Posts Tagged ‘Immigration’

Illegal Immigrant ‘Stash House’ in Houston Had 48 People Living Inside, Police Say

Thursday, December 20th, 2012

Authorities in Houston looking for illegal immigrants raided a home on Monday and reportedly found 48 people living in the single-story, three-bedroom house — 14 of them children. Police believe the home is a “stash house,” a place where newly arrived illegal immigrants hide out, said local TV station KHOU. The immigration status of the home’s 48 occupants was unclear, but authorities took them to an immigration detention facility and four of the men detained were suspected of being smugglers, according to KHOU.

Neighbors told the station that the raid came as a shock to them; they never suspected anything wrong was happening inside the house.

“We never saw anything strange,” neighbor Bertha Castillo said. “We would maybe see 10 people outside. They would come out and wash their cars and trucks.”

Neighbor Terri O’Neil expressed sympathy for the those found in the home, but added that “I don’t like what they’re doing to the children.”

Should any of the 48 be determined to be in the U.S. illegally, they will be deported, KHOU quoted authorities as saying.

These are pretty common occurrences in the Southwest, given the vast U.S. border with Mexico. In May, 131 illegal immigrants were found at a stash house in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and four people were arrested and charged with smuggling the immigrants into the country.

http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/12/19/illegal-immigrant-stash-house-in-houston-had-48-people-living/

Enhanced by Zemanta
Share on Facebook
Share

Politically correct bullies don’t like ‘illegal immigrant’

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

There is a campaign under way to shame media companies into abandoning the term “illegal immigrant” and replacing it with kinder and gentler euphemisms such as “undocumented worker.”

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists — which I’ve been a member of for two decades and which has rarely stuck its neck out to defend Hispanic journalists, let alone immigrants — has even gone so far as to suggest that the phrase causes hate crimes.

The crusade against the “I-word” began in September when, at an online journalism conference, freelance journalist and activist Jose Antonio Vargas put media companies on notice. He said they would be monitored and when they used “illegal immigrant” — which he claims “dehumanizes” people — the infraction would be duly recorded.

Vargas, who was born in the Philippines and last year revealed his status as an illegal immigrant (he prefers “American without papers”), identified the Associated Press and the New York Times as “two main targets.” Both institutions have since defended the term and continue to use it.

Let’s hear it for common sense. Media companies — and the journalists who work for them — need to stand up to these pressure tactics and continue to use the term. Here are some reasons why:

The wording is accurate. When you enter the United States without permission or overstay a visa, you break a law. Vargas notes that “being in a country without proper documents is a civil offense, not a criminal one.” True. But the word “illegal” simply means against the law.

The proposed change is, for the most part, about being politically correct. And this is not a good spot from which to practice journalism. My profession isn’t about making folks comfortable. That’s public relations.

The word police simply want to sanitize the debate so that immigration reformers don’t get their hands dirty by condoning illegal activity. One way to sanitize is to minimize the offense. The idea is to advance the argument that illegal immigration isn’t really a crime, just an example of desperate people chasing opportunity to survive.

Many of those concerns about “illegal” can be addressed if we agree not to use it as a noun (i.e., “the illegals”) and if we refrain from using the much more offensive term “illegal alien.”

The charge that the term “dehumanizes” people is ridiculous. It describes an action as much as it does a person. An illegal immigrant is someone who immigrates illegally.

This debate distracts from the real issues — the need for comprehensive immigration reform, walls of separation between immigration agents and local police amd an end to do-it-yourself state immigration laws.

The issue alienates supporters of comprehensive immigration reform and other right-minded people who think we should have a more fair, more honest, and more humane way of dealing with illegal immigrants but who also feel uneasy about scrubbing the language.

This is a squabble among elites. Ask an illegal immigrant if he cares what he’s called or whether he is more preoccupied with his struggle to provide for his family, avoid deportation and ensure that his children get legalized, and you’ll see that changing the language of the debate doesn’t even register.

Finally, the crusade highlights the hypocrisy of liberal Democrats who like to think of themselves as progressives because they eschew a term such as “illegal” but then turn around and support a Democratic president who has racked up record numbers of deportations.

This discussion is a waste of time. It’s also a reminder that those of us who support comprehensive immigration reform need to get our story straight.

We have long argued that illegal immigrants should have the opportunity, via earned legalization, to make amends for wrongdoing. Is the new argument that those immigrants needn’t bother because they did nothing wrong?

 

Enhanced by Zemanta
Share on Facebook
Share

Analysis: Could Romney Pass Immigration Reform in His First Year?

Saturday, October 27th, 2012

In a night of heated exchanges at the second presidential debate, a question about immigration thrust the issue into the limelight for the first time in the debate season.

The candidates largely stuck to their talking points. For Mitt Romney, that meant reiterating that he wouldn’t round up millions of people for deportations. President Obama, meanwhile, spoke of wanting a pathway to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants.

After calling out the president on his failure to deliver immigration reform in his first term, Romney added, “I’ll get it done. I’ll get it done. First year.”

So what would it take for Romney to actually pass an immigration reform bill during his inaugural year? {snip}

1. A Consensus on What Constitutes Reform

Just like any sweeping legislative package, immigration reform is a different thing to different people. The reform plan proposed by George W. Bush (and defeated in 2007), would have created a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million undocumented people in the U.S.

President Obama considers such a pathway part of comprehensive reform. But Romney has repeatedly said he does not support amnesty, which, in a historical context going back to the Reagan years, has been understood as a large-scale legalization program.

So before a discussion about immigration reform can get very far, Romney has to be clear about what he would do with the 12 million undocumented people in this country, if not offer them “amnesty” or some other form of citizenship.

2. Cooperation from Congress

You may get your own jet and entourage, but being president comes with a few limitations, namely having to work with a bipartisan Congress to get legislation passed. And as President Obama can tell you after the Obamacare saga, tackling a giant issue with one big reform bill can make for some rugged negotiating and grumpy people on both sides of the aisle.

 

3. The Economy Would Need to Get Better

Whether or not you believe economic growth is necessary for a reform bill to pass, it seems to be a requirement for some conservatives.

Take Grover Norquist, for example: Last week, he spoke at a conference about the need to encourage immigration to strengthen our economy and the fabric of our society. In an interview with ABC/Univision after the speech, however, he stressed that the poor economic conditions over the past four years have made it impossible to have a serious dialogue about immigration reform.

The logic: With unemployment rates that have hit 10 percent during the past four years, elected officials aren’t willing to spend political capital on the legalization of 12 million people, when constituents are worried about the economy and jobs.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Share on Facebook
Share

Illegal alien charged with child’s death allowed to go free on bond

Sunday, October 7th, 2012

On Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials announced that Sandra Rodriguez Miramontes, 19, has been free on bond since September 21. She reportedly left her 2-year-old nephew trapped in her car for eight hours, resulting in the child’s death.

Miramontes has been charged with child abuse resulting in death.

She was arrested on August 5, after admitting to police that she left the boy, Gabriel Torres, outside the Precious Moments Daycare in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she worked.

Despite her illegal status, she was released on only a $500 bond from the Metropolitan Detention Center, where she had been held since her arrest.

ICE officials told KRQE that some illegal aliens “who have pending criminal cases,” are in fact, allowed to bond out.

Miramontes pleaded not guilty to the charge during an initial court appearance. If convicted, she could face 30 years in prison.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Share on Facebook
Share

Suspected illegal immigrants found in Houston

Friday, September 21st, 2012

Officers seeking a Nicaraguan teen allegedly held by smugglers have rescued the girl and more than 80 other suspected illegal immigrants in Houston.

Federal agents and Houston police on Wednesday night raided a house and located the unharmed 16-year-old girl, along with dozens of men, women and other children. All have been detained pending decisions on their immigration status.

Four people suspected of being smugglers were taken into custody pending charges.

The girl’s mother on Tuesday reported to police that she paid smugglers $6,000 to transport the girl but the suspects demanded more cash. Authorities say a tip led to the residence.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Greg Palmore says all of the individuals held at the house were in their underwear. None wore shoes. Medical checkups have been ordered.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/20/4838235/suspected-illegal-immigrants-found.html#storylink=cpy

 

Enhanced by Zemanta
Share on Facebook
Share

17 illegal immigrants, immigrant fugitives arrested in Md. in ICE sweep

Saturday, September 1st, 2012

Seventeen illegal immigrants or immigrant fugitives have been arrested in Maryland.

The arrests, announced Friday, took place in Prince George’s County and surrounding areas and are part of a three-day enforcement operation run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Authorities say all 17 men had prior criminal convictions and come from countries including El Salvador, Mexico, Jamaica and Sierra Leone.

Two of the arrested men were immigration fugitives who had previously been ordered to leave the country but failed to leave. Two had previously been removed from the country but had re-entered, a federal felony.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Share on Facebook
Share

Police, SWAT on scene of suspected illegal immigrant drop house

Tuesday, August 28th, 2012

TUCSON – As of 5 p.m. Monday evening, Tucson Police officers remain outside a suspected illegal immigrant drop house on Tucson’s south side, near Drexel Road and South Nogales Highway, and additional SWAT units arrived.

Police have been outside the home in the 100 block of W. Mossman since about 11:45 a.m. Monday, neighbors confirmed to News 4 Tucson’s Sean Mooney, who is on the scene. He says there are multiple officers and SWAT units with guns drawn and pointed at the house.

A man in the area told News 4 Tucson that he was confronted by a TPD officer, who told him to get out of the area. A neighbor said they saw police take several people into custody from the home this morning, and another neighbor said that he heard the sounds of people arguing and gunshots on Saturday night.

Police say they are waiting for Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators to arrive, and will hand the investigation over to them. No other information was available.

Stay tuned to News 4 Tucson for more details as we obtain them.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Share on Facebook
Share

Mass Deportations of Immigrants From Greece Betrays Misplaced Blame and Frustration

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

Greece is set to deport 1,600 immigrantsarrested in Athens. The move comes days after a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigrants that has seen over 6,000 people detained. Speaking to Greek media Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias said of immigration:

The immigration problem is perhaps even greater than the financial one.

Dendias has also made clear what institutional value he thinks immigrants contribute, saying that they are a “bomb at the foundations of society and the state”.

The anti-immigrant rhetoric should not be surprising to anyone. In times of economic hardship xenophobic parties tend to enjoy something of a resurgence. With unemployment on the rise and your pension disappearing it is easy to view those pesky Pakistanis and Afghans as something of a hindrance to your own economic wellbeing.

Such attitudes help account for the impressive electoral gains enjoyed by the Greek far-right party Golden Dawn in the most recent election. When not pulling off stunts like Greek only food handouts Golden Dawn spends its time proposing legislation that would see the Turkish border covered inlandmines.

While xenophobic rhetoric might be getting more audible its factual foundations remains weak.

One of the few parts of the European Union that I like (in principle) is its open border policy. However, largely in part because of the way many European countries organize their welfare systems the policy has been a social disaster, with what are effectively ghettos springing up all over Europe. This naturally leads to a level of social tension that would not otherwise exist to nearly the same extent without governments subsidizing immigration. Many of the immigrants that are the target of xenophobic scorn would be unable to arrive in Europe without government assistance.

Anger should not be leveled at the immigrants themselves but rather the European governments that distort the labor markets. The obvious irony is that the European Union was founded in part to reduce ethnic and nationalist sentiment on the continent.

The fact is that immigrants are great for economies and it is moronic for a country like Greece that is in serious economic hardship to be expelling a ready and willing labor force.

The economic crisis in Europe has made many Europeans angry at all the wrong people. Bankers, the rich, and immigrants have all been accused, in their own ways, of contributing to European economic collapse. Unelected politicians and bureaucrats seem to have escaped almost any criticism.

 

Enhanced by Zemanta
Share on Facebook
Share

Mandeville cousins plead guilty to hiring illegal immigrants

Sunday, July 29th, 2012

Two cousins who own a concrete company near Mandeville have pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiring to recruit and harbor illegal immigrants to work for them. Bradley Rogers and Robert Ryan Rogers, both 39 and residents of Mandeville, face up to 10 years in jail and $250,000 in fines. Their company, Diversified Concrete LLC, also pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful employment of aliens. It faces a possible five-year probationary penalty and a $3,000 fine for each illegal immigrant employed.

According to court documents, the owners provided six illegal immigrants with housing, cash, transportation and checks between April 2010 and February of this year.

Several witnesses, including one illegal immigrant and a company secretary, were willing to testify that Diversified Concrete housed the illegal aliens at a location on the 800 block of Marigny Avenue in Mandeville.

The owners “conspired with each other to conceal, harbor, and shield from detection illegal aliens,” a federal law violation, court documents stated.

An inspection by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency found that the company employed illegal aliens as early as March of 2010 for “the purpose of commercial advantage and personal financial gain,” according to the documents.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Share on Facebook
Share

Tories Fail to Solve Immigration Crisis that Blights Britain

Saturday, July 21st, 2012

No greater bunch of treacherous charlatans ever held office than the last Labour Government.

Without any consent from the British people, this gang of traitors enacted an unparalleled social revolution in our country by promoting by mass immigration on an epic scale.

Our national identity was shattered, our mutual sense of belonging obliterated and our civic infrastructure put under intolerable strain.

Tragically, the Tory-led Coalition has dismally failed to reverse this disastrous trend.

From Ministers, we have had nothing but hollow words. The colonisation of Britain by foreigners continues to accelerate.

A limited insight into the impact of Labour’s open door policy will be provided today by the release of the first results from the 2011 Census, which was conducted last March at a cost to the taxpayer of £480 million.

The findings are expected to show that during the last decade the British population increased by more than 3 million people, up from 58.8 million in 2001 to over 62 million last year, with at least 7 million of them foreign nationals.

Yet, for all the shock that these figures might generate, they are likely to be a gross underestimate of the real effect

of mass immigration.

The true size of British population may actually be much bigger than today’s survey indicates, for there are a number of serious flaws with the current Census.

One is the simple fact that the information has already become hopelessly out of date, thanks to the unprecedented and growing waves of immigration.

In 2011, an incredible 593,000 foreigners, mostly from Asia and Africa, came to settle in Britain, an increase on 2010

when 582,000 immigrants arrived here.

Moreover, migrant families tend to have far more children than the indigenous population, further speeding up the rate of change. Indeed more than a quarter of babies now born in Britain have foreign mothers, while in London the figure rises to almost 60 per cent.

At that level of demographic upheaval, a single snapshot taken once a decade is almost useless.

Furthermore, the methodology used by the Census is dangerously unreliable in an age of flux.

Dating back to pre-Victorian times, it relies on householders filling in the longwinded forms, backed up by threats of fines for those who refuse. But it is not difficult to evade, given the serial incompetence of the state’s bureaucracy.

Nor does the threat of prosecution carry much weight in a justice system that refuses to jail serious offenders or

deport foreign criminals.

The 2001 Census was a byword for inaccuracy, with huge gaps that had to be filled in by guesswork.

Slough Council, for instance, said that no fewer 30,000 people in the borough were missed.

It is unlikely that the 2011 version will be any better.

Crucially, the Government machine has a vested interest in downplaying the number of immigrants living here.

For if the true picture were presented, most of the British public would be outraged. Yet through the fog of official

manipulation and propaganda, the alarming reality can sometimes be glimpsed.

According to the Conservative MP Greg Hands, a leading figure at the TESCO supermarket chain said in 2008 that “they estimate the population of the UK to be closer to 80 million, based on the volume of certain staples that they sell.”

This is backed up a major, non-commercial agricultural institution which reckoned that there are 77 million people currently in the UK, this figure again based on how much we eat.

Such estimates make sense.

Our border controls are notoriously inadequate, while the Home Office admits that it “hasn’t a clue” how many illegal

immigrants are living in this country.

Moreover, the total of National Insurance numbers dished out by the Government is far higher than the official

level of immigration. Between 2004 and 2007, 270,000 work permits were issued by the Government to non-European nationals, yet over 900,000 National Insurance numbers were issued.

As a graphic illustration of this farce, just 1455 Nigerians were given leave to enter Britain in this period, yet 35,900 Nigerians got NI numbers.

We can see with our own eyes how immigration is transforming Britain far more radically than officialdom ever admits.

All around us are over-stretched public services and overcrowded roads. Vast swathes of our urban landscape, dominated by the babble of foreign tongues, squalid markets or ethnic gangs, no longer resemble Britain any more.

The great lie perpetrated by the Labour Government was that the mass immigration was a means of improving our country. The tidal wave of foreigners would not only raise our prosperity but also enrich our culture, claimed the Labour politicians.

But the opposite has been true. Immigration has been a vehicle for economic destruction and social disintegration.

With 90 per cent of new jobs going to foreigners, millions of Britons have been thrown on the economic scrapheap, while the taxpayer has had to cope with the mammoth costs of providing healthcare, schooling, welfare and social housing to much of the migrant population.

And far from enriching Britain, mass immigration has led to the import of crime, terrorism, misogyny, superstition, and

barbarity from the developing world.

We were once one of the most gentle, well-ordered places on earth.

Now we are plagued by female circumcision and honour killings, forced marriages and Sharia law. Similarly our democratic system, which relied on trust, is now awash with mass voter fraud, most of it arising in Asian.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Share on Facebook
Share