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December 21, 2009Illegal alien in hit-and-run that killed toddler gets 17-month prison termKATU-TV — Portland, Ore. Illegal alien in hit-and-run that killed toddler gets 17-month prison term
Georgia eliminates free ESL courses for illegal aliensNew America Media Good News!: Georgia eliminates free ESL courses for illegal aliens
THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR HELP WITH HB 2! December 20, 2009FAST FACT:After the state of Wisconsin began requiring proof of lawful immigration status in 2007, the number of people taking the Spanish-language version of the road skills knowledge test plummeted 91 percent—from 42,500 in 2006 to fewer than 4,000 in 2008Illegal aliens pose threat on roads…
Drivers beware: There’s a woman driving a stretch of Interstate 90 between Sparta and Tomah—without a license or any training about Wisconsin’s traffic laws. Her name is Victoria. She’s a 23-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico who works on a Tomah dairy farm with other undocumented immigrants whom, she says, “all understand our boss through signals” because of language barriers. Victoria, who arrived in Wisconsin 13 months ago, hasn’t taken any drivers’ training in the United States because Wisconsin law prohibits her from obtaining a license. She says she hasn’t had any run-ins with police but requested that her last name be withheld out of fear she might be pursued as an illegal immigrant. She is among a growing number of illegal immigrants who are finding work on Wisconsin dairy farms, located in rural areas where the only way to get to work is by car. Immigrants now account for about 40 percent of the state’s dairy labor force, up from just 5 percent a decade ago, according to a 2009 study by the UW-Madison Program on Agricultural Technology Studies. These 5,000 immigrants have become a critical part of the state’s signature industry. While there are no estimates on how many of Wisconsin’s immigrant dairy workers are here illegally, federal surveys have estimated that half of all immigrant crop workers nationwide lack immigration papers. Change rejected Many undocumented immigrants, including dairy workers, continue to drive without licenses after the defeat of a proposal in this year’s budget that would have allowed them to get licensed. The measure, backed by some dairy farmers and law enforcement officers, would have reversed part of a 2005 state law passed to comply with the federal Real ID Act, which required applicants for a driver’s license to submit proof of their citizenship or legal resident status. Its failure came as a blow to immigrant advocacy groups, which have long petitioned for the right of undocumented immigrants to drive legally in the state. “It shows that neither the Republican Party nor the Democratic Party in Wisconsin or nationally have the intention to fix the problems that are most urgent to our people,” said Alex Gillis, advocate for the Madison immigration rights group Immigrant Workers’ Union. The provision—authored by state Rep. Pedro Colón, D-Milwaukee—was added to the 2009-11 biennial budget by the legislative budget committee and approved by the Assembly earlier this year before being removed by the Senate. It was not included in the Legislature’s final budget compromise signed by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle in June. ‘Breaking the law’ Opponents argue Wisconsin shouldn’t be in the business of ignoring state and federal immigration laws, regardless of the limitations on state agriculture and driving enforcement. “There’s a tendency to sometimes accept the fact that we have people here breaking the law,” said state Rep. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia. According to a 2008 study by Paul Dyk, a livestock agent with the UW Extension in Fond du Lac County, 78 percent of Hispanic workers at Eastern Wisconsin dairy farms arrive at work in their own car, but only 44 percent of Hispanic dairy workers have a driver’s license. No one knows how many undocumented immigrants are driving without licenses in Wisconsin. But state Department of Transportation data show that after the law requiring applicants to submit proof of legal residence took effect in 2007, the number of people taking the Spanish-language version of the road skills knowledge test plummeted 91 percent—from 42,500 in 2006 to fewer than 4,000 in 2008. The number of applicants taking the English version of the test also declined during the period, but by just 23 percent. At a December meeting of the Dairy Business Association, a group of large dairy farm owners, Colón said the right to a driver’s license represents “the most basic of what we call the American dream, this basic attainment of what we call happiness.” Colón said his staff examined two states that have implemented similar laws—Utah and Tennessee. Tennessee, however, suspended its two-tier license program after the state found undocumented immigrants from neighboring states were attempting to acquire the licenses. The National Immigration Law Center estimated Tennessee issued 51,000 driving certificates to citizens who could not authenticate their legal status. ‘Know the rules’ Mario Garcia, youth coordinator at the Madison-based nonprofit agency Centro Hispano, said the inability of immigrant workers to drive legally makes Wisconsin roads dangerous for all. “You want people who are driving to really know the rules, really know the laws,” said Garcia, echoing a view expressed by some law-enforcement officials. “When they commit an infraction, you want the local enforcement to be able to identify them.” The budget proposal would have required the limited-use licenses to appear “distinctive” from standard driver’s licenses and also would have required language on the new licenses to stipulate they could be used for driving only. Cardholders could not have used their cards for other identification verification purposes, such as cashing a check or boarding a commercial flight. With Democrats in the majority in both houses, Republican opposition wasn’t enough to derail Colón’s proposal. Once the budget moved onto the Senate, however, some Democrats, including Sen. Tim Carpenter of Milwaukee, opposed the measure, citing constituents’ strong reactions. Lawmakers on both sides of the driver’s license issue are united in one aspect: The Wisconsin Legislature shouldn’t be in the position of dictating immigration policy. For now, Colón says he has no plans to reintroduce the plan as a stand-alone bill. In addition to the already difficult path it faces in the Legislature, Colón believes federal lawmakers are ready to make the state’s job easier by reforming how the nation deals with illegal immigrants. Andy Szal is a reporter for wispolitics.com. Jacob Kushner is a reporter for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (wisconsinwatch.org). The two organizations collaborated on this report for Dairyland Diversity, an ongoing project with The Country Today newspaper examining how immigration is reshaping Wisconsin’s dairy industry. FAST FACT: Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quietly assured freshman Democrats and other vulnerable lawmakers that she won’t allow a floor debate on immigration unless the Senate acts first…Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quietly assured freshman Democrats and other vulnerable lawmakers that she won’t allow a floor debate on immigration unless the Senate acts first. HERE from the Dallas Morning News Wrong time for amnestySanta Cruz (Calif.) Sentinel Editorial As We See It: Wrong time for amnesty
TAMAR JACOBY HAS A CONFERENCE CALL ON THE LATEST AMNESTY-ASAP BILL: Notes from the call organized by the business arm of the open borders lobbyBelow are notes taken from the December 16 conference call organized by Tamar Jacoby – of the open borders AMERICAN WORKER: DROP DEAD! Jacobys’. She runs a pro amnesty group called “Immigration Works USA” www.Immigrationworksusa.org As always, there is a great deal of very useful info in the links. dak Call invitation: IW NATIONAL CALL
—————————– ImmigrationWorks Conference Call Notes December 16, 2009 Tamar Jacoby hosted the conference call, which included discussions by: – Dan Brown, the former director of ICE’s office of policy and planning; – Lynden Melmed , the former USCIS chief counsel and a former staffer for Sen. Cornyn; and – Jenna Hamilton, the asst. VP of gov’t affairs at the National Association of Home Builders and co-chair of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition. Brown: Here to discuss ICE’s new enforcement initiative. The I-9 audit strategy started on April 30. The companies were mostly selected based on leads, e.g., tips from terminated or disgruntled employees, information from DOL or state labor departments, etc. An emphasis also was placed on businesses considered part of the “critical infrastructure.” Employers received a notice of inspection and within days ICE came to pick up I-9 forms. These were reviewed for errors and omissions and anomalies were run through the databases. Employers were either cleared or sent two types of subsequent notices – a notice of suspect documents or a notice of technical or procedural errors. ICE required businesses to quickly fire those employees who could not resolve documentation problems. ICE also imposed fines. One employer I know is facing millions in fines even though there was no evidence of undocumented workers. Fines for paperwork violations ranged from $110 to $1,100 per I-9 while undocumented-worker fines ranged from $375 to $16,000 per worker. Tamar: I’ve heard of cases where ICE found paperwork violations but said it would forego taking action to the next level if the employers signed up for E-Verify. Brown: I don’t know if this occurred but it wouldn’t surprise me. Under ICE’s efforts, fines have increased substantially over the previous year, but workers arrests are down. From July to November, ICE reviewed 85,000 I-9 forms and identified more than 14,000 suspect documents where workers must be fired. Overall, I would say that this Administration’s enforcement strategy has been a little more effective than the last one’s. They are touching more employers and, now, more employers are focused on I-9 compliance. E-Verify also is better than it used to be. Although concerns have been floating around about E-Verify, there is no evidence that a business increases its risk of having an audit by signing up for E-Verify. Melmed: Here to discuss CIR ASAP. With respect to enforcement, the bill provides more oversight as opposed to more fencing or personnel. It contains significant protections for vulnerable populations. The undocumented get six-year conditional visas, which are then converted to green cards. These are not counted against overall green-card limits. They can obtain citizenship in eleven years. Not many undocumented would be disqualified under the bill. It includes AgJOBS and adds significant family-based green cards. A lot on unused visas would be re-captured. It is not friendly to employers who want H-2B workers because it seeks to prevent the exploitation of foreign workers and requires more recruitment of U.S. workers. The situation is not good with respect to future workers because a labor commission would recommend visa numbers, although Congress would have the final say. Business wants the market to determine the numbers. The bill also creates a stopgap visa program that is meant to increase visas for three years until the commission is put in place. 100,000 PUM visas would be distributed each year for three years in a lottery. It’s unlikely that this particular bill will be debated. It’s my understanding it was important to introduce this bill before recess for political reasons. Tamar: Is this a message bill? A marker? Melmed: Yes, it’s a left wish list, but it’s good that it’s out there. Hamilton: Here to discuss CIR status in the Senate. At this point, parties are working on a regular basis to produce a bill, but not much text has been drafted. They’re really just developing a detailed outline that may be introduced in January. They’re working in a bi-partisan manner but progress in January is crucial. Tamar: Who’s in the back room? Hamilton: Schumer and Graham and, in many cases, they’re having member-to-member meetings. Tamar: Does business have a champion? Hamilton: It’s pretty much as you would expect. Schumer is running things past Labor while Graham is updating employers. Graham said he feels strongly that business must support the bill. He will not stand at the podium next to Schumer if business won’t support the bill. As this moves forward, we can rely on Graham to interject business’ concerns. Over the last two weeks, they have really ramped up discussions on the future workforce. This had been pushed off because it is controversial. Business is trying to offer ideas. The most controversial element under debate is whether a commission will decide numbers or the market will decide. Obviously, Schumer supports the commission and Graham supports the market. Schumer and Graham have asked Labor and Business to sit in a room and write a compromise on future flows. That is difficult but possible to accomplish. The fact that this is an election year will determine a lot. We absolutely have to have progress in January or we have a problem. They could continue to come up with real ideas for compromise or could begin to posture. Anyway, it’s helpful to see the Gutierrez approach because it tells us what Labor really wants. Tamar: Are you handicapping whether we’ll see a bill or debate? Hamilton: Much depends on how they feel about the election. The debate on health care is very telling. It shows you how hard the White House will work. I think the White House is committed to this and will ramp up efforts. If it’s April and we don’t have language yet, we’re in trouble. If it’s May or June and it hasn’t cleared the Senate yet, it’s not likely to happen at all. It’s just too controversial for Members of Congress close to an election. Melmed: When health care is off the table, leadership will look at the immigration issue and map out a couple of scenarios for how it could play out with respect to the election. That will determine how a bill gets floor time. How a bill might fail is as important as anything for post-election efforts on immigration. Tamar: The next four weeks or so are crucial to what our sections of the bill will look like and whether there will be a debate. Keep working on your end.
———————– December 19, 2009Usual suspects at hearing support illegal aliensCharlotte Observer Usual suspects at hearing support illegal aliens
Usual suspects claim feds use racial profiling on Greyhound busesSan Bernardino County (Calif.) Sun Migrants say feds use racial profiling on Greyhound buses
ACLU and fellow race-baiting nuts deliver gobbeldygook STOP 287 (g) screed to Gwinnett CommissionAtlanta Journal Constitution Immigration resolution delivered to Gwinnett County leaders
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