SPRINGFIELD, TENN.-A hidden camera investigation conducted by NewsChannel 5 revealed Springfield's biggest employer may be the biggest offender when it comes to hiring undocumented immigrants.
Electrolux is one of the largest manufacturing plants in Middle Tennessee.
It employs thousands of workers.
But a NewsChannel 5 investigation uncovered some disturbing facts about many of those employees.
From city leaders to factory employees, several people said the same thing about Electrolux. They said illegal immigrants, not Americans, comprise a large portion of its workforce.
Three years ago, the company came to Robertson County and local residents were excited about the hundreds of new jobs it would bring.
"They tend to project a family-oriented business here," said an employee.
Its opening was seen as a surefire boost to the local economy.
"You know they care so it's a perfect place for a single mom to be," said an employee.
But how many of those jobs went to American workers?
"This is what Springfield, Robertson County is," said Amanda Clack, a former employee. "They are taking over."
Clack says few positions went to Americans.
She claims Electrolux is a big draw for immigrants.
"Ninety percent of that plant is Mexicans," she said. "Maybe 5 percent white, 5 percent black."
"There's only two people next to me who speak English, the rest of them are Hispanic around me," said an employee."They constantly want to say we're going to go to Mexico,' another employee said. "Why go to Mexico, when Mexico is here."
To get hired at Electrolux, applicants first go through a staffing agency called Randstad. Hiring occurs inside a trailer next to the plant. Four people equipped with hidden cameras went to the trailer to see what happens.
One person ventured into Randstad under the premise that she recently arrived in this country and needed a job.
While waiting to fill out paperwork, she met a man who was reapplying.
He allegedly reapplied using fake documentations.
The man told the decoy about someone he knew who provided fake documents.
Outside the trailer, he told her how much.
"Around $900 you will get a birth certificate, a social security number from Puerto Rico," he said. "It has a name and address and everything."
He showed her his own fake state identification
.
"It's easy to get the job, and you don't have to speak English," he said.
Around town, the decoys sent by NewsChannel 5 learned Electrolux is the best place to work for undocumented immigrants.
"It's around $800 to get a social security number," one man said.
They also learned about a Puerto Rican black market in which identities are bought and sold.No one seems to care if they're caught.
"They are reapplying because they are getting fired, and then they are reapplying with other documentations, and then getting hired again," said one decoy.
An applicant works for Randstad, but at Electrolux, for the first three while their papers are being verified.
"There's plenty of people there," one man said. "Some that will be fired today and they go and buy different papers, and then they go either to a different shift, or the same shift."
"Now, they need a lot of people, but there's no people to hire," he said. "And yes, they know those documents do not belong to us."
Randstad and Electrolux denied anything like this goes on.
But one man who urged the undercover decoy to apply with Randstad, saying Randstad knew his papers were fake, but rehired him anyway.
"Every one of us goes there and nothing happens," he said. "Don't be afraid. I worked there three years and nothing happened."
The situation at Electrolux has left many in Springfield with a familiar frustration.
"Since the Mexicans will work for lower amounts of money, they will hire them, and then leaving us out here, not being able to find a job," Clack said.
Randstad denies any wrongdoing.
A spokeswoman said they have an outside company that also checks to make sure the documents they receive are real. Springfield City Manager Paul Nutting said what the investigation revealed wasn't something new to him.
He said he's known about this issue for years and it's had a negative impact on Springfield.
In an interview Thursday, he discusses the Electrolux situation.
Electrolux also defended its hiring practices in a statement.
"We are confident that this process of independently verifying employee documentation minimizes the chances of undocumented workers slipping through," according to a written statement from a spokesman. "If any should, they eventually will be identified, and fired."
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Resolutions Pass
The Morristown City Council has finally decided that illegal immigration is enough of a problem in Morristown and Hamblen County to call on our State and federal Governments to take action to relieve the community.
Is it just us here at T-FIRE, or are these resolutions-which were courageously brought forward by Councilman Mel Tucker-long overdue?
Is it just us here at T-FIRE, or are these resolutions-which were courageously brought forward by Councilman Mel Tucker-long overdue?
Huckabee a Disaster?
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is emerging as one of the top contenders for the 2008 Republican nomination. Groups that want to secure our borders and enforce America's immigration laws are warning that Huckabee could be disastrous on the immigration front:
Groups that support a crackdown on illegal aliens haven't settled on their champion in the race for the White House, but there's little doubt which Republican scares them most — former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. "He was an absolute disaster on immigration as governor," said Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, a group that played a major role in rallying the phone calls that helped defeat this year's Senate immigration bill. "Every time there was any enforcement in his state, he took the side of the illegal aliens." As Mr. Huckabee rises in the polls, his opponents are beginning to take shots at him on immigration. Just as problematic for the former Arkansas governor, however, is that the independent interest groups that track the issue are also giving him the once-over, and don't like what they see. "Huckabee is the guy who scares the heck out of me," said Peter Gadiel, president of 9-11 Families for a Secure America, a group instrumental in fighting
for the REAL ID Act that sets federal standards for driver's licenses.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Islamic Radicals Planned to Come Through Pourous Border
By Sara A. Carter
The Washington Times
Fort Huachuca, the nation's largest intelligence-training center, changed security measures in May after being warned that Islamist terrorists, with the aid of Mexican drug cartels, were planning an attack on the facility.
Fort officials changed security measures after sources warned that possibly 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists were to be smuggled into the U.S. through underground tunnels with high-powered weapons to attack the Arizona Army base, according to multiple confidential law enforcement documents obtained by The Washington Times.
"A portion of the operatives were in the United States, with the remainder not yet in the United States," according to one of the documents, an FBI advisory that was distributed to the Defense Intelligence Agency, the CIA, Customs and Border Protection and the Justice Department, among several other law enforcement agencies throughout the nation. "The Afghanis and Iraqis shaved their beards so as not to appear to be Middle Easterners."
According to the FBI advisory, each Middle Easterner paid Mexican drug lords $20,000 "or the equivalent in weapons" for the cartel's assistance in smuggling them and their weapons through tunnels along the border into the U.S. The weapons would be sent through tunnels that supposedly ended in Arizona and New Mexico, but the Islamist terrorists would be smuggled through Laredo, Texas, and reclaim the weapons later.
A number of the Afghans and Iraqis are already in a safe house in Texas, the FBI advisory said.
Fort Huachuca, which lies about 20 miles from the Mexican border, has members of all four service branches training in intelligence and secret operations. About 12,000 persons work at the fort and many have their families on base.
Lt. Col. Matthew Garner, spokesman for Fort Huachuca, said details about the current phase of the investigation or security changes on the post "will not be disclosed."
"We are always taking precautions to ensure that soldiers, family members and civilians that work and live on Fort Huachuca are safe," Col. Garner said. "With this specific threat, we did change some aspects of our security that we did have in place."
According to the FBI report, some of the weapons associated with the plot have been smuggled through a tunnel from Mexico to the U.S.
The FBI report is based on Drug Enforcement Administration sources, including Mexican nationals with access to "sub-sources" in the drug cartels. The report's assessment is that the DEA's Mexican contacts have proven reliable in the past but the "sub-source" is of uncertain reliability.
According to the source who spoke with DEA intelligence agents, the weapons included two Milan anti-tank missiles, Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles, grenade launchers, long guns and handguns.
"FBI Comment: The surface-to-air missiles may in fact be RPGs," the advisory stated, adding that the weapons stash in Mexico could include two or three more Milan missiles.
The Milan, a French-German portable anti-tank weapon, was developed in the 1970s and widely sold to militaries around the world, including Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Insurgents in Iraq reportedly have used a Milan missile in an attack on a British tank. Iraqi guerrillas also have shot down U.S. helicopters using RPGs, or rocket-propelled grenades.
FBI spokesman Paul Bresson would not elaborate on the current investigation regarding the threat, but said that many times the initial reports are based on "raw, uncorroborated information that has not been completely vetted." He added that this report shows the extent to which all law enforcement and intelligence agencies cooperate in terror investigations.
"If nothing else, it provides a good look at the inner working of the law-enforcement and intelligence community and how they work together on a daily basis to share and deal with threat information," Mr. Bresson said. "It also demonstrates the cross-pollination that frequently exists between criminal and terrorist groups."
The connections between criminal enterprises, such as powerful drug cartels, and terrorist organizations have become a serious concern for intelligence agencies monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border.
"Based upon the information provided by the DEA handling agent, the DEA has classified the source as credible," stated a Department of Homeland Security document, regarding the possibility of an attack on Fort Huachuca. "The identity of the sub-source has been established; however, none of the information provided by the sub-source in the past has been corroborated."
The FBI advisory stated the "sub-source" for the information "is a member of the Zetas," the military arm of one of Mexico's most dangerous drug-trafficking organizations, the Gulf Cartel. The Gulf Cartel controls the movement of narcotics from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the U.S. along the Laredo corridor.
However, the sub-source "for this information is of unknown reliability," the FBI advisory stated.
According to the DEA, the sub-source identified Mexico's Sinaloa cartel as the drug lords who would assist the terrorists in their plot.
This led the DEA to caution the FBI that its information may be a Gulf Cartel plant to bring the U.S. military in against its main rival. The Sinaloa and Gulf cartels have fought bloody battles along the border for control of shipping routes into the U.S.
"It doesn't mean that there isn't truth to some of what this source delivered to U.S. agents," said one law-enforcement intelligence agent, on the condition of anonymity. "The cartels have no loyalty to any nation or person. It isn't surprising that for the right price they would assist terrorists, knowingly or unknowingly."
The Washington Times
Fort Huachuca, the nation's largest intelligence-training center, changed security measures in May after being warned that Islamist terrorists, with the aid of Mexican drug cartels, were planning an attack on the facility.
Fort officials changed security measures after sources warned that possibly 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists were to be smuggled into the U.S. through underground tunnels with high-powered weapons to attack the Arizona Army base, according to multiple confidential law enforcement documents obtained by The Washington Times.
"A portion of the operatives were in the United States, with the remainder not yet in the United States," according to one of the documents, an FBI advisory that was distributed to the Defense Intelligence Agency, the CIA, Customs and Border Protection and the Justice Department, among several other law enforcement agencies throughout the nation. "The Afghanis and Iraqis shaved their beards so as not to appear to be Middle Easterners."
According to the FBI advisory, each Middle Easterner paid Mexican drug lords $20,000 "or the equivalent in weapons" for the cartel's assistance in smuggling them and their weapons through tunnels along the border into the U.S. The weapons would be sent through tunnels that supposedly ended in Arizona and New Mexico, but the Islamist terrorists would be smuggled through Laredo, Texas, and reclaim the weapons later.
A number of the Afghans and Iraqis are already in a safe house in Texas, the FBI advisory said.
Fort Huachuca, which lies about 20 miles from the Mexican border, has members of all four service branches training in intelligence and secret operations. About 12,000 persons work at the fort and many have their families on base.
Lt. Col. Matthew Garner, spokesman for Fort Huachuca, said details about the current phase of the investigation or security changes on the post "will not be disclosed."
"We are always taking precautions to ensure that soldiers, family members and civilians that work and live on Fort Huachuca are safe," Col. Garner said. "With this specific threat, we did change some aspects of our security that we did have in place."
According to the FBI report, some of the weapons associated with the plot have been smuggled through a tunnel from Mexico to the U.S.
The FBI report is based on Drug Enforcement Administration sources, including Mexican nationals with access to "sub-sources" in the drug cartels. The report's assessment is that the DEA's Mexican contacts have proven reliable in the past but the "sub-source" is of uncertain reliability.
According to the source who spoke with DEA intelligence agents, the weapons included two Milan anti-tank missiles, Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles, grenade launchers, long guns and handguns.
"FBI Comment: The surface-to-air missiles may in fact be RPGs," the advisory stated, adding that the weapons stash in Mexico could include two or three more Milan missiles.
The Milan, a French-German portable anti-tank weapon, was developed in the 1970s and widely sold to militaries around the world, including Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Insurgents in Iraq reportedly have used a Milan missile in an attack on a British tank. Iraqi guerrillas also have shot down U.S. helicopters using RPGs, or rocket-propelled grenades.
FBI spokesman Paul Bresson would not elaborate on the current investigation regarding the threat, but said that many times the initial reports are based on "raw, uncorroborated information that has not been completely vetted." He added that this report shows the extent to which all law enforcement and intelligence agencies cooperate in terror investigations.
"If nothing else, it provides a good look at the inner working of the law-enforcement and intelligence community and how they work together on a daily basis to share and deal with threat information," Mr. Bresson said. "It also demonstrates the cross-pollination that frequently exists between criminal and terrorist groups."
The connections between criminal enterprises, such as powerful drug cartels, and terrorist organizations have become a serious concern for intelligence agencies monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border.
"Based upon the information provided by the DEA handling agent, the DEA has classified the source as credible," stated a Department of Homeland Security document, regarding the possibility of an attack on Fort Huachuca. "The identity of the sub-source has been established; however, none of the information provided by the sub-source in the past has been corroborated."
The FBI advisory stated the "sub-source" for the information "is a member of the Zetas," the military arm of one of Mexico's most dangerous drug-trafficking organizations, the Gulf Cartel. The Gulf Cartel controls the movement of narcotics from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the U.S. along the Laredo corridor.
However, the sub-source "for this information is of unknown reliability," the FBI advisory stated.
According to the DEA, the sub-source identified Mexico's Sinaloa cartel as the drug lords who would assist the terrorists in their plot.
This led the DEA to caution the FBI that its information may be a Gulf Cartel plant to bring the U.S. military in against its main rival. The Sinaloa and Gulf cartels have fought bloody battles along the border for control of shipping routes into the U.S.
"It doesn't mean that there isn't truth to some of what this source delivered to U.S. agents," said one law-enforcement intelligence agent, on the condition of anonymity. "The cartels have no loyalty to any nation or person. It isn't surprising that for the right price they would assist terrorists, knowingly or unknowingly."
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
She Was for It, Now She is Against It
By DEVLIN BARRETT-Associated Press
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday came out against granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, after weeks of pressure in the presidential race to take a position on a now-failed ID plan from her home state governor.
Clinton has faced criticism from candidates in both parties for her noncommittal answers on New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's attempt to allow illegal immigrants in his state to receive driver's licenses. Spitzer abandoned the effort Wednesday.
"I support Governor Spitzer's decision today to withdraw his proposal," Clinton said in a statement. "As president, I will not support driver's licenses for undocumented people and will press for comprehensive immigration reform that deals with all of the issues around illegal immigration including border security and fixing our broken system."
Clinton stumbled when asked about the issue during a Democratic debate two weeks ago, and her new position comes the day before another debate where opponents are expected to raise the issue again.
Rival campaigns made clear they were not letting go of the issue.
"When it takes two weeks and six different positions to answer one question on immigration, it's easier to understand why the Clinton campaign would rather plant their questions than answer them," said Barack Obama spokesman Bill Burton, referring to the Clinton campaign's admission that aides had staged a question for her at an Iowa event.
Colleen Flanagan, a spokesman for Chris Dodd, called Clinton's position "flip-flopping cubed. She was for it before she was against it, before she was for it, before she was against it."
Spitzer met with New York lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday, and conceded that there was too much public opposition to his plan. Clinton did not attend the meeting.
"It does not take a stethoscope to hear the pulse of New Yorkers on this topic," he said.The Democratic governor introduced the plan two months ago with the goal of increased security, safer roads and an opportunity to bring immigrants "out of the shadows." Opponents charged the scheme would make it easier for would-be terrorists to get identification, and make the country less safe.
The decision is another example of the roadblocks high-profile immigration reforms have faced this year. Less than five months ago, Congress failed to pass legislation that would legalize as many as 12 million unlawful immigrants and fortify the border with Mexico.
"The federal government has lost control of its borders... and now has no solution to deal with it," Spitzer said.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called Spitzer's reversal on the license issue "a good development" and said immigration is a federal issue for which his department has to "ramp up enforcement."
"What I want to make sure is that states aren't working at cross purposes with us and enabling the kind of conduct we're enforcing against," Chertoff told The Associated Press by telephone from London.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday came out against granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, after weeks of pressure in the presidential race to take a position on a now-failed ID plan from her home state governor.
Clinton has faced criticism from candidates in both parties for her noncommittal answers on New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's attempt to allow illegal immigrants in his state to receive driver's licenses. Spitzer abandoned the effort Wednesday.
"I support Governor Spitzer's decision today to withdraw his proposal," Clinton said in a statement. "As president, I will not support driver's licenses for undocumented people and will press for comprehensive immigration reform that deals with all of the issues around illegal immigration including border security and fixing our broken system."
Clinton stumbled when asked about the issue during a Democratic debate two weeks ago, and her new position comes the day before another debate where opponents are expected to raise the issue again.
Rival campaigns made clear they were not letting go of the issue.
"When it takes two weeks and six different positions to answer one question on immigration, it's easier to understand why the Clinton campaign would rather plant their questions than answer them," said Barack Obama spokesman Bill Burton, referring to the Clinton campaign's admission that aides had staged a question for her at an Iowa event.
Colleen Flanagan, a spokesman for Chris Dodd, called Clinton's position "flip-flopping cubed. She was for it before she was against it, before she was for it, before she was against it."
Spitzer met with New York lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday, and conceded that there was too much public opposition to his plan. Clinton did not attend the meeting.
"It does not take a stethoscope to hear the pulse of New Yorkers on this topic," he said.The Democratic governor introduced the plan two months ago with the goal of increased security, safer roads and an opportunity to bring immigrants "out of the shadows." Opponents charged the scheme would make it easier for would-be terrorists to get identification, and make the country less safe.
The decision is another example of the roadblocks high-profile immigration reforms have faced this year. Less than five months ago, Congress failed to pass legislation that would legalize as many as 12 million unlawful immigrants and fortify the border with Mexico.
"The federal government has lost control of its borders... and now has no solution to deal with it," Spitzer said.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called Spitzer's reversal on the license issue "a good development" and said immigration is a federal issue for which his department has to "ramp up enforcement."
"What I want to make sure is that states aren't working at cross purposes with us and enabling the kind of conduct we're enforcing against," Chertoff told The Associated Press by telephone from London.
Hillarycare for Illegals
By Robert Goldberg-New York Post
November 16, 2007 -- IF you thought Hillary Clinton had trouble making up her mind about drivers licenses for illegal aliens, wait until someone tries to pin her down about health care for illegals.
She fumbled for days after being asked about Gov. Spitzer's now-aborted plan to give licenses to illegals. But the New York governor is pushing ahead on giving free health care to the same folks. Washington recently told Spitzer that it wouldn't pay for chemotherapy for illegals under a Medicaid "emergency" program. That program was created in 1996 at President Bill Clinton's insistence to provide "temporary" coverage to illegals, who'd been barred from Medicaid the year before. In the years since, it's become a de facto entitlement for illegals - who in some states get the same benefits as everyone else on Medicaid (except for organ transplants). As a result, "emergency" Medicaid spending has ballooned across the country.
When the Bush administration told Spitzer that emergency Medicaid wasn't meant to cover chemotherapy, the gov decided that New York taxpayers (many of whom have to cover the cost of their own cancer drugs, due to inadequate private insurance) would foot the bill. Spitzer says the cancer care will "only" cost $10 million. Maybe so - until more people find out it's free.
Over to Hillary: Asked in September if the senator's new health plan would pay the tab for illegals, senior Clinton policy adviser Laurie Rubiner said, "That's one we're going to have to think through a little bit . . . We have not dealt with every single detail with this plan." This is one detail Clinton had better deal with quickly. No one wants to see suffering people denied health care. Illegal immigrants are more than welcome to pay out of pocket for health care - and many do. Many also buy private insurance - or at least did until it became public policy to give health care away for free as a reward for being here illegally.
But lots of voters will say states shouldn't provide free cancer care to people who are in this country illegally, when many Americans can't get their private health plans to pay for the same drugs. And Clinton has clearly supported spending taxpayer dollars on free health care for illegals in the past - and not just a decade ago, when Bill was pushing for the "emergency" program. Despite what the senator's adviser says, she has thought through this issue. Hillary voted to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program to cover illegals and had counted on that money to bring down the cost of her own health care plan. And if "universal health coverage" is her goal, then supporting the Spitzer chemo handout is a slam-dunk. After all, illegals make up 9 million of the 45 million "Americans" she typically notes as lacking health coverage.
To be fair, no presidential candidate has so far taken on the issue of how to deal with health-care coverage for illegals. But it's only fair that Clinton go first: Her home-state governor and political ally is at the center of the debate. And health care is Clinton's signature issue, the one policy area that she claims the most experience and leadership. She has had plenty of time to "think." How she responds will tell us a lot about her health-care plan and her candidacy.
November 16, 2007 -- IF you thought Hillary Clinton had trouble making up her mind about drivers licenses for illegal aliens, wait until someone tries to pin her down about health care for illegals.
She fumbled for days after being asked about Gov. Spitzer's now-aborted plan to give licenses to illegals. But the New York governor is pushing ahead on giving free health care to the same folks. Washington recently told Spitzer that it wouldn't pay for chemotherapy for illegals under a Medicaid "emergency" program. That program was created in 1996 at President Bill Clinton's insistence to provide "temporary" coverage to illegals, who'd been barred from Medicaid the year before. In the years since, it's become a de facto entitlement for illegals - who in some states get the same benefits as everyone else on Medicaid (except for organ transplants). As a result, "emergency" Medicaid spending has ballooned across the country.
When the Bush administration told Spitzer that emergency Medicaid wasn't meant to cover chemotherapy, the gov decided that New York taxpayers (many of whom have to cover the cost of their own cancer drugs, due to inadequate private insurance) would foot the bill. Spitzer says the cancer care will "only" cost $10 million. Maybe so - until more people find out it's free.
Over to Hillary: Asked in September if the senator's new health plan would pay the tab for illegals, senior Clinton policy adviser Laurie Rubiner said, "That's one we're going to have to think through a little bit . . . We have not dealt with every single detail with this plan." This is one detail Clinton had better deal with quickly. No one wants to see suffering people denied health care. Illegal immigrants are more than welcome to pay out of pocket for health care - and many do. Many also buy private insurance - or at least did until it became public policy to give health care away for free as a reward for being here illegally.
But lots of voters will say states shouldn't provide free cancer care to people who are in this country illegally, when many Americans can't get their private health plans to pay for the same drugs. And Clinton has clearly supported spending taxpayer dollars on free health care for illegals in the past - and not just a decade ago, when Bill was pushing for the "emergency" program. Despite what the senator's adviser says, she has thought through this issue. Hillary voted to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program to cover illegals and had counted on that money to bring down the cost of her own health care plan. And if "universal health coverage" is her goal, then supporting the Spitzer chemo handout is a slam-dunk. After all, illegals make up 9 million of the 45 million "Americans" she typically notes as lacking health coverage.
To be fair, no presidential candidate has so far taken on the issue of how to deal with health-care coverage for illegals. But it's only fair that Clinton go first: Her home-state governor and political ally is at the center of the debate. And health care is Clinton's signature issue, the one policy area that she claims the most experience and leadership. She has had plenty of time to "think." How she responds will tell us a lot about her health-care plan and her candidacy.
The Railroading
By now, those following the issue of immigration law enforcement have heard about the Border Patrol Agents who were sentenced to prison for shooting those trying to cross our borders in violation of the law.
Now we learn that the men those agents shot at were scoundrels of the worst sort who were trying to smuggle drugs across the U.S. border. What was suspected has been confirmed.
So these men (who are Hispanic Americans) who have done their duty in protecting the sovereignty of the United States are put into prison where they are beaten (probably by illegal alien criminals), while the career criminal they shot might get 40 years, or might be deported only to return again.
Now we learn that the men those agents shot at were scoundrels of the worst sort who were trying to smuggle drugs across the U.S. border. What was suspected has been confirmed.
So these men (who are Hispanic Americans) who have done their duty in protecting the sovereignty of the United States are put into prison where they are beaten (probably by illegal alien criminals), while the career criminal they shot might get 40 years, or might be deported only to return again.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Mel Tucker Fights the Power
BY ROBERT MOORE, Tribune Staff Writer
Having suffered setbacks on two fronts involving illegal immigrants, Morristown City Council member Mel Tucker is moving ahead with a new four-prong offensive designed to prod goverment into action.
Having suffered setbacks on two fronts involving illegal immigrants, Morristown City Council member Mel Tucker is moving ahead with a new four-prong offensive designed to prod goverment into action.
This time, he has a clear majority of council members on board, and the council is scheduled to approve Tucker’s policy package on Nov. 20
Tucker has enough votes to pass a resolution urging our federal legislators — Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander and David Davis — to adequately fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to prod immigration officials to do their job.
The council member wants state legislators, John Litz and Steve Southerland, to introduce bills that would make it a felony offense to knowingly employ, transport or house illegal immigrants.
The state law Tucker seeks, which could be modeled after legislation that recently went into effect in Oklahoma, also would require law enforcement officials to detain illegals until they can be deported.
Third on Tucker’s illegal-immigration wish list is directing Morristown City Attorney Dick Jessee to conduct research on the powers of municipal governments to combat an influx of undocumented residents.
Finally, the councilman wants to try another approach to have MPD officers certified to perform certain duties of a federal immigration officer.
Tucker’s initial effort was thwarted, in part, because I.C.E. is reserving the limited training spots for agencies that operate a jail.
His new idea is to have Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnagin deputize five MPD officers, then send them to school with five county corrections officers.
If this proposed end-run around the I.C.E. guidelines works, the MPD officers would be able to process criminal aliens into a federal database and initiate deportation proceedings without relying on a federal agent. .
The officers who complete the school also could document alleged illegal immigrants they encounter during the course of routine police work and forward their names to I.C.E., which could act on the information.
The officers would not have the authority to conduct raids.
"I think it’s our responsibility as a legislative and political body to be looking at this problem," Tucker said. "When I see and watch the news and every agency around the country says, ‘Why, that’s not my problem, that’s the federal government’s problem’... Well, you know, it’s our problem because it’s affecting us, in my opinion."
In August 2006, responding to complaints about up to 10 Hispanics living in a house on Rosedale Avenue, Tucker launched an initiative to set occupancy limits for residences inside the Morristown city limits.
Eight months later, Tucker got what he wanted, but it was a hollow victory. The city council essentially adopted the same occupancy guidelines enforced by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The federal rules permit up to 14 adults to live in a 1,900-square-foot house.
Tucker says groups with similar stated goals like the Tennessee Volunteer Minutemen have approached him with offers of support.
Tucker says he turned them down flat, and emphasizes that he’s not affiliated with any anti-illegal-immigration group.
"I always act on my on," Tucker said. "I’m not speaking for anyone else except myself. I believe that the laws of our land ought to be enforced. I think you move toward anarchy when you don’t do that, and the federal government needs to step up to the plate and do it’s job."
Tucker adopted a novel approach to drive home his point at Tuesday’s council meeting.
In a serious tone, Tucker proposed that the Morristown Police Department suspend enforcement of drunken-driving and all other alcohol-related laws.
Stunned silence filled Council Chambers. Council member Kay Senter’s draw dropped.
When everyone had time to weigh whether Tucker had lost his mind, he allowed that it was an absurd proposition but no less absurd than the federal government to not enforcing immigration laws.
Tucker believes that the influx of illegal immigrants in Hamblen County is at least partially responsible for the drop in median family income, which fell from $27,000 in 2000 to $26,300 in 2006.
He contends that Morristown might be a more attractive location for illegals than many other cities because it’s an "industrial-based, relatively low-wage community."
He maintains this is important for council members because sales-tax revenues fund a large portion of city government’s operations.
"Personally, I believe that people don’t have the disposable income to buy products that generate sales tax that we’ve relied upon in the past," Tucker said.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Tucker Resolutions
Morristown City Councilman Mel Tucker is fed up with illegal immigration, and he's tired of the Morristown-Hamblen County Chamber of Commerce pretending that it isn't a problem. What he proposed to do is for the Council to use its discretionary powers to demand via a resolution that our Representatives in Nashville and Washington take action (reports T-FIRE member and former Hamblen County Commissioner Linda Noe):
1. Draft a resolution to send to Senator Bob Corker, Senator Lamar Alexander, and Congressman David Davis requesting that ICE (Immigration and Custom Enforcement) receive additional funding and do its job enforcing the federal immigration laws.
2. Draft a resolution to send to state Senator Steve Southerland and Representative John Litz asking that they push legislation in Tennessee similar to Oklahoma HB 1804. This recently enacted Oklahoma law prohibits the issuance of government ID's (such as licenses) to illegal immigrants; prohibits public assistance to illegal immigrants; makes it a felony for a U.S. citizen to transport, harbor, or employ illegal immigrants; and requires that illegal immigrants be detained without bond until deportation.
3. Authorize city attorney Dick Jessee to research the issue and advise council of all legal means available to identify and take action against illegal immigrants.
4. Fund Hamblen County Sheriff Jarnagin's expenses for 10 "deputies" to attend ICE certification training that is reserved only for those agencies, such as Hamblen County, that operate jails. Among those ten would be 5 Morristown Police Deptartment officers who would be deputized by the Sheriff.
That last point is critical, because since the federal government refuses to enforce our immigration laws, our local law enforcement must rake up the burden.
Let's let Councilman Tucker know that we support his efforts!
1. Draft a resolution to send to Senator Bob Corker, Senator Lamar Alexander, and Congressman David Davis requesting that ICE (Immigration and Custom Enforcement) receive additional funding and do its job enforcing the federal immigration laws.
2. Draft a resolution to send to state Senator Steve Southerland and Representative John Litz asking that they push legislation in Tennessee similar to Oklahoma HB 1804. This recently enacted Oklahoma law prohibits the issuance of government ID's (such as licenses) to illegal immigrants; prohibits public assistance to illegal immigrants; makes it a felony for a U.S. citizen to transport, harbor, or employ illegal immigrants; and requires that illegal immigrants be detained without bond until deportation.
3. Authorize city attorney Dick Jessee to research the issue and advise council of all legal means available to identify and take action against illegal immigrants.
4. Fund Hamblen County Sheriff Jarnagin's expenses for 10 "deputies" to attend ICE certification training that is reserved only for those agencies, such as Hamblen County, that operate jails. Among those ten would be 5 Morristown Police Deptartment officers who would be deputized by the Sheriff.
That last point is critical, because since the federal government refuses to enforce our immigration laws, our local law enforcement must rake up the burden.
Let's let Councilman Tucker know that we support his efforts!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
What We are Really Looking For
Investors' Business Daily's Michael Barone hits the nail on the head as to what the real impetus is for those of us who are concerned about the threat of illegal immigration into this country-and it isn't race:
You don't have to be a racist to be bothered by such things. You just have to be a citizen who thinks that massive failure to enforce the law is corrosive to society. That was apparent to me as I listened to a focus group of Republican voters in suburban Richmond, Va., conducted by Peter Hart for the Annenberg School of Communications.
One voter after another complained that the immigration laws were not being enforced. None of them made any derogatory remarks about Latino immigrants — two said they admired how hard immigrants work. They don't want to see Latinos banished from this country. They want the immigrants here to be legally here.
Here at T-FIRE, this is our collective sentiment-word for word.
You don't have to be a racist to be bothered by such things. You just have to be a citizen who thinks that massive failure to enforce the law is corrosive to society. That was apparent to me as I listened to a focus group of Republican voters in suburban Richmond, Va., conducted by Peter Hart for the Annenberg School of Communications.
One voter after another complained that the immigration laws were not being enforced. None of them made any derogatory remarks about Latino immigrants — two said they admired how hard immigrants work. They don't want to see Latinos banished from this country. They want the immigrants here to be legally here.
Here at T-FIRE, this is our collective sentiment-word for word.
Checkpoints are So Helpful
Our border patrol agents are having such a difficult time, and the ladies and gentlemen manning our official border checkpoints have been such a help-they let 21,000 people through border checkpoints that did not have proper documentation.
Minuteman Leader: No Compromise On Illegal Immigration
From The Tennessean
By COLBY SLEDGE Staff Writer
A leader in volunteer patrolling of U.S. borders said his group was at a "no-compromise position" concerning illegal immigration during a speech at Belmont University this morning.
"This is not about being anti-immigrant; this is not about hate," said Chris Simcox, president of the Arizona-based Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. "This is about citizens doing their duty."More than 170 students, faculty and community leaders attended the event at the Massey Business Center, according to estimates by Belmont officials.
More than 9,000 Minutemen volunteer for patrol trips on U.S. borders, primarily focusing on identifying and reporting people crossing illegally from Mexico into the United States.
Simcox spoke out mainly against the federal government, saying members of the U.S. Congress were ''selling out our citizenship'' in exchange for furthering American addictions to drugs and cheap labor.''Angst and anger and activism need to be directed at those we hired,'' Simcox said.
The audience mostly listened quietly during the 45-minute lecture, which included a question-and-answer session. Simcox drew ire from some students during the speech for insinuating that protesters at previous events were actually upset over crackdowns on drug cartels coming from Mexico.''Sometimes I think that's what they're really protesting, is losing their cheap drug supply,'' Simcox said.
Simcox will be at Middle Tennessee State University at 6 p.m. in the State Farm Room of the Business and Aerospace Building. The event is free and open to the public.
By COLBY SLEDGE Staff Writer
A leader in volunteer patrolling of U.S. borders said his group was at a "no-compromise position" concerning illegal immigration during a speech at Belmont University this morning.
"This is not about being anti-immigrant; this is not about hate," said Chris Simcox, president of the Arizona-based Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. "This is about citizens doing their duty."More than 170 students, faculty and community leaders attended the event at the Massey Business Center, according to estimates by Belmont officials.
More than 9,000 Minutemen volunteer for patrol trips on U.S. borders, primarily focusing on identifying and reporting people crossing illegally from Mexico into the United States.
Simcox spoke out mainly against the federal government, saying members of the U.S. Congress were ''selling out our citizenship'' in exchange for furthering American addictions to drugs and cheap labor.''Angst and anger and activism need to be directed at those we hired,'' Simcox said.
The audience mostly listened quietly during the 45-minute lecture, which included a question-and-answer session. Simcox drew ire from some students during the speech for insinuating that protesters at previous events were actually upset over crackdowns on drug cartels coming from Mexico.''Sometimes I think that's what they're really protesting, is losing their cheap drug supply,'' Simcox said.
Simcox will be at Middle Tennessee State University at 6 p.m. in the State Farm Room of the Business and Aerospace Building. The event is free and open to the public.
Monday, November 5, 2007
And They Tell Us it is No Problem
The Morristown-Hamblen Chamber of Commerce thinks that there is no problem with illegal immigration in Hamblen County.
Here at T-FIRE we are certain of one thing, and it is that the percentage of school populations in Hamblen County Schools that are considered "Hispanic" was not nearly as high as late as five years ago as the Citizen-Tribune (a paper that all but favors illegal immigration) is reporting that they are this year:
Fairview- Marguerite, 33.7 percent Hispanic; Hillcrest, 26.6 percent; Lincoln Heights Elementary, 32.3 percent; and West Elementary, 25.7 percent.
Either there has been a massive influx of new legal immigrants from Mexico and Latin America who have followed the law, a large portion of the population of Puerto Rico have relocated en masse to East Tennessee, or there has been a massive increase in the number of illegal aliens in East Tennessee in the last decade, some of whom have had children while here so that they can milk the system.
What hypothesis do you think most likely?
Here at T-FIRE we are certain of one thing, and it is that the percentage of school populations in Hamblen County Schools that are considered "Hispanic" was not nearly as high as late as five years ago as the Citizen-Tribune (a paper that all but favors illegal immigration) is reporting that they are this year:
Fairview- Marguerite, 33.7 percent Hispanic; Hillcrest, 26.6 percent; Lincoln Heights Elementary, 32.3 percent; and West Elementary, 25.7 percent.
Either there has been a massive influx of new legal immigrants from Mexico and Latin America who have followed the law, a large portion of the population of Puerto Rico have relocated en masse to East Tennessee, or there has been a massive increase in the number of illegal aliens in East Tennessee in the last decade, some of whom have had children while here so that they can milk the system.
What hypothesis do you think most likely?
Alien Sits on Local Jury
Now here is a question to be asked...
According to this Citizen-Tribune report, the woman in question claims to have a Green Card, which if true means that she is legally entitled to live and work in the United States of America, but is NOT a citizen of said United States, or of the State of Tennessee. As a non-citizen, this woman should not be voting.
Perhaps she isn't voting...but as a non-citizen, if she is not on the voter roles of Hamblen County, she should not have been summoned for jury duty.
How did she get a jury summons? It stands to reason that she is on the roles somewhere in the County, and we have no way to know if she is voting or not.
If she is, how many other non-citizens are illegally casting ballots and influencing the process of election that is reserved for sovereign citizens alone? How many illegal aliens are voting? Is it any wonder that members of a certain political party in Nashville oppose mandatory identification for voters, lest a part of their voter-base be suddenly ruled illegal?
___________________________________________________________
By Robert Moore, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
The inadvertent inclusion of a non-U.S. citizen on a Hamblen County grand jury Thursday required an extraordinary legal solution Friday afternoon that averted a complete do-over, officials say.
What was at stake was the integrity of 124 cases against 56 defendants, not counting the secret indictments, which are called presentments.
Criminal Court Judge John F. Dugger resolved the matter and found that all of the indictments and all but one of the presentments the grand jury returned Thursday were valid.
Dugger says state law requires that only 12 votes are required to indict an individual for a crime. The 12-member grand jury also had a voting foreman, June Zeigler, who was sitting in for regular foreman Sam Moore.
After questioning Ziegler under oath, Dugger learned from the grand jury foreman that the votes on all the indictments were unanimous.
That means that even without the non-U.S. citizen’s vote, the district attorney’s office has the necessary 12 votes to proceed with the cases.
A grand jury will consider the presentment that didn’t get 12 votes at a later date.
At one point Thursday morning before an attorney located the 12-vote state law, court personnel feared that the entire day’s work would be lost.
The non-U.S, citizen, a woman with a Hispanic surname, reported that she has a "green card" and has been working legally in the United States for seven years, according to Kathy Mullins, Hamblen County Circuit Court clerk.
Mullins says the woman speaks English well, but apparently didn’t understand that by taking the oath to serve on the grand jury the woman was affirming that she is a citizen and a resident of Tennessee.
Potential grand jurors are randomly chosen from a list of licensed Tennessee drivers supplied by the state Department of Safety, not from voter-registration information.
The court clerk says there was no intentional deception, and the woman will face no charges. Mullins says this is the first and last time that a mix-up of this nature will occur while she remains in office.
"It won’t happen again because we will be more specific in the future," Mullins said. "It caused a great deal of pain because she didn’t say anything (Wednesday)."
What’s not clear, Mullins says, is how the woman learned that her residency status could impact grand jury results. The woman phoned the clerk’s office Friday morning and volunteered the information that she is not a U.S. citizen.
According to this Citizen-Tribune report, the woman in question claims to have a Green Card, which if true means that she is legally entitled to live and work in the United States of America, but is NOT a citizen of said United States, or of the State of Tennessee. As a non-citizen, this woman should not be voting.
Perhaps she isn't voting...but as a non-citizen, if she is not on the voter roles of Hamblen County, she should not have been summoned for jury duty.
How did she get a jury summons? It stands to reason that she is on the roles somewhere in the County, and we have no way to know if she is voting or not.
If she is, how many other non-citizens are illegally casting ballots and influencing the process of election that is reserved for sovereign citizens alone? How many illegal aliens are voting? Is it any wonder that members of a certain political party in Nashville oppose mandatory identification for voters, lest a part of their voter-base be suddenly ruled illegal?
___________________________________________________________
By Robert Moore, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
The inadvertent inclusion of a non-U.S. citizen on a Hamblen County grand jury Thursday required an extraordinary legal solution Friday afternoon that averted a complete do-over, officials say.
What was at stake was the integrity of 124 cases against 56 defendants, not counting the secret indictments, which are called presentments.
Criminal Court Judge John F. Dugger resolved the matter and found that all of the indictments and all but one of the presentments the grand jury returned Thursday were valid.
Dugger says state law requires that only 12 votes are required to indict an individual for a crime. The 12-member grand jury also had a voting foreman, June Zeigler, who was sitting in for regular foreman Sam Moore.
After questioning Ziegler under oath, Dugger learned from the grand jury foreman that the votes on all the indictments were unanimous.
That means that even without the non-U.S. citizen’s vote, the district attorney’s office has the necessary 12 votes to proceed with the cases.
A grand jury will consider the presentment that didn’t get 12 votes at a later date.
At one point Thursday morning before an attorney located the 12-vote state law, court personnel feared that the entire day’s work would be lost.
The non-U.S, citizen, a woman with a Hispanic surname, reported that she has a "green card" and has been working legally in the United States for seven years, according to Kathy Mullins, Hamblen County Circuit Court clerk.
Mullins says the woman speaks English well, but apparently didn’t understand that by taking the oath to serve on the grand jury the woman was affirming that she is a citizen and a resident of Tennessee.
Potential grand jurors are randomly chosen from a list of licensed Tennessee drivers supplied by the state Department of Safety, not from voter-registration information.
The court clerk says there was no intentional deception, and the woman will face no charges. Mullins says this is the first and last time that a mix-up of this nature will occur while she remains in office.
"It won’t happen again because we will be more specific in the future," Mullins said. "It caused a great deal of pain because she didn’t say anything (Wednesday)."
What’s not clear, Mullins says, is how the woman learned that her residency status could impact grand jury results. The woman phoned the clerk’s office Friday morning and volunteered the information that she is not a U.S. citizen.
Employee of Nuclear Plant Had Pipe Bomb in Truck - Facility in LOCKDOWN
A couple of years ago there where about 6 illegal aliens working at Oak Ridge. They had access to a trailer which contained classified documents. Naturally the story to the public was "there is nothing to worry about." Oh really?
Anything Can Happen
Anything Can Happen
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Missouri Enforces the Law and Gets Sued
A company called Sam's Janitorial Service has sued Missouri Governor Matt Blunt.
Why?
Governor Blunt fired Sam's Janitorial Service from its regular position as the service which cleans many Missouri State office buildings. Now, the company that has apparently violated the law says the State of Missouri is guilty of racial discrimination.
"This wasn't one or two people that might have slipped through the cracks of employment verification; this was a large portion of his work force," Blunt said. "I am confident that we have taken the appropriate action, the sort of action that Missouri taxpayers expect and deserve their government to take."
Why?
Governor Blunt fired Sam's Janitorial Service from its regular position as the service which cleans many Missouri State office buildings. Now, the company that has apparently violated the law says the State of Missouri is guilty of racial discrimination.
"This wasn't one or two people that might have slipped through the cracks of employment verification; this was a large portion of his work force," Blunt said. "I am confident that we have taken the appropriate action, the sort of action that Missouri taxpayers expect and deserve their government to take."
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Illegal Aliens Love New York
Remember the fight here in Tennessee during the last legislative session over the "driver certificate program" that allowed illegal aliens to drive?
Apparently the State of New York wants to lure all the illegal aliens there, so that the whole State may harbor them illegally.
Apparently the State of New York wants to lure all the illegal aliens there, so that the whole State may harbor them illegally.
A Bad Dream
ALIPAC ALERT
Senator Harry Reid has brought the Bad Dream Act Amnesty back and is using procedures designed to vote it into law before the nation can react.
While we have defeated the Bad Dream Act Amnesty four times already, Reid has invoked "Rule 14", which allows him to move quickly on the bill and without much debate. He and the AMNESTY supporters have filled the act as a bill this time, instead of trying to amend it onto other legislation.
At the time of this e-mail, our DC sources tell us they plan to vote on the Bad Dream Act Amnesty as early as tomorrow or Wed so you must call today for your voice to be heard! There may be some time on Wed. for you to get your calls in, but do not count on that unless you must.
Please locate your US Senators on our directory at this link....
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict
Call your Senators and say, "This is ______ from (Your city and state) and I am appalled that Senator Reid is pushing the Bad Dream Act AMNESTY again today. This measure has already been defeated four times! I want Senator _______ to vote NO on CLOTURE and NO on S.2205 submitted by Senators Durbin, Hagel, and Lugar. Americans overwhelmingly oppose this legislation and are sick and tired of DC lawmakers pushing Amnesty. I will be watching the cloture votes closely and expect my Senator _____ to vote NO ON CLOTURE"
For those of you who are new, it requires 60 votes in the Senate for Cloture which allows the bill to proceed for a final vote. Our best chance to stop it is by defeating the cloture vote so proper wording is essential.
ICE Won't Let Morristown Police Enforce the Law
MPD officers won’t enforce immigration laws
BY ROBERT MOORE, Tribune Staff Writer
Immigration officials refuse to grant Morristown police officers expanded powers to enforce laws against illegal aliens, in part, because the anticipated caseload increase could choke the system, police say.
Morristown City Council member Mel Tucker, who pushed the initiative, is steamed and adds he’s not taking "no" for an answer.
The Morristown Police Department approached the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency about having two MPD officers trained to perform certain duties of a federal immigration agent.
The so-called 287(g) program would have expanded police powers in two ways, according to Lt. Chris Wisecarver, MPD training officer who was assigned to sort out the details.
First, it would have allowed officers who encounter illegal immigrants during the course of routine police action to document their illegal status and begin deportation proceedings.
In cases of casual contact like a traffic stop, in which an illegal immigrant had committed no crime, the officers could not take the foreign national into custody.
Once an illegal alien was booked into jail, however, the officers would be able to process them into the I.C.E database without relying on a federal agent.
Wisecarver says he was told that MPD officers would not have access to the training by Agent Roland Jones, regional program manager of the 287(g) program.
"He went on to say that the Knoxville I.C.E. office is not equipped to handle transportation of more detained illegals than they currently experience," Wisecarver wrote in a summation to Police Chief Roger Overholt.
Tucker says that when he learned his months-long initiative had hit the wall, he felt "absolute anger."
"This whole issue for me is getting more and more significant," Tucker said Friday. "I think when you have a government — literally — that refuses to enforce the law, that’s the first step toward anarchy. And that’s what our federal government is doing."
The council member says the federal government’s unwillingness to enforce immigration laws is no less absurd than if the police department decided to suspend enforcement of laws against drug trafficking.
"I do not intend to let this issue sit there and say, ‘We just can’t do anything about it,’" the council member added.
Tucker says his next step will be to speak with U.S. Rep. David Davis to get his input on what Congress can do to assist communities like Morristown that are attempting to cope with thousands of suspected undocumented residents.
The vast majority of suspected illegal immigrants in Morristown are Latinos from Mexico and other Central American countries, but Tucker says his beef with the federal government over immigration policy has nothing to do with race or nationality.
Tucker says it’s about enforcing existing laws.
I.C.E agents routinely pick up illegal aliens at the Hamblen County Jail after the inmates finish serving their time.
In most cases, however, the illegal immigrants are given a court date to appear before an immigration judge, then released on their own recognizance.
What normally happens, immigration officials have said, is the illegal immigrants fail to appear in court and continue their lives on the lam.
Wisecarver said that in turning down the MPD for the 287(g) program, I.C.E maintained that the required computer equipment, which could cost as much as $30,000, would be too expensive to support just two officers.
"When asked if things would change if we trained more officers... (Jones) stated not currently," Wisecarver wrote in his summary to the police chief. "The local office just does not have the support personnel to handle it."
I.C.E. falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security. Nearly a third of this year’s DHS $35.6 billion budget is earmarked for improving border security and immigration enforcement.
Neither Jones nor his superior officer, William Black, I.C.E. senior special agent in charge of the 287(g) program in New Orleans, were available for comment Friday.
Wisecarver says that I.C.E.’s current 287(g) focus is on training jail personnel. All 287(g) training slots are filled until mid-2008, according to Wisecarver.
"Agent Jones suggested that we continue to do what we are doing as far as notifying the local I.C.E. officer when a suspected illegal alien is arrested and utilize the local office on operations as we currently do, when possible," Wisecarver wrote in his summation.
"He stated that local agents are already doing exactly what trained local officers would do and we probably would be taking on something that would not be as big a benefit as (we) first thought," Wisecarver added.
The police lieutenant said that I.C.E pointed out that booking an illegal alien into the federal system takes two to three hours, and this would take police off the streets.
Also, after illegal immigrants finish serving their jail terms, they can only be held for 72 hours before they must be shipped to an I.C.E.-certified detention facility.
The closest I.C.E.-certified detention facility to Morristown in the five-state immigration region is in Memphis, 438 miles away.
"I.C.E. doesn’t have enough manpower to do the transportation," Wisecarver said.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
A Law Worth Passing
By James S. Tyree
CNHI News Service
That feeling was deeper for Maria Karalus-Hass, now 20, than most would ever know.
After living several years in the United States illegally, she became a legal resident last August - a status that gives her in-state college tuition, a gateway to better-paying jobs and yes, her driver’s license.
“Oh, it was the biggest relief,” said the Midwest City resident from Venezuela.
Though all her family members are now legal residents, Karalus-Hass still bristles at the idea of illegal immigrants draining public resources and taking jobs from Americans.
“To hear the stories, I mean, wow - we don’t leech off the country,” she said.
But people like Tom Roach say they do. The Coalition to End Taxpayer Subsidies for Illegal Aliens says tightening laws against illegal immigrants is needed not only at the federal level, but also in Oklahoma.
“The state of Oklahoma provides an outrageous pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for the alien who comes here in violation of the law,” he said. “… A free people cannot have laws and governors who allow one class of people free rein to violate the law.”
The debate over how to cut illegal immigration and what to do about immigrants already here is raging throughout the nation and in Oklahoma. The lightning rod in the Sooner State is House Bill 3119.
The legislation, written and championed by Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, would prevent illegal immigrants from receiving public entitlements like food stamps and Medicaid. It also requires state employees outside of education to report illegal immigrants to a law enforcement agency.
Passion for and against state legislation has prompted two rallies outside the state Capitol this weekend. Groups and individuals opposing the legislation will meet noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, followed by a rally organized by Roach’s coalition at 3 p.m. Sunday.
An estimated 10 million to 12 million people live illegally in the United States, including tens of thousands in Oklahoma. The U.S. Census estimates 135,000 foreign-born people living in Oklahoma in 2004, but that figure includes legal and illegal residents.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 1.24 million illegal immigrants were apprehended in 2004. Though they came from nearly 200 countries, about 1.1 million, or 92 percent, came from Mexico.
McAlester police have seen the movement first hand, stopping vehicles filled with illegal immigrants twice in March. Chief Jim Lyles said a police team began monitoring Highway 69 for drug trafficking a few months ago and the project happened to net the two stops.
Neither vehicle had drugs but in the most recent case, a truck was filled with 17 people.
“It doesn’t mean the influx has gone up," Lyles said. "We’re just more aware of it now.”
Terrill’s HB 3119 has other sections that require proof of citizenship or legal residence to get a government-issued ID or to vote, authorizes state and local law enforcement agents to detain illegal immigrants longer until federal agents arrive and repeals a 2003 law that allows illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition and state-sponsored financial aid.
HB 3119 passed the House but won’t get a hearing in the Senate, effectively killing the bill, because co-author Sen. Jeff Rabon, D-Hugo, pulled the bill in committee. Terrill and others say the senator caved to direct or indirect political pressure but Rabon said no.
“We were about to ask agencies to become border control agents - education, medical facilities, Department of Human Services, and on and on, election board offices,” Rabon said. “I’m not so sure they were ready to handle it. I didn’t see any other resources available to them to do that. It was too much, too quick, quite frankly, for me.”
Another failed bill introduced this year, HB 2613, would have required all public employees except emergency personnel to report suspected illegal immigrants.
Terrill’s provisions are far from dead. He is talking with Sen. Kenneth Corn, D-Poteau, about adding sections of HB 3119 into the senator’s bill. SB 1769 would establish an anti-illegal immigration unit within the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
If parts of HB 3119 are added to Corn’s bill, the House and Senate could vote on them sometime in May. Regardless of what happens this year, Terrill said stopping illegal immigration has become a state priority.
“If the federal government will not do its job of protecting our nation’s borders, then it’s clear that the states not only can … but we must and we will,” Terrill said. “The second reason is I am convinced illegal aliens will not come here if there are no jobs waiting on them, and they will not stay here if there is not government subsidy.”
Terrill said the Health Care Authority this week reported illegal immigrants received $7.8 million of Medicaid benefits last year. He didn’t know about the cost to other programs like food stamps.
“In addition to the taxpayer subsidy to the presence of illegal aliens, I do think, in fact, their presence here illegally, as productive as they may be, is a problem,” Terrill said. “The reason why is … that it creates a whole underground economy.”
That economy, he said, drives down wages for jobs Americans would otherwise do for more money.
Cora Curtis, a Choctaw woman who supports the tougher legislation, believes supporting illegal immigrants hurts most people, whether they are taxpayers, low-income Americans, or the immigrants themselves being exploited.
Curtis said she empathizes with people wanting a better life. She is active in a church that sponsors impoverished people, and the small construction and engineering company her husband runs hires immigrants - as long as they’re here legally.
“I do know what it’s like to be poor,” she said. “You have to help, not hinder. We sponsor people and we hire people as long as they obey our laws. It’s un-Christian to hinder them in any way, as long as they obey our laws.”
But many illegal immigrants believe they have no choice. Shirley Cox, an immigration attorney and spokesperson for Catholic Charities, said it could take years for someone to emigrate legally.
“We have a system that allocates a certain number of visas in certain categories, and these categories are all backlogged,” she said. “There are not enough visas and each year you can fall further and further behind.”
Of those categories, the longest wait is for legal residents applying for a visa for a spouse, child under 21 or unmarried son or daughter. The three categories for U.S. citizens applying for someone can involve a lengthy wait, but not as long.
Karalus-Hass gained legal residency last year. She said her father had a well-paying job with IBM and a visa to work in the United States. When President Hugo Chavez came to power in Venezuela, though, the family felt it was time to get out.
They entered the country with legal documents that, except for her dad’s case, eventually expired. Without a valid driver’s license or social security card, Karalus-Hass said, it was difficult to find work, get around and pay for college. She even won a prestigious scholarship taken away when she couldn’t show proof of legal residence.
Her mother borrowed and they all worked to pay about $10,000 in fees and fines to become legal. Karalus-Hass now enjoys the peace of mind of being a legal resident, but she remains concerned about how many view illegal immigrants.
“I think what concerns me is they’re making illegal immigrants out to be a threat,” she said. “They’re not being realistic. Most illegal immigrants are too terrified to apply for anything. It’s not an option for them.
“Where is the fear," she said, "when they’re not taking anything except jobs so demeaning that people on welfare do not accept (them) and the housing is very, very substandard, below the poorest American family? So they shouldn’t feel threatened.”
Corn, whose immigration bill is still alive, said he understands people wanting to come to this country or state to find a better life. The senator said the state must play a role in stopping illegal immigration within its borders.
“The bottom line for Oklahomans is they want everybody to live under the same rules and pay the same taxes and meet the same criteria as every other Oklahoman has to meet,” Corn said. “I think that’s the bottom line.”
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Spineless Republicans and the La Raza War
Why are Republicans so spineless? Love them or hate them, at least thecrazy left is willing to fight for possession of this country.
Look at "LaRaza"-they are openly calling for war against European-Americans. (They don't like blacks much either).
Then there are the attacks by the left against Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, and Rush Limbaugh. Name the Republican that has stood up against these attacks. It certainly wouldn't be Hatch, Graham, McCain, Spector, Martinez, Lugar,Lott, Kyl, Craig, Hagel, Brownback or Ensign. Ten of these twelve are outright turncoats. They would all fit comfortably in the Democratic partyand love giving America to the illegals. So, at best, you have 36-37 Republican Senators and even some of them are suspect.
When you study the numbers you realize why we can't get sensible legislation and why we have to fight like hell to stop a cloture (60+) vote on bad legislation. So will the Republicans have enough votes to sustain a veto of the S-CHIP legislation that increase the current cost from $9 Billion to $32-60Billion? It will be nip & tuck because most of the spineless politicians will not stand up to reign in spending. They will simply vote to buy thevotes they need to get re-elected.
However, there is one hope. If they can convince 22 million non-smokers people to smoke at least a pack a day, they can hold the excess spending to about $20 billion. Guess they're all silent salesman for the cigarette companies. Remember: The major concern with CHAMP & SCHIP (respectively from eachchamber) is that this bill increases illegal immigration costs to Americans.The R. J. reported that 2/3 of the state's children on this program are Spanish Speaking.
Look at "LaRaza"-they are openly calling for war against European-Americans. (They don't like blacks much either).
Then there are the attacks by the left against Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, and Rush Limbaugh. Name the Republican that has stood up against these attacks. It certainly wouldn't be Hatch, Graham, McCain, Spector, Martinez, Lugar,Lott, Kyl, Craig, Hagel, Brownback or Ensign. Ten of these twelve are outright turncoats. They would all fit comfortably in the Democratic partyand love giving America to the illegals. So, at best, you have 36-37 Republican Senators and even some of them are suspect.
When you study the numbers you realize why we can't get sensible legislation and why we have to fight like hell to stop a cloture (60+) vote on bad legislation. So will the Republicans have enough votes to sustain a veto of the S-CHIP legislation that increase the current cost from $9 Billion to $32-60Billion? It will be nip & tuck because most of the spineless politicians will not stand up to reign in spending. They will simply vote to buy thevotes they need to get re-elected.
However, there is one hope. If they can convince 22 million non-smokers people to smoke at least a pack a day, they can hold the excess spending to about $20 billion. Guess they're all silent salesman for the cigarette companies. Remember: The major concern with CHAMP & SCHIP (respectively from eachchamber) is that this bill increases illegal immigration costs to Americans.The R. J. reported that 2/3 of the state's children on this program are Spanish Speaking.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Illegal Aliens Degrade the Environment
At last, a senior official with the Presidential administration that has been among the most friendly to illegal aliens in half a century admits that illegal aliens not only damage the economy, they pose a danger to the environment.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Illegals at McDonald's
It has been said that the illegal immigration problem, while becoming increasingly untenable in other parts of the country, is at its most acute in the American Southwest. Apparently, a number of Nevada McDonald's restaurants got into the habit of hiring illegals and were subsequently raided after an identity theft complaint tipped federal authorities.
I never thought I would say this, but hurrah for the feds!
As for the McDonald's Corporation's reaction:
Lisa Howard, a spokeswoman for McDonald's Corp., based in Oak Brook, Ill., said the company had no comment on the arrests.
"This is a local situation with a local operator," she said.
It really makes one wonder how many McDonald's franchisees in Tennessee are hiring illegals as well.
I never thought I would say this, but hurrah for the feds!
As for the McDonald's Corporation's reaction:
Lisa Howard, a spokeswoman for McDonald's Corp., based in Oak Brook, Ill., said the company had no comment on the arrests.
"This is a local situation with a local operator," she said.
It really makes one wonder how many McDonald's franchisees in Tennessee are hiring illegals as well.
Raid and Then Release
For the life of me, I don't understand how it is that the federal government is supposed to be able to deport illegal aliens after arresting them when they release them into the general population of the Union while the illegals await their deportation hearings.
Why do they do this?
For "humanitarian reasons."
Why do they do this?
For "humanitarian reasons."
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Illegal Aliens Engage in Bootlegging Beer
BY ROBERT MOORE, Tribune Staff Writer
A new state law requiring identification for beer purchases and the abundance of illegal aliens in the Lakeway Area have converged to create a new niche market, Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnagin said this morning.
What apparently was lacking in Hamblen County, the sheriff says, were stores that would sell beer to illegal aliens who don't possess legal identification.
"The Hispanics cannot purchase beer because they don't have IDs so they are opening up their little bootlegging outfits to cater to their fellow Hispanics," Jarnagin said. "We are regressing back to the bootlegging days. That's what it is."
The two entrepreneurs who responded to fill the void in the Hamblen County capitalist landscape allegedly are illegal aliens themselves, according to the sheriff.
Jose Diaz Ortiz, 44, and Pilar P. Perez, 33, allegedly were selling beer from the McDaniel Trailer Park on Fish Hatchery Road, which law enforcement officials sometimes call "Little Mexico."
When Hamblen County Sheriff's Department officials raided the trailer shortly after 2 a.m. today, they confiscated 40 cases of beer, including Corona, Model, Budweiser, Bud Light and Miller, according to the sheriff.
"They had about any kind you would want," Jarnagin said. "You could buy beer 24-7 out there. They were selling it basically at a dollar a beer. The price is not inflated a great amount. It's just serving the population, the illegals."
Authorities also confiscated a .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun.
Both Ortiz and Perez face charges of the illegal sale of alcohol and illegal storage of liquor for sale.
The sheriff said this morning that he would be contacting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents today because neither suspect could provide a valid Social Security number.
Deputy Eric Carson, who led the operation, obtained a search warrant after an undercover informant purchased beer at the trailer on Sunday. In all, the sheriff says, Carson has three undercover buys there.
"It was so heavily populated that our informant had to wait about 15 minutes to get out of the parking lot at one time," Jarnagin said. "Everybody is to be commended on their participation in the search warrant. It went without incident, and nobody got hurt."
The sheriff says Ortiz and Perez were operating a mini-convenience store at the trailer. Sheriff's department officials confiscated receipts of foodstuffs from suppliers in Georgia and Florida, as well as establishments located on South Cumberland Street in Morristown.
Jarnagin says that deputies have been receiving reports of illegal beer sales in Hamblen County for "several months," but it took a long time to recruit an informant and get him inside the alleged Fish Hatchery Road bootlegging operation.
"Criminals, they don't have boundaries," the sheriff said. "We have to act within the boundaries set by the Supreme Court and the Constitution."
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Tennessee Can Do It Too
Living in the shadows: An illegal immigrant tells what life is like and why he's going home
from the Gainesville Times Here
Illegal alien lobby and UNIVISION to hold an early August "family health fair" event in Cobb County. If it is like the one from 2005 ( it will be), it is really a follow the money event. See the promo from GALEO here. See this write-up from the 2005 version. Here. (and here )
Georgia took effective action, and the illegals are packing up and getting out. Tennessee could do the same, if only our leaders had the will to do it!
Georgia took effective action, and the illegals are packing up and getting out. Tennessee could do the same, if only our leaders had the will to do it!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The Reconquista?
(Note: The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Tennesseans for Immigration Reform and Education-T-FIRE. However, this piece does present an alternative view-the notion that the Mexican Government has another reason for encouraging so many of its people to come across the U.S. border illegally. It is worth pondering...)
This is tough news for all peace-loving Americans. But after the illegal immigrant protests over the last year or two, any American who doesn’t now recognize that we are engaged in a war of sorts with Mexican Reconquistas is either practicing aggressive ignorance or has sided with the Reconquistas against the USA.
This state of war exists now just as a state of war existed between the United States and the terrorists before September 11, 2001. Most Americans were too naive to see we were at war before the World Trade Center attacks burned that message into the national consciousness. The terrorists had been making war on the United States for years before 9-11, but we were too comfortable in our illusions to recognize that fact. However, we are no longer so naive.
As Americans, we have relearned a hard lesson since those attacks. We have relearned that we do have enemies in this world.
FIGHTING A WAR IN THE WRONG PLACE?
Thousands of our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. These volunteer heroes are fighting to bring the refreshing waters of Stability, Democracy and Freedom to peoples who before have only known the parched deserts of tyranny and despotism. But while our own current ‘Greatest Generation’ fights across the sea, a foreign occupation force, the Reconquistas, are busy invading the United States of America. War has come to our homeland through our backdoor. We need our heroes to come home to defend us now!
VIVA LA AZTLAN!
Reconquistas are ‘illegal immigrant’ invaders from Mexico who, with their government’s support, are swarming northward, posing as itinerant, slave-wage workers.
The Reconquistas believe that California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and other Southwestern states were ‘stolen’ from them in the First Mexican-American war of 1846. Using history as their excuse, the Reconquistas believe that they can grab undefended American territory for Mexico through policies of ‘illegal immigration,’ invasion, infiltration, intimidation and eventual re-conquest (thus the name ‘Reconquistas).
The Reconquistas already have a name for their future captured American lands… AZTLAN.
This is tough news for all peace-loving Americans. But after the illegal immigrant protests over the last year or two, any American who doesn’t now recognize that we are engaged in a war of sorts with Mexican Reconquistas is either practicing aggressive ignorance or has sided with the Reconquistas against the USA.
This state of war exists now just as a state of war existed between the United States and the terrorists before September 11, 2001. Most Americans were too naive to see we were at war before the World Trade Center attacks burned that message into the national consciousness. The terrorists had been making war on the United States for years before 9-11, but we were too comfortable in our illusions to recognize that fact. However, we are no longer so naive.
As Americans, we have relearned a hard lesson since those attacks. We have relearned that we do have enemies in this world.
FIGHTING A WAR IN THE WRONG PLACE?
Thousands of our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. These volunteer heroes are fighting to bring the refreshing waters of Stability, Democracy and Freedom to peoples who before have only known the parched deserts of tyranny and despotism. But while our own current ‘Greatest Generation’ fights across the sea, a foreign occupation force, the Reconquistas, are busy invading the United States of America. War has come to our homeland through our backdoor. We need our heroes to come home to defend us now!
VIVA LA AZTLAN!
Reconquistas are ‘illegal immigrant’ invaders from Mexico who, with their government’s support, are swarming northward, posing as itinerant, slave-wage workers.
The Reconquistas believe that California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and other Southwestern states were ‘stolen’ from them in the First Mexican-American war of 1846. Using history as their excuse, the Reconquistas believe that they can grab undefended American territory for Mexico through policies of ‘illegal immigration,’ invasion, infiltration, intimidation and eventual re-conquest (thus the name ‘Reconquistas).
The Reconquistas already have a name for their future captured American lands… AZTLAN.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Federal Judge Does Bidding of Unions Rather Than Citizens
Tennesseans for Immigration Reform and Education (T-FIRE) is crusading everyday to see to it that the immigration laws that we already have on the books are enforced in America. The most obvious way to enforce these laws is to run checks on social security numbers to insure that they are held by real citizens, and that people in the workforce are here legally if they can indeed produce such a number.
It sounds simple enough, but a federal judge just made it a whole lot harder.
It sounds simple enough, but a federal judge just made it a whole lot harder.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Amnesty Included in Defense Bill?
After a public outcry stopped the huge amnesty bill this year, its proponents are trying to slip bits and pieces of it into the Department of Defense authorization bill. If they succeed in all their efforts, this exercise in stealth will give them most of the outrageous elements of the "comprehensive" immigration bill that Americans rejected.
The main thrust of this plan is to add the DREAM Act's amnesty provisions as an amendment to the Defense funding bill in the Senate.
The plan would also include an increase in the number of H-2B non-agricultural seasonal visas and an increase in the number of "hi-tech" H-1B visas, both further jeopardizing American jobs for American workers.
Please click here to learn more and to take action
The main thrust of this plan is to add the DREAM Act's amnesty provisions as an amendment to the Defense funding bill in the Senate.
The plan would also include an increase in the number of H-2B non-agricultural seasonal visas and an increase in the number of "hi-tech" H-1B visas, both further jeopardizing American jobs for American workers.
Please click here to learn more and to take action
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