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Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, several others shot; Palin, Tea Party candidate - 01/08/11

UPDATES BELOW Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and several others were shot earlier today and there are conflicting reports on whether she and others were killed. Per this: The gunman, who may have come from inside the Safeway, walked up and shot Gifford in the head first, "point blank". According to [an eyewitness, Steven Rayle], who is a former ER doctor, Gifford was able to move her hands after being shot... After shooting Gifford, the gunman opened fire indiscriminately for a few seconds, firing 20-30 rounds and hitting a number of people, including a kid no older than 10 years old... The gunman...

ICE cooked the books on record number of deportations - 12/21/10

Earlier this month, the George Soros-funded Center for Investigative Reporting offered this: For much of this year, the Obama administration touted its tougher-than-ever approach to immigration enforcement, culminating in a record number of deportations. But in reaching 392,862 deportations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement included more than 19,000 immigrants who had exited the previous fiscal year, according to agency statistics. ICE also ran a Mexican repatriation program five weeks longer than ever before, allowing the agency to count at least 6,500 exits that, without the program...

U.S. bows to United Nations Human Rights Council, ACLU helps (Arizona, SB1070) - 11/05/10

In Geneva today the United Nations Human Rights Council met to assess the U.S.'s record on human rights, or at least human rights as they see them. And, as previously discussed, the report from the U.S. government mentions Arizona's recent SB1070 immigration law. While I downplayed the significance of this in the earlier post, perhaps I should raise the alert level given that one of the groups involved in complaining to the U.N. about the U.S. is the American Civil Liberties Union; more on them below. From this: The United States is submitting its human rights record to the scrutiny of other...

Senators: ICE doing selective enforcement, not asking for more resources - 10/27/10

A group of senators [1] recently sent a letter to Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security pointing out that her version of immigration enforcement is selective and also noting that the DHS hasn't asked for more resources to do their job. Here's part of the letter (link): Recently, media reports have revealed that pending removal proceedings are being dismissed in record numbers. That sharp increase in dismissals is the result of a directive from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director (John Morton) to all ICE attorneys to review pending cases and seek dismissal if...

DHS undercuts 287g immigration enforcement in Nashville (wants most screened to be serious offenders) - 10/24/10

From this story about the 287g program in the county containing Nashville, Tennessee: Earlier this year, federal officials decided the Davidson County Sheriff's 287(g) program that screens the immigration status of incarcerated foreign nationals was targeting too many minor criminal offenders and not enough felons. Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall's controversial program is supposed to place a priority on screening foreign nationals who are accused of committing serious felonies, according to last year's revised 287(g) agreement between Metro and the federal government. But internal U.S....

DHS claims to have set record for deportations, fines; Secure Communities - 10/11/10

From a Department of Homeland Security press release [1]: In fiscal year 2010, ICE set a record for overall removals of illegal aliens, with more than 392,000 removals nationwide. Half of those removed - more than 195,000 - were convicted criminals. The fiscal year 2010 statistics represent increases of more than 23,000 removals overall and 81,000 criminal removals compared to fiscal year 2008 - a more than 70 percent increase in removal of criminal aliens from the previous administration. DHS has also expanded the Secure Communities initiative - which uses biometric information and services...

Secure Communities is mandatory, over objections of San Francisco and others - 10/01/10

The Department of Homeland Security's Secure Communities program collects the fingerprints of those charged with crimes by localities and checks them for immigration violations. Now, a few illegal immigration-supporting communities are finding out that, despite a previous statement from DHS implying otherwise, there's no opt-out. Localities already send such fingerprints to the FBI and the DHS gets them from the latter source and not from the former. From this: A senior ICE official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the involuntary nature of...

New DHS policies are de facto amnesty; John Morton thinks ICE has enough money - 09/10/10

The Department of Homeland Security - specifically their Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency headed by John Morton - has instituted new policies that amount to a form of a de facto amnesty. And, all of this has been done without anywhere near the outcry that would occur from an amnesty proposal in Congress. Granted, these policies don't include a "pathway to citizenship" and the other perks that would be included in comprehensive immigration reform. However, they'll let most illegal aliens off the hook for the indefinite future and - just like a real amnesty - that will probably...

Over 500,000 fugitive illegal aliens in U.S. (catch and release) - 09/08/10

Per this: The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) says that as of Sunday, Sept. 5, it had caught-and-released 506,232 illegal aliens who are now fugtives. That is more than the population of Sacramento, California, which currently numbers 486,189. "Fugitive illegal alien" generally means someone who was caught as an illegal alien, who promised to appear in court to answer the charge, and then who never showed up or someone who was ordered deported but never showed up. That's distinct from a "criminal illegal alien", which is an illegal alien who's committed a non-immigration...

Pew: illegal immigration inflow fell (Obama not involved; Bush responsible for 5 million; 60% from Mexico; 9.3% of CA's workforce) - 09/04/10

Pew Hispanic recently released a study entitled "U.S. Unauthorized Immigration Flows Are Down Sharply Since Mid-Decade" (link). There are links to two previous studies with similar findings by the Department of Homeland Security and the Center for Immigration Studies here. According to Pew's study: The annual inflow of unauthorized immigrants to the United States was nearly two-thirds smaller in the March 2007 to March 2009 period than it had been from March 2000 to March 2005... ...This sharp decline has contributed to an overall reduction of 8% in the number of unauthorized immigrants...

ICE goes easy on both illegal aliens and their employers ("silent raids", audits) - 09/03/10

Under the Bush administration, the Department of Homeland Security engaged in a small number of showy but not overly effective immigration raids. Under the Obama administration, the DHS switched to (in addition generally not doing its job) what are called "silent raids" where they audit a company's employment records and then request that the employees are fired if they can't prove they're here legally. That lets illegal aliens stay in the U.S. and simply go find work at another company. And, that helps the Democrats maintain a power base. (Over nine months ago I urged people to ask Janet...

DHS letting deportable illegal aliens go if they could get green card (John Morton) - 08/27/10

From this: In a new and more lenient policy, the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has instructed the agency's legal office to stop the deportation proceedings of foreign nationals who may now be eligible for a green card. South Florida immigration attorneys and activists said the move is the first solid evidence of more tolerance by ICE toward some foreign nationals facing removal to their homelands. Affected are possibly tens of thousands who are married or related to a U.S. citizen or a legal resident who has filed a petition for them. The immigrants who will benefit must...

DHS caught, released, can't find 481 illegal aliens from terrorist states, countries of interest - 08/12/10

From this: In the three fiscal years from 2007-2009, the Department of Homeland Security caught and released 481 illegal aliens from nations designated as state sponsors of terrorism and “countries of interest,” and those 481 aliens are now fugitives, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement database obtained by CNSNews.com as the result of a Freedom of Information Act request. The four state sponsors of terrorism, as determined by the State Department, are Iran, Syria, Sudan and Cuba. The “countries of interest” are those additional countries whose citizens have been subjected to...

John Morton of ICE misleads, says he and Obama don't support amnesty - 08/12/10

Back in 2007, former Department of Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff said that the DHS wasn't "in the business of doing amnesty". Now, the head of the DHS' Immigrations and Custom Enforcement ("ICE") is making similarly false claims.

ICE memo: deport the criminals first. Will they greatly reduce deporting non-criminals? - 08/09/10

From this: New guidance telling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to focus on apprehending terrorists and criminals has many of ICE's rank-and-file agents wondering who then is responsible for tracking down and detaining the millions of other illegal border-crossers and fugitive aliens now in the country. The new guidelines are outlined in a June 29 memo from Assistant Secretary John Morton, who heads the agency, to all ICE employees regarding the apprehension, detention and removal of illegal immigrants, noting that the agency "only has resources to remove approximately 400,000...

ICE refusing to deport illegal alien students (John Morton, DREAM Act) - 08/09/10

Julia Preston of the New York Times offers this: The Obama administration, while deporting a record number of immigrants convicted of crimes, is sparing one group of illegal immigrants from expulsion: students who came to the United States without papers when they were children. In case after case where immigrant students were identified by federal agents as being in the country illegally, the students were released from detention and their deportations were suspended or canceled, lawyers and immigrant advocates said. Officials have even declined to deport students who openly declared their...

ICE agents issue "Vote of No Confidence" on John Morton, Phyllis Coven (politicizing ICE, pushing amnesty) - 08/06/10

From this: In an unprecedented move within the Department of Homeland Security, the detention and removal officers and agents responsible for and sworn to enforcing our nation's immigration laws issued an exhaustive, scathing letter simply titled "VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN ICE DIRECTOR JOHN MORTON AND ODPP ASSISTANT DIRECTOR PHYLLIS COVEN" on June 11, 2010. The letter, acquired through sources, provides a litany of examples of how ICE's mission is being skewed towards supporting an unflinching goal of amnesty by refusing to allow agents to do their job; allowing criminal aliens to roam free;...

Harold Hurtt - now local coordinator for ICE - is strong sanctuary city supporter - 06/25/10

From this: Harold Hurtt, a former police chief in Houston and Phoenix, has been hired as the director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of State and Local Coordination. Starting July 6, Hurtt will supervise outreach and communication between ICE, local law enforcement agencies, tribal leaders and representatives from non-governmental organizations... ...as a police chief, Hurtt was a supporter of (sanctuary cities) policies, by which illegal immigrants who don't commit crimes can live without fear of exposure or detainment because police don't check for immigration...

John Morton of ICE: let illegal alien crime suspects go free pending conviction? - 06/22/10

John Morton - head of ICE, part of the Department of Homeland Security - has changed the name of "Detention and Removal Operations" into "Enforcement and Removal Operations", de-emphasizing the detention part of that operation.

Hundreds of possibly terrorism-linked Somalis crossed the border illegally - 05/27/10

From this: The Department of Homeland Security is alerting Texas authorities to be on the lookout for a suspected member of the Somalia-based Al Shabaab terrorist group who might be attempting to travel to the U.S. through Mexico, a security expert who has seen the memo tells FOXNews.com. The warning follows an indictment unsealed this month in Texas federal court that accuses a Somali man in Texas of running a "large-scale smuggling enterprise" responsible for bringing hundreds of Somalis from Brazil through South America and eventually across the Mexican border. Many of the illegal...

John Morton: ICE might not process illegal aliens arrested under Arizona immigration law - 05/20/10

John Morton, the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary who heads ICE, visited Chicago yesterday and promised to ramp up immigration enforcement. Then, he said this (link): Echoing comments by President Barack Obama and others in the administration, Morton said that Arizona's new law targeting illegal immigration is not "good government." The law makes it a crime to be in the state illegally and requires police to check suspects for immigration paperwork. Morton said his agency will not necessarily process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona officials. The best way to...

Nancy Morawetz costs NYC $145,000; NYC releases illegal aliens onto the street - 05/09/10

From this: An illegal immigrant with a long rap sheet got a $145,000 parting gift from New York City taxpayers before he was deported, after city lawyers decided his civil rights had been violated when he was held too long on Rikers Island. Federal rules allow local law enforcement to detain suspected illegal immigrants for 48 hours after their criminal cases are resolved, to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement a chance to pick them up and move them to federal facilities. Former Brooklyn resident Cecil Harvey, 55 -- backed by an immigration-rights advocacy group -- argued that his rights...

Far-left working to block Napolitano's "Secure Communities" program - 04/28/10

The "Secure Communities" program from the Department of Homeland Security is Janet Napolitano's kinder, gentler alternative to the 287g program. That's not good enough for the far-left (link). Yesterday they released the following: [T]he National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Immigration Justice Clinic of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (of Yeshiva University) filed a lawsuit demanding records related to the little-known United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) "Secure Communities" program that further...

Brewer signs Arizona immigration law; far-left begins opposition (MALDEF, America's Voice, Phil Gordon) - 04/23/10

Earlier today, Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed into law the tough immigration bill from Russell Pearce (link).

Far-left wants John Morton fired over immigration quotas memo (also want little or no enforcement) - 03/31/10

Yesterday, Frank Sharry of America's Voice offered "ICE Out of Control: Time to Rein in Rogue Agency and Pass Immigration Reform" [1], showing once again how little use those who support comprehensive immigration reform have for immigration enforcement. One of the selling features of "reform" is increased enforcement, yet "reform" would give even more power to those like Sharry who advocate against enforcement: Today, a group of grassroots leaders are demanding that the Obama Administration fire John Morton, the head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Department...

ICE walks back from memo setting deportation quotas; "inconsistent with the administration's point of view" - 03/31/10

A few days ago, Spencer Hsu and Andrew Becker of the Washington Post offered "ICE officials set quotas to deport more illegal immigrants" (link):

DHS official: DHS not ready for amnesty for "a few years": "Clearly to us the systems could not handle it now" - 03/25/10

From this: The federal government is not equipped to process the flood of applications from a proposed immigration legalization bill and the agency that would oversee that program won't be ready for "a few years," the office of the Homeland Security Department's inspector general told Congress on Tuesday. The warning, from Assistant Inspector General Frank Deffer, could severely complicate President Obama's new push to pass an immigration bill this year. Mr. Deffer said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, is in the midst of...

Virtual border fence: DHS doesn't know when or if it will be completed - 03/01/10

From this: A multibillion-dollar "virtual fence" along the southwestern border promised for completion in 2009 to protect the U.S. from terrorists, violent drug smugglers and a flood of illegal immigrants is a long way from becoming a reality, with government officials unable to say when, how or whether it will ever be completed. More than three years after launching a major border security initiative and forking over more than $1 billion to the Boeing Co., the project's major contractor, Homeland Security Department officials are re-evaluating the high-tech component of the plan in the wake...

E-Verify fails to detect illegal aliens 54% of the time; Schumer, MPI cheer - 02/25/10

From Suzanne Gamboa of the Associated Press comes this: The online tool E-Verify, now used voluntarily by employers, wrongly clears illegal workers about 54 percent of the time, according to Westat, a research company that evaluated the system for the Homeland Security Department. E-Verify missed so many illegal workers mainly because it can't detect identity fraud, Westat said. "Clearly it means it's not doing it's No. 1 job well enough," said Mark Rosenblum, a researcher at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, Washington think tank... ...E-Verify correctly identified legal workers...

John Morton immigration detention reforms: scaling it back - 01/26/10

John Morton of the Department of Homeland Security spoke at the Migration Policy Institute yesterday about reforms he's making concerning immigration detention. The Immigration Policy Center has a report here, and their summary of his upcoming reforms includes: * [...centralizing] facilities [which] would be managed at the top by federal employees subject to clear, transparent, and fully implemented detention standards (though Morton told the crowd at MPI that they must be "patient" on revised detention standards, as ICE is trying to find something that works for both advocates and...

DHS' Morton: defends 287g program; defends Arpaio against claims of racial profiling - 01/21/10

From this: ...During a large protest on Saturday in Phoenix that drew 10,000 people, immigrant-rights advocates called on the Department of Homeland Security to end (the 287g program), saying some Valley police officers are engaging in racial profiling by arresting Latinos for minor crimes in order to check their immigration status during the booking process. But John Morton, the assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (of the Department of Homeland Security), said that is "not in practice what we have seen in the program" known as 287 (g). Furthermore, he said that while...

Obama administration was briefed on possible terrorist attacks over holidays - 01/02/10

Three days before the failed terrorist attack over Detroit, the Obama administration was briefed about the possibility of terror attacks over the holidays (link). This is of course similar to the infamous "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US" report that George W Bush received shortly before 911: President Obama received a high-level briefing only three days before Christmas about possible holiday-period terrorist threats against the U.S., NEWSWEEK has learned. The briefing was centered on a written report, produced by U.S. intelligence agencies, titled "Key Homeland Threats," a senior U.S....

Pilgrim's Pride slapped on wrist; won't be prosecuted for hiring illegal aliens - 12/30/09

From a Department of Homeland Security press release (link): Immigration and Customs Enforcement have reached a non-prosecution agreement to resolve an investigation with respect to the hiring and employment of unauthorized aliens at Pilgrim's Pride's plants in the Eastern District of Texas... Under the terms of the agreement, Pilgrim's Pride agrees to pay $4.5 million [NOTE: over three years] and adopt more stringent immigration compliance practices to ensure that its work force is composed of employees legally entitled to work in the United States. In return, the U. S. Attorney's Office...

Janet Napolitano on failed terror attack: "The system worked" (video) - 12/27/09

Speaking to Candy Crowley of CNN earlier today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was asked about the failed terror attack that occurred on Christmas Day aboard a jet bound from Amsterdam to Detroit. Per Napolitano, "the system worked" (see the video, also at peekURL.com/vcmnigh ). Obviously, the system didn't work; the only things that averted tragedy were a failed detonator (link) and an alert passenger who subdued the terrorist. The DHS clearly failed, but so too did the State Department and perhaps other agencies. Rep. Peter King responds to Napolitano, saying (...

Devin Dwyer of ABC News promotes anti-American bill; would deprive some U.S. students of college - 12/16/09

Devin Dwyer of ABC News offers the four-screen "Legal Limbo: Undocumented Students Eager for Congress to Act" [1] in which he promotes an anti-American bill that would prevent some U.S. students from attending college. If you trust Dwyer's reporting, please visit these two links:

DHS claims will audit 1000 employers for immigration compliance - 11/19/09

From this: About 1,000 employers nationwide will be audited for possible immigration violations in an escalation of the Obama administration's effort to increase pressure on business owners not to hire illegal immigrants. The businesses will get a notice that the government intends to audit their compliance with immigration laws, the Department of Homeland Security said. The sweep follows a similar action in July during which authorities audited 654 employers. Agents will check the eligibility of workers at each firm, with violations potentially leading to fines, as well as civil or criminal...

DHS worksite enforcement against illegal aliens plummeted under Obama, Napolitano - 11/19/09

Per this: Criminal arrests, administrative arrests, indictments and convictions of illegal immigrants at work sites all fell by more than 50 percent from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009... Fiscal 2008 ran from Oct. 1, 2007, through Sept. 30, 2008. Fiscal 2009 began Oct. 1, 2008, and ran through Sept. 30 of this year. The exact figures are: * Criminal arrests: down 60% * Criminal indictments: down 58% * Convictions: down 63% * Administrative arrests: down 68% The DHS is a bit defensive:

More questions for DHS' Janet Napolitano - 11/13/09

In addition to the question here, there are some questions for Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security below.

Janet Napolitano falsely says she needs immigration "reform" to do her job; says border more secure; sounds like Chertoff - 11/13/09

Speaking at the Center for American Progress earlier today (prepared remarks: www.dhs.gov/ynews/speeches/sp_1258123461050.shtm NYT article: link full video: americanprogress.org/events/2009/11/Napolitano.html), Department of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano said that she needs comprehensive immigration reform (downsides at the link) to do her job and that such "reform" (aka amnesty) is more attainable due both to supposed increased border security and due to fewer people trying to cross because of the economic downturn. In her speech, she sounded almost exactly like Michael...

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