Dustin Inman Society end of year alert – We need your help, please consider a contribution if you are able
As we all take time to reflect on the past year, we offer our sincere wishes for a happy and healthy new year, 2016 for you and your family!
WE NEED HELP PLEASE!
Please consider an end-of-year donation. We will put your tax-deductible gift to good use in 2016. You can click HERE to see how to help us stay active for another year – if you are able. Instructions on how to donate also HERE and (scroll to bottom) HERE.
GOOD NEWS!
While 2015 was a rough year for Americans who take a pro-enforcement position on immigration and border security, we are happy and proud to let you know of an apparent and very important victory.
We have been in constant contact with our U.S. Senators, as they both have the power to stop the confirmation process. I have personally travelled to Washington DC and spoken with several very earnest and helpful senior staffers for Senator David Perdue both in Washington and here in Atlanta. Please see our “The Illegal Alien Lobby: A Beginners Guide to GALEO” that we shared with both U.S. Senator’s offices and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. HERE
Thank you to all of you who helped us by contacting our U.S. Senators offices with a “NO TO DAX LOPEZ!” message!
We are proud to announce that it appears we have won. Inside sources and several news outlets – including the AJC – are confirming the same impressions we have from our contact with senate offices: it looks like GALEO’s Dax Lopez will not be confirmed as a federal judge. This is a direct result of Americans like you speaking up with constant pressure! THANK YOU! We have been doing the happy dance for weeks! The illegal alien lobby is furious!
A federal judge has dismissed requests from a civil rights group to require Gwinnett County and the state to send absentee ballot applications in Spanish.
In a Monday order, Judge William M. Ray II dismissed the case, brought by the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials and other groups, saying that the secretary of state’s office and the Gwinnett elections board didn’t violate the federal Voting Rights Act, as the lawsuit claimed.
“Nonetheless, this Court recognizes that Plaintiffs’ end goal of ensuring that Spanish-speaking Gwinnett voters receive bilingual absentee ballot applications is a reasonable and desirable outcome,” Ray wrote.
He said, though, that GALEO and the other groups lacked the standing to make the case. Ray said in his order that the individuals who said they weren’t sent Spanish-language ballot applications were able to get them from the county, and did vote. He added that a Spanish-language ballot application was accessible on the county website.
Jerry Gonzalez, GALEO’s executive director, said he disagreed with the judge’s analysis…. Read more here.
Note: I have no idea why the text above is so screwy…
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Beginner’s Guide to GALEO from the 2015/2016 Dustin Inman Society campaign to stop the conformation of former GALEO board member Dax Lopez for federal court here.
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Update: Dustin Inman Society board amber Everett Robinson just sent me the below letter to the AJC editor he sent in 2 weeks ago. Believe it or not, they ran part of it! Thanks Ev. Thanks, AJC!
Ev, our neighbor for 35 years and DIS board member addressing the room.
Dear AJC,
In a stunning abuse use of the term, the AJC recently referred to the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) as a “civil rights group” in a news report on their failed lawsuit against Gwinnett County involving foreign language voter ballots.
GALEO, funded by corporate-Georgia, is notorious for its long history of actively fighting against official English for government, voter ID and marching in the streets of Atlanta against immigration enforcement. GALEO has actually lobbied to convince local governments to refuse to honor ICE detainers when dangerous criminal illegal aliens are found to be in local jails and organized rallies against state laws to require public employers to use the federal E-Verify program aimed at insuring illegal labor does not take taxpayer-funded jobs.
As a proud, long-time board member of a citizen-funded group that advocates for an equal application of the law on immigration and for official English for government, this sixty-something, pro-enforcement Black conservative knows a civil rights group when he sees one.
Regarding GALEO: Being anti-official English and anti-enforcement on immigration does not a “civil rights” group make.
Republican Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan has endorsed a candidate for state senate who is a former board member of a leftist organization that lobbies against immigration enforcement, voter ID, ICE holds and official English for government.
State Senate District 31 hopeful Jason Anavitarte served on the board of directors of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) from 2006 to 2009. During that time, GALEO lobbied against passage of the nationally noted SB529, the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act which established a requirement that public employers and their contractors sort out newly hired blackmarket labor with use of the federal employment verification system now known as E-Verify.
The legislation also required state use of the federal 287(g) program that allows local law enforcement to screen jail inmates for immigration status and report illegal alien prisoners to ICE for deportation proceedings. The bill, now law, that GALEO vehemently opposed also requires that local and county governments verify the legal status of people applying for local, state and federal public benefits.
GALEO Executive Director and former Democrat fundraiser, Jerry Gonzalez, drew much attention during the lobbying frenzy against the 2006 state immigration enforcement measure when he escorted self-described illegal aliens into the gold-domed state Capitol telling legislators they should regard the illegal aliens as “constituents.” Gonzalez described the illegals as merely “immigrants.” The staged and pre-announced GALEO transporting and encouragement of the illegals made a memorable note for pro-enforcement groups and news in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
A February Twitter post from Lt. Governor Duncan describes Anavitarte as a “proven conservative…”
Photo: @GeoffDuncanGA Twitter feed
The endorsement from Duncan has raised eyebrows in conservative quarters of the state’s Republican Party not only because GALEO is well known for its corporate-funded opposition to immigration enforcement, but because candidate Anavitarte, now running as a Republican,filed to run for state House in 2006 as a Democrat.
The Lt. Governor also serves as president of the state senate.
Jason Anavitarte. Photo: Rome-News Tribune
Perhaps the most jarring surprise for pro-enforcement voters in Duncan’s endorsement is the fact that in 2016, U.S. Senator David Perdue terminated the Judiciary Committee’s confirmation process of another former GALEO board member and State Court Judge, Dax Lopez, who was nominated for a federal judgeship by former President Barack Obama. Perdue made it clear that his office investigated the nominee’s ties to the controversial GALEO and ended the chances of confirmation because of that relationship.
“After a thorough review of the professional and judicial record of DeKalb County Judge Dax Lopez, I have become uncomfortable with his longstanding participation in a controversial organization including his service on its board of directors” Perdue wrote in his statement on the matter.
The obvious – and many say troubling – difference in judgment between Georgia’s Republican Lt. Governor and its senior U.S. Senator is not going un-noticed by grassroots GOP voters.
According to the left-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than green card holders.
Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, snared a primary endorsement from President Donald Trump in 2018 due in large part to Kemp’s tough talk and campaign promises on illegal immigration. Kemp has not mentioned immigration since the November, 2018 election.
Ballotpedia lists four Republican candidates for Georgia’s senate District 31.
Lt. Governor’s PAC reportedly kicks in $250,000 for narrow victory
Jason Anavitarte, controversial candidate for the Republican ballot in Georgia’s state senate District 31 primary contest has apparently squeaked past opponent Boyd Austin, a former mayor.
Austin has criticized Anavitarte as representing “outside interests” rather than the district; “…a breakdown of Anavitarte’s contributions from both his April 30th report as well as his latest one bear this out. In the April document 94 percent of Anavitarte’s contributions come from outside the district (with many from lobbyists). In the latest report, outside-the-district donations make up 97 percent of Anavitarte’s total. Only six individuals in the district gave a monetary contribution” according to a July note at Insider Advantage Georgia.
As of August 22, the Secretary of State website still shows results of the August 11TH primary contest as “Unofficial Results – Totals may not include all Absentee or Provisional Ballots” but watchers agree that Anavitarte will likely prevail in the final vote tally.
UPDATE: Final and official results show that Anavitarte won 10,574 to 10,348, a margin of 226 votes.
Anavitarte has drawn considerable attention since it was revealed that from 2006 -2009 he served on the board of the radical GALEO Inc. GALEO is well known as a corporate-fundedforce against immigration enforcement, ICE holds, 287(g), voter ID and official English. In 2006, the same year Anavitarte joined the board of directors, GALEO teamed with the ACLU, MALDEF, and the ADL in a protest rally against state immigration enforcement.
GALEO Director Jerry Gonzalez has illustrated the group’s mission with antics such as escorting admitted illegal aliens into the Georgia senate Chamber in an effort to stop passage of a 2006 bill, the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act (SB529) – aimed at reducing Georgia’s attractiveness as a destination for illegal immigration. Gonzalez has also been criticized for badgering a diminutive female state Rep, Katie Dempsey, for her pro-enforcement position on E-Verify in a Rome, Ga. public forum.
GALEO’s Jerry Gonzalez. Photo: Dustin Inman Society
In early 2016, another former GALEO board member and state court judge, Dax Lopez, was passed over for confirmation after an Obama nomination for a lifetime seat on the federal bench due to his ties to GALEO. This writer was proudly credited with leading the opposition to the Lopez nomination with the research series ‘A Beginner’s Guide to GALEO’ posted on the Dustin Inman Society website in 2015 and 2016.
On its political blog, the Atlanta Journal Constitution has reported that a PAC, ‘Advance Georgia,’ founded by Georgia’s Republican Lt. Governor and president of the senate Geoff Duncan helped Anavitarte’s slim victory with a $250,000 infusion:
“Jason Anavitarte might owe Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan a thank-you note for his apparent narrow GOP runoff victory over Boyd Austin in the contest to replace state Sen. Bill Heath, R-Bremen. The lieutenant governor’s PAC pumped about $250,000 into Anavitarte’s bid. He’s currently up by about 200 votes – a 1% margin says the liberal AJC Political Insider blog.
Georgia’s Lt. Governor and President of the Senate, Geoff Duncan. Photo: AJC.
“Jason Anavitarte is a former member of the Paulding County School Board and candidate for Senate District 31 in the Georgia Legislature. Most recently, Jason served as Senior Adviser of Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan’s campaign and served on the state finance committee for Governor Brian Kemp during the 2018 election. Jason has been named one of the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia” according to Anavitarte’s campaign website, Campaign website (August 19, 2020).
Anavitarte, who has described himself as an admirer and supporter of Senator Marco Rubio, is a former Doraville City Council member and in 2005 filed to run for the state House as a Democrat. In the recent primary he was endorsed by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and originally did not mention illegal immigration on his campaign site as an issue.
That changed after he drew the attention of pro-enforcement conservatives and the media. He now has stated policy positions on immigration that are curiously tailored to a candidate for federal office as opposed to a state senate seat, but has assured voters he is supports legal immigration without offering limits. From JasonAnavitarte.com:
“I support legal immigration and I want to see our current immigration laws upheld. I support the following reforms:
End chain migration. Stop the original immigrant from petitioning to bring their extended families into the USA.
Move to a merit-based skill categories system. This system would put an emphasis on education and skill as a basis for acceptance into the country.
Reform welfare. Deny welfare to anyone with a green card or visa.
NO AMNESTY! Enforcement of deportation will stop people from coming to our borders.
I support the use of e-verify by our businesses. We need to hire people that are legal to work here in Georgia.
No in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.”
Lt Governor Duncan’s PAC was the topic of AJC coverage in October, which included the observation: “the financial haul could also help Duncan exert more influence over a fractious Republican caucus that sporadically sparred during his first legislative session. Duncan said he preferred to view it as a “partnership” to support Republicans.”
According to the most recent estimates from DHS, Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than Arizona and enforcement of laws designed to deny jobs, benefits and services to illegals is routinely ignored by the Republicans who have run the state for *more than a decade nearly two decades.
Anavitarte and his committee and floor votes on illegal immigration-related matters will be the focus of much attention from conservative writers and voters when he becomes a state senator.
DIS educational poster from 2015/2016 during the Dax Lopez confirmation battle. Lopez was denied the confirmation by U.S. Senator David Perdue because of his association with the anti-enforcement GALEO Inc.
The below letter to Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan was forwarded here this morning by DIS friend Mr. Robert Trent. If I find time later, I will insert some informational links. (I found the time. Links added 1:00 PM)
I am a retired Senior Special Agent of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (USINS). I have served on metropolitan area drug, and organized crime task forces for many years and have supervised special agents assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force. In addition, I spent ten years as a uniformed border patrol agent assigned to both the northern and southern borders. My final assignment was as the Assistant Director, Enforcement Training, U.S. Immigration Officer Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, GA.
Because of a heads up from my friend D.A. King at the Dustin Inman Society, I have personally researched Anavitarte and can see that he was deeply involved with a leftist group known as ‘GALEO’ that is dedicated to working against immigration enforcement both here and in Washington D.C. Anavitarte is listed on the GALEO website as a ‘Founding Friend’ – along with that all-American luminary, Jane Fonda.
A personal endorsement of a candidate who was part of the GALEO effort to fight not only immigration enforcement but also voter ID, official English legislation and lobbied directly in the Gold Dome against legislation that required the use of the E-Verify system to protect public jobs for a legal workforce is stunning in it’s lack of logic or conservative values.
The AJC reported that in 2006, Jerry Gonzalez, GALEO’s executive director actually took admitted illegal aliens into the state Capitol and then into the senate chamber in an effort to kill then pending SB529, a bill aimed at our illegal immigration crisis that became law. Anavitarte continued his association with GALEO for another three years.
D.A. King has done a stellar job over the years documenting the anti-enforcement activities of GALEO Inc. He provided his detailed research to Senator David Perdue in 2015 during the confirmation process of an Obama nominee for federal court, Dax Lopez, who was also a former GALEO board member. Senator Perdue terminated that confirmation process citing his concern with the GALEO connection.
Part of the statement Sen. Perdue released in early 2016 announcing his disapproval of the candidate for a federal judge seat: “After a thorough review of the professional and judicial record of DeKalb County Judge Dax Lopez, I have become uncomfortable with his longstanding participation in a controversial organization including his service on its board of directors.”
I urge you to read the entire statement and I urge you to reconsider your support of Jason Anavitarte for membership in the state senate where legislation will hopefully address the fact that Georgia has a serious and illegal immigration problem
Jobs and wages are going to illegal aliens in our state and American families are being damaged and sometimes permanently separated because we are not doing enough to make Georgia inhospitable to illegal aliens and the illegal employment that acts as a magnet to draw them into Georgia.
Your decision to endorse anyone with ties to GALEO shows poor judgment and has damaged my own opinion of you as Lt. Governor and President of the Senate. Anavitarte’s decision to serve on the GALEO board shows his own lack of good judgment and creates great doubt about his dedication to conservative ideals, including immigration enforcement a cause to which I have dedicated most of my life.
“Before the Lopez ordeal, GALEO had routinely attracted high-profile Republican officials to its gatherings, including Gov. Nathan Deal and Attorney General Sam Olens. Some of those visits dried up after the judicial tussle.
But (John) King’s appointment could mean the end of the Georgia GOP’s ostracization of the group – a necessary first step if Republicans intend to court Hispanic votes in the future.”
damage the reputation of (someone) by false accusations; slander.
“someone was trying to smear her by faking letters”
synonyms:
sully, tarnish, besmirch, blacken, drag through the mud/mire, stain, taint, damage, defame, discredit, defile, vilify, malign, slander, libel, stigmatize, calumniate.
There is a difference between immigrants and illegal aliens. Opposition to illegal immigration is not “anti-immigrant” (for the 1000098888th time).
Many anti-enforcement race-hustlers, including the SPLC, George Chidi and GALEO’s Jerry Gonzalez are again spreading various versions of the lie that in 2007 I went to Covington, Ga. and told a room full of curious people that immigrants are here to “blow up your buildings and kill your children, and you, and me.”
This is an intentional lie and uses the common practice of the left of redefining the English language, and taking a few words out of context to wield as a smear weapon to silence pro-enforcement advocates.
At a 2007 GOP meeting where I was invited to speak on illegal immigration I was in a segment of my presentation that mentioned what the MSM or the illegal alien lobby will never allow the public to know: Individuals from countries with known ties to terrorism are coming over our borders illegally. It was true then and it is true now. Here is a quick link from 2016.
To be clear for the slow: I am saying that some illegal aliens – both illegal border crossers and visa violation or overstays – come from terrorist countries and they are not all here to work on the cheap. I am not talking about legal immigrants. The leftist media and the corporate-funded illegal alien lobby constantly try to blur the line between the two.
I had recently returned from one of my many trips to the Arizona/Mexico border where Border Patrol Agents confirmed that fact for us.
A reporter from the local newspaper was present for my speech and wrote the meeting up. Here is a part of his story in which he quotes me:
“The porous border with Mexico is especially dangerous, he added, saying that it has been an entrance point for people from countries with known ties to terrorism.
“They’re not here to mow your lawn — they’re here to blow up your buildings and kill your children, and you, and me,” he said.
To prove his point, he flaunted two authentic Mexican government-issued photo ID cards — called matriculas consulares — that he said he was able to get using fake Mexican birth certificates. One of them lists his name; the other is under the name “Al Qada Gonzalez.” ( Note from D.A. – no, mine, like many, are fake)Current enforcement is so lax, he said, that the cards can be used in some states to obtain valid drivers licenses and board airplanes.
Georgia, which has seen a large influx of illegal immigration in recent years, should also be prepared to become a new front for problems with employment and crime that have been seen in border states, he said.”
This is not the first time this fabrication has come up. Several months after the Covington speech, GALEO’s Jerry Gonzalez began his campaign to convince people I made the statement about “immigrants.” That lie was passed on by the AJC’s Jim Galloway in his Political Insider blog – using the term “reportedly.” When I saw it, I called Galloway and explained GALEO’s intent to create fake news, sent him the Covington news report reflecting what I actually said and asked him to run a correction and explanation of the out-of-context smear he had helped perpetuate.
I never heard another word about it from Jim Galloway and it was never corrected to my knowledge.
This is just one example of how the media helps pass on lies about honest Americans who fight for immigration enforcement and secure borders. I have to spend time correcting lies and defending my reputation because the “watchdog media” is anything but.
Below Democrat politician explains the “wrap up smear.”
Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director of the corporate-funded, anti-enforcement lobbyist group, GALEO, was quick to send out a media release praising the “historic” appointment and boasting that King had assisted the activist group as keynote speaker at a GALEO breakfast fundraiser several years ago.
“Congrats to Chief King, close friend of @GALEOorg !” was the much-repeated celebratory post on the GALEO Facebook page.
Kemp’s Insurance Commissioner appointee has no background or experience in the insurance industry.
DeKalb State Court Judge Dax Lopez. Image: Daily Signal
Perhaps unknown to most Republican voters, in addition to marching in the streets of Atlanta against enforcement of existing federal laws on immigration, GALEO and its director are well-known in the state Capitol for lobbying against state legislation aimed at reporting criminal aliens to federal authorities and establishing an official database of illegal aliens serving time in the state’s prison system.
GALEO lobbies against voter ID, official English and local jails honoring ICE detainers. Executive Director Gonzalez is known to verbally attack female legislators when he does not approve of speeches or positions on illegal immigration. In 2011, Gonzalez posted this angry explanation of being asked to leave the Georgia Capitol when he lashed out at state Senator Renee Unterman for a speech she made on the floor of the senate.
GALEO online poster opposing 2018 legislation to improve reporting of illegal aliens to federal authorities
In 2011, GALEO’s Gonzalez was escorted out of a Rome, Georgia luncheon that featured a panel discussion on immigration when he began yelling at diminutive state Rep Katie Dempsey as reported by the Rome News Tribune.
“Gov. Brian Kemp announced four new Superior Court judgeships Friday – but the list was just as notable for a potential jurist who was passed over for a promotion.
That would be DeKalb State Court Judge Dax Lopez,a Latino Jewish Republican who was seeking a superior court seat.
Lopez was blocked by U.S. Sen. David Perdue from a federal judgeship after anti-illegal immigration activists in Georgia objected to his leadership in a group that opposed local government participation in 287(g) programs.
Some of those same forces oppose his bid for the new county post.
Kemp tappedanother state court judge, Shondeana C. Morris, for the post.
A former Fulton County prosecutor and assistant Atlanta solicitor, Kemp said she “offers the ideal set of legal expertise and leadership skills for this critically important position.”
The Dustin Inman Society worked very hard to organize resistance to GALEO’s Dax Lopez (now a state court judge) being appointed to superior court by Governor Kemp. The announcement that Lopez did not get the promotion came this morning. We are grateful to all who took time to write, call, email, and tweet Gov. Brian Kemp urging him to pass over GALEO’s anti-enforcement judge for advancement. Thank you, Gov. Kemp!
Letter to the editor today in the MDJ. I don’t subscribe and cannot read it through the pay wall, so thanks to Sue for sending it along.
Marietta Daily Journal
OPINION
May 31, 2019
DEAR EDITOR:
Kevin Foley giving Sheriff Warren advice on the subversive and race-baiting GALEO Corporation is another example of the uninformed leftist writer looking up and talking down. GALEO, led by the perpetually angry and professional-victim Jerry Gonzalez, is yet another corporate-funded anti-borders group that has a widely known reputation in political circles for smearing political enemies.
Maybe Foley was among the past crowds that GALEO has led in marches in the streets of Atlanta protesting any immigration enforcement. GALEO particularly hates 287(g) because it detects and reports illegal aliens already captured for other crimes.
Foley’s advice to the sheriff to “engage” rather than “condemn” illustrates that Foley writes from a jerking knee and not any basis in knowledge or experience.
Gonzalez, the boss face of GALEO since its creation in 2003, has accused Warren of bias and prejudice for simply carrying out his sworn duty to protect all Cobb residents. Gonzalez has also falsely smeared pro-immigration enforcement legislators for legislation that would reduce the effects of the illegal aliens GALEO is dependent on to keep the corporate donations flowing. Gonzalez was thrown out of a Rome, Georgia, event by police several years ago for chasing and verbally attacking the diminutive state Rep Katie Dempsey. There is a long history of GALEO radicalism including lobbying against official English, voter ID, and E-Verify — while transporting illegal aliens to the state Capitol.
GALEO lobbied against jails honoring ICE detainers for criminal illegals.
In short, GALEO is a typical subversive and radical but innocuously named anti-borders activist corporation. While that may be right up Foley’s alley, he should at least have the facts before he offers advice to Sheriff Warren.
State Court Judge Dax Lopez served as a board member for eleven years while Jerry Gonzalez led GALEO in the above described activities. He was as silent as mouse, except when he personally wrote Gov. Deal to veto a bill against illegal aliens driving with no license.
In 2016, Dax Lopez was denied a federal court seat because of the courage of Georgia’s Sen. David Perdue, who investigated the facts brought to him by D.A. King on GALEO directly from the GALEO website, much of which has now been deleted. A long list of very respected legislators and other officials including Sheriff Warren wrote to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advising against Dax Lopez.
This is @SamAguilarATL who now is State Director for FWD.us in Georgia. He is a former GALEO staffer.
2015 Late in the legislative session. At night, on the 4th floor of the GA Capitol. This bizarre character, Sam Aguilar, walked up and introduced himself with an odd smirk. As I shook his hand he informed me he worked for GALEO, which is one of the many corporate-funded anti-enforcement immigration lobby groups in GA. Warning, if you shake hands with this nutball, have a towel handy, his hands are miserably sweaty. After I walked away, I noticed he was following me, so I reversed direction to be sure. Sure enough, he was right on my tail. He stayed about 4 feet behind me for about 10 minutes around the building, with people everywhere, including when I went into the men’s room.
I finally told a Capitol Police officer what was up and handed my phone to a friend to record Stalker Boy Sam Aguilar. What you see here is the last minute of me, then age 63, being stalked by a paid GALEO anti-borders, millenial activist – in public. The Capitol Police officer was just about to get involved and Stalker Boy decided to slow down his tail. But he still had the weird smirk. I suppose in lefty-land this is considered revenge for my pro-enforcement work to make GA. inhospitable to the crime of illegal immigration. To be clear. Stalker Boy Sam Aguilar is a very strange egg.
