GEORGIA, COBB COUNTY

http://www.galeo.org/resource.php


Since we issued the initial alert, we have continued to get more calls concerning operations in Cobb County. Legal immigrants should be careful as well. Please do call us to report any discriminatory practices or abuse that you or someone you know may have experienced.

Last week, we were notified by several sources and several independent accounts that Cobb County law enforcement appears to have stepped up their efforts to target Latino and immigrant families.

Here is what we do know. Several jurisdictions have been involved in the following.

There have been some cases of individuals that were victims of crime or in an auto accident. In the process of contacting police, their immigration status was questioned and they were detained.

Additionally, there are reported cases of people not being given appropriate due process in their detention. Family members and some clergy are not being allowed to visit people that have been arrested for minor traffic violations. Family members are afraid but have been speaking to some of our groups. We will continue to investigate Cobb County's activities.

Cobb County jail officials have allegedly told people visiting these arrestees that because they are "illegal" they have no rights.

Everyone, regardless of immigration status, is entitled to due process under the U.S. Constitution.

We are urging anyone in Cobb County that has experienced any type of discriminatory practice/encounter or possibly illegal abuse should contact any organization or faith community that they trust. These cases need to be documented and relayed to MALDEF (678.559.1071), GLAHR or GALEO. We need your help to rein in the "wild west" mentality that appears to be occurring in Cobb County.

We are encouraging people NOT to drive if they do not have a driver's license. This minor traffic violation has lead to several detentions, deportations and separation of families. Do not drive without a license, especially in Cobb County.

Informate. Educate. Unidos saldremos adelante.

We need your help and we need our community to step forward against these alleged abuses. We need to know about them. Please follow the links that follow to ensure you do your part to adequately document what is happening.

Thank you,

Jerry Gonza***


Resource Page for Immigrant Families

Please help us educate people to execise their rights! Critical information is posted on our website that would inform and educate people within the immigrant community of their rights.


This page is necessary for the community now, more than ever.


GALEO developed this as a need that was expressed by many immigrants across the state, with the implementation of SB529 and the stalling of broad immigration reform at the federal level.

If anyone experiences any discriminatory practices by any state or local agencies, or if anyone experiences discriminatory issues with any law enforcement agency, please contact MALDEF at 678.559.1071.

Please report any problems you may experience in order for these issues to be documented. Don't let it happen to more people within our communities.



Step up and help us by filling out the INTAKE forms and then faxing these over to MALDEF. We need to stop some of the alleged discriminatory and possible unconstitutional treatment that people are currently facing. Help us document these cases and we need our community to come forward.



http://www.galeo.org/resource.php





Since we issued the initial alert, we have continued to get more calls concerning operations in Cobb County. Legal immigrants should be careful as well. Please do call us to report any discriminatory practices or abuse that you or someone you know may have experienced.

Last week, we were notified by several sources and several independent accounts that Cobb County law enforcement appears to have stepped up their efforts to target Latino and immigrant families.

Here is what we do know. Several jurisdictions have been involved in the following.

There have been some cases of individuals that were victims of crime or in an auto accident. In the process of contacting police, their immigration status was questioned and they were detained.

Additionally, there are reported cases of people not being given appropriate due process in their detention. Family members and some clergy are not being allowed to visit people that have been arrested for minor traffic violations. Family members are afraid but have been speaking to some of our groups. We will continue to investigate Cobb County's activities.

Cobb County jail officials have allegedly told people visiting these arrestees that because they are "illegal" they have no rights.

Everyone, regardless of immigration status, is entitled to due process under the U.S. Constitution.

We are urging anyone in Cobb County that has experienced any type of discriminatory practice/encounter or possibly illegal abuse should contact any organization or faith community that they trust. These cases need to be documented and relayed to MALDEF (678.559.1071), GLAHR or GALEO. We need your help to rein in the "wild west" mentality that appears to be occurring in Cobb County.

We are encouraging people NOT to drive if they do not have a driver's license. This minor traffic violation has lead to several detentions, deportations and separation of families. Do not drive without a license, especially in Cobb County.

Informate. Educate. Unidos saldremos adelante.

We need your help and we need our community to step forward against these alleged abuses. We need to know about them. Please follow the links that follow to ensure you do your part to adequately document what is happening.

Thank you,

Jerry Gonza***


Resource Page for Immigrant Families

Please help us educate people to execise their rights! Critical information is posted on our website that would inform and educate people within the immigrant community of their rights.


This page is necessary for the community now, more than ever.


GALEO developed this as a need that was expressed by many immigrants across the state, with the implementation of SB529 and the stalling of broad immigration reform at the federal level.

If anyone experiences any discriminatory practices by any state or local agencies, or if anyone experiences discriminatory issues with any law enforcement agency, please contact MALDEF at 678.559.1071.

Please report any problems you may experience in order for these issues to be documented. Don't let it happen to more people within our communities.



Step up and help us by filling out the INTAKE forms and then faxing these over to MALDEF. We need to stop some of the alleged discriminatory and possible unconstitutional treatment that people are currently facing. Help us document these cases and we need our community to come forward.



http://www.galeo.org/resource.php





Since we issued the initial alert, we have continued to get more calls concerning operations in Cobb County. Legal immigrants should be careful as well. Please do call us to report any discriminatory practices or abuse that you or someone you know may have experienced.

Last week, we were notified by several sources and several independent accounts that Cobb County law enforcement appears to have stepped up their efforts to target Latino and immigrant families.

Here is what we do know. Several jurisdictions have been involved in the following.

There have been some cases of individuals that were victims of crime or in an auto accident. In the process of contacting police, their immigration status was questioned and they were detained.

Additionally, there are reported cases of people not being given appropriate due process in their detention. Family members and some clergy are not being allowed to visit people that have been arrested for minor traffic violations. Family members are afraid but have been speaking to some of our groups. We will continue to investigate Cobb County's activities.

Cobb County jail officials have allegedly told people visiting these arrestees that because they are "illegal" they have no rights.

Everyone, regardless of immigration status, is entitled to due process under the U.S. Constitution.

We are urging anyone in Cobb County that has experienced any type of discriminatory practice/encounter or possibly illegal abuse should contact any organization or faith community that they trust. These cases need to be documented and relayed to MALDEF (678.559.1071), GLAHR or GALEO. We need your help to rein in the "wild west" mentality that appears to be occurring in Cobb County.

We are encouraging people NOT to drive if they do not have a driver's license. This minor traffic violation has lead to several detentions, deportations and separation of families. Do not drive without a license, especially in Cobb County.

Informate. Educate. Unidos saldremos adelante.

We need your help and we need our community to step forward against these alleged abuses. We need to know about them. Please follow the links that follow to ensure you do your part to adequately document what is happening.

Thank you,

Jerry Gonza***


Resource Page for Immigrant Families

Please help us educate people to execise their rights! Critical information is posted on our website that would inform and educate people within the immigrant community of their rights.


This page is necessary for the community now, more than ever.


GALEO developed this as a need that was expressed by many immigrants across the state, with the implementation of SB529 and the stalling of broad immigration reform at the federal level.

If anyone experiences any discriminatory practices by any state or local agencies, or if anyone experiences discriminatory issues with any law enforcement agency, please contact MALDEF at 678.559.1071.

Please report any problems you may experience in order for these issues to be documented. Don't let it happen to more people within our communities.



Step up and help us by filling out the INTAKE forms and then faxing these over to MALDEF. We need to stop some of the alleged discriminatory and possible unconstitutional treatment that people are currently facing. Help us document these cases and we need our community to come forward.


http://www.galeo.org/resource.php




Since we issued the initial alert, we have continued to get more calls concerning operations in Cobb County. Legal immigrants should be careful as well. Please do call us to report any discriminatory practices or abuse that you or someone you know may have experienced.

Last week, we were notified by several sources and several independent accounts that Cobb County law enforcement appears to have stepped up their efforts to target Latino and immigrant families.

Here is what we do know. Several jurisdictions have been involved in the following.

There have been some cases of individuals that were victims of crime or in an auto accident. In the process of contacting police, their immigration status was questioned and they were detained.

Additionally, there are reported cases of people not being given appropriate due process in their detention. Family members and some clergy are not being allowed to visit people that have been arrested for minor traffic violations. Family members are afraid but have been speaking to some of our groups. We will continue to investigate Cobb County's activities.

Cobb County jail officials have allegedly told people visiting these arrestees that because they are "illegal" they have no rights.

Everyone, regardless of immigration status, is entitled to due process under the U.S. Constitution.

We are urging anyone in Cobb County that has experienced any type of discriminatory practice/encounter or possibly illegal abuse should contact any organization or faith community that they trust.

These cases need to be documented and relayed to MALDEF (678.559.1071), GLAHR or GALEO. We need your help to rein in the "wild west" mentality that appears to be occurring in Cobb County.

We are encouraging people NOT to drive if they do not have a driver's license. This minor traffic violation has lead to several detentions, deportations and separation of families. Do not drive without a license, especially in Cobb County.

Informate. Educate. Unidos saldremos adelante.

We need your help and we need our community to step forward against these alleged abuses. We need to know about them. Please follow the links that follow to ensure you do your part to adequately document what is happening.

Thank you,

Jerry Gonza***


Resource Page for Immigrant Families

Please help us educate people to execise their rights! Critical information is posted on our website that would inform and educate people within the immigrant community of their rights.

This page is necessary for the community now, more than ever.

GALEO developed this as a need that was expressed by many immigrants across the state, with the implementation of SB529 and the stalling of broad immigration reform at the federal level.


!!!!!!!!!!!
If anyone experiences any discriminatory practices by any state or local agencies, or if anyone experiences discriminatory issues with any law enforcement agency, please contact MALDEF at 678.559.1071.

Please report any problems you may experience in order for these issues to be documented. Don't let it happen to more people within our communities.

Step up and help us by filling out the INTAKE forms and then faxing these over to MALDEF. We need to stop some of the alleged discriminatory and possible unconstitutional treatment that people are currently facing. Help us document these cases and we need our community to come forward.



http://www.galeo.org/resource.php

PA, HARRISBURG

PA. BILL INTENDS TO STOP FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS

By Brad B.u.msted

STATE CAPITOL REPORTER
Thursday, October 18, 2007


HARRISBURG -- Pennsylvania would halt state benefits to illegal immigrants under a bill considered Wednesday by a Senate committee.
Sen. Joe Scarnati, the chamber's top-elected Republican and the bill's sponsor, said the intent is to drive illegal immigrants out of the state.

"If they go to Maryland, if they go to New York, then (those states) will have to deal with it," Scarnati, R-Jefferson County, told the Senate State Government Committee. He said illegal immigration should be a "federal issue," but the federal government isn't tackling the problem.

His bill would require people receiving welfare, housing, health or unemployment benefits from the state of Pennsylvania to provide identification and affidavits stating they are legal residents. Immigrants who claim benefits illegally would be subject to criminal prosecution. Children are exempt under the bill.

"The reason I am supporting (the bill) is that it has some teeth," said Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon County.

Since Scarnati is the Senate's president pro tempore, it seems likely the full Senate eventually will consider the legislation, which resembles a Colorado law enacted last year. However, State Government Chairman Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin County, said changes are needed before the bill comes up for a committee vote, though he didn't outline what changes were needed. The vote, he said, might not be before the end of the year.

Scarnati cited figures from the Pew Hispanic Center showing as many as 150,000 illegal immigrants live in Pennsylvania. Their state benefits cost $285 million a year, according to the Federation for Immigration Reform.

Estelle Richman, secretary of the state Department of Public Welfare, criticized the proposal as unneeded and unfair.

Richman said there "is simply no proof that undocumented immigrants in Pennsylvania are receiving benefits for which they are not eligible."

The federal and state governments already require some ID and Scarnati's bill changes how an applicant verifies citizenship, she said. The affidavit would make it difficult for people with dementia in nursing homes, mentally retarded adults and victims of domestic violence, to get needed benefits, she said.

The legislation "will have a bigger impact on Pennsylvania citizens in need of public benefits than on undocumented immigrants," Richman said.

Brad ***sted can be reached at b***sted@tribweb.com or 717-787-1405.

NORTH CAROLINA,(WAKE COUNTY)

WAKE COUNTY SHERIFF TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Posted: Oct. 17 11:16 p.m.
Updated: Today at 5:33 a.m.

Raleigh — Wake County plans to launch its own crackdown on illegal immigration. Sheriff Donnie Harrison said Wednesday he is working out plans to have deputies start policing immigration issues.

Harrison is among a growing group of North Carolina sheriffs getting into the business of enforcing federal Immigration laws. They are part of a partnership that gives local authorities access to an immigration database.

State troopers said an accident on Interstate 40 in July is an example of a tragic pattern playing out on North Carolina's roadways and involving illegal immigrants.

The man charged in the fatal accident turned out to be an illegal immigrant driving drunk. At the time of his arrest, Michael Delatorre had a fake ID and had already been deported twice in the past three years.

“That’s what concerns me,” Harrison said. “I have to look at it for safety reasons.”

Harrison said he is quite sure there are a number of people sitting in his jail who may have committed a crime in another state, but the department is having trouble identifying them. He believes the database will help detectives get to the source of that information.

North Carolina is home to the nation's eighth-largest illegal immigrant population – estimated at 300,000 to 600,000 people.

Marisol Jimenez-McGee is an advocate for the Hispanic community. News that Wake County will be doing an illegal immigration crackdown is concerning, she said.

“Word of mouth about the possibility of being targeted [is] going to spread so quickly that people would be afraid to report crimes in which they are victims to law enforcement officers,” she said.

Harrison said he doesn't see it that way.

“We just want to know the people that’s committing crime, who they really are,” he said.

Hispanic advocates said they are also concerned about what type of crimes will be included in the crackdown.

Harrison said training could take five to six weeks. There was no word on when that will start or how many deputies will be trained.

Reporter: Ken Smith
Photographer: Anthony Shepherd
Web Editor: Kelly Hinchcliffe
Copyright 2007 by WRAL.com.

TEXAS, ARLINGTON

FAKE LETTERS SPARK IMMIGRATION FEARS

FEDS SAY CASH DEMAND SENT TO LATINOS' APARTMENTS IS A SCAM

12:00 AM CDT on Friday, October 19, 2007
By ISABEL C. MORALES Al Día imorales@aldiatx.com

ARLINGTON – Latino residents of Arlington apartment complexes say they received letters threatening a visit from federal immigration agents if they didn't send $95 cash to a post office box.

"People have fear, and more than anything because of what is happening in Irving," said Ruby Valenzuela, assistant manager of the Las Lomas apartments, where at least four residents said they found the notices from the nonexistent "Immigration Citizenship Enforcement" agency taped to their doors.

Carl Rusnok, regional spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said that his agency did not send the bogus letters.

María Elena García Upson, spokeswoman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Dallas, said people who receive such letters should contact government offices.

"We are living [in] very turbulent times in regards to immigration," she said.

The letters, written in English on official-looking letterhead, ask that the recipients send the money to a post office box in Dallas to help start the citizenship process.

"If the amount is not received in 14 days, you can get a visit from an ICE agent," the letter warns.

"When I saw it posted on the door and read it for the first time, I felt very scared," said one homemaker who spoke on the condition that her name not be used. "One cannot do anything with something like this."

Giovani Estrada, a tenant and employee of the Park Row apartments, said he also received a letter, and about 10 residents at the complex had asked him to translate the letters they received. Mr. Estrada, a permanent legal U.S. resident, said the letter looked real. "People were terrified," he said.

NEW 'U' VISAS OFFERED TO CRIME VICTIMS


Eleuterio Rodriguez Ruiz poses in his Sacramento, Calif. apartment Friday, October 12, 2007. Rodriguez Ruiz was among those who qualified for a "U" visa because he was the victim of a crime when he and six others were held at gunpoint as they entered the country illegally in April of 2005. Seven years after Congress passed legislation to protect from deportation crime victims who are illegal immigrants, the federal agency charged with administering those visas finally starts processing them this week. (AP Photo/Hector Amezcua)



Attorney Angela Ferguson, who specializes in international immigrations issues and consular services, poses for this portrait Friday, Oct. 5, 2007 in her Kansas City, Mo. office. Ferguson, who has handled about 50 deferred action cases for "U" visas, doubts they will change the mood among immigrants.(AP Photo/**** Whipple)

By ROXANA HEGEMAN – 5 hours ago

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Illegal immigrants who are victims of violent crimes in the U.S. can now apply for special visas, seven years after Congress offered protection against deportation to those who cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services is finally starting to process the visas this week, agency spokeswoman Marilu Cabrera said.

The long delay occurred largely because the agency drafted rules for issuing the so-called "U" visas before it became a division of the then-new Department of Homeland Security, she said. Consequently, the rules had to be reviewed again. Then the Department of Justice had concerns, she said.

"It is legally very complex, and so it went back and forth for a while," Cabrera said.

The 2000 Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act established the visa to encourage illegal immigrants to report crimes against them in return for the right to remain in the United States and eventually apply for permanent residency.

"This is an extremely important visa for individuals who have been victims of a crime," Cabrera said. "It is helpful for the government that we get information and cooperation so we can solve these crimes and prevent future crimes. For the person, it gives them peace of mind and an opportunity for a new life."

The law authorized up to 10,000 "U" visas every year. The visas are good for up to four years, and visa holders who are in the U.S. continuously for three years can apply for permanent residency.

Critics are concerned about that provision.

"I would much prefer that we used it as a temporary visa, not an immigrant visa — something that allowed a person to testify but didn't give them the jackpot of a green card," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors limits on immigration.

Ed Hayes, the Kansas director of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, is more vigorous in his opposition to the program. He argues that there are many more American victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants than illegal immigrants who are crime victims.

"If they are here illegally, they broke the law," Hayes said. "If they become a victim, I am sorry for them. They should testify and then go home."

Since the law was passed, 8,301 petitioners and their families have been granted interim relief from deportation while awaiting publication of the "U" visa rules. They now have 180 days to apply for the special visas.

Among those who qualified for deferred action was Eleuterio Rodriguez Ruiz, who said he hopes to get a visa that will allow him to travel to Mexico to see his parents.

"More than anything I came to this country to find a better standard of living, maybe even buy a house," he said in Spanish in a phone interview from Sacramento, Calif., where he works as a field hand harvesting fruit.

The 30-year-old Mexican citizen was one of seven people held at gunpoint at an Arizona rest stop by an Army reservist as they were crossing illegally into the United States.

Rodriguez Ruiz said he cooperated with authorities, who subsequently filed aggravated assault charges against Sgt. Patrick Haab. The county attorney later dropped the charges, citing a state law that allows citizens to make an arrest when a felony has been committed.

The delay in the "U" visa program led a coalition of civil rights groups to file a class-action lawsuit in 2005 against Citizen and Immigration Services and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

"We intend to continue the fight for immigrant crime victims. ... Because it was a largely poor, vulnerable population with no political clout, it took seven years," said Peter A. Schey, lead counsel in the lawsuit.

Schey wants Citizen and Immigration Services to allow more than 10,000 annual "U" visas to compensate for the delay.

He also opposes restrictions giving victims only six months to apply for the visa and the requirement that petitioners be certified as crime victims by a law enforcement agency or prosecutor.

"Hundreds of thousands of law enforcement agencies will not see fit to certify them. They don't know about it, don't want to get involved or don't care," Schey said.

Angela Ferguson, an immigration attorney in Kansas City, Mo., who has handled about 50 deferred action cases for "U" visas, doubts the program will change immigrants' attitudes toward police.

"I don't think it is going to help them trust law enforcement more," she said. "The fear is being stirred up everywhere — the fear of racial profiling, the rumors, the raids. I have people for the first time coming into my office and saying they are giving up and leaving."

On the Net:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: http://www.uscis.gov
Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law: http://www.centerforhumanrights.org

ID CARD MAY PREVENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS IN IRVING

MAYOR, MEXICAN CONSUL MEET ON IMMIGRATION DEPORTATION ISSUES

05:07 AM CDT on Friday, October 19, 2007
By ISABEL MORALES / Al Día

Illegal immigrants may be able to avoid being arrested in Irving if they can provide police with a Mexican identification card, a utility bill or a similar document, the city's mayor said Thursday.

"You have a better chance if you can identify yourself," Mayor Herbert Gears said after meeting with immigration-rights activists. "If you can't identify yourself, you're going to have no chance."

The acceptance of the Mexican ID, known as a matrícula consular, and other documents besides state-issued ID cards comes as activists have encouraged the mayor to help prevent more people from being deported as part of the Criminal Alien Program. Irving officials began using the program in September 2006 and have since turned more than 1,600 arrestees over to federal authorities for deportation.

Mr. Gears explained that if someone is stopped for a traffic violation, that person's chances of avoiding jail will be better with proof of identification. If the police can confirm someone's identity, that person will be issued a citation and let go.

"If you can't identify yourself otherwise and you don't have a license, you will definitely be arrested," Mr. Gears said.

The Mexican Consulate will open a mobile office in Irving to issue the identification cards, but Mexican Consul Enrique Hubbard Urrea and Mr. Gears emphasized that Irving won't accept the cards as official documents, only as a way of identifying someone.

"They are accepting that they believe that this person is who they say they are," Mr. Gears said.

The mayor also agreed to help create an educational campaign to inform people of immigration laws.

Mr. Hubbard, who attended the meeting, said he was pleased with the efforts to resolve immigration issues in Irving.

"We hope that we have moved to a different stage, one of negotiations and understanding," he said. "It has been a fruitful meeting."

One of the activists who attended the meeting, Carlos Quintanilla of Acción América, also saw it as a sign of progress.

"We have come to an agreement between our community and the city of Irving to start a dialogue and work together," he said.

SENATE VOTES TO STOP SPITZER PLAN TO GIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DRIVER'S LICENSES


Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
James N. Tedisco, the Assembly’s minority leader, with folded arms, with Assembly Republicans opposed to the governor’s licensing plan.

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: October 23, 2007

ALBANY, Oct. 22 — Spurred by overwhelming public opposition to Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s decision to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, the State Senate yesterday passed legislation that would overturn the policy.

The 39-19 vote, which passed with the support of all the Republican senators present as well as several key Democrats, capped a debate laden with accusations of racism and demagoguery and warnings about terrorism and voter fraud. The vote also followed a raucous protest outside the Capitol, during which some opponents of the plan called for the governor to be recalled or impeached.

The clashes over the driver’s license policy overshadowed nearly all other business on Monday, and further dimmed the prospect for passage of major legislation that the governor and the Legislature have been negotiating for months, such as campaign finance reform and a property tax rebate for elderly homeowners.

The Senate bill is among a range of legislative and legal maneuvers Republicans are mustering to overturn Mr. Spitzer’s plan, which was issued by the State Department of Motor Vehicles in September. Assembly Republicans said they would try to attach a similar measure to unrelated legislation likely to reach the floor of their chamber during Tuesday’s Assembly session.



!!!!!!
Their chances of ultimately prevailing on the measure may be slight, given that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, supports Mr. Spitzer’s policy and has nearly untrammeled control over the flow of legislation in his chamber.



But Republicans are eager for even a procedural vote to put Democrats on the record on the issue. Some Democrats have expressed uneasiness with the governor’s plan and what they view as his failure to sell it to the public.

But when Mr. Spitzer emerged from a closed-door meeting with Senate Democrats on Monday afternoon, he showed little appearance of reconsidering his decision. He continued to argue that the new policy would improve public safety by shrinking the ranks of uninsured drivers and that his opponents had refused to face up to the practical realities of illegal immigration.

“It’s always good to have the conversation about why I believe what we’ve done is correct and appropriate and important,” Mr. Spitzer said, adding that he thought “some of the rhetoric that has been imposed and brought into this issue has been not only overheated but I would say counterproductive.”

Mr. Spitzer added another high-profile supporter for his efforts on Monday, announcing that William J. Bratton, the former New York City police commissioner and current Los Angeles police commissioner, backed the new licensing policy.

The licensing clash did not prevent all legislative business from getting done. The Senate approved nearly two dozen of Mr. Spitzer’s remaining nominees to state jobs by 8:30 p.m., and a Senate spokesman said the chamber expected to approve the dozens of other outstanding nominations by night’s end, removing one major conflict between the governor and Senate Republicans.

Mr. Spitzer and Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader, have not spoken personally in months. Relations between the two are evidently so soured that at a news conference on Monday, Mr. Bruno sharply criticized Mr. Silver, his Assembly counterpart, for telling reporters last week that he had tried to engage in some shuttle diplomacy between the governor and the senator.

“Silver has not been a go-between,” Mr. Bruno said when asked about Mr. Silver’s comments. “If he has, he’s a dismal failure. All he is doing is feathering his own nest, making excuses for his own inactivity.”

Not surprisingly, both the governor and Senate Republicans blamed each other for the lack of progress on other issues, including legislation that had been agreed upon near the end of the regular session in June.

Mr. Bruno said, “I’ve been around this business 31 years. I am puzzled by the way the people handle themselves — this executive and all the people around themselves.” He added that the administration had reneged on an early deal to provide property tax rebates to the elderly.

But Mr. Spitzer denied that the furor over his license policy had stalled the rest of his agenda.

“Just the opposite — we are moving,” the governor said, adding later that “things are moving ahead in a spectacular manner. We couldn’t be happier.”

Mr. Spitzer pointed to trips he had made to Buffalo, Rochester, and other upstate cities in recent weeks to announce major economic development deals, which he called “the most important piece of my agenda over the last nine months, which is upstate economic revitalization.”

About 100 opponents of Mr. Spitzer’s policy met in a rally on the Capitol steps at noon, where tempers ran high. James N. Tedisco, the Assembly’s minority leader, and others spoke, and protesters waved signs with slogans like “Ill-egal is a sickness” and “No licenses for illegals;” some shouted for Mr. Spitzer to be recalled or impeached.

Frank J. Merola, the Rensselaer County clerk and one of the most vocal local officials to oppose Mr. Spitzer’s policy, appeared at the rally and later filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court challenging the administration. Under state law, several dozen other county clerks act as agents of the D.M.V. and must process driver’s licenses on behalf of the state.

Mr. Merola and a number of other clerks, most of them, like Mr. Merola, Republicans, have said they will not obey the new policy, though state rules do not give them any discretion on the matter. Mr. Merola said that he had not consulted the county counsel about his plans to ignore the new licensing regulations.

“I don’t want him to tell me that I shouldn’t be doing it, because I’m the one who’s going to be in that office and I’m not going to do it,” Mr. Merola said. “It’s easier if I don’t ask.”

"TO SERVE AND PROTECT now is ARREST AND DEPORT"

web: http://www.galeo.org

GALEO Advocacy and Updates
Su Voto Es Su Voz! Si no votamos, que esperamos? October 23, 2007

In This Issue

Resource Page for Immigrant Families
Upcoming Events of Interest!
GALEO Continues with Georgia Latino Vote
GALEO continues with YouTube!
Labor of Love (Sunday, 10/28/07)
SENATE DREAM ACT VOTE LOOMS

Worrisome - the situation being lived in Cobb: Fear of leaving the house

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The past several weeks have been very difficult and challenging for the immigrant community in Cobb County. Unfortunately, many are losing faith and trust with law enforcement officials in Cobb. That should be of concern to all Cobb County residents because overall public safety will be compromised. By pushing the immigrant community further underground, crime against immigrants and unreproted crime will likely be a result.

The efforts we have had reported to us in Cobb County lead us to believe that Cobb County law enforcement has moved from "To Serve & Protect" to instead focus on "To Arrest & Deport." These tactics against the Latino and immigrant community will make Cobb County less safe for all.

Reports have indicated that Cobb County Sheriff's officials keep changing the rules, procedures and processes in the jail. Instead of upholding the rule of law, they are making a mockery of it by not respecting due process that is afforded to all persons, regardless of immigration status. Serious questions have been raised, yet the Sheriff's office insists they are only "enforcing the law."



*** Here is a sampling of what we have heard:

Having been pulled over for faulty brake lights, a young man was arrested the other night for driving without a license. Though his hefty bond was refused repeatedly, it was finally accepted. His family and friends are still wondering why 48 hours later he has not been released.

Numerous individuals are terrified to go through with their scheduled court hearings and jail sentences in the fear of being detained and bused off with no warning to loved ones or family due to the rumors circulating in Cobb County.

It has become commonplace for Hispanic men in Cobb County to be detained after failing to show a driver's license after being questioned for minor traffic violations.

Due to fear, a distressed husband and a child have had no communication with their mother, after she was arrested at a traffic checkpoint on her way to work.

A passenger in a car was arrested for not having proper identification. She spent four nights in jail with no information on a potential release date.

A Latina woman was the victim of an auto accident. After waiting to file a police report about the accident, the woman was arrested for driving without a license and was detained in the Cobb County jail.

It is time to ask serious questions about the tactics employed by local law enforcement officials, which lead to the incarceration of individuals in a Cobb County jail which has allegedly not followed appropriate due process for some of its prisoners. Cobb County is the Wild West where you have law enforcement officials targeting Latinos and immigrants and a Sheriff who may not be following due process of prisoners within the jail.

Cobb County residents that care about upholding public safety should demand answers to these claims and should also demand greater transparency within the jail and with the law enforcement tactics that are being implemented.

Until these officials admit they have a problem and are working towards correcting the problems, then the immigrant community will continue not to trust them. If that continues, Cobb County's public safety is in jeopardy.

Please call on the community in Cobb County to demand answers. Enough is enough in Cobb.

If you or anyone you know that has been a victim of discriminatory practices or profiling in Cobb County, please encourage them to come forward and report these issues to organizations that you trust.

We must watch closely these developments in Cobb County and work towards correcting these problems where public safety will be enhanced and not diminished.

Thank you,

Jerry Gonza***


Resource Page for Immigrant Families

Please help us educate people to execise their rights! Critical information is posted on our website that would inform and educate people within the immigrant community of their rights.


This page is necessary for the community now, more than ever.

GALEO developed this as a need that was expressed by many immigrants across the state, with the implementation of SB529 and the stalling of broad immigration reform at the federal level.

If anyone experiences any discriminatory practices by any state or local agencies, or if anyone experiences discriminatory issues with any law enforcement agency, please contact MALDEF at 678.559.1071.

Please report any problems you may experience in order for these issues to be documented. Don't let it happen to more people within our communities.

Step up and help us by filling out the INTAKE forms and then faxing these over to MALDEF. We need to stop some of the alleged discriminatory and possible unconstitutional treatment that people are currently facing. Help us document these cases and we need our community to come forward.

http://www.galeo.org/resource.php

Upcoming Events of Interest!



10/28/07: Labor of Love: Help us build a flower structure to demonstrate immigrants' love for our nation.
12/05/07: GALEO Holiday Party
01/26/08: GA Latino Forum Annual Meeting
For more information on other events, please visit the link below.



http://www.galeo.org/event_listing.php

GALEO Continues with Georgia Latino Vote


Get ready for some voter registration activities. Let us know if you would like to help. Spanish is not required. Help us get more people registered to vote in the upcoming elections.

Si no votamos, que esperamos?

Su VOTO Es Su VOZ!

We can accomplish more with more volunteers!



EsLaHora. com (English Translation: "It's time.") provides information in Spanish and English to ensure Latinos in Georgia will become more engaged and educated voters.

The toll free number is 888.54GALEO (888.544.2536).



To learn more, please follow this link: http://www.eslahora.com

GALEO continues with YouTube!



Please follow the link and view the videos. There are a total of three video postings (A, B, C) and please watch and rate all three. In summary:

Sen. Rogers angrily claims that Fighting 529 is a "propaganda film".
Despite his preaching on "enforce all laws all the time", Sen. Rogers admits he violates speeding laws and justifies his law-breaking because he "may" get caught.
Contrary to the facts, Sen. Rogers claims he wrote SB529 all by himself.
Sen. Rogers defends the Minutemen, largely regarded as vigilante groups across the nation.
Sen. Rogers questions President Bush's honesty.
Watch all three videos yourself and share with others.



http://www.youtube.com/GALEO2007

Labor of Love (Sunday, 10/28/07)

Location: Centennial Olympic Park, in the heart of downtown Atlanta
Date: October 28, 2007

Time: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

And united we will always be, as we help build a better country, supported by our families, our work and the yearning to make all our dreams come true.

As immigrants, we have left our home countries behind to take advantage of the splendid opportunities this marvelous country has to offer, and our hearts are filled with pride, appreciation and love for our state of Georgia.

Together, we can build a great team to work for a better country!

You and your family are invited to join us on a marvelous day when we will build a gigantic heart with thousands of flowers to express our good faith and gratitude.

We are united!


More information:

SENATE DREAM ACT VOTE LOOMS

LULAC is urging calls to our U.S. Senators to pass the DREAM Act. Make your calls today to our Georgia U.S. Senators. They have expressed opposition and reluctance on the DREAM Act; however, we should still let them know we are watching and listening.


U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss: 202.224.3521

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson: 202.224.3643


For more information...

Worrisome - the situation being lived in Cobb: Fear of leaving the house

Found in Mundo Hispanico
Written by Linda Carolina Pérez

Different organizations have denounced an increase in detentions of Hispanics in this county.

10/18/2007

Translated by GALEO Intern A. Gassenhuber

The lack of information about their cases has plunged into uncertainty the Hispanics detained in the Prison of Cobb County, reported a Mexican who is imprisoned in this penitentiary center.

"They do not tell us anything. The only people with whom we have contact are the guards, but they only come to give us food and do a roll call, and we cannot ask them anything," said the man, who preferred to remain anonymous.

According to this Mexican, in his cell there are some 50 detained Hispanics, the majority for having committed minor infractions. He himself is confined for driving without a license and he claims that he does not know what destiny awaits him.

"Our families have come to pay the bail that the judge placed on us, but either (the authorities) refuse it or they accept it but do not allow us to leave. With or without bail, with or without an immigration order, we are here," said the Mexican, who has lived five years in Georgia.

Read more...




It is important to take action.

Stay informed.

Please take action in a manner that you are able.

Our voices of reason will make a difference.

Su Voto Es Su Voz!


Thank you,


Jerry Gonza***
Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO)


email: jerry@galeo.org
phone: 404.745.2580
web: http://www.galeo.org

GEORGIA, COBB COUNTY

TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE is now ARREST AND DEPORT

quote:

*** Here is a sampling of what we have heard:

Having been pulled over for faulty brake lights, a young man was arrested the other night for driving without a license. Though his hefty bond was refused repeatedly, it was finally accepted. His family and friends are still wondering why 48 hours later he has not been released.

Numerous individuals are terrified to go through with their scheduled court hearings and jail sentences in the fear of being detained and bused off with no warning to loved ones or family due to the rumors circulating in Cobb County.

It has become commonplace for Hispanic men in Cobb County to be detained after failing to show a driver's license after being questioned for minor traffic violations.

Due to fear, a distressed husband and a child have had no communication with their mother, after she was arrested at a traffic checkpoint on her way to work.

A passenger in a car was arrested for not having proper identification. She spent four nights in jail with no information on a potential release date.

A Latina woman was the victim of an auto accident. After waiting to file a police report about the accident, the woman was arrested for driving without a license and was detained in the Cobb County jail.

It is time to ask serious questions about the tactics employed by local law enforcement officials, which lead to the incarceration of individuals in a Cobb County jail which has allegedly not followed appropriate due process for some of its prisoners. Cobb County is the Wild West where you have law enforcement officials targeting Latinos and immigrants and a Sheriff who may not be following due process of prisoners within the jail.

Cobb County residents that care about upholding public safety should demand answers to these claims and should also demand greater transparency within the jail and with the law enforcement tactics that are being implemented.

Until these officials admit they have a problem and are working towards correcting the problems, then the immigrant community will continue not to trust them. If that continues, Cobb County's public safety is in jeopardy.

Please call on the community in Cobb County to demand answers. Enough is enough in Cobb.

If you or anyone you know that has been a victim of discriminatory practices or profiling in Cobb County, please encourage them to come forward and report these issues to organizations that you trust.

We must watch closely these developments in Cobb County and work towards correcting these problems where public safety will be enhanced and not diminished.

Thank you,

Jerry Gonza***

http://www.ilw.com/weekly/editorial/2003,1124-bond.shtm

HOW DO I POST BOND FOR AN ALIEN IN DETENTION?

Background
Delivery Bond
Voluntary Departure Bond
How Do I Post a Bond?
Cash Bond
Surety Bond
What information is Required for Posting a Bond?
Can Anyone Help Me?
How Do I Receive A Refund for a Cash Bond?

Background

You may be able to secure the release of an alien who has been detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if you post a bond for the alien. A bond is a contract between the person or company posting the bond (the obligor) and the ICE. ICE may make a demand on the obligor to have the alien appear for a hearing, interview or removal from the country. ICE will do this by sending the obligor a Form I-340 (Notice to Obligor to Deliver Alien). If the alien does not show up for ICE interviews or depart the country on time, the person posting the bond will have breached the contract with ICE and may lose the money or collateral paid for the bond. Two types of bonds are discussed below: Delivery Bond and Voluntary Departure Bond. Please note: Not all ICE field offices accept bonds. Please see our field offices home page for more information on local office procedures.

Delivery Bond

A person who is arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is issued a Warrant of Arrest (Form I-205) and a Notice of Custody Conditions (Form I-286) may be eligible for a delivery bond. The amount of a delivery bond should be sufficient to ensure