Carolina Politics Online

Tanner said he expects that a countywide crackdown on illegal immigration may draw the ire of some residents, many of whom frequent businesses that employ illegal aliens.

“When we start this … the general public in Beaufort County, the citizens of Beaufort County are going to start calling me, (Beaufort County administrator) Gary Kubic, County Council members and other folks, saying, ‘Hey, y’all need to lighten up a little bit,’” he said. “When you got golf courses that can’t sell a tee time because the grass hasn’t been cut, you can’t get to your dry cleaners anymore or you go to a restaurant that you always loved and sit down and you’ve got to wait an hour and a half or two hours because they got a 50 percent cut in employees, we’ll have citizens calling us and tell us, ‘Y’all need to rethink this.’”

The Beaufort Gazette

Imagine there’s no tee time
It isn’t hard to do
No one to dry clean clothes for
Or wash your dishes too
Imagine all the people
Losing all their slaves

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the law breakers will all be gone

Legislation that could free up as many as 250 prison beds annually by immediately deporting illegal immigrants serving time for some nonviolent felonies is awaiting Gov. Mike Easley’s signature.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand’s legislation cleared the House on Monday night by a 103-2 vote. There was no debate on the legislation.

Lawmakers are looking at several ways to reduce demand and build more space for inmates.

Rand’s legislation would let prison officials release some illegal immigrants who have served at least half of their minimum sentences for nonviolent crimes to federal immigration officials who would deport them.

The Times News

This is a no brainer. Even the staunchest of illegal immigrant supports can’t argue against this with a straight face.  Make no mistake, a lot more needs to be done in North Carolina, but this is at least a start.

The two no votes on this bill, by the way, were Representatives Joe Kiser (R-Vale) and Tracy Walker (R-Wilkesboro).  I’m curious as to their reasoning for not supporting this.

COLUMBIA — More than 14,000 illegal immigrants have been deported from Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina in the past eight months, according to federal immigration officials.

“The fact of the matter is that our officers deport people every day. Deportations are up every year. I attribute that to increased activities by the agency and increased resources,” Barbara Gonzalez, a regional spokeswoman for the U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement agency, told The Greenville News.

Aiken Standard

Over 14,000 in just eight months!  That number is absolutely staggering.  That goes to show you just how large this problem really is and that is just the tri-state area.  Think of all the money that is being wasted on social services, unpaid medical care, school funding, etc.  Hopefully, when South Carolina’s new laws kick in over the next two years we’ll start to see a sharp decline in deportations due to there being many less illegals to deal with.

Federal agents arrested a local driver’s license examiner Friday following a six-month investigation into her activities.

Susan Honeycutt, 50, a DMV driver’s license examiner since 1991, was detained at her Mt. Pleasant home by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) officers.

Honeycutt’s charges stem from allegations she knowingly arranged for and issued approximately 150 false licenses to illegal immigrants.

Those licenses, investigators said, were based on fraudulent information and non-existent addresses.

The Stanly News and Press

The timing of this is ironic because July 1st was also the same day that the State of North Carolina began its new system of issuing driver’s license.  From now driver’s licenses will now be produced and mailed from Raleigh to the recipient.  The idea behind this is to make the process more secure so that only one entity is issuing licenses rather than 114 different offices.  Apparently, the idea behind this is to prevent exactly what happened with Honeycutt.

Rose Curto, Mexican Consulate consular in charge, said the consulate was doing nothing illegal. It only provided Mexican citizens with passports and other documents and providing services, she said. “We were asked to come here, because a lot of people would like to have the services we offer in Raleigh, but they can’t travel the four or five hours” Curto said. She said the consulate does not check the residency status of people visiting the consulate. “We only certify their nationality and their identity,” Curto said. Mumpower said the visit by the consulate only exacerbates the problem of illegal immigration in the United States. “The two biggest exports from Mexico are people and drugs,” Mumpower said. “These consulate representatives are only here to support one or both of those business enterprises.”

Times-News

Now really, who does Curto think is coming to see them?  My bets are on the majority of those having an illegal presence here.  And Mumpowers is right.  Mexico is not a friend of the United States.  They have been exporting their problems to our country for decades and our own Federal government is a player in it.  It is foolish what we allow to go on in this nation.  This is just another example of how the Feds are going to have been dragged kicking and screaming by the people to step up and stop this once and for all.

Mumpower has said he would support the impeachment of President Bush because of his failure to address illegal immigration and that he will not accept any funding from the Republican National Committee or be beholden to that group in any way.

Yeakley said he doesn’t think Mumpower would’ve defeated fellow Republicans Spence Campbell, a Henderson County resident, or John Armor, of Macon County, in the primary had he made his bold proclamations before that election.

“I’m not sure I can trust him,” Yeakley said.

Asheville Citizen-Times

I think Mumpower is right on the money.  Bush has intentionally left our southern border vulnerable to appease the Mexican government.  Three of our border guards are in jail for doing their jobs at the hands of U.S. attorney Johnny Sutton who I have no doubt went after these guys under the direction of the Bush Administration.  Sutton even a gave a criminal drug smuggler immunity to testify against our own border guards!  I remember watching a hearing between a panel of Senators and Sutton and even the far leftist Dianne Feinstein was disturbed by Sutton’s practices.

As for Mumpower not taking money from the RNC, that’s his decision, but I think it’s a fool hearty one for him to make.  Shuler will be well funded and he won’t be easy to beat.  On the other hand, I don’t know that the RNC would have much money to give Mumpower anyway.

The system, called E-Verify, is part of a larger immigration act sponsored by the Waynesville Democrat emphasizing border security, employment verification and domestic enforcement of immigration law. If passed, the legislation would cost $17.3 billion over 10 years.

Shuler had planned to meet with Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce members and the public at the Crest Center on Monday but could not do so because of unexpected business in Washington, his staff said. Jonathan Scharfen, acting director of U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services under the Department of Homeland Security, and N.C. Rep. Charles Thomas, who is sponsoring state-level E-Verify legislation, spoke about the system.

Jimmy Cowan, a district field representative for Farm Bureau Insurance, said the

E-Verify system looked like it could work, but he was concerned it could be tough on farmers who needed to hire quickly, and could leave immigrants unemployed and more dependent on social aid programs.

“You’re going to have farmers over here looking for employees … and also you’re going to have another pool of folks that don’t have the income that they currently have,” Cowan said.

Asheville Citizen-Times

Cowan is making excuses.  Having to go through E-Verify is not going to cause any significant delay to a farmer who has an immediate need for workers.  Regarding social aid programs, the unemployed illegals won’t be dependent on them if they aren’t made available to them.  The result will be they will have to go back to where they came from and go through the system like everyone else.

The bottom line is Cowan is defending farmers wanting to hire illegal aliens so that they can pay them slave wages rather than hiring an American worker and paying him an acceptable market wage.

Although it is not strictly a partisan issue, Republicans in the House and Senate have generally backed immigration-related measures, while Democrats, who control both chambers, have largely opted for the status quo when it comes to immigration policy.

Democratic leaders say they have taken steps in the past five years to tighten illegal immigration controls, including:

* requiring proof of legal status to get a driver’s license.

* requiring state workers and those working for state contractors to be here legally.

* requiring laws so that jailers must determine if those charged with felonies or impaired driving are legal U.S. residents.

This year, measures related to admitting illegal immigrants to community colleges and universities have been the focus of fierce debate. But bills designed to make it easier for the children of illegal immigrants to attend state colleges or enter degree programs are not likely to move forward this year.

“I think it’s a little too hot for this session,” said Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Greensboro Democrat sponsoring one of those bills.

Rep. Hugh Holliman, a Lexington Democrat and the House majority leader, said the state’s actions can only go so far.

“We would all like to see the federal government concentrate and solve the problem,” he said. “But there’s a limit to what the states can do. We can’t build a wall around North Carolina.”

The News & Record

Holliman is attempting to use the Federal Government as a scape goat for his lack of action.  Hugh doesn’t want these bills to pass and that’s not surprising.  The Democratic Party as well as some Republicans like Bush and McCain have a love affair with illegal immigrants.  Bush and McCain think that if they legalize them they will vote Republican.  They won’t of course.  They’ll vote Democrat and the Democrats know that which is why they want them legalized as well.  Then you have the third rail of this issue embodied by Socialists like Pricey Harrison who think that hard working North Carolinians should pay higher taxes, depriving their own family of needs, in order to give a free ride to these alien criminals and their offspring.

Arizona, Oklahoma, and most recently South Carolina have put into place sweeping laws aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and in the two western states it’s working.  South Carolina’s law is too new to see its effect yet.  Holliman wants to sit on his behind and just make excuses for his for his opposition on this important issue and then lie to the media about it.

Beaufort County’s Alliance for Human Services is holding a seminar on the state’s recently passed immigration law for social service agencies and groups that provide humanitarian aid to illegal immigrants from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridayat the Technical College of the Lowcountry’s New River campus.

Tammy Basherse, with S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice, a group that advocates for the illegal immigrants and the poor, will address the ramifications of the law.

Space is limited. RSVP to Susan Milne at smilne@bcgov.net with “immigration rsvp” in the subject line of your e-mail. The Alliance is also asking for donations to cover the cost of lunch.

The Beaufort Gazette

Hopefully, the ramifications are staggering. Illegal aliens should receive absolutely zero social services. No food stamps. No public schooling. No public housing. Zero, nada, zilch. If they want to come here legally and follow the process then more power to them. Otherwise, they need to go back from where they came and fix their own country instead of draining ours.

News & Observer

Bills that would definitively bar illegal immigrants from the state’s community colleges appear to be headed nowhere, state legislators said Monday.

Sponsors of two separate bills on the topic say they don’t expect them to be heard as the session heads toward a close.

“I don’t think there is sufficient interest among the Democratic leadership in the General Assembly to address this issue at this time,” said Sen. Phil Berger, an Eden Republican who is sponsoring one of the bills.

Rep. George Cleveland, a Jacksonville Republican who is sponsoring the other bill, agreed.

“If it gets to the floor it will pass,” he said of his bill, which would exclude illegal immigrants from community colleges and universities. “But the leadership controls what gets to the floor.”

Both legislators said they were not satisfied with a new policy adopted by the Community College System which denies illegal immigrants access to degree-seeking programs.

They said that if the bills don’t pass, they will bring them up again in 2009.

It is not in the interests of the Democratic Party to make anyone obey the law, especially their own caucus.

The group got $750,000 in state money last year — its first state funding — on the promise that it would help North Carolina sheriff’s offices begin ferreting out illegal immigrants.

It is expected to get $1 million more in this year’s budget, even though very few sheriffs have gained authority to enforce immigration law and the association was unable to spend its full allocation last year. The association, which lobbies and provides training and support services to the state’s 100 sheriffs, has no direct role in arresting or deporting illegal immigrants.

Some state legislators say the funding, which has so far come with little oversight, is an attempt to quell controversy.

The Times-News

It may be, but it is needed nonetheless.  Those in Washington have already shown to lack the testicular fortitude needed to combat this problem so the state are going to have to do it.

“The state budget must respond to a worrisome issue where there is public concern and public demand,” said Rep. Alice Bordsen, a Mebane Democrat who heads the House budget committee that approved the sheriffs’ money.

Bordsen said she agreed to give the association more money this year despite unanswered questions about how last year’s funds were spent. She also said she finds the group’s positions on immigration “worrisome.” In a resolution, the group refers to “illegal alien invaders,” singles out Mexicans as being responsible for much of the state’s drug trade and calls for a cut in the number of legal visas for immigrants.

These people are invaders and the majority of them are Mexican.  Why does Bordsen have an issue with the truth?  Her statement is a prime example of why nothing can get done at the Federal level and why many state politicians can’t be trusted to deal with the problem.  They have allowed themselves to be restrained by political correctness.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Heath Shuler’s immigration bill got another hearing Tuesday, but time is running out on his plan to require employers to use a government database to screen out unauthorized workers.

Lawmakers acknowledged they needed to do something about the millions of illegal immigrants working in the U.S. But many at a House immigration subcommittee hearing cited numerous problems with mandating that employers use E-Verify, the Department of Homeland Security’s screening database, which currently is voluntary.

Asheville Citizen-Times

No surprise there.  The Federal Government has no interest in actually solving this problem.  If they did they would have done it years ago.  The only reason it is even being discussed is because the American people have forced their hand on it.  All those years of Republican control didn’t get the issue resolved and there is no way in Hell the Pelosi Congress will pay the needed attention to it.

06/10/08

Fat chance of that!

COLUMBIA — Advocates for Hispanics delivered a message Tuesday to Gov. Mark Sanford: Illegal immigrants living in South Carolina should be granted amnesty or the state will take hits to its agriculture and tourism-driven economy.

The Post and Courier

And South Carolinians have a message for illegal immigrants: Get the hell out or find your behind on an INS truck back to where you came from.

“It’s unfair. We just come here to have a nice life,” said Luis De La Cruz, 9, whose parents moved to Goose Creek from Mexico when Luis was a year old.

Unfortunately Luis, your parents jumped ahead of a lot of other people who also want a nice life but are still waiting because they’ve been following the law unlike your criminal parents.

Alejandro Dominguez, a North Charleston businessman who was born in Mexico and granted citizenship through amnesty, said he only hires illegal immigrants. He pays them between $15 and $16 an hour, he said, to work on kitchen counter top construction and installation.

So Dominguez is hiring criminals to work for him while depriving American citizens a decent paying job.  Gee, isn’t that exactly what we’ve been saying is part of the problem with illegal immigration?

Salazar said illegal immigrants, who have come through the borders without much trouble for the last several decades, should not be forced out for the politics of an election year. They should be granted amnesty, she said.

“We’re not terrorists; we’re not criminals; we’re just human beings who want to prosper,” Salazar said.

I’ve pointed out in the past that Diane Salazar is a propagandist bimbo and she obviously needs to purchase a dictionary so she can look up the definition of criminal.

The State House voted in a landslide yesterday to agree to the Senate approved version of the illegal immigration bill that Harrell and McConnell worked on together to finally get completed in both chambers. I imagine Sanford will approve the bill and we will soon begin to witness the exodus of these lawbreaking invaders from our state, just as it was seen in Arizona and Oklahoma.

Of course, there were a few objections:

“The trail of probable cause sways toward racial profiling,” said Whipper, whose district includes a large population of immigrants.

Whipper said he is worried that legal Hispanic immigrants, specifically, will face hardships as a result of the legislation.

He also says he does not think legal immigrants were involved enough in the process to have had their voices heard and that they might be unaware of what’s coming down the pike.

Why do legal immigrants need to have more of a voice concerning this legislation? What makes them different than anyone else living in South Carolina?

Whippersnapper’s concern about racial profiling may have some validity to it, but it’s not due to any elements of racism. It’s just a fact that the vast majority of illegal aliens in this country are from south of the border. That’s just the way it is so naturally people are going to suspect Hispanics that don’t speak English as being here illegally. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, you know?

The Post and Courier provides a list of what the bill will do. I’m satisfied:

– Authorizes the State Law Enforcement Division to reach a deal with federal agencies for the enforcement of immigration laws.

– Requires people to prove their lawful presence in the U.S. to receive public benefits, although some exceptions apply, such as for emergency medical treatment.

– Adds additional penalties for ID fraud in connection to an illegal immigrant.

– Requires all businesses to check the legal status of workers by using a state driver’s license, a license from another state that has the same eligibility requirements or E-Verify (a free, online database that lets employers check Social Security numbers).

– Mandates fines for employers between $100 and $1,000 for every time they fail to verify the legal status of a worker, charge employers who knowingly hire an illegal immigrant with a felony and suspend right of businesses to operate when they get caught with illegal workers.

– Allows fired citizens to sue their former bosses if they’re replaced by illegal workers.

– Prohibits illegal immigrants from attending state universities or receiving state-funded college scholarships.

– Outlaws “sanctuary cities.”

– Requires judges to check immigration status when setting bail.

– Expands the state grand jury’s jurisdiction to include immigration fraud.

– Creates an illegal immigration hot line through the state Commission for Minority Affairs.

– Creates a felony for harboring and transporting illegal immigrants.

Yes, I realize my headline contains a redundancy. Here’s the story-

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand has put forward another option to free up space in the state’s overcrowded prison system: Release some nonviolent illegal immigrants to U.S. immigration officials for deportation.

Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, estimates the move would save the prison system 100 to 150 beds a year. That translates into about $250,000 to $375,000 in savings a year.

The N&O

Eventually, we’re just going to have to suck it up and build more prisons, though Rand’s idea isn’t a bad one. Personally, I’m for releasing every non-violent criminal from prison. And non-violent illegals ought to be sent back to Mexico… with a stern warning not to come back.

The majority of illegal immigrants in North Carolina prisons would not be eligible for release under Rand’s plan. Correction Department spokesman Keith Acree said there are about 1,800 inmates in state prisons who do not claim U.S. citizenship; U.S. immigration officials want to deport 1,400 of them.

Why they remain in state prisons has to do with a larger debate about punishment and public safety. Some have committed violent crimes; others have killed people through drunken driving. Allowing them to be deported to their home countries would raise serious public policy questions.

During his gubernatorial campaign, Bob Orr suggested suing the federal government for the costs incurred by these criminals. I wonder if we can sue the Mexican government too? God knows something’s gotta compel them to start cracking down.

Illegal immigrants would continue to have access to state universities and community colleges under legislation filed Tuesday by Reps. Pricey Harrison, Paul Luebke and Rick Glazier.

Their bill would prevent the UNC Board of Governors and the State Board of Community Colleges from requiring prospective students to disclose their immigration status, Dan Kane reports.

The bill does not prevent the universities and community colleges from charging much higher out-of-state rates for students who are not U.S. citizens. That is current practice.

The News & Observer

Of course, Luebke’s name is attached to this. Surprise, surprise! In theory, I honestly have no issue with illegals going to the schools if they are paying the out of state rate, but it’s not that simple. By allowing them to even do that, the state is helping to legitimize their illegal status. Residents in both Carolinas are overwhelmingly in favor of removing these people from our states and I don’t see the legislature passing this bill. The legislators that drew this up are very far left Democrats who represent districts that are going to elect them no matter what they do more or less, so they can get away with pushing for stuff like this.

NEWS14.com

Apparently Kay Hagan has changed her position on immigration, or has she? Hagan supports the program but only if the federal government pays for 100 percent of it. We do not need a Senator who does not understand that Federal money comes from the states and does not appear out of thin air.

“My problem with it is that it’s an unfunded federal mandate,” Hagan said. “As I stated last year, the state of North Carolina spent $750,000 on this program and this is really something that is an ICE situation, which is an immigration situation.”

She has been against any kind of attempt to eliminate illegals in this country and this is her way of leaving a opening to allow the 287(g) program to die. I would be willing to make a friendly wager that she would vote against continuing this program if she was elected to the US Senate. With all of the money the Demoruption Party is pumping into her campaign, I cannot see how she could possibly be a voice for North Carolinain the US Senate. She would be beholden to the DNC and Mr. Anything you say is racists Dean.

An Important Message from Jim DeMint

Dear Fellow Conservative,

I thought I would take a second to let you know a little bit about what is going on in the Senate. Senate Democrats continue their election year posturing and block almost all of our key reforms.

I am still committed to getting rid of wasteful federal spending and ending congressional earmarks. Funding projects like bridges to nowhere and hippie museums is not the way your government should function. No one would ever run their business that way, and if they did, they would run it in the ground.

We are making some progress though. A little more than a month ago, all three major Presidential candidates signed on to our bill to impose a one year moratorium on earmarks and new transparency rules are beginning to shed some much needed light on pork projects.

I am also working with Republicans and Democrats to sponsor meaningful healthcare reform that does not rely on government for all the answers. Universal one-size-fits-all government run health coverage is not the right answer. I believe a market based solution that allows everyone the freedom to own their own health insurance is the right way to go.

And I haven’t forgotten about the important issue of immigration. I am continuing to lead the effort in the Senate to finish construction of a border fence. In the interest of national security alone, we must finish securing our borders now.

Maybe most importantly, I have been thinking about how all of these seemingly different issues really fit together like pieces of one giant puzzle - a puzzle that forms the foundation of what it really means to be an American. As I think about the prospects for this country under a potential Obama or second Clinton presidency, I can only pray that there are still enough Americans left who understand that the true meaning of freedom isn’t found in countless government programs and mandates that discourage personal responsibility, innovation and free enterprise. I’d love to get your thoughts on this as well, and hope to write more about it soon.

As you consider the challenges that face America, please remember that the ideas that eventually win in Washington are those that get grassroots support from citizens outside the Capitol. I want to thank you for your support of the Conservative cause in the past and to ask for your help to continue the fight on these very important issues.

I am also starting to build up my campaign resources. If I can show strong support now, national Democrats might just decide I’m not worth the resources they’d have to devote to try to defeat me, and I could remain focused on the work I need to be doing in Washington instead of raising the money it takes to combat Democratic misinformation.

If you could make a campaign donation of $500, $250, $100, $50 or whatever you can afford it would go a long way towards this effort and I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you so much for your continued friendship and encouragement - it means the world to me.

Sincerely,

Senator Jim DeMint