A BROAD OVERHAUL FAILED THIS SUMMER, BUT AN ARRAY OF SMALLER MEASURES IS UNDER DISCUSSION, INCLUDING WAYS TO LEGALIZE CERTAIN WORKERS.
By Nicole Gaouette, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 17, 2007
WASHINGTON — Three months after Congress failed to pass a broad immigration overhaul, lawmakers are quietly returning to the hot-button issue, discussing narrower measures that address illegal immigrants and low-skilled laborers.
Already, critics are promising fireworks.
As early as this week, Democratic senators are set to introduce an amendment that would give conditional legal status to young illegal immigrants.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) hopes to bring up a visa program that eventually would allow farmhands to gain citizenship, whereas Republican senators are discussing a short-term guest worker program for low-skilled laborers.
Republicans also are considering a bill that would overhaul visas for high-skilled foreigners.
In the House, Republicans have been steadily introducing initiatives aimed at ensuring that illegal immigrants could not gain access to federal benefits.
"We may be heading for another immigration battle," Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said of the measures headed for the Senate floor.
"Hopefully it can be avoided."
After the Senate failed in June to pass the broad immigration bill, rebuffing President Bush, who supported it, many on Capitol Hill predicted the issue would lie fallow until after the 2008 presidential election. But that has not been the case.
The Bush administration in August unveiled a roster of aggressive enforcement initiatives, provoking a legal challenge from labor and business groups and outrage from immigrant advocates. The Department of Homeland Security has continued its stepped-up raids on work sites that use illegal laborers, and in August it deported a high-profile illegal immigrant activist who had spent months in a Chicago church, declaring it a sanctuary.
Immigrant groups nationwide have staged vigils, protests and letter-writing campaigns to demand changes in policy. Groups that want to limit immigration also have kept a sharp eye on Congress, on the lookout for any attempts to pass what they view as "amnesty" -- proposals that would open the way to legalization for illegal immigrants.
Since the comprehensive bill's failure, some of the focus on immigration has served political goals.
Republican senators quickly brought up an enforcement bill, a hit with their conservative base. The Democratic-sponsored measures generally appeal to Latino voters. Staff members from both parties say immigration-related amendments could turn up on any major piece of legislation expected to pass.
Some of the measures now in the works don't have much bipartisan support, limiting their chances of success. And some lawmakers express doubts that it is possible to restructure the immigration system through separate bills rather than sweeping legislation.
"I'm personally very skeptical of a piecemeal approach," said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), a member of the bipartisan coalition that tried to pass the overhaul earlier this year. "The hardest thing to do . . . is take care of" the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. "The minute we start doing the easy things, like taking care of agribusiness interests because they need the workers, . . . then we're leaving the hard things" unaddressed.
The central conflict that tripped up the comprehensive bill remains the question of whether illegal immigrants should be given the chance to earn legal status. That question will be an issue in at least two of the measures headed for the Senate.
The first to come up is expected to be the "Dream Act," a bill championed by Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) that would give conditional legal status to immigrants brought to the U.S. at a young age.
To qualify under it, they must have been in the country for at least five years, have a high school diploma and meet other requirements. Over the next six years, they would have to spend two years in college or the military, after which they could become legal permanent residents, a step toward citizenship.
Durbin plans to attach the bill as an amendment to a defense funding measure scheduled to come before the Senate today, his staff said.
The bill has broad support, prompting immigration restrictionist groups to send alerts warning that the Senate was planning "to pass an amnesty act by hiding language in the defense authorization bill."
Feinstein has championed an AgJobs program with increasing intensity as farms have struggled to find labor. The program would allow up to 1.5 million agricultural workers to gain legal status through a "blue card," provided they did farm work for a certain number of days every year. Those who met the criteria could apply for legal permanent resident status after five years.
The bill's prospects are uncertain. Feinstein lost a crucial AgJobs ally when Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) recently announced he would resign because of the scandal surrounding his arrest in a Minneapolis airport restroom.
In July, Feinstein and Craig had won a commitment from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that the AgJobs proposal would be considered, possibly as an amendment to the farm bill expected to be debated in the early fall.
"We know that virtually all of the agricultural workforce is undocumented," Feinstein said. "Today there are shortages. . . . AgJobs is a pilot program that would provide a reliable workforce to plant and harvest crops in this country."
Sessions is actively campaigning against both Durbin and Feinstein's initiatives, arguing that the two proposals would give more than 4 million illegal immigrants eventual citizenship.
He said he would support a plan under discussion among Republicans, including Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), to create a version of AgJobs that would limit workers to short-term stays in the U.S. and not provide any kind of longer-term legal status.
Stripping legalization provisions from a farm worker program would vastly increase its chances of passing, Republicans say.
"The question is, what is it going to take to . . . get anything moving in order to reform" the existing farm guest worker program? asked a Republican Senate aide.
"In order to do that, you have to recognize that this is the issue that the immigration bill failed on, the issue of amnesty."
Senate Republicans are also discussing ways to increase the number of visas for high-skilled workers, now capped at 65,000 a year.
In the House, Republicans have continued the effort they pushed when they controlled the chamber last year -- keeping the immigration debate focused on enforcement measures.
Republican lawmakers have introduced amendments to ban illegal immigrants from receiving federal benefits -- something that is already law -- to a range of bills, including a federal housing measure scheduled for debate this week.
LOCAL STING OPERATION DETAINS SEVERAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
OPERATION COMMUNITY SHIELD
BY KATE WARD Northwest Arkansas Times Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A one-week sting conducted by federal agents and area law enforcement authorities resulted in the arrest of 41 illegal immigrants this month.
Sponsored by the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, Operation Community Shield is a comprehensive, ongoing initiative that was launched by ICE two years ago to disrupt and dismantle transitional violent street gangs in the United States.
In partnership with ICE, last week’s operation was conducted by the Washington County Sheriff ’s Office, the State Probation Fayetteville office, the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas and law enforcement agencies in Rogers, Fayetteville, Springdale and Bentonville.
“ We worked very closely with local law enforcement and appreciate all the wonderful support we got, †said Temple Black, a spokesman for ICE. “ I’d say we made a considerable number of arrests. I’d categorize it over-all as a good operation. â€
Black said Operation Community Shield is a national law enforcement initiative that brings all of ICE’s law enforcement powers together in the fight against illegal immigration. Last week’s operation marked the first time the federal government has combined immigration and customs authorities in a national campaign against street gangs.
“ It was part of an ongoing investigation that was going on for a while, †Black said. “ I think there are investigations that are ongoing all the time. Whenever the facts come together and the opportunity presents itself, then the operations are executed. â€
Fayetteville Police Sgt. Shannon Gabbard said the presence of gang violence in Northwest Arkansas exists to an extent.
“ As far as in the region and in Northwest Arkansas, there are probably violent gang members who live here, †he said. “ As far as an organized gang presence in Northwest Arkansas, it’s not representative in Fayetteville like you may see in some of the other jurisdictions. â€
A press release issued by ICE revealed that a number of those arrested in Northwest Arkansas face federal prosecution for offenses such as re-entry after deportation and other crimes, including weapons violations and possession of a controlled substance.
Since its inception, ICE has made more than 6, 500 arrests nationwide. “ To my knowledge, in this area, when you conduct an operation like that, you need as many people as you can get, †said Sgt. Oscar Hensom with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. “ That’s what we were mainly there for — to provide additional manpower. †Under Operation Community Shield, ICE works to: • identify violent gangs and develop intelligence on their membership, associates and organizations • deter, disrupt and dismantle their operations by tracing and seizing their cash, weapons and other assets • prosecute and, whenever possible, deport gang members from the United States • partner with other law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels — both in the United States and in other countries — and with federal prosecutors to develop a “ force multiplier†effect in investigations and other law enforcement actions against gangs
• Conduct outreach efforts to boost public awareness about the fight against violent gangs
Established in 2003, ICE is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. It comprises five integrated divisions that form a “ 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. â€
Those who wish to report suspicious activity are urged to contact ICE at 1-866-DHS-2 ICE.
Today's News Theme: Immigration IN CASE YOU'VE BEEN too busy engrossed in promos for tonight's premiere of "Gossip Girl" on the CW or O.J. Simpson's newest scandal, Vegas edition, public affairs has been caught up in immigration policy fever. Let's take a look at today's edition of The Post, which offers a smorgasbord of immigration news items ...
» On Capitol Hill, highly skilled legal immigrants, pictured at right, gathered to express "anger and frustration with long bureaucratic delays and strict numerical limits on employer-based U.S. green cards. They said that their families are stuck in limbo and that their professional ambitions have been stymied by an uncertain future," Pamela Constable writes.
» In Prince William County, residents might soon be facing a difficult choice. Live happily side by side with illegal immigrants or face higher taxes to pay for a new policing plan to check immigration status, Christy Goodman reports.
» In Fairfax County, two candidates for the chairmanship of the Board of Supervisors had a debate, Bill Turque reports, and sure enough, immigration popped up with the Republican candidate, Gary Baise, calling illegal immigrants "these people."
» Yesterday, the Arlington County Board passed a unanimous resolution that "strongly rebuked elected officials elsewhere in Northern Virginia who are clamping down on illegal immigrants, saying such efforts are 'politically inspired,' 'irresponsible' and 'punitive,'" Kirstin Downey reports.
POLICE KILLING PUTS FOCUS ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIME
The Business Journal of Phoenix - 12:06 PM MST Thursday, September 20, 2007 by Mike SunnucksThe Business Journal
Monday's murder of a Phoenix police officer by an illegal immigrant from Mexico has heightened debate over undocumented residents and crime.
Phoenix Police officer Nick Erlie was shot and killed by Erik Jovani Martinez, an illegal who previously was deported and had an arrest warrant. Martinez was shot and killed by police after taking a hostage. He had been arrested eight times.
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said the incident stems from the federal government's failure to secure the border. "Three thousand Phoenix police officers are risking their lives and doing their jobs. Officer Nick Erfle sacrificed his life, and did his job. Now to all of you in Washington, when are you going to do your job and secure this border?"
Immigration hawks -- including activist and Valley car dealer Rusty Childress and talk radio hosts -- criticize Gordon, Gov. Janet Napolitano, State Attorney General Terry Goddard and others claiming they are not tough enough on border issues. They say Phoenix and other police departments do not check the immigration status of those being arrested.
Various reports suggest that some of the 500,000 illegal immigrants in Arizona and 12 million illegals in the U.S. are part of organized gangs, smuggling rings and drug cartels.
A 2005 U.S. Government Accountability Office study looked at 55,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records and found that they had been arrested an average of eight times. Forty-five percent of the arrests were on immigration and drug charges; 12 percent were for violent crimes.
Illegals represent about 8 percent of Arizona's population and the Arizona Department of Corrections reports that Mexican nationals make up 12 percent of the state's 37,200-inmate prison population. The DOC numbers do not distinguish whether they are in the U.S. legally or illegally.
The conservative Federation for Immigration Reform contends that while illegal immigrants make up 3 percent of the total U.S. population they make up 4.5 percent of the prison population. A study by the more liberal Immigration Policy Center, however, found incarceration rates among young men are lowest for immigrants.
"This holds especially true for the Mexicans, Guatemalans who make up the bulk of the undocumented population," said the IPC report which analyzed census and crime data.
[QUOTE] "Three thousand Phoenix police officers are risking their lives and doing their jobs.[QUOTE] [COMMENT BY EXPLORA: The officers knew the risk when they chose their profession. Maybe they should search for another career. It's their choice. We have danger within our own U.S. population and it's not like our border issue has changed these officers environment that drastically. It's part of their job. Let 'em get another job. They're not the only ones that risk their lives at work everyday. Probability is that 2,700 of 3,000 need to be shot. So...oh, well.....]
ILLEGAL MIGRANTS LURED TO CANADA FRAUDULENT SALES PITCH TOUTS AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY
Adrian Humphreys, National Post, with files from CanWest News Service Published: Thursday, September 20, 2007
A sudden outpouring of illegal foreign migrants from the United States is crossing into Canada because of bogus claims by unscrupulous immigration consultants, a scam that has blossomed into an urban myth so pervasive the influx is clogging refugee services in some cities.
A fraudulent sales pitch touting an open-door policy and "economic refugee" program in Canada, aimed largely at Mexican and Haitian migrants living illegally in the United States, is proving remarkably attractive to migrants already facing crackdowns in some U.S. states.
While several hundred are said to have paid for useless immigration services, many more have heard the message and are heading north on their own.
The Canadian Council for Refugees, a non-profit umbrella organization working to protect refugees, issued a warning this week of the scams and the burgeoning myth and asked the federal government to intervene.
For some, it is already too late.
In Windsor, local refugee aid organizations have been told to brace for 4,000 to 8,000 refugee claimants entering Canada through Windsor and other border points.
"We are being inundated with them," said Wilfred Harbin, administrator for the Salvation Army Windsor Community and Rehabilitation Centre.
"What are we going to do with them? We're running out of beds," he said.
The Salvation Army has put up 50 families, some with up to nine children, at four city hotels. The bills, including those for meals, are being sent to the city's social services department. Another 30 single men are staying at a Salvation Army shelter.
In Montreal, hundreds of Haitian asylum seekers have been victimized by consultants, usually in the guise of community or religious groups who charged $400 to $500 for false promises of guaranteed refugee status, said Rivka Augenfeld, with the Canadian Council for Refugees.
"There have been hundreds and hundreds. They come up expecting things that are just not possible," Ms. Augenfeld said.
In the Niagara region, there has been a marked increase in Haitian refugee claimants in the last few weeks, said Jean D'Amelio Swyer, a CBSA spokeswoman.
And in Toronto, immigration lawyers are being flooded with questions about the non-existent special programs.
"I have received numerous calls in recent weeks from Mexicans living illegally in the United States who claim that several 'consultants' have set up telephone numbers in the Florida area, then advertise them heavily on television," said Sergio Karas, a Toronto immigration lawyer and chairman of the Ontario Bar Association's Citizenship and Immigration Section. "It appears that the problem is widespread."
The number of refugee claimants from Haiti has jumped dramatically, with almost as many Haitians seeking refugee status in Canada in the first half of this year than in the previous two years combined, according to numbers from the Immigration and Refugee Board.
There were 1,008 refugee claimants from Haiti from January to June, 2007, compared with 769 in all of 2006.
In the first half of 2007, there were 3,043 claimants from Mexico, making it the top source country. There were 4,958 in all of 2006.
The figures do not reflect the recent surge from both countries that seems to have started in earnest this summer.
The claims of an open-door refugee policy fly in the face of statistics. Only 13% of Mexicans who claimed refugee status in the first half of the year were accepted. For Haitians, the acceptance rate was 66%.
Aid workers fear the influx will overwhelm the IRB.
"It would take some time for a large influx of refugee claims to be referred to the IRB," said Charles Hawkins, a board spokesman. "If it occurs, the IRB would take steps to deal with them in an appropriate manner."
The sales pitch is particularly attractive to Haitian and Mexican migrants because of their unique positions when they reach Canada. Canada has a moratorium on deportations to Haiti, so they will be able to remain in Canada until conditions in their homeland improve.
Canada does not require Mexican visitors to have visas, so they too are allowed into Canada to make their claims despite having previously lived in the United States. If turned down, however, they face removal to Mexico.
The "Safe Third Country Agreement" between Canada and the United States, in force since 2004, requires most refugee claimants to seek protection in the first country they reach. That has left refugee seekers other than Mexicans and Haitian who arrive because of the false promises in dire straits: They have been turned over to U.S. border authorities, often leading to detention and likely deportation to their homeland.
The sales pitches started this spring in Florida, preying on unease over state crackdowns on non-status workers. One outfit based in Naples, Fla., told clients they could swap a U.S. deportation order for refugee status in Canada for a $400 fee. Some said Canada offers an "economic refugee program" for Mexicans.
A pastor in Boston was charging clients $500 for relocation to Canada under false pretenses. Other illegal migrants, including those living in New Jersey and North Carolina, heard that if they headed north, they could resettle immediately in Canada.
"It is one of those things that started in one place and now we don't even know who is pushing it. Unfortunately, it has really taken off," said Ms. Augenfeld.
"Some are out-and-out criminal in what they are doing; others are very naively repeating what they have heard. They are targeting desperate people, they are targeting people who are looking for a way to improve their lives, people who tend to believe these stories, and making a lot of money in the process.
"I'm supposed to be the bleeding-heart [non-governmental organization], but I have no mercy for these people who exploit their own and put them in danger," said Ms. Augenfeld.
HECTOR GABINO / EL NUEVO HERALD Juan Gomez, left, along with his brother Alex Gomez during a press conference about the status of the deportation order against them.
FAMILY GETS DEPORTATION REPRIEVE
BILL MIGHT BUY TIME FOR BROTHER FACING DEPORTATION
A struggling Democratic presidential contender, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, has inserted himself into a South Florida immigration battle.
Posted on Wed, Sep. 19, 2007 By LESLEY CLARK AND BETH REINHARD lclark@MiamiHerald.com
WASHINGTON -- Juan and Alex Gomez, the Kendall brothers who have been battling deportation orders, may be able to stay in the United States until 2009 under legislation filed by U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, their attorney said Tuesday.
Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat who is running for president, filed a bill on the Colombian-born students' behalf late Monday, said Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center.
''This is the news we've been waiting for,'' Little said. ``Finally, Juan and Alex can have some semblance of a normal life, though we still have our work cut out for us.''
In most cases, a bill like the one filed by Dodd brings deportation proceedings to a halt for the rest of the congressional term. The current term ends in 2009, giving attorneys a chance to pursue the family's legal appeal.
Little said extra time will also allow immigration advocates to lobby for the DREAM Act, which would offer students who grew up in the United States -- like the Gomez boys -- a chance at legal residency.
Critics see the act as a form of amnesty and predict that it will not make headway.
''We see it as amnesty and as such would encourage more parents to put their children at risk by bringing them here illegally,'' said Caroline Espinosa, a spokeswoman for NumbersUSA, a nonprofit that aims to reduce immigration.
MEET THE BROTHERS
Dodd decided to try to help the Kendall ***** after visiting them in Miami while he was in town for a historic Sept. 9 presidential forum broadcast on Spanish-language television. Their parents brought them to the United States when they were infants and overstayed their visas.
The meeting with Dodd was set up by Republican lobbyist Ana Navarro, who said she talked with Rep. Lincoln DÃaz-Balart, R-Miami, who has been fighting the brothers' deportation. Their advocates had hoped to enlist a senator's help, and Navarro knew several Democrats would be staying at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables for the presidential forum.
'I asked Lincoln, `What do you think about me pitching this to any senator who walks through the door?' and he said, 'Run with it, Ana,' '' said Navarro, whose boyfriend, Gene Prescott, owns the hotel.
Navarro said she was able to reach Dodd and he agreed to meet with the brothers.
''I don't agree with him one bit on Cuba policy, but we agreed on this: that what was happening to these two boys was wrong,'' Navarro said.
Dodd has long advocated lifting the trade embargo with Cuba and restrictions on travel and remittances to the island. His positions amount to heresy among some exiles, who fear loosening sanctions would strengthen the repressive regime.
Dodd serves as chairman of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and has met with 49 heads of state from Latin America and the Caribbean over the past two decades, according to his campaign. Like his better-known Democratic rivals for the nomination, he supports legislation that would allow illegal immigrants to earn citizenship.
`FAIRNESS ISSUE'
Alfredo Duran, a Miami lawyer who supports Dodd and his Cuba policy, said he wasn't surprised to see him intervene on behalf of the Gomez brothers.
''The senator has always been supportive of resolving the immigration problem in this country,'' he said. ``These boys have been living in the U.S. all their life and have no nexus whatsoever with their home country. . . . It's a fairness issue.''
Neither of the senators from Florida -- Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Mel Martinez -- has become directly involved in the case. Nelson is a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, while Martinez said he didn't think it was appropriate to attach immigration reform to a defense spending bill.
''We're talking about pay raises for our great men and women in uniform, and those issues really need to have center stage and not be clouded by what is a very controversial issue,'' Martinez said. ``I'm also very reticent to do any piecemeal immigration reform. I really don't think it makes much sense.''
DÃaz-Balart's bill to stop the brothers' deportation has yet to be heard by a committee, as required. The congressman is planning to rally with DREAM Act supporters today in Washington.
Medics and rescue team members recover the bodies of victims of a bus accident in Nayarit, Mexico, on Saturday.
Updated: 11:53 p.m. ET Sept 15, 2007
MEXICO CITY - An American citizen and members of a family traveling to Mexico from the U.S. for a funeral were among at least 17 passengers who died in a bus crash in western Mexico over the weekend.
The bus was carrying 35 passengers from the resort city of Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara — including passengers of several detoured flights — when it went off a mountain road Saturday, bus company and government officials said.
The U.S. Embassy on Sunday confirmed that the crash killed U.S. citizen Jesus Morales Robles, 66, of Los Angeles.
Among the surviving passengers was Juan Antonio Quezada de la Cruz, who lives in Riverside, Calif., and was traveling with seven family members to attend their father's funeral in Guadalajara. A sister and a 1-year-old nephew died in the crash, he said.
"I don't know if the bus was going fast or if it skidded. I just felt a thud and tried to grab my nephew who was sitting next to me," he said from a hospital bed in Tepic, a city in the western state of Nayarit.
Quezada de la Cruz said several of his family members traveled from Phoenix to Tijuana, where they took a flight bound for Guadalajara.
Vallarta Plus bus company spokesman Daniel Rios said most of the passengers on the bus traveled first from Tijuana aboard a flight that was diverted to Puerto Vallarta, correcting his earlier statements that passengers involved in the crash came from a plane that left Phoenix on Friday.
The Tijuana flight was rerouted to Puerto Vallarta along with 17 others because of a fire at the Guadalajara airport.
The Nayarit prosecutor's office reported 17 dead: 13 men, three women and a 1-year-old child. The bus driver, identified as 28-year-old Madiel Coronado, was among the injured.
State Red Cross spokesman Miguel Langarica said at least 18 people were killed. The discrepancy could not immediately be explained.
Mexican authorities said four of the injured, including Quezada de la Cruz, were from Los Angeles and nearby Riverside, but did not give hometowns for the dead.
The crash occurred near the town of Compostela, about 120 miles from Guadalajara.
Alfredo Ortega, a spokesman with civil protection authorities in the state of Jalisco, where Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara are located, said the Guadalajara airport was temporarily shut down Friday after a plane coming from Cancun had to make an emergency landing.
Ortega said there were no reports of injuries from that plane. No one answered phone calls placed to the airport Sunday.
[COMMENT BY EXPLORA: I read where this occurred near the town of Compostela, about 125 miles from Guadalajara. It ran off a mountain road and plunged into a ravine. An Horrific accident.]
This message has been edited. Last edited by: explora,
WASHINGTON — Martin Andrade, 40, is a security officer from Chicago and is originally from Michoacan, Mexico. He has been living in the U.S. legally for almost 30 years. Two years ago, his wife and mother of their two children was arrested and deported to Mexico. The children, ages 7 and 3, both U.S. citizens, are with their mother. Andrade said it could be up to 10 years before she’s allowed to return.
“But something needs to happen now,†said Andrade. “We can’t wait. I’ve already endured almost three years of separation and struggle.â€
Andrade visits his family once a year and talks on the phone with them almost daily about how he is fighting for their rights and their speedy return. He and over 150 other activists rallied on Capitol Hill, Sept. 12, hoping to put pressure on Congress to protect the rights of U.S.-citizen children and their hard-working, taxpaying families.
“Immigrant rights are important because it’s the children, like mine, who have rights to live in their country with their parents,†added Andrade.
Bertha Rangel, 26, met her husband Juan, a construction worker, 8 years ago. They have been married for six of those years and have three children ages 4, 3 and 1, all U.S. citizens. They lived happily in the U.S. for five years before Rangel’s husband was nabbed by immigration officials and deported to Mexico in 2005. Rangel and her three children traveled from Chicago to Washington to fight for the reunification of their family.
“We are here today fighting for justice, so that Dad could come back home,†she told the World. “It’s been pretty tough — it’s hard for them to understand,†she said about her children when they ask why their father cannot be with them. Rangel said she is a “full-time mom and dad†to her children these days.
Groups from California, Rhode Island, New York, Texas, Illinois and elsewhere met in Washington to rally support for the estimated 4 million to 5 million U.S.-citizen children threatened with having one or both parents deported for lack of documentation.
Carrying a homemade banner that read, “Born in the USA, don’t take our moms and dads away,†8-year-old Saul Arellano, son of Elvira Arellano and a U.S. citizen, marched through the House of Representatives’ Rayburn Office Building with other children whose families have been separated. Saul and his friends presented a letter to the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asking her to urge Congress to stop immigration raids, deportations and the separation of families.
Elvira Arellano spent a year in sanctuary at a Chicago church after challenging a deportation order in 2006, in order to remain with Saul. She had planned to speak in Washington, before she was arrested and deported to Mexico last month.
Saul has spent the last year appearing at rallies across the U.S., on television and meeting with lawmakers. Recently, Saul toured 18 cities. Since then, he has reunited with his mother in Michoacan, Mexico, where he has started the third grade.
Emma Lozano, an immigrant rights leader in Chicago, said Arellano is trying to get a visa in order to testify before the Hispanic Congressional Hearing on immigration, scheduled next month.
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) Executive Director Gabriela Lemus was a speaker at the Washington event. “Congress needs to take action,†she said.
The Bush administration and Department of Homeland Security’s crackdown on undocumented workers, along with the employers who hire them, with the new “no-match†Social Security identification enforcement must stop, said Lemus, until the broken immigration system is settled.
“We need a long-term thoughtful conversation about what immigrants mean in this country,†said Lemus. “We have a 19th century immigration policy for a 21st century problem.â€
LCLAA is promoting voter education and registration, including leadership training and community development, in 15 states to ensure a sustainable Latino vote in the next elections, said Lemus.
Luis Zepeda, 11, was one of the children who came from Chicago to Washington.
“I’m here for my mom, who was deported, so she can get papers and come home,†he told the World. He said he misses his mother, who he has not seen in two years. He talks to her on the phone at least once a week.
LAKE PARK, Fla. – A South Florida car dealer says he has no plans to stop airing Spanish commercials on English-language TV stations, despite furious complaints from outraged viewers who believe he's catering to illegal aliens and destroying American culture.
Car dealer Earl Stewart speaks Spanish in ads on English-language TV stations, creating controversy in South Florida
"I'm enjoying this crazy situation because I know I'm right," says Earl Stewart, owner of Earl Stewart Toyota of North Palm Beach.
Stewart has become a lightning rod of controversy for pitching Toyotas in his basic Spanish, while English subtitles are shown on screen.
The ads are featured not on typical Spanish-language stations, but rather the Big Three network affiliates in Palm Beach County as well as local Comcast Cable channels such as CNN and MSNBC.
The commercial opens with Stewart standing in his showroom as he introduces himself in Spanish.
The English subtitles provide the translation, stating, "I'm Earl Stewart. I'm sorry I don't speak Spanish, that is the reason I can't answer the red phone in your language. But many members of our team in all departments do speak Spanish."
The "red phone" refers to four red telephones at his dealership that provide direct access to Stewart's personal cell phone, one of the marketing points of his dealership.
"We are a family operated dealership," the ad continues, "and we all appreciate the importance of the Latin culture and its economic impact in our community."
Car dealer Earl Stewart speaks Spanish in ads on English-language TV stations, creating controversy in South Florida
The fact that Spanish ads are now being aired on English-language TV has ignited a firestorm.
One WND reader who saw the commercial said, "The whole issue is that this is America and Spanish ads should not be running on English TV stations, period. We are not a bilingual country. Run them on the Spanish stations, no problem. But Spanish ads thrown in with English programming – he's got [testicular fortitude] and so do the stations that allow them to run."
Stewart writes a weekly column, where other critics have flayed his campaign with comments including:
The idea of making profits is fine, but America isn't just about making money. There is a nationalistic pride that far outweighs "going for the gold." In your case, your timing is terrible considering you decided to run the ads at a time when many Americans have had it with do-nothing lawmakers who want to disguise amnesty proposals for illegal immigrants as comprehensive immigration reform. I think the reason you have had such a negative reaction is because the ads can be construed by white, English-speaking Americans to mean you are either indifferent to their concerns or support the misguided argument that illegal immigrants should be extended the same legal rights as full-fledged citizens.
Earl, You really hit a nerve with this. I do not like you at all and feel you are very dishonest. I feel the only reason why you are doing this is to create more attention to your already massive EGO. You have hit new heights with your money-making agenda. You totally go against your countrymen and do something like this. Stewart thrashed back at the above "anonymous" post by saying, "Anonymous? A person who criticizes me but is afraid to tell me his name, phone number or e-mail has no credibility. You are either afraid that your opinions won't stand up to intelligent debate or you have a secret agenda to do me harm ... such as a sales manager or salesman for a competing dealership. The KKK Klansman has a good reason for his anonymity ... what's yours?"
Stewart told WND he's not marketing cars to illegal aliens, but rather U.S. Hispanic citizens who happen to make up a large percentage of residents in the local market.
He thinks critics are misinterpreting the spot as "Spanish commercial equals some guy that wants a bunch of illegal aliens."
Stewart calls the ad innovation in advertising, as he was looking to get attention.
"Boy, did I ever get their attention!" he said. "Nobody else has ever done this to my knowledge."
He says cost is also another reason why he's on the English-language stations, spending just $350 per spot on top-rated NBC affiliate WPTV, compared to $5,000 on the Miami-based Spanish language stations covering all of South Florida.
Stewart claims only one West Palm Beach station, CBS affiliate WPEC, initially offered resistance to running the ad, but backed off after he threatened to publicize its opposition.
"They now totally deny any of this ever happened," he said.
When the ad was first created earlier this summer, it comprised 100 percent of Stewart's television campaign. He says it's now 50 percent and that will drop to 25 percent by next week. But he maintains the Spanish spot "will be a staple in my arsenal. I've made a very dramatic impact. My business has been great, one of my best Augusts in terms of sales."
Stewart says favorable comments are now flooding in, and outpace negative ones by a 10 to 1 margin.
"I have gone to worrying about whether this ad would harm my business to actually wondering if this may not be the most effective advertisement I ever ran," he writes on his blog.
The ad campaign comes as another South Floridian, Tom McKenna of Stuart, claims he was forced out of his office he rented for seven years because he does not speak Spanish.
As WND reported yesterday, a nearby business has purchased McKenna's water-conditioning company and is keeping all employees on the payroll.
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HECTOR GABINO / EL NUEVO HERALD
