Rights 'denied' Ramos, Compean

Prosecution accused of misrepresenting facts in trial of border agents
Posted: November 30, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Briefs filed in an appeal seeking to overturn the prison sentences of convicted U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean allege the prosecution's star witness, drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, "had 5 million reasons" to lie.

WND has reported Aldrete-Davila hired a U.S. lawyer and sued the U.S. Border Patrol for $5 million for violating his civil rights in the shooting incident with Ramos and Compean at the border on Feb. 17, 2005.

"It is doubtful that absent the criminal conviction, Davila could overcome a defense motion for summary judgment based on qualified good faith immunity in his $5.0 million dollar civil law suit against the United States," the appellants' briefs commented.

"There are only three witnesses who testified whether Davila had anything in his left hand while he was running across the vega and turning back toward Compean: Davila, Compean and Ramos," the briefs continued.

"Davila, of course, fled and escaped," the briefs added. "Thus, the real truth will never be known whether he had something in his left hand as he turned around toward the agents."

"Davila had 5 million reasons to lie," the briefs concluded, "and was certainly prompted by his lifelong friend, Rene Sanchez, to seek immunity, obtain counsel and sue the United States."

Mexican “Migrant Parliament” Deliberates In Mexico City—Next Year In Washington DC!

Memo From Mexico, By Allan Wall

[See also Time To Get Mexico Out Of Our Hair!, by Joe Guzzardi]

On November 16th and 17th, Mexico City was the scene of a special gathering: the "Primer Parlamento de Líderes Migrantes Mexicanos que Viven en Estados Unidos de America"—"The First Parliament of Mexican Migrant Leaders Living In The U.S.A."

This isn’t the first time these meetings, discussing ways to subvert U.S. immigration policy and increase Mexican political power, have been held in Mexico.

In 2003 Mexican-American state legislators and mayors were invited to the "First Public Awareness Conference for Elected and Appointed Latino Officials" attended by such politicos as California State Senator Gil Cedillo, pusher of drivers’ licenses for illegal aliens, and California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez.

Then, in 2004 there was the "Primer Foro de Reflexión Binacional", which invited such Mexican-American luminaries as University of Texas “Mexican Studies” professor Jose Angel (“we’re going to Latinize this country”) Gutierrez and disgraced Clinton HUD secretary Henry Cisneros.

The recently-held "parliament" however, was composed of Mexican immigrant leaders, 540 of them, who met in the Mexican Congress building. One of the stated goals of the gathering was to make sure immigration is a major topic in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign.

I think VDARE.COM readers would agree that it should be—but for different reasons than the assembled “parliamentarians” wanted.

The parliament was organized by Mexican congressman Jose Jacques, who boldly declared that "From this parliament will come forth a plan of action for the defense of our migrants and their families, that their rights be respected…"

Jacques, by the way, was first elected to the Mexican congress while residing in the United States, and more recently visited Capitol Hill to meddle in U.S. immigration policy.

New Tijuana mayor vows to push for honest, professional force

A promise of police with 'honor'
By Sandra Dibble
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Photo by PEGGY PEATTIE / Union-Tribune

November 30, 2007

Amid a rising outcry over violence and corruption, Jorge Ramos becomes Tijuana mayor at midnight tonight, promising an unprecedented push for honesty and professional standards in the city's 2,300-member police department.

“We have a bad situation,” Ramos said in an interview this week, speaking of his city's high crime rates.

Just hours earlier, his top pick for a high-level public safety post fought off an attack at his home by heavily armed assailants.

“We can have a lot of cameras . . . all over the city, but if people who are responsible for security don't have principles, a sense of honor,” then crime-fighting will fail, said Ramos, 39, a member of Mexico's National Action Party, or PAN.

Ramos is one of five mayors simultaneously launching three-year terms with inaugurations today in Baja California. All have pledged to work closely with President Felipe Calderón and Gov. José Guadalupe Osuna Millán to fight crime.

To improve crime-fighting in Tijuana, Ramos said he intends to seek certification from the U.S.-based Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, which works with police agencies to strengthen law enforcement.

With Baja visits down, tourism chiefs plead for better safety

By Diane Lindquist

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

9:24 p.m. November 29, 2007

After the number of Baja California visitors dipped over the Thanksgiving holiday, tourism industry representatives are urging state officials to take swift and decisive measures to better protect American tourists who have been targets of recent road attacks.

Tourism officials are scheduled to meet with state officials Friday in Tijuana.

Reports of at least six violent armed assaults on American travelers along Baja California's coastal highway in recent months have struck fear in frequent visitors, with many vowing never to come to the state again. Some, but not all, of the cases have been determined by authorities as credible accounts.

The attacks, staged in some instances by paramilitary-style criminals driving vehicles with flashing lights and sirens, could significantly hurt the state's tourism sector, which last year attracted 25 million people, including repeat visitors.

Agent says smuggler tried to deliver drugs multiple times

By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times

Article Launched: 11/30/2007 12:00:00 AM MST

The day Osvaldo Aldrete Davila was shot in the buttocks while running back to Mexico in 2005 was not the last time he was chased by the Border Patrol and not the last time he delivered drugs in the United States that year, a witness said at a hearing Thursday.

Robert Holguin, a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent, testified that three men had identified Aldrete as a habitual drug smuggler.

Two of these men were referred to only as "Source 2," a drug smuggler, and "Source 3," a friend not involved in drug smuggling. They allegedly told DEA investigators that Aldrete tried, unsuccessfully, to smuggle marijuana on Sept. 24, 2005, and again, successfully, on Oct. 22, 2005.

"Davila's friend stated that Davila stated he was a transporter for a smuggling ring," Agent Holguin said during a bond hearing for Aldrete on Thursday.

According to Agent Holguin's sworn testimony, Aldrete continued to smuggle drugs, despite his medical condition and his deal with the U.S. government.

Border Patrol Agents Arrest Convicted Sex Offender

Woman Found to Have Violent History
Thursday, November 29, 2007

Tuscon, Ariz. – Border Patrol agents assigned to the Nogales Border Patrol Station arrested an individual early today who has been convicted of sexual abuse.

Border Patrol agents arrested Socorro Morales-Tapia east of Nogales, AZ. She admitted to illegally crossing into the United States east of the Nogales port-of-entry. At the station, record checks through the IAFIS system indicated that Morales was convicted of "inflicting injury upon a child" and "sexual assault and carnal abuse" in California in 1999. She was sentenced to five years in prison.

Morales is being held pending removal proceedings and will be prosecuted for re-entry of an aggravated felon. If convicted, she faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Border Patrol Seizes One Ton of Marijuana at Sierra Blanca Checkpoint

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Marfa, Texas – Agents of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Sierra Blanca Station nabbed 2,451 pounds of marijuana in the trailer of an 18-wheeler on the night of November 28. Sierra Blanca is part of the Marfa Sector.

About 10 p.m., the truck and trailer, driven by a 44-year-old legal permanent resident from El Paso, Texas, entered the checkpoint on Interstate 10. While agents were conducting an immigration check, a canine alerted to the presence of persons or narcotics in the trailer.

The marijuana was in cardboard boxes mixed in with skid packed boxes. The street value of the marijuana is $1,961,200. The driver, the drugs and the vehicle were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Border Patrol Yields $3.7 Million in a Day’s Seizures

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Tucson, Ariz. — Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Tucson Sector seized more than 4,687 pounds of marijuana in three incidents over the last 24 hours.

The first seizure took place at around 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 28, 2007. Agents assigned to the Ajo Border Patrol Station encountered a pickup truck traveling north on Federal Route 34 on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. As agents drove up behind the vehicle, it sped off into the desert at mile marker 32 near the village of Hickiwan. Following the tire tracks into the darkness, agents discovered the truck abandoned and filled with 61 bundles of marijuana weighing 1,413 pounds.

A second seizure occurred at approximately 10:00 pm. on November 28, 2007, when Border Patrol agents from the Casa Grande Station, working near San Miguel village on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation, spotted two trucks traveling north from the International Boundary on Federal Route 19. A short time later, the trucks absconded back across the border after briefly pulling off the roadway outside the village limits. When agents responded to the area where the trucks stopped along Federal Route 19, tire tracks led to55 bundles of marijuana weighing 1,142 pounds.

A final seizure was made early this morning near mile post 5 on Federal Route 19, near the village of San Miguel on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. Agents from the Casa Grande Border Patrol Station responded to a call for assistance from the Tohono O’odham Police Department. A resident had called 911 to report that a large amount of marijuana had been hidden on his property. Agents arrived on scene at 7:00 a.m. and discovered 86 bundles of marijuana weighing 2,132 pounds.

Border Patrol Agents Seize 5,450 Pounds of Marijuana Near Freer

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Laredo, Texas – Border Patrol agents assigned to the Freer station seized more than two tons of marijuana Wednesday night.

Agents observed a flatbed tractor-trailer on Highway 44 west of Freer. A routine check of the license plates showed that the vehicle was registered to a person who also owned another vehicle that was involved in a previous human smuggling case. Agents stopped the tractor-trailer for further investigation.

As the agents walked by the trailer on their way to talk to the driver, they noticed bundles hanging down between the frame rails of the trailer. The driver, who stepped out of the cab, attempted to flee on foot. The agents quickly apprehended the driver.

A complete search of the truck turned up 286 bundles in the cab and another 100 bundles in a false compartment in the bed of the trailer. The bundles contained marijuana with a total weight of 5,450.42 pounds and an approximate value of $4,360,336.

The drugs, truck, and driver were turned over to DEA agents.

Mexico could retaliate if U.S. blocks trucks, Kolbe warns

By Gabriela Rico

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Economic retaliation from Mexico is a real threat if U.S. lawmakers repeal a provision that allows Mexican truckers access to the U.S. interior, according to former U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe.

"If Congress succeeds in blocking (the program) I believe Mexico could retaliate, as they are entitled to do," the Arizona Republican told members of the Southern Arizona Logistics Education Organization in Tucson on Thursday.

He warned that if our southern neighbors "lose patience," U.S. companies could face higher tariffs on trade entering Mexico.

"It's not an idle threat," Kolbe said. "And it sends a bad message to Mexico and Latin America about how seriously we take our obligations."

The trucking program, a provision of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, began in September. Before that, Mexican trucks were restricted to driving within a commercial border zone.

Attempts by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to block the entry of Mexican trucks into the U.S. failed. The Senate then approved a proposal prohibiting the Transportation Department from spending money on the program, but it continues while Congress debates a larger transportation bill that contains the provision.

Earlier this month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, announced it would install satellite-tracking devices on trucks from the United States and Mexico to monitor them as they pick up and deliver loads — a decision made after members of Congress questioned participants' compliance with U.S. safety and trade laws, said Melissa Mazzella DeLaney, an FMCSA spokeswoman.

Study: Mexican immigrants trail others in learning English

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

CHICAGO — Nearly three out of every four Mexican immigrants speak English "just a little or not at all," the most among immigrant groups from Latin America, according to a study released Thursday.

By comparison, 35 percent of those born in Puerto Rico struggle with English, while 44 percent of those from South America do, according to the study by the Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center, which based its findings on a survey of 14,000 Latino adults nationwide.

Reasons for poor English skills among Mexican immigrants include lower education levels before entering the U.S., less time here and more opportunities to speak Spanish at work, the study found.

The struggles of Mexicans to integrate into the country's mainstream has fueled broader concerns over immigration.

Critics worry that a split society of Spanish speakers and English speakers is developing, as new ethnic enclaves form in suburban and rural areas around the country.

Study says household income for immigrants in Az last in U.S.

SONU MUNSHI

Published: 11.30.2007

PHOENIX - The median household income among immigrants living in Arizona is less than any other state with a large population of foreign-born residents, according to a study released Thursday by a group that favors limiting immigration.

"The low incomes are a result of the low levels of education in immigrant families, especially illegal immigrants," said Steven Camarota, who directed the survey for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies.

"When people aren't educated enough, they aren't getting the high-paying jobs and so their income remains low, making them in turn dependent on the government for health care and education," Camarota said.

The Arizona numbers didn't surprise Ira Mehlman, spokesman for You Don't Speak For Me, a national Hispanic coalition that contends illegal immigration harms Hispanics who are here legally.

Arizona attracts illegal immigrants who know they'll get low-skilled, low-paying jobs, Mehlman said.

Mehlman contended that the taxes paid on $31,000 for a large family do not cover the cost of education or health care. He said that because most low-income jobs do not cover health insurance, illegal immigrants rely on public health care.

"They're a burden on the system," Mehlman said.

Immigration group: Huckabee a 'disaster'

November 30, 2007

By Stephen Dinan - Groups that support a crackdown on illegal aliens haven't settled on their champion in the race for the White House, but there's little doubt which Republican scares them most — former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

"He was an absolute disaster on immigration as governor," said Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, a group that played a major role in rallying the phone calls that helped defeat this year's Senate immigration bill. "Every time there was any enforcement in his state, he took the side of the illegal aliens."

As Mr. Huckabee rises in the polls, his opponents are beginning to take shots at him on immigration. Just as problematic for the former Arkansas governor, however, is that the independent interest groups that track the issue are also giving him the once-over, and don't like what they see.

WND seeks lawsuit settlement information

Case involves fleeing drug smuggler shot by border patrol

Posted: November 29, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

WorldNetDaily is seeking government information about a lawsuit reportedly filed against the United States by a fleeing drug smuggler who was shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent, whether that case was settled, and if so how much was paid out.

WND staff writer Jerome Corsi is preparing documents to submit to the U.S. Department of Justice requesting, under the federal Freedom of Information Act, "e-mails, memoranda, letters, or other documents relating to Osvalda Aldrete-Davila's obtaining of legal counsel, suing the U.S. Government, and obtaining a settlement from the U.S. Government on his legal suit involving a Feb. 17, 2005, incident involving Border Patrol Agents Ignacia Ramos and Jose Compean…"

The two officers now are serving federal prison terms of 11 and 12 years after Aldrete-Davila, under protection from the U.S. government, testified against them at trial after he was shot in the thigh by the agents as he ended a high-speed pursuit by the agents by abandoning his van and fleeing on foot back into Mexico.

The abandoned van held 750 pounds of marijuana, authorities reported.

Appeal contends border agents used deadly force justifiably

Ramos, Compean feared for their lives
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Convicted Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean are contending in an appeal of their prison sentences that their use of deadly force against a fleeing drug smuggler was justified because they believed he was armed and they feared for their lives.

WND already has reported the two allege they also were the victims of "overzealous" prosecution after their encounter with the drug smuggler in 2005.

The case revolved around the discharge of those shots, one of which injured Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, an illegal Mexican alien who was fleeing back into Mexico after smuggling 750 pounds of marijuana into the U.S, because without those shots on Feb. 17, 2005, there would have been no case.

The crux of the U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's case, as presented by prosecutor Debra Kanof at trial, was to portray Aldrete-Davila as a victim, an innocent Mexican with no experience smuggling drugs who was pressed into this one incident because he lost his commercial driver's license in Mexico and needed money to buy medicine for his sick mother.

Aldrete-Davila's arrest and indictment for the Oct. 2005 "second load" strongly suggest this version of events is fanciful.

Video: Ron Paul Answers Question About North American Union

November 29, 2007 @ 1:27 am

Presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul was asked by a YouTuber at last night’s debate on CNN if he thought the threat of a union between the United States, Mexico, and Canada was real. Paul said he did believe so and explained if true, what the merger would mean:

The "Good" Immigrant—Myth vs. Reality

By Brenda Walker

VDare

Among the more annoying ploys of the open borders crowd is the idea that we need endless immigrants because we wouldn't want to miss getting someone really valuable.

Einstein is the perpetual example—what if restrictionists had kept him out? They never seem to mention Al Capone. (Former New York mayor Ed Koch pulled this trick when reviewing Peter Brimelow’s Alien Nation.)

As if the brilliance of the 20th century's greatest physicist were a reason to import millions of illiterate peasants: the argument makes no sense.

Still, with multiculturalism, the quantity is often more important than the quality. So we get a continuous barrage.

One regular salvo from the opposing shore is the "Immigrants of the Week" column which appears in the ILW.com email newsletter, targeted at immigration lawyers and other enemies of American sovereignty—what we call the “Treason Lobby.”

Actually, the ILW column can be a hoot, because it’s filled with people you never heard of and many you wouldn't want to know about. A recent offering (Nov 5) presented Andrew Grove, Hikaru Nakamura, Philippe Kahn, Isaac Larian, and Sonya Thomas. These are not exactly household names.

But Sonya Thomas might ring a bell if you follow the "sport" of competitive eating—think about the Nathan's hot dog face-stuffing contest held every July 4th—she is a champion glutton. She gobbles down the wieners that Americans just don't want to devour.

And Isaac Larian is the inventor of the extremely annoying Bratz Doll.

Thank you, immigration!

Indiana man sentenced to 2 years in prison for fake document conspiracy

He took over the illegal fraudulent document business when his partner fled to Mexico

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - An Indiana man who operated a fake document business that enabled hundreds of illegal aliens to gain employment in the Louisville area was sentenced here Tuesday to two years in prison. This sentence is the result of an investigation conducted by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Jason Patrick Ross, 33, of 410 Lakeridge Drive, Henryville, Ind., was sentenced Nov. 27 by U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell to two years in prison and two years supervised release for conspiracy to possess and distribute false identification documents.

Ross pleaded guilty July 13 to the charges against him. He admitted that in March 2001, his brother-in-law introduced him to a fraudulent document maker known as "JL," and he began to refer customers directly to him. Initially, Ross received a $20 fee for each referral, which eventually increased to $40 per referral. Ross brought the identity photographs to JL's house in Louisville who produced fraudulent Social Security cards, and driver's licenses from Mexico and Michigan.

In March 2005, JL told Ross that he feared the FBI was following him and he was moving to Mexico. Ross then assumed JL's fraudulent document business. He charged $40 for a Social Security card, and $100 each for a green card, a Mexican driver's license, a Michigan driver's license, or an international driver's license.

Many Illegals Just Fly into U.S.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007 10:22 PM

By: Clayton B. Reid/Newsmax.com

While America continues to pour tax money into walling off the Mexican border, fully half of illegal aliens come into the U.S. by other routes -- many simply arrive via commercial jets, according to immigration authorities.

Expired student and tourist visas, phony marriages, unchecked container ships and the porous Canadian border to the north all contribute as much to illegal immigration as Mexican border jumpers, experts say.

That’s especially true for those who mean us harm. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, 12 known al-Qaida operatives — including two conspirators in the first World Trade Center attack and four of the 9/11 terrorists — simply flew into the United States and were waved through customs on student or tourist visas. The terrorists later violated their vias by staying past the expiration date -- a practice that is not uncommon.

In fact, the Pew Hispanic Center estimated in 2006 that almost half of unauthorized immigrants, or up to 45 per cent, entered the U.S. with various kinds of visas allowing them to stay for a set periods of between 90 days and two years – and simply did not leave.

Immigrants, illegals use welfare more often

November 29, 2007

By Stephen Dinan - Both immigrants and illegal aliens are more likely to be poor and to use welfare programs than native-born Americans because they come to the country with lower levels of education, according to a new study looking at U.S. Census Bureau data.

"The problem here is not work, or a lack of willingness to work; it's not legal status; it's educational level at arrival," said Steven A. Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, which is releasing the report today.

The public burden is a major issue, and it was one of the disputes, along with border security and increased enforcement, that helped kill the Senate immigration bill earlier this year.

President Bush and some Senate Republicans had wanted to scrap the family-based immigration system that has dominated for the past 50 years and replace it with a system that awarded points for those with needed job skills, high education levels and English proficiency. But Democrats objected, arguing that family reunification should still be the guiding principle.

Mr. Camarota, whose group calls for a crackdown on illegal aliens and a slowdown in legal immigration, said his numbers show that the family-based system puts a strain on taxpayer-funded services.

"Allowing in legal immigrants mainly based on family relationships, and tolerating widespread illegal immigration, certainly has very significant implications for social services, public schools and taxpayer services," he said.

He said that makes sense — native-born Americans without a high-school education also are more likely to use welfare or to live in poverty. But he said that means that the burdens illegal aliens places on taxpayers can't be solved through amnesty because it would not raise education levels.

"You're not going to fix the problem of high rates of welfare use just by legalizing them — at least for the 57 percent of high school dropouts," Mr. Camarota said.

Nearly one in three immigrant households nationwide uses a major welfare program, compared with 19.4 percent of native-born American families.

Leaders to discuss reducing border waits

By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times

Article Launched: 11/29/2007 12:00:00 AM MST

Pedro Escobedo guided his detection dog around a truck at the inspection area in Juárez last month before the truck crossed into the United States. A two-day international conference on security and trade starts today in Juárez. (Victor Calzada / El Paso Times)

The balance between free trade and border security has been a puzzle for the American government to solve, but Mexican stakeholders say they want to help.

Mexican trade leaders from several border states are to meet today and Friday in Juárez for a conference on the subject.

"This should be a priority. Look at the European Union, the first thing they did was ease commerce," said Oscar Kuri, general director of the Coalición Empresarial Pre Libre Comercio, one of the sponsors of the conference.

Kuri said he expected to 500 people at the event, including visitors from the Mexican states of Baja California, Coahuila and Sonora and from Texas, California and New Mexico. The conference, Congreso Internacional de Seguridad y Comercio, takes place at the Centro Cultural Paso del Norte in the ProNaF zone.

GOP sparks fly over illegal immigration

Giuliani, Romney exchange heated 'sanctuary' barbs

By Liz Sidoti

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Republican presidential rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney scornfully debated immigration Wednesday in a provocative CNN/YouTube debate just over a month before the first votes are cast.

Giuliani, the front-runner in national polls, accused Romney of employing illegal immigrants at his home and running a "sanctuary mansion."

The testy personal exchange came after Romney said Giuliani had retained New York's status as a sanctuary city while he was mayor.

Romney said it would "not be American" to check the papers of workers employed by a contractor simply because they have a "funny accent." He had landscapers at his Belmont, Mass., home who turned out to be in the country illegally.

Giuliani called Romney's attitude "holier than thou. Mitt usually criticizes people when he usually has the far worse record," Giuliani said.

But the audience booed Giuliani as he tried to persist in his criticism of Romney.

Mexican president: 'Growing harassment' of migrants in U.S.

Associated Press

Nov. 14, 2007 02:59 PM

MEXICO CITY - President Felipe Calderon decried Wednesday what he called "the growing harassment" of Mexicans in the United States and said his government will work to counter it by funding a media campaign to show migrant success stories.

Mexican officials have expressed concern over a recent wave of immigration raids and a U.S. political climate perceived as anti-migrant. Calderon said U.S. presidential candidates were using migrants as "symbolic hostages" on the immigration issue.

"I am especially worried about the growing harassment and frank persecution of Mexicans in the United States in recent days," Calderon said at a meeting of the Mexican government's migrant assistance agency.

Can you imagine the uproar if President Bush were to set up an organization to push for more rights for US citizens living in Mexico? Cries of violating Mexico's sovereignty and imperialism would be heard all over Latin America. But here Calderon can misrepresent the numbers - there are at least 12 million illegals in the US not 6, most of whom are Mexican - and try and set up something to produce TV ads in the US. Do you think the Mexican media would run ads touting the benefits of Americans in Mexico and calling for more rights for them? Not a chance! - missionaryman

Half of immigrants in Texas are there illegally, study says

State has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations.

By Bob Dart
WASHINGTON BUREAU
Thursday, November 29, 2007

WASHINGTON — Half of the nearly 3.5 million immigrants living in Texas are in the country illegally, the Center for Immigration Studies says in a report being released today.

Based on the latest Census Bureau data, the report said Texas has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations of any state. It said that 50 percent of the state's foreign-born population — slightly more than 1.7 million people — are illegal immigrants. Only Arizona at 65 percent, North Carolina at 58 percent and Georgia at 53 percent had a higher proportion of illegal immigrants in their immigrant populations.

Many people within the undocumented population are unskilled workers and tend to go to states where they can find those types of jobs, explained Flavia Jimenez, a senior policy analyst with the National Council of La Raza, a nonpartisan advocacy group for Hispanic Americans. And many go where there are already family members.

The influx of immigrants into Texas reflects the national trend, the report showed. The nation's immigrant population — legal and illegal — reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007.

Nearly one in three of these newcomers is here illegally. Half of the immigrants from Mexico and Central America are in the country illegally, and one-third of those from South America are illegal immigrants.

Colleges must admit illegals

MARK JOHNSON

mjohnson@charlotteobserver.com

RALEIGH North Carolina's community college system has ordered its 58 schools to admit illegal immigrants, overturning policies established at more than one-third of the heavily enrolled colleges.

David Sullivan, the system's top lawyer, dispatched a memo November 7 telling the community colleges that state regulations require the schools to admit undocumented applicants who meet the basic requirements of either graduating from high school or being 18 years of age.

Among the colleges, 22 had either written or unwritten policies barring admission to illegal immigrants. Central Piedmont Community College did not maintain such a policy. The state's community colleges focus on training and retraining the workforce, usually through skills and trade education.

The ruling came after an unverified complaint that an illegal immigrant was dismissed from one of the colleges and after a Duke University class's study questioned the system's policy on illegal immigrants.

Leader of anti-crime group in Mexico attacked

He escapes harm in gunbattle at house

By Sandra Dibble and Anna Cearley

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS

November 28, 2007

TIJUANA – As the head of a statewide anti-crime group, Alberto Capella has spoken out boldly against violence and corruption in Baja California. But yesterday he verged on tears and struggled for words just hours after surviving an attack at his house by heavily armed assailants.

“I was terrified, like a cat locked in a box,” said Capella, president of the Baja California Citizens Commission for Public Safety. He was shaken, but not physically harmed.

Capella is considered a strong candidate for a top police post in the mayoral administration that is expected to take office Saturday. Neither Capella nor Mayor-elect Jorge Ramos would confirm the appointment yesterday.

Despite the numerous gunshots in his middle class neighborhood, Capella said police did not immediately respond, even though his house is a block from a city police substation and across the street from a state group that investigates kidnappings and other organized crime activities.

Sex with Americans risky for Mexican hookers

Disease rate higher for those with U.S. clients, study says

By Cheryl Clark

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

November 28, 2007

Female prostitutes in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez who catered to American “johns” had a 50 percent higher rate of syphilis or another sexually transmitted disease than those who didn't, according to a UCSD study.

The women paid by American customers were younger and more likely to speak English than their counterparts, and they were more apt to inject drugs and have unprotected sex, said Steffanie Strathdee, chief of the international health division at the University of California San Diego. She wrote the report, which appears in the current edition of the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

“A lot of (customers) who go to Mexico to have sex may be lulled into a false sense of complacency,” Strathdee said. “They think that if the woman speaks English and looks OK and clean, she is safe. But these are highly vulnerable women. They are being bribed to have unprotected sex.”

The prostitutes with U.S. clients typically received $30 for unprotected sex versus $20 for sex with a condom, she found.

The economic incentive may explain why prostitutes with U.S. clients had higher rates of gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV and chlamydia than women who did not engage in sex for pay with Americans.

Border Patrol Stays Busy

Del Rio Border Patrol Seizes 1,300 Pounds of Marijuana over Holiday Week

(Monday, November 26, 2007)

Del Rio, Texas –Border Patrol agents assigned to the Del Rio sector seized more than half a ton of marijuana during the Thanksgiving week. Agents arrested nine people in connection with the drug seizures.

Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Nets $7 Million in Narcotics Seizures

(Monday, November 26, 2007)

contacts for this news release

Edinburg, Texas —Border Patrol agents seized more than 200 pounds of cocaine and more than 1,200 pounds of marijuana in two separate incidents over the holiday weekend. The illegal narcotics have a combined value of more than $7 million.

The first seizure occurred last Wednesday, when Border Patrol agents assigned to the Falfurrias Border Patrol Traffic Checkpoint on Highway 281 questioned the driver of a tractor-trailer about his citizenship. During questioning, a Border Patrol canine alerted to the presence of contraband concealed within the trailer area.

The driver was directed to the secondary inspection area where a search led to the discovery of 75 bundles of cocaine hidden inside the fifth wheel compartment. The total weight of the cocaine was 206 pounds with an estimated value of $6,592,000. The driver, cocaine, and vehicle were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The second seizure occurred the following day at the Sarita Border Patrol Traffic Checkpoint when a tractor-trailer approached the primary lane for inspection. As the primary agent questioned the driver and passenger, a Border Patrol canine alerted to the presence of contraband concealed within the trailer.

The driver was directed to the secondary area where a search of the trailer led to the discovery of 40 bundles of marijuana hidden among a load of limes. The total weight of the marijuana was 1,230 pounds with an estimated value of $984,000. The driver, passenger, tractor-trailer, and marijuana were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Local Border Patrol agents catching more career criminals

BY JAMES GILBERT

November 27, 2007 - 9:34AM

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents aren't just catching illegal aliens, they're catching more aliens with long rap sheets. According to Yuma Sector spokesman Andrew Patterson an increase in the number of agents assigned to the sector is enabling the agency to capture more criminals who previously got into the country unnoticed.

"We don't expect it to stop," Patterson said. "We are seeing a lot more of (illegal aliens with criminal records) trying to come across the border and we are catching them."

While having more agents in the field has contributed to catching these foreign-born career criminals, so has having improved technology such as border fencing, day and night cameras, ground-searching radar, sensors, improved field communication and unmanned aerial surveillance systems.

"In the past, we had to pick and choose our battles because we didn't have the manpower to go after a single individual or small group that had a few hours; head start because it left the border open and that was a problem," Patterson said. "We were catching them before, it just wasn't as often."

Nowadays, Patterson said, when agents come across a set of tracks, even ones that are several hours old, the agency has the manpower to follow the footprints without having to pull agents away from patrolling the border.

"Usually after a couple of hours, they have had time to get a prearranged ride or a drop house. Now there is more time spent hiding from agents who are their heels."

Although statistics were not immediately available on Monday, Patterson did say agents know anecdotally that the increase in Border Patrol staffing and resources in the sector has enabled the patrol to catch a larger number of those aliens with criminal records than in the past.

Oklahoma’s H.B. 1804 And The Clerics Trying To Subvert It

Memo From Mexico (About Oklahoma), By Allan Wall

One of the most encouraging recent developments on the patriotic immigration reform front: state, county and local governments cracking down on illegal immigration.

Somebody needs to.

The latest law—said by some to be the toughest yet—has just come into effect in my home state, Oklahoma. It’s the famous/infamous H.B. 1804, the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizenship Protection Act of 2007, authored by state legislator Randy Terrill, who was interviewed on the Terry Anderson show on November 4th.

H.B. 1804 really cracks down on illegal aliens. It prohibits them from getting driver’s licenses or specific government benefits. It prohibits the sheltering and transport of illegal aliens.

It allows the local police to enforce immigration law. That doesn’t mean that Oklahoma police are going to be going door to door ferreting out illegals. But if a policeman, in the normal course of his duties, detains an individual for a felony or drunk driving, the lawman is authorized to check the detainee’s immigration status, and, if illegal, to contact immigration authorities.

Of course, this is still milder than Mexican immigration law. Here, policemen are absolutely required to enforce immigration law. But, in many ways, the U.S. still has a ways to go before it matches up to Mexico.

H.B. 1804 was already having an effect months before it came into force November 1st. Directly after the law’s passage, it scared thousands of illegal aliens, euphemistically called "Hispanics" in the Mainstream Media [MSM], into leaving Oklahoma—some for greener pastures in the U.S., some for Mexico.

This effect is confirmed by what I’ve also picked up on the grapevine here in Mexico.

A middle-class friend of ours said her middle class brother, an illegal alien in Oklahoma, was coming back to Mexico because of 1804.

Plus my Mexican sister-in-law in Oklahoma is legal, speaks English and isn’t committing crimes, so she’s not afraid of 1804. But an illegal alien acquaintance of hers said she was planning to move to another (U.S.) state because of it.

All before the law took effect.

Mexico president says 'culture of machismo' still strong

ASSOCIATED PRESS

1:13 p.m. November 26, 2007

MEXICO CITY – President Felipe Calderón said Monday said that despite the passage of anti-discrimination laws, millions of women suffer from workplace bias and physical and psychological abuse due to an enduring “culture of machismo” in Mexico.

“As a citizen, as a husband, as a father, as president, I am worried and indignant over the mistreatment millions of Mexican women still receive,” Calderón said during an event on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Last year alone, the president said, more than 30 million Mexican women suffered some type of violence, while more than 80 percent of women who were murdered were killed in their own homes.

Earlier this year, Mexico enacted a law obligating federal and local authorities to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women. Yet only a handful of states have formally adopted it, Calderón said.

At fault? A culture still dominated by “the false premise of subordination, submission and even inferiority of women with respect to men,” he said. “This is a cultural obstacle that we have to reverse."

Gunmen open fire on Baja security advisor's home

By Anna Cearley

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

8:20 a.m. November 27, 2007

TIJUANA – A large group of armed men opened fire early this morning on the Tijuana house of Alberto Capella, president of a state citizens' advisory board that addresses public security issues in Baja California.

Capella escaped injury during the 2 a.m. attack even though Mexican media reported that more than 100 shots were fired at the house, many of them aimed at the bedroom where Capella was sleeping.

Capella, speaking by telephone to Tijuana's XEWT-12 Televisa station, described how he grabbed a firearm kept in his home for emergencies like this and started firing back at 'dozens of people with luxury vehicles in attack positions.'

Police: Slain man went for officer's gun

By Tim Ellis

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

A man shot dead by a Tucson policeman first punched the officer and tried to grab his handgun, then took his baton and began to beat him with it, police said Sunday.

In explaining the Saturday night shooting, police said Officer Douglas Dreher managed to pull away, drew his handgun and ordered the assailant to drop the baton and stop, a news release issued Sunday said. It said the suspect refused, held the baton over his head and stepped toward the officer.

The officer was "fearing for his life," the release said, and fired several shots. Police spokesman Sgt. Decio Hopffer said the baton could be considered a lethal weapon.

Hopffer said the dead man is a 35-year-old resident of Magdalena, Sonora, who was in this country illegally. Police are withholding his name until relatives are notified. Magdalena is about 60 miles south of Nogales.

Driving in Mexico City: Headache grande

Chris Hawley
Republic Mexico City Bureau
Photo- Chris Hawley/The Arizona Republic

Nov. 27, 2007 12:00 AM

MEXICO CITY - Thirty minutes into her first driving lesson in Mexico City, Tamara Orendain had navigated a flooded street, a flower vendor, a film shoot, a broken traffic light, three jaywalkers, 10 speed bumps and a London-style traffic circle.

"Watch those stop signs," cautioned driving instructor Victor Farias as Orendain, 17, barreled through another intersection in the world's second-biggest city. "Keep looking forward, always predicting the next pothole or speed bump or person cutting you off."

When it comes to driving, the Mexican capital is a city-size obstacle course, a diabolical combination of 16th-century streets, loose laws and lax maintenance. It's like driving in New York City without rules and in Los Angeles' congestion.

And as Mexicans get more affluent, cars are multiplying. Traffic accidents have hit an all-time high. Now, the city is trying to impose some order with a new traffic code. As a day with Farias shows, it's an uphill battle.

Mexican Drug Smuggler Shot by Border Agents Indicted on Drug Smuggling Charges

Fox News

Friday , November 16, 2007

EL PASO, Texas —

The arrest of an admitted Mexican drug smuggler shot by a pair of U.S. Border Patrol agents is prompting renewed calls for the former law-enforcement officials' release from prison.

Osvaldo Aldrete Davila was arrested Thursday at an international port of entry in El Paso; a sealed indictment issued in October charged him with drug smuggling offenses.

"These guys absolutely need to be pardoned," Rep. Tom Tancredo, R.-Colo., told FOX News on Friday.

The agents, Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos, were convicted last year of shooting Aldrete and lying about it. The agents were each sentenced to more than a decade in prison.

"This whole thing with Davila shows you how rotten the deal is they got," Tancredo said.

Agents arrest illegal immigrants with lengthy criminal records

FROM STAFF REPORTS

November 21, 2007 - 1:13PM

Two illegal immigrants arrested in separate busts Tuesday night in the Yuma area have long criminal backgrounds in the United States, the Border Patrol said.

One of the two is a convicted sex offender who has a 17-year criminal background, the patrol said in a news release.

The other had been arrested on 26 prior occasions in Arizona on suspicion of such charges as drunken driving, possession of drug paraphernalia, assault, forgery, shoplifting, burglary, vehicle theft and criminal trespassing, the patrol said in a separate release.

The illegal immigrants, both Mexican citizens whose names were not released, had been deported from the United States on numerous occasions, the patrol said.

The sex offender was arrested after agents patrolling the area found evidence of an illegal entry near the Colorado River and County 20th Street. Agents followed footprints at the scene into San Luis, Ariz., where they arrested the man.

A background check found he had been arrested on prior occasions on charges such as lewd and lascivious acts with a child, sexual battery, drug dealing, battery, trespassing and loitering, as well as various immigration offenses.

He had been formally deported from the United States five times previously, the patrol said.

He will be charged with illegal entry into the United States and re-entry after deportation, and faces a possible sentence of 20 years in prison, the patrol said.

Glenn Beck and Terrorist from Mexico

It sounds like a plot line from a bad 1990's Arnold Schwarzeneggar movie, but unfortunately it's true. With the help of Mexican drug cartels 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists were to be smuggled into the U.S. through underground tunnels with high-powered weapons to attack the Arizona Army base. Sara Carter's story in the Washington Times says that some of the terrorists are on U.S. soil while some of the group are not. The most ironic part of the story? The terrorists are being smuggled across the border into (drum roll please) Laredo, Texas!

Agents seize $2.2 million in drugs at San Luis port of entry

FROM STAFF REPORTS

November 21, 2007 - 3:45PM

A 19-year-old resident of San Luis Rio Colorado, Son., is in custody after officers at the U.S. Port of Entry at San Luis, Ariz., caught him attempting to smuggle heroin and cocaine valued at $2.2 million into the United States on Tuesday, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Elza, a drug sniffing dog assigned to the port, detected the odor of narcotics, prompting a vehicle search that yielded packages containing a total of 30 pounds of heroin and 40 pounds of cocaine, CBP said in a news release.

The incident unfolded after the man, whose name was not released, drove up to the port of entry in a 1996 Ford Explorer, the release said.

During the initial questioning and while screening his name in their systems, the officers suspected something was wrong and decided to search the vehicle, CBP said.

The narcotics and vehicle were seized and the driver was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents for further investigation and prosecution.

Attempted murder suspect caught at San Luis port of entry

FROM STAFF REPORTS

November 23, 2007 - 3:43PM

A man wanted in Salinas, Calif., on attempted murder charges was apprehended Wednesday at the San Luis port of entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.

At around 10:30 a.m., 19-year-old Manuel Ramos attempted to enter the United States as a passenger in a vehicle coming from Mexico. When a CBP officer put the driver’s name into the agency's system, the officer was alerted to possible immigration concerns regarding the driver and sent the vehicle and everyone in it for a secondary inspection, according to Brian D. Levin, CBP spokesman.

During the subsequent inspection of everyone in the vehicle and additional name queries, officers discovered that Ramos was wanted by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office on charges of attempted murder.

Ramos was taken into custody and turned over to the San Luis Police Department.

The driver and other passengers were released after their identities were verified and no other violations or concerns were found.

The apprehension of Ramos was the direct result of CBP’s increased use of name queries during primary inspections at land border crossings, Levin said in a news release.

During fiscal year 2007, CBP officers at the ports of entry in Arizona apprehended 1,189 fugitives, a 35 percent increase from the previous fiscal year, when they apprehended 879 fugitives, according to Levin.

Arrested alien has long record, patrol says

November 26, 2007 - 10:39AM

Border Patrol agents on Sunday arrested three men who entered illegally from Mexico, one of whom has an extensive criminal record, according a Border Patrol news release.

One of the three arrested near Winterhaven was identified by the patrol as Pedro Alvarado-Suarez 41, who has record of 23 arrests in Arizona, California, Montana, and Washington dating back to 1986. Alvarado-Suarez's prior charges were of robbery, burglary, assault, possession and sale of a controlled substance, vehicle theft and unlawful use of firearm, the release said.

He served a total of eight years in prison and 13 years on probation, the release said.

A records check also disclosed Alvarado-Suarez was deported three times by immigration officials.

Islamic terrorists target Army base -- in Arizona

By Sara A. Carter
November 26, 2007

Fort Huachuca, the nation's largest intelligence-training center, changed security measures in May after being warned that Islamist terrorists, with the aid of Mexican drug cartels, were planning an attack on the facility.

Fort officials changed security measures after sources warned that possibly 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists were to be smuggled into the U.S. through underground tunnels with high-powered weapons to attack the Arizona Army base, according to multiple confidential law enforcement documents obtained by The Washington Times.

"A portion of the operatives were in the United States, with the remainder not yet in the United States," according to one of the documents, an FBI advisory that was distributed to the Defense Intelligence Agency, the CIA, Customs and Border Protection and the Justice Department, among several other law enforcement agencies throughout the nation. "The Afghanis and Iraqis shaved their beards so as not to appear to be Middle Easterners."

According to the FBI advisory, each Middle Easterner paid Mexican drug lords $20,000 "or the equivalent in weapons" for the cartel's assistance in smuggling them and their weapons through tunnels along the border into the U.S. The weapons would be sent through tunnels that supposedly ended in Arizona and New Mexico, but the Islamist terrorists would be smuggled through Laredo, Texas, and reclaim the weapons later.

A number of the Afghans and Iraqis are already in a safe house in Texas, the FBI advisory said.

Fort Huachuca, which lies about 20 miles from the Mexican border, has members of all four service branches training in intelligence and secret operations. About 12,000 persons work at the fort and many have their families on base.