De la Fuente brings lawsuit in D.C. court

By Greg Moran
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 2, 2008

OTAY MESA – For more than a decade, Otay Mesa land baron Roque de la Fuente II has been locked in an expensive court battle with the city of San Diego, alleging that a series of city actions reduced the value of a business park he developed.

A jury agreed with him and in 2001 awarded the developer $94.5 million in damages. In the years since, that award has been erased by appeals from the city, and the case is back where it started, in San Diego Superior Court.

Now, de la Fuente is raising similar issues against a different opponent – the federal government.

In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. Federal Court of Claims in Washington, D.C., de la Fuente and business partner David Wick contend that the construction of two border fences to curb illegal immigration has channeled illegal immigrants onto a 96.7-acre parcel of land they own north of the border.

The lawsuit claims that for the the past several years, the U.S. Border Patrol has used the property to round up and arrest illegal immigrants.

Border Patrol vehicles speed across the property, there are sensors in the ground, and buses come on the land to haul away the illegal immigrants, according to the lawsuit.

The increasing Border Patrol activity on the property has devalued it and amounts to an unconstitutional "taking" of land without just compensation by the government, the lawsuit contends.

The lawsuit was filed in December 2006 in a little-known federal court in Washington that hears cases involving monetary claims against the government, such as tax refunds, property claims like de la Fuente's and claims by contractors suing the government for breach of contract.

The property lies between Otay Mesa Road and Donovan State Prison Road and is bisected by Alta Road. It is zoned for heavy to light industrial uses. The property is one of several contiguous parcels owned by de la Fuente business interests.

The lawsuit focuses on the effect of border fencing the government has constructed over the past decade. A primary fence runs along the border for 14 miles starting from the ocean.

A secondary fence about 150 feet north of the first fence also has been built, but it runs only about nine miles east. In fact, the secondary fence ends near the property owned by de la Fuente and Wick, according to court papers.

The incomplete fence – it is supposed to run ****her east, but construction has halted – means that the property has become an attractive crossing point for illegal immigrants, who have to surmount only one fence.

That has led the federal government to essentially take over the land and use it as a site to round up and deport people, the lawsuit says.

"It's the obvious weak point in the system, and everyone knows it is there," said Roger Marzulla, the lawyer for the landowners.

Government lawyers could not be reached for comment. But in court papers seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed, they argue that the statute of limitations to file such an action has long expired.

They also say de la Fuente has no viable claim because federal law allows the Border Patrol access to private property within 25 miles of the international border for the purposes of preventing illegal immigration.

But Marzulla said that law does not allow the government to devalue private land.

"Just because the San Diego Police Department has a right to patrol your street does not mean they can set up a command post in your living room," he said.

Marzulla said Wick had plans to build a racetrack, while other plans called for developing it for heavy industry. But government activity on the property has scared off potential tenants, the lawsuit said.

The landowners have not said how much they are seeking in damages, Marzulla said.

Tennessee: Hard work, unlawful tactics help some Hispanic builders conquer industry

By Daniel Connolly
Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Construction work helped Jose Nunez rise from a shack in Mexico to a middle-class lifestyle as head of a small Memphis-area crew. He said he has followed his parents' advice to work hard, and now happy clients sometimes invite him to family parties.

He also acknowledges hiring illegal immigrants and skirting workplace laws, though he sees it as helping poor people.

Subcontractor Jose Nunez, 35,and two of his employees, Eduardo Morales Reyes, 19, and Luciano Aleman, 25, are among immigrants holding the estimated seven in 10 home-building jobs in Memphis. Nunez admits using illegal immigrant workers and not offering worker's compensation insurance.

This mix of hard work and legal violations is not uncommon in the Memphis construction industry. Nunez's story helps explain why immigrants from Mexico and Central America now make up the vast majority of workers on local job sites.

Immigrant construction workers often put tremendous effort into a physically demanding field that many native-born workers have abandoned. Many immigrants have advanced quickly from laborers to business owners and often hire other newcomers. But some bosses -- immigrant and native-born -- amplify that advantage by using questionable business practices such as evading insurance requirements and making dubious tax decisions.

While those actions may allow them to underbid competitors and can lead to lower costs for customers, it also reduces pay and benefits for workers, a big factor in driving Americans from the profession, say unions and other critics.

For a variety of reasons, construction companies like Nunez's can straddle the line between mainstream Memphis and the informal world of unauthorized immigrants: Immigration enforcement is light, unions are weak, big contractors shield themselves from subcontractors' actions and local and state inspectors have limited resources and authority.

Nunez represents both sides of today's construction industry. He typically puts in long days during the week and a half day on Saturday. He's a fast learner who picked up English and construction skills on the job. But his business relies on shortcuts and dodges of workplace law.

One of the more serious violations is not following a state requirement to buy workers' compensation insurance to pay medical costs for injured employees. Such insurance can be expensive and drive up the price a company offers customers, making the firm less competitive. Nunez said he plans to buy a policy soon.

He said he can sympathize with contractors who feel undercut and offers explanations: He runs a small company and isn't going for big jobs. He says it's up to builders to decide if they want to subcontract work to someone who doesn't have coverage, adding that the law should make it easier for workers to enter the country legally and that most Americans want cheap labor.

"Like us, or like me, you know, I'm doing this job for maybe half the price of (another) company," he said. "But at the same time, I feel good. Because even though it's not good, as far as like I said, the law and workers' comp and all that stuff. But I'm helping somebody out who does really need (it)."

Hispanics make up as many as seven in 10 workers in local home-building jobs, said Keith Grant, past president of the Memphis Area Home Builders Association. They dominate low-skilled specialties such as drywall installation, but are also entering skilled trades such as plumbing. Most top-level general contractors here are American-born, but many immigrants occupy the subcontracting levels just below them.

The Commercial Appeal interviewed about 30 people for this article, including attorneys, large and small contractors, illegal immigrant workers and state regulators.

Several people said illegal practices are widespread in the construction industry, but stress that not all Hispanic construction contractors and workers break laws or take shortcuts.

Nunez said he's being open about his life and business because he wants the public to know that immigrants are good people. "I really don't got nothing to hide, you know," he said. "We always tell it just like it is."

Mexico to Memphis

Nunez was born in the town of Zapotiltic in Mexico's Jalisco state, one of eight children who survived to adulthood. His father loaded and unloaded trucks for a living but squandered money on alcohol, Nunez said. His mother worked in a hospital.

The family's home was open to the elements on three sides and rain sometimes blew in, said Nunez, (pronounced NOON-yez).

He's 35, about 5-4, and stocky with big forearms and a mustache. His English isn't perfect but he speaks fluently, providing a key link between workers, homeowners and contractors.


A.J. Wolfe/The Commercial Appeal

Armando Nunez, 39, works for his younger brother Jose, whose crew handles everything from framing to installing windows on homes. Armando says his poor English is one factor that has blocked him from his goal of forming his own construction business. "I want to learn more," he said. "I know it's not enough."

Matthew Craig/The Commercial Appeal

Ed Grinder, 82, president of Grinder, Taber & Grinder Inc., has called on Tony Cabrera, owner of Tony's Construction Co., to act as a concrete subcontractor in many of his construction projects around Memphis.
Nunez was 17 in 1990 when he dropped out of his ninth year of school, then crossed illegally into California. He worked for a car wash and other businesses in Los Angeles before following a sister who had come to Memphis for work, arriving in 1994.

Using fake documents, he quickly joined a concrete company, then switched to an electrical company and later a construction framing crew. An American contractor taught Nunez how to build a house from top to bottom.

Later, he obtained a work permit through his marriage to a legal immigrant from El Salvador. He finally received a green card this year, and he planned to drive to Mexico with his wife and three children in December -- his first trip back after nearly 18 years away.

Nunez started doing jobs on his own about 10 years ago. He has recently employed between four and six workers on his crew, which handles everything from drywall to roofing, playing a lead role in home-remodeling contracts and acting as a subcontractor on bigger home-building projects.

A reputation for solid work at a good price has kept the group busy even as the construction industry has slowed, Nunez said.

Like many immigrant contractors, he has no office. He spends most of his day driving around the area to check on projects. Friends lead Nunez to other immigrants who want work. Most are here illegally, Nunez said.

"If you try to hire some other people who are (here) legally, or American people, most of the time they don't want to do the job," Nunez said.

Critics say Americans expect good pay and benefits.

"It ain't that people don't want to do the work. They don't want to do the work for what it paid 20 years ago," said Greg Crouse, apprenticeship coordinator with Iron Workers Local 167.

He said many firms exploit illegal immigrants: "They know they can use them up and throw them away."

Some local Hispanic construction workers are legal immigrants or citizens, but research suggests that more than half of Hispanics working in Memphis construction are here illegally. Some work on big projects.

In March, federal agents arrested six suspected illegal immigrants working on a government-funded project to improve the earthquake resistance of the Hernando DeSoto bridge over the Mississippi River.

In 2003, a Mexican worker named Agustin Fernando Martinez fell to his death while helping build FedExForum. Contractors said in court documents that Martinez was here illegally. Attorney Jeffrey S. Rosenblum, who helped Martinez's family win a settlement, said it was never clear.

Nunez pays his workers $8 to $12 per hour but offers no benefits.

Nunez said he files personal tax returns on his own income -- about $60,000 annually -- and gives workers an Internal Revenue Service form 1099 each year. The form is meant for independent contractors, but the law is unclear on who counts as independent, said Danny Snow, an accountant with Thompson Dunavant PLC. Companies don't pay payroll taxes or withhold income taxes on 1099 workers, he said.

Paying workers in cash is legal and the IRS allows illegal immigrants to pay income taxes. Nunez gives workers the form so they might build a taxpaying record that could help them obtain legal status.

Nunez's crew works in a dangerous field. On July 4, three were installing flat panels on the roof of a Midtown house. They sometimes took needless risks, including balancing on narrow ledges high above the ground. There was nothing to stop a fall.

Nunez said he emphasizes safety and that no one on his crew has had a serious accident. He says that on a job site a reporter visited, the main contractor's insurance would have covered any injury.

When immigrant workers die or get hurt, some contractors disappear, said John Winkler, administrator with the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Investigations can be hard because workers may not know the name or address of their boss. At times there are so many layers of subcontractors at a site that it's unclear who the employer is, he said.

Workers' compensation authorities are also under pressure. Tennessee has only about 10 inspectors to ensure that thousands of businesses buy proper insurance, said workers' compensation administrator Sue Ann Head.

"I don't think the state could ever employ enough individuals that they could check every subcontractor or contractor at every company," she said.

Nunez let the crew go home early on Independence Day, and some workers drove to a large Midtown house where 10 people lived. They had sprayed green paint on some windows to cut glare on a TV screen. One man had photos of his wife and children by his bed in a room he shared with two others.

Reason to hire

Ed Grinder's spacious home seems a world away. In his living room, the energetic 82-year-old opened a box of news clippings about past projects, from City Hall to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He's still active as president of Grinder, Taber & Grinder Inc., and said the firm expects record revenues of $65 million this year.

He admires Hispanic construction workers. "They're the hardest-working people I guess that we have today," he said.

He served as a Navy engineer in World War II and returned to Memphis to start his construction career in the mid-1940s, when strong unions represented even unskilled laborers.

Grinder and partners launched their firm in 1968. They used union labor for years, but went nonunion in 1986 to avoid what Grinder said were strikes and pay demands he considered excessive.

Grinder's first experience with Hispanic workers came in 1995, when subcontracted immigrants worked at a church he was building.

Now, he estimates that Hispanics make up at least 50-60 percent of construction workers in Memphis and three of four workers on one of his projects. He said he will not work with bad subcontractors, but he does not ask about workers' immigration status.

"We sub out probably 95percent of our work," he said. "And it is the responsibility of the subcontractors to check the legality of them."

When the Tennessee legislature took up immigration measures last year, the construction industry successfully lobbied to shield big firms from responsibility for subcontractors who hire illegal immigrants.

"It's no different than when I hire a lawn service to cut my lawn," said Susan Ritter, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Tennessee. "As a homeowner, am I expected to inspect the immigration credentials of the people who are running the lawnmowers?"


Matthew Craig/The Commercial Appeal

Mohamed Higazy helps a crew prepare a concrete wall to be lifted into place in December. Higazy, a naturalized citizen originally from Kuwait, says that with a green card and a GED, foreign workers can gain union membership and become part of the legitimate workforce.
Grinder, meanwhile, says immigrants who learn English have a bright future as subcontractors, if not as general contractors. He especially likes Tony Cabrera, a Mexican concrete subcontractor he calls "a smart young man."

He believes Cabrera can be a millionaire: "He's got the drive and the confidence to do that."

Playing fair?

A subcontractor in another specialty said his firm is struggling.

Standing near a forklift on a cold December day, Mohamed S. Higazy, a 40-year-old with graying hair and a walrus mustache, said he has lost contracts to companies that avoid taxes and workers' compensation on both illegal immigrants and authorized workers.

Higazy said health and pension benefits, union wages and insurance bring his hourly cost per worker to about $42, far exceeding that of some competitors.

He said his 2-year-old steel construction firm, U.S. Iron LLC, shows little profit after expenses.

The naturalized citizen from Kuwait said it's wrong to enter the country illegally and avoid taxes. "As an immigrant, I'm all for immigration, but you've got to earn your living the right way and pay your taxes at the same time," he said.

Nunez said he understands why some people feel undercut.

He recalled a recent case in which he bid $70,000 for a home-remodeling contract. He later learned competitors bid $119,000 and $210,000.

Are his actions wrong? He said it depends on point of view.

"I guess if you're asking a person, the American people, I mean, she (might) say, 'Well, I don't care if their kids got food on the table or not.' He may say that, he may not say that, but I mean me as Hispanic, I've been through really, really bad situations, go through really, really, really bad stuff, you know, like I was telling you about how we (grew up) in Mexico."

But he said he understands how competitors feel: "It is a little unfair, you know."

DHS Begins Collecting 10 Fingerprints from International Visitors at Dulles International

Jan 2, 2008, News Report

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now collecting additional fingerprints from international visitors arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport (Dulles). The change, said DHS in a release, is part of the Department's upgrade from two- to 10-fingerprint collection in order to enhance security and fingerprint-matching accuracy.

"Anyone who's watched the news or seen crimes solved on television shows can appreciate the power of biometrics," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "They help the legitimate traveler proceed more quickly while protecting their identity and enable our frontline personnel to focus even greater attention on potential security risks. Biometrics tell the story that the unknown terrorist tries to conceal, and it causes them to question whether they've ever left a print behind."

Department of State (DOS) consular officers and DHS Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers collect biometrics -- digital fingerprints and a photograph -- from all non-U.S. citizens between the ages of 14 and 79, with some exceptions, when they apply for visas or arrive at U.S. ports of entry. The Department's US-VISIT program checks this data against a joint Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)-DHS watch list of criminals, immigration violators and known or suspected terrorists. Watch list data comes from several sources, in particular the Department of Defense (DOD), FBI, DHS and other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Checking biometrics against these databases helps officers make visa determinations and admissibility decisions. It also improves the department's ability to compare a visitor's fingerprints against latent fingerprints collected by DOD and the FBI from known and unknown terrorists all over the world.

Dulles became the first port of entry to collect additional fingerprints from visitors on November 29. Nine other ports of entry will begin 10-fingerprint collection during the next few months, and the 278 remaining ports will begin this process by the end of 2008. This announcement is the result of an interagency partnership among DHS, FBI, DOD and DOS.

The next ports scheduled to collect 10 fingerprints from international visitors are: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; Boston Logan International Airport; Chicago O'Hare International Airport; San Francisco International Airport; George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport; Miami International Airport; Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport; Orlando International Airport; and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

US-VISIT, in cooperation with CBP, is leading the transition to a 10-fingerprint collection standard. Since US-VISIT began in 2004, DHS has used biometric identifiers to prevent the use of fraudulent documents, protect visitors from identity theft, and stop thousands of criminals and immigration violators from entering the country.

Unlicensed driver
Crash kills wife, fetus
Man runs red light, is hit by salt truck, police say; son hurt

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories...SE8UIF4.html?sid=101


Wednesday, January 2, 2008 3:25 AM
By Matthew Marx

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

PERRY TWP. (N.W. Columbus, OH) - An unlicensed driver is accused of causing a collision with a salt truck that killed his pregnant wife and the fetus early yesterday and fractured the skull of his 2-year-old son.

Last night, Perry Township police arrested Alfonso Martinez, 29, of the Northwest Side, in the death of his wife, Paula Martinez, who was said to be nine months pregnant. He is charged with two felony counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.

Police said alcohol might have played a role in the crash.

Mrs. Martinez, whose age was unavailable, died at Riverside Methodist Hospital, where her husband also had been admitted before being taken to jail. Their son Juan Martinez, 2, was in critical condition at Nationwide Children's Hospital with a fractured skull, said Sgt. Michael Bleas of the Perry Township Police Department.

Two daughters of Mrs. Martinez's -- Mariela Reyes, 7, and Gabriela Reyes, 4 -- were treated and released into the custody of Franklin County Children Services, Bleas said.

Mr. Martinez, of 2008-B Country Corners Rd., already was wanted on an arrest warrant because he never paid $412 from a 2006 conviction for driving without a license, Franklin County Municipal Court records show.

(He would have also been driving without insurance.)

"He never had a driver's license. He never had a Social Security number," Bleas said.

Investigators were awaiting results of a blood test ordered for Martinez after the crash, which occurred at 5:58 a.m. at Hayden Run Road and Riverside Drive, Bleas said. (between Dublin & Upper Arlington)

Martinez was eastbound on Hayden Run in a 1991 Toyota Camry, with his wife in the front passenger seat and the three children in the back seat. No one was wearing a seat belt. The boy was in a car seat that wasn't fastened properly, crash investigators said.

Martinez was going about 40 mph when he ran a red light into the path of an Ohio Department of Transportation salt truck that was northbound on Riverside spreading salt at 25 mph, said Perry Township Officer Tim Malone, crash investigator.

Malone said he found skid marks in the intersection that indicate the truck driver braked but was unable to avoid broadsiding the Toyota, which never braked.

Mrs. Martinez, who was two weeks from her scheduled delivery date, was pinned in the car, Bleas said.

Police officers who responded sought a blood test of Mr. Martinez for suspicion of drunken driving based on his erratic behavior.

"A witness smelled alcohol," Malone said. "That was our first indication that he had been drinking."

At the hospital, Mr. Martinez couldn't tell Malone the age of his wife, police said.

Investigators were awaiting results of that blood test, which would be available today at the earliest.

The truck driver, Charles E. Spring, 53, couldn't be reached for comment.

He was on a routine salting patrol out of ODOT's Hilliard post, department spokeswoman Nancy Burton said.

"It's just tragic all the way around," Burton said.

That the purpose of Spring's work was to prevent accidents wasn't lost on Bleas.

"The sad thing about that is, now, through no fault of his own, this truck driver is involved in the crash and someone has died," Bleas said. "It's not his fault whatsoever, but it doesn't make it any easier.

"If it were me, I don't think I'd be driving for a while. It really shakes you up."

Dispatch reporter Jeb Phillips contributed to this story.

mmarx@dispatch.com

Police ordered the driver's blood tested based on his erratic behavior and a witness who smelled alcohol.

News Source
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,319227,00.html


Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Schaap doesn't remember much from the night of Sept. 5, 2000, when a gunman opened fire, squeezing off 21 rounds and shooting him in the head. But he's heard the story, many times.

Schaap and his partner, David Timberlake, were on patrol when they pulled over a white van for not having working headlights.

Schaap had things on his mind "” it was his children's first day back at school. As he approached the vehicle, he had no idea the man in the van was on parole for a drug violation, had served time for narcotics possession and had a rap sheet that included firearms violations.

He found out the hard way, when the bullets started flying.

A bullet fragment from his assailant's AK-47 blasted into the bridge above Schaap's nose, ricocheted across his forehead and exited above his right eye. Timberlake escaped without injury.

RelatedStories
Robert William Fisher Wanted for Fatally Shooting Wife, Slitting Kids' Throats The gunman fled.

Before long, Schaap was lying in a hospital bed, his wife and two children wondering if he would live or die.

Police say his assailant "” Emigdio Preciado "” ran off to Mexico.

Doctors removed the remaining fragments of the bullet from Schaap's head, leaving a wound the size of a quarter and his left side partially paralyzed.

Schaap struggled through a long, painful recovery, which included intense therapy to re-learn cognitive skills.

He has a horseshoe-shaped scar on his face as a constant reminder of his attacker, who still is at large.

While Schaap recovered from his brain injury, Preciado landed on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list.

"¢ Click here for Preciado's FBI Most Wanted poster.

Schaap called Preciado a coward for not facing up to his alleged crime.

"I understand that we all run the risk of getting injured and getting assaulted in our line of work," he said. "But what gets me is what he did to my wife and kids. To me, that is the biggest injustice."

"It's not an injury like a broken arm," Schaap said. "I have an injury that is going to affect me for the rest of my life."

Long before the shooting, Preciado fell into a life of crime with the South Side Whittier street gang, which operates outside of Los Angeles and is known for violent crime and narcotics.

"This person is extremely dangerous," said FBI special agent Scott Garriola. "He's not afraid to shoot at law enforcement. He has total disregard for authority."

"¢ Click here to watch a video of Preciado dancing at a 2000 town holiday festival in his Most Wanted poster. Video courtesy of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

Preciado is wanted for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, attempted murder of a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon and parole violation.

He knows how to conceal his identity, with aliases ranging from "Junior Preciado," "Junior," "Trigger," "Spooky" to "Snyper."

He has a horizontal scar on his left ear, a black mole below his right eye and "Susana" and "Alexa" tattoos on his left chest, which may have been removed by plastic surgery.

Preciado last was seen two years ago in the Guadalajara area of Mexico. The FBI is working with authorities in Mexico, but it's difficult to locate people there, Garriola said.

The fugitive's family likely is helping him evade authorities in Mexico, and members of his gang could be helping, too.

"We feel like he's probably still being supported by his gang," Garriola said. "He just has an extended network that are hiding him."

Authorities put up a billboard in Whittier, Calif., seeking information about Preciado, but it has been defaced twice, Garriola said. The FBI believes fellow gang members vandalized the board.

People may be afraid to notify authorities about sightings or knowledge of Preciado's location. He's been known to assault several family members in Mexico, Garriola said.

"If someone turns him in, he doesn't care if he kills that person," Garriola said.

In 2001, Schaap returned to work with a different assignment.

No longer able to patrol the streets, he handles administrative duties and teaches employment issues to his department.

Schaap now looks at life differently.

"There is a reason why I didn't die," Schaap said. "There was a higher authority that had a hand in the incident."

Preciado was added to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list in March 2007.

The FBI is offering a $150,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Click here to find the phone number to your local FBI office.

Click here to submit a tip online.

U.S. anti-drug aid proposal could heighten violence in Mexico
After record year of killings, cartels may have violent answer to plan for $500 million in U.S. anti-drug aid


ALFREDO CORCHADO and TIM CONNOLLY

Alfredo Corchado reported from Washington and Mexico City, Tim Connolly reported from Washington, and / The Dallas Morning News
Laurence Iliff contributed from Mexico City.

WASHINGTON – Mexico recorded its deadliest year yet of drug-related killings in 2007, and the violence is expected to increase if an initial $500 million U.S. aid package to Mexico is approved by Congress in 2008, U.S. and Mexican officials and analysts say.

Drug-related killings surpassed 2,500 in 2007, eclipsing 2006's figure of more than 2,100, according to the Austin-based Stratfor consulting firm.

The killings underscore the timing of the Merida Initiative, an anti-drug agreement forged by Presidents Bush and Felipe Calderón and representing a new strategy of "shared responsibility," U.S. and Mexican officials said in interviews. Much of the aid would be used for helicopters, technology and information sharing.

But U.S. law enforcement officials and analysts caution that even with the unprecedented level of anti-drug aid to Mexico, violence could actually rise as drug cartels respond forcefully to increased U.S. and Mexican pressure.

One U.S. law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, warned that 2008 "may prove to be even deadlier. We expect drug traffickers to respond aggressively to combined U.S. and Mexican actions and pressure."

Growing U.S.-Mexico cooperation will force "drug cartels to increase the political ante by increasing the level of violence," said Armand Peschard-Sverdrup, a political consultant with Washington-based Peschard-Sverdrup & Associates.

Especially vulnerable are Mexican law enforcement agents, said U.S. and Mexican officials. Over the weekend, gunmen ambushed a convoy transporting three alleged kidnappers and killed seven police officers near Zacatecas. Hours earlier, a top law enforcement official was killed in the state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas.

"When pressure on them [drug traffickers] increases or continues from law enforcement officials, the usual response is to kick up the violence, especially directed at government and law enforcement officials, which might explain why deaths of law enforcement officials are up," said a senior U.S. official, also speaking on condition of anonymity. "Per the longer term, you certainly expect violence to decrease as the power of the cartels is broken, but not necessarily in the short term."

Cocaine seizures

Mexican authorities have made record cocaine seizures in recent months, including hauls of 10 tons and 26 tons in October alone.

A strong government represents a threat to the cartels.

"The goal of the cartels is to weaken institutions [and] to go about their illegal activities," said Roberta Jacobson, deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs. "Therefore, our goal is to strengthen these institutions."

She added: "Through this request by the Mexican government and cooperation of the U.S. government, we will be able to work together in such a way that criminals can't exploit our differences. This is an initiative of shared responsibility for shared problems."

The Merida Initiative calls for $1.4 billion in U.S. assistance over three years, mostly in new equipment and services to fortify democratic institutions, with $500 million for Mexico and an additional $50 million for Central American countries in fiscal 2008. The aid package needs congressional approval in both countries.

Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhán said the enhanced U.S. role is key.

"Between Texas and Arizona alone, you've got 12,000 gun shops along that border with Mexico. And a lot of these gun shops provide weapons that feed into organized crime in Mexico, so we really need the support of the Unites States," he said.

The cartels are also attacking new targets: the armed forces, mainstream musicians – including three killed in December – and even the Catholic Church.

In mid-December, two masked men burst into the offices of the Saltillo diocese in Coahuila state, northern Mexico, destroying property and holding a female employee, according to news reports. The attack came after Bishop Raul Vera denounced the government's efforts against drug traffickers as a farce.

Soldiers slain

As the year ended, three soldiers were shot to death in a shopping mall in the northern city of Torreón, Coahuila. That state also borders Texas.

Three journalists were killed in 2007, down from nine in 2006, when Mexico was the most dangerous place in the Americas for journalists, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

The debate in Congress might mirror the intensity of the immigration debate last summer.

"Mexico won't get a free pass," one Republican congressional aide said. "Expect the knives to come out for this one."

A proposed U.S. trip by Mr. Calderón in early 2008 to cities with large immigrant populations may inflame anti-Mexico sentiment on cable television and in Congress, said U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

"If I had my druthers, I would tell him to wait until this thing is over," said Mr. Reyes. "A visit by President Calderón could hurt our effort."

Intense lobbying

A final vote is expected in late February or early spring. Intense lobbying is under way, an effort that includes Mr. Sarukhán making about 15 visits a week to House and Senate leaders. "I believe that the chances of passing it are quite good," he said. Such lobbying is uncharacteristic for a nation with a historic fear of undermining its sovereignty by accepting U.S. aid.

"This package goes against the golden rule of Mexican diplomacy: no handouts from the U.S. government," said Rafael Fernández de Castro, a Mexican political analyst and visiting professor at Harvard University. "In Mexico, there's always the fear that the U.S. Congress will find a way to meddle into Mexican affairs and in its sovereignty. But this is basically the last call for Mexico. The choices are limited."

While the proposed aid would be a big increase from the $40 million a year received in the past, it is also a fraction of the billions of dollars Mexico spends every year on law enforcement, much of it in the drug fight.

Symbolic shift

But the Merida Initiative is as much about a symbolic shift toward co-responsibility in the drug war as it is about money, officials and analysts said.

"President Calderón is leading a frontal attack on crime, and ... the results are very striking in one year in Mexico," said Ms. Jacobson of the State Department. "This is for us one of those situations where it doesn't matter what the domestic political situation may be in the U.S., the opportunity cannot be lost. It's simply an opportunity that won't present itself again to change the relationship."

Still, Arturo Yañez, who trains detectives for the Mexico City government and has worked in federal law enforcement, questioned whether Mr. Calderón's counter-narcotics strategy is really working.

"Where are the results, the numbers ... ? Information is thin," he said. The influence of organized crime "is growing across Mexico. How exactly are we winning?"

Alfredo Corchado reported from Washington and Mexico City, Tim Connolly reported from Washington, and staff writer Laurence Iliff contributed from Mexico City.

acorchado@dallasnews.com;

tconnolly@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation....Edition2.16075.html
http://oneoldvet.com/?p=4379#more-4379

Hospital reflects census data

Last year, more babies were born at Pa. Hospital - the city's leader in births - than in 2006.
By Michael Matza

Inquirer Staff Writer

Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital and Philadelphia's leader in births annually, knows from experience what the U.S. Census Bureau announced as the New Year rang in: America's population is expected to grow almost 1 percent in 2008, paced by more births than deaths and increased immigration - both legal and illegal - to the United States.
"Our numbers are tracking up," said Lee-Ann Landis, spokeswoman for the hospital, where 5,103 babies were born in 2006 and, as of yesterday, 5,190 in 2007.

In addition to serving more pregnant women who are born in the United States and naturalized citizens, "we are seeing more and more undocumented immigrants," she said.

Undocumented women are not entitled to government assistance to pay for prenatal care, said Landis, but the hospital does not turn away any woman who arrives in labor. Because many of the undocumented mothers-to-be have not had reliable prenatal check-ups, their deliveries can be more complicated and costly, Landis said.

The hospital never has fewer than six births a day; one day last week, 25 babies were born at the hospital, she said.

The Census Bureau, based on projections that do not distinguish between legal and illegal immigration, pegged today's U.S. population at 303 million - up 2.8 million, or about 0.9 percent, from New Year's Day 2007.

"In January, the United States is expected to register one birth every eight seconds and one death every 11 seconds," the bureau said in a release.

"Meanwhile, net international migration is expected to add one person every 30 seconds. The result is an increase in the total U.S. population of one person every 13 seconds."

www.philly.com

Man charged with raping girl smuggled into United States



Pascual Francisco


Posted Dec. 30, 2007
3:35 PM

Milford (AP) _ Milford police say they've charged a Maryland man with raping a girl who was among a group of illegal immigrants he was allegedly transporting across the country.

Police say Francisco Pascual, who is 25, was being held Sunday on a $1 million bond on charges of sexual assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, risk of injury and assault. He was arrested after a girl, whose age was not released, told officers that he had raped her in a Milford hotel room after dropping off the other illegal immigrants he was driving to various spots across the U.S.

The girl was able to escape, and officers found her lost and wandering at a Milford gas station Saturday morning after a concerned citizen called them.

Police say the girl's mother, who lives in the Boston area, told officers she had paid to have her daughter smuggled into from Mexico into the U.S. from their native El Salvador.

Immigration agents and state child-welfare officials were notified.

It was not immediately known whether the girl would be held in state custody, or allowed to stay with her mother in the Boston area while the investigation continues.

http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=7557897&nav=menu29_2[

quote:

Originally posted by Beverly:
Man charged with raping girl smuggled into United States



Pascual Francisco


Posted Dec. 30, 2007
3:35 PM

Milford (AP) _ Milford police say they've charged a Maryland man with raping a girl who was among a group of illegal immigrants he was allegedly transporting across the country.

Police say Francisco Pascual, who is 25, was being held Sunday on a $1 million bond on charges of sexual assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, risk of injury and assault. He was arrested after a girl, whose age was not released, told officers that he had raped her in a Milford hotel room after dropping off the other illegal immigrants he was driving to various spots across the U.S.

The girl was able to escape, and officers found her lost and wandering at a Milford gas station Saturday morning after a concerned citizen called them.

Police say the girl's mother, who lives in the Boston area, told officers she had paid to have her daughter smuggled into from Mexico into the U.S. from their native El Salvador.

Immigration agents and state child-welfare officials were notified.

It was not immediately known whether the girl would be held in state custody, or allowed to stay with her mother in the Boston area while the investigation continues.

http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=7557897&nav=menu29_2[

Now she will get a greencard and her family too with the new legislation that issues greencards to undocumented if they have been victim of a crime. it is a reward for them to testify against the perpetrator. I do not understand the mentality behind it, but this is the new buzz.

quote:

Originally posted by 4now:

quote:

Originally posted by Beverly:
Man charged with raping girl smuggled into United States



Pascual Francisco


Posted Dec. 30, 2007
3:35 PM

Milford (AP) _ Milford police say they've charged a Maryland man with raping a girl who was among a group of illegal immigrants he was allegedly transporting across the country.

Police say Francisco Pascual, who is 25, was being held Sunday on a $1 million bond on charges of sexual assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, risk of injury and assault. He was arrested after a girl, whose age was not released, told officers that he had raped her in a Milford hotel room after dropping off the other illegal immigrants he was driving to various spots across the U.S.

The girl was able to escape, and officers found her lost and wandering at a Milford gas station Saturday morning after a concerned citizen called them.

Police say the girl's mother, who lives in the Boston area, told officers she had paid to have her daughter smuggled into from Mexico into the U.S. from their native El Salvador.

Immigration agents and state child-welfare officials were notified.

It was not immediately known whether the girl would be held in state custody, or allowed to stay with her mother in the Boston area while the investigation continues.

http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=7557897&nav=menu29_2[

Now she will get a greencard and her family too with the new legislation that issues greencards to undocumented if they have been victim of a crime. it is a reward for them to testify against the perpetrator. I do not understand the mentality behind it, but this is the new buzz.

If this were an American Citizen, there would be no rewards; the mother would be sentenced to a long jail term and the child placed into our dysfunctional social services system.

The mother and child should be reunited in a detention center and both should be deported along with a lifetime ban from re-entering the US, with a provision that if they are caught re-entering, they will be jailed and receive a long sentence.

Illegal aliens perpetually re-enter the US because there are very little (if any) consequences for their perpetual criminal actions. As a result, our citizens have become easy prey, our laws a laughing stock and our kindness treated as weakness. It's time to seal the borders and treat them as bad as their own governments treat them. Not until the welcome mats are rolled up, our laws are fully enforced across the US, the 14th Amendment clarified (or rescinded)to exclude illegal alien babies being given birth certificates and a lifetime of welfare benefits; will they go home and stay.

What is a U-visa?

The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 created two new nonimmigrant visas for noncitizen victims of crimes, the T-visa and the U-visa. Both visas are designed to provide immigration status to noncitizens that are assisting or are willing to assist authorities investigating crimes.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued the U visa regulation on September 17, 2007. This law becomes effective 30 days after its approval. This law is effective beginning October 17, 2007

The U visa is designed for noncitizen crime victims who (1) have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse from criminal activity; (2) have information regarding the criminal activity; (3) assist government officials in the investigation or prosecution of such criminal activity; and (4) the criminal activity violated US law or occurred in the United States (including Indian country and military installations) or the territories and possession of the United States.

Your abuser does not need to be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, and you do not have to have been married to the abuser to be eligible for a U visa.
You are not required to be physically present in the US to qualify for a U visa. You can apply from abroad as long as the criminal activity violated US law or occurred in US territories.

USCIS can only grant U visa status to 10,000 noncitizens in each fiscal year. This number does not include persons eligible for U visa derivatives status – e.g. spouses, children or parents of applicants.

Persons granted U visa status can remain in the United States for a period of up to 4 years, with possible extensions in certain cases (ask a lawyer if you are in need of an extension). After three years, U visa holders may apply for lawful permanent residence.
The U visa holders automatically qualify for employment authorization.

http://www.womenslaw.org/immigrantsUvisa.htm#35

thanks explora

i working on the fly and didnt have a chance to give a reference.

quote:

and a lifetime of welfare benefits

Something about that rings a bell. Welfare benefits....hmmm.

quote:

Originally posted by Beverly:
NEWEST WELFARE RECIPIENT BORN IN HOUSTON IN 2008 TO AN ILLEGAL WHO NEEDED A TRANSLATOR

Girl Is First Baby Born In 2008


HOUSTON - A little girl was the first baby born in Houston in 2008, KPRC Local 2 reported. Destiny Jimenez was born at Ben Taub Hospital at 12:14 a.m. She weighed in at 6 pounds 4 ounces and is almost 18 inches long.

"I can't believe it," Mayra Jimenez said through a translator. "Houston is so big. I never thought my baby would be the first."

Destiny is her Jimenez's fourth child.

She is a very calm and quiet baby," Jimenez said. "To me, she's the most beautiful baby."

Nurses gathered around to see the year's first baby and welcomed Destiny with a gift basket of pink clothes, diapers, towels and other goodies.

"I like that name," nurse Martha Varsenas said. "I don't know how they decided it, but I love that name."

Jimenez said she chose the name because her daughter is her true Destiny and will bring great happiness.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22465633/from/ET/

Hmmm.... still hear the ringing of a different welfare bell.

Hiring ILLEGALS Cost Restaurant Bankruptcy and Forfeitures

Acambaro case holds potential to pit 2 courts
MARK MINTON

Immigration authorities aren't the only ones eyeing the assets of Acambaro Mexican restaurants in the aftermath of a raid that rounded up 19 illegal aliens, jailed their employers and froze $ 3 million in property.

Days after the Dec. 10 raid, the Northwest Arkansas restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy protection. Acambaro listed assets of $ 4. 2 million and liabilities of $ 3. 2 million.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing sets up a potential legal tug-of-war: Even as Acambaro continues operating under the shelter of bankruptcy, federal prosecutors have frozen bank accounts and moved to seize key company properties, including most Acambaro locations in Northwest Arkansas.

"It's unusual," said John Blair, a Rogers lawyer representing Acambaro in bankruptcy court. The potential conflict between the two courts hasn't come to a head yet, he said.

"As of this moment, the government has not done anything to attempt to close them down," he said. "Arguably, that will be a violation of the ˜automatic stay' which is in effect and which protects the corporation's assets." Would the bankruptcy court's automatic stay, which keeps creditors at bay, have the same effect on immigration authorities ?

"As a general rule, when you file for bankruptcy, you basically trump every other kind of proceeding that's out there "” people trying to sue you, creditors trying to seize your assets, that kind of stuff," said Thomas E. Plank, a law professor at the University of Tennessee.

But there are exceptions for criminal cases.

"O. J. Simpson can't file for bankruptcy and stop from being prosecuted for murder," Plank said.

Less clear is whether a bankruptcy filing would forestall a civil forfeiture action such as the one the government is using to seize Acambaro's assets. Plank said he hadn't researched that, but the answer might lie in the details of the case.

Blair said Acambaro filed for bankruptcy "because of the seizure." The seizure left the Reyes family, which controls the restaurants, no way to pay its taxes or employees, Blair said.

Acambaro locations were able to reopen with replacement employees and food the company had on hand, Blair said, even though the government froze bank accounts and took away company computers.

The top creditor in the case is Arvest Bank, according to Acambaro's petition, with $ 3. 2 million in secured claims. Arvest holds the mortgages on several restaurants and houses involved in both the bankruptcy and the immigration case, the petition shows.

Bob Balfe, U. S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, declined to discuss specifics of the case.

Asked about the general procedure for forfeiture and its relationship to the bankruptcy proceeding, assistant U. S. attorney Debbie Groom said the government's position would be that it's exempt from the automatic stay.

She said the government's intention in the forfeiture case is to sell the properties, use the money to pay creditors and distribute remaining forfeiture funds to local governments for police operations.
http://oneoldvet.com/?p=4400#more-4400
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/212569/

Waukegan man pleads guilty to beating death

December 15, 2007
By ART PETERSON apeterson@scn1.com

A Waukegan man charged with first-degree murder has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Jose Guadarrama, 24, and Jose Alejandro Sepulveda, 29, were charged with the July 4 beating death of Ricardo Osario.

» Click to enlarge image
Guadarrama

Osario, 21, died from the beating. Guadarrama and Sepulveda were charged with first-degree murder.

The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Family Dollar store at Washington and Jackson streets in Waukegan.

Guadarrama pleaded guilty Friday in Lake County Circuit Court to a reduced charge of second-degree murder in exchange for truthful testimony against Sepulveda.

Judge Victoria Rossetti accepted the open plea and set a sentencing status date for Jan. 25, after Sepulveda's trial.

Guadarrama is facing a sentence of four to 20 years in prison with the possibility of day-for-day credit for good behavior. Probation is also an option.

Sepulveda, if convicted, would face a mandatory prison sentence of 20 to 60 years with no possibility of early release.

Guadarrama, a U.S. citizen but speaking through an interpreter, admitted to twice punching Osario in the face.

Prosecutor Ari Fisz said Sepulveda hit Osario in the face with a tree branch that was the size of a baseball bat. Osario died less than an hour later at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan.

The plea was recommended by Fisz and defense attorney Barry Boches.

Fisz said Guadarrama's testimony against Sepulveda must be consistent with his videotaped statements to Waukegan police.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/698565,...URDERPLEA_S1.article

By Remy Scalza : The Herald-Sun
chh@heraldsun.com
Jan 2, 2008

CHAPEL HILL -- By On the fifth floor of the N.C. Women's Hospital, high above the streets of Chapel Hill, is a window on the state's future.

Behind a thick pane of glass -- inside the nursery of the maternity ward -- sleep tomorrow's Tar Heels, wrapped in blankets and tucked safely in plastic bassinets.

And, on most days, about half of these babies are Hispanic.

North Carolina has undergone brisk demographic change in recent years. From 1990 to 2006, the Hispanic population increased from 76,726 to 597,382, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Hispanic enrollment in public schools jumped by more than 1,000 percent in that time.

But maternity wards across the state have seen some of the most dramatic changes. Hispanic births have increased 11 times over since 1990. Last year, one of every six babies born in North Carolina was Hispanic.

Women's Hospital in Chapel Hill has been an epicenter of this baby boom. With a well-developed system of obstetrical clinics in the region, the hospital absorbs births from neighboring counties with sizeable Hispanic populations. Official figures from 2005 show 37.4 percent of babies born at the hospital were Hispanic.


"It's actually more around 50 percent these days," says Carolyn Viall, director of nursing. "And that's been rising."

Behind the statistics, however, lies another story. At the same time many state agencies are working to weed out undocumented immigrants, Women's Hospital has found ways to reach -- and embrace -- a growing segment of North Carolina's population.

Across town from the hospital, Molly -- 32 and originally from Mexico -- is busy. Two months have passed since she delivered her baby at Women's Hospital, and she's back to work watching children in Chapel Hill.

Molly is in the final stages of getting a green card and asked that her last name not be used. Her 2-month-old is her second child born in the United States. She plans one more.

The recent growth in the Hispanic population only partly explains the increase in Hispanic births. The other piece of the puzzle is fertility rate, the number of live births per every 1,000 women of child-bearing age. Statewide, Hispanic mothers have a fertility rate more than double that of the general population, according to 2006 figures from the state Center for Health Statistics.

A relatively young Hispanic population, plus taboos about birth control and limited use of family-planning services, contributes to the difference, according to a report from the N.C. Office of Minority Health.


"The Latina community has a very strong orientation toward babies, toward children," explained Merry-K. Moos, a professor at UNC's School of Medicine and nurse practitioner. "It's very much a culture that reveres pregnant women."

Hispanic births have contributed to an unprecedented surge in deliveries at Women's Hospital. In 2006, 1,000 more babies were delivered than just five years before.

These extra births have stretched hospital resources, Moos explained. But Hispanics are only part of the equation, she said:

"Do we have increasing strain? Yes. Do we have increasing strain for a lot of reasons? Yes."

The general population of the state has grown dramatically, with Hispanics accounting for less than one-quarter of total growth since 1990. At the same time, Women's Hospital has been busy promoting its state-of-the-art maternity center to expectant moms.

These moves have led to growing pains at Women's Hospital. The nursery in the maternity ward, opened in 2001, is already at capacity and slated to expand from 15 cribs to 24.

Peering inside the nursery, Viall pointed to one of the new Hispanic babies. The tiny child's bassinet had been wheeled under a special colored spotlight to help with a mild case of jaundice. Glowing a deep blue, he looked more Smurf than newborn.

"The biggest adaptation for us has been understanding that Latinas don't want to stay here a long time," Viall explained. "They want to get back with the community and family resources they have."

Women's Hospital has adapted to extend its reach into that community. A system of 17 affiliated clinics in Orange and neighboring counties enables most Hispanic moms to get their prenatal care close to home.

Adriana, a Chatham County mom originally from Mexico, was treated at the Carrboro Community Health Center during her pregnancy. Prenatal patients there pay a flat fee of $30 per visit and are charged on a sliding scale for blood tests and other extras.

Because she's undocumented, Adriana -- like many Hispanic moms -- wasn't eligible for Medicaid.

Doctors diagnosed Adriana with gestational diabetes, a form of the disease that develops during pregnancy and is common in minority populations. Diet and treatment kept it in check, and last March Adriana gave birth to a healthy boy.

But things don't always go so smoothly. A week after her due date, Molly was still waiting to have her baby. Concerned, she came to Women's Hospital for a sonogram.

Molly brought her husband -- who speaks English and Spanish -- to help translate. The hospital also has more than a dozen professional interpreters on staff, with two on call at the maternity ward. Doctors and nurses have likewise appended Spanish classes to medical studies.

Molly's baby's heart was beating too slowly. Doctors said they would have to induce labor.

Once she was in labor, another problem developed: The baby was in breech position. Late that night, doctors decided to perform a Caesarean section.

In the end, she had a healthy 7-pound, 2-ounce baby girl.

After the birth of Molly's daughter, a new problem loomed: the bill.

The average cost of a Caesarean birth with complications in North Carolina is $16,651, according to an estimate from Blue Cross and Blue Shield. While Medicaid and private insurance normally cover these costs, most undocumented immigrants are uninsured.

Although Molly had paid down her prenatal bills, the cost of the delivery was out of reach.

But, like all uninsured moms who give birth in the U.S., Molly was eligible for a program known as emergency Medicaid. Coverage applies only to emergency conditions and is used in North Carolina primarily for labor and delivery costs. Emergency Medicaid is available to anyone -- regardless of immigration status -- whose income falls below state limits.

For deliveries, all families earning up to 185 percent of the federal poverty limit, which comes to around $38,000 for a family of four, are fully covered. Medicaid picked up Molly's tab.

Back in the maternity ward of Women's Hospital, another busy day was under way.

Nursing director Viall rounded a corner and stopped next to a bulletin board crowded with thank-you notes from new mothers to the hospital staff. Some were in English. Many were in Spanish.

"Thanks a lot for your atención," one note read. "God bless to everyone."
http://www.heraldsun.com/orange/10-911931.cfm?
_________________
Illegal Aliens are identity thieves, not undocumented workers.

If you can not join us, please pray for Ramos and Compean this Sunday Morning*


'The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."


Join Ramos and Compean supporters this Sunday, January 6th at a rally in front of the Lake Forest, Saddleback Church

http://www.saddleback.com/flash/default.htm

Featured speaker at Saddleback Church this Sunday will be Chuck Colson, former White House Counsel - a key player during the Watergate scandal. Today, he is a religious talk show host and guest lecturer.

The Lake Forest Saddleback Church is one of the largest in Southern California - thousands of church goers will see the Free Ramos and Compean Rally as well as media in attendance at the Chuck Colson event.

The message FREE RAMOS and COMPEAN will be sent!

Ramos and Compean supporters will distribute flyers and educate the public on how to become an activist in the fight to free Ramos and Compean.

Bring American flags and Free Ramos and Compean signs - a limited number of signs will be available.

DATE
Sunday, January 6

TIME
8:30am - 11:00am

LOCATION
street in front of Saddleback Church
1 Saddleback Pkwy
Lake Forest, CA

Cross streets are El Toro and Portola Pkwy.

http://www.saddleback.com/flash/drivedir.html


RADIO SHOW:

Chuck Colson
http://www.wfil.com/ministryaudio/BreakPoint/
BreakPoint - Chuck Colson and Mark Earley

Terrorists, Drug Dealers and People Smugglers Welcomed into USA
Thursday, 03 January 2008
By Sher Zieve

In case you happened to miss recent news on the subject, the Democrat-run US Congress has now officially welcomed terrorists, drug and people-smugglers into the United States of America. Welcome wagons, if not the proverbial red carpets, are now being extended to non-citizen criminals"”many of whom have vowed to destroy the USA and its entire people"”in a heretofore unprecedented manner. Refusing to follow the dictates of those US citizens who elected them, members of these now less-than-august bodies have, instead, decided to curry favor with our country's enemies"”enemies who are currently either firmly at the gate or who have already freely entered the country.

Note: Treason is no longer an issue to the increasingly autocratic rulers who, now, repressively walk the halls of the D.C. Capitol building. It also strongly appears that the US Constitution is no longer applicable to them and is only a document that hinders their ignoble and sordid desires.

While telling the American people they would build a border fence to keep the country's enemies at bay, with a wink and a nod members of both of these governmental branches entered into their own secret agreements to destroy any hope of said fence ever being built. The previously-given funding, via the Secure Fence Act, will now be reallocated to Senators' and Congress persons' pet projects. Even according to pro-illegals Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), $3 billion"”previously passed by Congress to build a secure border fence"”have now been stripped from the defense bill; ostensibly to be replaced by personal "pork" provisions for the Democrats. Greed and uncontrolled avarice have, once again, won out over both common sense and the fate of the country and its citizens. Graham said: "I'm incredibly disappointed. Congress would serve itself well if we funded border security as my amendment proposes, and it would help us move the immigration debate further down the road."

No longer are our "leaders" interested in the majority"”if any"”of the promises of our Founders. As a refresher, the Preamble to the US Constitution reads: "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." Instead, with Congress' overruling the American people (spec. the political imprisonment of USBP Agents Compean and Ramos and TX Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez) "establish justice" is now relegated to illegals and enemies of our country"”not US citizens who attempt to protect it and its people. With the backdoor dissolution of the Secure Border Act, "provide for the common defense" and "promote the general welfare" have now been tossed into the round file. With the previous outrages perpetrated by our elected leaders, suffice it to say "secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity" will no longer be possible.

As never before in our history, we stand on a precipice overlooking a seemingly bottomless chasm. We can choose to jump and be ruled and managed by those whom we actually elected or we can walk away from the edge and choose to continue self-rule and self-determination for ourselves, our country and potential future generations. One of these two solutions provides for death, the other life. Only we can decide which we want. But remember that remaining apathetic inevitably leads to both an early demise and the dissolution of any and all realistic hopes. If you choose life, select your path of resistance wisely and well. History is a good mentor and provides sound information about those who have chosen before you.

There may be one last hope. The SAVE Act (Secure America with Verification and Enforcement) is currently in play. And it may actually be our last hope. Take a look at it and get involved. It may very well be you last hope, too.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.""”Plato: Greek philosopher

"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.""”Edmund Burke: Irish statesman/philosopher

http://hotair.com/archives/2007/11/08/democrats-yank-bo...efense-spending-bill

SAVE Act: http://www.numbersusa.com/interests/attrition.html

http://www.borderfirereport.net/sher-zieve/terrorists-d...rs-welcomed-int.html