Cuccinelli does a little back pedaling on immigration

MoonHowler

Governor-hopeful Ken Cuccinelli  will fund-raise with Senator Mario Rubio this week.  Rubio is known for  his inclusive stand on immigration.  Cuccinelli, not so much.  According to the Washington Post:

Republican leaders have conceded that presidential nominee Mitt Romney damaged his candidacy last fall by promoting “self-deportation,” and some have pushed the party to embrace more liberal policies to woo Hispanics and move the issue off the agenda in future elections.

Cuccinelli isn’t quite doing that, but his appearance with Rubio at the tickets-only fundraiser suggests that he is trying to soften perceptions about his stand on immigration.

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Rep. Steve King: Melon-Head award of the week

MoonHowler

newsyahoo.com:

House immigration Hawk Steve King, R-Iowa, argued in a colorful interview that the nation’s unauthorized immigrants should not be legalized because some of them are drug mules.
King said in an interview last week with Newsmax that he does not buy the argument that unauthorized immigrants are often stellar students who were brought to the country illegally through no fault of their own.

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Corey Stewart: A view from Prince William County–how they really see you

Angelina_Apr

dark ages3

On another blog, in a time not so long ago, a little supervisor contacted all the dark masters to see what could be done to help him win an election.  This time became known as The Dark Ages of Prince William County.

Yes, Corey Stewart, we are talking about YOU.  Remember when you jumped on the Rule of Law bandwagon and went after everyone Latino?  You didn’t just go after criminal illegal aliens.  You went after everybody.  You actions tore at the very fabric of our community.  You rubber stamped thousands of  homes to be built  while targetting those who came to our community seeking work in the building industry.   You  meanwhile lined  your war chest with developer money.

You used  immigration to your own political gain, inciting a county rather than seeking sensible solutions.  You made promises that could not be kept, knowing that what you said could not be implemented.  You back-stabbed your colleagues on the Board of Supervisors by giving their emails to local bloggers.  You allowed the police chief to be called a traitor by your blogger buddies.  His “sin” was meeting with immigrants and Latino community leaders to explain the new changes and to reassure them that they would not be profiled.  The BOCS had directed him to do this.  Chief Deane deserved better.

Your Rule of Law Resolution that you chest thumped so hard about allowed probable cause to be used to intimidate immigrants.  Even though you declared probable cause would change over ‘your dead body,’ it did change and you tried to obfuscate the situation and claim that you supported the new Rule of Law all along.  This new rule was ushed in by supervisors who had had time to think about what was being done.  In the end, anyone arrested had their status checked, a far cry from random checks that happen when ‘probable cause’ is the law of the land.

Now local Republicans have turned on you.  I expect they see you as a candidate who lacks convictions.  Your code of ethics seems to stop at anything that isn’t self-serving.

Corey, you divided a county for political gain.   It seems now that much of the community has turned on you simply because you have made poor decisions.  You pledged to keep part of our county rural, yet the minute you were in office you approved thousands of acres to be exempt from the rural crescent restrictions.

You really have kept your promises to no one.  Good luck tomorrow.  I doubt if you will get much support from those of us in the ‘hood.  I hope you aren’t counting on the Latino vote.  The people of Prince William County  have long memories.  Virginians don’t take to betrayals real well.

Anti-Immigration sentiment in the UK is rampant

MoonHowler


The United Kingdom politicians are tripping all over each other trying to see who can be the most vocal about anti-immigration, just as the United States is preparing to debate new legislation reforming our immigration policies.

Why is anti-immigration such a popular bandwagon in merry in the United Kingdom?  According to the washingtonpost.com:

UKIP’s ability to spark a policy stampede without even winning a seat in Parliament underscores the increasing capability of anti-immigrant forces to set the agenda amid Europe’s economic malaise. An issue at the core of the party’s platform is the withdrawal of Britain from the European Union to stem the tide of immigration — as an E.U. member, Britain is legally bound to allow the citizens of 24 other European countries to resettle here with few restrictions — which speaks to the concerns of a continent where a debt crisis and high employment are increasingly making foreigners the target of popular rage.

That fear is surging as countries including Britain, Germany and France prepare for new flows of migrants from two of Europe’s poorest countries — Bulgaria and Romania, whose citizens will win unlimited access to the E.U.’s labor market as of Jan. 1.

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“Wetbacks” and “Dinosaurs”– The GOP is having a hard time getting it right

MoonHowler

don young

Yahoo.com:

 

During a discussion about ongoing challenges to the economy Thursday, Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young referred to Hispanic workers as “wetbacks,” an ethnic slur used to describe migrant workers. He has since apologized.

“My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes,” Young told Alaska public radio station KRBD. “It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine.”

Rep. Don Young of Alaska apologized for using a racist term but not before GOP leaders jumped all over him publically.   According to Latinofoxnews.com:

“I apologize for the insensitive term I used during an interview in  Ketchikan, Alaska,” Young said. “There was no malice in my heart or intent to  offend; it was a poor choice of words. That word, and the negative attitudes  that come with it, should be left in the 20th century, and I’m sorry that  this has shifted our focus away from comprehensive immigration reform.”

His remark brought a rare rebuke from U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH),  and other high-ranking party leaders, who called his comment “offensive.”

“Congressman Young’s remarks were offensive and beneath the dignity of the  office he holds,” Boehner said. “I don’t care why he said it – there’s no  excuse…”

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Corey Stewart: Liar, Liar Pants on Fire

Elena

When will Corey stop spreading the misinformation?  It never gets old for him and yet I find refuting his propaganda exhausting!

So, let’s just recap, shall we? Indulge me for a moment as I take us down memory lane.  Only recently, after Romney lost, Corey was oh so eager to impart his wisdom upon Mr. Romney.  You know, all that knowledge and experience he has reaching out to the minority community, oh, excuse me,  just a moment, as a I…….(choke, sputter, cough, gag).

Whew, that was close, I had difficulty catching my breath there.  Where was I?  Oh yes, Corey, the great communicator with the immigrant and minority community.  Here was his sage advice for Mr. Romney, via the New York Times:

“You don’t have to sell out on the issues and suddenly take on the Democratic position on taxes to win the black vote or the Latino vote or the women vote,” said Corey Stewart, a Republican who is chairman of the Board of County Supervisors in Prince William. “But you do have to modulate your tone.”

Mr. Stewart, who is running for lieutenant governor next year, drew some criticism in 2007 by pushing for local crackdowns by the police on illegal immigrants. That has cost him support among many Hispanic voters in the county, but he says it helped him politically among blacks who felt threatened economically by the surge of newcomers.

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PWC, A National Model for the Tone of Immigration Reform?

Elena

The Washington Post has a fairly extensive article in the paper today on the journey PWC took regarding our very contentious immigration fight in 2007.

I look back at the time with many different emotions.   We had a unique opportunity when Eric Byler, a Gainesville resident and film maker, was able to take us along, front row seat, on our immigration battle.  There was little room for real discussion and debate.  Instead, we had outside influences like FAIR pushing their agenda with the help of eager politicians like Corey to mis-use this community issue.  The videos were like a diary, no filters- -they were real time events we could all observe.

Are there lessons for the Federal Government to learn from the struggles of Prince William County?  Yes, don’t do what we did.  In the end, there was no real solution to the problems in the community regarding the influx of new immigrants, whether their status was legal or illegal, the only end result was that during the height of the debate, many left in fear, and others left as a result of the economic downturn.

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Senate announces bipartisan immigration deal

MoonHowler

Here it is folks.  It is still in infancy.  President Obama will announce his plan on Tuesday which is supposedly more liberal than the Senate version.

The gang of 8 includes:

The Gang of Eight senators who formally introduced the proposal include Democrat  Sens. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Bob Menendez (N.J.) and Dick Durbin (Ill.) and  Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Lindsey Graham  (S.C.), who couldn’t attend.

I seem to be missing 2 senators.  Senator Flake of AZ and Senator Bennett of Colorado are also part of the gang of 8.

These senators seem clearly united that this bill will not be like the one in 1986 that was passed  nor the one in 2007 which did a swan-dive in defeat.

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GOP still not getting it

MoonHowler

Since the election, I have heard “illegals” a little less out of my Republican sources.  I have noticed that Elena has not had to issue one correction on this blog.  However, I don’t think people still get it.

It’s going to take a little more than trying to lure Latinos in.  It’s going to take real acceptance.  I am not sure how some Republicans are going to be able to do this.  As long as the animosity is there, the GOP will continue to lose Latino votes.

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DREAMers get temporary reprieve–deportation deferred for 2 years

MoonHowler

Children of illegal immigrants who meet certain conditions are now able to apply for deferred action which, while not permanent, gives 2 years of reprieve from deportation .

According to the Washington Post:

The Obama administration kicked off one of the most sweeping changes in immigration policy in decades Wednesday, accepting applications from young illegal immigrants for the temporary right to live and work openly in the United States without fear of deportation.

An estimated 1.7 million young people who arrived in the United States illegally as children could qualify for the new Department of Homeland Security program, and thousands are expected to pay the $465 application fee for a “deferred action” permit that would protect them from deportation for at least two years. Many began lining up earlier this week at their native countries’ embassies and consulates to get passports and other records needed to apply.

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Mitt won’t commit to a stand on immigration

MoonHowler

Bob Schieffer tried for all he was worth to get Mitt Romney to go out on a limb over President Obama’s policy to allow good students to get work permits and driver’s license.  Romney continued to dodge the bullet.  Amazing.  Romney will not commit to specifics.

What is it that he would do with the Senate preparing to filibuster? Romney needs to be far more specific on this topic if he is to pull in Latino voters. He needs to specify what he would do especially dealing with a congress that wants to stonewall  the Dream Act.  Does think Romney think that Obama’s recent policy  was the first choice? This is not the first time Obama has mentioned immigration as it pertained to youth people who are out of status through no fault of their own.

 

As for “securing the border,” that is a sound byte. The border will never be secured. We cannot put a dragnet around our entire country. What Romney must have really meant was to erect concertina wire and electric fences along our southern border to keep Hispanic illegal immigrants out. During the Obama administration border crossings have diminished each year.  I don’t think for one minute he meant our northern border. Its time for people to start going on record and to stop hemming and hawing. We have all sorts of kids whose very lives depend on people to stop hemming and hawing.

Yes, Obama issued a stop gap measure. Good. It is an emergency measure.

Teacher suspended for telling student “Go back to Mexico”

MoonHowler

 

Teacher Suspended for ‘Go Back to Mexico’ Comment: MyFoxDFW.com

Last week I expressed outrage over the Virginia State Legislature’s attempt to do away with continuing contract in favor of 3 year contracts.  This story is a good reason why all veteran teachers deserve due process and protection from the politics of a school system.

From the Huffington Post:

Looks like this two-time “Teacher of the Year” will not be in the running to win the esteemed honor this year because of her derogatory comment to a Hispanic student: “Go back to Mexico.”

Instead, 63-year-old Texas math teacher Shirley Bunn is fighting to keep her job.

Bunn made the comment on Sept. 30 while distributing Title 1 forms to her eighth grade students at Barnett Junior High School. Dallas-Fort Worth’s Fox 4 reports that a disruptive student requested a Spanish-language version of the form, saying, “I’m Mexican. I’m Mexican.”

According to public record, Bunn attempted to tell the student that he could retrieve forms translated into Spanish from the main office, but the student continued to repeat “I’m Mexican.”

Bunn quickly responded, “[Then] go back to Mexico.”

The school board placed Bunn on paid leave following the incident, until an Independent Hearing Examiner could review the case.

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Common sense changes to immigration status

MoonHowler

From the AILA Blog:

Under the twisted immigration law the husband or wife of a US citizen is barred from applying for a green card in the US if they originally entered without proper inspection by an immigration officer. To obtain lawful status the immigrant must leave the US and apply for a visa at a US embassy in their home country. But once they leave the US they are barred from returning for up to 10 years unless they can prove their US citizen or legal resident spouse will suffer extreme hardship in their absence. But the process–known as an “unlawful presence waiver”–can take months, even years. In the meantime the family is separated, the foreign spouse may be stuck in a dangerous place–like Ciudad Juarez, Mexico where many immigrants have lost their lives–and there is no way of predicting if or when the family will ever be reunited.

The proposed rule change is huge because it will allow undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens to apply for a provisional waiver while in the U.S.–something not permitted under the current rule. If the waiver is granted, the foreign national will then leave the U.S., apply for his or her immigrant visa abroad, and return to his or her loved ones. The change will give countless American families a chance to stay together safely and legally.

The move is also smart enforcement because it will reduce the illegal immigrant population and allow the Department of Homeland Security to better focus its resources on keeping America secure and safe.

This is very welcome news for our friends who have loved ones out of status.  It’s all too easy to brush off these kinds of problems with platitudes and sound bites.  However, if it is your husband, wife, child, sibling, it becomes much more than a sound bite.  I have had two situations with people I know in the past few years that turn this issue into much more than an ‘illegal is illegal’ question. 

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Alabama: The “Show Me Your Papers” State

MoonHowler

From the Newsleader.com:

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Authorities said Wednesday they dropped a charge against a German Mercedes-Benz executive who was arrested under Alabama’s new crackdown on illegal immigration after a police officer caught him driving without identification required by the law.

While Tuscaloosa police arrested the man last week for not having proper citizenship documents while driving a rental car in the city, city attorney Tim Nunnally said in an email the charge was dismissed after the man later provided the documents in municipal court.

Police identified the man as Detlev Hager, 46. The company said he was in Alabama on business at the time but declined further comment.

The arrest drew widespread attention because the German automaker is one of the state’s leading employers, and its decision to build its first U.S. assembly plant in Alabama in 1993 provided the spark that helped lead to the state’s large automotive industry, which includes foreign manufacturers Honda, Hyundai and Toyota.

Republicans who support the immigration law say it will help create jobs for legal Alabama residents by driving away illegal immigrants, but some business leaders and critics of the law contend similar arrests could hurt economic development in the state by making it a less-attractive location for foreign companies.

 

This certainly sounds like dumb and dumber.  In the heart of Dixie, a state with a horrible track record on race relations should be doing everything in its power to attract new business and to improve its image.  The area is ripe for attracting new business because it is a right to work state, as a fairly low tax base, and already has an automotive industry base.  So what clod decided to arrest one of the Mercedes Benz executives?  Did they think they had discovered some well- preserved old Nazi on the run from I.C.E.?  

 

 

Newt straps on the TNT–the biggest take away

MoonHowler

Newt somehow found a way to articulate that middle ground that describes how most moderates feel about the immigration issue.  He effectively managed to push across an idea that Rick Perry tried to accomplish but didn’t quite manage to do. 

Pundits this morning are discussing how badly Newt damaged his lead with the base who doesn’t care if grandmas and grandpas are lined up and marched back across the border. 

 The strategist implication probably wasn’t thought out as well as it should have been.  

Do you agree with Newt or Mitt?  Is that really amnesty?  Notice Newt was careful to exclude citizenship for those who stayed under this category.  That, in effect, excluded the notion of any party trying to get new voters. 

What are the pros and cons for Newt in his bid for presidential election?