department of justice
department of justice: Page 1
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GOP 2012 Platform on immigration - 08/29/12
The following are all of the excerpts in the GOP 2012 platform that mention immigration.
The entire text is available here: scribd.com/doc/104097929/Final-Language-GOP-Platform-2012
Supreme Court guts Arizona immigration law SB1070; who won, what to do - 06/25/12
[SEE UPDATE BELOW]
The US Supreme Court has struck down three of the four parts of the Arizona immigration law SB 1070, making the law largely ineffective.
Why is Fast and Furious an approved topic for establishment conservatives and libertarians? - 06/24/12
I was more than a bit surprised to see Nick Gillespie of Reason Magazine squaring off with Rachel Maddow over Fast and Furious - and taking the American side of that issue [1].
DOJ investigation claims Sheriff Joe Arpaio engaged in "unconstitutional policing" (immigration, Arizona, Maricopa County) - 12/15/11
The Department of Justice's politically-motivated quasi-witchhunt of Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has concluded with a report claiming that Arpaio engaged in "unconstitutional policing" and unreasonably targeted Latinos.
Mexico, 15 other countries file brief against Alabama immigration law; Mexico/DOJ/ACLU/SPLC/churches all on same side - 08/05/11
The Mexican government and 15 other countries [1] have filed a brief supporting those suing Alabama to block that state's new immigration law.
DOJ sues Alabama over state's new illegal immigration law - 08/02/11
Yesterday the Department of Justice sued Alabama over that state's new anti-illegal immigration law, just as it sued Arizona over the law that Alabama's was modeled after.
Supreme Court upholds 2007 Arizona immigration enforcement law; eVerify; losing: US Chamber, DOJ, Berman, NCLR, ADL, SPLC, AILA, SEIU, LULAC - 05/26/11
In a major victory for states that want to reduce illegal immigration, the US Supreme Court has upheld Arizona's 2007 "Legal Arizona Workers Act" employer enforcement law that requires the use of eVerify and that allows Arizona to pull the business licenses of companies that knowingly hire illegal aliens. Note that the 2007 law and the decision have no relation to Arizona's more recent immigration law. A Los Angeles Times article is here, and links to legal documents are here. Sonia Sotomayor voted in dissent; see her name's link.
Those who opposed Arizona's law in court and who lost today...
Shurtleff says Feds won't sue Utah over guest worker scheme (from Utah Compact to America's Compact?) - 04/08/11
Utah recently passed a "guest workers" bill that would have them in effect using a Mexican state as an employment agency. One problem from the perspective of the supporters of the bill: the bill appears to be illegal under federal law, meaning that at the least Utah would need some sort of waiver in order to proceed with the scheme.
Needless to say, that's not an issue (link with video). Bearing in mind that things could change (for instance if enough people complain to the U.S. Congress), Utah AG Mark Shurtleff gives the not-too-surprising news that the Obama administration is in his corner...
Who in the DOJ knew about "gun walking"? (ATF letting guns go to Mexico) - 03/28/11
"Project Gunrunner" was a BATF scheme in which they encouraged gun stores to sell to those who were likely to send the purchased guns to Mexico to be used in that country's drug wars. Two of those guns might have been used to kill Border Patrol agent Brian Terry and ICE agent Jamie Zapata.
The supposed goal of Gunrunner was to trace the guns to Mexico in order to catch the higher-ups, but it apparently had very little success. And, it would be nearly impossible for their not to be a political component. The Obama administration has been harping on guns being sent to Mexico for two years,...
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...
DOJ sues Joe Arpaio over civil rights investigation documents - 09/02/10
The Department of Justice has sued Joe Arpaio - sheriff of Maricopa County - claiming that he's obstructed their investigation into possible racial profiling. This is, needless to say, the Obama administration's latest attack on Arizona in an attempt to prevent states from doing the job the federal government won't do: try to reduce illegal immigration. And, those attacks are preventable if people would work to reduce illegal immigration in smart ways.
From the DOJ's press release [1]:
The department filed today’s lawsuit after exhausting all cooperative measures to gain access to MCSO’s...
ABA files second amicus brief against Arizona immigration law (DOJ + ACLU) - 07/12/10
The American Bar Association has filed [1] their second amicus brief in suits against the new Arizona immigration law.
DOJ may challenge Arizona immigration law: what to do - 06/18/10
Earlier this month in an interview with TV reporter in Ecuador, Hillary Clinton stated that the Department of Justice will be challenging the new Arizona immigration law in court. I was a bit skeptical since she's not the DOJ and she might have been basing it on an assumption rather than knowledge.
However, CBS News now offers this (link):
Now a senior administration official tells CBS News that the federal government will indeed formally challenge the law when Justice Department lawyers are finished building the case. The official said Justice is still working on building the case.
Contacted...
2002 DOJ memo: local police have "inherent power" to arrest illegal aliens (Arizona immigration law challenges) - 05/18/10
From this:
In the legal battle over Arizona's new immigration law, an ironic subtext has emerged: whether a Bush-era legal opinion complicates a potential Obama administration lawsuit against Arizona.
The document, written in 2002 by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, concluded that state police officers have "inherent power" to arrest undocumented immigrants for violating federal law. It was issued by Jay S. Bybee, who also helped write controversial memos from the same era that sanctioned harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects.
The author of the Arizona law -- which has...
Obama administration considers suing Arizona over immigration law; preemption (+Kornblut, Markon wrong) - 04/28/10
Jerry Markon and Anne Kornblut offer "Justice Department considers suing Arizona to block immigration law" (link):
Officials in the Obama administration are urging the extraordinary step of suing Arizona over its new immigration law, and the Justice Department is considering such an action to block the legislation from taking effect, government officials said Wednesday.
A key legal ground being considered, officials said, is the doctrine of "preemption" -- arguing that the state's law illegally intrudes on immigration enforcement, which is a federal responsibility...
The prospect of federal...
Obama admin will fight Arizona immigration law; DOJ; "misguided" - 04/23/10
Speaking at a naturalization ceremony earlier today, Barack Obama in effect indicated that his administration will use the Department of Justice to oppose Arizona's new, tough immigration bill if it becomes law. Among other things:
(If the federal government doesn't work towards comprehensive immigration reform) "it will open the door to irresponsibility by others... ...That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to...
Priorities: DOJ goes after college for requiring green card from legal immigrant - 04/17/10
Nina Bernstein of the New York Times offers "John Jay College Accused of Bias Against Noncitizens" (nytimes.com/2010/04/17/nyregion/17johnjay.html):
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Friday against John Jay College of Criminal Justice, alleging that the school engaged in a pattern of job discrimination against noncitizens who were authorized to work.
The lawsuit, considered the department’s first in years to crack down on immigration-related discrimination against noncitizens, says the college violated provisions of immigration law by demanding extra work authorization from at least...
DOJ unable to go after Joe Arpaio for racial profiling, goes after him for abuse of power instead - 01/08/10
From this:
A federal grand jury in Phoenix is looking at abuse of power allegations against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
County Communications Director Cari Gerchick told the Phoenix Business Journal Thursday night that County Manager David Smith and County Budget Director Sandi Smith have met with federal prosecutors and will appear before a federal grand jury in Phoenix on Jan. 13.
Gerchick said the grand jury is looking at abuse of power charges against the MCSO and Arpaio. Sandra Raynor, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix declined comment...
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....
DOJ investigators pose as reporters at Joe Arpaio press conference? (Je Yon Jung) - 10/20/09
According to this unconfirmed FreeRepublic posting, on yesterday's JD Hayworth radio show on Arizona's KFYI:
Sheriff (Joe Arpaio) held a sweep in NW Phoenix, Friday October 16, 2009. He had a press conference after. US Department of Justice Officials (approximately 5) showed up at the conference, UNDERCOVER, POSING AS REPORTERS. When contacted by a Sheriff commander, the Federal Civil Rights officials posing as journalists, conducted themselves "unprofessionally" and "refused to provide official identification. Only one official from the "covert team provided any form of ID when pressed."...
DOJ blocks Georgia from checking citizenship of voters; GA has evidence of non-citizen voting - 06/02/09
From this press release from Karen Handel, Secretary of State of Georgia:
"The decision by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to deny preclearance of Georgia’s already implemented citizenship verification process shows a shocking disregard for the integrity of our elections. With this decision, DOJ has now barred Georgia from continuing the citizenship verification program that DOJ lawyers helped to craft. DOJ’s decision also nullifies the orders of two federal courts directing Georgia to implement the procedure for the 2008 general election. The decision comes seven months after Georgia...
Sad: U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton resigns; future plans unclear (Ramos & Compean) - 04/10/09
Johnny Sutton - the U.S. Attorney in Texas appointed by his friend George W Bush - will be resigning effective April 19 (link).
DOJ nominee Thomas Perez pushed driver's licenses for illegal aliens when president of CASA - 04/06/09
Paul West of the Los Angeles Times offers "Obama's civil rights nominee should be ready for a fight" (link) about Thomas Perez, the Maryland labor secretary who was nominated to head the civil rights division of the Department of Justice. Among other things, it contains this:
Immigration is a minor responsibility for the division's lawyers, but the topic is likely to be a focus in the confirmation of Perez, a Dominican American. For seven years, he was a director of CASA of Maryland, an immigrant rights group, and served as its president in 2002. That year, CASA lobbied the Maryland General...
DOJ investigating Sheriff Joe Arpaio over supposed racial profiling (Lofgren, Conyers, Nadler, Robert Scott, ACORN) - 03/12/09
From this:
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Arizona following requests by congressional Democrats and allegations by liberal activists that the department has violated the civil rights of illegal aliens.
Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and Robert Scott (D-Va.) requested the investigation, and activists groups such as (National Day Laborer Organizing Network, NDLON) and ACORN launched petition drives and rallies in support of the probe.
The investigation focuses on Sheriff Joe...
Thomas Saenz of MALDEF is new DOJ civil rights division chief (Villaraigosa) - 02/24/09
Per the Los Angeles Daily Journal (reblogged by the WSJ here), the new head of the civil rights division at the Department of Justice is Thomas Saenz.
For about a dozen years, Saenz worked as an attorney for the far-left, illegal immigration-supporting Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and lately he was of counsel to the far-left, illegal immigration-supporting mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa.
Needless to say, the ACLU cheered the news:
"I don’t think the president or attorney general could make a better selection," said Mark Rosenbaum, legal director of...
Does Barack Obama support the First Amendment? (answer: well, it depends) - 09/25/08
Is Barack Obama a strong proponent of the First Amendment? Does he support free speech, even by those who strongly disagree with him? The answer is: not really.
I'll keep track in reverse chronological order (note, of course, that there are other examples throughout the time period):
Jessica Alvarez - 09/07/06
This is a common name and the following may refer to one or more persons:
Appears to be IDed as an "organizer" with the National Capital Immigration Coalition at this page. That CSPAN "vignette" (ID: 192294) discussed May 1's "National Day of Civic Action for Immigrants".
John Kerry, civil libertarian. Part 2 - 07/26/04
The liberaltarians at Reason provide a run-down of Kerry's record on civil liberties (reason . com/hod/jb072604.shtml):
Then it was Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.) who argued alongside the ACLU in favor of the individual's right to encrypt messages and export encryption software. Ashcroft "was kind of the go-to guy for all of us on the Republican side of the Senate," recalls David Sobel, general counsel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
"Mexican ID opens doors for undocumented workers in U.S." - 02/21/03
I created a thread here about the Dallas Morning News article "Mexican ID opens doors for undocumented workers in U.S." (link). The subtitle of the article is 'Critics say 'matricula' is a tool to facilitate illegal immigration', which in a way summarizes the whole article: it's mostly pro-Matricula Consular, with a few anti-MC comments thrown in for a semblance of balance.
Of particular note: