immigration

Under current policy all persons — not just citizens — are included in the population count when apportioning seats to states in the U.S. House of Representatives and for votes in the Electoral College, which is based on House seats. Although we focus on the next census in 2020, the impact of immigration has been building for decades as the number of people settling in the country has increased dramatically. This report examines the cumulative impact of immigration, both legal and illegal, on the apportionment of House seats; this is not an analysis of the impact of immigration only since the previous census. Apportionment is a zero-sum system; by adding more population to some states rather than others, immigration will continue to significantly redistribute political power in Washington.. . Read more about The Impact of Legal and Illegal Immigration on the Apportionment of Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020

NumbersUSA has just released a new report, Population Growth and Sprawl in Oregon, which details the expansion of population and how it has affected the environment here.

Top conclusions: 

What we found was that between 1982 and 2015, Oregon lost 419,000 acres (656 square miles) of open space as the state’s population grew by 1.3 million. …

Oregon has also been one of the leaders in anti-sprawl efforts, limiting the amount of sprawl per person. However, population growth has caused sprawl to continue as Oregon officials have failed to accommodate its growth population within exiting urbanized area. On average, 0.311 acre of land was developed to accommodate each new resident during the 33-year period covered in the study. …

The majority of Oregon’s recent population growth has come through migration from other U.S. states and international migration (immigration) from abroad. From 2000 to 2015 just 38% of Oregon’s population growth was due to natural increase. The rest (62%) came from in-migration from other states (32%) and immigration (30%). …

Losing open space isn’t the same as filling up empty space. What Oregon is losing to urban sprawl are croplands, forestlands, wetlands, and wildlife habitats, all vital to a healthy ecosystem. There are also physiological and psychological benefits of open space.

Being able to enjoy natural areas is important to 85% of Oregonians polled as part of the sprawl study. Oregon’s natural beauty and opportunity for outdoor recreation is what draws so many people to the state, and it is Oregon’s growing population which threatens these landscapes.

Oregon residents express a clear preference for slower growth, and a plurality are open to cuts in immigration, while very few favor increases. There is a lot that Oregonians can do to stop sprawl in their state, but as long as the U.S. population continues to grow at its current rate, millions more will likely move to the state. Oregon’s government has projected that the state’s population will reach 5.6 million by 2050, almost 1.5 million more than its current population. …

While immigration is not responsible for most population growth in Oregon, it is a significant contributor, and it likely factors into the decision of many who move to Oregon from out-of-state. Consider that California is by far the more recent state of residence for those who move to Oregon, followed by Washington, Illinois, New York, and Texas. These are all states that have seen significant increases in their population, driven in large-part by immigration. Of those who moved to Oregon as an adult from another state, 44% said they did so “seeking a better quality of life.” …

Oregonians strongly prefer to preserve open spaces in their state, yet the policies put in place to do so have proven ineffective. Like most Americans, residents of Oregon must make a choice:

Take adequate steps to prevent urban sprawl, which must include slowing population growth, or accept the continuing disappearance of the state's habitat and farmland and unspoiled natural areas.

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See the announcement here.  See the complete 160-page report at: https://www.numbersusa.org/sites/default/files/public/assets/resources/files/Oregon_Sprawl.pdf

This report is a clear warning that applies to all states:  Oregon and the entire U.S.  must immediately stop illegal immigration and greatly reduce the excessive levels of legal immigration. Population numbers in the U.S. and worldwide must be in balance with basic environmental resources.  Otherwise, we are rushing into environmental and social disaster.

OFIR has worked since its founding in 2000 to educate Oregon citizens and voters regarding the need to reduce immigration levels.  From our statement of goals:  “For the first 200 years of our nation we averaged about 236,000 immigrants per year, and we grew into the most successful nation in history.  Current immigration levels of over 1.5 million a year are unsustainable for us environmentally, socially, fiscally and politically.  Immigration at that level dissuades assimilation of new immigrants into becoming Americans.  …” Read more about Population growth and sprawl in Oregon

[Abstract only; view the complete article here.]

Oregon recently became the latest state to order Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of its courthouses, elevating the rights of criminal aliens at the expense of public safety.

In 1987, Oregon became the first sanctuary state in the nation, enacting its sanctuary law, which forbade law enforcement officials’ cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. 

However, Oregon’s sanctuary law didn’t go far enough to satisfy the open-borders crowd. On October 14, Martha Walters, the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, issued a new sanctuary court rule. This rule does not allow anyone to make a “civil arrest” in a state courthouse or its “environs” without a warrant or other order signed by a judge.  The definition of “environs” is expansive and includes “the vicinity around a courthouse, as well as all public entryways, driveways, sidewalks, and parking areas intended to serve a courthouse.”

Oregon’s new ICE lockout rule is similar to others recently adopted by California, New York and New Jersey.  …

The federal Immigration and Nationality Act gives ICE and other federal immigration agencies the authority to make immigration arrests, both with and without warrants, anywhere in the country, which under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution clearly preempts these state rules.  Moreover, there is no such thing as a judicial immigration warrant, as federal law grants authority to issue immigration warrants to ICE supervisors, not judges. …

ICE spokeswoman Tanya Roman fired back, saying “[i]t is ironic that elected officials want to see policies in place to keep ICE out of courthouses, while caring little for laws enacted by Congress to keep criminal aliens out of our country,” and adding that the idea of judicial warrants for immigration violations is “simply a figment created by those who wish to undermine immigration enforcement and excuse the ill-conceived practices of sanctuary jurisdictions that put politics before public safety.” …

On Thursday, William Barr, the Attorney General of the United States, and Chad Wolf, the Acting Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, sent a joint letter to the chief justices of both the Oregon and Washington Supreme Courts urging them to “reconsider this dangerous and unlawful course of action.” To view the full letter, please click here. Read more about Oregon courts try to lock out ICE

Oregonians frustrated with what has happened in the Oregon Legislature - and in Congress - can learn more about the candidates and then get involved with a campaign.

Oregon’s Congressional delegation has a dismal record on protecting the interests of U.S. citizens in immigration policy.  Most of the delegation has been in office for many years, and they have consistently voted for lax to no controls on immigration.  We see the results in unsustainable population growth, overcrowding, degradation of the environment and multiple other ill effects.  The State Legislature, Governor, and Attorney General have also opposed reasonable controls over immigration.

We can look to the May 2020 Primary election to find Oregon candidates who do support the best interests of citizens in immigration policy.  The Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project has already begun posting information on primary candidates, with links to their websites.  You can check what’s happening in your districts here.  If you don’t know which your districts are, you can enter your address on the form here and find out.

In earlier elections also, the OAAVEP collected detailed information on candidates’ positions on a number of important issues, including key questions about the candidate’s position on immigration.  You can see what some of them said about immigration in the 2018 and 2016 Primary campaigns on the OFIR website. Filling out the questionnaire is up to the candidate, and many of them have cooperated in recent years.

OAAVEP has also issued reports for the General Elections.  See their website homepage for more information.

Please share your knowledge with family, friends and acquaintances

Many people in Oregon and other states still believe that illegal aliens living and working in this country do no harm and see no problem in accepting their presence.  But this view ignores the widespread falsification of identities which does harm individual U.S. citizens.  The competition from illegal alien workers often causes a drop in wage levels - and that hurts all workers.  Worse still, acceptance of illegal immigration has led to more open borders policies, putting U.S. sovereignty at risk.

The article below highlights an actual case of enforcement that is usually cast narrowly by most media as pointless cruelty.  Thanks to Stephen Dinan for reporting a more complete picture.

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NO HARM? MOST ILLEGALS IN MISSISSIPPI ICE RAIDS STOLE AMERICANS' IDENTITIES, by Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Thursday, November 7, 2019

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/nov/7/mississippi-ice-raids-most-illegal-immigrants-stol/

Excerpts:

Most of the 680 illegal immigrants nabbed in August’s immigration raids at poultry plants in Mississippi worked under stolen American identities, the Department of Homeland Security’s top investigator told Congress Thursday, rebuffing Democrats who insisted the “undocumented” workers were doing no harm.

“They stole the IDs of 400 U.S. citizens,” said Jere Miles, who leads Homeland Security Investigations’ New Orleans office. “Where’s their voice?”

Mr. Miles was defending the Aug. 7 operations against seven processing plants as both a success and a deterrent to future illegal immigrants, battling with Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee who called a field hearing in Mississippi to criticize the raids. …

Mr. Miles said the families are in no different position than any other instance where a parent runs afoul of the law and is incarcerated, forcing spouses and children to figure things out.

Democrats challenged Mr. Miles on whether anyone nabbed had major criminal rap sheets. He ticked off some felony cases against some of the people caught, but then pointed out that 400 of them were working in the U.S. on fraudulent identities he said were stolen from Americans.

“Is that not a serious crime?” he demanded of Democrats.

At that point Mr. Thompson cut him off.

“Be quiet,” the chairman ordered. …

To Democrats who fretted that the businesses were being let off the hook, Mr. Miles urged patience. He said the heart of the August operation wasn’t the arrest of the migrants but rather to serve search warrants at the businesses, which netted 850,000 documents. … Read more about Get acquainted with Oregon candidates for 2020 Primary

WASHINGTON � Today, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower federal court ruling that displaced American tech workers lacked standing to challenge Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations authorizing alien employment in the United States.

In this case, the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) represents Save Jobs USA, which is made up of former employees of Southern California Edison. That public utility drew bipartisan criticism in Congress when it displaced 500 of its American employees after forcing them to train their cheaper foreign replacements.

As spelled out in federal law, the H-4 visa allows the spouses of H-1B guestworkers to “accompany” the alien to or “join” the alien in the United States. Under the Obama Administration, DHS added to the law governing the H-4 visa by allowing H-4 spouses to work in the United States. Since many of these foreign tech-workers’ spouses are tech workers themselves, Save Jobs USA filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that challenged DHS’s authority to issue these work authorizations.

The district court held that Save Jobs USA lacked standing to bring the lawsuit because it did not suffer an injury from the employment of their H-1B competitors. Today, however, the D.C. Circuit, in reaffirming the “competitor standing doctrine,” held that Save Jobs USA did suffer injury from the regulation and had standing to sue.

The case will now return to the district court for a decision on whether DHS has the authority to permit H-4 spouses to work.

“The media has largely ignored the problem of DHS creating guestworker programs through regulation,” said John M. Miano, counsel for IRLI. “The Constitution gives Congress authority over the immigration system, but more labor now enters the U.S. job market through regulation than under laws passed by Congress.”

“The Save Jobs USA case has major implications for the immigration system,” said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. “If the courts hold that DHS does have the authority it claims to permit alien employment through regulation, it can continue to wipe out the protections for American workers that Congress has enacted. We are pleased by the court’s decision on standing, and will press forward to get this unlawful foreign workers’ program overturned.”

The case is Save Jobs USA v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, No. 16-5287 (D.C. Cir.). Read more about Victory for American tech workers

The Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) September 1, 2019 Inmate Population Profile indicated there were 14,642 inmates incarcerated in the DOC’s 14 prisons.

Data obtained from the DOC indicated that on September 1st there were 864 foreign nationals (criminal aliens) incarcerated in the state’s prison system; criminal aliens were 5.90 percent of the total prison population.

Some background information, all the criminal aliens incarcerated in the DOC prison system were identified by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and have ICE detainers placed on them.

Using DOC Inmate Population Profiles and ICE detainer numbers, the following table reveals the total number inmates, the number of domestic and criminal alien inmates along with the percentage of inmates with ICE detainers incarcerated on September 1st in the state’s prisons.
 

Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Report ICE inmates list 01 September 19 and Inmate Population Profile 01 September 19.

Using DOC ICE detainer numbers, the following table reveals the number and percentage of criminal alien prisoners incarcerated on September 1st that were sent  to prison from the state’s 36 counties.
 

Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Report ICE inmates list 01 September 19.

Here are the ways Oregon residents were victimized by the 864 criminal aliens.

Using DOC ICE detainer numbers, the following table reveals the number and percentage of criminal alien prisoners incarcerated on September 1st by type of crime.
 

Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Report ICE inmates list 01 September 19.

Using the DOC Inmate Population Profile and ICE detainer numbers from September 1st, the following table reveals the total number inmates by crime type, the number of domestic and criminal alien prisoners incarcerated by type of crime and the percentage of those crimes committed by criminal aliens.
 

Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Report ICE inmates list 01 September 19 and Inmate Population Profile 01 September 19.

Using DOC ICE detainer numbers, the following table reveals the self-declared countries of origin of the 864 criminal alien prisoners by number and percentage incarcerated on September 1st in the state’s prisons.
 

Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Report ICE inmates list 01 September 19.

Beyond the DOC criminal alien incarceration numbers and incarceration percentages, per county and per crime type, or even country of origin, criminal aliens place a substantial economic burden on Oregonians.

An individual prisoner incarcerated in the DOC prison system costs the state approximately ($108.26) per day.

The DOC’s incarceration cost for its 864 criminal alien prison population is approximately ($93,536.64) per day, ($654,756.48) per week, and ($34,140,873.60) per year.

None of preceding cost estimates for the DOC to incarcerate the 864 criminal aliens includes the dollar amount for legal services (indigent defense), language interpreters, court costs, or victim assistance.

Bibliography:

Oregon Department of Corrections Inmate Population Profile September 1, 2019.

Oregon Department of Corrections Population Profile (unpublished MS Excel workbook) titled Incarcerated Criminal Aliens Report dated September 1, 2019.

Oregon Department of Corrections Issue Brief Quick Facts, March 2019:
https://www.oregon.gov/doc/Documents/agency-quick-facts.pdf

David Olen Cross of Salem, Oregon is a crime researcher who writes on immigration issues and foreign national crime. The preceding report is a service to Oregon state, county and city governmental officials to help them assess the impact of foreign national crime in the state. He can be reached at docfnc@yahoo.com. His current and past crime reports can be found at http://docfnc.wordpress.com/.
 

  Read more about Oregon Department of Corrections: Criminal Alien Report September 2019

The Woodburn School District discriminated against an applicant who was the most qualified for a teaching job but was denied the position because of his citizenship status, the U.S. Department of Justice found.

The rejected candidate was a work-authorized, conditional permanent resident but not a U.S. citizen. He had applied for a Spanish teaching job at Woodburn Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In a settlement announced Tuesday, the school district must pay the candidate $5,774.81...

The Justice Department also found the district inappropriately prescreened the candidate by asking him for specific documentation to verify his citizenship status and work authorization...

The Immigration and Nationality Act prohibits employers from refusing to hire certain work-authorized, non-U.S. citizens because of their citizenship status...

The Woodburn School District "appreciates the Department of Justice’s investigation and guidance,'' according to a statement released by the district Tuesday.

"While the investigation involved a single incident that took place over a year ago, the District takes it seriously and will use it as a training opportunity to prevent future incidents,'' the statement said.

The Immigrant and Employee Rights section of the Justice’s Department’s Civil Rights Division received a complaint from the applicant on Aug. 20, 2018...

The Woodburn School District...must not discriminate against applicants or employees based on citizenship, immigration status or national origin, when recruiting, hiring or firing employees, the settlement says.

The district must ensure human resources staff, school supervisors and other staff are trained to comply with the law. New staff involved in recruitment or hiring decisions must view a Justice Department webinar on The Immigration and Nationality Act and document they’ve seen it within 60 days of their hiring or selection, the agreement says.

If any further violations are identified during the the three years of the agreement, Justice Department officials will give the school district 30 days to correct the problem without initiating a new investigation.

Woodburn School District Superintendent William Rhoades signed the agreement Oct. 10.

"The District is fully committed to compliance with the law and highly committed to supporting equity for our immigrant community,'' the district said in its statement. "We especially recognize the contributions of our immigrant staff, students and families and we continually seek to improve our practice.''

  Read more about Woodburn School District discriminated against teacher candidate based on citizenship status, Justice Department finds