enforcement

Eugene, Oregon police department forced to consider illegal aliens for officers

The federal government sued the Eugene, Oregon police department because it would not consider non-citizens for the job of police officer:

Oregon's second-largest city has agreed to pay a civil penalty and undergo federal monitoring in a settlement over allegations it violated anti-discrimination law when hiring new police officers, the Justice Department said on Wednesday...

The behavior violated the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which bars employers from limiting work to U.S. citizens except where the employer is required to do so by law, regulation, executive order or government contract.

What kind of law is on the books that won't let employers limit jobs to Americans?  This is truly bizarre!

Eugene agreed to pay a $3,000 civil penalty, train its employees about federal anti-discrimination law and submit to monitoring by the Justice Department for the next three years.

In early January 2015, the EPD started a recruiting effort for new police officers. In some of its promotional materials, EPD erroneously wrote that state law required applicants to be citizens at the time of hire. In fact, state law only requires police officers to be citizens within 18 months of hire.

How can the EPD know that an applicant who is not a citizen will be a citizen in 18 months?  There is no way to be certain of that.

This is just the camel's nose inside the tent.  You think this doesn't apply to illegals?  Well, if Obama's amnesty goes through, it will.  Before long you will actually see illegal alien police officers...

When even the most sensitive jobs like the police are held open for illegals, it's difficult to see how our society can save itself.  Our society becomes their society.

Illegal immigration top GOP talking point at New Hampshire presidential forum

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The Republican Party's presidential class called for aggressive steps to curb illegal immigration, seizing on a delicate political issue as more than a dozen White House hopefuls faced off in New Hampshire on Monday night for a pointed preview of the first full-fledged debate of the 2016 primary season...

The candidates focused their criticism at Democrats instead of each other.. They addressed several contentious issues, immigration topping a list that included abortion, climate change and foreign policy.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who may not qualify for the upcoming formal debate, called the flow of immigrants crossing the border illegally "a serious wound."

"You want to stanch the flow," he said as his Republican rivals watched from the front row of the crowded St. Anselm College auditorium. On those immigrants who have overstayed visas, Perry charged, "You go find 'em, you pick 'em up and you send 'em back where they're from."

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum went further, calling for a 25 percent reduction of low-skilled immigrants coming into the country legally.

"Everyone else is dancing around it. I'm going to stand for the American worker," Santorum declared...

Trump, who launched his presidential bid by calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, declined to attend the New Hampshire event. He cited criticism from the local newspaper host, yet he is expected to play a prominent role in Thursday's formal debate, where only the GOP's top 10 candidates — as determined by national polls — will be allowed on stage.

Monday's event was broadcast live on C-SPAN and local television stations in Iowa and South Carolina — states that, along with New Hampshire, will host the first contests in the presidential primary calendar next February...

Just one woman was featured on stage Monday night: former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who is unlikely to qualify for Thursday's higher-profile debate.

Democrats are also eager to debate Republicans on immigration.

GOP leaders have acknowledged the need to improve the party's standing among the surging group of Hispanic voters. Yet while many Democrats favor a more forgiving policy that would allow immigrants in the country illegally a pathway to citizenship in many cases, many Republicans focus on border security.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, once a lead salesman for a comprehensive immigration overhaul, said Americans want the border fence completed and more border security agents before there's any discussion of what to do with those 11 million immigrants in the country illegally.

Others offered a softer tone on the divisive issue Monday night.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said "law-abiding, God-fearing" immigrants in the country illegally should be allowed to stay. Those who break the law, he said, "have to be deported or put in prison."

Bush said fixing the nation's immigration system is a key part of his plan to help the economy grow 4 percent each year. He also called for reducing legal immigration, particularly the number of people allowed to enter the country on family petitions...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called the move "a buzz saw to the nation's economy."

"I want to balance a sustainable environment with a sustainable economy," Walker said.

Several candidates involved Monday night won't make the cut for Thursday's debate...

Fiorina charged that Clinton has repeatedly lied during investigations into her use of a private email server and an attack on an American embassy in Libya while she was secretary of state.

"These go to the core of her character," Fiorina said.

"We have to have a nominee on our side who's going to throw every punch," she continued. "This is a fight.".. Read more about Illegal immigration top GOP talking point at New Hampshire presidential forum

Burglar found in vacant home arrested by SWAT team, police say

A 45-year-old man remains held at the Washington County Jail on first degree burglary charges after a standoff with Beaverton police Thursday afternoon.

Authorities received a call just before noon...

Police say Wilfredo Peraza-Domenech was the only person inside the [vacant] home when officers arrived. Peraza-Domenech was taken into custody at 4:23 p.m.
 

NOTE: Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) Hold. Read more about Burglar found in vacant home arrested by SWAT team, police say

The immigration secessionists: Rich Lowry

It turns out that everything we've heard about the evils of states and localities defying federal law is wrong.

So long as a jurisdiction is sticking its thumb in the eye of the federal government on behalf of illegal immigrants who have been arrested and jailed, defiance of federal authority is progressive and commendable.

Through the years, the left has created dozens upon dozens of so-called sanctuary cities...

Sanctuary cities have gotten renewed attention in the wake of a horrific murder in San Francisco, a case amplified by the bullhorn of Donald Trump. Kathryn Steinle, 32, was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant...

This wasn't an isolated misjudgment. San Francisco has long been a sanctuary city...

The immigration debate is famously fraught. Maybe we can't agree on building a fence. Maybe we can't agree on a pathway to citizenship. But surely we can agree that illegal aliens who have landed in jail should be deported?

Apparently not. We have a "broken system," as the supporters of amnesty always like to say, in part because they took a sledgehammer to the system.

Surely we can agree that illegal aliens who have landed in jail should be deported? Apparently not...

The number of sanctuary cities has been increasing during the Obama years. The administration has thrown the book at states that have dared to aid in the enforcement of federal immigration law, but hasn't moved against jurisdictions acting at cross-purposes to the law. Indeed, it has eased the way for them.

It reinterpreted, with no legal justification, a federal regulation in order to make detainers voluntary. It kneecapped the successful Secure Communities program...

The myth is that President Barack Obama is the "deporter in chief." In reality, his alleged spike in deportations is the artifact of an accounting gimmick (counting the arrest and removal of border-crossers as deportations). Obama has gutted interior enforcement. The former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said recently, "If you are a run-of-the-mill immigrant here illegally, your odds of getting deported are close to zero."

What to do about sanctuary cities? It is already against federal law for jurisdictions to forbid their officials from sharing immigration information with the federal government. Congress should tighten up the law by making it clear again that detainers are mandatory and withholding certain federal funds from jurisdictions that still won't comply.

Of course, it would take a different president to sign such a bill, one who cares about the laws he is pledged to enforce and who doesn't seek a sanctuary nation.

Rich Lowry can be reached at comments.lowry@nationalreview.com
  Read more about The immigration secessionists: Rich Lowry

7 Ways Jerry Brown and California Democrats Embraced Illegal Aliens

In case you are wondering exactly how aggressive Governor Jerry Brown and his Democratic colleagues in the California legislature have been in trying to erase the distinction between people residing in California legally versus those here in violation of U.S. immigration law, here are seven startling but very real ways that they have done so.

1. SANCTUARY STATE AND CITIES

The State of California and literally dozens of cities around the state, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and San Diego, have adopted policies providing “sanctuary” for illegal aliens who come into contact with law enforcement. These policies prohibit even inquiring about a person’s immigration status, and do not allow for state or municipal funds to be used to enforce federal immigration laws.

Governor Brown and state legislators have gone a step further by actually passing a state law–the “Trust Act”–that impedes the ability of local law enforcement in cities which do not have a “sanctuary” policy.

San Francisco’s policy has put the city in the epicenter of a media maelstrom with the recent murder of 32-year-old Kathryn Steine. The accused killer, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, had been deported several times, was in the country illegally, and was in the custody of the police, but was let go.

2. THE “ILLEGAL ALIEN” DRIVER’S LICENSE

Democrats pushed through a new law that requires the California Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a separate driver’s licenses for people who are here illegally. These individuals can actually use a “matricula consular” identification card issued by the Mexican government as valid ID to obtain the driver’s license....

3. GOVERNMENT-FUNDED HEALTHCARE FOR ILLEGALS

In the recently-passed California budget there are $40 million dollars set aside for a program that begins to extend health coverage to children of illegal aliens beginning in May 2016, with the program set to ramp up to a whopping $132 million for the 2016-17 budget year.

4. CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTIONS FOR ILLEGAL ALIEN DRIVERS

Now that illegal aliens have the privilege of legally driving on California roads, the governor and legislature have followed up with another law expanding the anti-discrimination measures of the first bill. These illegal alien drivers now are protected under the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Fair Employment and Housing Act....

5. TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES FOR ILLEGALS TO ATTEND PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

It is now the law in California that if you are an undocumented alien, a citizen of a foreign country, but you have been residing in California, you qualify for lower “in state” tuition and fees at the University of California, California State University and California Community College campuses....

Two more laws recently enacted also make it clear that illegal aliens who are attending both pubic and private universities can apply for publicly-funded CalGrants, and can legally pursue private school loans as well. The estimated annual cost to California taxpayers for the public aid for these people in the country illegally? Closing in on $40 million per budget year.

6. GRANTING OF PROFESSIONAL LICENSES TO ILLEGALS

Yet another California law passed by Democrats prohibits about 40 state licensing boards that confer legal status to professional occupations from “denying licensure to an individual based on his or her citizenship or immigration status.”

These professions range from doctors, pharmacists and psychologists to real estate agents and security guards, to just name some of the dozens. State law now also allows an illegal alien to sit for the California Bar exam and be given a license to practice law in California.

7. UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR ILLEGALS “DEFERRED” UNDER OBAMA’S EXECUTIVE ORDER

President Obama decreed that illegal immigrants who entered the United States before 2010 who were 16 years or younger when they crossed into the U.S. can obtain renewable work permits, staying in the country indefinitely. It is estimated that close to two million people could be eligible nationally. Now, under California law any of these individuals are also eligible to receive unemployment benefits. That law also requires the California DMV to issue official state ID cards to any such individuals.
______

Jon Fleischman is the Politics Editor of Breitbart California. A longtime participant, observer and chronicler of California politics, Jon is also the publisher at www.flashreport.org. His column appears weekly on this page. You can reach Jon at jfleischman@breitbart.com.


  Read more about 7 Ways Jerry Brown and California Democrats Embraced Illegal Aliens

Sanctuary Cities: No Peace And No Justice

by Michael Cutler - former INS Special Agent                                                                                                           Published in the Daily Caller July 10, 2015

The mere idea of providing illegal aliens with “protection” from federal law enforcement agents flies in the face of reason and commonsense.

Immigration enforcement personnel are charged with enforcing our immigration laws that were enacted to prevent the entry and continued presence of aliens whose presence in our country would be harmful or dangerous to America and Americans.  Shielding such aliens from detection by law enforcement officers turns logic on its head and makes it crystal clear that for all too many politicians on the local, state and federal level, that Americans who are injured or killed are simply to be written off as “collateral damage!”
 
This is the issue that I have focused on for my commentary today.
 
That the horrific death of Kathryn Steinle could have been prevented if a number of "public servants” had taken their oaths of office and their responsibilities seriously and worked to make certain that a convicted felon who not only had no lawful right to be in the United States, but whose presence in the United States represented a felony, is unfathomable.
 
Additionally, while this specific crime has captured the attention of the media- largely because one presidential candidate, Donald Trump, had the chutzpah to dare speak openly and unequivocally about the impact of the failure of our nation’s leaders to enforce our immigration laws, this sort of crime occurs virtually each and every day and, indeed, often many times each day.
 
While Trump’s use of language was not nuanced and was not artful, it certainly grabbed everyone’s attention.
 
Now that the topic has landed on the front page of just about every newspaper in the United States and has become the lead story in the mainstream media, we must not allow this issue to fade into the background as, undoubtedly new issues percolate in the realm of journalism.  We must seize the opportunities this provides to have an honest and candid conversation and not allow our politicians to attempt to offer the usual solutions that are not really solutions to simply create illusions that this issue is being dealt with so that the true dangers inherent in the failures of the immigration system will be put aside and quickly forgotten. 
 
What is now needed, more than new laws is more agents, more resources and a mandate that our federal government actually enforce the laws that are on the books right now!
 
Within the past few days, Hillary Clinton stated that there are those who don’t want to provide a "pathway to citizenship for immigrants.”  
 
That pathway to U.S. citizenship is already a part and parcel of our already existing Immigration and Nationality Act and, each year, well over one-half million lawful immigrants are granted United States citizenship via the naturalization process.  What Clinton is really advocating through her deceptive and intentionally misleading claim is that illegal aliens should be provided with United States citizenship.  These are foreign national who have no inherent right to be present in the United States.  They either evaded the vital inspections process conducted by Customs and Border Protection Inspectors at ports of entry or violated the terms of their admission after they were admitted into the United States.  Yet Clinton and other politicians are adamant that these aliens should be granted the highest honor and, indeed, the “Keys to the Kingdom” to such foreign nationals.
 
While criticizing any American who would oppose such lunacy she is attempting to vilify anyone who would express opposition to her plan to violate commonsense and the 9/11 Commission.  
 
In her parallel universe, those of us who want our immigration laws enforced don’t want to provide illegal aliens with a pathway to United States citizenship are unfair and xenophobic.  I would love her to find any country on this planet that would provide citizenship to illegal aliens.  This is the equivalent of providing a burglar with the key to the front door of the house he had broken into!
 
Politicians from both sides of the political aisle- “Demoncrats” and “Repugnantcans” alike, who want to provide illegal aliens with lawful status which is only one notch lower than citizenship.  For them, it would certainly seem that our immigration laws, which were enacted to protect American lives and the livelihoods of American are an impediment to their political goals.


  Read more about Sanctuary Cities: No Peace And No Justice

Oregon judge’s connection to illegal immigrant’s murder of Kate Steinle

Tragedy on San Francisco's Pier 14

On Wednesday, July 1st, 32-year-old Kate Steinle was shot and killed on San Francisco’s Pier 14, “one of the city’s most scenic tourist spots.” The ABC affiliate in San Francisco reported San Francisco police said she “was walking along Pier 14 when a man came up and shot her in the upper torso.”

The ABC affiliate reported “Wednesday was supposed to be fun for Kate and her family. She met her father on Pier 14 that night. He was there to take her to Pleasanton, to learn if her brother and his wife were expecting a boy or girl. But tragedy struck instead.” The San Jose Mercury News reported “A bullet pierced Steinle’s aorta and she collapsed to the ground in front of her father, who desperately tried to save her life.”

April 2014 Oregon court ruling

Janice M. Stewart was appointed as a U.S. Magistrate Judge on October 13, 1993. She was the first woman to be appointed to serve as a federal magistrate judge in Oregon.

Judge Stewart ruled on April 11, 2014 that holding Maria Miranda-Olivares for an immigration hold violated her constitutional rights. Miranda-Olivares had been held for 19 hours after completing a two-day jail sentence in Clackamas County for a domestic violence charge. According to the Oregonian “jail officials detained her until the next day, giving US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials time to pick her up.” As part of the ruling, the judge found that cities, counties and states could be held liable for unlawful detention for immigration detentions.

In the wake of the ruling, 30 of Oregon’s 36 counties quickly became “sanctuary counties,” according to the Center for Immigration Studies. One Oregon city, Springfield, became a “sanctuary city.”

A Portland immigration lawyer called Judge Stewart’s ruling a game changer and a Lewis and Clark College law professor said “Oregon may actually be one of the leading areas of the country in basically rejecting the idea that state and local law enforcement officers should pay attention to the detainers.”

The April 2014 ruling was followed by a coordinated campaign by immigrant rights’ groups and the ACLU to push other counties to defy federal immigration hold requests (“ICE detainers”) – which are part of the Secure Communities program. They sent letters to counties throughout the U.S.

On May 29, 2014 the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department announced that they would “no longer honor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers unless they are supported by judicial determination of probable cause or with a warrant of arrest” – expanding San Francisco’s “sanctuary” status.

Accused murderer a felon illegal immigrant exploiting “sanctuary” status of San Francisco

The accused murderer of Kate Steinle, Francisco Sanchez, is a convicted felon who has been deported 5 times and was only recently released from prison. Sanchez used a gun that had been stolen from a federal agent’s car while the agent was in San Francisco on business.

USA Today reported “Federal officials say he should have never been walking the streets a free man. Federal officials released Sanchez in March from federal prison where he had served nearly four years for previous immigration violations. They delivered Sanchez to the San Francisco sheriff’s office, where he was wanted on felony marijuana distribution charges. Local officials dropped those charges a few days later and released Sanchez onto the street despite a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain him for deportation.”

U.S. News & World Report reported “The San Francisco sheriff, citing the city’s ‘sanctuary city’ policy, released Sanchez in April after prosecutors dropped the drug charge, despite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement request to hold him for federal authorities so deportation proceedings could begin.”

A federal immigration spokeswoman said “As a result, an individual with a lengthy criminal history, who is now the suspect in a tragic murder case, was released onto the street rather than being turned over to ICE for deportation.”

U.S. News & World Report reported “Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told CNN that San Francisco was wrong to ignore the ICE detainer request and release Sanchez from custody.” They also quote Hillary Clinton saying “The city made a mistake not to deport someone that the federal government strongly felt should be deported.”

USA Today also reported that the accused murderer told a TV reporter he came to San Francisco to look for a job because he knew they offered sanctuary to people unlawfully in the country. Read more about Oregon judge’s connection to illegal immigrant’s murder of Kate Steinle

Portland labor activist Francisco Aguirre-Velasquez wants U.S. immigration charge dismissed

Portland labor activist Juan Francisco Aguirre-Velasquez asked a federal judge Monday to dismiss charges that he illegally re-entered the United States after he was convicted of drug delivery charges and deported in 1999.

Aguirre-Velasquez, who twice escaped the brutal regime of his native El Salvador, claimed in court papers that the immigration judge who handled his 1999 deportation proceedings violated his due process by failing to correctly explain the range of options available to him.

"Only because (Immigration Judge Michael) Bennett incorrectly informed Mr. Aguirre-Velasquez that he would be detained indefinitely if his request for suspension of deportation was granted, did Mr. Aguirre-Velasquez withdraw his request for relief and acquiesce to be removed (from the U.S)," his lawyer, Ellen C. Pitcher, wrote in court papers.

"Because there is no other basis for the prosecution," Pitcher wrote, "the indictment must be dismissed."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory R. Nyhus, representing federal immigration officials, disagreed with Pitcher's argument. In legal papers, he asked Senior District Judge Robert E. Jones to deny Pitcher's motion.

"Simply put," Nyhus wrote, "as an aggravated felon, the defendant was not entitled to the relief requested and had no other plausible method of relief available to him. Therefore, his removal would still have occurred even if the immigration judge had provided correct information."

Jones took the matter under advisement and is expected to file a written opinion.

Aguirre-Velasquez, who received three years of probation on the drug charges, faced new travails last summer, after he was stopped for drunken driving. He blew .12 on the blood-alcohol test, higher than the legal limit in Oregon of .08.

He took refuge last September in Augustana Lutheran Church in Northeast Portland, where congregants took him in as part of the sanctuary movement. Later that month, a federal grand jury indicted him for illegally re-entering the U.S. after his deportation.

The sanctuary movement protects immigrants such as Aguirre-Velasquez, who made a name for himself standing up for oppressed workers after facing the horrors of war as a youth in El Salvador...

The nation's sanctuary movement came under criticism after Francisco Sanchez, a 45-year-old repeat drug offender from Mexico, was arrested in San Francisco following last Wednesday's shooting death of Kathryn Steinle.

News accounts suggested that Sanchez, deported five times, came to the city because of its status as a sanctuary, opening criticism of the movement by the U.S. immigration officials and others.
  Read more about Portland labor activist Francisco Aguirre-Velasquez wants U.S. immigration charge dismissed

Sheriff Arpaio speaks at grassroots rally in Salem

From the steps of the Oregon State Capitol, hundreds of enthusiastic grassroots activists listened to Sheriff Arpaio, who hails from Maricopa County, Arizona.

Many other speakers addressed many topics:  the legislative mis-use of the emergency clause, government transparency, 2nd amendment rights, voter fraud, limited taxation, immigration and 2 new initiatives being advanced and much more throughout the sweltering afternoon.

A disruptive, rude and obnoxious crowd across the street used bull horns, whistles and chants to disrupt the rally - but to no avail.

View photos of the rally with Sheriff Joe.

 

  Read more about Sheriff Arpaio speaks at grassroots rally in Salem

'Toughest Sheriff' Joe Arpaio draws supporters, foes in Salem

The issue for some was simply about respect for U.S. laws, the nation's sovereignty and secure borders.

For others, it was a rejection what they saw as hatred. What seemed clear even before the rally started was that few would find any middle ground.

About 100 people gathered on the steps of the state Capitol on Saturday for a rally to hear Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, speak about immigration, drugs, gun laws, taxes and getting tough on crime.

The event was sponsored by the Oregon Republican Party.

Also in front of the Capitol, but across the street, about three times as many people gathered in protest of Arpaio, who is known for his conservative stances on immigration and hard-line policing.

Now 81, Arpaio has been sheriff for 23 years of the county that contains Phoenix and the 13th-largest metropolitan area in the nation.

During his 40-minute speech, Arpaio spoke of illegal immigration as an economic, diplomatic, and political problem. He joked about how the crowd across Court Street could have arrived at Capitol, prompting laughter from those crowded onto the steps.

While the counter-ralliers waited for the speech to start, they chanted "no hate in our state," and "love your neighbor."

Yrma Hernandez, a "40-something" Salem resident was among the counter-rally crowd and said she attended the event in the 90-plus-degree weather to support farmworkers.

"I'm here to support all the people who work hard for us in the fields," Hernandez said. "They deserve a chance to work, too — a chance to have work permits and green cards."

Arpaio, who is known as "America's Toughest Sheriff," has implemented some controversial programs and regulations — like chain gangs, two daily meals in jails instead of three, and a "tent city" where inmates reside in military surplus tents.

Hillsboro resident Brad Toman stood on the Capitol steps holding a full-sized American flag.

"I'm here today because I support the sovereignty of our nation and a secure border," Toman said. "The government doesn't seem to support us in enforcing immigration laws."

Toman said he became politically active when Oregon driver cards became an issue and said he was happy that 66 percent of Oregonians were against it.

"It showed me that there's a big silent majority here in Oregon," Toman said. "And I'm a bit disappointed in the number here on this side of the street, and the tact of those across the way.

"The signs they're holding refer to race. Immigration isn't about race at all. They play the race card because it's inflammatory."

Ruben Zamora, 25, was one of the few who crossed Court Street and ascend the steps.

"They called me a terrorist," Zamora said, who was wearing a plastic mask. "I said, 'Jesus commanded us to love one another.' All this hate creates a gut-wrenching feeling for me."

As part of the rally, three pairs of pink underwear were raffled as prizes. The garments' significance relates to Arpaio's tactic after several pairs of white underwear were stolen from the Arizona jail.

After the thefts, Arpaio had jail underwear dyed pink, reasoning that those who turned up wearing the pink underwear in release sweeps could be identified as thieves.

Hernandez said she didn't appreciate Arpaio's presence in Oregon.

"Joe needs to take his pink underwear back home with him," Hernandez said. "We don't need them here."

As Arpaio stepped away from the podium, he reminded the crowd of why he was there and chants from across the street continued.

"This is the greatest country in the world," Arpaio said. "Some things I do are controversial, and that draws a lot of national attention, but the most important thing is to remember that this greatest country in the world."
  Read more about 'Toughest Sheriff' Joe Arpaio draws supporters, foes in Salem

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