HERE

Shielding Georgia Appleseed Inc; The AJC PolitiFact column scores “PANTS ON FIRE” on their own “Truth-O- Meter”

or

Once upon a time from Willoughby Mariano , PolitiFact researcher: “…And Georgia Appleseed doesn’t aid illegal immigrants. It fixes systemic legal problems…”

Like newspapers in other states, the struggling Atlanta Journal Constitution has been running a “PolitiFact” fact-check column for several months complete with “Truth-O-Meter rulings” that allege to verify the veracity of statements made by elected and appointed public officials. It is self-described as “a scorecard separating fact from fiction” and “sorting out truth in politics.”

The AJC Truth-O-Meter registers “True, Mostly True, Half True, Barely True, False and Pants on Fire.”

The staff even publishes/posts the reference material and sources from which the AJC version of “truth” is derived. It is not clear if they actually read it.

Like so many other one-time AJC readers, I have had all I can stand of the incomplete, inaccurate and agenda-driven reporting and accompanying phony, mindless excuses and inventive explanations from reporters and editors. I said as much to management and cancelled my twenty-seven year subscription in June. I seldom even read the newspaper online unless I get a Google alert on an immigration related news piece.

But a few readers/supporters here still send me “Hey D.A. – did’ja see this…? ” email on stories they catch in fading AJC. One that recently assured me of the wisdom of my decision to eliminate the newspaper from my daily irritations was a truth “ruling” from the PolitiFact column on a Republican Governor’s Association “attack” on former a Georgia governor and current Democrat candidate for the same office, Roy Barnes.

The RGA apparently pointed out Barnes position as a member of the board of advisors and former spot on the board of directors of an outfit here that usually escapes inspection: Georgia Appleseed Inc; which is part of a national network of Appleseed non-profits.

Quoting from their recent press release prompted by the AJC attention, Georgia Appleseed’s heavy hitters include “a state board of directors that includes a former Supreme Court justice, a past state governor, a state representative and a university president…” And “leaders from both political parties, including a former chair of the State Republican Party who also served as a state senator, a former general counsel for the State Republican Party, a former Democratic Governor, and a current Democratic state representative, have served on its Board of Directors and Board of Advisors. Georgia Appleseed is determinedly nonpartisan in its approach to its projects and benefits from the wisdom that its diverse Board brings to problem solving.”

As part of a campaign claim about Barnes fighting to aid illegal aliens in voting by showing a bank statement as voter ID, the RGA said that candidate – and prominent attorney – Barnes helped illegals open bank accounts without Social Security numbers because of his involvement with the Georgia Appleseed organization which posts on its Website numerous publications aimed at doing exactly that.

For the majority of readers who have never heard of the national Appleseed Network, here is an outline of the ever-so- enlightened Georgia Appleseed to get you oriented.

The Mission of Georgia Appleseed, from their Website (grab a Kleenex): “To listen to the unheard voices of the poor, the children, the marginalized; to uncover and end the injustices that we would not endure ourselves; to win the battles for our constituency in the courts of public opinion or in the halls of justice that no one else is willing or able to fight.”

Remember that little tear-jerker nugget when you see the list of publications taken from the Georgia Appleseed Website outlined below. And remember this from these oh-so noble, enlightened community leaders who are “sowing the seeds of justice”: The money flowing from the United States to Mexico currently represents the largest remittance market in the world.

As I have been trying for years to expose the well-heeled Georgia Appleseed gang for the nauseatingly phony hucksters they are, I had high hopes when I began to read the AJC fact check. Alas, unbiased reality was as elusive for the AJC PolitiFact reporter, Ms. Willoughby Mariano, as it usually is for so many of the AJC reporters and editors.

Willoughby Mariano gets a big Pants on Fire from here on her transparent, incomplete, lazy, and inexcusable biased reporting so typical of the AJC.

FACT CHECKING CAMPAIGN STATEMENTS

In a dual topic Friday, September 24th, 2010, a AJC PolitiFact “ruling” (“GOP said candidate Roy Barnes fought to give illegal immigrants the chance to vote – This election season, illegal immigrants stand alongside President Barack Obama and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as among the Republicans favorite bad guys) HERE
Willoughby Mariano wrote – and her editors let pass:

“…We also took a look at Barnes’ connection to Georgia Appleseed, which the RGA said “specializes in efforts designed to aid illegal immigrants.” If Barnes were indeed on the board of advisers of such a group, a more general claim that he supported advocacy work to aid illegal immigrants might contain some truth.

Executive Director Sharon Hill confirmed that Barnes served on the group’s board of directors from 2005 through 2008 and now sits on its board of advisers. Georgia Appleseed issued a news release in response to the ad saying its work is being “mischaracterized.”

Chuck Clay, a member of Georgia Appleseed’s board of directors as well as a former chairman of the state Republican Party and Republican minority leader of the Georgia state Senate, said the group in no way specializes in helping illegal immigrants.

“That would be 100 percent incorrect,” Clay said. “It [the accusation] does make you scratch your head and wonder whether the people saying that looked up the [Georgia Appleseed] website.”

Georgia Appleseed is a public-interest law group that works to fix systemic issues in the law. The group of lawyers, civil leaders and other professionals includes leaders from both sides of the aisle. They’re currently working on projects that focus on juvenile justice, effective student discipline, public education, and property passed down to heirs without a will or probate, the group’s leadership and news coverage confirmed.

Hill confirmed the nonprofit did run the Financial Access for Latino Immigrants project from 2005 through June 30, 2009. The financial literacy project helped newcomers avoid being victims of violent crime by keeping their money in the bank instead of in their pockets, avoid predatory lending and build economic stability. (Between 40 percent and 60 percent of Latino immigrants do not have a bank account, according to project literature.)

Barnes was not directly involved in that project, Hill said.

A review of the project’s publications found no instance in which Georgia Appleseed gave advice to illegal immigrants on how to get a bank account without a Social Security number. One brochure did mention that the ID might not be necessary for non-U.S. citizens. But “noncitizen” includes green card holders, foreigners on work visas and international students. It’s a far cry from “illegal immigrant.”

So not only did AJC PolitiFact Georgia find no evidence Barnes fought for the radical notion of giving illegal immigrants the right to vote, we also found that Barnes gave none of the support to illegal immigrants that the RGA claimed.

Barnes’ voter ID suit had nothing to do with illegal immigration. Georgia Appleseed, where he serves on an advisory board, is a group of lawyers and other professionals who perform public-interest work on a wide range of topics and does not “specialize” in aiding the activities of people who are breaking the law by entering the country. That group’s program on financial literacy for Latino immigrants, which ended last year, dealt with noncitizens, not illegal immigrants. Barnes had no direct involvement in it.

It would take a leap of conspiratorial proportions to believe that Barnes had fought for such an extreme position as giving illegal immigrants the right or ability to vote. The claim is silly.

Pantalones en fuego.

Pants on Fire.”

Note the word “specializes” at the top. She had to omit a lot of obvious facts to get this far.

Two days later, a Sunday, the AJC published a weekend “Round-up” of the rulings from the PolitiFact Truth-O Meter (“Truth-O-Meter travels back in time”) HERE .

Again we are treated to Mariano’s partial detective work. But this time, she confidently ends the word games:

“…Since Barnes served on the board of Georgia Appleseed, a nonprofit the RGA said helped illegal immigrants get bank accounts without Social Security numbers, he’d be helping illegal immigrants vote, the RGA claimed.

But experts called the RGA’s characterization of Barnes’ suit “outrageous” and a “misrepresentation.”

And Georgia Appleseed doesn’t aid illegal immigrants. It fixes systemic legal problems. It did run a financial literacy initiative for Latino immigrants. But a noncitizen is a far cry from a person who crossed the border illegally.

Pantalones en fuego. (Pants on Fire).”

“Misrepresentation” indeed. Either Mariano didn’t read the Georgia Appleseed material she outlines, or she discarded what didn’t fit her agenda. And she plays dumb to the fact that the anti-enforcement lobby, particularly the banksters, constantly uses the term “immigrant” and “non-citizen” to blur and camouflage their pro-illegal alien actions.

USING YOUR OWN TRUTH-O-METER

Note the Georgia Appleseed publications below and see if you agree with the AJC and Willoughby Mariano that “Georgia Appleseed doesn’t aid illegal immigrants”.

From the Georgia Appleseed (“Sowing the seeds of justice”) PUBLICATIONS page:

“Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas: Local Police and Federal Immigration Enforcement; A Legal Guide for Advocates – Revised and updated (2008), Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas contains legal and practical guidelines to combat local anti-immigrant ordinances.”

( Note from D.A -This helpful manual that missed getting mentioned by the AJC’s Mariano instructs the reader on how to impede or stop the far- too-successful federal 287(g) program that trains and authorizes local law enforcement to help enforce federal immigration laws. A quick look at the “Acknowledgements” (page 2) illustrates the sources of the tome. Note the ACLU, the Immigration Law Center, the Center for Community Change and the National Council of La Raza (The Race). And the other usual well-funded suspects in the anti-enforcement, amnesty-again mob. It is very similar to an ACLU publication created for the same purpose, but slightly toned down so as to be better suited to cocktail parties at the club)

And this one: “Access to Higher Education in Georgia for undocumented Students: “Visiting the Sins…” by denying In-State Tuition Eligibility.” As you may guess, the “White Paper” explains how Georgia would be more virtuous – and better off – it we granted in-state tuition to illegal aliens and laments the state law that prevents that affront to real, legal immigrants and U.S. citizens. Not mentioned by the AJC reporter.

THE “UNBANKED” … or follow the money and try hard to remember what they tell you: “Georgia Appleseed is a public-interest law group.”

Check this out from their “Popular Downloads” page : “Banking Immigrant Communities – A Toolkit for Banks and Credit Unions.” HERE With such instructional gems as: “Educating unbanked and underbanked consumers about the financial system, including basic accounts, home mortgage and small business loans, and how to access them.” And it explains the potential for highly increased profits from banking the “immigrant” who cannot obtain U.S. issued ID: “Wells Fargo has now opened more than 500,000 new accounts since beginning to offer targeted services and accepting consular ID cards to open accounts. …Reaching out also includes accepting alternative identification instruments and helping Hispanic customers obtain ITINs and SSNs necessary for the opening of new accounts. Wells Fargo Bank in Austin, Texas, accepts the Mexican matrícula consular as a proper means of identification for opening new bank accounts, and permits immigrants with no SSN to be accountholders…”

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the Georgia Appleseed’s most popular downloads page concerning “those who are outside the financial mainstream” – but not mentioned by the AJC’s Mariano.” (All emphasis mine)

“There are endless possibilities for capturing unbanked market segments… Unbanked Latino immigrants present a lucrative market for financial institutions and many banks and credit unions have launched aggressive initiatives to capture that market. And: “undocumented Latino immigrants have age and income characteristics associated with potential homeownership. Undocumented Latino immigrants alone would add an estimated $44 billion in new mortgages to the housing economy if barriers were removed and they were given access to buy homes in the US (according to a study released by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals). The report asserts that nearly a quarter million of the estimated 1.5 million undocumented immigrant households in the U.S. could become homeowners if barriers such as traditional methods of customer identification, legalization, traditional credit requirements and language were no longer issues…”

And this little money making tip: “There is no law against banks issuing mortgages to undocumented immigrants, nor against their owning property in the United States. Further, there is no federal banking law that requires banks to verify the immigration status of foreign account holders.”

There are many more – most contain the word “remittances” in the message, like: “Banking in a Global Market: A Financial Institution Guide for Offering International Remittance Services” and “FAQ about Opening Deposit Accounts for Foreign Citizens” and “Su Dinero, Su Familia, y Su Futuro, Cómo abrir una cuenta de cheque o ahorro – ( Bank on Your Future: How to open a checking or savings account”), and “Enviando dinero a casa (Sending Money Back Home”) and “Protecting Assets & Child Custody in the Face of Deportation” and “Remittance Transparency: Strengthening Business, Building Community” and “The Fair Exchange: Improving the Market for International Remittances” and “Expanding Immigrant Access to Mainstream Financial Services” and more, but you get the idea.

My own conclusion and opinion? Georgia Appleseed shills for the illegal immigration profiteering banking industry in the name of “the children and the injustices that we would not endure ourselves…” And Willoughby Mariano is an amateurish and rather dim propagandist who should fit right in where she is currently employed.

There are honest reporters at the AJC. Willoughby Mariano apparently isn’t one of them.

Facts aside, it looks like she operates on what she perceives to be “hard to believe” – that “a group of lawyers sworn to uphold the law” would ever support, defend or profit from illegal immigration.”

She should go to the Georgia Capitol sometime.

Or learn about MALDEF. Or ACCG/GMA.

A reader here sent an email of complaint on her Georgia Appleseed coverage to Mariano and got the following reply:

Good morning! Thanks for your email.

I looked into that statement and found no evidence they specialized in helping illegal immigrants. Hispanic immigrants, non-citizens and illegal immigrants are very different things. The group is led by prominent lawyers from both sides of the aisle, and it’s extremely hard to believe that a group of lawyers sworn to uphold the law would risk their careers to support non-law-abiding behaviors.

But I can understand why many people would disagree with their project to help Hispanic immigrants.

Willoughby Mariano
Reporter
PolitiFact Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
223 Perimeter Center Pkwy.
Atlanta, GA 30346
O: 404-526-7213
C: 404-941-6397
http://www.politifact.com/georgia/

I have spoken to the AJC’s PolitiFact editor about Georgia Appleseed and his reporter’s incomplete and dishonest coverage three times. I also sent a request for a correction and clarification on Georgia Appleseed to him and the AJC’s senior managing editor.

No correction and no reply.

I also had a phone conversation with oh-so-arrogant Willoughby Mariano about her reporting on this. She told me I should read the first, longer version of her reports and pay close attention to the word “specialize” – as in “Georgia Appleseed doesn’t specialize in aiding the activities of people who are breaking the law by entering the country.” She was less than pleased about my having called her editor.

The whole affair in which the AJC whitewashes the Georgia Appleseed hucksters and candidate Roy Barnes connection to them is “just one of those things” Mariano told me.

Her editors should be ashamed. She isn’t.

The good news is that with the AJC reader numbers, few people read her work. It’s just one of those things.

RULING: The D.A. King ‘Truth-Meter’ on the Atlanta Journal Constitution, its PolitiFact “sorting out truth in politics” column and reporter Willoughby Mariano: Zero on credibility in shilling for Georgia Appleseed and gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes.

PANTS ON FIRE.

The insulated Georgia Appleseed mob, including Roy Barnes, does not welcome inspection.

Georgia Appleseed is part of a nationwide “Appleseed” network that promotes special privileges and treatment of illegal aliens. The entire network, Georgia Appleseed included, is essentially a front for the banking industry that makes billions from banking “the unbanked” and “remittances,” the money wired out of the country by what it constantly refers to as “immigrants” or “Hispanics.”

Some facts about Georgia Appleseed that have and will escape discussion by the too-polite and uncurious media.

Warning, it may be best to position a bottle of Pepto-Bismol nearby for this part of our story.

The stated mission of Georgia Appleseed : “To listen to the unheard voices of the poor, the children, the marginalized; to uncover and end the injustices that we would not endure ourselves; to win the battles for our constituency in the courts of public opinion or in the halls of justice that no one else is willing or able to fight.”

Remember that little tear-jerker gem when you see the list of publications on the Georgia Appleseed Website. And remember this from these oh-so noble, enlightened people who are “sowing the seeds of justice”: The money flowing from the United States to Mexico currently represents the largest remittance market in the world.

Let’s start with “Immigration” and go through “Education” to “Banking.” Note: For purposes of agenda and goals of Georgia Appleseed, these categories could easily be combined into “How to profit from the illegal immigration and stop enforcement that would end the influx of the Golden Geese.”

“PUBLICATIONS” – FROM THE GEORGIA APPLESEED WEBSITE HERE

“IMMIGRATION:

Protecting Assets & Child Custody in the Face of Deportation”

(2009), This manual guides volunteer lawyers and non-lawyer practitioners through important financial and family rights threatened by the deportation process, including final paychecks, bank accounts, car and home ownership, government benefits, child custody, and others. “Protecting Assets” provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to help immigrants protect their financial assets and family relationships.

Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas: Local Police and Federal Immigration Enforcement; A Legal Guide for Advocates

Revised and updated (2008), Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas contains legal and practical guidelines to combat local anti-immigrant ordinances.

(Special note here for the unaware. The above publication instructs the reader on how to impede or stop the far- too-successful federal 287(g) program that trains and authorizes local law enforcement to help enforce immigration laws. A quick look at the “Acknowledgements” (page 2) illustrates the sources of the tome. Note the ACLU, the Immigration Law Center, the Center for Community Change and the National Council of La Raza (The Race) and the usual well-funded suspects in the anti-enforcement, amnesty-again mob. It is very similar to an ACLU publication created for the same purpose, but slightly toned down so as to be better suited to cocktail parties at the club)

ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION

Access to Higher Education in Georgia for Undocumented Students: “Visiting the Sins…” by Denying In-State Tuition Eligibility

BANKING

Remittance Transparency: Strengthening Business, Building CommunityProject Summary/Key Findings

Banking in a Global Market: A Financial Institution Guide for Offering International Remittance Services

This publication offers a step-by-step approach to establishing a remittance program that is beneficial to both consumers and the financial institutions serving them. The report describes several effective remittance programs, drawing on the experiences of financial institutions in Georgia and throughout the U.S. Executive Summary | Supplement

The Fair Exchange: Improving the Market for International Remittances

This report is a preliminary step toward launching a market-based initiative that would help consumers choose the best remittance value and differentiate between industry players. It provides an opportunity for the industry to work cooperatively with consumer organizations to achieve common goals. The next steps in the process include a limited pilot to test the disclosure in a market setting, and then expanded implementation if the pilot proves successful. These pilots should lay a solid foundation for future work establishing the Fair Exchange. Executive Summary

Creating a Fair Playing Field for Consumers: The Need for Transparency in the U.S.-Mexico Remittance Market

The money flowing from the United States to Mexico currently represents the largest remittance market in the world. To provide a more complete picture of the impact of the exchange rate spread on pricing, Appleseed Centers collected and analyzed exchange rate data for wiring money from the United States to Mexico. Our study revealed that unpredictable and undisclosed rates make it extremely difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about remitting money to Mexico, and keep the market from operating efficiently for three primary reasons: lack of marketplace transparency, lack of consistent access to correct pricing information, and lack of standardized pricing disclosure practices. Our report offers three recommendations on how to best handle the problem, any one of which would build greater transparency — and consumer protection — into the remittance market.

Expanding Immigrant Access to Mainstream Financial Services

This paper (sic) aim to stimulate a discussion on how best to overcome challenges and build on successes to realize the important social and economic benefits of bringing immigrant communities into the financial mainstream. They outline positive market practices targeting Latin American immigrants and the needs, opportunities, and next steps for expanding and improving financial services for low- and moderate-income immigrant communities. For further reading, see Appleseed’s Next Steps

Georgia Appleseed has issued a special press statement concerning how they may be “mis-characterized in the current political campaign…”

Don’t forget to remember this: They are a self-proclaimed “public interest law center”.

DO NOT FOLLOW THE MONEY.

MUCH More on the Georgia Appleseed and the lack of media attention these seekers of justice so richly deserve HERE (Scroll down)

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes previous attitudes toward illegal immigration and how to react to that crime here in Georgia has become a topic of discussion in the political blogs recently. So has opponent Nathan Deal’s business use – or not – of the no-cost federal E-Verify database.

So has Georgia Appleseed Inc.

Yesterday’s Political Insider blog reports on the confrontation on illegal immigration records (Your morning jolt: Of illegal immigration and old newspaper clippings ) . On the subscription only Insider Advantage Georgia site today (Is Roy Barnes Soft On Illegal Immigration? Nathan Deal?) , along with a similar note, a little known Georgia group called “Georgia Appleseed” is also mentioned.

As someone who has spent years demanding enforcement of American immigration laws, struggled to encourage the use of E-Verify in Georgia and to shine some light on the pillars of the community at the non-profit Georgia Appleseed, Let me toss a few things that need to be said into the mix.

This long-time American is one of the many who asks why all employers don’t use E-Verify – including Georgia’s public employers and their contractors who are in violation of a 2006 state law that requires exactly that. Did I mention it is free to use and effective? (Or that it is mandatory for most federal contractors? Or that the United States Chamber of Commerce sued in federal court multiple times to stop that mandate?)

While there are clearly no allegations of impropriety, Deal is being asked why his business has not been using E-Verify. A fair question. So is asking why Roy Barnes business, Barnes Law Group LLC, is not an E-Verify user. Just a guess, but it seems likely that a large and active employer like this hires folks periodically.

Why is no one else asking?

A current list of E-Verify users (607 pages – to September 3, 2010) that comes from the E-Verify office at DHS does not include Barnes Law Group LLC.

To respond in advance to the obvious question: Yes, the Dustin Inman Society (DIS) is on the list, page 222. DIS, of which I am president, and sweeper, has been an authorized E-Verify user since June, 2005. If only we had the ability to hire help.

In an August 1st Marietta Daily Journal commentary column , Barnes responded to several questions presented from here on what he would do to discourage illegal immigration here in Georgia if elected. So did Deal. The 2010 Roy Barnes seems to have drastically changed his outlook on the crisis and how to welcome – or not – the victims of geography who escape capture at our borders and refuse to go home as promised when they get visas from his position reported in a 2001 AJC news report.

I can’t help but note that Deal’s answers and promises are in line with the pro-enforcement line he has always taken.

GEORGIA APPLESEED

The well-heeled Georgia Appleseed folks, including Roy Barnes, can’t be happy about seeing their outfit in print today. Georgia Appleseed is part of a nationwide “Appleseed” network that promotes special privileges and treatment of illegal aliens. The entire network, Georgia Appleseed included, is essentially a front for the banking industry that makes billions from banking “the unbanked” and “remittances,” the money wired out of the country by what it constantly refers to as “immigrants” or “Hispanics.”

Some facts about Georgia Appleseed that have and will escape discussion by the too-polite and uncurious media.

Warning, it may be best to position a bottle of Pepto-Bismol nearby for this part of our story.

The stated mission of Georgia Appleseed : “To listen to the unheard voices of the poor, the children, the marginalized; to uncover and end the injustices that we would not endure ourselves; to win the battles for our constituency in the courts of public opinion or in the halls of justice that no one else is willing or able to fight.”

Remember that little tear-jerker gem when you see the list of publications on the Georgia Appleseed Website. And remember this from these oh-so noble, enlightened people who are “sowing the seeds of justice”: The money flowing from the United States to Mexico currently represents the largest remittance market in the world.

Let’s start with “Immigration” and go through “Education” to “Banking.” Note: For purposes of agenda and goals of Georgia Appleseed, these categories could easily be combined into “How to profit from the illegal immigration and stop enforcement that would end the influx of the Golden Geese.”

“PUBLICATIONS” – FROM THE GEORGIA APPLESEED WEBSITE

“IMMIGRATION:

Protecting Assets & Child Custody in the Face of Deportation”

(2009), This manual guides volunteer lawyers and non-lawyer practitioners through important financial and family rights threatened by the deportation process, including final paychecks, bank accounts, car and home ownership, government benefits, child custody, and others. “Protecting Assets” provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to help immigrants protect their financial assets and family relationships.

Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas: Local Police and Federal Immigration Enforcement; A Legal Guide for Advocates

Revised and updated (2008), Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas contains legal and practical guidelines to combat local anti-immigrant ordinances.

(Special note here for the unaware. This one instructs the reader on how to impede or stop the far- too-successful federal 287(g) program that trains and authorizes local law enforcement to help enforce immigration laws. A quick look at the “Acknowledgements” (page 2) illustrates the sources of the tome. Note the ACLU, the Immigration Law Center, the Center for Community Change and the National Council of La Raza (The Race) and the usual well-funded suspects in the anti-enforcement, amnesty-again mob. It is very similar to an ACLU publication created for the same purpose, but slightly toned down so as to be better suited to cocktail parties at the club)

ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION

Access to Higher Education in Georgia for Undocumented Students: “Visiting the Sins…” by Denying In-State Tuition Eligibility

(top of the news info on reactions and candidate positions on the topic HERE )

BANKING

Remittance Transparency: Strengthening Business, Building CommunityProject Summary/Key Findings

Banking in a Global Market: A Financial Institution Guide for Offering International Remittance Services

This publication offers a step-by-step approach to establishing a remittance program that is beneficial to both consumers and the financial institutions serving them. The report describes several effective remittance programs, drawing on the experiences of financial institutions in Georgia and throughout the U.S. Executive Summary | Supplement

The Fair Exchange: Improving the Market for International Remittances

This report is a preliminary step toward launching a market-based initiative that would help consumers choose the best remittance value and differentiate between industry players. It provides an opportunity for the industry to work cooperatively with consumer organizations to achieve common goals. The next steps in the process include a limited pilot to test the disclosure in a market setting, and then expanded implementation if the pilot proves successful. These pilots should lay a solid foundation for future work establishing the Fair Exchange. Executive Summary

Creating a Fair Playing Field for Consumers: The Need for Transparency in the U.S.-Mexico Remittance Market

The money flowing from the United States to Mexico currently represents the largest remittance market in the world. To provide a more complete picture of the impact of the exchange rate spread on pricing, Appleseed Centers collected and analyzed exchange rate data for wiring money from the United States to Mexico. Our study revealed that unpredictable and undisclosed rates make it extremely difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about remitting money to Mexico, and keep the market from operating efficiently for three primary reasons: lack of marketplace transparency, lack of consistent access to correct pricing information, and lack of standardized pricing disclosure practices. Our report offers three recommendations on how to best handle the problem, any one of which would build greater transparency — and consumer protection — into the remittance market.

Expanding Immigrant Access to Mainstream Financial Services

This paper (sic) aim to stimulate a discussion on how best to overcome challenges and build on successes to realize the important social and economic benefits of bringing immigrant communities into the financial mainstream. They outline positive market practices targeting Latin American immigrants and the needs, opportunities, and next steps for expanding and improving financial services for low- and moderate-income immigrant communities. For further reading, see Appleseed’s Next Steps

The light switch already went to ON in the kitchen: Before I could get all of this pecked out starting this AM, I see that Georgia Appleseed has issued a special press statement concerning how they may be “mis-characterized in the current political campaign…”

Don’t forget to remember this: They are a self-proclaimed “public interest law center”.

DO NOT FOLLOW THE MONEY.

MUCH More on the Georgia Appleseed and the lack of media attention these seekers of justice so richly deserve HERE (Scroll down)

Below, my Sunday letter to the AJC containing background information and questions on coverage of local immigration law enforcement, (287(g) )), the ACLU and complete, fair and balanced news coverage.

IF you are not fully aware of a Georgia tax-exempt, non-profit group of Georgia luminaries called Georgia Appleseed, I really suggest you take your time, give this a careful read and hit all the links.

You may want to reach for the blood pressure medicine.

My e-mailed letter was recieved by the AJC publisher, various editors, reporters and the public editor yesterday.
——————————

Questions for Public Editor regarding complete and balanced news reporting on immigration law enforcement in metro Atlanta/Georgia

AJC: background on the top, questions for public editor below.

After years of hard work by pro-American activists who – like the majority of Americans and AJC readers, want immigration laws enforced – section 287(g) of the 1996 amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act has been implemented in four Georgia county jails. The idea is to use existing law to find and report to federal authorities illegal aliens who have been arrested for additional crimes. It is working very well.

The anything – goes opposition to the enforcement of American immigration laws comes from a variety of sources, but none as dedicated as the ACLU/Ga. Detention Watch ( Whose stated mission is to stop 287(g) ).

The ACLU has published a HOW TO manual for the anti-enforcement advocates it can drag up to stop 287(g). It is titled “Local Police and Immigration Laws Workshop” The main talking points from the ACLU are to always “assert” that 287 (g) is a threat to public safety, is “breaking up families” and to constantly assert that local enforcement is un-American… while using the “racial profiling” card.

Other groups who have similar “Tool-Kits” for stopping 287(g) include La Raza ( THE RACE), MALDEF, various immigration lawyers organizations and a Georgia specific group called Georgia Appleseed which seems to be organized as a front for the banking industry by many “community leaders” and high profile Georgia attorneys. Including at least one candidate for governor.

The list of board members is a who’s who of Georgia.

“The Mission of Georgia Appleseed: To listen to the unheard voices of the poor, the children, the marginalized; to uncover and end the injustices that we would not endure ourselves; to win the battles for our constituency in the courts of public opinion or in the halls of justice that no one else is willing or able to fight.”

They “do it for the children….”

On the Georgia Appleseed’s Website, anyone can see the publications page that contains the HOW TO kill 287(g) publication “Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas: Local Police and Federal Immigration Enforcement; A Legal Guide for Advocates. ”

Also several other publications dedicated to their real goal of increasing profits to bankers from illegal aliens ( HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE– which they simply label as “immigrants” .

Most of us can clearly see that it is all about the money.

Also offered are talking points for advocacy and advice on how to encourage illegals to remain in the USA and take a citizen’s place in a post secondary education classroom seat.

All of the HOW TO manuals are essentially the same and all provide the same advice: Scream racism and claim that punishment for illegal immigration is hateful needeless family seperation and somehow “makes the community less safe”.

Here in Cobb County, we have enjoyed hugely succesful use of 287(g) since July 2007. Recently, the ACLU – using the tactics it teaches in its own guidebook – organized a fishing expedition forum in a local church soliciting all manner of tales of human rights violations and…racial profiling.

Cobb policy: Law enforcement or racial profiling? | ajc.com
Oct 12, 2009 … The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office became the first local law enforcement agency in Georgia to begin implementing the 287(g) program in July …
http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/cobb-policy-law-enforcement-160656.html

The ACLU then took the barely-there trumped up fairytales and smears of racism directed at the entire Cobb Police Dept. and the sheriff and put them in a “report” ( “Terror and Isolation in Cobb: How Unchecked Police Power under 287(g) Has Torn Families Apart and Threatened Public Safety,” ) that labled law enforcement as “terroriosm.”

It was a huge hit on other Marxist open borders Websites: AND WAS REPORTED IN YOUR NEWSPAPER.

THE COBB SHERIFF, NEIL WARREN, CONDUCTED HIS OWN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION FOLLOWING THE ACLU REPORT RELEASE AND TO NO ONE’S SURPRISE FOUND THAT ALL OF THE CLAIMS CONTAINED THERE IN SHOULD HAVE BEGUN WITH THE WORDS “ONCE UPON A TIME”. THE REPORT WAS RELEASED TO THE MEDIA – INCLUDING TO YOUR NEWSPAPER. HE ALSO SENT THE REPORT TO U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT AND POSTED IT ON HIS OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

Cobb sheriff’s report responding to ACLU allegations – letter to ICE debunking smears and charges of racial profiling. HERE

MDJ news coverage HERE

MDJ editorial HERE

TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THE AJC HAS NOT TOLD ITS READERS ABOUT THE COBB SHERIFF’S REPORT DEBUNKING THE SMEARS OF THE ENTIRE COBB POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE FROM THE ACLU. ( I note that the same is true of the Associated Press)

Nearly a month ago, Gwinnett County began use of 287 (g). Again, the ACLU howled with racism and anti immigrant smears and again held a meeting to solicit claims of racism.

THE AJC WAS A HUGE HELP IN ATTENDENCE FOR THE ACLU BY RUNNING NOT ONE, BUT TWO SEPERATE ANNOUNCMENTS FOR THE “FORUM.”

Groups schedule forum to examine 287(g) | ajc.com
Nov 27, 2009 … By Patrick Fox. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution … for Empowerment and the ACLU of Georgia will sponsor a forum on racial profiling Dec. …
www.ajc.com/news/…/groups-schedule-forum-to-216377.html –
————-
Activists set racial profiling forum for Gwinnett | ajc.com
Dec 4, 2009 … Print; E-mail. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Immigrant rights activists plan to hold a racial profiling forum in Gwinnett County. …
www.ajc.com/…/gwinnett/activists-set-racial-profiling-226335.html –

From looking at the recent past policy of the AJC, it is reasonable to expect that the sure to come Gwinnett version of the smear report from the ACLU will be well reported in your newspaper as well.

***
Questions:

Does the AJC news department have any plans to educate its readers on the existence of the various HOW TO publications, or report on the fact that the talking points are closely followed ?

Does the AJC think it would be of interest to readers and fulfill its journalistic duty to report the involvment of the Georgia Appleseed members in attempting to stop immigration law enforcement?

Will the AJC ever tell its readers about the Cobb sheriff’s investigation and report debunking the ACLU charges to balance its news report on the ALCU smears?

Same question related to Gwinnett county when/if a response is offered.

Can the pro-enforcement Americans who lack the resources of the well-funded groups named above expect to see TWO printed AJC announcents alerting readers to any meetings or forums/rallies staged by citizens in favor of enforcement?

Is the AJC news department dedicated to fair, complete and balanced news reporting?

Did I miss something?

D.A. King
President, the Dustin Inman Society 28 year reader/subscriber
Marietta

YUCK…

From the Georgia Appleseed Website: ( read it all HERE)

“The Mission of Georgia Appleseed: To listen to the unheard voices of the poor, the children, the marginalized; to uncover and end the injustices that we would not endure ourselves; to win the battles for our constituency in the courts of public opinion or in the halls of justice that no one else is willing or able to fight.”

AND….

Economic Security/Public Safety Initiative
Immigrant Policy Project
Backgrounders

Public Safety, Economic Security and Remittances
In this resource briefing, Georgia Appleseed suggests that taxing international money remittance services will not help to meet the public policy goals of taxing unauthorized immigrants, but instead may drive immigrants back to a dangerous cash-only lifestyle. Additionally, taxing money remittances will impact legal workers in Georgia with a temporary visa, as well as US citizens who send money to family outside the United States. Read the Georgia Appleseed Backgrounder: Remittances. Read the Georgia Appleseed Backgrounder: Remittances.
Public Safety and Bilingual Pay
Law enforcement officers proficient in more than one language can serve a real benefit to diverse communities. Read the Georgia Appleseed Backgrounder: Bilingual Pay on data regarding Georgia and other state law enforcement’s use of pay incentives to hire and retain bilingual officers.

Financial Access for Latino Immigrants
Georgia Appleseed is working to bring Hispanic immigrants into the mainstream American financial system, to help them avaoid predatory and other high-cost financial services, and to enable them to save, access credit, and build economic stability.

Latino immigrants without bank accounts endure a double disadvantage. Approximately two-thirds of immigrants cash their paychecks in check-cashing stores that charge high fees. Furthermore, without a bank account, they are hampered in their ability to build assets and credit histories that would allow them to pursue the American dream to buy a home, start a business, or pursue an education.

As an integral part of its effort, Georgia Appleseed is disseminating a series of financial education materials that give immigrants the tools to make better financial decisions. In addition, we are working with partners around the state in their efforts to reach and fairly serve immigrants, including enhancing efficiency and transparency within the fast-growing remittance market.

Remittance Policy

Banking in a Global Market
Georgia Appleseed, in conjunction with the national office of Appleseed and four Appleseed Centers (Texas, Alabama, Illinois and Nebraska) announces development of a guide to help financial institutions better serve the growing global remittance market.

“Banking in a Global Market” offers a step-by-step approach to establishing a remittance program that is beneficial to both consumers and the financial institutions serving them. The report describes several effective remittance programs, drawing on the experiences of financial institutions in Georgia and throughout the U.S.

Many of Georgia’s immigrants lag behind the general population in using mainstream financial services. This has had harsh consequences: financial victimization, muggings, and even murder, right here in Georgia. By offering a tried-and-tested remittance program, financial institutions can more successfully enter and serve the immigrant market. Serving this market will help to promote public safety and economic security, and immigrants will have a better opportunity to save money, build credit, and move up the financial ladder.

Click on each title below to read and/or download the document

“Banking in a Global Market Executive Summary”

“Banking in a Global Market: A Financial Institution Guide for Offering International Remittance Services”

“Banking in a Global Market Supplement: Detailed Profiles of Financial Institution Remittance Programs”

The Mission of Georgia Appleseed:

To listen to the unheard voices of the poor, the children, the marginalized; to uncover and end the injustices that we would not endure ourselves; to win the battles for our constituency in the courts of public opinion or in the halls of justice that no one else is willing or able to fight.

Staff here

True agenda…here

Georgia Appleseed FORD FOUNDATION FUNDED see HERE.

Check out the board and the publications. Can you say shills for the bankers who are encouraging illegal aliens to remain in the U.S. by making opening accounts, issuing credit cards and making mortgage loans? Can you say “money laundering”?

Here is an Appleseed ( it is a multi-state organization) press release – it seems that these pillars of the community don’t think much of immigration law enforcement either.

Press Releases Appleseed: Local Police Should Not Enforce Federal Immigration Laws … Georgia will be joining its staff to help further the mission of building a just …

They are, no doubt, doing it “for the children”.

Here

The FORD FOUNDATION connection. HERE

See also: GEORGIA APPLESEED ( Hey…is this really the new MALDEF?)

Georgia Appleseed June 2009 HERE

The Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act (SB 529) became effective in July 2007. SB 529 requires the Board of Regents to set policy that complies with all federal law.12 SB 529 also denies state, local, or public benefits to those persons who are not lawfully present within the United States.13 Georgia legislation enacted in 2009, House Bill 2, clarifies the compliance requirements of SB 529.

In 2007, the Board of Regents in response to SB 529 concluded that federal law (discussed immediately below) would not allow it to grant in-state tuition or tuition waivers to undocumented students,
even if they had lived in Georgia since early childhood.
8 Id.
9 Id.; see also Southern Regional Education Board. Available at
http://www.sreb.org/programs/acm/acmindex.aspx.
10 Persons who possess U.S. lawful permanent resident cards are also said to possess “green cards.”
11 Supra note 8 at § 704.041.
12 Ga. Code Ann. § 50-36-1 (1996).
13 Id

In 2008, Georgia’s legislators enacted a law that in essence codified the Board of Regents policy:

Noncitizen students shall not be classified as in-state for tuition purposes unless the student is legally in this state and there is evidence to warrant consideration of in-state classification as determined by the Board of Regents.

Lawful permanent residents, refugees, asylees, or other eligible noncitizens as defined by federal Title IV regulations may be extended the same consideration as citizens of the United States in determining whether theyqualify for in-state classification. International students who reside in the United States under nonimmigrant status conditioned at least in part upon intent not to abandon a
foreign domicile shall not be eligible for in-stateclassification.

Federal Law

Two federal laws passed in 1996 impose limitations on benefits16 that can be provided to undocumented persons living in the United States.

The Personal Responsibility Work and Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) provides that undocumented persons who are not qualified aliens are “… not eligible for any State or local public benefit . . . .”17 PRWORA includes within the definition of public benefit “… any … postsecondary education…benefit, or any other similar benefit for which payments or assistance are provided to an individual, household, or family eligibility unit by an agency of a State or local government or by appropriated funds of a State or local government.”18