NO ROOM IN AMERICA'S INN FOR IMMIGRANTS HERE ILLEGALLY
Wed Dec 26, 6:50 PM ET
The politics of the Grand Old Party's ultraconservative religionists produce the oddest cognitive dissonance. This campaign season has illuminated the jarring contrast between the public piety of conservative Christians -- a significant faction in the Republican Party -- and their intense anger toward illegal immigrants.
That hostility is all the more jarring at Christmastime, when Christians around the world commemorate the birth of Christ. You'd think that the season would bring forth an outpouring of compassion, mercy and generosity. After all, the Bible, which conservative Christians hold out as the inerrant word of God, includes several admonitions to practice kindness toward "strangers."
But kindness doesn't seem to be much in the minds of Bible-thumping conservatives. Sadie Fields, head of the Georgia Christian Alliance, has long criticized public benefits such as health care for the children of illegal immigrants. "We're against illegal immigrants because we must uphold the rule of law," she has said. "We are a nation of law. Our biblical worldview mandates that we be a people of law."
According to polls, immigration is a much more important issue among Republican voters than among Democrats. That's especially true in early voting states such as Iowa and South Carolina, where sizable pockets of illegal immigrants have settled only in the last decade or so.
The intensity of the resentment has come as a surprise to Mike Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister. As an abortion-detesting, evolution-denying homophobe, Huckabee is fast winning the devotion of his party's Christianists, who seem to confuse the office of president with that of preacher or priest. But Huckabee has one glaring flaw in an otherwise perfect doctrinal suite: He has shown compassion toward illegal immigrants.
As governor of Arkansas, Huckabee supported legislation that would have made undocumented college students eligible for college scholarships and in-state tuition prices. Besides the imminent practicality of the proposition -- Arkansas, like its Southern neighbors, needs more college graduates -- Huckabee says he wouldn't "hold children responsible for something their parents did," crossing the border illegally.
For that modest bit of pragmatism, Huckabee is being hammered by Mitt Romney, who wants his Iowa lead back. Though he was relatively moderate on immigration as governor of Massachusetts, he now presents himself in an ad as the leader who bravely "stood up and vetoed in-state tuition for illegal aliens, opposed driver's licenses for illegals."
Polls notwithstanding, Huckabee's position seems more biblically correct. "We welcome the stranger because the savior himself was not welcomed in mainstream society," said Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics. "The whole teaching of 'no room at the inn' was about someone poor and marginalized and pushed off to a stable."
For Republicans less comfortable with mixing the Bible and ballots, there are worldly reasons to be wary of the deep-seated resentment of illegal immigrants among a significant GOP constituency. As President Bush has warned, Republicans risk permanent minority status if they alienate Latinos, the fastest-growing and largest ethnic group, accounting for about 15 percent of the population.
Indeed, a recent poll by the Pew Hispanic Center shows the last several months of shrill nativism have already proved costly. About 57 percent of registered Hispanic voters now lean toward the Democratic Party, while only 23 percent lean toward the GOP -- a gap of 34 percentage points, the poll showed. Just a year ago, the gap was just 21 percentage points.
Still, the steady drumbeat of anti-immigrant demagoguery continues on the Republican campaign trail, even as the candidates try to hype their biblical bona fides. It's a strange spectacle in a season ostensibly dedicated to peace on Earth and goodwill toward all humankind.
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By Laura Tillman/The Brownsville Herald December 23, 2007 - 11:20PM
According to data in two new reports by the Pew Hispanic Center, or PHC, the leading cause of dis-crimination against Hispanics is language, one that second-generation Hispanics are far less likely to encounter.
A new report by the PHC indicates that while one in four foreign-born Hispanics living in the U.S. are fluent in English, 88 percent of U.S.-born Hispanics describe themselves as fluent.
A second report by the same nonpartisan research organization indicates that 46 percent of Latinos surveyed said that the language barrier was the biggest cause of discrimination against the group. The next reason, immigration status, was given by only 22 percent of those surveyed.
Language and discrimination are then crucially linked for Hispanics, with 89 percent saying that it is necessary to learn English to succeed in this country.
The language issue is also central to the national immigration debate, according to the PHC, with some U.S. citizens asserting that English will be threatened as the dominant language with a greater influx of Spanish speakers.
“Our analysis finds that the ability to speak English and the likelihood of using it in everyday life rise sharply from Hispanic immigrants to their U.S.-born adult children,” the report says.
In Brownsville, a geographical hotspot in the national debate, this trend is somewhat different. With a Hispanic population of 92 percent, and some of those in the remaining 8 percent speaking Spanish, the language is used frequently in public settings.
“Here you go to H-E-B, you go to Wal-Mart, and all of the clerks speak Spanish to you,” said Andrea Gaona, a manager of Johnson Ropa Usada.
“I know how to speak English, but I feel more comfortable speaking Spanish,” said Gaona. “Pero, en realidad, (But in reality) in other parts of the Valley you have to speak English.”
Gaona was raised in Brownsville but lived in Georgia for a couple of years. She said that while she has never seen language-based discrimination here, she understands where the PHC statistics come from.
“In Georgia it’s a whole different story,” she said. Though her first language is Spanish, Oralia says she would prefer if people spoke more English here.
“My kids and I only speak English at home and everywhere,” she said. “They only speak Spanish with their grandparents.” Oralia says she sees no local evidence of the discrimination discussed in the national immigration debate.
Aracelly Martinez, who works at El Palenque’s Mexican Food says that as crossing the border has be-come more difficult, she’s begun to understand what discrimination is like.
“They look at you more carefully when you cross, they make it hard for you,” said Martinez, who speaks only enough English to take the orders of those who dine at El Palenque. “How are they going to build a barrier? The only thing that divides us is water.”
Woman questions feds being inside Italian restaurant
December 20, 2007 - 8:36AM
McALLEN — Ellen Salas said her family just wanted to enjoy a late Italian dinner.
They never thought federal agents would end up staring them down.
About 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, McAllen police officers accompanied U.S. Drug Enforcement Agents and investigators from other federal agencies into The Olive Garden on Expressway 83.
Will Glasby, who heads the DEA’s McAllen office, would not say who his agents were pursuing — only that they did not find the right person.
“The person that we were looking for, that we thought might be there, was not,” he said.
But Salas said she and her eight relatives, who all live in Pharr, felt as though they were the suspects.
She and her relatives had arrived and were seated at the restaurant before it closed at 10 p.m.
Plain-clothes agents and uniformed police officers awkwardly stared at her family as they waited for their food at the restaurant, Salas said.
When one of Salas’ cousins approached the agents to see if there was a problem, they said little in response, she said.
“They never questioned us; they never said nothing,” Salas said. “They wouldn’t tell us what the purpose of the whole thing was.
“It’s just really weird the way things went on.”
After that, Salas said agents asked her and some of her relatives for their identification.
“They said, ‘We don’t need to give you any information,’” she said. “I have no idea what the problem was to begin with.”
Glasby said his agents were “simply trying to find somebody.”
“(The agents) did not have guns drawn; there was no enforcement action,” he said. “They simply walked into a restaurant.
“I guess (the family) does not like law enforcement.”
Fat Lazy Americans, Hard-working Christian Illegals
Aaron Maloy December 26, 2007
How many times have we heard the Republican Presidential candidates scapegoat undocumented workers for their own selfish political gain? Enough. And enough IS enough. When watching clips from candidate town hall meetings and debates you are likely to see undereducated rednecks and young college graduates asking the candidates questions like "What will you do to stop the illegal immigrant terrorists," (as if they go hand in hand) "What is your plan to send all 13 million illegals back to where they came from," etc, etc. What do they both have in common? Joblessness.
If you visit some of the towns in our agrarian states you might notice lines of ethnic minorities standing on street corners. They are called day laborers, and they stand outside, often in freezing weather, hoping that a local farm or family business is in need of their temporary labor. For them, being offered the chance to work hard all day in the outdoors to earn 5 or 6 dollars per hour is seen as a golden opportunity. At the end of the day they are able to see the tangible fruits of their labor and productivity. With a sense of temporary relief they are able to feed themselves and their families.
If you visit the homes of many families in the USA these days, it is very common to see 20-something year old's living at home, often unemployed or underemployed. Many of them have collge degrees, but are still unable to find work that is suitable to their expectations. So, rather than being smart enough to work toward getting a good job, they blame their loser status on illegal immigrants. Their parents are just as bad. Not wanting to accept their inferior parenting skills, they direct the blame at illegal immigrants for their children not being able to find work after college.
Our Presidential candidates are more than willing to legitimize this myth as a way of giving Americans a false sense of hope. If you are an unemployed reject or the parent of one, hearing a politician tell you that it's not your fault can make you feel very good and even victimized. But these are not traditional American values, and they certainly are not the qualities of a leader. A real leader would be a gadfly and reinforce a stronger work ethic into the minds of the American people.
Who do these millionaire gentry politicians think they are that they can just use the misfortunes of impoverished people to galvanize American citizens into voting for them? While I acknowledge that illegal immigration has destroyed our public school systems and has dried up a lot of public welfare funds that are needed for many of our own struggling families, I do have a lot more respect for "illegals" than I do for some of the lazy fat asses that actually are citizens of this country. In fact, I want hard-working people to be citizens of this country, more so than those who think they are too good for hard work.
Now, with record numbers of both legal and illegal immigrants returning to their countries of origin, it seems almost inappropriate for politicians to hype those who are easily fooled. With poor student test scores and low productivity, the last thing this country needs are advantageous politicians further dumbing down Americans and demonizing those who are willing to actually work hard.
So the next time you see an ethnic minority who "talks funny," try to appreciate her drive to succeed, her ability to labor under brutal conditions and her appreciation for the opportunity to work hard that has been shunned and foolishly undervalued by today's young generation of American citizens. What gives these politicians who were born with silver spoons in their mouthes the right to vilify these workers? Then again, if you have never labored a day in your life and experienced the fear of not being able to feed your baby, such ignorance is understandable.
Finally, and most importantly, a high percentage of immigrant workers are family oriented and attend church regularly. Ask McCain, Guiliani, Thompson and the others when the last time was that they attended a church service. Then ask them if they know of any bibles scriptures that relate to their everyday struggles, another reason why I have more respect for illegals than I do for our scapegoating politicians.
Illegal immigration in the USA is a problem. However, contrary to the false doctrine that is spewed out of the mouth of politicians, unemployable college grads and rednecks, the problem isn't the illegal immigrants as human beings. They are mostly residents of other countries who, prior to coming to America, lacked the education to understand concepts like "legal immigration," and "illegal immigration." But, unlike the plethora of people who consider themselves educated here in America, they do understand the concept of work. And it is work that made America what it is, or was: a prosperous country full of opportunity. Now, we are a country that is breeding a population of failures, and thanks to the liberals, we victimize ourselves and blame others for our misfortune. This self-destructing of America is the fault of nobody but ourselves, and with the immigrants fleeing our country in droves, it not only confirms our decline, but deprives us of the hard work and values that made America what it once was.
By REBECCA CATHCART Published: December 26, 2007 LOS ANGELES — Two gangs that originated on the streets here have grown so large in El Salvador that there are two prisons in that country devoted exclusively to their members, one for each gang, according to officials who traveled there recently to meet with the local authorities.
That is just one measure of the way gangs in this city with the worst gang problem in the United States have bolstered their presence in Mexico and Central America, where they attract new members eager to come here. The growth in their transnational networks has made these criminal organizations all the more worrisome, officials say.
“These gangs are the new and emerging organized crime in America,” said Bruce Riordan, director of anti-gang operations for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.
Last week the federal government and Los Angeles County undertook a joint attack on transnational gangs by charging 23 incarcerated gang members with the felony offense of re-entering the United States after being deported. The men, in their 20s and 30s, had been awaiting release from state prisons or city jails where they were serving time for a variety of offenses. They now face up to 20 more years in federal prison if convicted.
Prison sweeps like last week’s are the latest phase in a two-year-old program to identify transnational gang members in Southern California who have violated immigration law, said Jim Hayes, a field officer here for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Though a majority of gang members are American citizens, the large number of deportations of those who are not has facilitated cross-border movement that abets transnational gang expansion, said Gary Hearnsberger, chief of the Hardcore Gang Division at the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Part of the reason is that after deportation without federal prosecution, gang members are generally not subject to penalties in the countries to which they are expelled, officials say. “They get a chance to hang out in another country for a while, then come right back,” often having recruited new members, Mr. Hearnsberger said.
With regular prison sweeps, however, those who have violated deportation will be less likely to slip through the cracks. After a felony conviction for the offense, they will not only serve a federal sentence here but then be released into the custody of law enforcement officials in their home countries.
Some of the men charged last week had been deported as many as seven times. Deportees carry with them the gang tattoos and the uniform of white T-shirts, thin belts and baggy pants with split cuffs. Those marks of gang affiliation are alluring to potential recruits in Latin American countries seeking work and support networks.
The deportees “don’t typically just quit their gang attitudes and gang associations,” Mr. Hearnsberger said. “They take those with them,” and as a result “you might be transporting their gang business to another country.”
Mr. Riordan traces the growth of transnational gangs to the Sept. 11 attacks and a resulting shift in federal law enforcement resources.
“In the late 1990s, we were having a lot of success convicting the leadership of the Mexican Mafia, 18th Street Gang and the Rolling 60s,” he said, referring to three of the largest of the estimated 1,000 gangs in Los Angeles County. “The events of 9/11 led to a shift of resources away from domestic violent crimes to terrorism.”
That shift, along with a vacuum created by a decline in traditional organized crime networks, allowed transnational gangs to gain a foothold in the narcotics trade and human trafficking, Mr. Riordan said.
By Margaret Ramirez December 19, 2007 Chicago Tribune
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Responding to what they perceive as anti-immigrant rhetoric from presidential candidates, dozens of Roman Catholic priests on Tuesday used the religious message of Advent to express support for immigrants and call for legislative reform.
The priests, most of whom lead congregations of Latino or Polish immigrants, gathered at Holy Name Cathedral to deliver a pastoral message and explain how the Catholic Church is responding to a recent rise in arrests and deportations. Similar events took place in the dioceses of Los Angeles; San Antonio; San Jose, Calif.; Trenton, N.J.; and Newark, N.J.
"We are deeply and profoundly troubled by the almost daily harsh and demeaning anti-immigrant rhetoric of media and press pundits," said Rev. Marco Mercado, pastor of Good Shepherd church in Chicago. "For these reasons, we stand in solidarity with our undocumented brothers and sisters to have hope and draw strength in this season when family unity and family love is so precious."
With the defeat of the comprehensive immigration reform bill this year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stepped up enforcement and raids. Immigration has also become a flash point in the presidential campaign, with candidates in both parties debating border protection and driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.
Rev. Larry Dowling, pastor of Chicago's St. Agatha church, said the debate prompted the priests to speak out.
"There are too many Americans today who are ignorant of the real issues and are buying into the negative rhetoric," he said. "We need to stand up in faith against the racism and negativity that's occurring today."
Though the Catholic Church has long supported immigrants, the nation's bishops took a more active role in 2005 when they launched the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform. Shortly after, more than 200 Chicago priests formed Priests for Justice for Immigrants.
The priests said Advent, the four-week period leading to the celebration of Christ's birth, allows for a contemporary meditation on immigrants. As parishioners reflect on the Holy Family's struggle to find shelter, the group said, they should also pray for families ripped apart by deportations.
Performing the ritual lighting of the Advent wreath, the priests offered prayers for separated families and for children of illegal immigrants.
Adriana Velasco-Silva, 11, a 6th grader at St. Pius V School, lit the first candle in memory of her mother, Herminia Silva, who was poisoned by a cactus plant while crossing the border in August 2006. Silva was rushed to Stroger Hospital, and doctors amputated her leg to save her, but she died hours later, Adriana's father said.
Rev. Brendan Curran of St. Pius V said her case illustrates the need for legislation to facilitate family reunification.
"The father was here already and the family wanted to be together," Curran said. "So, this is what happens, and it's going to keep happening until we get some kind of formal process for reunification."
Starting next month, priests will begin conducting Know Your Rights sessions in many of the region's immigrant parishes, said Rev. Donald Nevins of St. Francis of Assisi Church. Information would include advice about how to respond in a raid by government officials.
Dowling said he hoped more pastors would preach about immigration from the pulpit. Though some parishes have expressed ambivalence, he said support for immigrants is consistent with church teaching.
"We have to ask ourselves: Are we one church?" he said. "Do we truly believe that as Catholics we uphold the dignity of people who are being repressed?"
Copyright c. 2005 (ICIRR). Design by Andreas Viklund.
Late last month came shocking -- shocking -- news about the ability of immigrants to assimilate: Latinos in this country do learn English. Who knew?
OK, I'm being slightly facetious, responding to just one of the strains of hysterical overreaction to illegal immigration. That complaint cites the alleged dangers of allowing large numbers of Spanish-speakers into the country, people who would tear apart the American cultural fabric and, as GOP presidential candidate Tom Tancredo warns, threaten the very bulwark of Western civilization.
(Tancredo, a Colorado congressman, could use a history lesson. Spanish is very much a Western language; immigrants from south of the border are predominantly Christians and many are Catholics, members of the earliest organized Christian church.)
Those who worry about the fate of the English language can rest easy. A recent study conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center found that 88 percent of second-generation Latino immigrants described themselves as strong English speakers. That figure increased to 94 percent for the grandchildren's generation.
The survey also found that Latino immigrants are more likely to speak English very well if they are "highly educated, arrived in the United States as children or have spent many years here." Only 23 percent of first-generation Latino immigrants in the survey described themselves as highly conversant in English. (The study's authors made no distinctions between legal and illegal immigrants.)
That's hardly surprising. Anyone who has struggled in mid-life to learn a foreign tongue or who has watched young children pick up a new language with ease knows well that ownership of a green card does not indicate English proficiency. Formal education, age and exposure to the language all have an influence. Children -- whether their parents flew in legally from China with an HB-1 visa or crossed the Rio Grande illegally -- will learn English quickly. Adults often struggle if they've never studied English, especially if they're over 40.
That's the way it's always been in immigrant families: English proficiency increases over generations. Though a romanticized recollection of history has painted a picture of legions of Italians and Poles, Germans and Portuguese who entered the United States through Ellis Island with legal documents, proceeded to English classes and quickly dropped their native tongues, that's not the way it was. Through the mid-20th century, there were countless urban neighborhoods where shopkeepers and their customers spoke Italian or Mandarin or Polish. Many American adults had grandparents who never learned English.
Unfortunately, neither common sense nor logic shows up much in the contentious, often bitter and sometimes bigoted debate over illegal immigration. Undocumented workers from south of the border have been blamed for decaying neighborhoods, a fraying social safety net and the declining fortunes of the American worker. The long and loosely guarded southern border has been blamed for terrorist attacks, though no known terrorists have entered the country from Mexico. And, as we've seen, illegal immigrants refuse to speak English.
That irrational diatribe will likely continue no matter what any study shows. This nation was built on a history of immigration, but it also has a long history of immigrant-bashing. In the late 1700s, Benjamin Franklin was quite disturbed by the "swarm" of immigrants from Germany. "Why should Pennsylvania," he asked, "founded by the English, become a colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them?"
President Theodore Roosevelt proposed that "every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country." In 1896, MIT President Francis Walker, an influential economist, warned that American citizenship could be degraded by "the tumultuous access of vast throngs of ignorant and brutalized peasantry from the countries of eastern and southern Europe."
It's too bad we've learned so little from our history. Every group of immigrants has assimilated and produced politicians, business owners, lawyers and doctors. Today's vilified immigrants will do the same.
Technology is making it easier to track and apprehend criminals in real time, but some civil libertarians worry that Fourth Amendment protections are being flouted in the process. Many new cell phones come equipped with tracking devices that can pinpoint the location of the phone to within 30 feet. The feature offers lots of possibilities both to users and law enforcement.
Some cell phone providers offer parents the option of setting up a virtual fence that notifies them when their child strays beyond a certain distance from home or another preset location. Other companies offer users the ability to be notified when friends are close by. And even the simplest phones now have enhanced 911 capability mandated by federal law, which can detect a caller's location within a broad area through triangulated radio signals sent to cell towers.
But does having a cell phone now place ordinary citizens at risk of Big Brother keeping tabs on them everywhere they go, violating the Fourth Amendment's guarantee against unreasonable searches? Apparently some judges think so.
In a highly unusual move, a federal judge in Texas not only refused to issue a warrant to the Drug Enforcement Administration that would have allowed access to tracking data on a suspected drug dealer's whereabouts, but decided to publish the opinion this week, as well. Now The Washington Post has taken up the cause, noting that several such requests have been turned down recently because the government does not have probable cause to gain access to the information.
The Fourth Amendment guarantees individuals have the right "to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures," and that "no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." But of course, the Framers had no idea when they wrote those words that ordinary Americans would one day willingly carry around devices that could track their every movement and provide that information to scores of individuals.
Many people already have signed up to have private companies track their cars with GPS systems. Others are thrilled that their friends can find them at the local mall by carrying phones equipped with an alert system that notifies them when callers in their loop are nearby. Parents love the "chaperone" kid-tracking system offered by some cell companies, even if their kids don't. When it comes to cell phones and other electronic devices, privacy seems to be the last thing on most users' minds. Still it is the government's ability to tap into this system that has civil libertarians concerned.
Nonetheless, law enforcement's ability to zero in on a criminal's whereabouts no doubt saves lives. The Post acknowledges the government's tracking ability allowed federal agents to pinpoint the location of a serial murderer linked to at least six murders in four states. The killer died in a shootout in Florida in October 2006 while being pursued by police before he could kill again.
But what if a crime were in progress when the government sought the information? What if a child had been abducted and the police had reason to suspect that a convicted child molester had fled the area with the child? Would Fourth Amendment purists really want to argue that the government should not gain access to information that could help them locate the child before he is hurt?
One simple solution would be to require telecommunications companies to notify buyers that their phones include tracking devices, that this information may be accessed by law enforcement agencies and require subscribers to give their assent in order to purchase the cell phone service. Some judges have ruled already that law enforcement access to cell phone transmission data without a warrant is implicit because the government did not install the tracking devices and users voluntarily carry the devices and agree to permit the transmission of location data to the cell phone carrier. But a simple notice would make it clear that buyers should beware of using cell phones in criminal activity.
Of course, anyone who is really worried about Big Brother tracking him down can opt not to carry a cell phone at all.
Linda Chavez is the author of "An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal."
Barron Hilton, former CEO of Hilton Hotel Corp., will leave 97 percent of his fortune to charity.
Paris Hilton's grandfather to leave most of his fortune to charity
December 26, 2007
Hotel magnate Barron Hilton, grandfather of heiress Paris Hilton, has bequeathed $2.3 billion, or 97% of his net worth, to his father's charity foundation, officials said today.
The contribution to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, to come from the sale of Hilton Hotels Corp. and the pending sale of Harrah's Entertainment Inc. after the money is placed in a trust, is the largest in the foundation's history and will bring its value to about $4.5 billion.
Barron Hilton, 80, pledged an immediate $1.2-billion donation to the foundation, with an estimated $1.1 billion to follow after his death. He is the foundation's chairman.
"We are all exceedingly proud and grateful for this extraordinary commitment," Hilton's son Steven M. Hilton, president and chief executive of the organization, said in a statement. "Working to alleviate human suffering around the globe, regardless of race, religion or geography, is the mandate of the foundation set by my grandfather . . . .and now reinforced by my father."
Hotelier Conrad Hilton, Barron's father and Steven's grandfather, established the charity in 1944 and left nearly all his fortune to the organization when he died in 1979.
The charity has distributed $560 million over more than six decades for programs to aid the blind, house mentally ill homeless individuals, prevent substance abuse and increase access to safe water in Mexico and Africa. A significant portion of the money helps the work of Catholic Sisters; more than half the foundation's grants go to international projects.
The Hilton hotel chain consists of more than 500 hotels around the world. The family name has become gossip column fodder in recent years with the *** tape, red carpet antics and jail time of socialite and entrepreneur Paris.
Immigration 2007: Congress' failure to act did not end immigration debate
By: EDWARD SIFUENTES - Staff Writer
Though 2007 featured few of the mass demonstrations, boycotts or walkout that punctuated the previous year, there was plenty of energy in the debate over immigration.
Such discussions occurred across the nation in 2007, everywhere from city council chambers to cyberspace.
President Bush had talked about changing the nation's system of immigration laws since taking office seven years before. It was widely reported that he hoped immigration reform would be part of his presidential legacy.
That hope ended in June when congressional Democrats and Republicans were unable to overcome significant divisions on what to do with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the country.
"Legal immigration is one of the top concerns of the American people, and Congress' failure to act on it is a disappointment," a grim-faced Bush told reporters after the bill's defeat in the Senate. "A lot of us worked hard to see if we couldn't find common ground. It didn't work."
From Congress to city hall
The federal government's failure to address the matter sparked efforts, equally doomed, by local governments to take on illegal immigration. Cities and states throughout the country adopted immigration enforcement-related measures.
Escondido's city council, which gave up trying to defend its ordinance banning landlords from renting to illegal immigrants in late 2006, pushed ahead with new ideas targeting migrants in 2007.
And on the streets, anti-illegal immigration activists continued their rallies in communities throughout North County, including some against St. Peter's Catholic Church in Fallbrook for hosting day laborers on its grounds.
In Washington, Bush's administration pressed a bipartisan group of senators to strike a deal that became known as their "grand bargain," but held only lukewarm support among important constituencies in both parties.
That was no match for the strong and vocal opposition from anti-illegal immigration groups, who derided it as amnesty.
"The end result was a blanket that was too small to cover everyone," said Tamar Jacoby, an analyst at the conservative Manhattan Institute who was a strong supporter. "By its nature, because it was a compromise, it was hard to muster intense support. But the opposition was very intense."
No match
After the bill's failure, the federal government announced a tightening of immigration rules, including a plan to get employers to comply with laws against hiring illegal immigrants.
There are millions of workers, believed to be predominantly illegal immigrants, whose social security numbers do not match those in federal databases.
The Department of Homeland Security planned to send letters, through the Social Security Administration, to employers asking them to correct the information. But a federal judge blocked the plan, saying the letters could result in legal workers being fired from their jobs.
It was one in a series of setbacks in the government's efforts to tighten immigration rules.
Labor groups and others, including the American Civil Liberties Union, filed the lawsuit challenging the no-match letters policy, saying it would put a heavy burden on employers and could cause many legal immigrants and U.S. citizens to lose their jobs over innocent paperwork glitches.
Early in December, the department appealed the judge's decision.
"I believe that the no-match rule is a major step forward in preventing employment of illegal immigrants," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a written statement. "Contrary to the ACLU's incorrect statements, the rule is not harmful to legal workers. DHS is not abandoning it."
Some gains
However, authorities gained ground in some areas of immigration enforcement.
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement successfully raided numerous businesses, arresting and deporting 850 illegal immigrant workers. The agency also arrested 30,000 illegal immigrants wanted for deportation, officials said.
Among those deported was one of the most prominent advocates for legalizing millions of illegal immigrants, Elvira Arellano. In August, she was arrested in Los Angeles after leaving her Chicago church sanctuary and was deported to Tijuana.
But many local politicians said the federal government was not doing enough to stem the flow of illegal immigrants coming to the region. They said the migrants create problems, such as crime, and strain local resources.
Escondido City Councilman Ed Gallo proposed in December an ordinance targeting day laborers, most of whom are Latino men believed to be in the country illegally.
The councilman said he would like to model his ordinance after one adopted in the city of Orange, which makes it illegal for people on city streets to seek work.
Gallo told the North County Times in December that business owners have complained to him and other city officials about the workers.
"These guys are a deterrent to businesses," Gallo said. "I hear all the time about catcalls and other **** they do while hanging out in front of businesses."
David Blair-Loy, legal director for the ACLU in San Diego, said city officials must be careful to ensure the ordinances they draw up focus on a type of activity and not target any specific group of people or hinder free speech.
Local immigrant rights activists say those proposals, such as Escondido's rental ordinance, promote ethnic divisions in the community.
Going cyber
In recent years, advocacy groups, such as the San Diego Minutemen, have cropped up throughout the region to blame illegal immigrants for almost any social problem, from overcrowding in schools to increased traffic.
In June, the Minutemen and other activists began protesting at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Fallbrook, saying the church was breaking federal laws by hosting a day labor site, where dozens of men gathered each morning looking for work.
The protests led to a confrontation between a member of the Minutemen group and a man he sprayed with Mace. The man, who grabbed for the Minuteman's video camera and struck him on the nose, was later charged with battery.
The groups have taken their fight to a new frontier, cyber space. Activists on both sides often post competing digital videos and photos on the Internet through popular Web sites such as YouTube and MySpace.
If the news blogs, e-mail loops and other cyber venues are any indication, the use of the Internet by immigration activists on both sides appears to be just beginning.
And with presidential elections coming in November, the often heated debate is unlikely to cool anytime soon.
-- Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-3511 or esifuentes@nctimes.com. Comment at nctimes.com.
Immigration in 2007
January
After dropping its defense of an ordinance barring landlords from renting to illegal immigrants, a split Escondido City Council adopts a largely symbolic resolution blaming illegal immigrants for a number of social ills and asking the federal government to allow cities to make inquiries into people's immigration status.
February
Immigrant rights activists split over new 'Day Without an Immigrant' protest.
May
Day of boycott falls flat as few participate in local marches.
Group of senators announces compromise immigration plan with President Bush's support.
June
San Diego Minutemen begin protesting Fallbrook day labor site at St. Peter's Catholic Church.
Immigration reform bill fails in the U.S. Senate as lawmakers disagree on how to address the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.
August
Department of Homeland Security officials announce new rules to crack down on companies that hire illegal immigrants, including a no-match letter asking employers to verify workers' information.
October
Federal judge temporarily blocks the Department of Homeland Security's no-match letters policy.
December
GOP presidential candidates toughen their stance on illegal immigration after top candidates criticize each other's records during debates.
Illegal immigration is still a hot topic on the campaign trail. But commentator Robert Reich says the current debate over the issue misses the mark.
America needs immigrants' ambition
TEXT OF COMMENTARY
AMY SCOTT: There's evidence that fewer Mexican migrants are entering the United States illegally these days. Some credit stepped-up border security. Then there's that decline in housing construction. Jobs have dried up. But illegal immigration is still a hot topic on the campaign trail. Commentator Robert Reich says the current debate over the issue misses the mark.
ROBERT REICH: The biggest divide in America today isn't over social issues like abortion or *** marriage. It's not even over the war in Iraq or taxes. The biggest split is over immigration.
Demagogues on the right and left are telling Americans our jobs are threatened, our social services overwhelmed, and our streets unsafe because of immigrants. Fear and prejudice are on the rise. According to a recent Pew survey, more than half of Hispanic adults in America today worry they or someone close to them could face deportation. Earlier this year, when Congress tried to enact a bipartisan bill that would better secure the borders and also try to regularize the plight of undocumented immigrants -- giving them a path to become regular citizens -- the bill was killed by these agents of fear and intolerance.
Well, I have some news for these fear mongers. If they think this country or this economy can succeed in coming decades without tens of millions of additional immigrants, they're not thinking straight. The huge baby-boom generation will be retiring, and there aren't nearly enough native-born Americans after them to keep this economy going, let alone keep money flowing into the boomers' Social Security and Medicare trust funds. The graying of America means we need this new wave of immigrants.
Remember also that most of us born here are descended from immigrants. What we've learned is that people with the gumption to leave their country of birth and come to America are almost by definition ambitious. And the single most important asset of this economy and society is ambition.
I'm not arguing that we throw our borders open. We need better border security. But to think immigrants are our enemies, or to believe that they're taking more out of the economy than they're putting in, is pure baloney. At this time of year, especially, we need to remind ourselves of the tolerance and generosity that built this country by allowing our immigrant ancestors to become full-fledged Americans.
SCOTT: Robert Reich was Labor Secretary under President Clinton. His new book is called "Supercapitalism."
Related: Robert Reich's podcast Robert Reich's blog
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BORDER LIZARD Does he need a passport?
BORDER FENCE AT SUNSET
