Census: Diversity to reign by 2042

PAUL OVERBERG and EMILY BAZAR

Published: 08.14.2008

The number of minorities in the United States is growing so briskly that non-Hispanic whites will lose their majority status in 2042, years before demographers had previously projected, according to Census data released today.

The population is surging on almost all fronts, the new figures show. There will be 400 million people in the U.S. in 31 years, up from fewer than 305 million now.

The swelling numbers will transform Americans' standard of living from the environment to public schools, demographers and public policy experts say.

"It affects quality of life in very important ways," says Mark Mather, who studies U.S. demographic trends for the Population Reference Bureau, a research group in Washington. "We're already experiencing that in traffic congestion, in schools and in our crowded coastal areas."

Dramatic growth in the numbers of legal and illegal immigrants, especially Hispanics, has propelled the increase. Annual immigration this year is about 1 million and is projected to double by 2050.

Jeffrey Passel, senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center, says the earlier projections were low because they underestimated immigration.

"We've measured a much higher immigration in the '90s," he says. "In this decade, those high levels continued."

Illegals off the hook?

ICE tells aliens 'Deport yourself'

Posted: July 30, 2008 11:00 pm Eastern
WorldNetDaily

Now illegal aliens can get a free ticket home by turning themselves in to Immigration and Customs Enforcement rather than spend time in prisons.

The newest government plan to cut back on an ever-increasing population of illegals will be unveiled next week, the San Antonio Express-News reports.

ICE director announced the idea to a Spanish television network Sunday.

"The program basically gives an opportunity to those seeking an organized way to self-deport," Myers told Univisión anchor Jorge Ramos.

"Operation Scheduled Departure" will give illegal aliens who don't have criminal histories a chance to turn themselves in and avoid detention.

Myers said the plan was hatched in response to illegal alien complaints. Many detainees said they would rather go home than spend time in immigration prisons.

The illegals can now walk into ICE, schedule departure, have several weeks to pack their belongings and fly or bus out of the country without facing arrest. She said the program helps illegals dodge home and work raids, but it doesn't offer incentives for self-deportation.

Federal trial planned for volunteer who left water in desert

By Stephanie Innes

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.23.2008

Rather than pay a $175 fine, a local aid volunteer is set to go on trial this week for leaving water jugs in the desert for illegal immigrants.

Daniel Millis, 29, is expected to go on trial in federal court Friday morning to defend himself against charges that he littered in Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in February.

The way he sees it, he was punished in the course of offering help.

He says he left 22 one-gallon water jugs in the desert as part of his work with the local faith-based immigrant-aid group No More Deaths.

"Littering is a crime, but humanitarian aid is not a crime," Millis said Tuesday.

Millis was cited as he and three other volunteers with No More Deaths were placing water jugs on a trail in the refuge, which is known to be heavily traveled by migrants who are illegally crossing into the United States from Mexico on foot.

Western Union may fight feds' snooping on transfers

The Associated Press

Published: 07.03.2008

The Western Union Co. said Wednesday it is considering whether to appeal a court ruling on the authority of Arizona prosecutors to seize some money transfers to Mexico.

This comes after the Arizona Court of Appeals on Tuesday knocked down a lower-court decision forbidding Arizona law enforcement from seizing Western Union money transfers and data while investigating human-smuggling operations.

The ruling grants state investigators jurisdiction to sift through and seize certain electronic transactions from most U.S. states to Sonora.

It allows detectives to expand an Arizona investigation that resulted in the seizure of $17 million in what the state said was smugglers' fees.

High Temperatures Lead to Increased Rescues by the Border Patrol in Arizona

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Tucson, Ariz. — Within the past four days, Border Patrol agents assigned to Tucson Sector rescued over 70 individuals from the high temperatures and rugged terrain of Southern Arizona.

The largest of the rescues took place on Sunday afternoon. Agents from the Ajo Station responded to a citizen’s report of possible illegal aliens waiving down traffic on State Route 85. As agents arrived on scene it was apparent that all 17 individuals were severely dehydrated and in need of immediate medical attention.

Emergency medical personnel were contacted and all 17 individuals, ranging in age from 8 - 34, were transported to local hospitals. Four individuals needed to be air lifted due to the severity of their dehydration and exposure.

Yesterday evening, agents from the Casa Grande Station encountered a male subject in need of medical assistance near Sells, Ariz. The man was suffering from dehydration. EMS was notified and provided further medical treatment to the subject.

Also yesterday evening, agents from the Sonoita Station encountered a severely dehydrated woman west of Copper Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains. The woman’s medical situation went from bad to worse, as she passed out and remained unconscious. Agents contacted EMS and an air ambulance to respond to the scene, but due to the location and rugged terrain neither could assist. A CBP Air and Marine helicopter responded and deployed a BORSTAR agent nearby and with the help of another agent they stabilized the woman and carried her down the mountain to a waiting ambulance.

From October 1, 2007, to May 31, 2008, the Tucson Sector Border Patrol has rescued over 190 individuals from life or death situations. These rescues have attributed to a 16 percent decrease in the number of deceased individual found in the desert.

Catholic charity probed for helping illegal immigrant teen get abortion

By DIONNE WALKER, Associated Press Writer

Friday, June 20, 2008

(06-20) 13:32 PDT Richmond, Va. (AP) --

Authorities are investigating whether a Catholic charity violated state and federal law by helping a 16-year-old illegal immigrant who was in the organization's care get an abortion.

Workers with Commonwealth Catholic Charities helped the girl travel to and from the procedure in January and signed a consent form for the abortion, Joanne Nattrass, the charity's executive director, said in a statement Thursday. She declined further comment.

Four of the Richmond-based charity's workers were fired, according to a letter by David Siegel, head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' refugee resettlement program.

The federal department is looking into the charity's actions and the role played by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The conference receives $7.6 million a year in federal funds to place unaccompanied illegal immigrant children in foster care until they're reunited with relatives, sponsored, or returned to their homeland. The girl is from Guatemala but was living in Virginia when the abortion took place.

RICO used against rentals to illegal entrants

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PLAINFIELD, N.J. — A federal lawsuit using a novel method to challenge a landlord's right to rent to illegal immigrants is stoking tensions that have been rising for years in this diverse city of 50,000 south of Newark.

A prominent group that opposes illegal immigration sued a Plainfield property management company this month, seeking to set a legal precedent by using anti-racketeering legislation to crack down on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants.

The suit alleges the company has so many undocumented tenants in its buildings that it constitutes unlawful harboring and should be considered by the courts as a criminal enterprise that encourages illegal immigration.

The suit was brought by the Immigration Reform Law Institute — the legal arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform — against Connolly Properties on behalf of a former Connolly employee and two tenants who are U.S. citizens.

The tenants allege that they were steered into buildings occupied by illegal immigrants who were too afraid about their legal status to complain about decrepit conditions, according to Mike Hethmon, a lawyer for the group that filed the suit.

Flor Gonzalez, head of the Plainfield-based Latin American Coalition, worries that her city may become the latest battleground in the nationwide debate over immigration. The suit comes as tensions over the city's large immigrant population are rising to a boil, she said, with police ticketing day laborers, a recent spate of beatings and robberies of immigrants, and raids by federal immigration officials.

17 people found dehydrated in desert near Gila Bend

by Senta Scarborough - Jun. 22, 2008 06:30 PM

The Arizona Republic

Seventeen people, including four suffering severe dehydration, have been taken to local hospitals after they flagged down motorists for help along Arizona 85 near Gila Bend Sunday afternoon, U.S. Border Patrol officials said.

A 26-year-old woman and her two children were among the group, said Rob Daniels, a Border Patrol spokesman.

Border Patrol officials are still investigating the incident, but preliminary information leads them to believe the people were undocumented immigrants who crossed the border illegally just west of Lukeville.

A resident reported that people were trying to get assistance from passing motorists around noon at mile marker No. 9, Border Patrol spokesman Mario Escalante said.

The Border Patrol responded to the area and found 17 people suffering from dehydration. The high in Gila Bend on Sunday was 115.

"Most of the people were in pretty bad shape," Escalante said. "At this time, their safety and well-being is our first priority."

El Paso among nation's worst in auto thefts

By Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times

Article Launched: 04/29/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT

El Paso continued its slide into the top 30 worst cities for auto thefts last year though other large cities in the region did much worse, according to recently released rankings by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

El Paso was ranked No. 30 - compared with No. 51 in 2006 and No. 81 in 2005 - despite a decline in the number of vehicle thefts last year. Auto-theft investigators pointed out that larger decreases in thefts in other cities may have caused El Paso to move up in the listing.

El Paso police said there are links between auto theft rings in Albuquerque and the El Paso-Juárez area and that police have intercepted several vehicles stolen in Albuquerque brought south to be taken into Mexico.

Court backs photo ID for voters

Ind. argues law prevents fraud at polls

Gannett News Service

Published: 04.29.2008

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court in a fractured decision Monday upheld an Indiana law that requires voters to show a photo ID issued by the federal or state government.

Opponents had argued that the law, considered the toughest voter ID statute in the nation, places substantial practical and financial burdens on voters and is aimed at fixing a type of election fraud that rarely occurs.

The state said the law imposes minimal, if any, interference and increases public confidence in the integrity of the elections.

The court agreed. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices John Paul Stevens and Anthony Kennedy wrote that because Indiana's ID cards are free, the inconvenience of getting one does not qualify as a substantial burden on most voters' right to vote.

"States should have the ability to implement appropriate and constitutional steps to protect their electoral systems from fraud," Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said.

Hard numbers: Illegal alien drunk drivers in North Carolina

By Michelle Malkin • April 19, 2008 09:12 AM

WRAL reports on a new statistical breakdown of illegal alien drunk drivers in North Carolina. It’s a blood-pressure-raising look at the deadly revolving door, catch-and-release, the deportation abyss, and the danger of sanctuary policies embraced by those sworn to defend and protect the public:

Report From Occupied America (contd.):

Jamiel Shaw Gang Killing Enrages Los Angeles—Bratton, Villaraigosa Play For Time

By Brenda Walker

If there is anything that reveals America's moral rot stemming from the loss of law and borders, it is the protection of criminals to the endangerment of the public.

Among the violent crimes that devastate American families, there is a category that is completely preventable—those committed by illegal aliens. If the borders were defended as the Constitution requires, then the crimes done by foreigners residing unlawfully would have been avoided. If cities and states would desist from pro-crime sanctuary polices, many violent deaths could be averted.

Yet politicians from Los Angeles to Washington continue to balk at the basic responsibility of protecting law-abiding citizens from predatory foreigners. On the contrary—illegals are emboldened by liberal sanctuary policies that cut them extra slack to pursue violence, drug dealing and theft.

Los Angeles’ Special Order 40 has been making life easier for foreign criminals since 1979 when it was instituted by Chief Darryl Gates and the City Council. As Heather Mac Donald testified before a Congressional committee April 13, 2005, (Immigration and the Alien Gang Epidemic: Problems and Solutions):

“Sanctuary laws, present in such cities as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Austin, Houston, and San Francisco, generally forbid local police officers from inquiring into a suspect’s immigration status or reporting it to federal authorities. Such laws place a higher priority on protecting illegal aliens from deportation than on protecting legal immigrants and citizens from assault, rape, arson, and other crimes.

Appeals Court rules English-learner program deficient

by Mary Jo Pitzl - Apr. 18, 2008 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

Next stop in the legal battle over the state's English-learner program: The U.S. Supreme Court.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said Thursday that in the wake of a denial from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, he intends to take the case to the nation's top court.

"Fundamentally, there's an issue of principle involved," Horne said.

It boils down to who should control the state's programs for teaching English to non-native speakers: The people, through their elected officials, or a judge, Horne said.

His comments came as the Appeals Court on Thursday denied state officials' request to reconsider its February ruling against the state's English-learner program. Horne, along with Republican legislative leaders, had asked the Appeals Court for an en banc review, in which a bigger appeals panel would review the case.

Gov. refuses to sign English-learner bill but lets it become law

By Howard Fischer

CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES

PHOENIX — Gov. Janet Napolitano agreed Monday to provide $40.6 million in new state funds for English learners, one day ahead of a deadline set by a federal judge.

But she refused to actually sign the measure, to show she doesn't believe the funding resolves the issue. Instead, Napolitano let the bill become law without her signature.

That is, as a practical matter, the legal equivalent of signing the bill. But choosing this course gives her a chance to express her concerns and displeasure in writing.

More to the point, the governor noted if the state missed today's deadline of funding the plan it would have been subject to fines starting at $2 million a day.

Monday's action does not end the legal fight, which has been going on since 1992. Attorney Tim Hogan said he believes Arizona is still not complying with federal laws requiring states to ensure all students have an opportunity to learn English.

Prison-release, deport for migrants pushed

The Associated Press

Published: 04.16.2008

Federal immigration officials want other states to copy an Arizona program that releases nonviolent illegal immigrants from state prisons early and deports them.

Arizona has turned over more than 1,400 state prisoners to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since the program began in 2005, saving $18.6 million, said Dora Schriro, director of the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Eligible inmates typically were convicted of crimes from drunken driving to lower-level drug charges. Inmates were released on average 210 days early.

Schriro said Arizona was the first state to team up with ICE under the Rapid Repatriation program to help state prison officials identify illegal immigrants when they are booked. Only New York has a similar program.

"It's a great program," ICE spokesman Vincent Picard said. "It keeps criminals off the streets of Arizona. It saves the state lots of money."

Nearly 300 arrested in immigration raids at poultry plants

Wednesday April 16, 5:08 pm ET
By Anabelle Garay, Associated Press Writer

Nearly 300 arrested in immigration raids at poultry plants in 5 states; more arrests elsewhere

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Nearly 300 people were arrested Wednesday in immigration and identity theft raids at Pilgrim's Pride poultry plants in five states.

More than 100 people were arrested on immigration violations in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Moorefield, W.Va., with 45 arrests in Mount Pleasant, Texas, on charges of false use of Social Security numbers.

More than 25 people face administrative charges of immigration violations in Live Oak, Fla. They will also face identity theft or document fraud charges. More than 20 were arrested in Batesville, Ark., on federal warrants for alleged document fraud or identity theft.

"We knew in advance and cooperated fully," said Ray Atkinson, a spokesman for the Pittsburg, Texas, company.

Pilgrim's Pride faces no charges, he said.

The raids were part of a long-term investigation, officials said. Plants were raided in Mount Pleasant, Texas, Batesville, Ark., Live Oak, Fla., Chattanooga, Tenn. and Moorefield, W.Va., authorities said

Governor lets ELL bill pass - minus her signature

The Associated Press

Published: 04.15.2008

PHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano on Monday let a funding increase for Arizona's instruction of students who are learning English become law without her signature, saying the bill was flawed but she wanted the state to avoid incurring costly fines.

The Legislature approved the $40.6 million measure last week to pay for implementing a 2006 law that revamps English Language Learning programs.

The 2006 law was enacted because Arizona's ELL programs and their funding were ruled to be inadequate to satisfy federal mandates for equal opportunities in education.

Napolitano's action came one day before a deadline set March 11 by U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins for approval of appropriate funding for ELL programs. Collins ordered daily fines starting at $2 million if lawmakers missed the deadline. The fines would rise to $5 million after 30 days.

The state is requiring schools to implement instructional models that include daily four-hour immersion periods for the 138,000 ELL students in Arizona.

Illegal Immigrant Births - At Your Expense

McALLEN, Texas, April 7, 2008

(CBS) It was 5 a.m. and CBS News national correspondent Byron Pitts is with a woman who is nine months pregnant. She's rushed to a south Texas hospital to undergo a C-section - a $4,700 medical procedure that won't cost her a dime. She qualifies for emergency Medicaid.

She gave birth to a healthy, 8 1/2 pound baby boy - born in America. His Mexican mother gave him an American name: Eliot.

Eliot is one of an estimated 300,000 children of illegal immigrants born in the United States every year, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. They're given instant citizenship because they are born on U.S. soil, which makes it easier for their parents to become U.S. citizens.

That's because those babies can eventually sponsor their parents - when they turn 21 years old.

It's a "better" life ... that American taxpayers help pay for.

Take healthcare for example -- an estimated $1.1 billion per year for undocumented men, women and children, according to the Rand Corporation.

AZ losing U.S. bucks for immigrant hospital care?

HEIDI ROWLEY

Published: 04.09.2008

A federal fund that helps area hospitals cover some of the costs of treating illegal immigrants is about to dry up.

As 30 illegal immigrants injured in a van rollover Monday were receiving care here, Tucson hospital administrators were in Washington, D.C., trying to keep the fund alive beyond the September expiration date.

Kevin Burns, chief financial officer for University Medical Center, could not say Tuesday how much the seven immigrants sent to UMC for trauma care will cost the hospital.

"They have no means and when they get hurt, the hospitals of Arizona have a mandate to take care of these people," Burns said from Washington.

He said UMC receives $1 million to $2 million a year to help cover the estimated $5 million to $6 million in costs of caring for illegal immigrants.

The federal mandate, identified as Section 1011 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, helps with costs until a patient is stable.

"The moment they are deemed stable, that program no longer covers them," Burns said. "Yet that patient could end up in a hospital bed for 20 to 30 days and we don't get any compensation for that."

Eight illegals, one a minor, arrested at Bullhead City bar

By Amanda Lee Myers

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHOENIX — Eight illegal immigrants were arrested early Sunday morning at a raucous Bullhead City bar found to be serving alcohol to minors.

Police in the western Arizona city have received numerous complaints about La Conchita bar in the past six months and have recently investigated a severe beating there and an incident in which a patron pointed a gun at two employees, department spokeswoman Emily Montague said Sunday.

Montague said the department began surveillance on the bar two weeks ago after a large group of people in the parking lot threw glass beer bottles at a marked patrol car.

The department and other Arizona law enforcement agencies conducted a liquor inspection La Conchita at about 12 a.m. Sunday and found that the bar owner was serving liquor to minors. One person in the bar was just 17 years old.

Authorities also arrested nine people, eight of whom were illegal immigrants, on liquor violations. The illegal immigrants, who included the 17-year-old boy, were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.