Via NYT:

“We feel like we had a big stake in the election and that’s what prompted this historic [hispanic] turnout,” said Janet Murguía, president of the National Council of La Raza. The advocacy group did wait long to begin publicly pushing the new president-elect to recognize this support with key White House and Cabinet positions.

 

“At some point in the first term we would definitely expect to see an effort to move responsible immigration reform,” Ms. Murguía said. “It would be a big mistake not to act on this important priority.”

With Michael Steele being mentioned as a contender for Chairman of the Republican National Committee, those interested in border security may be curious to know his record.  Although Steele's former position as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland did not provide him with many opportunities to directly improve border security, it bears noting that he has been an outspoken advocate of securing the border.

 "Secure the Borders First":

The American people are fed up and won’t be misled again. This Congress will be judged on their actions, not their words.

 

Congress must stop the flow of illegal immigrants across our border. Once we know who is in our country then we can take the next step in immigration reform.

 

The supporters of the current Senate legislation have stated that “triggers” are in place that prevent a “pathway to citizenship” until the borders are secured.

 "Immigration Amnesty in Any Form is Wrong:"

Let's be clear: the safety and security of Americans should not be subject to the whims of a "PC" mindset or feel good legislation. Americans are expecting thoughtful and responsible leadership that will not only clearly define the threats we face, but understand what they are in the first place.

 

Governor Spitzer's [drivers' license] plan is not a cause for celebration by the left or by the right; it is just plain bad public policy. When grappling with the important issues, Americans want elected leadership to put aside partisan politics and just make the right decision. The non-partisan public outcry that has accompanied attempts by politicians to grant some form of amnesty to illegal immigrants supports this fact.

 As published in the Frederick News-Post Aug 8, 2006

Steele opposes amnesty for undocumented workers because he said the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 encouraged more than 12 million undocumented immigrants to flood the United States over the past 20 years...

 

Steele said Congress' priority should be border control before it should tackle the problem of undocumented immigrants already in the country. "If we're out on the Chesapeake Bay and we spring a leak, what are we going to do, bail water or stop the leak?" he said. "When you stop the leak you have the peace of mind to deal with the water that has accumulated in the boat."

 To the Baltimore Sun:

Q: Discuss your views on immigration reform, particularly with regard to undocumented aliens already in this country.

 

A: ...Until we see Congress take some real and immediate steps to secure our borders, we can hardly expect Americans to seriously consider proposals for dealing with those illegal immigrants already in our county and those employers who fail to adequately report them. Nearly 1.2 million people were arrested trying to illegally enter the U.S. through the Mexican border last year alone, and an estimated 500,000 evaded capture. This is unacceptable. When a patient has a serious laceration, the doctor's first priority is to stop the bleeding, and then they can decide if simple stitches or surgery is needed to fix the problem for the long term. First thing's first: secure our borders and then we can deal with meaningful immigration reform.

Via Cape Cod Today:

BOSTON – Earlier this week, Representative Jeffrey Davis Perry (R-Sandwich) announced his plan to file comprehensive legislation dealing with illegal immigration here in the Commonwealth.  The package, to be filed at the beginning of the next legislative session, will include; a measure to limit public taxpayer funded benefits to illegal immigrants, strengthen the laws as they relate to driving without a license, allow immigration status to be a factor in bail proceedings and a bill to strengthen voter registration by requiring identification.

Via WFLA:

(KFI - Los Angeles) The L.A. City Council's public safety committee held a hearing Monday on the L.A. Police Department's immigration enforcement rules, and it included a rare City Hall appearance by former LAPD Chief Darryl Gates.

 

Councilman Dennis Zine had promised a public discussion of the police department's "Special Order 40" following the murder of an innocent teen by a suspected gang member authorities said was in the United States illegally. That order generally prohibits officers from questioning a person's immigration status on the street.

Via ABC 2:

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- An immigrant rights group is suing Anne Arundel County officials seeking information about the role of county employees in an immigration raid in June.

 

Silver Spring-based CASA de Maryland filed the suit Wednesday alleging that the Office of the County Executive and the county police department failed to respond to a Maryland Public Information Act request made six weeks ago for documents related to raids at Annapolis Painting Services and 15 homes that resulted in 45 arrests.

A Mexican immigration official was arrested Sunday at the Lukeville port of entry on charges of trying to smuggle marijuana into the country.

At about 5 p.m. Sunday, officials pulled over a 2002 Dodge pickup truck driven by Francisco Enrique Celaya-Carrillo at the Lukeville port of entry in Southwestern Arizona, a criminal complaint from the U.S. Attorney's Office shows. They found 167 pounds of marijuana hidden in the spare tire and gas tank, the complaint shows.

Via KSFY:

[There was] a federal immigration raid Wednesday afternoon at multiple dairy operations in Veblen.

 

27 people were arrested: the result of a three month investigation involving 6 law enforcement agencies, including federal immigration and customs enforcement.

 

13 of the people arrested face identity theft charges tonight while the other 14 are accused of being in the country illegally.

Via The houston Chronicle:

The Harris County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday suspended a program that allowed some of its jailers to act as immigration officers after a county commissioner complained the agency had not gotten permission to implement the plan.

 

The sheriff's office first sought permission from Commissioners Court in July to participate in ICE's 287(g) program, which trains local law enforcement officers to help identify illegal immigrants. Commissioner Sylvia Garcia asked to postpone a vote on the county's agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and it never appeared on another agenda.

Via AP:

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has fined a kosher meatpacking plant nearly $10 million for alleged wage violations.

Agriprocessors in Potsville was targeted in May in an immigration raid and has also been accused of child-labor violations.

Via AP:

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal immigration officials are wondering how a man involved in a subway shootout with police officers had re-entered the U.S. after being deported a decade ago after a drug arrest.

 

The man, Raul Nunez, illegally used a student's fare payment card to enter a subway station during Tuesday evening's rush hour, police said. Two plainclothes transit officers tried to arrest him, and in a struggle he grabbed one of their guns and shot them, police said.

 

Nunez, who is from the Dominican Republic, reportedly told authorities he resisted because he was afraid he'd be deported again if he were arrested.

I'm glad Palin granted an interview to Univision.  A lot of Spanish speaking Hispanics are very conservative.

Via New America Media:

Palin told Univision’s Jorge Ramos that it would be impossible to deport 12 million undocumented immigrants, saying that "not only economically is that just an impossibility but that's not a humane way anyway to deal with the issue that we face with illegal immigration."

Asked whether she would support an "amnesty," she said, "Not total amnesty. You know, people have got to follow the rules. They've got to follow the bar, and we have got to make sure that there is equal opportunity and those who are here legally should be first in line for services being provided and those opportunities that this great country provides."

In another part of the interview, however, Palin said that she supports a path to citizenship for the undocumented. "I understand why people would want to be in America. To seek the safety and prosperity, the opportunities, the health that is here. It is so important that yes, people follow the rules so that people can be treated equally and fairly in this country.”

Via the San Francisco Chronicle:

SAN FRANCISCO -- A state appeals court reinstated a taxpayer lawsuit on Wednesday that accuses San Francisco officials of violating a state law that requires police who make drug arrests to notify federal authorities if a criminal suspect doesn't appear to be a U.S. citizen.

 

A Superior Court judge dismissed the suit last year, saying the California law on which it was based was an invalid attempt by the state to regulate immigration. The First District Court of Appeal disagreed Wednesday and said the law, though it might affect immigration, is based on the state's legal authority to combat drug trafficking.

 

The 3-0 ruling allows opponents of San Francisco's immigration policy to try to prove that the city has broken the state law.

Via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

MADELIA, Minn. - Several people have been taken into custody in immigration raids in Madelia  and St. James this week.

 

Agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency have been making sweeps through those southern Minnesota towns over the past two days with help from local law enforcement.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released the results of a nationwide poll conducted in partnership with Zogby International concerning the American people's attitudes towards illegal immigration. Among the poll's highlights of 1,211 likely voters, conducted October 16-19, 2008 (margin of error is /- 2.9%):

--  71.5% said they agree local law enforcement officers should enforce federal immigration laws, including 51.5% of Hispanics and 56.2% of self-described "liberals."

Posted at MarketWatch:

WASHINGTON -- A new report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) demonstrates why Georgia has taken a lead in adopting state-based policies to control the costs of illegal immigration. According to the new study, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Georgians, the state currently spends about $1.6 billion a year to provide three basic services to illegal aliens and their dependents -- K-12 education, public health care, and incarceration of criminals. These costs associated with the estimated 495,000 illegal aliens residing in the state amount to a $523 a year burden for every Georgia household headed by a native-born American.