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In the News

Seven immigrant workers arrested in Vermont

In the News - Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Seven undocumented immigrants, part of a construction crew working on an independent living project at the University of Vermont, have been accused by the U.S. Border Patrol of being in the country illegally, federal officials said Monday.

By Mike Donoghue

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20120417/NEWS07/120416036/Seven-immigrant-workers-arrested-Vermont-?odyssey=tab

Border Patrol to toughen up policy on returning illegal border-crossers

In the News - Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The U.S. Border Patrol is moving to halt a revolving-door policy of sending migrants back to Mexico without any punishment.

The Border Patrol now feels it has enough of a handle to begin imposing more serious consequences on almost everyone it catches, from areas including Texas’ Rio Grande Valley to San Diego. The “Consequence Delivery System” — a key part of the Border Patrol’s new national strategy to be announced within weeks — relies largely on tools that have been rolled out over the last decade on parts of the border and expanded. It divides border crossers into seven categories, ranging from first-time offenders to people with criminal records.

By Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ap-exclusive-border-patrol-to-toughen-up-policy-on-returning-detained-migrants/2012/01/17/gIQAK6D14P_story.html

Workers taken in Asheville immigration raid on Shogun Buffet

In the News - Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Twelve restaurant workers were detained in an immigration raid off Brevard Road Tuesday, according to a local immigrants rights group. . .

Volker said agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained eight people from Latin American countries and four Asian immigrants ranging in age from 23 to around 40. Volkmer said some of the immigrants were from Mexico and El Salvador.

 

By Joel Burgess -- Asheville Citizen Times

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20111130/NEWS01/311300072/Workers-taken-in-Asheville-immigration-raid-on-Shogun-Buffet?odyssey=tab

Detroit box company raided, manager arrested in immigration probe

In the News - Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Federal agents arrested a manager at a cardboard box company in southwest Detroit this morning on charges he hired undocumented workers.

Edward Schlacht, 48, a supervisor at Grigg Box Company, was taken into custody this morning by agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

By Tresa Baldas and Tammy Stables Battaglia -- Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/article/20111129/NEWS01/111129026/Detroit-box-company-raided-by-immigration-officials?odyssey=tab

Council Tackles E-Verify Language; Approves COPS Grant

In the News - Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Springfield City Council discussed the ballot language associated with the E-verify ordinance at its Monday night meeting.
Council also discussed when to put the issue to voters: either February 7 or March 6, 2012.
Earlier this year, the Ozarks Minutemen submitted enough signatures to force a public vote.

OzarksFirst.com

http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=554587

NM secretary of state reviews voter rolls, list of foreign nationals with driver’s licenses

In the News - Tuesday, March 15, 2011

New Mexico’s top elections official told lawmakers Tuesday she is concerned that a review of the state’s voter registration rolls and a list of the thousands of foreign nationals who have been issued driver’s licenses under a much debated state law has turned up evidence of fraud.

Secretary of State Dianna Duran issued a statement Tuesday evening that provided details of her office’s findings after two days of cross checking the databases.

The office matched 117 voter registrations to names and dates of birth in the database of foreign national license holders. All 117 have Social Security numbers on their voter registrations that do not match their names, and at least 37 of those individuals have voted in New Mexico elections.

By The Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nm-secretary-of-state-reviews-voter-rolls-list-of-foreign-nationals-with-drivers-licenses/2011/03/15/ABJnIfa_story.html

Obama pressed to extend National Guard's stay along Mexico border

In the News - Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The top-ranking House Republican on border issues is pushing the Obama administration to extend the National Guard’s presence along the U.S.-Mexico border and possibly deploy the U.S. Army to help stymie violence from the drug cartels.

Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), the chairwoman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on border and maritime security, told The Hill that it would be a 'serious mistake' if the White House failed to re-authorize the deployment of National Guard troops to the border region beyond their end date on June 30.

By Jordy Yager -- The Hill

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/149801-obama-pressed-to-extend-national-guards-stay-along-mexico-border

Immigrants and the ‘Secure Communities’ Program

In the News - Friday, March 11, 2011

To the Editor:

“No Exit From a Bad Program” (editorial, Feb. 28) claims that the Secure Communities program is problematic because it results in the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants with little or no criminal record. Such a view is misguided and dangerous.

Secure Communities is the Department of Homeland Security’s comprehensive strategy to improve the identification and removal of criminal aliens from the United States.

While not perfect, this sensible program allows for an automated immigration-history check to be run at the same time as the routine criminal-history check done on every person booked into a local jail. It flags criminals who are foreign nationals and sends a notification to D.H.S., which can choose to remove the offender.

Rep. Sue Myrick -- New York Times

To the Editor:



“No Exit From a Bad Program” (editorial, Feb. 28) claims that the Secure Communities program is problematic because it results in the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants with little or no criminal record. Such a view is misguided and dangerous.



Secure Communities is the Department of Homeland Security’s comprehensive strategy to improve the identification and removal of criminal aliens from the United States.



While not perfect, this sensible program allows for an automated immigration-history check to be run at the same time as the routine criminal-history check done on every person booked into a local jail. It flags criminals who are foreign nationals and sends a notification to D.H.S., which can choose to remove the offender.



Secure Communities simply makes sense. Who wouldn’t want to remove an illegal immigrant who has been arrested by the police for a criminal offense? To make our streets safer, local law enforcement agencies should embrace the Secure Communities program. Opposition to this program is dangerous and foolish.



Sue Myrick

Member of Congress, 9th Dist., N.C.

Washington, Feb. 28, 2011

Rep. Sue Myrick -- New York Times

Show More http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/opinion/lweb11immig.html?_r=1&ref=immigrationandemigration

AP Enterprise: More immigrants getting licenses

In the News - Friday, August 13, 2010

Three states - Washington, New Mexico and Utah - allow illegal immigrants to get licenses because their laws do not require proof of citizenship or legal residency. An Associated Press analysis found that those states have seen a surge in immigrants seeking IDs in recent months, a trend experts attribute to crackdowns on illegal immigration in Arizona and elsewhere.

By TIM KORTE and MANUEL VALDES -- The Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/13/AR2010081304281.html

Fewer day laborers on Phx. streets

In the News - Thursday, August 12, 2010

Day laborers, mostly illegal immigrants from Mexico, also had proliferated in other areas of metropolitan Phoenix, including Guadalupe, west Phoenix and Fountain Hills.

But drive by any of those locations now, and only a handful of day laborers are left. And no longer do they rush up to vehicles en masse, waving their hands in a desperate bid to get hired. Now, they are more likely to keep a lower profile, leaning against a tree or sitting on a milk crate.

There are several reasons for the change. Arizona's slumping economy has dried up the demand for day laborers, who typically are hired for yard cleaning, moving, tree cutting, construction and other jobs. Many have left Arizona to look for work in other states, or they have given up and returned to Mexico.

By Daniel Gonzalez -- The Arizona Republic

http://azstarnet.com/news/article_b471c99a-3e6a-5bef-a066-0515066c4755.html

Polls

75% of Alabama Voters Support State Immigration Enforcement Law

Support Tougher Enforcement - Monday, March 19, 2012

In a Pulse Opinion Research poll of 500 likely Alabama voters, 75% support HB 56 and 52% say they "strongly support" the law. The poll also found that 54% of Alabama voters want to keep the law on the books and 59% of voters believe it "will free-up jobs for other Alabama workers." 

 

Pulse Opinion Research

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-alabama-opinion-poll-shows-broad-support-for-state-immigration-enforcement-law-2012-03-19

64% Say Border Control Top Immigration Priority

Support Tougher Enforcement - Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 64% of Likely U.S. Voters feel that when it comes to immigration reform, gaining control of the border is more important that legalizing the status of undocumented workers already living in this country.

Rasmussen Reports

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/immigration/64_say_border_control_top_immigration_priority

63% Say Border Control Is Top Immigration Priority

Support Tougher Enforcement - Wednesday, March 16, 2011

63% of Americans feel that securing the border is more important than providing amnesty for the nation's illegal aliens.

Rasmussen Reports

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/immigration/63_say_border_control_is_top_immigration_priority

Broad Support for Arizona's SB1070

Support Tougher Enforcement - Wednesday, May 12, 2010

A new Pew Research poll reveals that the majority of Americans support most of the provisions offered in Arizona's new immigration enforcement law. Seventy-three percent of Americans believe that individuals should carry proof of legal status, 67% support police being able to detain an individual that can't prove legal status, 62% support police questioning an individual they suspect to be in the country illegally, and 59% support the Arizona law.

Pew Research Center

http://people-press.org/report/613/arizona-immigration-law

55% of Colorado Voters Favor Immigration Law Like Arizona's

Support Tougher Enforcement - Saturday, May 8, 2010

Fifty-five percent (55%) of Colorado voters favor a law like the one just adopted in Arizona that authorizes local police to stop individuals they suspect of being illegal immigrants, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state. Thirty-five percent (35%) oppose such a law.

Rasmussen Reports

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_state_surveys/colorado/55_of_colorado_voters_favor_immigration_law_like_arizona_s

Arizona Voters Favor Welcoming Immigration Policy, 64% Support New Immigration Law

Support Tougher Enforcement - Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Like voters across the nation, most Arizona voters (57%) favor an immigration policy that welcomes all immigrants except “national security threats, criminals and those who would come here to live off our welfare system.” A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Arizona voters finds that just 27% oppose such a welcoming policy.

At the same time, 76% say it is more important to gain control of the border than it is to legalize the status of undocumented workers. Only 19% believe it is more important to legalize the status of undocumented workers already in the country. These views, too, are consistent with national preferences. However, Arizona voters are a bit more focused on border control.

Rasmussen Reports

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_state_surveys/arizona/arizona_voters_favor_welcoming_immigration_policy_64_support_new_immigration_law

60% Favor Letting Local Police Stop and Verify Immigration Status

Support Tougher Enforcement - Monday, April 26, 2010

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 60% of voters nationwide favor an Arizona-style law, while 31% are opposed.

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans support the law along with 62% of voters not affiliated with either major party. Democratic voters are evenly divided on the measure.

Rasmussen Reports

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/immigration/nationally_60_favor_letting_local_police_stop_and_verify_immigration_status

70% of Arizona Voters Favor New State Measure Cracking Down On Illegal Immigration

Support Tougher Enforcement - Wednesday, April 21, 2010

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 70% of likely voters in Arizona approve of the legislation SB1070, while just 23% oppose it.

Opponents of the measure, including major national Hispanic groups, say it will lead to racial profiling, and 53% of voters in the state are concerned that efforts to identify and deport illegal immigrants also will end up violating the civil rights of some U.S. citizens. Forty-six percent (46%) don’t share that concern

Rasmussen Reports

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/arizona/70_of_arizona_voters_favor_new_state_measure_cracking_down_on_illegal_immigration

59% Say U.S. Should Continue To Build Fence on U.S.-Mexico Border

Support Tougher Enforcement - Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Obama administration announced on Tuesday that it is halting funding of the fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, but 59% of Americans believe the United States should continue to build that fence.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 26% of adults disagree and think the building of the fence should be stopped. Fifteen percent (15%) more are not sure.

Rasmussen Reports

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/mexico/59_say_u_s_should_continue_to_build_fence_on_u_s_mexico_border

Half of Americans Believe Immigration Should be Reduced

Prefer Lower Numbers - Friday, August 7, 2009

A Gallup poll released on August 5, 2009 shows that 50% of all Americans believe that immigration should be reduced.  This number is 11 points higher than the figure from an identical poll conducted last year.  Only 14% of Americans say immigration should be increased (down from 18%) and 32% say immigration levels should remain the same (down from 39%).

5 August 2009, Gallup

http://www.gallup.com/poll/122057/Americans-Return-Tougher-Immigration-Stance.aspx

Stats

People Who Left the Ranks of Illegal Aliens in the Most Recent Year of Official Record

Stats - Friday, April 18, 2008

  • 183,000 Self-Deported
  • 152,000 Amnestied (allowed to adjust to legal status within U.S.)
  • 63,000 Removed by Federal Authorities
  • 27,000 Died
  • 456,000 Total

Office of Policy and Planning, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (1999)

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