Dec 14

Navarrette – Keep ugliness out of immigration debate

By Advocate News & Views View Comments

Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a member of the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board, and a nationally syndicated columnist

Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a member of the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board, and a nationally syndicated columnist

San Diego, California (CNN) — ‘Tis the season of peace on Earth and good will toward men. Yet you wouldn’t know it from the screed from the conservative radio talk show host who recently charged into the immigration debate with gums flapping.

He called for a crackdown on illegal immigration but also a wholesale tightening of immigration policy so we admit fewer legal immigrants as well.

The radio talker was half-right. Americans must get serious about stopping illegal immigration, mostly by doing something we never seem to do with much enthusiasm: punish employers. But legal immigration shouldn’t be dragged into the mix.

Legal immigrants — with their energy, passion and optimism — have always been this country’s most valuable import. Even in bad economic times, we need more of them and not less.

Still, the worst part was the wildly inappropriate language the host used to justify his position. He was dangerously out-of-bounds in framing the issue as one of protecting society from the latest wave of immigrants, most of whom come from Mexico and Latin America. Unless something was done to curb the flow, he said, these foreigners would continue to “alter our demographics, erode our culture, and threaten our language.”
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Dec 08

Avlon: Extremism in danger of acceptance

By Advocate Lunatic Fringe Comments Off
This photo titled "Tea Bagger Dickhead" pretty much sums up the truth of the attached article

This photo titled "Tea Bagger Dickhead" pretty much sums up the truth of the attached article

This excellent article by John Avlon, exposes the tactics of William Gheen and ALIPAC as well as others of the lunatic fringe.

NEW YORK (CNN) — We are witnessing a wingnut war break out in American politics, organized on the Internet and fought out in airwaves and in town halls, wingnuts firing their shots from the outer reaches and strafing the common sense center.

Look beyond the sober skeptics and the principled opposition to President Obama, and you’ll find an ugly fringe festival cultivating the wounds left by the 2008 campaign and pouring gasoline on the embers of the culture wars.

As the two parties become more ideologically polarized, the fringe is now blurring with the base while the moderate majority feels increasingly politically homeless.

A culture of extremism is in danger of gaining acceptance.

We’ve become almost used to the escalating tone — comparisons of the president to Adolf Hitler now seem unremarkable, part of the contemporary political scenery.
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Dec 03

Illegal immigrants’ impact on economy measured

By Advocate Immigration Reform, Pro-Blogosphere Comments Off

No_one_is_illegalA  interesting articles are out today, thoroughly debunking the time worn rhetoric from groups such as ALIPAC, FAIR and NUMBERSUSA about the value and worth of illegal immigrants in American society and the workplace.

A new study released Wednesday concludes that undocumented immigrant workers do not drain jobs or tax dollars and have a neutral impact on the U.S. economy, reports Lynsi Burton of the Hearst Newspaper Groups, Washington Bureau in todays San Francisco Chronicle.

Because illegal immigrants occupy a small share of the workforce – about 5 percent – and work low-skilled jobs at lower wages than other workers, their overall influence on the economy is trivial, according to the report, sponsored by the Migration Policy Institute, a pro-immigration think tank in Washington.

“The fate of the U.S. economy does not rest on what we do on illegal immigration,” said Gordon Hanson, author of the report and economics professor at the UC San Diego.

Undocumented immigrants contribute just 0.03 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, with that gain going to employers who save money on cheap labor, the report says, while their cost to the economy is 0.10 percent of GDP, which mainly comes from public education and publicly funded emergency health care.

Read the complete article here:

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Nov 14

Light Turnout for ALIPAC’s Tea Bagger’s against Amnesty parties

By Advocate Lunatic Fringe, Media View Comments

Word is coming in from around the nation about the turnout for ALIPAC’s Tea Baggers against Amnesty, and it appears that Willy Gheen will fall far short of his goal of 5000 participants.

Photo of the handful of protesters who showed up in Austin on 11/14 to protest against immigration reform. Willy Gheen sure knows how to motivate them doesn't he?

Photo of the handful of protesters who showed up in Austin on 11/14 to protest against immigration reform. Willy Gheen sure knows how to motivate them doesn't he?

AUSTIN TEXAS

Immigration Clearinghouse had a man on the street in Austin Texas to observe the Austin Tea Party Against Amnesty, held on Congress street by the capitol. Here is the report and photos he sent to us.

I was in downtown at 2pm, and I found a big group of about 300 people in front of the Congress, the people of the video… but that was for the health care reform, so I started walking around until I found them.. the ones of the photo, they were actually talking about measures against immigrants, and although their banners were hard to read I think they said something about that too. I count 7 heads… Hope that it helps

It helped a lot Fernando, as showing that Texans, have a mind of their own and know how to use it.

I find it rather interesting also, that in the video clip, 300 people are on the other side of the Capitol, demonstrating FOR Healthcare Reform.

MOV02478 See the clip!

And from the news reports from around the nation, we look at the turnout at other events.

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Oct 03

More agencies see the folly of 287(g), drop certifications

By Advocate ICE & DHS View Comments

Members of the Brazilian immigrant community and others can rest easy with the withdrawal of the Framingham (Ma) PD and Barnstable County from the ICE program known as 287(g) Photo is of one of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's terror squads in Maricopa County Arizona

Members of the Brazilian immigrant community and others can rest easy with the withdrawal of the Framingham (Ma) PD and Barnstable County from the ICE program known as 287(g) Photo is of one of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's terror squads in Maricopa County Arizona

Two Massachusetts law enforcement agencies have announced that they are no longer enrolled in a controversial program that allows them enforce federal immigration laws.

The Framingham police and the Barnstable County sheriff’s department announced Thursday they were withdrawing from the federal program immigrant advocates said deterred immigrants from reporting crimes.

Framingham Chief Steven Carl said he was withdrawing because federal officials pressured the department to broaden its enforcement. He said federal officials wanted his department to detain immigrants, transport them and even testify in immigration court.
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