Employers can now apply for foreign labor certification online

Under the law, a business can hire foreign workers from cooks to scientists if it can demonstrate to the Labor Department that there are no Americans who are both qualified and available. An employer also must guarantee to pay a salary that meets prevailing U.S. standards.

Under the new Program Electronic Review Management system, employers will for the first time be able to apply for foreign labor certification online rather than through the physical mail. And applications will no longer first go to a state agency and then be passed on to a regional office of the U.S. Labor Department, a process that, in California, would typically take two years. With the new system, the Labor Department's role is expected to be compressed to between six to eight weeks.

Making Labor's Role Easier
Program streamlines the application process for foreign workers' permanent residency.
By Ann M. Simmons, Times Staff Writer

Mexico, Bush administration prepare itself for Minuteman Project

Mexico said it has sent additional migrant-aid agents to its side of the border with Arizona, in advance of volunteer patrols by U.S. anti-immigration activists expected to start tomorrow.

IN BRIEF / MEXICO
Agents to Be Deployed Along Arizona Border
from Times wire reports

Even the Bush administration said it will deploy more than 500 additional Border Patrol agents to Arizona to deter illegal immigrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

"President Bush called the Minuteman Project a bunch of vigilantes — but if it's the case that this [federal crackdown] did start because of the Minuteman Project, then the project is a success," said Bill Bennett, a spokesman for the group in Tombstone, Ariz. "I find it very interesting that this is all coinciding."

THE NATION
U.S. to Bolster Arizona Border Security
The announcement to deploy new agents and equipment comes days before a civilian group begins its patrol plan.
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Times Staff Writer

26-year-old immigration policy isn't working for LAPD anymore

In 1979, a policy was instituted by then-LAPD Chief Daryl Gates that said officers can't ask about a person's immigration status as part of an attempt to encourage illegal immigrants who had witnessed or been victims of crimes to cooperate with police without fear of deportation. Today, LAPD is writing new guidelines for officers.

Department Clarifying Rule on Immigrants
By Richard Winton, Times Staff Writer
L.A. Times - March 31, 2005

Arizona ranks 5th in number of illegal immigrants

The poor residents of Arizona. They have to watch out for the Minuteman Project group that will invade town tomorrow. And who knows how long it will be stationed at the border -- guns aimed.

Because the Border Patrol has made it a lot harder to cross the border illegally into California and Texas over the years, a huge number of illegal crossings now happen in the Arizona desert. According to the L.A. Times, more than half of the 1.1 million illegal immigrants apprehended by the Border Patrol last year crossed at the Arizona border. The state ranks fifth in the number of illegal immigrants, and it has the highest concentration in the country as a percentage of the population.

L.A. Times
EDITORIAL
A Dangerous Line in the Sand

Today is Cesar Chavez Day

The Chicano Civil Rights Movement marks its beginning around 1965 when Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) founded the United Farm Workers Union. Today, Cesar Chavez would have turned 78. It's also Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning in California. Robert Kennedy called him "one of the heroic figures of our time."

Forty years ago, the United Farm Workers Union made headlines with its Delano grape strike, a time when workers and supporters carried banners on a 340-mile march from Delano to Sacramento to fight for better pay and safer working conditions for farm workers. Chavez dedicating his life to obtain better pay and safer working conditions for farm workers. He also fasted many times to bring attention to his cause.

"A fast is first and foremost personal," Chavez said. "It is a fast for the purification of my own body, mind, and soul. The fast is also a heartfelt prayer for purification and strengthening for all those who work beside me in the farm worker movement. The fast is also an act of penance for those in positions of moral authority and for all men and women activists who know what is right and just, who know that they could and should do more. The fast is, finally, a declaration of noncooperation with supermarkets who promote and sell and profit from California table grapes…Together, all things are possible."

Chavez also talked about the dangers of pesticides: "The misery that pesticides bring farm workers and the dangers they pose to all consumers will not be ended with more hearings or studies. The solution is not to be had from those in power because it is they who have allowed this deadly crisis to grow. The times we face truly call for all of us to do more to stop this evil in our midst. The answer lies with you and me. It is with all men and women who share the suffering and yearn with us for a better world."

This week, in honor of Chavez, many celebrations will take place throughout the United States: yesterday UFW President Arturo Rodriguez participated in a Cesar Chavez Legacy of Justice Rally in Tallahassee, Fla.; this morning, San Francisco held a Cesar Chavez Birthday Breakfast Celebration; this Saturday in Los Angeles is the 7th annual Cesar Chavez Walk (UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, Chavez's family members, elected officials, and music and movie stars will participate); this Sunday is the San Antonio Walk for Farm Workers to "raise money for the farm workers he spent his life fighting for"; and this Sunday is another march in Santa Rosa, Calif.

For a list of activities going on this week, go to www.ufw.org because "together, all things are possible."

CNN's Lou Dobbs: 'You think I'm anti-immigrant. I assure you, I'm not'

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of watching CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" (he's been reporting on "Broken Borders" a lot lately). And things got a little heated.

Here's what was on the show:
Rep. Russell Pearce (R-Arizona) is trying to make English the official language in his state. So why does he think this is important? "I thought our founding fathers decided that years ago," Pearce said. "It's simply the right thing to do."

Pearce also believes that making English the official language would "promote unity" and he doesn't believe that he's asking anyone to "give up their culture."

Dobbs then talked about how New Mexico is reaching out to Mexico's teachers to teach bilingual classes there. (Proposition 203, supported by people living in Arizona, said that there will be no bilingual classes.) To that, Pearce said, "Every study in the world shows that bilingual education is bad for everybody."

Well, I'd like to see the studies that Pearce refers to here.

Dobbs also mentioned that in a few days, the Minutemen Project will begin guarding Arizona's borders.

Scott McClellan, White House spokesman, said "...we don't want people operating outside of the law. The president made that clear last week."

Pearce said it's "unfortunate" that the president would make that statement. Pearce called border crossing "an invasion."

And I call Pearce an idiot.

Also on the show: Virginia's Governor signed a measure that would limit health care to illegal aliens. According to CNN, the number of illegal aliens has tripled in Virginia since 1996.

J. Walter Tejada, a member of the Arlington County Board (and former director of LULAC), was on the show. He said there's no evidence that shows illegal aliens are abusing the system; there's no evidence to show that undocumented workers are receiving public benefits.

"No human being is illegal," Tejada said. "Immigrants contribute to the fiber of this country every day."

Tejada then told Dobbs: "In providing balanced journalism, you should highlight the positive things that immigrants are doing to this country." Dobbs then said, "You think I am anti-immigrant. I assure you, I am not."

Dobbs then said that tax payers are paying for the immigrants' services and that makes them "law breakers." Tejada: "We need true, comprehensive immigration reform."

Tejada and Dobbs seemed to irritate each other on the show last night...especially when Tejada said Dobbs wasn't presenting "fair and balanced" journalism. To that, Dobbs said that he refuses to let Tejada sit there and "dictate policy" and if he wanted "fair and balanced," he should go "next door to Fox."

My, my. I think Mr. Anti-Immigrant needs to turn on a Santana CD, make himself a nice cup of cafe con leche, and relax. (Note to Rep. Pearce: That word means coffee w/ milk. CA-FE CON LE-CHE. You should hang out with Latinos once in a while--maybe you'll learn something.)

This Mexican says his rights were violated

The Supreme Court is trying to decide if foreigners on Death Row have rights. On Monday, Supreme Court Justices heard oral arguments in the case of Jose Ernesto Medellin, a Mexican sentenced to Death Row more than 10 years ago.

Medellin said Texas violated his rights under a U.S.-ratified treaty when it sentenced him to death. Apparently, an international court ruled that the United States violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by not telling 51 Mexicans charged with capital murder that they had a right under the convention to meet with diplomats from their home country.

President Bush agrees with the international court ruling and instructed the state courts to give Medellin and the other Mexicans new hearings and, more or less, told the Supreme Court to stay out of it.

The Supreme Court isn't sure what to do.

Justices Consider Rights of Foreigners
Power of International Court at Issue
By Charles Lane, Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 29, 2005; Page A04

Texas Accuses Bush of Trampling Its Autonomy in Death Penalty Case
By Charles Lane, Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 28, 2005; Page A02

Get out of Virginia--and quick

If you're an illegal immigrant living in Virginia, you need to know about a new law that takes effect on January 1. You also need to remember the names Warner, Albo, and Hanger.

Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) signed a measure yesterday that tightens laws prohibiting illegal immigrants from receiving public benefits, including Medicaid and public assistance. Warner said the pair of bills sponsored by Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax) and Sen. Emmett W. Hanger (R-Augusta) merely codified existing federal law, which prevents illegal immigrants from receiving certain public benefits.

The legislation, which takes effect Jan. 1, applies only to illegal immigrants 19 and older. Immigrants of any age still will be eligible for emergency aid, such as disaster relief and pregnancy tests.

"It's very disappointing," said Arlington County Board member Walter Tejada (D),
who serves as chairman of the Virginia Latino Advisory Commission, which Warner
established two years ago. "It serves no other purpose but to fan the flames of
anti-immigrant sentiment . . . and that is simply wrong."

Warner Signs Immigrant Aid Limits
Va. to Require Proof Of Legal Status
By Chris L. Jenkins, Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 30, 2005; Page B01

Tonight on CNN (at 5 p.m. Chicago time)

Today on "Lou Dobbs Tonight" (AIRS: 6-7 p.m. ET Monday-Friday)
'Broken Borders'
Wednesday, March 29, 2005

Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant women are having babies in the United
States and U.S. citizens are picking up the tab on everything from health care
to education. Also, Gary Orfield, author of a new book on the state of the U.S. education system, explains why he says urban California schools are dropout factories and the state has to take responsibility. Plus, Arizona state Rep. Russell Pearce tells us why he's fighting to make English the state's official language.

Do we need a national ID?

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee), "detests" the idea of a government ID card. He said so in an article in today's Washington Post. The House recently passed legislation requiring states to turn 190 million driver's licenses into national ID cards, with state taxpayers paying most of the cost.

Supporters argue that this is no mandate because states have a choice.
True, states may refuse to conform to the proposed federal standards and issue
licenses to whomever they choose, including illegal immigrants -- but if they
do, that state's licenses will not be accepted for "federal purposes," such as
boarding an airplane. Some choice. What governor will deny his or her citizens
the identification they need to travel by air and cash Social Security checks,
or for "other federal purposes?"

Much as I Hate It, We Need a National ID
By Lamar Alexander
Washington Post - Wednesday, March 30, 2005; Page A15

Conservatives split in debate on curbing illegal immigration

According to the Washington Post, Republican lawmakers are headed for a showdown over illegal immigration, an issue that exposes a deep and bitter rift within the GOP.

The drama will unfold when Congress returns early next month and turns to finish an emergency spending bill to fund the Iraq war. The House version, approved before the Easter break, carries tough immigration restrictions, reigniting a long-simmering battle with the Senate over how to deal with the growing illegal population.

Meeting Wednesday with Mexican President Vicente Fox, Bush promised to continue pushing Congress for a program allowing temporary guest workers. That accommodation is the opposite of what House conservatives are seeking with the crackdown on asylum seekers and state driver's-license requirements for illegal immigrants that they attached to the Iraq bill.

Conservatives Split in Debate on Curbing Illegal Immigration
By Shailagh MurrayWashington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 25, 2005; Page A02

This Virginia group really needs to get a life

This Virginia group, founded in 1990, has 150 members and it's pushing very hard to stop terrorism by focusing on Mexican immigrants.

The Virginia Coalition Against Terrorism (some immigrants themselves) want to stop people who have come to the United States illegally. One 59-year-old member pickets outside courthouses and other areas to spread his message. His sign reads "ACLU and Illegals Please Go Home."

It also helped draw up legislation that passed the General Assembly and, if signed by Gov. Mark R. Warner (D), would stop illegal immigrants 19 years+ from receiving public benefits.

Next, the group is ready to focus its attention on the Anheuser-Busch Companies for supporting the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

I'd be happy to start up a Get-a-Life Fund. And I'd like my first $1 to go to the 59-year-old guy with the "ACLU and Illegals Please Go Home" banner.

Illegal Immigrant Foes Play Activist Role
Va. Group Says It Backs Law, but Critics Call It Divisive
By Nikita Stewart, Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 26, 2005; Page B01

80 migrants die every year along a fence in Mexicali, Mex.

Last month, in Mexicali, Mexico, tunnels were discovered. Now, every morning, Border Patrol agents find five to eight new holes sawed in the rusty metal fence that divides the city from the United States. About 80 migrants die on the American side each year from exposure just in this area, customs officials said. Last year, the Border Patrol picked up 1.1 million people trying to cross illegally; estimates of those who get through range from 300,000 to 400,000, officials said.

At night, migrants strip to their underclothes and slip into the fetid water of New River, a polluted waterway that smells of feces and chemicals. They float by silently in clusters amid odd patches of white foam caused by detergents, while Border Patrol agents watch from the shore, waiting to see where they will try to get out and run.

"They know we won't go into that water after them," said one agent, who did not give his name. "It's not worth the risk."

Others vault the wall, falling to ground on the other side then sprinting to a waiting car, or cross the frigid desert highlands or the sweltering Sonoran desert.

At Mexican Border, Tunnels, Vile River, Rusty Fence
By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
N.Y. Times - March 23, 2005

Maybe we need to follow Spain's example

EDITORIAL OBSERVER
An Immigration Experiment Worth Watching in Spain
By DAVID C. UNGER
NY Times - Published: March 20, 2005

Truck driver convicted but spared the death penalty

A jury on Wednesday convicted a trucker on human smuggling charges in the suffocation deaths of 19 illegal immigrants in South Texas in 2003, but spared him the death penalty by deadlocking on questions of how he was to blame.

N.Y. Times
Truck Driver Spared Death in Smuggling of Immigrants
By Ralph Blumenthal
Published: March 24, 2005

Bush condemns plans for Minuteman Project, promises to 'continue working on' guest-worker status issue

At a Texas summit yesterday with the presidents of Canada and Mexico, Bush condemned plans by a group of Americans calling itself the Minuteman Project to patrol the border and hunt for Mexicans trying to slip into the country.

"I'm against vigilantes in the United States of America," Bush said. "I'm for enforcing law in a rational way. That's why you got a Border Patrol, and they ought to be in charge of enforcing the border."
And regarding borders:

"We've got a large border with Canada; we've got a large border with Mexico," Bush said. "There are some million people a day crossing the border from Mexico to the United States, which presents a common issue, and that is: How do we make sure those crossing the border are not terrorists or drug runners or gun runners or smugglers?"

Mexican President Vicente Fox has been disappointed that Bush never pushed through Congress a plan to grant temporary guest-worker status to millions of illegal immigrants. Just last week, Fox complained about U.S. construction of a wall along the border near San Diego, declaring that "no country that is proud of itself should build walls."

And to that, Bush said: "Mr. President, you've got my pledge, I'll continue working on it. You don't have my pledge that Congress will act, because I'm not a member of the legislative branch."

Now does that sound promising to you?

U.S., Mexico, Canada Agree to Increase Cooperation
Bush and Counterparts Meet to Ease TensionsBy Peter BakerWashington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 24, 2005; Page A04

Indiana courtrooms now have access to 5 trained Spanish-language interpreters

I want to applaud Indiana's Supreme Court's Race and Gender Fairness Commission. Thanks to them, now Indiana courtrooms have access to five trained Spanish-language interpreters.

The commission found that many courts were relying on friends and family members to do the interpreting.

"It represents just one more step up the ladder in our ability to deliver services to the community, especially the Latino community," said Rafael Ramirez, an Indianapolis lawyer who is co-chairman of the Indiana Bar Association's Latino Affairs Committee.

I wonder if Illinois courtrooms have trained interpreters. Anyone?

5 Spanish-speaking interpreters take oath
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: New program gives Indiana courtrooms access to high-quality language services
by Angela Mapes, Times Correspondent
Thursday, March 24, 2005

U.S, Canada, Mexico meet today in Texas

President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, and Mexican President Vicente Fox met at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, today. The leaders met for more than an hour at Baylor University and were having lunch at Bush’s ranch in nearby Crawford.

This is what Bush had to say: "We’ve got a lot of crossings of the borders and intend to make our borders more secure and facilitate legal traffic.”

The AP said: With Mexico, relations are strained by the Bush administration’s
anger over a high Mexican tax on soft drinks made with high fructose corn syrup,
water owed to U.S. farmers and the suspicion that Mexico could do more on drug
trafficking and to address fears that al-Qaida agents are slipping into the
United States from the south. Mexican officials complain about vigilante groups
hunting illegal immigrants in Arizona, new U.S. walls being built along the
border and the still-stalled status of a guest worker immigration liberalization
proposal.

Hopefully Fox can help set things straight. And hopefully Bush says more to Fox than "hola."

U.S., Canada, Mexico to cooperate on security
Bush meets with counterparts at ranch in Texas
Associated Press - March 23, 2005

Blue Island not too popular with Latinos

Right now, Blue Island isn't too popular with the Latino community. Last October, a 74-year-old Mexican-American immigrant died four days after being tackled by a police officer responding to a call about graffiti. The community is very upset and now two people are going to run against Blue Island Mayor Donald Peloquin because Latinos want more influence in city government. We'll see what happens on election day April 5.

And one more thing--Blue Island has agreed to diversity and language training for its police officers. Will that help?

Latino's death stirs race for mayor
Blue Island's longtime leader faces 2 challengers
By Jo Napolitano, Tribune staff reporter
Published March 23, 2005

'Broken Borders' on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight

Monday through Friday, Lou Dobbs hosts a show on CNN called "Lou Dobbs Tonight" (6 p.m. - 7 p.m. ET). And right now, he's focusing on "Broken Borders."

A little background: Lou Dobbs is the anchor and managing editor of CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight." Dobbs also anchors a nationally syndicated financial news radio report, The Lou Dobbs Financial Report, and is a columnist for Money magazine and U.S. News and World Report. He also has a degree in economics from Harvard and is on the board of the SPJ Foundation.

Tonight on CNN's "Broken Borders," County Commissioner Robert Vasquez says Canyon County, Idaho, is in a state of emergency because illegal immigrants are draining its funds. He's on the show to discuss why he thinks giving amnesty to illegal farm workers is bad for the United States.

Check it out if you get a chance. More later.

U.S. calls entry point in San Diego a possible security risk

U.S. Calls Entry Point in San Diego a Possible Security Risk
Fencing Sought to Reinforce the Border Faces Opposition From Environmentalists
By Kimberly Edds, Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, March 10, 2005; Page A03

Mexicans among the largest group of permanent resident aliens killed in Iraq

My father was born in Mexico and he came to the United States in search of a better life. He eventually became a U.S. citizen and, in the 80s, joined the Air Force. He served his country and, to this day, he's very proud of that.

There are many U.S. -- and Mexican -- citizens that feel the same way. They're the brave ones willing to fight and die for the United States. But does anyone care?

According to the N.Y. Times, as of January, about 41,000 permanent resident aliens were in the United States armed forces - 3,639 of them from Mexico. The Pentagon says that Mexicans are the largest group among the 63 immigrants who have been killed in action in Iraq.

Mexican Pride and Death in U.S. Service
N.Y. Times - March 22, 2005
By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.

Key players in White House immigration policy are gone

So what happened to Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson and Rep. Chris Cannon? They were key in the White House immigration policy and they're gone.

Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson resigned from the Department of Homeland Security shortly after the president did not select him to replace nominee Bernard Kerik. And Rep. Chris Cannon, who in only mid-January was telling the press that he would do everything in his power to see his guest worker program passed, had resigned from the House Immigration Subcommittee by the end of the month.

Matt Hayes had this to say in a recent Fox News article:

Some observers have wondered if these resignations are mere coincidence or
if they are signs that the White House is repositioning itself for its version
of immigration reform, the primary feature of which is a massive guest worker
program.

We will know soon. House Bill 418, which represents all of Rep. James
Sensenbrenner’s work of the past several months, looks destined to become part
of the Iraq supplemental spending bill -- a “must pass” bill -- in the Senate.
It includes provisions that make it impossible for individuals deported from the
U.S. to be released on their own recognizance, and the only way for such
individuals to avoid incarceration is to post a minimum $10,000 bond.

Immigration Reform Debate Heats Up
Thursday, February 17, 2005
By Matt Hayes

Law says citizens, immigrants (legal or not) can be educated in U.S. public schools

By law, citizens and immigrants — legal or not — can be educated in U.S. public schools.

According to Fox News reports:
One in six students in California are children of illegal immigrants though many are born in the United States and therefore are U.S. citizens. Education for children of illegal immigrants costs Golden State taxpayers almost $8 billion a year. The state ranks 48th in student achievement; nearly 50 percent can't read at grade level, 40 percent underperform in math and 30 percent drop out. Schools that repeatedly fail state proficiency tests lose millions of dollars in state and federal aid.

Education Taxed By Non-English Speaking Kids
Fox News - Saturday, March 19, 2005

LOS ANGELES — This is part four of a five-part series looking at how illegal immigration affects U.S. border security, the criminal, health care and education systems, as well as the economy.

Public health care in L.A. 'on life support'

Sixty percent of L.A.'s uninsured patients are not U.S. citizens. Last year, L.A. County spent $340 million to treat the uninsured. Because of this, Fox News reports that public health care in L.A. "is on life support":

L.A. Emergency Rooms Full of Illegal Immigrants
Thursday, March 17, 2005

LOS ANGELES — This is part three of a five-part series looking at how illegal immigration affects U.S. border security, the criminal, health care and education systems, as well as the economy. Watch the series this week on FOX News Channel.

This Wednesday it is

This Wednesday will be an immigration summit with Bush and leaders from Mexico and Canada.

And, just in case you've forgotten this: U.S.-Mexico relations were frayed by Mexico's opposition to the Iraq war, and soured in recent months after U.S. criticism that Mexican security forces were failing to control crime in the border area:

Economic, Security Issues to Dominate U.S. Summit

By REUTERS

Published: March 21, 2005

O'Reilly needs to learn how to speak Spanish

Bill O'Reilly thinks that there are problems with immigration. "Many foreign-born people work in the service industry, and, generally speaking, the service is not good" he said. He said this after having a problem with his driver who didn't speak English. He said, in Los Angeles, immigrants make the city more "vibrant" but there are also these types of problems.

Hey Bill. If you didn't notice, not all immigrants work in the service industry. We are lawyers and doctors and writers, to name a few. We're quickly becoming the majority---so maybe you're the one that should learn how to speak Spanish---especially if you're visiting Los Angeles.
?Sale?

Immigration and Unintended Consequences...

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

By Bill O'Reilly

Are illegals compromising security?

Illegal Alien Influx May Compromise Security

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

DOUGLAS, Ariz. — The U.S.-Mexican border is nearly 2,000 miles long. America's determination to keep illegal aliens out is matched only by their desperation to get in.

This is part one of a five-part series looking at how illegal immigration affects U.S. border security, the criminal, health care and education systems, as well as the economy. Watch the series this week on FOX News Channel.

Border states are tired of alien criminals

This is surprising to me:

In Los Angeles, 95 percent of all outstanding homicide warrants and 60 percent of outstanding felony warrants are for illegal aliens.

American taxpayers are paying for the crimes of the 8,000 convicted aliens not yet caught and the incarceration costs of those who have been.

That adds up to more than $1 billion a year — in just the states that border Mexico.

Border States Grapple With Alien Criminals

Thursday, March 17, 2005

PHOENIX — This is part two of a five-part series looking at how illegal immigration affects U.S. border security, the criminal, health care and education systems, as well as the economy. Watch the series this week on FOX News Channel.

8% of the U.S. workforce is undocumented

According to Wall Street analysts, 8 percent of the U.S. workforce — 10 to 12 million jobs — is undocumented. Businesses are benefitting from cheap labor.

Unemployed Americans are numbered at 7.7 million; if illegal immigration ended tomorrow, it's questionable whether the unemployed will rush out to pick lettuce and, if they do, what the cost will be at the market.

But Rick Oltman of the Federal American Immigration Reform says there aren't any jobs people won't work for.

Although hiring undocumented workers is illegal, the law is rarely enforced. Three out of four foreigners that enter the United States do so illegally and half are paid under the table, so they don't pay taxes.

"The bottom line is that businesses are benefiting from the cheap labor," Oltman said. "They're making extra profits and they're shifting the whole benefits package over on to the taxpayer."

Cheap, Illegal Labor Comes at Some Cost

Sunday, March 20, 2005

LOS ANGELES — This is the last of a five-part series looking at how illegal immigration affects U.S. border security, the criminal, health care and education systems, as well as the economy. Watch the series this week on FOX News Channel.

Continued immigration to the U.S. will help this country

Our world is growing and what we all need to do is get along. We need to accept each other's differences. In reality, we're pretty much the same---we're all living in this world, trying to survive, trying to earn a decent living, trying to provide ourselves with food, shelter, and a little bit of happiness.

According to the March 20 L.A. Times, continued immigration to the United States will help this country avoid some of the problems facing other developed economies. Read on:

L.A. Times - March 20, 2005
Will They Still Feed Us When We're 65?
By Fariborz Ghadar, Fariborz Ghadar is the William A. Schreyer Professor of Global Management Policies and Director of the Center for Global Business Studies at Penn State.

Life 'less hopeful' among many in Mexico, Latin America

Crossing the border has become dangerous and deadly. A lot of illegal immigrants look for less protected routes. And why is that? According to Oscar Chacon, director of Enlaces America, a Chicago-based immigrant advocacy group, illegals still come as "life has turned much less hopeful" among many in Mexico and Latin America.

Fresno Bee
Friday, March 18, 2005
MARCELA SANCHEZ: Humane system for immigrants is laudable goal

California is top state for undocumented population (Illinois ranks #6)

The largest group of undocumented migrants come from Mexico--57 percent -- or 5.9 million to be exact. Some 2.5 million others, or 24 percent, are from other Latin American countries.

And, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a private research group, undocumented immigrants are nearing 11 million.

In 1990, 88 percent of the undocumented population lived in six states — California, New York, Texas, Illinois, Florida and New Jersey. By 2004, those states accounted for 61 percent of the nation’s undocumented population. The top state is California, where nearly one-quarter of the undocumented reside, followed by Texas (14 percent) and Florida (9 percent).
Next on the list were New York (7 percent), Arizona (5 percent), Illinois (4 percent), New Jersey (4 percent), and North Carolina (3 percent).

Undocumented immigrants close to 11 million
Report says demand for outside workers still strong in U.S.
Associated Press - March 21, 2005

So Wal-Mart didn't know hired workers were undocumented

Wal-Mart made $288 billion last year--and it's going to pay the government $11 million because a five-year investigation found that Wal-Mart had retained undocumented workers through independent contractors to clean nearly 1,000 stores.

But the investigation found that Wal-Mart didn't know the workers were undocumented. (I find that very hard to believe.)

In October 2003, the federal government raided 60 Wal-Mart stores in 21 states, arresting 245 undocumented janitors. Many of the workers were deported. They came from Europe, Central America, South America and Asia, said officials at the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of Homeland Security.

And I'd like to know how much Wal-Mart paid these undocumented workers.

L.A. Times - March 19, 2005
Wal-Mart Settles Case on Illegal Cleaning Crews for $11 Million
The retailer avoids criminal prosecution. But 12 independent contractors plead guilty.

We should be able to vote in our 'motherland'

It's about time someone says what I've believed in for years.

In the March 18 Los Angeles Times, an editorial stated that it's going to take some time for the Mexicans in the United States to vote in Mexico. About 4 million Mexican-Americans in the Unites States are registered to vote in their "motherland."

It also states: Even anti-immigrant groups should want to encourage a process that will make Mexicans in this country feel as if they haven't cut all ties to their mother country, to which they send some $18 billion a year.

Yes--$18 billion a year.

L.A. Times - March 18, 2005
EDITORIAL
North-of-the-Border Voting

Costa Mesa Job Center will close this year

The Costa Mesa (Calif.) Job Center, finding jobs for day laborers since 1988, will close on June 30. An average of 104 immigrants go there every day looking for jobs. Each day, about 34 workers find jobs such as construction, delivering phone books or flowers, or taking a senior citizen to the doctor.

Center staff members and advocates, as well as employers and workers who use the center, said they didn't get fair notice to voice their concerns or objections. Some said the decision seemed to be politically charged:

L.A. Times
March 17, 2005

Job Center's End Won't Still Debate
Costa Mesa sets closure for June 30, and many predict familiar woes: loitering day laborers, tangled traffic and bereft employers.

Mexican President Fox: (Borders) should be knocked down

President Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox, and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin will attend a summit in Texas next week to talk about a new plan called The North American Initiative (a "new chapter" to NAFTA), energy, education, trade, and border security issues.

Mexican President Vicente Fox criticized the walls that have been built by the U.S. along various sections of the 2,200-mile border with Mexico, especially in California.

"They don't work. They should be knocked down…. They are discriminatory, are an affront to liberty and no country should be proud of itself having to build walls," Fox said.

Fox also said that U.S. vigilante groups are a bad idea. He said he planned to lay out his case to Bush for an immigration reform bill to legalize the status of hundreds of thousands of undocumented Mexicans in the United States.

L.A. Times - March 17, 2005
Update to NAFTA Treaty Is Planned at Texas Summit
President Bush and his Mexican and Canadian counterparts will discuss an initiative on energy, education, trade and border security issues.

The F.I.A.-- what a great idea!

So Bush hasn't even touched on the real crisis of immigration you say? We should start a new agency called "Fix It All"? Boy, do I agree with that. Check out this letter to the editor from today's L.A. Times:

A Wrenching Approach to the Nation's Problems
L.A. Times - March 17, 2005

The time is ahora!

Who knows? Maybe a Latino mayor can help shake things up 'round here:

A Latino mayor? A crazy idea whose time has come
Chicago Sun-Times - March 14, 2005
by Laura Washington

California survey: 81 percent of Latinos believe immigrants benefit country

A survey by the Public Policy Institute of California show that residents are split on the county's problems.

On immigration, the contrast among ethnic groups was very clear: 81% of Latinos and 56% of Asians said immigrants benefit the county because of their hard work and job skills. But just 40% of blacks said immigrants were a benefit, and 46% of blacks said immigrants were more of a burden because of their use of public services. Whites were split about evenly on the question.

Here's an article from today's L.A. Times:

Residents Sharply Split on County's Problems
By Michael Finnegan, Times Staff Writer

'Truth is, Bush's propaganda hurts the U.S.'

This opinion piece from today's L.A. Times says the Bush administration needs to be more honest about the nation's real problems. I agree. And let's also be honest about the immigration issue!

L.A. Times
March 16, 2005
by ANDRÉS MARTINEZ
Truth Is, Bush's Propaganda Hurts the U.S.

100 members of immigrant gang busted

Illegal immigrants as gang bangers. That's something you don't hear about every day.

Federal immigration authorities announced yesterday that 100 members of an immigrant gang were arrested. Most are from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

Federal immigration officials estimate that there are 80,000 to 100,000 criminal illegal immigrants in the United States.

Here's another issue--
According to the NY Times, one problem with dealing with criminal illegal immigrants, law enforcement officials say, is that cities like Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and New York have either written or understood "sanctuary" policies that prohibit their law enforcement officers from asking a suspect about his immigration status. This makes it difficult for police officers to work with federal immigration authorities until an illegal immigrant commits a crime. The thinking is that illegal immigrants who lead normal and productive lives would be unwilling to approach the police as witnesses if they feared that they, too, would be deported:

New York Times
March 15, 2005
100 Members of Immigrant Gang Are Held
by Charlie LeDuff

And 1/3 of the gang members are from the Washington, D.C. area:

MS-13 Crackdown Nets 35 in Region
By Mary Beth Sheridan and David Cho, Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, March 15, 2005; Page B01

Colorado wants to stop most emergency services to undocumented immigrants

Colorado wants to stop most emergency services to undocumented immigrants:

L.A. Times
Sunday, March 13, 2005

Colorado Activists Push Immigration Initiative
Legislation to deny most public services to illegal migrants could be put before voters in 2006.

Rice: The U.S. doesn't support vigilante groups patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in Mexico last week and had some positive words to say. She said she wants to improve the U.S./Mexico relationship, she agrees that the U.S./Mexico border needs better security, and the United States doesn't support vigilante groups patrolling the border.

She also said Bush was committed to "immigration that is humane, that respects American laws and that also recognizes the economic reality between Mexico and the United States." Bush has said he supports a guest-worker program, and Congress is scheduled to take up the issue soon.

She also said the United States would fund a $10 million grant to help Mexicans with banking services and small-business loans:

Washington Post
Friday, March 11, 2005
Rice Offers Words of Friendship in Mexico

Hispanic is no longer considered a race?

When I met actor Edward James Olmos a few years ago, he said people shouldn't be broken down into races because we're all considered the "American race." Can the Census Bureau be on the same page?

According to this commentary from the March 13, 2005, L.A. Times, the Census Bureau is proposing taking "Hispanic/Latino" off of its list. A good idea?

TALKING RACE
We're Not a Race, but We Count

by José E. Serrano, José E. Serrano, a Democrat and a U.S. House member from New York, serves on the subcommittee responsible for Census Bureau funding.

First week of Texas smuggling trial

It's the first week of a smuggling trial in Texas for the nation's deadliest human smuggling disaster. There were 74 immigrants involved: 55 survivors, 17 died, and two more later died. And there were more people who escaped when the trucker, Tyrone Williams, opened the truck doors. We'll see what the jury of seven women and five men decide.

New York Times
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Smuggling Trial in Texas Focuses on Trucker's Role

U.S. law doesn't allow Mexican citizens to hold more than 25% stock in U.S. broadcasting companies

A Jerrold Perenchio is a 74-year-old Los Angeles billionaire who is the chairman and chief executive of Univision. He’s also a former talent agent and boxing promoter who is one of California’s biggest political contributors and art collectors. According to the L.A. Times, Univision’s three networks command more than 75 percent of the U.S. audience for Spanish-language television.

He owns 11.5 percent of the company’s common stock and has shares that give him 56 percent control.

Apparently, Mexican citizens don't have the same privileges. Read on.

Back in 1961, a man named Emilio Azcarraga Vidaurreta layed the foundation for the first Spanish-language television network in the United States. Today, Grupo Televisa is now the world’s largest Spanish-speaking media company—and it’s owned by Vidaurreta’s 37-year-old grandson, Emilio Azcarraga Jean.

He took over the company when he was only 29 and the company was $1.3 billion in debt.

Today, Televisa owns 10.9 percent Univision and provides more than 1/3 of its programming. Televisa’s stock prices more than doubled in the last two years. Wall Street values Televisa at $9.34 billion (more than Univision). Televisa owns four television networks, more than 200 TV stations, cable channels and satellite TV, radio stations, a feature film production unit, and a publishing company that distributes more than 50 magazines. It also owns three soccer teams and Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Azcarraga Jean believes it makes a lot of sense to combine Televisa and Univision. But Perenchio doesn’t want to do that.

U.S. law doesn’t allow Azcarraga Jean, a Mexican citizen, to hold more than a 25 percent stake in a U.S. broadcasting company. So he said he’s looking into seeking U.S. citizenship. He is also vice chairman of Univision’s board.

We’ll see what happens in 2017. And we’ll see what Azcarraga Jean does with his U.S. citizenship.

Perenchio should thank the Azcarraga family for helping make his media empire what it is today. He’s doing pretty well for a gringo that doesn’t even speak Spanish.

From the March 10, 2005 L.A. Times:
The Old Versus el Nuevo
The young leader of Spanish media giant Grupo Televisa has his sights on Univision, but the L.A. billionaire in charge isn't budging.

If you're in Rancho Cucamonga this Saturday, you may want to avoid Home Depot

If you’re planning on visiting a Home Depot in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., this Saturday—expect lines filled with people on a mission—and it’s not a weekend fix-it job. They want to make a point.

A group that opposes illegal immigration will protest a Home Depot store this Saturday by flooding it with people who will buy small items to delay and discourage legitimate customers. Home Depot is being targeted because it partnered with other groups to build three day-labor centers in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, and Monrovia. A fourth is planned for Burbank.

Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher said that not all laborers at day-labor centers are undocumented. She said Home Depot doesn’t hire illegal immigrants. (Who has her head in the dirt?)

So do these day-labor centers aid illegal immigration? What do you think?

Daily Bulletin (Los Angeles Newspaper Group)
Group to protest day-labor centers at Home Depot
By Brenda Gazzar, Staff Writer

Trial starts for nation's deadliest smuggling case

Cattle are treated better than this.

Yesterday in Houston, the trial started for the nation's deadliest smuggling case. In May 2003, near Victoria, Texas, nineteen illegal immigrants died. And the driver did it for $6,500.

Imagine being one of 78 people crammed into a hot 18-wheeler. Specifically, an uncooled refrigerator trailer.

The driver was, Tyrone Williams, 34, a Jamaican from New York. One witness, Abelardo Flores Jr., pleaded guilty and faces a life sentence as an organizer of the smuggling plot along with Karla Chavez, ring leader and organizer of safe houses on the Texas side of the Mexican border where illegal immigrants stayed until they could be smuggled past Border Patrol checkpoints deeper into Texas. (Flores and Chavez face a life sentence. Williams faces the death penalty.)

Williams' lawyer, Craig Washington, says his client was guilty of transporting the immigrants but "every tragedy is not a crime" and that it will not be proven that "these poor helpless people died at his hands." Flores testified that Williams stopped to give water to the immigrants. Sorry--that just wasn't good enough. These immigrants died at Williams' hands. Plus, Williams didn't know what was happening in the back of his truck until passing motorists signaled to him after seeing holes punched in the trailer by desperate passengers. Did I mention that Williams stopped at a store to give the people water? Wow. What a nice guy. And his truck was found abandoned at a truck stop about 125 miles southwest of Houston (click here for the March 9, 2005, AP report).

One woman was even crying "El nino, el nino" (the baby, the baby) but neither Williams nor his companion, Fatima Holloway, understood what the woman was saying. (Halloway pleaded guilty to a lesser role in the case.) The child is now dead.

I hope everyone involved in this smuggling is crammed into a very small, heated jail cell with 78 other people...and 1 bottle of water.

New York Times
Trial Starts in Nation's Deadliest Human Smuggling Case
By Ralph Blumenthal
Published: March 9, 2005

We should 'embrace and uphold America's tradition as a nation of immigrants'

Established in 1982, the National Immigration Forum's mission is to "embrace and uphold America's tradition as a nation of immigrants."

On March 1, 2005, the National Immigration Forum issued a press release that stated the second anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security "presents a golden opportunity to improve the way the United States manages immigration and border security."

The department should educate people. Is that what it is doing?

NAFTA didn't help one bit

NAFTA started in 1994 and, according to the below Feb. 12, 2004 article from the Daily Texan, a recent report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said real wages in Mexico are lower today than when NAFTA took effect, and 31 percent of Mexicans currently live below the poverty line.

Here's one example: General Electric's maquiladoras (assembly plants) in Reynosa and McAllen, Texas paid its Mexican workers $15 a day. Faustino Pumarejo (with a Ph.D. in labor relations) has worked in the maquiladora sector for more than 30 years. He said: "It's adequate according to [the workers'] standards. They live by different standards than [Americans] do."

Unbelievable statement, isn't it?

Recently laid off, Pumarejo worked for General Electric as its human resources director for three years, serving as a liaison between labor and management in the Reynosa and McAllen plants where workers repair aircraft parts. He said he did not hear many complaints.

"The maquiladoras are not sweatshops," he said. "They are clean, and there is no mistreatment. Companies like General Electric have high integrity."

The article also states that the maquiladoras are currently shedding jobs. Foreign investment in maquiladoras fell from almost $3 billion in 2000 to $2 billion in 2002, in part due to cheaper labor available elsewhere. With the loss of more than 240,000 jobs since 2001, many ex-workers have entered the steadily rising stream of immigrants into the United States.

Maquiladora workers are 'just part of the machine'

Maquiladora (assembly plants -- mostly U.S.-owned) workers are "just part of the machine." The below Feb. 13, 2004 article from the Daily Texan reports that maquiladora workers receive $5.50-$6.50 a day. Some are raped. One place has a policy that doesn't allow workers to go to the bathroom more than twice a day. Another plant forces the workers wear signs that state if they've gone "number one" or "number two."

And you thought you had it bad.

Workers endure harsh conditions
by Brian Chasnoff

Editor's Note: All workers' names have been changed due to threats and harassment received from superiors, including the use of employer blacklists and threats aimed at the workers' families.

62 percent of Californians oppose a driver's license for undocumented immigrants

According to a poll released on March 4, 62 percent of Californians oppose a driver's license for undocumented immigrants and 35 percent are for it (see March 4, 2005 HispanicBusiness.com article).

The bill's author, Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) has been pushing this for seven years now. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is against the bill. The measure (SB 60) is scheduled to be heard in front of the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on March 15.

Cedillo believes the state's roads would be safer if the 2 million undocumented motorists were trained and insured. Undocumented immigrants were able to get licenses until 1994 when then-Gov. Pete Wilson signed a law to force all applicants to provide proof of legal residence to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

We'll see what happens on March 15.

'Domestic terrorists' in our midst?

So the Minuteman Project is at it again. With, so far, 863 volunteers from 50 states, it's website says they will "surprise illegal immigrants on trails heading north." And it'll probably add loaded guns to the surprise, too. The website also reads: "Americans doing the jobs congress won't do" and it's "operating within the law to support enforcement of the law." I can see it now---immigrants being pistol-whipped left and right. So who's going to stop the Minuteman Project? Enter the National Alliance for Human Rights.

This coalition met in San Bernardino last Saturday to brainstorm ways to counter the Minuteman Project, a group of people who want to help federal officials patrol the border during April.

The goal of the Minuteman Project is to bring national attention to the nation's porous borders, according to its Web site.

"We will seal the border, but will not violate anyone's civil rights, and will not abuse anyone from any country," the Web site states. "By legal means we will surprise illegal immigrants on trails heading north. By legal means we will suggest that people sit and wait for (Border Patrol) to come and pick them up."

Here's a recent article from the Daily Bulletin (serving Eastern Los Angeles County):

Latino activists target border watchers
U.S.-Mexico crossings to receive patrol scrutiny throughout April
By Brenda Gazzar, Staff Writer
March 2, 2005

Warning to all U.S.-Mexico border militia groups

Even Mexico thinks the Minuteman Project is a bad idea. The UPI reported that Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez thinks it is "incorrect and illegal." He even asked a group of lawyers from Los Angeles to put together a plan to stop the Minuteman Project.

Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist told UPI: "People have portrayed us as being violent and wanting to shoot and kill illegal aliens, but that's just not true. We will not be carrying rifles, although Arizona law allows people to carry arms if they want to -- so some people who join us may choose to carry them."

This group is trouble waiting to happen. Why don't we just let volunteers carry guns at every U.S. border? Sure---a bunch of trigger-happy people guarding our borders. !Dios mio!

Mexico cautions border watch group


By Eliza Barclay
UPI Correspondent

50 pesos a day in Mexico vs. $5/hr. in the United States---you do the math

The Pew Hispanic Center released a survey on March 2 that showed that most Mexican illegal immigrants want to stay in the United States --- but some would be willing to return to Mexico within 5 years under a temporary guest worker program being considered by the Bush administration.

The survey was conducted over six months as immigrants applied for a Mexican identity document at Mexican consulates in Los Angeles; New York; Chicago; Atlanta; Dallas; Fresno, Calif., and Raleigh, N.C.

Who the heck would want to return home after 5 years anyway? Let's see...most people in Mexico make about 50 pesos a day---that's $5 a day. And they can make that much working one hour here in the United States. President Bush, give me a break.

Most Mexican Illegal Immigrants Open to Worker Program

washingtonpost.com - March 3, 2005

Attention all women---don't cross the border to Ciudad Juarez

A lot of women in the Ciudad Juarez, the Capital of the Mexican State of Chihuahua, have been murdered walking to and from work.

Finally, the Mexican government is ready to pay millions of dollars to the relatives of the women:

Associated Press (March 7, 2005)

MEXICO CITY---The Mexican government is preparing to pay millions of dollars in reparations to relatives of women murdered in the Ciudad Juarez area.

The administration of President Vicente Fox has set aside about two-point-seven million dollars. The Mexican Congress approved a similar amount as part of the 2005 budget for payments to the families.The payments should begin within the next few months. That's according to Maria Lopez Urbina, who's the special federal prosecutor for the Juarez cases.

The number of victims, and the amount to be granted to each family, will be determined by a special committee. Lopez Urbina's office lists 349 women as murdered in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, since 1993. (AP)

Note: One committee in Mexico, El Comite Fronterizo de Obreros (Border Committee of Women Workers), has been working to protect the rights of maquiladora (assembly plants--mostly U.S.-owned) workers in Ciudad Juarez since January 2002. The committee also reports that, between 1993 and October 2002, 300 women between the ages of 15 and 25 were killed in Juarez.

According to the University of New Mexico (November 2004), at least 1 million workers in more than 3,000 maquiladoras make $4 a day.

Now immigrants are growing marijuana (so much for the grapes)

There are undocumented immigrants waiting outside hardware stores in the San Joaquin Valley, waiting for someone to hire them for a day. Some land owners scoop them up and take them to Sequoia National Park---and it has nothing to do with vegetables. These land owners are hiring laborers to grow marijuana. And the immigrants are the ones getting caught---without seeing a penny. The DEA is investigating:

Undocumented Immigrants Recruited to Grow Marijuana in National Park

Noticero Semanal, News Feature,
Benito Ortiz, Translated by Miguel A. Báez and Mónica Monroe, Mar 01, 2005

So now the barrier is "under siege'?

Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz (D-Texas) said about 5 percent of captured illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2003 were "other than Mexicans," and there has been a 137 percent increase in OTMs this fiscal year.

Apparently, Mexicans are routinely sent back across the border, and non-Mexicans are processed and then, if no criminal record or terrorist background immediately is discovered, usually released in the United States under their promise to return for a deportation hearing. Most never show up, witnesses said March 3 before the House immigration committee.

"The southern border is literally under siege, and there is a real possibility that terrorists -- particularly al Qaeda forces -- could exploit this series of holes in our law-enforcement system along the southern border," said Ortiz.

Republicans and Democrats have assailed President Bush's budget request for funding only 210 new border patrol agents in fiscal year 2006, far short of the 2,000 agents called for in the intelligence overhaul bill Bush signed into law in December. The budget also falls short of the 8,000 new detention beds called for, which Ortiz and other witnesses said are necessary to hold OTMs rather than release them into the general population.

Southern barrier 'under siege'


By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

March 4, 2005

'Federal failure' in Virginia

Virginia needs to wake up. Virginia employers (and all others) hire illegal immigrants because they're willing to work here for dirt cheap. Why? 'Cause that sorry salary is a helluva lot better than the 50 pesos a day they were getting in Mexico. Plus, they work up a storm and don't complain. What more do you want?

Check out this editorial from the March 7, 2005 Washington Post:

EDITORIAL
Virginia's Illegals
Monday, March 7, 2005; Page A18

U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute Conference in Chicago March 10-13

We hear a lot about Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers Union. But we don't hear enough about this woman, Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the UFW.

This week, she'll receive the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute's National Hispanic Hero Award at the HLI's 23rd Annual National Conference (in Chicago March 10-13 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel, 301 E. North Water Street).

Also, there will be a forum on "The Facts on Latino Immigration: Do We Give More or Take More" on Saturday, March 12 (at 10:45 a.m.).

There will also be a forum on the "Latino Media: The Spin Behind the Spin Doctors" by Laura Barbarena-Medrano on Saturday, March 12 (from 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. and again at 2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

Cost is $165 for students (taking 12+ credit hours) and $195 if you're not a student. A FREE one-day pass is available for this Saturday, March 12 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (NOTE: The website says it's a free pass for Friday....but the HLI informed me that the pass is good for Saturday.)

For more information, go to the HSI's website or call (312) 427-8683.

'Privilege' cards--Are they?

Well, at least immigrants in Salt Lake City can drive with this card. But forget about opening up a bank account or boarding a plane with it:


New undocumented worker card alarms some

March 4, 2005

BY LEON D'SOUZA, SALT LAKE CITY

This land is our land

This land belongs to Mexico. So I believe Mexicans coming to the United States shouldn't even be called immigrants. Mexico originally owned present-day Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. The Feb. 2, 1848 signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo took it all away. The treaty called for Mexico to give up 55% of its territory for only $15 million. So all you Mexicanos out there, lift up your Coronas or cafes con leche and shout--"This land is our land!!"

Here's a definition of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo from the Library of Congress:

In November 1835, the northern part of the Mexican state of Coahuila-Tejas declared itself in revolt against Mexico's new centralist government headed by President Antonio López de Santa Anna. By February 1836, Texans declared their territory to be independent and that its border extended to the Rio Grande rather than the Rio Nueces that Mexicans recognized as the dividing line. Although the Texans proclaimed themselves citizens of the Independent Republic of Texas on April 21, 1836 following their victory over the Mexicans at the Battle of San Jacinto, Mexicans continued to consider Tejas a rebellious province that they would reconquer someday.

In December 1845, the U.S. Congress voted to annex the Texas Republic and soon sent troops led by General Zachary Taylor to the Rio Grande (regarded by Mexicans as their territory) to protect its border with Mexico. The inevitable clashes between Mexican troops and U.S. forces provided the rationale for a Congressional declaration of war on May 13, 1846.

Hostilities continued for the next two years as General Taylor led his troops through to Monterrey, and General Stephen Kearny and his men went to New Mexico, Chihuahua, and California. But it was General Winfield Scott and his army that delivered the decisive blows as they marched from Veracruz to Puebla and finally captured Mexico City itself in August 1847.

Mexican officials and Nicholas Trist, President Polk's representative, began discussions for a peace treaty that August. On February 2, 1848 the Treaty was signed in Guadalupe Hidalgo, a city north of the capital where the Mexican government had fled as U.S. troops advanced. Its provisions called for Mexico to cede 55% of its territory (present-day Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Colorado, Nevada and Utah) in exchange for fifteen million dollars in compensation for war-related damage to Mexican property.

Other provisions stipulated the Texas border at the Rio Grande (Article V), protection for the property and civil rights of Mexican nationals living within the new border (Articles VIII and IX), U.S. promise to police its side of the border (Article XI), and compulsory arbitration of future disputes between the two countries (Article XXI). When the U.S. Senate ratified the treaty in March, it deleted Article X guaranteeing the protection of Mexican land grants. Following the Senate's ratification of the treaty, U.S. troops left Mexico City.

Stop the REAL ID Act from becoming law

This just in from the National Council of La Raza:

NCLR Alert: Contact your senator today to stop the REAL ID Act from becoming law

“REAL ID” PUTS OUR COMMUNITIES IN REAL DANGER

PLEASE ACT NOW AND TELL YOUR SENATOR TO OPPOSE THE “REAL ID ACT”: THIS BILL WILL NOT MAKE US SAFER; WHAT WE NEED IS REAL IMMIGRATION REFORM

The “REAL ID Act” (H.R. 418), introduced by Representative Sensenbrenner, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on February 10, 2005. If allowed to become law, the “REAL ID Act” would have devastating consequences for Latinos in the U.S. The bill has not yet gone to the Senate for a vote. Before it does, we must speak loudly and clearly about our opposition to this legislation.

Here is what is in H.R. 418 as it stands today. Remember, this is not law yet. Some of these provisions are complex. For more information on the particular sections of the bill, please see: http://www.nclr.org/content/policy/detail/29762/

• The “REAL ID Act” would restrict immigrant access to driver’s licenses. This bill would create different types of licenses based on a person’s immigration status. This will only leave drivers vulnerable to discrimination and abuse.

• It would give the Secretary of Homeland Security sweeping authority to waive all laws that would prohibit construction of barriers and roads along our nation’s borders.

• An amendment to the bill would empower bail bondsmen and bounty hunters to pursue, arrest, and detain immigrants.

• It would turn back victims of persecution, making it more difficult for those who may have legitimate claims to obtain asylum.

• It would allow people to be deported before the conclusion of their federal court cases and would suspend the Great Writ of Habeas Corpus for the first time since the Civil War. These are very important legal rights in the United States and should not be taken away from immigrants.

When you contact your senator, please communicate the following:
1. This bill will not make us safer; it will only drive more people into the shadows.

2. The intelligence reform bill that just passed in December included provisions for federal standards on driver’s licenses and IDs. The Sensenbrenner bill doesn’t give that law a chance to be implemented and tested before imposing complicated and expensive new requirements on states.

3. We need real comprehensive immigration reform, not band-aid fixes that do nothing to improve homeland security or address the problems with our broken immigration system.

4. If the senator is faced with a decision to vote on a supplemental bill to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and/or for tsunami relief funding, he or she should demand a “clean bill.” Immigration legislation needs to be considered in a comprehensive way and not as part of an emergency funding situation.