Wednesday - March 29, 2006

Cutting In Line

_{Mike Lester—Rome (GA) News-Tribune}

- CBS: “Spanish Media Organized Nationwide Mass Protests”

- San Francisco Chronicle: “Debate’s Tone Worries Legal Immigrants”

- Los Angeles Daily News: “Immigration A Likely Election Issue”

Posted by The Skipper     on 03/29/2006 at 08:55 AM   
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   Tuesday - March 28, 2006

Which Is It: Guest Worker Or Criminal?

The Senate judiciary committee has split with with the Senate leadership which has split with the House which has split with the President over ... illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, across the country millions of illegal aliens and their supporters are marching through the streets. This is starting to really tick me off. If you catch a burglar breaking into your house do you: (a) call the cops and have him arrested, or (b) invite him to stay and give him the guest bedroom? What part of that formula does Congress not get ... ?

Senators Back Guest Workers
_{Tuesday, March 28, 2006}
(WASHINGTON POST)

A key Senate panel broke with the House’s get-tough approach to illegal immigration yesterday and sent to the floor a broad revision of the nation’s immigration laws that would provide lawful employment to millions of undocumented workers while offering work visas to hundreds of thousands of new immigrants every year.

With bipartisan support, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 6 to side with President Bush’s general approach to an immigration issue that is dividing the country, fracturing the Republican Party and ripening into one of the biggest political debates of this election year. Conservatives have loudly demanded that the government tighten control of U.S. borders and begin deporting illegal immigrants. But in recent weeks, the immigrant community has risen up in protest, marching by the hundreds of thousands to denounce what they see as draconian measures under consideration in Washington.

“There is no issue outside of civil rights that brings out the kind of emotions we have seen,” said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), one of the bill’s primary sponsors, who called the controversy “a defining issue of our times.”

Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) rushed committee members to complete their work to meet a midnight deadline imposed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who favors a tougher approach more in line with the version passed by the House last December. But once the committee had acted, Frist declined to say last night whether he would substitute the committee’s legislation for his own, which includes no guest-worker program.

Frist’s efforts to wrest control of the issue from the Judiciary Committee could produce a power struggle among Republicans once the majority leader brings up the issue for debate and votes in the full Senate, probably this week. Specter and the other committee leaders may have to muscle their bill through as an amendment if Frist refuses to back down.

- There’s more to this crap at the WAPO ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 03/28/2006 at 09:41 AM   
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   Friday - March 24, 2006

Mexican Madness In Milwaukee

"A Day Without Mexicans”? Que pasa, hombre? (That’s spanish for “WTF, dude?") Congress has already passed Sensenbrenner’s bill and the Senate is poised to do the same. All the bills do is make it a felony to do something that is already illegal. It also cracks down on employers, forcing them to verify the status of workers or suffer penalties. Of course, the Donks are livid over this. The very idea of taking away their maids and gardeners is making the Hildabeast and her friends outraged.

Personally, I think a guest-worker program is OK but we need to start from a legal position first. There are 11 million Mexicans in this country now illegally. Are we a nation of laws or not? If they’re here illegally, send them home or lock them up. That is the law, by the way. Then and only then can we setup some kind of guest worker program and allow them to come work here. Unfortunately, the Democrats think the “law” is only a suggestion that they don’t necessarily have to follow if they don’t want to. Maybe we need to deport the Donks first, starting with Shrillary? But then again, who’d take her ... ?

Hispanics March In Milwaukee Against Immigration Bills
_{Thursday, March 23, 2006 10:41 p.m. EST (03:41 GMT)}

MILWAUKEE (CNN)

Thousands of demonstrators marched in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Thursday to oppose tough anti-immigration legislation sponsored by their Republican congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. House Resolution 4437 would make all undocumented immigrants felons and require all employers to verify the immigration status of its employees.

The House already has passed Sensenbrenner’s bill, and Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, has introduced a companion bill in the Senate that also would make it a felony to be in the United States without the proper paperwork. Sensenbrenner said in a statement last year that his bill would help “regain control of our borders and prevent illegal immigration” as well as “help strengthen and promote our compassionate and welcoming legal immigration system.”

About 30,000 protesters on Thursday marched into downtown Milwaukee as part of a demonstration titled “A Day Without Latinos” in which Latinos were encouraged to take time from their jobs to march, according to Voces de la Frontera, which organized the event. A police spokesman said the crowd was between 10,000 and 15,000.

Dozens of Milwaukee businesses also closed Thursday in protest. “A Day Without Latinos,” the theme of the Milwaukee protest, borrows its name from a 2004 comedy called “A Day Without a Mexican,” in which California wakes up one day to find that its Hispanic residents have inexplicably disappeared. The Milwaukee march was one of several recent protests organized across the nation by groups opposed to immigration bills considered by Congress.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has until Monday to vote on the competing legislation, but one Senate aide said the prospects on Senators taking action did not seem bright. The aide called negotiations in the Senate “slow going” and predicted a showdown over the bill. Critics of the legislation say Sensenbrenner is trying to deport the 11 million to 12 million people who are in the United States illegally. Proponents say keeping tabs on immigrants is vital to national security. President Bush echoed that sentiment in comments to reporters Thursday.

“Part of enforcing our borders is to have a guest-worker program that encourages people to register their presence, so that we know who they are and says to them, ‘If you’re doing a job an American won’t do, you’re welcome here for a period of time to do that job.’ “ But Democrats are saying the Frist and Sensenbrenner measures go too far, especially the provisions that threaten to criminalize anyone who helps an undocumented immigrant. “This bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself,” said Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York.

- More Mess-can Madness story at CNN ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 03/24/2006 at 12:09 PM   
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   Wednesday - March 22, 2006

Most Ridiculous Headline of the Day

Clinton vows to block bill criminalizing illegal immigrants

Huh?
Can you criminalize illegal behavior?

Maybe I should stop reading the paper.

Posted by Drew458     on 03/22/2006 at 04:52 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Illegal-Aliens •  
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   Friday - February 24, 2006

Rocky Top

All I got to say about this is: ”IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME”. This farce has been going on long enough. Hell, every Mess-can in the world knows about this and they have all been flocking to the Volunteer State with all kinds of scams to get these “certificates”. What can you expect though from the state that gave us Al Gore?

Tennessee Halts Immigrant Driving Certificates
February 24, 2006, 1:37 PM EST

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)

Tennessee stopped issuing driving certificates to illegal immigrants Friday after investigations found they were being shuttled from other states, using fake residency papers and sometimes bribing state workers to get the cards. Safety Commissioner Jerry Nicely said the program was being suspended while authorities reassess it “to ensure we’re doing what’s best for Tennesseans.”

“This program was a good idea in theory, but there have been issues with implementation,” Nicely said. The certificates, which are stamped “not valid for identification,” were meant to improve driving safety by making sure immigrants living in the state knew traffic rules. Recent federal investigations found that illegal immigrants were traveling hundreds of miles to get the certificates illegally.

Non-citizens who can prove they are in the country legally will still be allowed to get the certificates. Tennessee is among 11 U.S. states that have not required proof of legal residence to obtain driving documents. In early 2001, the state started issuing full driver’s licenses without requiring a Social Security number, and more than 180,000 people obtained licenses. The driving certificates were created in 2004 to satisfy homeland security concerns; about 51,000 were issued.

Applicants are now required to provide two documents, such as a utility bill or lease, to show they live in Tennessee, along with a Social Security number or a sworn affidavit if there is none. They also must pass an eye exam, a driving rules test and a road test.

Two major federal arrests in recent months exposed shuttles bringing South and Central American immigrants from as far away as New Jersey to state licensing centers in Knoxville, where the immigrants got certificates using fake residency papers.

In January, a third sweep revealed what prosecutors called a conspiracy in which state license examiners in Murfreesboro accepted bribes to provide illegal immigrants with driver’s licenses and certificates without testing.

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/24/2006 at 01:52 PM   
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   Monday - January 30, 2006

Coming To America

“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

—Theodore Roosevelt, 1907

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/30/2006 at 09:16 AM   
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   Thursday - January 12, 2006

Illegal Education

Did you know that if you graduate from High School in Ohio and plan to attend Harvard or M.I.T., you have to pay a whopping high out-of-state tuition but if Jose crosses the border illegally and settles in Massachusetts, his kids can go to Harvard for one-tenth of the price you pay. At least that’s what Democrats wanted to do. Fortunately, Republicans managed to defeat the bill. Why are Democrats everywhere so interested in rewarding people who break the law and enter the country illegally? Maybe it’s because they’re lawbreakers themselves (reference: Ted Kennedy, Chappaquiddick). Then again, it could be it’s because they’re just plain jerks ...

Massachusetts House Defeats Immigrant Tuition Bill
January 11, 2006, 11:02 PM EST
BOSTON (AP)

House lawmakers defeated a bill Wednesday that have would allowed undocumented immigrant students to pay the same in-state tuition at state colleges as Massachusetts residents.

The students and their supporters had argued that the children of illegal immigrants who have graduated from Massachusetts high schools should pay the same tuition as their classmates.

But opponents—including Gov. Mitt Romney and Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, both Republicans—said the state shouldn’t reward illegal immigration. The 96-57 defeat was a blow to the Democratic leadership in the House, which had pushed for the bill.

Undocumented immigrant students can become eligible for in-state tuition in nine states—California, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/12/2006 at 06:59 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Illegal-Aliens •  
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   Wednesday - January 11, 2006

The Illegal Aliens Problem

One man’s illegal alien is another man’s vote. That’s all it comes down to. President Bush carried Florida in the 2000 election (in spite of what Al Gore and Michael Moore believe) purely because of one thing. The Cuban-American backlash over the Elian Gonzalez affair. But what is the difference between a Cuban who floats to Florida and a Mexican who sneaks into Arizona? In this case, the difference is ... votes.

Another difference is there are literally millions of Mexicans flooding across the border while only a handful make it across from Cuba to Florida each year. The Cubans are given refugee status because they are fleeing a hostile, communist dictatorship. The Mexicans cannot make that argument. They are only fleeing poverty. The Mexicans are draining the economy of the US, getting free medical care and free schooling for their children and a large percentage of the money they make here is sent back to Mexico. The Cubans assimilate easily into the large Cuban-American community in Florida and become productive citizens.

So what do we do? Continue to treat the two groups of Hispanic immigrants differently. This is a thorny issue and I don’t have a readily available answer. Perhaps some of the readers here can help me figure this one out ...

Cuban-Americans Lash Out at Republicans
January 11, 2006, 3:56 AM EST
MIAMI (AP)

When 15 Cubans fleeing their homeland landed on an abandoned bridge in the Florida Keys, they inadvertently found themselves in an uncomfortable legal spotlight—one the Republican Party is sharing. The plight of the immigrants—deported Monday back to Cuba—has reopened the bitter debate over the government’s immigration policy and angered South Florida’s heavily Republican Cuban exile community.

“This will have an effect of reducing the numbers of Cuban-American voters that would blindly follow a Republican candidate,” Cuban American National Foundation President Pepe Hernandez said. “Cubans are going to realize that both parties come when they need us but tend to forget our pledges when they don’t.” The migrants were returned after the government concluded that the partially collapsed bridge they landed on—which no longer connects to any of the Keys—did not count as dry land.

Under the current “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy, Cubans who reach U.S. soil are allowed to remain in the United States. Those stopped at sea are sent home. Coming on the heels of more stringent deportation policies for Cuban migrants, and amid a wave of GOP calls for tighter immigration enforcement, some community leaders wondered whether the deportation will cost the party support among one of its staunchest bases. “It was a total abuse, how all these Cubans were treated. They landed on our territory only so that we can send them back to hell,” said Armando de Cristo, a city employee, 66, who fled Cuba 30 years ago.

Florida Congressional representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-Balart, all Cuban-American Republicans, urged the White House on Tuesday to support a review of the policy. Republican Sen. Mel Martinez went a step further, calling for a broader overhaul of the U.S.-Cuba immigration policy. “The policy is wrong and it ought to be changed,” he said. The issue has become more thorny for Republicans as the party grows increasingly split over immigration, said Damian Fernandez, head of Florida International University’s Cuban Research Institute in Miami.

“I think that at some point, the dissonance between rhetoric and practice will have some sort of result, whether it’s a reformulation of the policy or a political fallout—with people’s allegiance to the Republican party eroded,” Fernandez said. In recent years, the wet-dry policy has become more stringent, and the number of Cubans attempting to immigrate has continued to rise, Fernandez said. More than 2,700 Cubans were stopped by the Coast Guard in 2005, more than twice the number stopped in 2004.

Republicans have enjoyed solid Cuban-American support as far back as the Kennedy administration, which many exiles blamed for the failure of the Bay of Pigs. The forced removal of Elian Gonzalez brought Cuban voters to the polls in record numbers to vote for President Bush because they were unhappy with the Clinton-Gore administration’s handling of the case. Elian, now 11, set off a seven-month custody battle after he was rescued off the Florida coast in 1999. His mother died at sea, and his Miami relatives and Cuban exile groups fought to prevent his return to Cuba. He was reunited with his father in Cuba after an armed federal raid April 22, 2000, on his relatives’ home.

Cuban-American activists said they hoped the latest incident will spark a review of the wet-foot, dry-foot rule, which was established in 1995 as a way to stem a massive wave of Haitians and Cuban immigrants, while still offering a safe harbor for Cubans who reached U.S. shores. Hernandez said local Cuban-American leaders are trying to work with Washington to revise the policy rather than revert to the protests that became a staple of the Elian crisis.

“Instead of simply screaming about how unjust this is, we should try to impose a solution,” Hernandez said. As he watched friends play dominos in Little Havana on Tuesday, Alberto Cuervo, 57, said he was angered at the government, but admitted the latest incident was unlikely to affect the community’s vote. “We tend to forget very quickly,” he said.

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/11/2006 at 07:33 AM   
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   Tuesday - January 10, 2006

Demands?

Mexico Demands U.S. Allow More Immigration

MEXICO CITY

Diplomats from Mexico and Central America on Monday demanded guest worker programs and the legalization of undocumented migrants in the United States, while criticizing a U.S. proposal for tougher border enforcement.

Meeting in Mexico’s capital, the regional officials pledged to do more to fight migrant trafficking, but indirectly condemned a U.S. bill that would make illegal entry a felony and extend border walls.

“Migrants, regardless of their migratory status, should not be treated like criminals,” they said

I am absolutely speachless.  Another country is demanding that we disregard our own laws so their people can come in scott-free?  Of course they should be treated like criminals.  they ARE criminals for crissakes.

Posted by Drew458     on 01/10/2006 at 06:21 AM   
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   Tuesday - January 03, 2006

Border Shooting

Readers Digest Condensed Version: Mexican tries to cross border illegally. Mexican is spotted by Border Patrol agent. Mexican starts throwing rocks at agent. Agent whips out pistol and demonstrates to Mexican the problems inherent in bringing rocks to a gunfight. Mexican goes home ... to die. Mexico is “outraged” over shooting. Most Americans are already outraged ... at Mexican border invasion. To be continued.

Mexico Demands US Probe Fatal Border Shooting
MEXICO CITY (Reuters)

Mexico demanded a U.S. investigation on Monday into the death of an undocumented Mexican shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent as he tried to cross into California last week. Raul Martinez, a spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol in San Diego, confirmed that an agent had fired on a man on Friday as he tried to cross the border near San Diego, after the would-be immigrant had thrown rocks at him.

Mexico’s foreign ministry named the dead man as Guillermo Martinez, 18. A human rights group said Martinez was shot on U.S. territory and then crossed back into Mexico with chest injuries and died at a Tijuana hospital the following day. “The Mexican government is demanding an investigation of the facts,” presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar told a news conference.

The shooting came weeks after a U.S. lawmaker proposed a controversial plan to fortify part of the U.S.-Mexico border with a high-tech wall to stop illegal immigrants. The move was slammed by the Mexican government, which has long sought an agreement with Washington to formalize the status of millions of Mexicans living illegally in the United States and regulate the flow of immigrants heading north.

The shooting “shows once again that only a law that guarantees organized, legal and respectful entry (to the United States) can solve the problems posed by migration,” Aguilar said.

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/03/2006 at 05:18 AM   
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   Friday - December 23, 2005

The Tancredo Solution

US Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO) is doing his best to stop the flow of illegal aliens into this country. The problem is that no one is listening, including the government which refuses to enforce laws already on the books. There’s also the problem of the companies who turn a blind eye to Jose’s fake ID. There’s plenty of blame to go around but no one seems interested in doing anything about it.

Maybe it’s time to start sending e-mails to all your Congress-critters and the White House. If the Republicans in Congress and the Bush administration don’t get off their collective rear ends and do something soon, look for the Donks to make a serious issue out of this in the 2006 elections. I can almost hear them now screaming about “the poor, downtrodden, forgotten members of American society who are losing jobs to illegal invaders under the Nasty-Bushitler-Administration”. Just wait ....

Hiring-rules Enforcement Nonexistent
In Denver, it’s been three years since any fine was
imposed for failure to verify workers’ immigration status.
(DENVER POST)

While Congress wrestles with new legislation to crack down on employers who hire illegal-immigrant workers, enforcement of an existing prohibition has all but ceased. Not a single employer in the Denver area has been fined for three years, records show, and federal authorities have targeted only a handful of employers nationwide.

This week, experts on all sides of the intensifying national immigration debate agreed: Work- site enforcement will be crucial in efforts to deal effectively with growing numbers of illegal foreign-born workers. “If I could do one thing in the area of immigration reform, it would be to stop employers from providing the magnet. Then we’d have much of this problem solved,” said Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., leader of the House Immigration Reform Caucus.

A 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border that Tancredo and a majority of fellow lawmakers demand, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, “is a symbol as much as it is a practical obstacle ...,” Tancredo said. “I certainly believe we should have that symbol, but the real key is work-site enforcement.”

- Much more on this story here ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 12/23/2005 at 05:55 AM   
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   Saturday - December 17, 2005

Congress Votes To Stop Invasion

Here it is in a nutshell: (1) being in the country illegally is now a felony, (2) there will be 700 miles of fence added to the border, (3) no more “catch-and-release”, (4) adding several hundred border patrol agents, (5) no “guest-worker” program, (6) stiffer penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens, and (7) the government of Mexico doesn’t like it.

Frankly, I could care less what Vicente Fox thinks. If he and his government would drag their country out of the 19th century, this wouldn’t be necessary. As it is, I am a little disappointed in this bill since it leaves unanswered the question of what to do with the 11 million illegal aliens already here ...

House OKs Bill to Tighten Immigration Laws
WASHINGTON (AP)

The House acted Friday to stem the tide of illegal immigration by taking steps to tighten border controls and stop unlawful immigrants from getting jobs. But lawmakers left for next year the tougher issue of what to do with the 11 million undocumented people already in the country. The House legislation, billed as a border protection, anti-terrorism and illegal immigration control act, includes such measures as enlisting military and local law enforcement help in stopping illegal entrants and requiring employers to verify the legal status of their workers. It authorizes the building of a fence along parts of the U.S.-Mexico border.

But it put off consideration of a guest worker program, which President Bush and many in Congress say must be part of a lasting solution to the illegal immigrant crisis. The vote was 239-182, with opposition coming from Democrats and some Republicans upset by the exclusion of the guest worker issue and other Republicans wanting tougher border control measures. Bush praised the House for approving the bill. “America is a nation built on the rule of law, and this bill will help us protect our borders and crack down on illegal entry into the United States,” he said in a statement. “I urge the Senate to take action on immigration reform so that I can sign a good bill into law.”

One measure that Republican leaders wouldn’t allow a vote on was a volatile proposal to deny citizenship to babies born in this country to illegal immigrants. The issue next moves to the Senate, where Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., says he will bring up immigration legislation in February that will provide a framework for guest worker ideas. Nobody is advocating the deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants, said Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., sponsor of a guest worker measure. Without a temporary worker program, he said, “We simply won’t enforce the law, and that’s the dirty little secret here.”

While many agree with Flake, there are wide differences on the details of a guest worker program. Some lawmakers would require those in the country illegally to leave before applying for such a program, arguing that counterproposals allowing those already here to seek legal status is equivalent to amnesty. Bush has proposed that undocumented immigrants be allowed to get three-year work visas. They could extend those for an additional three years, but would then have to return to their home countries for a year to apply for a new work permit.

The House bill would beef up border security with the help of local law enforcement and military technology, impose tougher penalties for smuggling and re-entry, and end the “catch and release” policy for illegal non-Mexicans. It makes drunken driving convictions a deportable offense. The bill makes unlawful presence in the United States, currently a civil offense, a felony. An amendment to reduce the crime from a felony to a misdemeanor was defeated, with many Democrats voting against the proposal in protest over subjecting people who have overstayed their visas to any criminal charges.

- More on the story here ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 12/17/2005 at 08:08 AM   
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   Sunday - November 27, 2005

Adding Insult To Injury

If you ever wanted an example of “Your Government At Work”, this is it. I don’t blame the Border Patrol agents who are livid over this latest FUBAR from Uncle Sam, forcing them to wear uniforms that are made in Mexico. I know things are tight in the federal budget with only a few trillion dollars to spend each year but this boggles the mind. Why not go whole hog and arm the agents with pistols made by Taurus** while you’re at it ....

^{** Made In Brazil}

‘Made in Mexico’ Uniforms Miff Border Cops
November 27, 2005, 11:49 AM EST
WASHINGTON (AP)

The labels inside the U.S. Border Patrol uniforms have been making many federal agents feel uneasy. It’s not the fit or feel of the olive-green shirts and pants, but what their labels read: “Made in Mexico.” “It’s embarrassing to be protecting the U.S.-Mexico border and be wearing a uniform made in Mexico,” says T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a 6,500-member union.

Agents and lawmakers are concerned about the consequences if the uniforms for agents charged with combating illegal immigration fall into the hands of criminals or terrorists. “If we’re manufacturing uniforms in Mexico, what’s to stop someone from walking across the border in a Border Patrol uniform?” asked Rep. John Carter, a Republican from Round Rock. “How do you know who are our guys and who are their guys?”

For more than a year, the shirts and pants worn by agents and inspectors with U.S. Customs and Border Protection have been made in Mexico. The uniforms are supplied by VF Solutions of Nashville, Tenn., which subcontracts its work to plants in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Dominican Republican. “The principle of it seems almost like an oxymoron,” said James Stack, the National Border Patrol Council’s vice president for the region that includes Texas and New Mexico. “Most agents don’t like it.”

Customs officials say they haven’t detected any security breaches or misuse of the uniforms. Strict security measures are in place, including on-site inspections at the Mexican plant. U.S. officials conducted a review in August, a statement from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection released Wednesday said. “Based on this review, a report will be submitted to the CBP commissioner for determination on the made-in-Mexico issue, and no decisions have been made at this point,” the statement said.

House members are expected to consider new immigration and border security measures after the Thanksgiving congressional break. Carter and Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz. say they plan to press a measure that would require the uniforms be made in the United States. Renzi said he wants Republican House leaders to include the requirement as part of an immigration enforcement measure expected to be introduced in early December.

Posted by The Skipper     on 11/27/2005 at 04:33 PM   
Filed Under: • Homeland-Security • Illegal-Aliens •  
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   Monday - November 07, 2005

Spain Is Next

Look for the riots, looting and burning in Europe to spread to Spain any day now. The Euro-Peons policies regarding illegal immigrants is starting to catch up with them. The outsiders come to Europe looking for jobs and money and when they don’t find them they get angry. Unfortunately, the countries of Europe have tied their own hands with lax immigration policies and complete lack of enforcement, not to mention stagnant economies and double-digit unemployment rates. Key quote below: “Through March this year, Spain issued more than 9,000 expulsion orders against people from such countries—meaningless documents it cannot enforce.”

On our side of the pond, has anyone considered what we’ll do if the 11 million illegal Mexicans in the US ever start rioting and looting? I’ve thought about it and all I’ll say is I am well prepared. Very well prepared ....

African Immigrants in Spain Scraping By
MADRID, Spain (AP)

The luckier ones sleep in crowded apartments or shelters and do construction work, dodging inspectors or using a friend’s papers. The less fortunate live in parks and hand out fliers, toiling for a pittance. They are Africans in limbo, scraping by in a country that does not want them but cannot expel them. And this tough life is their prize after long, dangerous journeys from destitute homelands that won’t take them back.

Their plight was thrust into the spotlight when hundreds of sub-Saharan Africans scaled razor-wire fences to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta in late September and early October. Eleven were killed in clashes with security forces. The Africans’ goal is to reach mainland Spain and find work, or move on to another European country. But whatever they may have expected, what they found is not paradise.

Consider Billy Oduagbon, a 21-year-old Nigerian who traveled through Niger and Algeria en route to Madrid. After months of begging in Tangiers, he made it to Melilla, on Morocco’s northern coast, but was daunted by the city’s razor-wire fences. He returned to Tangiers and boarded a rickety boat—the most common conduit for Africans trying to reach Spain. The trip across the Strait of Gibraltar was terrifying—56 people, men, women and two babies, braving a choppy waterway in the dead of night. “We were just playing with our lives,” he said. “If there was no God, I believe I would not be living today.”

He arrived in southern Spain in January 2003, was immediately arrested, spent two days in a holding facility and was then abandoned to the streets. “They set us free at 8 o’clock, in the big night,” Oduagbon said. Ultimately he made it to Madrid where he lives in the streets or in a Red Cross shelter. He has made a bit of money flagging down drivers looking for parking spots, but without a work permit, a steady job is a dream, he says.

Other Africans like him have ended up peddling drugs. Oduagbon won’t criticize them. “A situation can change anybody in this life,” he said. The government can’t expel Oduagbon because he arrived without a passport and so can’t prove he is from Nigeria—one of few countries south of the Sahara desert that has an agreement allowing Spain to repatriate illegal migrants. Countries without such accords refuse to take emigrants back. Through March this year, Spain issued more than 9,000 expulsion orders against people from such countries—meaningless documents it cannot enforce.

- More On This Story Here

Posted by The Skipper     on 11/07/2005 at 07:11 AM   
Filed Under: • EUro-peons • Illegal-Aliens •  
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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