Gwinnett begins fast-track deportations next monthBy ANDRIA SIMMONS , MARY LOU PICKEL

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Hundreds of Gwinnett County inmates who are in the country illegally will be fast-tracked for deportation once federal immigration officials begin a 26-day “surge” to screen foreign nationals.

The surge will begin Jan. 12, with federal immigration officials working in 15-person teams from 6 a.m. to midnight at the Gwinnett jail, said Stacey Bourbonnais, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department.

Recent headlines:

Gwinnett to begin fast-track deportations
Gwinnett downsizes sales tax estimates
Cops: Defendant set up drug rip-off, fatal shooting
• Gwinnett County news

The surge is the latest step in an effort to forge a partnership between the county and the federal government that would allow local jailers to begin deportation paperwork.

During the surge, agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will check the immigration status of all foreign-born inmates booked into the jail regardless of their claim to citizenship. Inmates here illegally will be processed for removal to their home country, Bourbonnais said.

Gwinnett has been waiting since March for approval from ICE to begin training deputies to flag illegal immigrants who are arrested — no matter the offense — for deportation.

“This hopefully will bring us one step closer in getting the green light on that program and will give ICE an idea of the approximate numbers they would be receiving from our jail,” said Gwinnett Sheriff Butch Conway. “I’m very pleased that ICE has committed these resources to Gwinnett County and our citizens.”

The Sheriff’s Department currently does not track inmates’ immigration status, but it does count which ones are foreign-born. So far this year, 14,084 foreign nationals have been booked into the jail, and department officials estimate that about 60 percent of them are here illegally.

HERE

HERE

New York Times Editorial

Open-borders newspaper ecstatic over nomination of illegal alien cheerleaders

“…If Mr. Obama’s team is confirmed, the country will have a homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, and a commerce secretary, Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who understand the border region and share a well-informed disdain for foolish, inadequate enforcement schemes like the Bush administration’s border fence. And it will have a labor secretary, Hilda Solis of California, who, as a state senator and congresswoman, has built a reputation as a staunch defender of [illegal aliens] and workers… HERE

Homeland Security forecasts 5-year threat picture
December 24, 2008
Associated Press

By EILEEN SULLIVAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The terrorism threat to the United States over the next five years will be driven by instability in the Middle East and Africa, persistent challenges to border security and increasing Internet savvy, says a new intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press.

Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks are considered the most dangerous threats that could be carried out against the U.S. But those threats are also the most unlikely because it is so difficult for al-Qaida and similar groups to acquire the materials needed to carry out such plots, according to the internal Homeland Security Threat Assessment for the years 2008-2013.

The al-Qaida terrorist network continues to focus on U.S. attack targets vulnerable to massive economic losses, casualties and political “turmoil,” the assessment said.

Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction remains “the highest priority at the federal level.” Speaking to reporters on Dec. 3, Chertoff explained that more people, such as terrorists, will learn how to make dirty bombs, biological and chemical weapons. “The other side is going to continue to learn more about doing things,” he said.

Marked “for official use only,” the report does not specify its audience, but the assessments typically go to law enforcement, intelligence officials and the private sector. When determining threats, intelligence officials consider loss of life, economic and psychological consequences.

Intelligence officials also predict that in the next five years, terrorists will try to conduct a destructive biological attack. Officials are concerned about the possibility of infections to thousands of U.S. citizens, overwhelming regional health care systems.

There could also be dire economic impacts caused by workers’ illnesses and deaths. Officials are most concerned about biological agents stolen from labs or other storage facilities, such as anthrax.

“The threat of terrorism and the threat of extremist ideologies has not abated,” Chertoff said in his year-end address on Dec. 18. “This threat has not evaporated, and we can’t turn the page on it.”

These high-consequence threats are not the only kind of challenges that will confront the U.S. over the next five years.

Terrorists will continue to try to evade U.S. border security measures and place operatives inside the mainland to carry out attacks, the 38-page assessment said. It also said that they may pose as refugees or asylum seekers or try to exploit foreign travel channels such as the visa waiver program, which allows citizens of 34 countries to enter the U.S. without visas.

Long waits for immigration and more restrictive European refugee and asylum programs will cause more foreigners to try to enter the U.S. illegally. Increasing numbers of Iraqis are expected to migrate to the U.S. in the next five years; and refugees from Somalia and Sudan could increase because of conflicts in those countries, the assessment said.

Because there is a proposed cap of 12,000 refugees from Africa, officials expect more will try to enter the U.S. illegally as well. Officials predict the same scenario for refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Intelligence officials predict the pool of radical Islamists within the U.S. will increase over the next five years due partly to the ease of online recruiting means. Officials foresee “a wave of young, self-identified Muslim ‘terrorist wannabes’ who aspire to carry out violent acts.”

The U.S. has already seen some examples of these homegrown terrorists. Recently five Muslim immigrants were convicted of plotting to massacre U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix in a case the government said demonstrated its post-Sept. 11 determination to stop terrorist attacks in the planning stages.

The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah does not have a known history of fomenting attacks inside the U.S., but that could change if there is some kind of “triggering” event, the Homeland assessment cautions.

A 2008 Interagency Intelligence Committee on Terrorism assessment said that Hezbollah members based in the U.S. do local fundraising through charity projects and criminal activity, like money laundering, smuggling, drug trafficking, fraud and extortion, according to the homeland security assessment.

In addition, the cyber terror threat is expected to increase over the next five years, as hacking tools become more sophisticated and available. “Youthful, Internet-savvy extremists might apply their online acumen to conduct cyber attacks rather than offer themselves up as operatives to conduct physical attacks,” according to the assessment.

Currently, Islamic terrorists, including al-Qaida, would like to conduct cyber attacks, but they lack the capability to do so, the assessment said. The large-scale attacks that are on al-Qaida’s wishlist — such as disrupting a major city’s water or power systems — require sophisticated cyber capabilities that the terrorist group does not possess.

But al-Qaida has the capability to hire sophisticated hackers to carry out these kinds of attacks, the assessment said. And federal officials believe that in the next three to five years, al-Qaida could direct or inspire cyber attacks that target the U.S. economy.

Counterterrorism expert Frank Cilluffo says the typical cyber attack would not achieve al-Qaida’s main goal of inflicting mass devastation with its resulting widespread media coverage. However, al-Qaida is likely to continue to rely on the Internet to spread its message, said Cilluffo, who runs the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University.

Officials also predict that domestic terrorists in the forms of radical animal rights and environmental extremists will become more adept with explosives and increase their use of arson attacks.

MORE HERE

Merry Christmas!!

Associated Press

New jobless claims jump more than expected

New claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, the government said Wednesday, while consumers cut back on their spending for the fifth straight month amid a deepening recession. — The Labor Department reported that initial requests for jobless benefits rose to a seasonally adjusted 586,000 in the week ending Dec. 20…

HERE

For anyone who doesn’t get it, these Communists are saying that we should add more than 20 million illegal aliens to our health care system because they are “Latino” – and that anyone who can make it into what remains of our nation can access that taxpayer funded care.

In any langauge they demand

“We, as organizations that represent diverse Latinos from across the nation, must ensure that any healthcare reform proposal seriously being considered must take into the account the hard realities that Latino families face every day and ensure that proposals guarantee access to an inclusive health care system that provides comprehensive quality care and address health disparities. To this end, we articulate a common set of principles that we believe are central to any health reform agenda. They are:

An Inclusive Health Care System
– Guarantees accessible healthcare for all people residing in the USA and territories.
– Ensures real world affordability that takes into account the economic realities of our community and that does not ration or segregate healthcare coverage or services based on income.

Comprehensive Quality Care:
– Requires a package of comprehensive care available to everyone that is not dependent on health status, income, or ability to pay that includes preventive services, and treatment and long-term supportive services for serious and chronic conditions.
– Encompasses a clear strategy for developing the quality workforce required to provide high quality care and ensuring it’s adequately distributed, especially in underserved communities.

Addressing Health Disparities:
– Demands a financial commitment to directly address pervasive health disparities with targeted prevention and treatment programs.
– Includes concrete plan for ensuring the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate care…”

SIGNATORIES : (Partial List) Latinos for National Health Insurance

League of United Latin American Citizens
National Council of La Raza
Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund
Service Employee International Union
National Hispanic Council on Aging
National Puerto Rican Coalition
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Latina Health Network
District Council 37/ AFSCME, New York
Universal Health Care Foundation Connecticut
National Minority AIDS Council
Alianza Dominicana
Center for the Health of Urban Minorities, New York
Midwest Latino Health Research Center, Chicago
Raul Yzaguirre, Executive Director
Center for Community Development and Civil Rights, Phoenix

Media Contact:
Dr. Jaime R. Torres
917.304.6886
jtorres@LatinosNHI.org

HERE. ( From Comrade Sam Zamarripa’s Website run by Gerardo Gonzalez)

BLACK CLERGY OPPOSE 287(g) in Gwinnett County
Found in Press Release
Written by ABLE
Posted on 2008-12-22

BLACK CLERGY OPPOSE 287(g)in Gwinnett County

For immediate release

Concerned Black Clergy (CBC) will hold a press conference on Monday, December 22, 2008 at 11:30 AM at Vicars Community Center, 838 Cascade Road, Atlanta, GA 30310, to announce their opposition to Gwinnett Countys implementation of section 287(g) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. Gwinnett Sheriff Butch Conway has applied for his county to participate in the program. CBC believes that 287(g) leads to racial profiling and disruption of families. They will be joined by a representative from Gwinnetts immigrant community who will share her perspective on 287(g).

Atlanta, GA, December 22, 2008 – – The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, Section 287(g), offers training to local law enforcement in identifying illegal immigrants and gives them the authority to enforce certain laws in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security. At the current time, Cobb County, Hall County, Whitfield County and Georgia State Police have obtained Memoranda of Agreement for participation in 287(g). CBC feels that 287(g) seriously increases the risk of illegal racial profiling, which has already been reported by some Latino churches in Gwinnett County. The agreement leads to the deportation of mothers and fathers of U.S. citizen children. We must address the issue of illegal immigration in ways that protect the security of the United States, keep criminals out of our country, but also provide a path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants who came to this country seeking a better life and have broken no laws since their arrival. We believe immigration is a complex issue that is best addressed at the FEDERAL level.

It is imperative that we unite with our Latino brothers and sisters who are facing unprecedented scapegoating in light of our national economic crisis. There is enough room at the table for all of us. Black, Brown, Yellow, Red, and White must unite for our common interests and goals. CBC asks other members of the African American community to stand with us in support of our Latino brothers and sisters as we join together to stop 287(g) in metropolitan Atlanta.

CBC is an organization of primarily Black ministers (and laity) of predominantly Black congregations in Metropolitan Atlanta. Our mission is to speak as a prophetic voice to the issues and concerns of the Black community.

For further information, please contact:

Reverend Darrell D. Elligan, President

Concerned Black Clergy

838 Cascade Road

Atlanta, GA 30310

404-755-4900 Phone, 404-799-8623 Phone

404-755-9922 Fax

pastorddelligan@bellsouth.net

www.concernedblackclergy.org

Rich Pellegrino likely to welcome these victimized “immigrants”

All three men are being held in Cobb County Jail with no bond. The three also have ICE holds on them for possible immigration violations, said Nancy Bodiford, spokeswoman for the Cobb Sheriff’s Office.

Marietta Daily Journal
Police bust meth lab

Published: 12/24/2008

By Talia Mollett
tmollett@mdjonline.com

COBB COUNTY – The Marietta/Cobb/Smyrna (MCS) Narcotics Unit arrested three men and broke up a methamphetamine lab in southern Cobb County early this month, law enforcement sources say.

The unit, working with local Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents and the FBI Gang Task Force, seized 51 pounds of methamphetamine, eight pounds of cocaine and assorted laboratory items and precursors from a house at 3505 Windy Ridge Parkway, near where Interstates 75 and 285 meet, according to arrest warrants.

Agents also found 100 pounds of liquid methamphetamines or cocaine at the house, according to warrants.

Irvin Monje Maldonado, 19, Geder Arroyo, 24, and Emerich Arroyo-Mata, 27, were arrested on multiple charges of trafficking methamphetamine and cocaine. All listed the Windy Ridge house as their address.

According to the warrants for the men, agents were conducting surveillance on the house for several hours on Dec. 5 when Maldonado left in a 2004 Honda Odyssey van. The Sandy Springs Police Department pulled over Maldonado some time later and found a hidden compartment in the van. Such compartments are commonly used to transport drugs, Maldonado’s warrant states.

Agents also watched Arroyo and Arroyo-Mata sell cocaine to a Hispanic woman in the complex, according to the warrants.

All three men are being held in Cobb County Jail with no bond. The three also have ICE holds on them for possible immigration violations, said Nancy Bodiford, spokeswoman for the Cobb Sheriff’s Office.

HERE

When I have time to find the orginal version, I will post it here.
Use of ‘E-Verify’ should be mandatory

How bad is the U.S. economy? It is soooo bad that Cynthia Tucker has written a column declaring that the incoming chief of the Department of Homeland Security should secure American borders (“Homeland security now means jobs,” @issue, Dec. 14). The dangerously negative effect of black-market labor on the wages and job availability for American workers in their own country is so bad that Tucker is now writing that Americans should not have to compete with illegal aliens for jobs in America.

It is so clear that the federal government must actually enforce our immigration and employment laws that Tucker is calling for the imprisonment of the now mostly unpunished criminal employers who draw most illegals into our nation.

The supereffective federal employment verification database called “E-Verify” that can prevent the hiring of illegal labor must be reauthorized and refunded by March of 2009. It is important that its use be made mandatory for all employers in the nation.

D.A. KING

King is president of the Marietta-based Dustin Inman Society, which opposes illegal immigration and illegal employment.

HERE

Tucker’s column HERE and below
Homeland security now means jobs
Sunday, December 14, 2008

If Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano becomes secretary of homeland security next year, she’ll need to scramble to secure the nation’s southern border. Not from terrorists, but from illegal immigrants.

Since the construction industry began hemorrhaging jobs last year, many undocumented workers who helped to build houses, condominiums and office complexes have returned to their native countries. Since they could no longer find work, they left. That’s among the reasons that illegal immigration was barely mentioned in the general election campaign.

CYNTHIA TUCKER
MY OPINION

• E-mail Tucker
But President-elect Barack Obama has promised a vast jobs program that will prove tempting to laborers in neighboring countries. And the surest way to wreck Obama’s economic recovery plans would be to allow illegal immigrants to take the government-funded jobs intended for Americans.

Even without that added controversy, the civic fabric will become increasingly frayed as the economy grows worse. Whenever people feel threatened or insecure, they retreat to tribal alliances — each ethnic group looking with suspicion on others. That’s a primal instinct likely to produce friction in a country as diverse as this. If that instinct is fueled by the presence of illegal workers, scapegoating will explode into savagery.

As Napolitano works to tighten the borders, she will be swimming against a current that has swept Mexicans, Hondurans, Guatemalans and other immigrants into this country’s labor pool — a current supercharged by lax border security, cheating employers and, yes, choosy Americans who don’t like manual labor.

Back when the economy was better, many skilled workers — painters, bricklayers, plumbers — complained that their jobs were being taken by cheaper laborers. There was undoubtedly some truth to that. Many construction bosses and highway paving contractors were eager to use low-cost laborers who wouldn’t complain about substandard working conditions. That’s why so many of the construction accidents that were frequent during the boom years involved workers with names such as Ramirez and Valdez, men who wouldn’t be likely to complain to federal safety regulators (if they survived).

However, it’s also true that native-born workers have grown accustomed to indoor jobs that don’t require backbreaking labor in frigid cold, pouring rain or hellish heat. While our grandparents and parents accepted whatever jobs they could find — digging ditches, planting and harvesting crops, painting houses, pushing wheelbarrows — my generation has believed in an upward mobility that left that sort of work to immigrants.

In December 2006, when construction was still a go-go industry, NBC’s Tom Brokaw interviewed Mark Gould, owner of a small Colorado construction company, for a special report on illegal immigration. Gould told Brokaw that he wanted to hire legally, but he struggled to find enough workers for his growing business.

“We are turning down proposals, requests for proposals, every week because we don’t have the employees,” Gould said.

He also insisted his employees were fairly compensated.

“If you’re giving the guy 14 or 15 bucks an hour, (if) you’re paying him overtime, you’re paying him 50 hours a week, and he’s bringing home 7-800 bucks. He is not one of those abused guys,” Gould said. But not many Americans wanted those jobs, he told Brokaw.

Perhaps an economy in free fall will spur Americans to take dirty and difficult jobs they wouldn’t have considered before. Perhaps the jobs market has grown so dire and the bills piled up so high that unemployed Americans will take whatever work they can get.

But loose borders could leave those legal workers in stiff competition with illegal labor. Private contractors (who will probably be awarded government contracts for infrastructure development) would likely choose cheaper and more docile workers, putting illegal immigrants at the front of the employment line.

Napolitano should issue a warning to employers about illegal hiring, making it clear that those who hire undocumented workers will face prison. The Bush administration didn’t do much of that, given its reluctance to alienate business interests. But there are only three ways to control illegal workers: keep them out, which we haven’t done; have a lousy economy, which we don’t want; or prosecute employers who hire them.

• Cynthia Tucker is editorial page editor.