putting the focus on border security first.
A new Washington Post-ABC Poll reveals that 74% of Americans think the United States is not doing enough to prevent illegal crossings at the borders. The poll was conducted in connection with Pres. Barack Obama's 100th day in office and asked respondents questions on social issues ranging from immigration to gay marriage to the legalization of marijuana.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said she plans to move forward with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that will require U.S. citizens to have a passport or other U.S. approved documents before crossing the border. Currently, U.S. citizens just need proof of ID.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said during a CNN interview, "crossing the border is not a crime per se." But the secretary was wrong because it is a criminal misdemeanor. 8 USC Sec. 1325(a) says that crossing the border illegally is punishable by up to six months in prison for the first offense. Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Jeff Sessions is demanding a public correction of her statement.
A New York Times story reports that Mexico has deported 350 Americans back to the United States during the first nine months of 2008. The number represents one percent of all deportees in the country.
A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies shows that America's refusal to secure our borders has fueled a marked increase in the level of gang violence.
"Open-border advocates operating under the guise of environmentalism are prepared to push for legislation that could result in an accelerated flow of illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and human trafficking from Mexico into Arizona, according to law enforcement experts familiar with the terrain.
The two bills, sponsored by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), would restrict federal and state law enforcement officials from patrolling an already porous border area that extends from Sonora, Mexico into Santa Cruz County, Ariz., critics charge...."
"When the border fence is constructed along the Rio Grande, Fermin Leal will watch as the barrier slices through the backyards of his neighbors, bypassing his 500-acre farm in San Pedro.
The fence's trajectory, incontiguous and largely unexplained, has left many border residents suspicious of the federal government's plans.
"I'm still not sure how my land is different than theirs," Leal said. "They still haven't given us any answers....""
"he thousands of National Guardsmen sent to reinforce the U.S.-Mexican border two years ago have almost completely withdrawn, despite pleas from border-state governors once skeptical of using soldiers to catch illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.
When the Guard was posted along the southern frontier in 2006 to help the strapped Border Patrol, critics warned that sending soldiers would be an insult to Mexico and that innocents could get shot by troops trained for combat, not law enforcement...."
NumbersUSA Founder and CEO Roy Beck has analyzed and ranked all presidential candidates based on the campaign promises they have made and their past actions in elected office. NumbersUSA encourages all candidates to turn away from bad or poor positions of the past, and asks concerned voters to encourage them in working towards "true" immigration reform solutions that don't reward illegal aliens. Per our policy, candidates will be rewarded with improved ratings when they adopt the preferences of the majority of Americans for far less overall immigration.
