Monterrey, Mexico, February 10, 2008) - The Detroit Ignition (12-7) were defeated 15-10 by the expansion La Raza de Monterrey (8-11) tonight at Arena Monterrey.
The Ignition struck just five minutes into the first quarter as defender Jonathan Greenfield notched a two-point score with an assist from Doug Rice. Midfielder Ryan Mack added two more points for the Ignition at 9:41 in the first off an assist from Ze Roberto. Just under a minute later, Armando Teran scored two points for Monterrey to bring the score to 4-2 at the end of the first quarter.
Forward Jamar Beasley opened up the second quarter for Detroit with a two-point goal at 4:18 off an assist from Ricardinho. Teran scored again at 6:05, giving the home team two more points with an assist from Byron Alvarez. Less than two minutes later, Mack scored his second goal of the night to put Detroit up 8-4 at halftime.
La Raza controlled the third quarter, scoring three two-point goals to take a 10-8 lead over the Ignition. As the fourth quarter got underway, Beasley scored his second goal of the night to tie the clubs up at 10-all. Alvarez responded for La Raza, scoring a two-point tally at 8:33 with an assist from defender Jose Birche. As the quarter came to a close, the Ignition brought Ricardinho in as the club's sixth attacker. Monterrey defender Genoni Martinez took advantage of the Detroit's open net, scoring a three-point goal to bring the final score to 15-10.
The Ignition return home to host the Philadelphia KiXX (10-11) on Friday, February 15 at Compuware Arena.
The Detroit Ignition is a member club of the Major Indoor Soccer League, and begins the team's second season in November 2007 after advancing to the MISL Championship Finals during the 2006-07 season.
Information regarding Ignition season, group, and individual tickets can be obtained by calling the club at 1-888-436-GOAL (4625), by visiting the team's official Internet property, www.detroitignition.com , by calling TicketMaster at 248-645-6666, or by using www.ticketmaster.com .
I know that you have risked your lives in order to give opportunities to your children, to your families. I know that in each one of you thereis a history of heroism and also a history of pain.
A history of heroism because is not easy to leave your country, your house, your Nation and to cross the border risking it all. A history of heroism because each year more than 400 Mexicans die trying to cross the border, perhaps more than in any another part of the world.
______
When they tell me that the Government of Mexico what wants to multiply migration, attacking and criticizing our defense for the migrant, I say that they are mistaken. Because I know that Mexico in each migrant it loses its bravest people, its strongest people, its more audacious people, because I know that in each migrant there is a family that is disconnected.
______
I come here, to Chicago, to Illinois, because I know that my duty as President, especially in the difficult moments that the undocumented are passing, of harassment, of clear discrimination in some cases, my duty is to echo the voice of all the Mexicans, the voice of all of Mexico telling them we are with you.
We are truly determined that Mexico be present with you, supporting you, helping you, understanding you.
I also know, my friends, that my duty as the President is to work and to work very, very hard so that immigration will not be in the future the only option for our people. _______
When they ask me what is, exactly, the cause of this phenomenon, seems to me that we cannot deceive ourselves. The U.S. economy and the economy of Mexico are absolutely complementary economies; one is intensive in capital, like their economy, another is intensive in labor as is the Mexican and I have always said that labor and capital necessarily are complemented, that they are similar as the left shoe and the right shoe, both have to be put on at the same time in order to walk.
And just as labor has sought capital, the investment here in the United States, we are seeking to attract investment and capital to Mexico, to generate in Mexico well paid jobs for the Mexicans [/b]so they don't continue separating our families and our communities.
________
We have worked and we have been speaking and relating to diverse actors in the political panorama in Mexico and in the United States, above all with those who have influences in this migratory debate issue and we have expressed to them with firmness the position of the Government of Mexico that can be summarize in five points.
First. We want that the extraordinary cultural, social, and economic contribution of the Mexican migrants in the United States to be recognized.
Second. We want that that recognition be reflected in a greater certainty, in a greater stability, in a greater tranquility so that our compatriots can do what they came to do, to work in peace, to be productive, support their family and be recognized or not, that their work has also helped this Nation.
Third. That for the Mexican Government it is important, of course, to have a secure border. When they think that we are disputing this point, they are also mistaken, yes, of course I want a secure border, of course I want a secure border for our people, for our children and also for the Americans or any person that live on both sides of the border.
The Government of Mexico is commited and works for having a secure border with the United States, but we should not make a mistake, its not the people, is the organized crime and not the migrant Mexicans the ones that are a problem of national security for the United States.
I think that both nations should recognize what is a reality, the world is being globalized, the economies are being built global and the nations that are prospering, the regions that are prospering, like Asia, and Europe, are nations that recognize that reality and they are capable of being integrated in larger economies of scale and in larger territories.
What we should do Americans and Mexicans is to recognize that if we want prosperity, that if we want to progress we should become united. Not by closing our border, not by canceling our exchanges are we going to prosper, we either prosper together incorporating and integrating ot there will not be prosperity neither for Mexico or for the United States.
________
We want to build bridges because we know that bridges, more than walls, are the ones that join people. And I also know, I understand the worry of many American citizens, but I can share with you, my friends, what some time ago Icommented to President Bush in his visit to Mexico last year.
I assured the President, I told him, that he can do more to reduce immigration,to reduce immigration it would benefit more a kilometer of highway in Zacatecas or in Michoacán than 20 kilometers of border wall covering Texas or Arizona.
________
We want to be near the Mexicans in Chicago and anywhere in the world and in the U.S. And we have an idea to continue working with you in five main issues.
First. We will dedicate all the resources at our reach to be able to improve the services that the Government gives. I know that the consular services have always left a lot to be desired and more now since the American authorities are asking for documents for anything.
By that reason, friends, I have decreed in the Budget that all the incomes that be received for passports or other documents in the U.S. consulates, that money remain in the consulates to lend better service.
Second. Starting this week, various mexican consulates in the United States, especially the one in Chicago, will use mobile truck consulates to function with newly hired personnel, with new vehicles, new equipment, so they can vist the 80 cities in the region and offer consular services.
We are going to continue working with those programs and others more. Today, for example, we signed two covenants, one with the State of Illinois and another with the City of Chicago, a covenant to do an exchange of teachers, we are going to bring Mexican teachers here, so they can teach our culture, our traditions and from here we are going to send teachers to Mexico, if you want you could lend us a hand teach English at our communities, to our children that need that Instrument.
Third. We are going to continue working to generate a different environment in the migratory theme; this should remain clear that the Mexicans, that Mexico is not the enemy and Mexicans are not any threat for this great Nation.
That we want to prompt and make recognition of the enormous contributions that the Mexicans do to the U.S. economy. Recent studies have shown, above all one done by the Counsel of Economic Advisors of the White House, they have shown that the immigrant workers, especially the Mexicans, do not displace native workers, to the contrary, they complement the work that they carry out, they enlarge also the income of the American workers. It is calculated that 30 Billion dollars per year, is what the migratory labor force contributes to the income of the U.S. workers.
It also has been shown that the balance that the migrants costs the American taxpayer, this is false thus, this study that is not from the Government of Mexico, is from the Government of the United States and the Counsel of Economic Advisors of the White House, indicates that the balance is a lot more than what the migrants pay in taxes upon working than what they receive in services, and that is so much that they are even maintaining a good part of the retirement pensions of thousands of U.S. workers.
We have to do an enormous effort by changing the image of the immigrant, of Mexico and of the Mexicans, and that implies, exactly, to put clear emphasis in the idea that we are here to build, we are for harmonizing with this great nation our efforts, because the prosperity of the U.S. is directly linked to immigrant labor especially Mexicans.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Beverly,
Isn't it time for common sense regarding millions of foreign criminal invaders to US soil and the securing of our borders?
Article 4, Section 4 of the US Constitution requires the federal government to protect states and their citizens from foreign invasion. 12-20-30+ million foreigners have illegally invaded US soil and are doing America and its citizens irreparable harms! This fits within the legal defintion of "invasion" per Constitutional law, which when drafted, would have considered only 25,000 foreigners an invasionary size force!
The damage now exceeds $250 billion annually, with over 18,000 lives lost per year due to the invasion!
You may spin the facts any which way you might, but the bottom line is that the invasion over over 10 million trespassing Mexicans on US soil is a clear and legally defined Act of War by Mexico, a country now in direct violation of the Treaty of Guadalupe and legaslly and financially responsible to America and Americans for any costs incurred from the invasion (open your law books and do your homework!).
An unconstitutional and illegal amnesty is now being proposed by Nancy Pelosi's Democratic Congress. Amnesty is not "protection from invasion" as guaranteed under the Constitution but rather a "sanctioning of invasion", hence highly illegal!
Those who put forward such flagrant unconstitutional efforts may be subject to misprision of treason and treason laws and should find themselves now on legal alert, subject to FBI investigations and arrest! (Please do your law book homework!)
The federal government has not done its legally required duty under the Constitution to protect states and citizens from invasion and remove the invaders. Therefore, the federal government is in breach.
The federal government's deliberate failure to enforce federal laws toward remedying the invasion provide adequate legal proof that the Congress and the federal government are no longer valid authorities able to maintain the federal government's legal rights held by the Constitution with respect to its own duties and obligations; this deliberate deriliction of duty by the federal government gives the states the legal right to not only withhold all federal taxes but initiate secession from the union - the legal precedence now established uniquely and mutually exclussive of all previous secession attempts in case law. (Again, do you legal homework!)
Americans have had enough! Enough of Congress! Enough of the White House! Enough of the foreign invasion! Enough is Enough!
If we must, Americans will protest – we will quit paying taxes – we will quit recognizing federal law or authority – and we will force our states to break from the union – we will not have our Constitution violated without a major fight... but all this only as the very last resort!!!
After all, if the federal government no longer recognizes the US Constitution as a valid document and contract and will not honor its duties and responsibilities, then why should Americans recognize the federal government or support it?
This is a radical remedy, we acknowledge, but it was one provided by our Founding Fathers and its the legal right of all Americans to stand up and remake their government when it becomes tyrannical and unrepresentative of the people! However, we rather a different choice be made so...
Instead, we press the American people and the US federal government and Congress to come to their senses and support their legal obligations, as well as enact the Safe America Act, which will greatly protect America from domestic terrorism, permanently end illegal immigration, secure the US borders, stop progress of the North American Union, and safeguard America from further foreign invasion by all classes of criminal invaders, whether terrorists, violent criminals, or more benign classes of aliens - and protect millions of high paying jobs and return them to US citizen workers (toward create an major economic boom in our economy), and much more!
This landmark legislation is nothing that Congress would ever create on their own - it has too much common sense and respect for the Constitution in it - but instead, it was created by average Americans and a small nonprofit, on behalf of all Americans and America! Not its time Congress steps up to the plate and gives Americans what they want and have a legal right to!
Let's end the insanity and supplanting of America to foreigners and foreign powers and lets restore America back to its citizens!
Let's clean up the mess Congress made since 1987 and let's move forward, once and for all!
Posted 02-13-2008 02:09 PM Hide Post Enchiladas Recipe
Filed under All Seasons, Cheese, Main Course, Mexican and Tex Mex, Quick, Vegetarian, Wheat-free
Preparation time: 30 minutes.
Enchiladas were a family staple growing up, though thankfully this cheese enchilada recipe has much less fat in it these days. Mom tells the story about how in the Sixties my Aunt Josephine went out to eat at a new supposedly Mexican food restaurant in Boston, only to be fed enchiladas where the corn tortillas had been taken out of a package and had not been fried before being cooked with cheese and sauce. (You have to re-cook the tortillas to soften them up and give them more flavor.) She then went into the restaurant's kitchen and taught the chef how to properly make an enchilada. My aunt and my mother, both fifth generation hispanic Arizonians, learned this recipe from my grandmother. Note that there are many kinds of enchiladas - green chile, shrimp, red chili - to name a few. This recipe just happens to be our favorite one.
Grapeseed oil (or another high smoke-point oil such as peanut or canola oil) 12 corn tortillas 1 medium onion, chopped 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 cup of salsa (Mild prepared salsa or make your own using cooked or canned tomatoes, roasted green chiles, onions, cilantro, oil and vinegar. Do not use salsa made with fresh, uncooked tomatoes for this dish.) 3 Tbsp of tomato paste 1 cup water 1 cup of canned crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted) Olive oil 1 lb of jack cheese, mild cheddar or longhorn or any mild yellow cheese, grated A handful of cilantro 1 cup of sour cream Half a head of iceberg lettuce
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 In a large fry pan at high heat add 3 Tbsp of grapeseed oil. Add a tortilla to the pan. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift up the tortilla with a spatula, add another tortilla underneath. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift again, both tortillas, and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat the process with all the tortillas, adding a little more oil if needed. This way you can brown and soften the tortillas without using a lot of fat. You do this process to develop the flavor of the tortillas. As the tortillas brown a little, remove from the pan one by one to rest on a paper towel, which absorbs any excess fat.
3 Put some olive oil on the bottom of a large casserole pan. Take a tortilla, cover 2/3 of it lightly with the shredded cheese, then roll up the tortilla and place it in the casserole pan. Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled. Add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the the casserole pan. Make sure all are covered with the sauce. If not, add a little water. Cover the whole thing with the rest of the grated cheese. Put the casserole in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.
4 Garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Serve with sliced iceberg lettuce that has been dressed only with vinegar and salt. See Perfect Guacamole for a great guacamole avocado side dish.
Serves 4. Posts: 205 | Registered: 01-20-2006
Ignored post by whknapp posted 02-13-2008 02:09 PM Show Post
Beverly Power Member
Posted 02-13-2008 03:14 PM Hide Post What better crime than an Enchilada recipe courtesy of an ILLEGAL ALIEN.
Sounds like it would send even the strongest stomach to the hospital.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Beverly, 02-13-2008 03:48 PM
____________________ It's Time to Rescind the 14th Amendment Posts: 1218 | Registered: 11-30-2007
Posted 02-11-2008 09:43 PM Hide Post QUOTE]Originally posted by explora:
spam (v)
espamear, amorcillar, amorongar
spam
un bombardeo (m) de grandes cantidades de correo con el propósito de bloquear el servidor, espam (m), morcilla (f), moronga (f)
Please don't spam! ¡No spam por favor!
Don't be a spammer! ¡No seas un spammer!
Please don't duplicate newspaper articles into various threads of our ilw discussion board. No dupliques por favor los artÃculos periodÃsticos en los varios hilos de rosca de nuestro tablero de la discusión del ilw.[/QUOTE]
I haven't watched, but since you think its so good I think it's only right that I copy it to all of your threads. [/QUOTE]Originally posted by explora:
Friday, May 26, 2006; Posted: 7:33 a.m. EDT (11:33 GMT)
The question has baffled scientists through the ages.
LONDON, England -- It's a question that has baffled scientists, academics and pub bores through the ages: What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Now a team made up of a geneticist, philosopher and chicken farmer claim to have found an answer. It was the egg.
Put simply, the reason is down to the fact that genetic material does not change during an animal's life.
Therefore the first bird that evolved into what we would call a chicken, probably in prehistoric times, must have first existed as an embryo inside an egg.
Professor John Brookfield, a specialist in evolutionary genetics at the University of Nottingham, told the UK Press Association the pecking order was clear.
The living organism inside the eggshell would have had the same DNA as the chicken it would develop into, he said.
"Therefore, the first living thing which we could say unequivocally was a member of the species would be this first egg," he added. "So, I would conclude that the egg came first."
The same conclusion was reached by his fellow "eggsperts" Professor David Papineau, of King's College London, and poultry farmer Charles Bourns.
Mr Papineau, an expert in the philosophy of science, agreed that the first chicken came from an egg and that proves there were chicken eggs before chickens.
He told PA people were mistaken if they argued that the mutant egg belonged to the "non-chicken" bird parents.
"I would argue it is a chicken egg if it has a chicken in it," he said.
"If a kangaroo laid an egg from which an ostrich hatched, that would surely be an ostrich egg, not a kangaroo egg."
Bourns, chairman of trade body Great British Chicken, said he was also firmly in the pro-egg camp.
He said: "Eggs were around long before the first chicken arrived. Of course, they may not have been chicken eggs as we see them today, but they were eggs."
The debate, which may come as a relief to those with argumentative relatives, was organized by Disney to promote the release of the film "Chicken Little" on DVD.
MAYBE YOU SHOULD PM YOUR BUDDY OR YOURSELF ABOUT THE SPAM. THE SPAM THAT COMES AS A RESULT OF YOUR PM PLOTS WITH YOUR BUDDIES WILL COME RIGHT BACK BECAUSE I FIGURE WE SHOULD ALL PLAY TOGETHER
whknapp Frequent Member Posted 02-13-2008 03:58 PM Hide Post The adult salt-water crocodile will eat anything that comes too close to it. That includes fish, birds, and mammals of any size, including humans, that venture near the water's edge.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Beverly,
US immigration laws are technical and often hostile. Tangled in these laws, many foreign clients are desperate to find a good immigration attorney. This is especially true in complex deportation cases. Attitudes towards lawyers -- and attorney-client relationships -- may be very different in the client's home-country culture.
In the United States, State Bar Associations are charged with protecting the public from incompetent or unethical lawyers. But clients with genuine grievances have already been hurt by bad representation. It remains the client's responsibility to find and hire immigration counsel. This spells both opportunity and danger.
The opportunity lies in finding a qualified lawyer and negotiating your fee. The internet makes both tasks easier. And because immigration law is federal, the right lawyer for your case may be across town, across state or across the country.
The danger lies in choosing a lawyer who will not get results! Remember:
1. A "bargain" fee is no bargain if the outcome is unhappy.
2. Don't confuse lawyer advertising with lawyer competence. The best advertising is another satisfied immigration client.
3. Beware of lawyers who confidently predict a good result just to get your business. Immigration clients need straight talk -- not false promises. For complex cases, this takes time. There is no substitute for a full client interview and case evaluation. Sometimes, this requires further legal research. Capable lawyers are always willing to provide a full analysis of the case's strengths and weaknesses. The process itself is the best way to observe the lawyer's analytical skills and assess the reasonableness of the proposed fee.
Full case assessments usually involve a consultation fee. Clients are reluctant to pay such fees to more than one lawyer. Fortunately, there is an easier and cost-free way to narrow your choice of immigration counsel.
Just ask tough questions about the lawyer and his or her practice! Good lawyers and their staff are not afraid to answer such questions. Clients should not be afraid to ask them.
1. Is the lawyer Board-Certified? Not all states offer board certification. Ask the lawyer to explain the process and its importance for you as a prospective client.
2. What is the lawyer's Martindale-Hubbell rating -- Av, Bv, or Cv? Ask the attorney what these ratings mean.
3. Is the lawyer a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association? How long?
4. Have clients filed any complaints -- especially recent complaints -- against the lawyer with the State Bar Association, in any local court, or with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) of the U.S. Department of Justice?
5. Does the lawyer carry malpractice insurance, and have any claims been filed against or settled with the insurance carrier?
6. What investments has the lawyer made in staff and immigration technology? Ask how long the senior paralegals have been employed at the firm. Longterm, skilled and happy staff are a good sign that the lawyer treats both employees and clients well. Forms-preparation software and case management systems say much about the lawyer's attention to detail and ability to access your case information after you pay the retainer fee.
7. Does the lawyer provide the client with an attorney-client contract before any retainer is paid?
8. What lawyer services are included in the contract and lawyer fees and what services are not included? For example:
Does the fee include lawyer travel to a CIS office or immigration court?
Is lawyer travel to the local CIS office really necessary in your case? In most routine administrative cases, document and client preparation are more important than lawyer travel to and presence at a CIS interview. See Green Card Interview Tips at this website. Discuss and negotiate this with your lawyer before signing a contract or paying a retainer fee.
Government filing fees are a client responsibility in almost every attorney-client contract. But are current filing fees fully disclosed in the contract so that you can budget accordingly? 9. For every client, the most important questions in hiring any lawyer are, "Does the lawyer answer phone calls, promptly provide copies of documents, charge reasonable fees, and get good results?"
Lawyers can and should discuss their phone and document-copy policies. Their contracts should fully disclose their fee and cost structures. But confidentiality and ethics rules place past results off-limits. State bar rules rightly prohibit lawyers from providing testimonials or advertising past results, because they are "inherently misleading to a person untrained in the law. Potential clients are likely to infer from the testimonial that the lawyer will reach similar results in future cases."
So where can a foreign client get good information about a lawyer's reputation and track record? The best source is always other immigrants. Check with religious organizations, universities or ethnic societies within your community.
The answers to these questions are important. They will help you eliminate unsuitable lawyers. They will also help you compare the credentials of qualified attorneys, understand what you are paying for, and negotiate your fee from a position of knowledge and strength.
Everett P. Anderson has practice immigration law in Tallahassee since 1985. His website is at www.immserve.com. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ILW.COM.
Immigration officials detaining, deporting American citizens
By Marisa Taylor | McClatchy Newspapers Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008
FLORENCE, Ariz. "” Thomas Warziniack was born in Minnesota and grew up in Georgia, but immigration authorities pronounced him an illegal immigrant from Russia.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has held Warziniack for weeks in an Arizona detention facility with the aim of deporting him to a country he's never seen. His jailers shrugged off Warziniack's claims that he was an American citizen, even though they could have retrieved his Minnesota birth certificate in minutes and even though a Colorado court had concluded that he was a U.S. citizen a year before it shipped him to Arizona.
On Thursday, Warziniack finally became a free man. Immigration officials released him after his family, who learned about his predicament from McClatchy, produced a birth certificate and after a U.S. senator demanded his release.
"The immigration agents told me they never make mistakes," Warziniack said in an earlier phone interview from jail. "All I know is that somebody dropped the ball."
The story of how immigration officials decided that a small-town drifter with a Southern accent was an illegal Russian immigrant illustrates how the federal government mistakenly detains and sometimes deports American citizens.
U.S. citizens who are mistakenly jailed by immigration authorities can get caught up in a nightmarish bureaucratic tangle in which they're simply not believed.
An unpublished study by the Vera Institute of Justice, a New York nonprofit organization, in 2006 identified 125 people in immigration detention centers across the nation who immigration lawyers believed had valid U.S. citizenship claims.
Vera initially focused on six facilities where most of the cases surfaced. The organization later broadened its analysis to 12 sites and plans to track the outcome of all cases involving citizens.
Nina Siulc, the lead researcher, said she thinks that many more American citizens probably are being erroneously detained or deported every year because her assessment looked at only a small number of those in custody. Each year, about 280,000 people are held on immigration violations at 15 federal detention centers and more than 400 state and local contract facilities nationwide.
Unlike suspects charged in criminal courts, detainees accused of immigration violations don't have a right to an attorney, and three-quarters of them represent themselves. Less affluent or resourceful U.S. citizens who are detained must try to maneuver on their own through a complicated system.
"It becomes your word against the government's, even when you know and insist that you're a U.S. citizen," Siulc said. "Your word doesn't always count, and the government doesn't always investigate fully."
Officials with ICE, the federal agency that oversees deportations, maintain that such cases are isolated because agents are required to obtain sufficient evidence that someone is an illegal immigrant before making an arrest. However, they don't track the number of U.S. citizens who are detained or deported.
"We don't want to detain or deport U.S. citizens," said Ernestine Fobbs, an ICE spokeswoman. "It's just not something we do."
While immigration advocates agree that the agents generally release detainees before deportation in clear-cut cases, they said that ICE sometimes ignores valid assertions of citizenship in the rush to ship out more illegal immigrants.
Proving citizenship is especially difficult for the poor, mentally ill, disabled or anyone who has trouble getting a copy of his or her birth certificate while behind bars.
Pedro Guzman, a mentally disabled U.S. citizen who was born in Los Angeles, was serving a 120-day sentence for trespassing last year when he was shipped off to Mexico. Guzman was found three months later trying to return home. Although federal government attorneys have acknowledged that Guzman was a citizen, ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said Thursday that her agency still questions the validity of his birth certificate.
Last March, ICE agents in San Francisco detained Kebin Reyes, a 6-year-old boy who was born in the U.S., for 10 hours after his father was picked up in a sweep. His father says he wasn't permitted to call relatives who could care for his son, although ICE denies turning down the request.
The number of U.S. citizens who are swept up in the immigration system is a small fraction of the number of illegal immigrants who are deported, but in the last several years immigration lawyers report seeing more detainees who turn out to be U.S. citizens.
The attorneys said the chances of mistakes are growing as immigration agents step up sweeps in the country and state and local prisons with less experience in immigration matters screen more criminals on behalf of ICE.
ICE's Fobbs said agents move as quickly as possible to check stories of people who claim they're American citizens. But she said that many of the cases involve complex legal arguments, such as whether U.S. citizenship is derived from parents, which an immigration judge has to sort out.
"We have to be careful we don't release the wrong person," she said.
In Warziniack's case, ICE officials appear to have been oblivious to signs that they'd made a serious mistake.
After he was arrested in Colorado on a minor drug charge, Warziniack told probation officials there wild stories about being shot seven times, stabbed twice and bombed four times as a Russian army colonel in Afghanistan, according to court records. He also insisted that he swam ashore to America from a Soviet submarine.
Court officials were skeptical. Not only did his story seem preposterous, but the longtime heroin addict also had a Southern accent and didn't speak Russian.
Colorado court officials quickly determined his true identity in a national crime database: He was a Minnesota-born man who grew up in Georgia. Before Warziniack was sentenced to prison on the drug charge, his probation officer surmised in a report that he could be mentally ill.
Although it took only minutes for McClatchy to confirm with Minnesota officials that a birth certificate under Warziniack's name and birth date was on file, Colorado prison officials notified federal authorities that Warziniack was a foreign-born prisoner.
McClatchy also was able to track down Warziniack's three half-sisters. Even though they hadn't seen him in almost 20 years, his sisters were willing to vouch for him.
One of them, Missy Dolle, called the detention center repeatedly, until officials there stopped returning her calls. Her brother's attorney told her that a detainee in Warziniack's situation often has to wait weeks for results, even if he or she gets a copy of a U.S. birth certificate.
Warziniack, meanwhile, waited impatiently for an opportunity to prove his case. After he contacted the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, a group that provides legal advice to immigrants, a local attorney recently agreed to represent him for free.
Dolle and her husband, Keith, a retired sheriff's deputy in Mecklenburg County, N.C., flew to Arizona from their Charlotte home to attend her brother's hearing before an immigration judge.
Before she left, she e-mailed Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. After someone from his office contacted ICE, immigration officials promised to release Warziniack if they got a birth certificate.
After scrambling to get a power of attorney to obtain their brother's birth certificate, the sisters succeeded in getting a copy the day before the hearing.
On Thursday, however, government lawyers told an immigration judge during a deportation hearing that they needed a week to verify the authenticity of Warziniack's birth record. The judge delayed his ruling.
"I still can't believe this is happening in America," Dolle said.
Warziniack began to weep when he saw his sister. "They still don't believe me," he said.
Later that day, however, ICE officials changed their minds and said that he could be released this week. They said they were able to confirm his birth certificate, but they didn't acknowledge any problem with the handling of the case.
The officials blamed conflicting information for the mix-up.
"The burden of proof is on the individual to show they're legally entitled to be in the United States," said ICE spokeswoman Kice.
Warziniack, 40, told McClatchy that he has no memory of telling anyone he was Russian. Instead, he recalled the shock of withdrawing from his heroin addiction after 18 years of drug abuse.
Katherine Sanguinetti, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections, suspects that prison officials were relying on information that Warziniack gave when he was first taken into custody because they never received the Colorado court documents concluding that he was a U.S. citizen.
Even now, the prison records inaccurately show his current location as "the Soviet Union."
In the end, Sanguinetti said, ICE is responsible for making sure that it detains and deports the correct person. Her prisons flag hundreds of prisoners a month as foreign-born, but can't possibly verify the information, she said.
"Could it happen again? Sure," Sanguinetti said. "But we would hope that ICE during their investigative process would discover the truth."
Rachel Rosenbloom, an attorney at the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College who's identified at least seven U.S. citizens whom ICE has mistakenly deported since 2000, believes that the agency should set up a more formal way of handling detainees when they appear to have valid claims of U.S. citizenship. At the very least, she said, ICE could release people such as Warziniack on bond while waiting for immigration judges to hear the cases.
"It's like finding innocent people on death row," Rosenbloom said. "There may be only a small number of cases, but when you find them you want to do everything in your power to make sure they get out."
Enhanced Homeland Security to support U.S. Comprehensive Immigration reforms
Surya B. Prasai americanchronicle.com Saturday, February 16, 2008
David Posner for the American Chronicle National Media Network. January, 2008
"I am pleased to let our talented American Chronicle writers, the finest in our country, know that Mr. Surya B. Prasai, a globally accomplished Nepalese international strategic communications, media and international development professional has joined us as a regional contributor from Silver Spring, Maryland. Surya is also a popular Global Commentator and Discussant at the Google Environmental Professionals Group: Water, Climate Change and Bio-diversity Information Network and has written important pieces with global policy ramification on HIV/AIDS impact mitigation and global environmental conservation concerning the Bali Summit and the post-Kyoto lobbyists' dilemmas.
Surya will be contributing actively on HIV/AIDS, gender mainstreaming, international labor mobility, and American and international environmental safeguards promotion. We believe his insights would help us in further understanding the American and global compact on progress made in the above important development and social sectors and the need for unique innovative thinking on the issues, which he possesses!
Welcome Surya and looking forward to your important and active contributions to our prestigious American writers' circuit".
.................... About the author Surya B. Prasai is an internationally acknowledged international development and media personality from Nepal focusing on global advisory work in HIV/AIDS impact mitigation, protecting women and children´s health and rights, curbing international illegal labor migration in the US and the Asia-Pacific region, and analyzing and promoting US and UN global environmental safeguards.
He has worked with German technical Cooperation, BMZ, Germany, UNICEF, ILO, UNDP, Family Health International (USAID/Policy project), the African Comprehensive Partnership (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Merck Co. and Botswana Government) respectively in Botswana, Nepal, Thailand, India and Sudan.
As an influential top level Asian media commentator, he has contributed in the past three decades in The Bangkok Post (Guest Columnist), The Nation, Thailand (Guest Editor), The Far Eastern Economic Review, The Hindustan Times (Culture and Tourism contributor), The Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post, The Peoples Review, The Everest Herald, The Commoner (Tourism and Culture Editor), ILO News Features, and UNICEF Staff News (New York) as a Middle East and North Africa Regional Reporter. He currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland and can be contacted via e-mail at just_1_idea@hotmail.com.
By Surya B. Prasai February 15, 2008
In an impassioned speech in Omaha, Nebraska in 2006, a speech that the world´s press listened to carefully, President George Bush made the clear case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in the US with these bold words: "This country is debating the important immigration issue. And I think, it needs to be addressed now... I remind our fellow citizens, particularly those who look to the future and get nervous, and say, well, we can't compete, or there's no way for America to be the economic leader of the world, there's just too much competition -- I simply just don't believe that. I tell people, let's don't fear the future, and let´s shape it. One way we can shape the future is to make sure people have the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century".
In that speech, President Bush went on to champion fervently the importance of government to help people assimilate into American society. He told his audience, this is what had happened throughout the ages in America; people had learned to assimilate with dignity. He appealed further to the American people, "When we think about this immigration debate, the first thing people have got to remember is we are a nation of immigrants, that we've had this debate before in American history. This isn't the first time the United States of America has had to take a look at our nature and our soul and our history".
President Bush also talked at length about the framework for a Comprehensive Immigration Reform package, one part of which is to help people assimilate, whatever it would take to make it work and the other to make America´s borders safe, more secure, yet still accessible to the genuine immigrant who wanted to come and contribute to America´s economic might and social diversity. The Bush Comprehensive Immigration doctrine, which has been supported almost in whole or partially by almost every US Presidential candidate in the 2007-2008 period also emphasizes the need to make the rule of law prevail, help the American Dream flourish, and uphold legal justice equitably, meaning people will have to wait in line. President Bush also stated," We're also a compassionate nation that treats people decently, and the two are not in conflict. That's what's important for our fellow citizens to understand. The two are not in conflict".
These are important remarks to note in the context of the recent testimony made by Secretary James Chertoff from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security on "FY 2009 Budget Request" recently. According to a press released from the department on 13 February 2008 Chertoff felt there was still a need to make the most effective and efficient use of U.S. resources and capabilities to protect the homeland and the American people. Mr.Chertoff stated, "While we have had many successes, there are numerous challenges that still remain. I am here today to ask for your partnership and support as we face these challenges. We may not see eye to eye on all issues, but we certainly agree that our interests are best served when we work together to achieve our common goal of securing this great nation".
The year 2008 marks the fifth year of the Department of Homeland Security´s(DHS) existence which continues to protect the nation from dangerous people and goods; to protect critical infrastructure; to build a nimble, effective emergency response system and a culture of preparedness; and to strengthen the Department´s operations and management. The DHS has made some good progress in achieving effective control of the border, screening passengers, protecting critical infrastructure, responding to emergencies, and enforcing US immigration laws. In FY 2007, the Department invested significant time and effort to implement the requirements of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, to focus its efforts on the greatest risks, to be nimble in an overall response to changing threats, and to be disciplined in its use of resources as it builds its capacity to meet future challenges seamlessly with state and local leadership, first responders, the private sector, our international partners, and most certainly, the public.
Mr. Chertoff stated," It is no accident that we have not suffered a major terrorist attack on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001. It is the result of the President´s leadership, the support of Congress, and the hard work and constant vigilance of hundreds of thousands of men and women – including the employees at DHS – who are working tirelessly both at home and overseas to protect our country. Under the President´s leadership, the Department will continue to effectively carry out its critical mission and will leave a strong foundation for the future". For FY 2009, the DHS is focusing more on being an efficient department that is working to protect the U.S. Borders and critical infrastructure, prevent dangerous people and goods from entering the country, and recover from natural disasters effectively, Chertoff added.
Thus, the total DHS FY 2009 budget requested is $50.5 billion in funding; a 7 percent increase over the FY 2008 enacted level excluding emergency funding. The Department´s FY 2009 gross discretionary budget request is $40.7 billion, an increase of 8 percent over the FY 2008 enacted level excluding emergency funding. According to DHS, gross discretionary funding does not include mandatory funding such as the Coast Guard´s retirement pay accounts and fees paid for immigration benefits. The Department´s FY 2009 net discretionary budget request is $37.6 billion, which does not include fee collections such as funding for the Federal Protective Service and aviation security passenger and carrier fees.
An increased budget will definitely allow DHS to serve more immigrants wanting to reside in the country as Permanent Residents at a time when America is facing increasing global competition, and also facing a skilled workers crunch in comparison to other G-8 countries and emerging economic power houses such as India, China and Brazil.
Recently DHS has been working over its limited budget to try to shorten the immigration waiting period for many so that guest workers and skilled immigrants can immediately start contributing to America´s production base and economic sector within a few months or weeks of their arrival. This has also resulted in the need to coordinate action quicker with other government bureaus such as the FBI where background checks of all would be immigrants is done. Sometimes, these results in having to bear in to the workers requests given the employers shortage of skilled and occupational work category vacancies.
In a story carried by the Washington Post from Spencer Hsiu on 12 February 2008," Facing a rapidly growing backlog of immigration cases, the Bush administration will grant permanent residency to tens of thousands of legal U.S. immigrants without first completing required background checks against the FBI's investigative files". This change affects as many as 47,000 permanent residency, or green-card, applicants whose cases are otherwise complete but whose FBI checks have been pending for more than six months. Overall, about 44 percent of the 320,000 pending immigration name checks before the FBI -- including citizenship as well as green-card requests – have been awaiting decisions for more than six months or more. According to Mr. Prakash Khatri, the ombudsman of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services this has also been described as the "the most pervasive" processing problem in the U.S. immigration system.
In fact, recently Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez announced a series of administrative reforms to address border security and immigration challenges for the US which include within the boundaries of existing law to secure the US borders more effectively, improve interior and worksite enforcement, streamline existing guest worker programs, improve the current immigration system, and help new immigrants assimilate into American culture faster. As President Bush noted in his Nebraska speech outlining his basic plans for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, "I believe we ought to differentiate between those who've been here for a long period of time, and those who are newly arrived. I know we need to treat people with respect and dignity. I think the best way to assure the American people that we're a nation of laws and a compassionate nation at the same time is to say, pay your debt to society, and if you choose to be a citizen, you can, just you wait in line at the back, not in the beginning".
In stopping illegal immigration, the Bush Administration has worked hard to strengthen the mandate of Homeland Security to be both people friendly and overall responsive to the cross-border needs. The main challenge in front of Homeland Security in 2008 will continue to be improving border security and immigration within existing law.
As President Bush noted in his 2007 Nebraska speech, there is little fear for most Americans to think otherwise about Comprehensive Immigration Reforms. He stated frankly," The values that made us great is that we're a nation that have been united by common ideals, proud of our history, proud of our flag, understanding of the need to have a common language, and at the same time, a society whose soul has been uplifted constantly by the fact that people have come to our country to realize a dream, the dream of working hard and improving their lot in life; the dream of putting food on the table, and at the same time, hoping the child goes to college; the dream of owning their own businesses. That's uniquely American. It enables me to say to the American people that "one nation under God" means something. And we must never lose that spirit".
President Bush´s Comprehensive Immigration Plan which is widely supported on a bi-partisan basis, vindicated by the backing statements of individual candidates standing up for the US Presidential race in 2008 mainly recognizes the need to maintain America´s competitive edge, allowing those who are outstanding and living abroad but wanting to contribute to the American economy and society to do so in a legal manner, and also trying to discourage illegal immigration which is a major American headache. Secretary Chertoff has managed to put in considerable reforms in streamlining the work of Homeland Security in recent past, particularly in cutting down the immigration lines and enhancing the labor pool America needs to sustain her competitive global economic edge. Undoubtedly, the immigration debate will rage on in America, fueled by the argument that America is a land of immigrants and will always continue to be so. The DHS has certainly been able to live up to its promise in helping new immigrants coming to America make use of its people friendly services and readily accessible on-line information thereby fulfilling many of the concerns on reforming America's immigration system and also improving the quality and quantity of immigration intake. Added future budgetary resources will certainly help DHS provide better and more expanded services both to the American public and the immigrant community in the U.S.
Dems could see immigration silver lining in McCain
Could McCain's nomination mean an immigration deal this year?
Stephen Dinan The Washington Times Posted on February 15, 2008 6:37 PM
Greg Siskind has come up with a scenario that argues Democrats should be tempted, now that John McCain is the likely Republican nominee, is to rush an immigration bill through this year.
"Do you think the GOP is going to allow their rank-and-file members to attack their nominee day in day out over the immigration issue? If they do, the results could be disastrous as McCain will be going around the country trying to unite a very fractured party that is already pretty suspicious of his conservative bona fides. Can you imagine one Republican after another having to come to the microphone to denounce the McCain-Kennedy bill (and that's what Reid and Pelosi need to call it every chance they get)? And then McCain being dogged by reporters asking about it multiple times each day?"
In his scenario, immigration could also be the tail that wags the dog "” a way for Democrats to distract from their own intraparty presidential battle, particularly if the Clinton-Obama race goes all the way to a convention.
"[T]hrowing the immigration 'grenade' and stirring up the immigration storm in the GOP may make the Democrats bickering look pretty tame," he writes, adding that that would put pressure on Republican leaders to cut a deal on Democrats' terms to keep their own fight under wraps. Siskind says bringing back the bill this year "would have virtually no drawbacks" for Democrats.
It's an intriguing scenario, though it doesn't strike me as working out as easily as he puts it. In the first place, McCain has had to shift somewhat, embracing both an enforcement-first position that his own campaign manager says is now the consensus of the party. It would be impossible for McCain to back away from that now.
Second, it wasn't just Republicans that killed the bill. More than a dozen Democratic senators were happy to have a chance to vote against it, and on the House side, plenty of conservative-leaning Democrats will be begging their leaders not to go Siskind's recommended route.
Still, given that McCain has said he still supports the bill he wrote with Sen. Ted Kennedy "” yet also says that bill is dead "” Democrats must be at least a little tempted to prove him wrong and bring it back, just to see what he does.
FILE/The Associated Press Oklahoma state Rep. Randy Terrill, at a 2006 Senate hearing, says polls show that up to three out of four of the state's residents support his House Bill 1804. This summer, the same law also will allow U.S. citizens to sue employers if they think they were fired in favor of illegal workers. Employers in the state say they already see the results: "A total lack of workers," said Doug Forrest, a Tulsa site-preparation contractor and golf course builder. "This is potentially sending our state into a recession."
Oklahoma's crackdown on illegal immigration draws Texas lawmakers' interest
Crackdown on illegal immigration draws criticism, Texas interest
12:00 AM CST on Thursday, February 14, 2008 By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News rtgarrett@dallasnews.com
OKLAHOMA CITY – Welcome to the nation's laboratory for a crackdown on illegal immigration. Last year, Oklahoma's Legislature passed, by huge margins, the nation's toughest law on illegal immigrants, making it a felony to harbor, transport, shelter or conceal undocumented immigrants.
Proponents of the law don't see such economic harm.
Meanwhile, some Texas lawmakers are already promising bills that mirror Oklahoma's House Bill 1804.
State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, said the Oklahoma measure has proved that even as Congress deadlocks on immigration, a state can protect itself against what he calls threats to public health and safety posed by a porous border.
"You don't have to round up 20 million illegal aliens," Mr. Berman said. "Stop the two free benefits you're giving them – free health care and a free education – and they'll go back across the Rio Grande."
Mr. Berman has introduced similar anti-illegal-immigration measures in the past but has been unsuccessful.
In December, Oklahoma Treasurer Scott Meacham said "some short-run pain" to that state's economy might occur, if reports of temporary labor shortages in construction, agriculture and oilfield services industries proved severe and long-lasting.
On Wednesday, Meacham deputy Tim Allen said there's been no clear trend to sales tax collections. In October, they dipped below expectations, then hit an estimate on the nose in November, rose in December and flopped again last month. Mr. Allen said that while growth of income taxes has slowed, that could be in line with the national economy.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several Oklahoma business groups recently sued to overturn the law, saying it improperly steps on federal government turf.
Only one group has tried to track the law's effects on population. The Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, after checking with schools, churches, and bus lines with service to Mexico, estimated that between 15,000 and 25,000 illegal immigrants have left Tulsa County since the law was passed.
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there were between 50,000 and 75,000 illegal immigrants in Oklahoma nearly two years ago, with 20 times more – as many as 1.6 million – in Texas.
Jean Towell, leader of a Dallas group fighting illegal immigration, said she's spoken with five North Texas House Republicans who "are planning, as they said to me, to two-step with Oklahoma."
Two of them who could be reached Wednesday, Reps. Jim Jackson of Carrollton and Linda Harper-Brown of Irving, confirmed that they will be joint sponsors with Mr. Berman. A third, Rep. Jodie Laubenberg, R-Parker, said she hasn't seen particulars and won't commit yet, though she has "positive" feelings about the proposal.
However, Bill Hammond, president of the Texas Association of Business, said it would be "unfair to punish employers in Texas for the failure of Congress to act" on immigration.
"We would, of course, oppose any effort on the part of the Legislature to make immigration a state issue," said Mr. Hammond, whose group helped the GOP capture control of the Texas House in 2002. "It's a grave mistake for them to do so."
Rep. Rafael AnchÃa, D-Dallas, who joined forces with Mr. Hammond and others last year to quash bills discouraging illegal immigration, said this year's presidential race should discourage the Texas Legislature from following Oklahoma's lead next year. He said GOP voters rejected their party's hard-liners on immigration, U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., and former Massachussetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Also, 36 percent of Texas' population is Hispanic, compared with only 7 percent in Oklahoma.
Groups of Hispanics and civil libertarians also have gone to court trying to nullify the Oklahoma law, so far unsuccessfully. The state's Latino leaders say the law has spread fear and led to the death of at least one infant because his parents were afraid they would be deported if they took him to a clinic.
The law strongly nudges local and state police to help enforce federal immigration laws and requires state and local governments to determine whether someone is in the country legally before dispensing public assistance. Some exceptions are made, such as for emergency medical care. A final portion of the law goes into effect July 1, requiring private companies to verify the employment eligibility of all new hires.
"The fear, the terror, is pushing people further underground," said Patricia Fenell, who runs the Latino Community Development Agency, a Hispanic social services center on Oklahoma City's south side.
Alma Montez, who illegally migrated from Mexico a decade ago with her husband, is wary. She said her husband, who lost his $19-an-hour job as a welder about the time the law took effect, has had to take a lower-paying job. He fears that she and their six children will be caught and deported while he's at work, Ms. Montez said.
"My son told me, 'Mommy, what happens if I stay in this school and the immigration take my Papi and you? What am I to do?' " she said. "I say, 'I don't know.' "
State Rep. Randy Terrill, a Republican from the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, wrote the law. He conceded last week that family breakups will be wrenching, but said bad things also happen to relatives of other people who break laws, such as burglars.
"Somebody's decision to commit a crime ... frequently has an adverse impact on one's family," said Mr. Terrill, a lawyer and part-time government professor at Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College. "We don't use that as an excuse not to enforce the law."
But state Sen. Harry Coates calls Mr. Terrill "a mad scientist, and Oklahoma is his laboratory."
Mr. Coates of Seminole, an hour east of Oklahoma City, was the Legislature's sole Republican to vote against the bill. He said it is mean-spirited, hurts business, and inconveniences legal residents, especially elderly drivers who forget to renew their license and then must produce a birth certificate.
Mr. Terrill said recent state administrative changes should eliminate delays in renewing licenses.
Several Christian denominations have said they'll continue to urge parishioners to aid strangers, even though the law threatens those who transport or shelter "aliens" with at least one year in prison and/or at least a $1,000 fine.
In November, messengers to the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma passed a resolution saying the law "will not change their ministry to any people," according to the Southern Baptist group's Web site.
Mr. Terrill said he doubts courts will convict anyone acting on altruistic motives.
He cites polls showing that as many as three out of four Oklahomans support the law. He predicted it will survive attempts to repeal it during the current session of the Oklahoma Legislature, which ends in May.
Mr. Coates conceded that passing a full or even partial repeal this session "is going to be an uphill fight."
One reason is people like Dan Howard, a Tulsa aircraft dealer.
"People up here got scared to death because ... crime went through the ceiling," said Mr. Howard, who founded an anti-illegal-immigration Web site. "We just want rule of law."
by Enrique Morones (repost from e-mail) Thursday Feb 14th, 2008 11:22 PM www.indybay.org/ Update on Marcha Migrante III - at the Canadian Border on Feb 12.
2/10 Spoke @ North West MECHA regional conference @ PSU.. 100 of the brightest minds in the NW makes us proud...Estella flies in from San Diego, we all do two hours on Portland public Radio...later we went to Liberty Hall and had a fantastic community forum, even saw some San Diegans there...Great activist activity...TU VOTO, ES TU VOZ
2/11 Vigil at Northwest Detention Facility in Tacoma..we meet Claudia w/baby...guards don't let her see her husband...protest grows...she is later allowed to see husband.... very sad to see these families torn apart...she sold all her belonging to come from Wisconsin to Washington...and they tried to deny access...We shall overcome
We make it to Seattle for lunch meeting, Rebecca and Denise from SWC rejoin group, we later have a community forum, several local organization join us..we also have a local join caravan Miguel from Mexico City...we are on a role...su voto, es su voz !
2/12 Off to Canadian Border ELVIRA ARELLANO DENIED VISA AS SHE LANDS IN CANADA !!! Elvira not welcome!!! Something is terribly wrong with this picture. MORE TO COME. EH !
2/12 Sleepless in Seattle but MARCHA MIGRANTE continues as we make it to Blaine (border with Canada) ..after days of snow and rain the roads open up...the sun likes us and we like the sun...as we get to Peace Arch Park...we meet our brethren from Canada and other countries...at the international border..the park is open on both sides and we join in the center to share stories, prayers, unity"la gente Unida, jamas sera vencida"
We discuss with sadness the raids and separations of families...we already know Elvira Arellano will not be with us as she was denied entry once she arrived in Vancouver...but Elvira calls us and inspires and tells us she will meet caravan at the US/MEXICAN border upon our return on Sunday February 17 @ 1:00pm
We stress with more emphasis than ever...the need for Humane & Comprehensive immigration reform...SU VOTO ES SU VOZ...We meet in Bellingham for a wonderful meal...community gathering then we hit the long and winding snowy road to Yakima
Canadian Border to Yakima Washington..."roads closed because of snow"...wait a minute...once again....another miracle as sun comes out and smooth caravanning all the way to Yakima...sleep in beautiful church built in 1800's and locals come to welcome and feed us...
2/13 Good morning Yakima...community gathering...press conference....clergy and comunidad ... huge Latino community In the area...we share stories...register people to vote...enjoy posole before another long drive through roads that have been closed but again miraculously open for MARCHA MIGRANTE ! Nuestra gente inspira !!!
We make it to Boise late at night...welcomed by a beautiful "tapatilla", our group sleeps at Boise State University cultural center... apoyo...everywhere...
2/14 Happy Valentines from Boise State University...Brown Berets are in the house, La Causa Vive...more to come...
MARCHA MIGRANTE III (Feb 2-17, 2008) San Diego to Canadian Border and back 6 States, multiple cities, and two international borders...tu voto, es tu voz!!!
Marcha Migrante I (rise up against 4437, no more deaths) Marcha Migrante II (share stories on why we need humane immigration reform) Marcha Migrante III (tu voto, es tu voz)
2/14 Boise, Idaho 2/15 Salt Lake City, Utah 2/16 Las Vegas, Nevada 2/17 San Diego, CA (WALK THE FINAL MILE TO WALL ON THE BEACH, JOIN US)
Carlos Martinez was in a state of total panic after being deported from the United States to the Mexican border city of Matamoros - he had no money, nowhere to go, and, worst of all, he didn't speak Spanish. The 30-year-old New Yorker had left Mexico as a baby; when the Department of Homeland Security sent him south last May after he had served a prison term, he landed in a foreign land.
"I was crying when I went over the border. It was just a big joke to the U.S. immigration officials to have this Mexican who doesn't speak Spanish. But I was terrified," Martinez said.
Eventually, a fellow deportee invited Martinez to his family home in Santa Maria Zoyatla, a dirt-poor village of corn farmers, and they hitchhiked 1,000 miles south from the border. Having worked as a limo driver in New York, Martinez had no idea how to work the land, and after a few months he moved onto a nearby town to sell clothes in a market.
Martinez is one of a rising number of deportees arriving in Mexico with little connection to their ancestral homeland, often penniless and with criminal records. The increase is a result of a U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants. In 2007, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported a record 237,000 migrants, up from 178,000 in 2005 and 155,000 in 2003 - the majority of them Mexicans.
The influx has prompted President Felipe Calderon to announce a new program called "Humane Repatriation," to help reintegrate the deportees into society. The program will organize refuge centers in border cities, transport to hometowns and jobs for the deportees, immigration officials say.
"Some of these people are arriving in Mexico's border cities with nothing but the clothes they have on. Many have no family links, no knowledge of the country. They are very vulnerable," said Rolando Garcia, an immigration official working on the new program. "What we want to do, quite simply, is give them a human reception."
Calderon has been less vocal in taking up immigration issues with Washington than was his predecessor Vicente Fox, who lobbied unsuccessfully for a guest-worker program. Instead, Calderon says he wants to focus on making Mexico more attractive for them to stay. And his Humane Repatriation program has been welcomed by many who work with the deportees in the border cities.
"We definitely need more government co-ordination on this issue," said Blanca Navarrette, who works at the Casa Migrante migrant shelter in Juarez. "The deportees arrive with a lot of difficulties. They don't even have basic Mexican identification."
But some say Calderon's program may be more style than substance. There has been no special budget approved for it in 2008, and few concrete details have been revealed. Furthermore, offering deportees attractive jobs could be wishful thinking in a country where the minimum wage is $5 per day.
Rep. Jose Jacques Medina, a leftist Mexican lawmaker who was an immigrant activist in California for more than 30 years, says Calderon should be defending migrants' rights rather than easing their landing after deportation.
"Calderon is very ignorant of the needs of the migrant community," Medina said. "Even the name of this program - repatriation - is considered an ugly word for Latinos in the U.S. It makes them think of the wave of deportations in the Great Depression."
To ease mass unemployment between 1929 and 1937, the U.S. deported hundreds of thousands of Mexicans, including many who had actually been born in the United States, in what was known the Mexican Repatriation. Most eventually headed back up north as jobs returned. Likewise, many of today's deportees plan to head back to the United States, where they have family and are accustomed to earning higher wages.
While some plan to trek or swim back, Martinez is trying to return to the U.S. by fighting his case in the courts. He was actually raised by U.S. citizens on Long Island, but Homeland Security argued he violated his immigration status when he was convicted of child endangerment for going on a date with a teenage girl. He beat the deportation in the first court, but lost on the prosecutor's appeal. While his stay in Mexico has been hard, Martinez says the people have been helpful.
"I've become proud of my country and the way people here lend a hand," Martinez said. "I bet if I were deported to the United States, no one would help me out."
His visit to California points up the challenges he faces in stemming the drug trade, illegal immigration and a host of economic problems.
By Sam Quinones, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 3:24 PM PST, February 15, 2008
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has wrapped up a four-day visit to California, a trip that highlighted the challenges his administration faces at home.
Calderon is battling drug cartels whose savagery has reached new heights, fueled by U.S. demand and by high-powered weapons, many of them bought in the United States. His country has seen a harrowing two-year wave of executions, beheadings and brazen attacks on police by smugglers that has many observers comparing the violence to what was seen in Colombia in the 1980s.
Related Stories - Calderon addresses California lawmakers
The Mexican leader insists he is beginning a transformation of Mexico's economy so that poor people will no longer feel they need to risk death by illegally crossing the border.
During the presidency of Calderon's predecessor, Vicente Fox, Mexico enacted none of the economic reforms and changes most observers say are necessary. The Mexican Congress, dominated by opposition parties, often refused to act on initiatives Fox put forward.
When Fox addressed the California Legislature two years ago, about two dozen Republican members of the Senate and Assembly boycotted the event to protest illegal immigration. But on Tuesday, Calderon received a warm welcome in the Capitol, drawing applause when he said, "While my government is committed to protecting the rights of all Mexicans, including those living beyond our borders, we are taking great efforts to ensure that in the future no Mexican needs to leave our country to find job opportunities elsewhere."
Among those applauding were Republican lawmakers.
While in Sacramento, Calderon and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an agreement to jointly fight climate change and discussed how to combat drug trafficking and boost trade.
Wednesday night, Calderon met with Southern California immigrant leaders in Los Angeles, lauding them for their hard work and contributions to the U.S. economy.
Mexican immigrants sent home about $26 billion last year, according to Mexican government figures. That money supports millions of families and sustains many regions of Mexico.
"We in Mexico miss you," Calderon said, referring to the immigrants. "We know life has rooted you here."
Calderon spoke at a banquet attended by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel downtown. Outside, Minutemen protesters waved signs urging the United States to "adopt Mexico's immigration policies," which are far stricter.
Other signs called on Calderon to "fix Mexico."
In that regard, "we're doing our job," Calderon told immigrant leaders and a group of reporters the next morning.
He cited a measure he is pushing that would begin the transformation of the country's corrupt and anemic justice system.
He said he was also trying to reform the energy sector, which suffers from dilapidated infrastructure and in which private investment is largely barred. Many economists believe the high cost of energy in Mexico strangles job creation.
Many analysts believe Mexico must also make fundamental changes to its education system, labor laws and tax system, which suffers from widespread evasion.
Clinton And Villaraigosa: The Downside Of Hispandering By Joe Guzzardi
[VDARE.com note: Hispandering is a term meaning "pandering to Hispanics." It was invented by Mickey Kaus in 2002, and we immediately adopted it in place of Hispano-Pander, which we'd been using previously. Hispano-Pander sounded too much like a classic automobile.]
When I watch immigration enthusiast politicians spouting nonsense from coast to coast, one question"”with two variations"”keeps rolling over in my mind:
- Who advises them?
- And why do they listen to the advice they get? Or why don't they seek out better counsel in the first place?
Here's a prominent example from this summer. As she has every year for as long as I can remember, Sen. Dianne Feinstein predicted that without an immigrant guest worker program, crops would rot in the field and California would suffer untold billions of dollars of losses.
Is there no one on Feinstein's staff to whisper in her ear: "Senator, we've used this one for over a decade. No one is listening because nothing is rotting"?
What's possible is that everyone has warned Feinstein but since she is old and crotchety, she doesn't listen...and since the people around her would like to keep their jobs, they've stopped bucking her.
Or there's presidential aspirant John McCain. Why would he risk further infuriating potential conservative Republican supporters by naming well-known reconquista Juan Hernandez as his "Hispanic Outreach Director"? No one performs the function of reaching out to Hispanics more slavishly than McCain himself, as his Senate voting record conclusively proves.
Finally, in the strangest case of all, we have Hillary Clinton's appointment of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as co-chairman of her national campaign.
That Clinton, a woman who suffered through the humiliation of her husband's tryst with Monica Lewinsky, could choose a man whose personal life makes Bill Clinton look like a saint defies all logic...desperate as she may be for the coveted Hispanic vote.
But, as we'll see when we examine the facts, there's no conceivable way that Villaraigosa could have been an asset to her.
Villaraigosa has been in the headlines these past few days as he hosted Mexican president Felipe Calderon who wound up his five-city tour in my now-unrecognizable hometown. [Mexican President Calderon Meets With LA Mayor Villaraigosa, By Greg Risling, Associated Press, February 14, 2008]
Maybe Villaraigosa caught a break in his personal life considering that Calderon's visit fell on St. Valentine's Day.
Since the women in his life aren't speaking to him "”both wife Corina and former mistress Telemundo reporter Mirthala Salinas [Picture and video here] "”how else would Villaraigosa spend the day traditionally reserved for lovers if not billing and cooing with Calderon?
La señora Villaraigosa filed for divorce after her husband's tawdry affair became public. And Telemundo transferred Salinas, after suspending her for two-months, to its Inland Empire bureau in the California hellhole known as Riverside. If you have been to Riverside lately, you know how cruel Salinas' punishment was. Not surprisingly, she is reported to have quit.
When it comes to extramarital philandering, Villaraigosa is a multiple offender.
In 1994, while combing California allegedly "researching" the viability of his political career, Villaraigosa and married family friend Marta Reyes were instead shacked up in a Silver Lake motel. To make the story even more distasteful, at the time his wife Corina was home recovering from cancer surgery.
Corina soon discovered Villaraigosa's affair"”and foolishly forgave him, only to suffer another day. (All the dirt is dished here.)
Villaraigosa is whatever name you would give to someone whose ethical standards don't even reach the level of your garden-variety lounge lizard.
Okay, so this is Hollywood. Shameless ***...marital infidelity... phony names on registrations at cheap motels... lies compounded by bigger lies...what else is new?
But that's the most amazing thing: despite repeated open demonstrations of moral turpitude that should force him "into the shadows" forever, Villaraigosa became one of Clinton's prominent spokesmen.
How is it possible?
Any rational person would expect that, given Clinton's experiences with her cheating husband, the mere mention of Villaraigosa's name would make her vomit. Under no circumstances should Clinton want to be in the same room with the depraved Mechista.
That's not what happened. In Clinton's pandering effort to appeal to Hispanic voters, no cad is too unworthy to represent her.
With the wheels now apparently coming off of Clinton's campaign, might Villaraigosa's role in Iowa where she finished a distant third to Barack Obama have been the beginning of the end for her?
The political pros and cons of the Clinton-Villaraigosa connection never added up for Hillary.
In New Hampshire, where Villaraigosa first stumped for Clinton, he had no impact. The state, which Clinton won, has almost no Hispanics (about 2 percent according to the U.S. Census Bureau). Therefore, Villaraigosa probably couldn't have helped her"”especially when you factor in the prevailing statewide attitudes towards Californians.
As someone who has spent a good deal of time in New Hampshire, I can report that most Granite State residents view us as people with whom they have no connection. They're aware that Los Angeles exists but it is unlikely that, even if you put an airline ticket in their hands, they'd have much interest in visiting.
Who in New Hampshire then would take seriously anything a Mexican mayor from Los Angeles would have to say? Even though Clinton won the primary, she demonstrated poor judgment by letting Villaraigosa represent her.
On to Iowa, where Clinton's vulnerability first surfaced, and a different story played out. Illegal immigration in Iowa is important. In recent years, the state's alien population has risen rapidly. And voters are angry about it.
Illegal immigrants took well paying jobs in the meat packing industry away from Iowans where, in many cases, several generations had worked in the factories before aliens were recruited at drastically lower pay.
Villaraigosa to the rescue? Not hardly. Like New Hampshire, Iowans view Californians with suspicion...too much glitz and glamour.
To confirm Iowans apprehensions, Villaraigosa arrived on the Clinton campaign trail fresh off an Aspen, CO. skiing vacation.
Iowans don't associate snow with the high-life. To them, it's what they shovel off their driveways all too often on winter mornings.
Having a $400 haircut (Villaraigosa and John Edwards have the same stylist) is a negative in Iowa.
Clinton finished a distant third behind Barack Obama.
How much Villaraigosa's high profile appearances on her behalf set Clinton back can't be quantified. But, as in New Hampshire, Villaraigosa's endorsement provided no readily apparent upside.
One could argue that Villaraigosa, who made several supportive appearances on Clinton's behalf, was an asset in her successful California primary victory. But"”an important distinction"”Villaraigosa lives in California. That's a lot different than traveling half way across the country to do Clinton's bidding.
Bad behavior does have its consequences, however. Two years ago, after Villaraigosa won the mayoral election, his name was bandied about as a likely candidate for governor in 2010 when Arnold Schwarzenegger terms out. Some speculated that he might pursue a U.S. Senate seat if and when Barbara Boxer or Feinstein mercifully retires.
All that talk is over. In fact, Villaraigosa may have trouble keeping his current job when he runs for re-election in 2009.
Walter Moore, a lawyer and Republican mayoral candidate in 2005, notes that Villaraigosa's out of state trips are an express violation of the Los Angeles City Charter that requires the mayor and each city council member to "devote their entire time to duties related to their offices..."
Moore, who will challenge Villaraigosa again, further observes that the charter forbids the mayor from accepting "compensation . . . for his services" other than city salary and benefits. Moore wonders who picked up the tab for Villaraigosa's expenses.
Summing up the strange and curious case of Villaraigosa and Clinton: the only logical conclusion is that thoughtless pursuit of the Hispanic vote doesn't pay off"”and has the unintended negative consequence of damaging candidates with voters of all races.
Owners of seasonal businesses at the Shore say an ongoing debate about a visa program could leave them shorthanded this summer.
By Michael L. Diamond "¢ BUSINESS WRITER "¢ February 18, 2008
The peak season for Comfort Lawn Service Inc. in Manchester is still a couple of months away, but owner Jeff Comerford already doesn't know how he will handle the crush.
Nearly half of his work force can't get a visa to come back to the United States because of political wrangling in Washington, D.C., he said, and finding American replacements has been a fruitless task.
"To be honest, I also try to get American workers because I still need them every spring," Comerford said. "But it's gotten to the point over the last 10 years that I hardly get a response."
Comerford and other seasonal business owners might be in a bind this year. Congress has failed to renew an exemption tucked away in immigration law, essentially cutting off a key supply of foreign labor to seasonal businesses.
The move could hit the Shore hard, given its dependence on seasonal workers to meet the demand of the summer tourism season. And it has added fuel to the already-simmering debate about whether businesses that need labor are doing enough to attract U.S. workers.
"It's a convenient program. It's not a necessary program," said Jessica Vaughan, a policy analyst for the Center of Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that advocates lower immigration.
Many industries
At issue is the H-2B visa program that allows foreign workers to come to the United States for up to a year and provide temporary help to businesses, whether a landscaping company in Manchester or a ski resort in Vermont.
New Jersey businesses first need to try to find U.S. workers by advertising job openings in a newspaper and working with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
With no American takers, they can turn to the H-2B program, which has become popular. Congress in fiscal 2008 allocated 66,000 H-2B visas "” 33,000 for workers for the first six months of the fiscal year and 33,000 for workers for the second six months of the fiscal year.
The demand in the summer is so high that the United States reached its cap for the second half of the year on Jan. 2, said Shawn Saucier, a spokesman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
To alleviate the demand, Congress provided an exemption and ruled that any worker who had received an H-2B visa in any of the previous three years didn't count toward the cap. It cleared the way for an extra 16,044 workers in 2005; 50,854 workers in 2006; and 69,320 workers in 2007, Saucier said.
Congress this year, though, did not include the exemption, despite intense lobbying by the business community. U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., sponsored a bill that would provide the exemption for the next five years. U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., sponsored a bill that would make the exemption permanent.
Observers say a coalition of congressmen have refused to act on the exemption unless it is part of comprehensive immigration reform.
Business owners say the move could hit them hard. Comerford, for example, said the program gave him a steady supply of reliable help; 8 of his 18 employees had H-2B visas, and the exemption assured him they could return the next season.
He's not alone. Deborah Dowdell, president of the New Jersey Restaurant Association, said she heard complaints last year when the cap was reached so quickly. And she expects to hear complaints again when the summer gets closer.
"There's not enough seasonal work force to cover the needs of industry," Dowdell said. The summer "is such a short window for an abundance of business that's conducted here, and there's a shortage of workers."
They said the H-2B program allows employers to hire trusted foreign workers and avoid turning to undocumented workers to fill a void.
"You have employers trying to play by the rules, and they can't find workers," said Kelly Hunt, senior manager of immigration policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. The employers are left with a dilemma: "Do I go out of business, or do I look for other types of workers?"
"A crutch"
In the contentious immigration debate, not everyone agrees wit that interpretation. Vaughan from the Center for Immigration Studies said the H-2B visa program has given employers a crutch to lean on. Rather than increase wages and search harder for U.S. workers, they simply hire agencies to find foreign workers.
"I think there is a lot of hysteria among these employers about having access to these workers, and I think it's important to try to take an objective look and say, are these a convenience or is there a need?" Vaughan said. "I haven't seen a single economist say there is a shortage of unskilled workers (in the United States). It simply isn't true."
Comerford, however, said his experience has been different. He said his season lasts from March until the first week of December "” a time that virtually rules out students, a segment of the work force that otherwise might be well suited for the manual labor.
So he searched outside the United States and found a group of workers to come to the Shore for several months and return home year after year.
"None of the people on this program "” not one "” wants to move to the United States," he said. "Some see no difference between H-2B and illegals standing on the corners in Lakewood. They want to do it the legal way. They all have families at home. They want to come here and work."
Michael L. Diamond (732) 643-4038 or mdiamond@app.com
Do you have an opinion on immigration?"”Stephen Barnard, Oxnard, California
We do and, since you asked us this question at a conference, we happen to know you do too, rooted in your livelihood as the owner of several avocado farms.
"People are making this issue insanely complicated and political," you told us. "It is economic. All immigrants are here for is work. If we don't find a simple and fair way to keep them in this country, it will kill thousands of businesses."
We are with you. Government estimates say there are between 10 million and 15 million illegal immigrants in the US. Even if only six million"”or close to half the estimated number"”of these individuals hold jobs, losing them would erode the viability of the countless industries that rely on them to fill the least attractive occupations.
Just as onerous, current immigration policy also kicks out too many foreigners with green cards after they finish their education in the US. Over the past several years, we have met many of these students, and the irony is that most of them hunger to put their science and technology backgrounds to work in the US. Some want to start companies here or work at one of the country's hi-tech companies"”from 20-person start-ups in Silicon Valley to Microsoft Corp., outside of Seattle. In other words, our economy desperately needs these entrepreneurs, just as it needs day labourers, to stay competitive.
But we would go further.
Immigration is not just an economic issue. It is a managerial one, and any plan that suggests that the US deport illegal workers violates one of management's cardinal rules: You have to face reality. Forget the notion that illegal immigrants will suddenly heed "the law of the land" and pack their bags.
With the better life the US provides, that ain't happening. Which leaves deportation and"”come on"”there is no possible way the US can send millions of people back where they came from. We can't even figure out a way to renew drivers' licences at the local DMV without making people feel homicidal. Maybe that's hyperbole, but our point is that the government has a hard time managing logistics now. Add a surge in activity"”a massive, resistant surge"”and the system will blow out.
People have to face reality too when it comes to laying blame and taking responsibility for the immigration problem.
Yes, many immigrants broke the law entering the country. But our borders were obviously not secure enough. So let us just say the accountability for the problem can be shared and move on to solutions. Everyone agrees we need to stop the inflow of immigrants with better border control, from walls to high technology. There is no argument that we also try to expel all convicted felons. Both should be top priority items.
Next, the government needs to design a process that moves law-abiding illegal immigrants out of the shadows. Now, we don't know the precise details of such a process. Should illegal immigrants pay a $5,000 fine (around Rs2 lakh) or a $25,000 one? Should they wait three years before they become citizens, or seven? The answers almost don't matter in the long run, as long as, in the immediate term and thereafter, immigrants are registered in some form or another and are paying taxes.
Imagine the freedom of movement such a change will unleash in the millions of people who have been living in fear, and how much easier it will make the widespread teaching of English, the shared language that makes the fullest expression of American citizenship possible.
Now, we don't intend to oversimplify the immigration controversy. This is not a quick-fix problem, nor is it a new one.
Not long ago, we attended a lecture by Sol Gittleman, a Tufts University professor and one of the world's leading experts on US immigration history. In 90 minutes, he told a narrative that would make most Americans cringe with shame. He detailed how every immigrant group that has come to this country since 1620 has tried ardently, and sometimes even violently, to stop the next wave. Indeed, according to Gittleman, bitter, class-based opposition to immigration, even when fully legal, is as much a part of American culture as its pride in being the world's "melting pot". No wonder immigration is stirring up such a political maelstrom right now.
And yet, like you, we believe the storm can be quelled.
Not with lofty rhetoric about principle but with pragmatic managerial action. Millions of immigrants, at both ends of the economic spectrum, keep our country running and sending them away makes no sense. It's time to face reality, and fix it.
Jack and Suzy are eager to hear about your career dilemmas and challenges at work , and look forward to answering some of your questions in future columns. Jack and Suzy Welch are the authors of the international best-seller, Winning Campaign readers can email them questions at winning@livemint.com. Please include your name, occupation and city. Only select questions will be answered.
quote: Originally posted by Beverly: We might as well since all of our troops and national guards are stuck in Iran and Iraq.
With the numbers of illegals being what they are, we could feed the crocs for decades and still have some body parts to put in the freezer for future border feedings.
Take care
I knew you were ignorant, but please, please try to inform yourself. Thanks for proving my point: most bigots are blind, obsessed idiots... Posts: 211 | Registered: 01-20-2006
Ignored post by whknapp posted 02-18-2008 05:51 PM Show Post
Beverly Power Member
Posted 02-18-2008 06:18 PM Hide Post Wooooooo I made a mistake. I was typing so fast I said Iran instead of AFGHANISTAN.
Good catch Explora aka KNAPP um . . . not
STFU you stalking, sniveling, whiney crybaby. YOU LOSE AGAIN . . . .
Posted 02-03-2008 08:54 AM Hide Post
spam (v)
espamear, amorcillar, amorongar
spam
un bombardeo (m) de grandes cantidades de correo con el propósito de bloquear el servidor, espam (m), morcilla (f), moronga (f)
Please don't spam! ¡No spam por favor!
Don't be a spammer! ¡No seas un spammer!
Please don't duplicate newspaper articles into various threads of our ilw discussion board. No dupliques por favor los artÃculos periodÃsticos en los varios hilos de rosca de nuestro tablero de la discusión del ilw.
New America Media, News Report, Sandip Roy, Posted: Feb 19, 2008
Editor's Note: Immigration activist Mallika Dutt wanted to bring the reality of the U.S. immigration system to the masses, so she created a video game that pits you against the system. But are politically-minded video games anything more than a novelty? Sandip Roy is the host of radio program Upfront, KALW 91.7 FM.
Can a digitized Indian high school student help restore due process to a broken immigration system? Mallika Dutt hopes so. She's in the thick of launching a video game that does just that. The phones have been ringing off the hook even before the game ICED or I Can End Deportation launched on President's Day.
"I never thought I'd see the day when CNN would call and I would have to say to someone can you take a message," says Dutt with a laugh.
ICED lets players step get into the skin of ***** who come up against the deportation system. That could be an Indian high-schooler, a Haitian asylum seeker, a Japanese student, an undocumented man from Latin America, or even a European who thinks she is a citizen.
"The young people are composites of real stories," says Dutt who runs Breakthrough, an organization that tries to marry human rights, popular culture and activism.
ICED started out as a simulation of a detention center but Dutt soon realized that a game would reach a lot more people. The objective is simple: try and win a green card or citizenship. You can gain points by doing community service such as planting a tree. But there are many ways to lose points – like answering an immigration "myth-or-fact" question wrong, jumping a turnstile or forgetting to send in your change of address form when you move.
"The idea is to show how the system is stacked against you," says Dutt.
But if a game gets preachy, is it really a game anymore or just a sermon in a game's pixels? "Good games are hard to make – a game for change doubly so," says Suzanne Seggerman, president and co-founder of Games for Change. She says ICED works because "you have no control over what happens to you during the game, much like the reality. ICED gives you a taste of that reality."
ICED isn't the only game in town trying to create social change. Games, says Seggerman, are growing up instead of being just about fun. For example, Darfur is Dying reached over 2 million people though Seggerman admits when it first went up on Shockwave many of the kids who first downloaded it thought it was a "cool game about dying." At the latest Games for Change or GaCha Awards, winners included games that took on peace in Middle East and airport security rules that banned everything from hair gel to toothpaste.
Anti-illegal immigration activists get to play as well. The game Border Patrol has "one simple objective: "Keep them out... at any cost." The "them" include a Mexican nationalist, a drug smuggler and a breeder, that's a Latino-looking woman with a couple of squalling babies.
Dutt has been dealing with her own share of anti-illegal immigrant rants since ICED was announced last year. A 10 minute interview on a conservative talk-show on KTAR in Arizona turned into a half hour heated conversation. Dutt says she is delighted. She says she's frustrated that the progressive movement often seems to be talking to itself.
"For years I would go to a documentary screening, a protest, a workshop or conference, and I would see the same 500 people over and over again," says Dutt.
Pop culture she says has the unique ability to bust open the conversation silos. The question is what happens then? Can a video game overturn a law that won't allow landlords to rent to the undocumented? Dutt admits pop culture is "one-day wonder and you have to build upon the buzz."
So ICED comes with its own curriculum that teachers can use to educate students about human rights and how laws are made. But even if they don't become immigrant rights activists, at least for a moment they will get a taste of what it means to be on the run from ICE agents.
"That's an essential element of empathy," says Alan Jenkins, executive director of The Opportunity Agenda, which works to move minds and policy on issues like immigration.
"Games like ICED can engage a whole new generation who don't read newspapers and certainly don't read reports." Jenkins whose organization just released a report that analyzed immigration coverage in new media says advocates need to figure out how to have a new conversation about immigration.
"The political blogsphere is predominantly progressive and it's also predominantly anti-immigrant," says Jenkins.
Dutt says that took her unawares. While she was ready for the "what part of illegal don't you understand" talk show hosts, she was "amazed at the lack of support from the MoveOns and Daily Kos-es of the world."
It's made her realize that the work ahead was not just about a path to citizenship but about immigration itself. A recent Pew Research Center poll just predicted that by 2050, 1 in 5 Americans will be an immigrant. "American identity is at a moment of crossroads," says Dutt.
She knows a video game isn't going to solve that identity crisis. "These problems are old problems. But we have to use 21st century tools to deal with them. Otherwise we'll be on the backfoot."
But right now she has more down-to-earth goals. "I hope I can get Lou Dobbs to play the game," she chuckles. "And we just might."
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I know that you have risked your lives in order to give opportunities to your children, to your families. I know that in each one of you thereis a history of heroism and also a history of pain. 
A history of heroism because is not easy to leave your country, your house, your Nation and to cross the border risking it all. A history of heroism because each year more than 400 Mexicans die trying to cross the border, perhaps more than in any another part of the world. 
When they tell me that the Government of Mexico what wants to multiply migration, attacking and criticizing our defense for the migrant, I say that they are mistaken. Because I know that Mexico in each migrant it loses its bravest people, its strongest people, its more audacious people, because I know that in each migrant there is a family that is disconnected. 
I come here, to Chicago, to Illinois, because I know that my duty as President, especially in the difficult moments that the undocumented are passing, of harassment, of clear discrimination in some cases, my duty is to echo the voice of all the Mexicans, the voice of all of Mexico telling them we are with you. 
I also know, my friends, that my duty as the President is to work and to work very, very hard so that immigration will not be in the future the only option for our people. 
When they ask me what is, exactly, the cause of this phenomenon, seems to me that we cannot deceive ourselves. The U.S. economy and the economy of Mexico are absolutely complementary economies; one is intensive in capital, like their economy, another is intensive in labor as is the Mexican and I have always said that labor and capital necessarily are complemented, that they are similar as the left shoe and the right shoe, both have to be put on at the same time in order to walk. 
We have worked and we have been speaking and relating to diverse actors in the political panorama in Mexico and in the United States, above all with those who have influences in this migratory debate issue and we have expressed to them with firmness the position of the Government of Mexico that can be summarize in five points. 
First. We want that the extraordinary cultural, social, and economic contribution of the Mexican migrants in the United States to be recognized. 
Third. That for the Mexican Government it is important, of course, to have a secure border. When they think that we are disputing this point, they are also mistaken, yes, of course I want a secure border, of course I want a secure border for our people, for our children and also for the Americans or any person that live on both sides of the border. 
The Government of Mexico is commited and works for having a secure border with the United States, but we should not make a mistake, its not the people, is the organized crime and not the migrant Mexicans the ones that are a problem of national security for the United States. 
I think that both nations should recognize what is a reality, the world is being globalized, the economies are being built global and the nations that are prospering, the regions that are prospering, like Asia, and Europe, are nations that recognize that reality and they are capable of being integrated in larger economies of scale and in larger territories. 
First. We will dedicate all the resources at our reach to be able to improve the services that the Government gives. I know that the consular services have always left a lot to be desired and more now since the American authorities are asking for documents for anything. 
Second. Starting this week, various mexican consulates in the United States, especially the one in Chicago, will use mobile truck consulates to function with newly hired personnel, with new vehicles, new equipment, so they can vist the 80 cities in the region and offer consular services. 
We are going to continue working with those programs and others more. Today, for example, we signed two covenants, one with the State of Illinois and another with the City of Chicago, a covenant to do an exchange of teachers, 
we are going to bring Mexican teachers here, so they can teach our culture, our traditions and from here we are going to send teachers to Mexico, if you want you could lend us a hand teach English at our communities, to our children that need that Instrument. 
That we want to prompt and make recognition of the enormous contributions that the Mexicans do to the U.S. economy. Recent studies have shown, above all one done by the Counsel of Economic Advisors of the White House, they have shown that the immigrant workers, especially the Mexicans, do not displace native workers, to the contrary, they complement the work that they carry out, they enlarge also the income of the American workers. It is calculated that 30 Billion dollars per year, is what the migratory labor force contributes to the income of the U.S. workers. 
Isn't it time for common sense regarding millions of foreign criminal invaders to US soil and the securing of our borders? 
Article 4, Section 4 of the US Constitution requires the federal government to protect states and their citizens from foreign invasion. 12-20-30+ million foreigners have illegally invaded US soil and are doing America and its citizens irreparable harms! This fits within the legal defintion of "invasion" per Constitutional law, which when drafted, would have considered only 25,000 foreigners an invasionary size force! 
You may spin the facts any which way you might, but the bottom line is that the invasion over over 10 million trespassing Mexicans on US soil is a clear and legally defined Act of War by Mexico, a country now in direct violation of the Treaty of Guadalupe and legaslly and financially responsible to America and Americans for any costs incurred from the invasion (open your law books and do your homework!). 
An unconstitutional and illegal amnesty is now being proposed by Nancy Pelosi's Democratic Congress. Amnesty is not "protection from invasion" as guaranteed under the Constitution but rather a "sanctioning of invasion", hence highly illegal! 
Instead, we press the American people and the US federal government and Congress to come to their senses and support their legal obligations, as well as enact the Safe America Act, which will greatly protect America from domestic terrorism, permanently end illegal immigration, secure the US borders, stop progress of the North American Union, and safeguard America from further foreign invasion by all classes of criminal invaders, whether terrorists, violent criminals, or more benign classes of aliens - and protect millions of high paying jobs and return them to US citizen workers (toward create an major economic boom in our economy), and much more! 
This landmark legislation is nothing that Congress would ever create on their own - it has too much common sense and respect for the Constitution in it - but instead, it was created by average Americans and a small nonprofit, on behalf of all Americans and America! Not its time Congress steps up to the plate and gives Americans what they want and have a legal right to! 
Let's end the insanity and supplanting of America to foreigners and foreign powers and lets restore America back to its citizens! 
ABOUT THE SPAM. THE SPAM THAT COMES AS A RESULT OF YOUR PM PLOTS WITH YOUR BUDDIES WILL COME RIGHT BACK BECAUSE I FIGURE WE SHOULD ALL PLAY TOGETHER 
In 1994, while combing California allegedly "researching" the viability of his political career, Villaraigosa and married family friend Marta Reyes were instead shacked up in a Silver Lake motel. To make the story even more distasteful, at the time his wife Corina was home recovering from cancer surgery. 
Any rational person would expect that, given Clinton's experiences with her cheating husband, the mere mention of Villaraigosa's name would make her vomit. Under no circumstances should Clinton want to be in the same room with the depraved Mechista. 
With the wheels now apparently coming off of Clinton's campaign, might Villaraigosa's role in Iowa where she finished a distant third to Barack Obama have been the beginning of the end for her? 
Moore, who will challenge Villaraigosa again, further observes that the charter forbids the mayor from accepting "compensation . . . for his services" other than city salary and benefits. Moore wonders who picked up the tab for Villaraigosa's expenses. 
Summing up the strange and curious case of Villaraigosa and Clinton: the only logical conclusion is that thoughtless pursuit of the Hispanic vote doesn't pay off"”and has the unintended negative consequence of damaging candidates with voters of all races.