Obama and Napolitano lay out welcome mat to greater influx of illegals

With Barack Obama ensconced in the White House — when the global traveler is actually in Washington DC –  and Janet Napolitano as Homeland INsecurity Secretary (DHS), new federal standards have been announced intended to tie the hands of local police in enforcement of  immigration laws.

Think of it this way: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has essentially had a federal program crafted specifically to restrain him.       

Former Arizona Gov. Napolitano says that targeting people who commit minor offenses is not the goal of the program. It is arresting and deporting illegal immigrants who commit violent crimes and major drug offenses, the daily reports.

In other words, come on in, the door is open and the welcome mat is out. The federal government of the United State has no intention of enforcing border security or protecting national sovereignty, less than eight years after September 11^th.

For his  part, Arpaio has vowed to continue conducting crime-suppression operations and says he will continue booking suspected illegal immigrants who commit minor crimes in jail, where immigration status has been automatically checked as part of the federal 287 (g) program.

According to the administration, the culprits to be curbed are not those illegally entering the U.S., but the law enforcement professionals who apprehend them.

A DHS spokesman made this odd statement:  “The focus is going to be on criminal aliens.”

Isn’t that anyone who breaks into our country in violation of the law? The fact is, illegals engage in continued criminal activity once the initial act of stealthy crossing into this country has occurred.  There is a booming market in forged, counterfeit and stolen identification, birth certificates, Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses, the necessary components to facilitate their lives in the U.S. after arriving.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has referred 30,000 suspected illegals to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the program, about 26,000 of whom were identified after being booked into jail for crimes ranging from felonies to misdemeanors.

Arpaio’s crime sweeps have been hailed by the voters who repeatedly reelect him and other advocates of stricter enforcement.

“DHS has already negotiated agreements with numerous state and local agencies – many just within the last few years. It is counterproductive to bully them now with this kind of ultimatum and undermine their successful programs,” said U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, (R-TX), a strong supporter of the 287 (g) program. “This is another example of the administration making it harder to find and deport illegal immigrants,” he said.

Just a few more good people coming to do the work Americans refuse to do

illegal aliens selling pirated movies still in theaters

Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Karina Romero-Figueroa, 24, and Judith Romero-Figueroa, 27, on two counts of pirating movies and music, a class-three felony.

The two suspects are being held in the county jail without bond, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

One suspect who fled deputies, leaving two teenagers behind, is still at large. Those children are currently with Child Protective Services. The two suspects in custody have admitted to selling these pirated movies and music titles for the past year at a Mercado for five dollars apiece.

“We have received intelligence indicating that illegal aliens are believed to be heavily involved in this type of activity locally and I will be working closely with these companies to crack down on the problem” Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.

Sheriff’s officials were contacted with the information leading to the arrests by a local private investigation firm that is working for the Recording Industry of America. During the raid, deputies recovered 1,252 movies and over 1,800 music CD’s and MP3’s. Some of the movie titles included Transformers, Ice Age, and Up, all of which are currently in theaters.

 The early morning raid comes just hours after a news conference where Sheriff Arpaio and his attorneys announced their disappointment in the way that the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil investigation is being conducted.

 “I will say it again; I am not going to be deterred by the Justice Department’s attempt to intimidate me from doing my job” Arpaio says.

Since the civil investigation was launched by the Justice Department in March of this year, the Sheriff’s Office has arrested and booked over 4,000 illegal aliens.

Barto lays down her hand — and gets trumped

In the back and forth emails making the rounds after six defectors left the Capitol building to avoid going on record as opposing HB 2280 –  a bill which would have ended sanctuary city policies –  Rep. Nancy Barto (R-Dist.7) attempts to defend her actions.  

She writes: “Rank and file officers are not calling for this bill — they want and need true discretion to perform their duties.”

How, then, does she explain this?

The bill authored by Sen. Russell Pearce (R-Dist.18) was endorsed by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, AZ Fraternal Order of Police, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA), Maricopa County Deputies Association, Border Patrol Officers Association, Arizona State Republican Party, Maricopa County Republican Party, Arizona Highway Patrol Association. It also gained the support of  the Arizona African American Republican Committee, Arizona Republican Assembly, The Pachyderm Coalition, NumbersUSA, and F.A.I.R.

Seeing Red AZ covered the spineless misadventures of these legislators in this post: Keep these folks in mind when elections roll around.  Maricopa County Republican Chairman Rob Haney voiced his concerns in this letter sent to GOP political activists.

Haney wrote: Last week nine of our Republican state representatives opposed a SOVEREIGNTY bill which would have attempted to end sanctuary city policies. Six of the nine did not even have the courage to vote their convictions. They chose to attempt to protect their political future by not voting. This lack of courage, as well as the failure to understand that the well-being, if not survival, of our citizens and our country is so intricately tied to this invasion is unconscionable. The billed failed by five votes. It was within the power of these nine Republican representatives to protect you and enforce Constitutional mandates. They failed you.

Point well taken, Chairman Haney.

Decline in Mexican tourism? It’s not the lack of passports

The daily bemoans a new law requiring Americans to have a passport in order to visit Mexico, calling this June 1 prerequisite for crossing the Mexican border the latest in a series of problems plaguing the Mexico travel industry. Beside the need for passports when visiting Mexico or Canada, Valley travel businesses also lay blame on the recession for dampening travel south of the border.

While those may be contributing factors, the fact is, Mexico now ranks as one of the world’s most dangerous nations, with drug cartels reigning bloody terror over Mexicans and visitors alike. It also has among the most elevated rates of swine flu worldwide — a disease now being called a “pandemic.”

The U.S. Department of State travel alerts list cautionary information for those traveling to Mexico.  Here is a sample:

CRIME: Crime in Mexico continues to occur at a high rate, and it can often be violent, especially in Mexico City, Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Acapulco, and the states of Sinaloa and Durango. Other metropolitan areas have lower, but still serious, levels of crime. The low rates of apprehension and conviction of criminals also contribute to Mexico’s high crime rate

THREATS TO SAFETY AND SECURITY: Violence by criminal elements affects many parts of the country, including urban and rural areas, visitors should remain alert and be aware of their surroundings at all times. In its efforts to combat violence, the Government of Mexico has deployed military troops to various parts of the country. Military checkpoints increased in border areas in early 2008.

Visitors are also warned of armed robbery and rape, while kidnappings of non-Mexicans, which are described on the site as a “lucrative business,” continue to occur at alarming rates.

Mexican authorities have failed to prosecute numerous crimes committed against U.S. citizens, including murders and kidnappings. Local police forces suffer from a lack of funds and training, and the judicial system is weak, overworked, and inefficient. Criminals, armed with an impressive array of weapons, know there is little chance they will be caught and punished. In some cases, assailants were wearing full or partial police uniforms and have vehicles that resemble police vehicles, indicating that some elements of the police may have been involved.

Blaming the decline in tourism on passport requirements is akin to blaming the hot summer temperatures in Phoenix on the lack of shade trees.

Illegal Update

Just a few more good people coming to do the work Americans refuse to do

 Alfonso Valdez-Cota, 24, and Kaven Alfonso Chavez-Aguirre, 25, both “citizens of Mexico,” were sentenced on June 29, 2009, by U.S. District Judge Neil V. Wake to five years in federal prison after both defendants pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess With the Intent to Distribute Heroin. A third co-defendant, Jesus Amaral-Samaniego, pleaded guilty to the same charge and is scheduled for sentencing on July 29, 2009.

Based on an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the three defendants were stopped by Glendale Police officers in November 2008. A search of the passenger compartment of their vehicle revealed a firearm concealed in the rear passenger seat area and two firearms in the trunk. Also found in the trunk were 10 small plastic wrapped ball shaped packages containing a total of 251.2 grams of a substance containing heroin.

Obamenforcement: Putting the onus on the employer rather than the illegal worker

The Obama administration has begun launching investigations of hundreds of businesses around the U.S. as part of its strategy to focus immigration enforcement on the employers who hire illegal workers — rather than the illegal aliens themselves.

Thirty-two Arizona companies are among the 652 nationwide being “audited.” According to a report in the daily, the audits are not random. The businesses were identified based on “leads and information obtained through other investigative means.” ICE would not release the names or locations of the businesses that are being audited citing ongoing investigations.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has begun notifying businesses of plans to audit their I-9 forms — employment eligibility documents that employers fill out for every worker.

The unreliable Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said investigations will focus on businesses that knowingly hire immigrants who cannot legally work in the U.S.

Read the FOX News report here.

Your legislators hard at work, taking a dive — we name names

HB 2280, the intent of which was to require officials and agencies of the state, counties, cities and towns to fully comply with and assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws, making trespassing by illegal aliens a crime — failed in the waning hours before legislative sine die.

In the event you are moved to give them a call and inquire about their disgraceful disappearing act or “no” votes, their contact information is included under the links to their names.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO WALKED OUT MOMENTS BEFORE THE VOTE:

Rich Crandall Dist. 19

Adam Driggs Dist.11

Doug Quelland Dist. 10

Lucy Mason Dist. 1

Nancy Barto Dist. 7

Bill Konopnicki Dist. 5

HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED NO:

Andrew Tobin Dist. 1

Russ Jones Dist. 24

John McComish Dist. 20

SENATE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED NO;

Carolyn Allen Dist. 8

John Nelson Dist. 12

HOUSE DEMOCRATS WHO DID NOT VOTE:

Ed Ableser

Jack Brown

Olivia Cajero Bedford

Cloves Campbell

Christopher Deschene

Martha Garcia

Phil Lopes

Eric Meyer

Robert Meza

Ben Miranda

Daniel Patterson

Rae Waters

Nancy Young Wright

Mesa selects Vicki Myers as interim police chief

Vicki Myers, Operations Commander with the Mesa Police Department, has been named interim police chief until the city finds a permanent replacement for Chief George Gascon, who is leaving to assume the chief’s position in San Francisco.

 Myers is a 17-year police veteran who spent nine years as chief deputy with the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office in Mason, Michigan before moving to the Valley in late 2007.

 The East Valley Tribune carries the complete report.

Sanctuary City San Francisco: A perfect fit for George Gascon

San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris has defended the Back on Track jobs program in which participating illegal alien felons are able to have their criminal records cleared. The program trains drug offenders for jobs that those in this country unlawfully would legally be prevented from holding.

Departing Mesa Police Chief George Gascon who has advocated limp enforcement policies for illegals should fit right in, as he assumes his new duties in San Francisco.

The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this week that illegals are enrolled in the program and that Harris’ office had let several graduate early, have their criminal records expunged,  and go free even after learning of their deportable status.

Kamala Harris, like Gascon, has said that enforcing federal immigration law is not the job of local authorities. And like Phoenix, San Francisco has the misfortune of having a mayor — Gavin Newsom, now running for governor — who supports sanctuary city polices.

The Times notes that Kamala Harris’ liberal San Francisco pedigree will pose challenges in her statewide race for Attorney General. In 2004 she vowed to “never charge the death penalty.” That pledge will be put to the test in the upcoming murder trial of Edwin Ramos, the illegal immigrant previously convicted of two gang-related felonies, and now accused in the shooting deaths of a man and his two sons, ages 20 and 16,  returning home from a Sunday afternoon picnic.

San Francisco’s 1989 “City of Refuge” ordinance prohibits city agencies from contacting the feds on immigration matters.

Still the open-borders and amnesty-committed Arizona Republic gives Gascon high praise today as they bid him adios.

Read more on Gascon here and here

Thomas, Arpaio to receive enforcement funding from the state

It is being reported that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will accept $1.4 million in enforcement funds after all.

Last week, a motion to accept the money died in a 2-2 political vote with the board deadlocked on whether County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio should receive the funds, made available to the county from the state.

The money is intended to assist Thomas’ enforcement of state employer-sanctions laws. A portion of the funds will be transferred to Arpaio’s office for its assistance in the enforcement effort.

The daily reports on the matter here.