A drop in the number of illegal immigrants is a reflection on our stricter laws and enforcement that is going on around the country, but we must do more to hold illegal immigrants and employers who hire them accountable for breaking our laws.

Despite the immigration raids across the country, it’s hard to believe that enforcement alone brought about an 11 percent decrease.

The weak economy may be a contributing factor to the change in numbers of illegal immigrants. It’s harder to find vacancies in the jobs generally held by illegal immigrants, so coming to this country isn’t as enticing.

We need to take further action to make sure our laws are being enforced and to fix the system that allows illegal immigrants to come to this country.

To see the report, click here.

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Interesting story in the New York Times on how lower courts have affirmed state and local immigration laws which have met opposition by illegal immigrant organizations.

And, in an even more sweeping ruling in December, a judge in Oklahoma, James H. Payne, threw out a lawsuit against a state statute enacted last year requiring state contractors to verify new employees’ immigration status. Judge Payne said the immigrants should not be able to bring their claims to court because they were living in the country in violation of the law.

(snip)

Judge Payne of Oklahoma, ruling Dec. 12 on state laws that took effect in November, went furthest in questioning the rights of illegal immigrants.

“These illegal alien plaintiffs seek nothing more than to use this court as a vehicle for their continued unlawful presence in this country,” he wrote. “To allow these plaintiffs to do so would make this court an ‘abettor of iniquity,’ and this court finds that simply unpalatable.”

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From the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR):

Government and academic estimates indicate that as of 2006 there are 11 to 12 million illegal aliens living in the United States. The Center for Immigration Studies estimated the illegal alien population at 10 million as of November 2004. FAIR estimates that in 2007 the illegal alien population is above 13 million persons.

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We want to direct you to this article in the McAllen (Texas) Monitor about Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to the Rio Grande Valley.

After her HESTEC speech, Pelosi called the border fence set go up in parts of the Rio Grande Valley “a terrible idea.”

“I’ve been against the fence,” she said. “It shows a lack of understanding of what the communities are on our borders. These are communities that have borders going through them.”

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Kudos to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Northwest Arkansas police for taking 41 illegal aliens with gang ties off the streets.

Most arrests were in Rogers and Springdale, Reyes said. Suspects have ties to three Mexican gangs — the Mexican Mafia, Sureno 13 and Latin Kings — and with an El Savadoran gang, Mara Salvatrucha, he said.

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Cloture motion in the Senate on Immigration Bill fails, 46-53.

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Food for thought, exclusively from the Washington Times. It seems some in Mexico consider the Senate plan an amnesty, as well.

The head of a Mexican forgery ring was convinced he could make phony documents that illegal aliens could use to indicate fraudulently that they were eligible for a new amnesty, says a government affidavit recounting wiretapped phone calls the man made.
Julio Leija-Sanchez, who ran a $3 million-a-year forgery operation before he was arrested in April, was expecting Congress to pass a legalization program, which he called “amnesty,” and said he could forge documents to fool the U.S. government into believing illegal aliens were in the country in time to qualify for amnesty, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent said in the affidavit.

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From the AP:

The key breakthrough came when negotiators struck a bargain on a so- called “point system” that would for the first time prioritize immigrants’ education and skill level over family connections in deciding how to award green cards.

(snip)

The proposed agreement would allow illegal immigrants to come forward and obtain a “Z visa” and—after paying fees and a $5,000 fine—ultimately get on track for permanent residency, which could take between eight and 13 years. Heads of household would have to return to their home countries first.

They could come forward right away to claim a probationary card that would let them live and work legally in the U.S., but could not begin the path to permanent residency or citizenship until border security improvements and the high-tech worker identification program were completed.

A new temporary guest worker program would also have to wait until those so-called “triggers” had been activated.

Those workers would have to return home after work stints of two years, with little opportunity to gain permanent legal status or ever become U.S. citizens. They could renew their guest worker visas twice, but would be required to leave for a year in between each time.

Democrats had pressed instead for guest workers to be permitted to stay and work indefinitely in the U.S.

UPDATE FROM NY TIMES

Under the proposal, the government would evaluate the qualifications and claims of many people seeking permission to immigrate using a point system.

Family ties would remain an important factor, but would have less weight than they do under current law.

The point system is one element of a comprehensive bill that calls for the biggest changes in immigration law and policy in more than 20 years. The full Senate plans to take up the legislation next week.

Although Democrats now control the Senate, the bill incorporates many ideas advanced in some form by President Bush. A draft of the legislation says that Congress intends to “increase American competitiveness through a merit-based evaluation system for immigrants.”

Moreover, it says, Congress will “reduce chain migration” by limiting the number of visas issued exclusively on account of kinship.

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It’s happening in South Texas.

Hundreds of illegal immigrants have registered to vote in Bexar County in recent years and dozens of them have actually cast ballots, canceling out the votes of U.S. citizens, 1200 WOAI news will report Thursday morning.
Figures obtained by 1200 WOAI news shows 303 illegals successfully registered to vote, and at least 41 cast ballots in various elections.

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An interesting tidbit from the Associated Press: 12 illegals arrested for working at Camp Robinson, Arkansas’ National Guard HQ.

Video from Fox 16

ICE agents were using a program called Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP), a program gutted from the recent Homeland Security plan put together by the House leadership.

Whoops…

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