Francisco Santillan Arellano, a self-proclaimed "Godfather," pleaded guilty to identity theft Friday in federal court in Atlanta. Arellano admitted to selling more than 90 sets of fraudulent documents per week. He faces up to 12 years in prison and a $750,000 fine.
An immigration attorney and restaurateur from Hartford, Conn. was sentenced this week to one year in Federal prison for knowingly falsifying and filing paperwork for a woman in Poland to begin the citizenship process without her knowledge or consent, the Hartford Courant reports. Jose del Castillo had pled guilty earlier this year to one count of federal document fraud after having been indicted in late 2006 on 23 counts of falsely filing immigration forms with state and Federal officials.
The ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (IMAGE) program was initiated in 2007 to help businesses reduce unauthorized employment by illegal aliens and the related use of fraudulent identity documents. This week, 26 additional companies joined IMAGE as full members, plus 10 companies and one association signed on as associate members, an ICE press release reports.
Rep. Don Cazayoux (D-LA)
Hundreds of local residents are queuing up to work at the Howard Industries plant that was raided two weeks ago in Laurel, Mississippi. Additionally, the plant may be forced to close for one year if it is found to have knowingly hired illegal aliens.
An ICE sting operation at LAX airport last week caught a long-term airport employee in the process of helping 15 illegal aliens, including two with criminal records who had previously been deported, skirt customs and immigration checks. ICE officials said they didn't know how long the alleged smuggling had been going on, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The Census Bureau’s latest “economic report card” indicates that while there was a slight increase in the overall poverty rate between 2006 and 2007 -- from 12.3 percent to 12.5 percent -- the poverty rate for immigrants in particular jumped from 15.2 percent to 16.5 percent.
Republicans ratified a Party platform this week that reversed the pro-amnesty plank President Bush laid out in the 2004 platform. The platform states that the GOP opposes amnesty, supports border security, and calls for a phased-in requirement for employers to use E-Verify to check workplace eligibility.
The California Legislature has passed a bill that would force the DMV to issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens. The bill currently sits on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk.
Arizona state Rep. Russell Pearce won his primary battle to run as the Republican candidate for Arizona's 18th district Senate seat. Pearce is famous for spearheading an Arizona law that sanctioned businesses that hired illegal aliens.