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Thread: Homeland Security

  1. #21
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    In speech, Obama to argue for immigration overhaul (July 1st, 2010 @ 2:14am) By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
    Associated Press Writer

    WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama hopes to rally new momentum behind the push for an immigration overhaul by explaining why he thinks a comprehensive approach is the only way to fix what he and others say is a system badly in need of repair.

    Obama was laying out his rationale in a speech Thursday, his first as president on the issue.

    Obama wasn't expected to announce any new proposals or policy changes. But feeling pressure from a range of supporters, he was aiming to jump-start the effort he had promised to make a priority in his first year and which advocates had hoped would be completed by now.

    The speech follows up on back-to-back meetings Obama had with advocates and lawmakers at the White House this week.

    Obama has said a comprehensive solution means "accountability for everybody"- from the U.S. government meeting its obligation to secure the border, to businesses facing the consequences of knowingly employing illegal immigrants, to those who enter the country illegally owning up to their actions before they can begin the process of becoming citizens.

    Recent developments on immigration influenced his decision to give a speech, White House officials say, most notably Arizona's enactment of a tough anti-immigrant law and protests across the country against it.

    "He thought this was a good time to talk plainly with the American people about his views on immigration," spokesman Bill Burton said.

    Still, prospects appear bleak for getting a bill to Obama's desk before lawmakers leave town in the fall to campaign for re-election in November, and the president could be partly responsible for that. In April, he gave lawmakers some wiggle room when he said Congress may not have the appetite to deal with immigration this year following a tough legislative year in 2009.

    The political reality is that to get a bill Obama needs Republican support, mostly in the Senate, where Democrats fall short of the 60 votes needed to overcome GOP stalling tactics. Obama has mentioned that lack of cross-party support in his recent comments on immigration.

    "I've got to have some support from Republicans," he said at a May news conference with visiting Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

    Obama has endorsed a proposal by Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that would require illegal immigrants, among other things, to admit they broke the law, pay fines and back taxes and perform community service to eventually obtain legal status. But Graham since has balked at acting on immigration this year, and no other Senate Republican has come forward.

    Some Republicans want to act first on measures to tighten security along the U.S.-Mexico border, but Obama disagrees with that approach. His administration has acted to improve border security, including increasing personnel and equipment along the border.

    Obama recently ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to the border to boost security and asked Congress for an additional $600 million to support personnel and improve technology there. More than 500 of those Guard troops are to be sent to Arizona.

    The Arizona law requires police enforcing another statute to clarify a person's immigration status if there's reason to believe the individual is in the U.S. illegally. Several states and communities are considering similar legislation, which Obama says is an understandable byproduct of the public's frustration over the federal government's inability to tighten the immigration system.

    But Obama also has criticized the law as "misguided" and said it is potentially discriminatory. He has asked the Justice Department to review its legality and immigrant advocates are hoping the government will sue Arizona to block the law from taking effect later this month.

  2. #22
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    Obama blames politics for delay on immigration (July 1st, 2010 @ 9:47am)
    By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press Writer

    WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama on Thursday blamed immigration policy gridlock on "political posturing and special interest wrangling."

    In a speech, Obama took Republicans to task, in particular 11 GOP senators who supported recent efforts to improve the immigration system. He did not name any, but told his largely supportive audience at American University that those lawmakers had succumbed to the "pressures of partisanship and election-year politics."

    Seeking to build new momentum on an issue many advocates hoped would be resolved by this point, Obama laid out his rationale for a comprehensive approach to fixing what he and others, Republicans included, say is a broken immigration system.

    He said the problem cannot be solved "only with fences and border patrols" but said the government should be held accountable for its responsibility to secure the border. Obama also said that businesses should face consequences for knowingly employing illegal immigrants. And he said those who enter the country illegally should own up to their actions before they can begin the process of becoming citizens.

    "The question now is whether we will have the courage and the political will to pass a bill through Congress, to finally get it done," the president said. "I'm ready to move forward, the majority of Democrats are ready to move forward and I believe the majority of Americans are ready to move forward. But the fact is that without bipartisan support, as we had just a few years ago, we cannot solve this problem."

    "Reform that brings accountability to our immigration system cannot pass without Republican votes," he said. "That is the political and mathematical reality."

    In response, Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, one of the 11 Republican senators Obama alluded to in his talk, said he had a good reason for his position this time around.

    "My constituents have said do everything you can to secure the border first," Kyl told Fox News Channel. "It's our job to secure the border, whether or not we end up passing so-called comprehensive immigration reform."

    White House officials say recent developments influenced Obama's decision to give his first formal speech on the issue as president, most notably Arizona's enactment of a tough anti-immigrant law and the reaction to it across the country. But advocates also have been pressing him to give such a speech as a demonstration of his commitment to seeing the effort through.

    Obama didn't dwell on the Arizona law in the speech. He called it an understandable byproduct of public frustration with the government's inability to tighten the system, but also said the law is ill-conceived, divisive and would put undue pressure on local authorities.

    The law requires police enforcing another statute to clarify a person's immigration status if there's reason to believe that person is in the U.S. illegally. Immigrant advocates want the Justice Department, which is reviewing the law, to sue Arizona to block it from taking effect this month.

    In the speech, Obama extolled America's history as a melting pot of immigrants and lauded their many contributions to the nation.

    But an Associated Press-GfK Poll conducted in May found 57 percent saying illegal immigrants are mostly a drain on society and 38 percent said they believe immigrants make a contribution. Eight in 10 said the federal government should do more to keep immigrants from illegally entering the U.S.

    Obama has endorsed a proposal by Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that would require illegal immigrants to admit they broke the law, pay fines and back taxes and perform community service to eventually obtain legal status. But Graham since has balked at acting on immigration this year, and no other Senate Republican has come forward.

    Some Republicans, like Kyl, are pushing a "border security first" approach focused on enforcement.

    "It won't work," Obama said. He said there now are more "boots on the ground" on the U.S.-Mexico border than ever before and that "our borders are just too vast for us to be able to solve the problem only with fences and border patrols."

    Obama recently ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to the border to boost security and asked Congress for an additional $600 million to support personnel and improve technology there. More than 500 of those Guard troops are headed for Arizona.

  3. #23
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    Brewer: Obama immigration speech "helpless"by Jim Cross/KTAR and Associated Press (July 1st, 2010 @ 11:06am)

    PHOENIX -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says President Barack Obama's speech on immigration reform provided no answers to the problem.

    "What a helpless speech," Brewer told News/Talk 92.3 KTAR by phone from Sedona, where she had a speaking engagement Friday.

    "Where's the action?" Brewer asked. "He described perfectly my opinion of the complete failure of the federal government, something that has been failing the people of America for a decade or more."

    She added, "The bottom line is that we are a nation of laws and they have to be complied with. And, if they are not, we will fall. We have chaos in Mexico, and we are beginning to experience the same kind of chaos in Arizona."

    She said, "The system is broken, the border is broken. We all know what we need... People in Arizona have made it very, very clear. Let's talk about the problem that is at hand. Let's secure the border."

    The Arizona governor, a Republican, met with Obama at the White House last month after she signed a tough immigration enforcement law, which requires police enforcing other laws to clarify a person's immigration status if there's reason to believe that person is in the U.S. illegally. The law, which goes into effect July 29, is being challenged in court and the Justice Department is reviewing it to decide if the feds will join the challenges.

    Brewer said said if Obama "is going to leave it up to the states to do what the feds should be doing, then maybe that's what's going to have to take place. First things must come first and that is securing our border, all the way from California through Texas."

    Brewer said she would appreciate a little respect from the President by having him come to Arizona "to look at our border and see what we are putting up with on a daily basis."

    In his speech Friday, Obama did not dwell on the Arizona law, although he called it an understandable byproduct of public frustration with the federal government's inability to address the problem. But, he said the Arizona law is ill-conceived, divisive and would put undue pressure on local authorities.

    A prominent Arizona legislator said he was "offended" by the President's speech.

    Republican Rep. John Kavanagh called Obama's address at American University in Washington, D.C., a ``political speech'' that, in Kavanagh's words, ``probably annoyed everybody.''

    According to Kavanagh, Obama was trying to convince Hispanics that he's doing something about immigration when he really isn't. And Kavanagh says the speech was a disappointment to those who want increased border security and internal enforcement.

    Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl agreed with Brewer that the border must be secured before Congress overhauls the immigration system. Kyl said the president blamed Republicans for stalling immigration reform.

    "It was very political," Kyl told Fox News. "On the one hand, he says we need bipartisanship, and then he slams Republicans."

    He added, "It's our job to secure the border, whether or not we end up passing so-called comprehensive immigration reform."

    Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for governor in this fall's elections, called the president's plan long overdue and urgently needed.

    "Based on the president's outline this morning, it appears he's proposing a responsible plan that deserves the immediate attention of Congress," Goddard said.

    "The President is offering a common sense path for illegal immigrants to get right with the law by passing a criminal background check, paying a fine, paying back taxes and learning English. These are all steps I have long endorsed," Goddard said.

    He said the failure of Congress to act long ago is part of what led to Arizona's new law and the divisiveness it has generated.

    Goddard said the President didn't go far enough, however, in addressing border security.

    "He said the border is more secure now than it has been in 20 years, but drug cartel murders and other violence south of the border are peaking and present a growing threat to the people of Arizona. The president needs to do more to support our efforts to fight the cartels and increase border security."

    Goddard called on the President to work closely with members of Congress and give them an immediate timetable to consider his proposals. He added that Arizona's congressional delegation "should provide bipartisan leadership to pass the reforms that Arizona so desperately needs."

  4. #24
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    National Guard at the border?
    Laurie Roberts, columnist for The Arizona Republic.

    30 guys After months of waiting, President Barack Obama’s vow to put the National Guard on the border comes true today, sort of.

    You will recall that on May 25, Obama announced he was sending 1,200 National Guard troops to the border.

    On July 19, we learned that Arizona would be getting 525 of those troops and that they would be deployed Aug. 1.

    Today, 30 soldiers are to arrive at the Arizona-Mexico border.

    Thirty.

    Lt. Valentine Castillo, a spokesman for the Guard in Phoenix, told The Republic’s Dennis Wagner that additional troops will be deployed every Monday until the number reaches 532.

    “Everything is right on track to be fully operational by the beginning of October,” Castillo said.

    At which time the National Guard will not be able to actually, you know, guard the border. Instead, they will handle surveillance and call the Border Patrol if they spot intruders. This is essentially the same job given the Guard during Operation Jump Start, during the Bush administration.

    In June 2006, Bush put 6,000 troops on the border then hampered them by not allowing them to enforce the law. Instead, they were there strictly to support the Border Patrol. You may recall that memorable night in January 2007, when the National Guard spotted a group of men, armed with AK-47s, coming across the rugged desert terrain under the gleam of a full moon. Drug runners, probably. One of them came within 16 yards of a Tennessee guardsman standing watch. The soldiers did all they could. They called for help from the Border Patrol, backed away and let the gunmen pass, just as the politicians had decreed that they must.

    Still, by most accounts, Jump Start was a rousing success, despite the handcuffs put on our soldiers. The Guard assisted in catching nearly 170,000 illegal immigrants during the two-year deployment and helped seize more than 300,000 pounds of incoming marijuana and 5,000 pounds of cocaine. So, of course, Bush began winding down the program in early 2008, amid pleas from then-Gov. Janet Napolitano to leave troops at the border until the “virtual fence” was completed in 2011. (Something we now know will not happen in 2011 -- or ever.)

    “The federal government has no excuse to scale back the program,” Napolitano wrote to then Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in March 2008. “Common sense dictates that the drawdown should stop and that a continued high National Guard presence should be maintained.”

    A month later, she warned congressional leaders that halting the operation would be "irresponsible."

    These days, Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano believes the border is “as secure now as it's ever been.” This afternoon, she'll have a telephone press conference with reporters to discuss the Obama administration’s progress in ”implementing new security measures to combat transnational criminal organizations that smuggle weapons, cash and people across the Southwest border.”

    Hopefully, it'll involve more than 30 guys with binoculars.

  5. #25
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    This was funny:


  6. #26
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    This is just too funny to miss:

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  7. #27
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    Border agents seize $63,000 in cashby Associated Press (October 5th, 2010 @ 7:02am)



    PHOENIX -- Agents in Nogales in southeastern Arizona made two big cash seizures from people crossing the border with Mexico.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents said Monday that the first seizure occurred around noon Friday when officers noticed abnormalities with the clothing of a 54-year-old man from Nogales, Mexico.

    After a pat-down, officers found 10 bundles of currency around his waistline. He was carrying $20,000.

    About eight hours later, officers boarded a southbound bus and a service dog altered them to a piece of luggage. Inside was $43,500 in cash.

    The 22-year-old Mexican man who brought the luggage on board and the man from the earlier seizure were both turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

  8. #28
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    Drug tunnel found under US-Mexico border
    by Associated Press (November 3rd, 2010 @ 1:05pm)

    SAN DIEGO -- U.S. authorities have discovered a drug tunnel connecting warehouses on either side of California's border with Mexico.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Lauren Mack says Wednesday that the tunnel ran 600 yards under the border. It had lighting, ventilation and a rail system for sending carts of drugs into the United States.

    Mack says authorities also found 20 tons of marijuana near the tunnel, which ended close to California's Otay Mesa port of entry.

    Officials have found 125 tunnels since they started recording them in the early 1990s. Of those, 75 have been found in the past four years, most along the California and Arizona border with Mexico.

  9. #29
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    An East Valley man who was shot in the head by a Maricopa County Sheriff's Deputy last week after pointing an assault rifle at a the deputy died Monday from his injuries, officials said.

    Felipe Ramirez Castellanos, 43, who sheriff's officials said was an illegal immigrant, was shot once in the in the head and once in the hip after he pointed an AK-47 assault rifle at a deputy responding to a domestic violence incident Friday, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.

    "I praise my deputy for taking proper, professional action," Arpaio said.

    The 26-year-old deputy, whose name was not released, has been with MCSO five years, Arpaio said. He was placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.

    Sheriff's deputies were called about 10:30 p.m. Friday, after several gunshots were fired outside a home in the 9100 block of East Crescent Avenue, southwest of Broadway and Ellsworth roads, in an unincorporated area of east Mesa.

    Investigators learned Castellanos had been in an argument with his wife and fled the home while firing several shots from a .9mm handgun into the air, the sheriff's office said. He returned several minutes later to retrieve an AK-47 and several rounds of ammunition.

    Castellanos was inside a vehicle and leaving the home when deputies arrived. When deputies searched the car, they found Castellanos with the assault rifle, a handgun and 120 rounds of ammunition, the sheriff said.

    While sitting inside the vehicle, Castellanos pointed the rifle at two deputies and one of the deputies opened fire, he added.

    He died Monday at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix.

    Arpaio said Castellanos served 90 days in jail for a human-smuggling charge in 1986. He legally returned to the United States under a worker's Visa in 1997, but apparently overstayed that Visa.

    Castellanos was stopped for a traffic violation April 3, and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Additional details were not immediately available.

    Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/m...#ixzz1BLutlJVw

  10. #30
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    Feds say $10 million in drugs seized at Nogales
    by Associated Press (February 3rd, 2011 @ 9:38am)

    NOGALES, Ariz. - Federal officials say inspections of inbound vehicles and people passing through the Nogales Port of Entry led to the seizure of $10 million in illegal drugs including cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine.

    The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that between Friday and Monday federal agents seized almost 10,000 pounds of pot and 104 pounds of cocaine hidden inside vehicles and strapped to travelers' bodies.

    Authorities arrested a 15-year-old boy from Nogales, Mexico, Friday with more than two pounds of methamphetamines strapped to his waist.

    The narcotics and vehicles used for smuggling were seized and the suspects were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.
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