People commmenting on this blog and in general conversation make claims that they know who is illegal and who is not. In most cases such statements are without fact. The problem isn’t just limited to people interested in this topic. It involves others as well.
For example, when you look at a story in the news you might hazard a guess about the immigration status of the suspect in custody. Some folks will look at a Hispanic name and decide for themselves that he is illegal. Others would say the way to tell is a hyphenated Hispanic name, indicating the suspect still carried on the tradition of the old country.
Some people would look at the situation and simply say it is racist to even consider the immigration status. Why do we blame these undocumented people for all the crime? They are better citizens than citizens. And there are illegal aliens from England and Canada. It isn’t strictly a Hispanic problem.
Now, let’s look at the chain of information. First of all, the police department has to check for us to know if the suspect is here illegally.
Next, they have to release that information to the press.
Then the reporter needs to pick up on it and write about it.
Then the editor of the paper has to allow it to go into print.
See how fragile that chain is? Anywhere along the way that little bit of information can be lost.
Now, as a side note to all of this we should be aware that when we read the police blotter or police reports section in the newspaper it is an incorrect assumption to think you are looking at all the crime in town. Far from it.
It works like this: The newspaper assigns a reporter to cover the police department. Every day the reporter will walk into the police station and take a look at the list of arrests. There will be car accidents and traffic tickets and shoplifting and noise complaints and dozens of other items large and small.
What gets printed in the paper is all at the whim of the reporter, or perhaps guided by his boss. The paper might be focusing on teens and alcohol so the reporter will be keen on crimes involving drinking parties. Or they might be interested in hit-and-run car accidents.
Of course, violent crimes will get more attention. So will crimes involving family members of local notables.
My point is, you are not seeing all the crimes. The information is well-filtered. There is nothing nefarious about it; the newspaper has limited space for such things and the readers have limited interest in them.
County jails and other law enforcement agencies do keep information on line about who is incarcerated. There is a fair amount of information available in some cases. Here’s Kane County Jail’s roster: http://www.kanecountyjail.org/roster/roster_search.aspx
Note that they do not show immigration status about the inmates.
I’m not sure what would happen if I walked into the Elgin City Jail and asked to see the arrest log for the last 24 hours. I’m guessing I wouldn’t be allowed to see it. They would tell me to fill out a Freedom of Information request, wait seven days, and have a high probability of being denied. In one city jail in southern California I could. And the immigration status would be listed. But I think that is the exception of transparency.
Why do we even care? Because 30% of the foreign-born are illegal aliens. Make no mistake here, it is the role of government to know who is here illegally and do something about it. They have failed on both counts.
Such failure has led to false assumptions about the immigration status of all sorts of people. The greatest impact the city can have in the areas of discrimination and assimilation is to clean up this town. If we had trust that the city was in control of the situation we could go back to the way we were five years ago. We would assume that everyone living here was legal and that would be a non-issue.
The truth is that illegal aliens have been living here for 40 years. We had an active “Centro do Informacion” during the 1986 amnesty because we had illegal aliens here.
What has changed since 9/11 is that the public has come to realize how bad the situation has become. And we now know that the government has done nothing about it.
Someone has to ask the questions and take action. As much as Schock would like to think only the Feds can do it, that is incorrect. Doing nothing is not an option. It is the role of government to police this problem. Otherwise, people will think what they will. And too often they will be wrong.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
To serve and protect
It was quite an eye-opener for us to hear the mayor on the radio October 2nd. He was quite critical of the 287g program and made this comment:
“When we adopt measures like that that are more symbolic than substantive, we do put fear unnecessarily in segments of the community that we serve. On almost every police car in every municipality it says two things on the door; 'To serve and protect.' Well, we can’t serve a segment of the population that’s afraid of us because they question the motives of certain actions that we take. So I think measures like 287g do more harm than good for our law enforcement officials. That’s why our police department recommended against its adoption.”
Well, our first question has to do with fear. Who is afraid of 287g? No one who is in this country LEGALLY needs to be afraid of 287g. As for PROVING that you are here illegally, all green card holders are warned right from the start that they must have their documents on their person at all times. It is a requirement.
So, we don’t understand the fear part of his argument.
Later in the comment he talks about serving a protecting. Does Mayor Schock realize that in allowing the illegal aliens to live here without enforcement of the law he is serving and protecting them? And in doing so he is failing to serve and protect US, the Legal Americans. That’s the whole point.
We are not chopped liver, Mr. Schock. We deserve to be served and protected. We deserve peaceful enjoyment of our city free from loud parties, drunk drivers, people without insurance…we deserve to drive down our streets without having to take turns or pull over to the curb…we deserve to have morning Kindergarten rather than reschedule our lives to accommodate anchor babies…we deserve a hospital on the east side of town where we don’t have to wait three hours in the emergency room…
In short, we are looking for a little service and protection in exchange for our tax dollars.
“When we adopt measures like that that are more symbolic than substantive, we do put fear unnecessarily in segments of the community that we serve. On almost every police car in every municipality it says two things on the door; 'To serve and protect.' Well, we can’t serve a segment of the population that’s afraid of us because they question the motives of certain actions that we take. So I think measures like 287g do more harm than good for our law enforcement officials. That’s why our police department recommended against its adoption.”
Well, our first question has to do with fear. Who is afraid of 287g? No one who is in this country LEGALLY needs to be afraid of 287g. As for PROVING that you are here illegally, all green card holders are warned right from the start that they must have their documents on their person at all times. It is a requirement.
So, we don’t understand the fear part of his argument.
Later in the comment he talks about serving a protecting. Does Mayor Schock realize that in allowing the illegal aliens to live here without enforcement of the law he is serving and protecting them? And in doing so he is failing to serve and protect US, the Legal Americans. That’s the whole point.
We are not chopped liver, Mr. Schock. We deserve to be served and protected. We deserve peaceful enjoyment of our city free from loud parties, drunk drivers, people without insurance…we deserve to drive down our streets without having to take turns or pull over to the curb…we deserve to have morning Kindergarten rather than reschedule our lives to accommodate anchor babies…we deserve a hospital on the east side of town where we don’t have to wait three hours in the emergency room…
In short, we are looking for a little service and protection in exchange for our tax dollars.
Friday, December 21, 2007
A Chinese Menu
Doug sent this e-mail to the mayor and city council...
We’ve seen articles in the Courier News, Daily Herald and Chicago Tribune recently about ICE ACCESS. We are pleased to hear Elgin elected officials willing to do something, ANYTHING, about criminal illegal aliens in town.
But ICE ACESS is getting way more credit than it deserves. It is essentially a Chinese Menu of all the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) services local agencies might want to use. Nothing more. It is not a program at all; It is a list of the programs ICE has to offer.
Well, maybe it isn’t a menu really. With a menu, you get to order what you want. In contrast, with ICE ACCESS they tell you what you can have. “No soup for you!”
Try it yourself. When you sit down with them to discuss ICE ACCESS, point to the CAP officer option and tell them you want one of those. They will say, “That program is for state prisons and county jails. You can’t have a CAP.”
Here’s Elgin’s answer to that. Ask them, “What does Angel Garcia do at ICE?” They probably won’t know the answer. You can tell them, “Angel Garcia, a federal immigration enforcement officer, works full-time at the Costa Mesa city jail, checking the immigration status of each arrestee.” (from Orange County Register 12/17/07) Be sure to emphasize the word “CITY” so they understand you.
Maybe they’ll offer you support with your customs problem, or your border control, or maybe even intellectual property rights. Those would be useful here. NOT!
You could use some help training officers in spotting bogus documents.
As for two rather useful menu items, the Law Enforcement Support Center and Operation Community Shield, there is nothing new about them. Elgin is very familiar with them. We already know about them and are using them.
I guess the main question Marty Price can answer for you is, “So what is new about ICE ACCESS?”
And the real question ought to be, “Do you have 287g forms with you?”
We’ve seen articles in the Courier News, Daily Herald and Chicago Tribune recently about ICE ACCESS. We are pleased to hear Elgin elected officials willing to do something, ANYTHING, about criminal illegal aliens in town.
But ICE ACESS is getting way more credit than it deserves. It is essentially a Chinese Menu of all the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) services local agencies might want to use. Nothing more. It is not a program at all; It is a list of the programs ICE has to offer.
Well, maybe it isn’t a menu really. With a menu, you get to order what you want. In contrast, with ICE ACCESS they tell you what you can have. “No soup for you!”
Try it yourself. When you sit down with them to discuss ICE ACCESS, point to the CAP officer option and tell them you want one of those. They will say, “That program is for state prisons and county jails. You can’t have a CAP.”
Here’s Elgin’s answer to that. Ask them, “What does Angel Garcia do at ICE?” They probably won’t know the answer. You can tell them, “Angel Garcia, a federal immigration enforcement officer, works full-time at the Costa Mesa city jail, checking the immigration status of each arrestee.” (from Orange County Register 12/17/07) Be sure to emphasize the word “CITY” so they understand you.
Maybe they’ll offer you support with your customs problem, or your border control, or maybe even intellectual property rights. Those would be useful here. NOT!
You could use some help training officers in spotting bogus documents.
As for two rather useful menu items, the Law Enforcement Support Center and Operation Community Shield, there is nothing new about them. Elgin is very familiar with them. We already know about them and are using them.
I guess the main question Marty Price can answer for you is, “So what is new about ICE ACCESS?”
And the real question ought to be, “Do you have 287g forms with you?”
Thursday, December 20, 2007
It's a Federal Matter
It’s always a good idea to begin with the things we agree on. We agree with the city that Washington has allowed this problem to get out of hand. We agree that the feds don’t have the resources to handle the problem.
Lest we begin planning a pity party for Immigration, be it known that some members of congress have been sounding the alarm for years. For example, did you know that legislation was introduced five years ago to convert closed military bases into detention facilities? And that congress ignored the request?
So don’t feel bad when Bush and congress cry about not having enough beds for the deportation program.
And they just removed the funding for more border fence next year so that project won’t happen.
Now, our local contact with ICE is a man by the name of Marty Price. I’m sure he’s a delightful fellow. I’m also sure he’s trying hard to give Elgin some attention along with all the other local agencies he deals with. There are just not enough resources to go around.
But when all is said and done, Elgin needs to take a stand. We can’t just go along with the feds and what they are willing to give us. That isn’t enough.
We agree this is a problem caused by the federal government and AFLA's approach makes demands on them to fix it.
How so? As an employer Elgin needs to push the envelope and go for the IMAGE program. Our pressure will help resolve the problem between Immigration and Social Security.
Our 100% screening request shines the spotlight on the criminal aliens in town. We now have a number every month documenting who is illegal and how many. It also creates a paper trail back to Immigration if someone is released to commit more crime.
The 287g program also points back to the federal government. The message is that we are willing to help them do the job of finding and processing the illegals in our community. Still, the feds are the ones who take care of hauling them away.
The CAP Officer request is the pinnacle of federal involvement. They have someone in our jail; they do the screening; they handle the paperwork. In short, the feds are enforcing immigration laws, just like they are supposed to.
Checking city contracts? Same thing. It opens the door for workplace raids and investigations by the IRS.
Indeed these are federal matters. AFLA wants city government to get more involved and make more demands that Washington clean up their mess.
Of course, if our city leaders don’t see illegal aliens as a problem we have a long way to go. If they think the presence of the "undocumented" in our community enhances our economy and provides diversity…well then we are miles apart on the issue.
Lest we begin planning a pity party for Immigration, be it known that some members of congress have been sounding the alarm for years. For example, did you know that legislation was introduced five years ago to convert closed military bases into detention facilities? And that congress ignored the request?
So don’t feel bad when Bush and congress cry about not having enough beds for the deportation program.
And they just removed the funding for more border fence next year so that project won’t happen.
Now, our local contact with ICE is a man by the name of Marty Price. I’m sure he’s a delightful fellow. I’m also sure he’s trying hard to give Elgin some attention along with all the other local agencies he deals with. There are just not enough resources to go around.
But when all is said and done, Elgin needs to take a stand. We can’t just go along with the feds and what they are willing to give us. That isn’t enough.
We agree this is a problem caused by the federal government and AFLA's approach makes demands on them to fix it.
How so? As an employer Elgin needs to push the envelope and go for the IMAGE program. Our pressure will help resolve the problem between Immigration and Social Security.
Our 100% screening request shines the spotlight on the criminal aliens in town. We now have a number every month documenting who is illegal and how many. It also creates a paper trail back to Immigration if someone is released to commit more crime.
The 287g program also points back to the federal government. The message is that we are willing to help them do the job of finding and processing the illegals in our community. Still, the feds are the ones who take care of hauling them away.
The CAP Officer request is the pinnacle of federal involvement. They have someone in our jail; they do the screening; they handle the paperwork. In short, the feds are enforcing immigration laws, just like they are supposed to.
Checking city contracts? Same thing. It opens the door for workplace raids and investigations by the IRS.
Indeed these are federal matters. AFLA wants city government to get more involved and make more demands that Washington clean up their mess.
Of course, if our city leaders don’t see illegal aliens as a problem we have a long way to go. If they think the presence of the "undocumented" in our community enhances our economy and provides diversity…well then we are miles apart on the issue.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Is ICE ACCESS as good as 287g?
The response from the mayor and city council to our request for 287g was a bait-and-switch. They said, we’ll do ICE ACCESS. Well, is it a good deal for the citizens of Elgin?
In a word, NO!
ICE ACCESS is a menu of programs available from Homeland Security. (In fact, 287g is in there.) Part two of ICE ACCESS consists of someone from ICE sitting down with the Elgin Police and offering parts of ACCESS that might work for us.
That sounds reasonable enough, but we still want the city to sign up for 287g! We don’t want ICE to sit down with Chief Womack and talk her out of applying for 287g. Time’s a wastin’, folks. If we applied today it is a two year waiting list. And it will only get longer.
The other thing about ICE ACCESS is that there isn’t much of anything new they have to offer. There is the CAP officer program which our elected officials already nixed. There are programs that really only apply at borders and ports (like BEST and Customs).
There are Fugitive Operations Teams. These guys go around and pick up those absconders who defied deportation orders. That’s old news. The Herald did a story on that team back in May.
There’s intellectual property rights. I met those guys at a business convention a year ago. Not much impact in Elgin.
The LESC is the database we’d use for 100% screening. The city has been using that for at least 18 months now. (They just don’t use it as much as we’d like and they aren’t accountable to anyone for their screening.)
Operation Community Shield was just in the news a couple of weeks ago when they did a gang sweep in the area. 21 bad guys were picked up by ICE. Carpentersville worked closely with them. Not a bad program; just no new substance.
When you go point-by-point with the ICE ACCESS program we either already know about it or it doesn’t apply to us. In other words, if we adopt ICE ACCESS it will be business as usual in Elgin. Nothing will change. And I’m sorry to say I feel that is exactly the way the city council likes it.
And on the face of it Homeland Security told the world that they created the ACCESS the package for one reason: “…in response to the widespread interest from local law enforcement agencies that have requested ICE partnerships through the 287(g) program.”
If you get the chance, let our elected leaders know that we still want 287g, and the sooner the better.
Here’s a link explaining ICE ACCESS: http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070821dc.htm
In a word, NO!
ICE ACCESS is a menu of programs available from Homeland Security. (In fact, 287g is in there.) Part two of ICE ACCESS consists of someone from ICE sitting down with the Elgin Police and offering parts of ACCESS that might work for us.
That sounds reasonable enough, but we still want the city to sign up for 287g! We don’t want ICE to sit down with Chief Womack and talk her out of applying for 287g. Time’s a wastin’, folks. If we applied today it is a two year waiting list. And it will only get longer.
The other thing about ICE ACCESS is that there isn’t much of anything new they have to offer. There is the CAP officer program which our elected officials already nixed. There are programs that really only apply at borders and ports (like BEST and Customs).
There are Fugitive Operations Teams. These guys go around and pick up those absconders who defied deportation orders. That’s old news. The Herald did a story on that team back in May.
There’s intellectual property rights. I met those guys at a business convention a year ago. Not much impact in Elgin.
The LESC is the database we’d use for 100% screening. The city has been using that for at least 18 months now. (They just don’t use it as much as we’d like and they aren’t accountable to anyone for their screening.)
Operation Community Shield was just in the news a couple of weeks ago when they did a gang sweep in the area. 21 bad guys were picked up by ICE. Carpentersville worked closely with them. Not a bad program; just no new substance.
When you go point-by-point with the ICE ACCESS program we either already know about it or it doesn’t apply to us. In other words, if we adopt ICE ACCESS it will be business as usual in Elgin. Nothing will change. And I’m sorry to say I feel that is exactly the way the city council likes it.
And on the face of it Homeland Security told the world that they created the ACCESS the package for one reason: “…in response to the widespread interest from local law enforcement agencies that have requested ICE partnerships through the 287(g) program.”
If you get the chance, let our elected leaders know that we still want 287g, and the sooner the better.
Here’s a link explaining ICE ACCESS: http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070821dc.htm
The oath of office
“I am a firm believer of the United States Constitution, and I swore an oath to uphold that very Constitution upon my election.” ~ an Elgin City Councilman
Every member of the city council and everyone who wears a badge swears an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States.
But how far does that oath go?
For example, the mayor admitted that he knows of illegal aliens working in the city as well as employers who knowingly hired illegals. On the radio October 2, 2007 he said, “Of course there have been employee and employer abuses, but the key factor to remember is this; In the Chicago metropolitan area since 1970, 96% of the population growth in the entire six county Chicago metropolitan area has been as a result of Latino immigration. No immigration; no new workers. Our region would have lost jobs because of its inability to provide or find workers.”
And we have heard from council members that businessmen in town have approached them about this illegal alien issue and urged them not to get tough on illegals because they need them as employees.
And surely they know that contractors are hiring illegals for road crews and landscaping on city projects.
So how far does this oath of office go? We certainly hope that Schock notified Immigration when he became aware of those “employee and employer abuses”. And any business owner who even suggests to an elected official that he is hiring illegal aliens ought to be reported to ICE.
Some of our leaders worked in the school system. They were under strict orders to report child abuse wherever they suspected it. They were “mandatory reporters.” One would think that people who took an oath of office would be mandatory reporters of immigration law abuses. Surely if they were aware of a kidnapping or a weapons violation, they would have a moral obligation (if not a legal one) to tell the authorities about it.
But in the last part of his radio quote above Schock explains why illegal aliens aren’t reported: Greed. Go back up five paragraphs and read it again. Cheap labor trumps ethics.
The restaurant owner who calls his councilman and requests that the city “go easy” on the illegals is part of the problem. The councilman ought to report that conversation to Immigration.
Schock blames Washington for turning a blind eye to the problem. We agree with him 100%. But it would appear that our local leaders are guilty of the same thing.
Every member of the city council and everyone who wears a badge swears an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States.
But how far does that oath go?
For example, the mayor admitted that he knows of illegal aliens working in the city as well as employers who knowingly hired illegals. On the radio October 2, 2007 he said, “Of course there have been employee and employer abuses, but the key factor to remember is this; In the Chicago metropolitan area since 1970, 96% of the population growth in the entire six county Chicago metropolitan area has been as a result of Latino immigration. No immigration; no new workers. Our region would have lost jobs because of its inability to provide or find workers.”
And we have heard from council members that businessmen in town have approached them about this illegal alien issue and urged them not to get tough on illegals because they need them as employees.
And surely they know that contractors are hiring illegals for road crews and landscaping on city projects.
So how far does this oath of office go? We certainly hope that Schock notified Immigration when he became aware of those “employee and employer abuses”. And any business owner who even suggests to an elected official that he is hiring illegal aliens ought to be reported to ICE.
Some of our leaders worked in the school system. They were under strict orders to report child abuse wherever they suspected it. They were “mandatory reporters.” One would think that people who took an oath of office would be mandatory reporters of immigration law abuses. Surely if they were aware of a kidnapping or a weapons violation, they would have a moral obligation (if not a legal one) to tell the authorities about it.
But in the last part of his radio quote above Schock explains why illegal aliens aren’t reported: Greed. Go back up five paragraphs and read it again. Cheap labor trumps ethics.
The restaurant owner who calls his councilman and requests that the city “go easy” on the illegals is part of the problem. The councilman ought to report that conversation to Immigration.
Schock blames Washington for turning a blind eye to the problem. We agree with him 100%. But it would appear that our local leaders are guilty of the same thing.
Wrapped around the flag
The mayor himself and at least one council member have talked about the Constitution and the issue of illegal aliens.
Mayor Schock’s comment: “As a final note, if one is permitted, I would add that emphasis on 'legal' begins with the United States Constitution, which establishes the powers and duties of the federal and state governments. Local governments are not dealt with and derive their powers from the state. The Constitution is clear about which branch of government has the authority to control our borders, and deal with citizenship. The forefathers foresaw how unwise it would be to delegate such powers to the states. If we are unhappy with the outcome, two avenues, under the law and in keeping with the Constitution, are available: Amend the Constitution or replace those in Congress and the White House. That is how a democratic republic works." (Courier News, 12/13/07)
Perhaps Schock fails to realize that we DO have laws on the books against illegal aliens. We have laws about their very presence in our communities. We have laws against hiring illegal aliens. And his talk about tolerating illegals who live and work here fly in the face of those laws.
Like when he was an apologist for them on the panel in October. There he said, “But, and I think this is an important point that gets lost in the debate, and again comes back to the failure of our federal government in Washington DC. For years the federal government has turned a blind eye, pretending not to see, as millions of people have streamed across the border. Now, there may be different reasons depending on different political persuasions but the fact of the matter is no one can claim ignorance of the fact that people were streaming across the border without appropriate documentation.”
“Then after having had, and almost invited, millions of people to enter our country, to come up with draconian measures that’s going to punish those people once they are here is to attack the problem from the wrong end. I think everyone wants an orderly process. Every country wants to know who enters and leaves its borders. But the fact of the matter is the economy of the United States is dependent upon and grown as a result of the immigration. The unfortunate thing is that this has had to occur too often in an illegal environment rather than a legal, orderly process.” (Chicago Matters Broadcast 10/2/07)
We ask you, where in that statement is Mayor’s Schock’s support of the existing laws in this country? He’s saying, “Too bad that they came here illegally. Let’s not require them to leave.”
Further, he and others on the council talk as though our proposals are somehow illegal (or at least they want you to think they are).
What is illegal about verifying Social Security numbers? Is 287g against federal law? How about the CAP officer program? Or 100% screening? All of those programs and functions were passed into law by “those in Congress and the White House, ” as Schock states.
Further, those same people in Washington have repeatedly averred that local police departments have inherent authority in immigration matters.
Please don’t hide behind the laws of the land, Mr. Schock; because those laws clearly state that you have far more authority in this matter than you are willing to exercise. And may we suggest that the reason you won’t exercise that authority is political correctness. You talk about serving and protecting the illegal alien population yet you ignore the needs of the citizens.
Mayor Schock’s comment: “As a final note, if one is permitted, I would add that emphasis on 'legal' begins with the United States Constitution, which establishes the powers and duties of the federal and state governments. Local governments are not dealt with and derive their powers from the state. The Constitution is clear about which branch of government has the authority to control our borders, and deal with citizenship. The forefathers foresaw how unwise it would be to delegate such powers to the states. If we are unhappy with the outcome, two avenues, under the law and in keeping with the Constitution, are available: Amend the Constitution or replace those in Congress and the White House. That is how a democratic republic works." (Courier News, 12/13/07)
Perhaps Schock fails to realize that we DO have laws on the books against illegal aliens. We have laws about their very presence in our communities. We have laws against hiring illegal aliens. And his talk about tolerating illegals who live and work here fly in the face of those laws.
Like when he was an apologist for them on the panel in October. There he said, “But, and I think this is an important point that gets lost in the debate, and again comes back to the failure of our federal government in Washington DC. For years the federal government has turned a blind eye, pretending not to see, as millions of people have streamed across the border. Now, there may be different reasons depending on different political persuasions but the fact of the matter is no one can claim ignorance of the fact that people were streaming across the border without appropriate documentation.”
“Then after having had, and almost invited, millions of people to enter our country, to come up with draconian measures that’s going to punish those people once they are here is to attack the problem from the wrong end. I think everyone wants an orderly process. Every country wants to know who enters and leaves its borders. But the fact of the matter is the economy of the United States is dependent upon and grown as a result of the immigration. The unfortunate thing is that this has had to occur too often in an illegal environment rather than a legal, orderly process.” (Chicago Matters Broadcast 10/2/07)
We ask you, where in that statement is Mayor’s Schock’s support of the existing laws in this country? He’s saying, “Too bad that they came here illegally. Let’s not require them to leave.”
Further, he and others on the council talk as though our proposals are somehow illegal (or at least they want you to think they are).
What is illegal about verifying Social Security numbers? Is 287g against federal law? How about the CAP officer program? Or 100% screening? All of those programs and functions were passed into law by “those in Congress and the White House, ” as Schock states.
Further, those same people in Washington have repeatedly averred that local police departments have inherent authority in immigration matters.
Please don’t hide behind the laws of the land, Mr. Schock; because those laws clearly state that you have far more authority in this matter than you are willing to exercise. And may we suggest that the reason you won’t exercise that authority is political correctness. You talk about serving and protecting the illegal alien population yet you ignore the needs of the citizens.
A Letter to the Editor - Never Published
(Doug sent this in on December 5th but it never was published. We thought you'd enjoy reading it.)
Key to the discussion of illegal aliens is the question of criminality. Some would call sneaking into the United States a “victimless crime” and suggest we should allow them to stay and give them legal status.
Others cry out to our elected officials, “What part of the word ILLEGAL don’t you understand?”
There was an interesting confluence of information in the Daily Herald on December 5th. First, you had a report about immigration enforcement and the fact that our government is getting better at finding and deporting those fugitives who have been ordered deported and failed to comply. Nationwide the government found and deported over 30,000 of those fugitives last year, up from 15,000 the year before.
But there is a seemingly endless supply of people who have been through the appeals process and ordered removed. How many? Over 600,000 people as of August 2006. It kind of makes the 30,000 number seem insignificant, doesn’t it?
The article quoted a spokesman from an organization called the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. They are an advocacy group with field organizers who help put together protest rallies. Those who remember the crowd on the lawn at village hall in Carpentersville last year know exactly what the group does.
Here’s what their director told the Herald: "There's no question there's a huge increase in deportations," Hoyt said. "And an overwhelming number of those they're deporting, their only crime is working."
But let’s take a careful look at that statement, “Their only crime is working.” The people spoken of in the article were fugitives. They had their day in court and they disappeared rather than report for deportation. That sounds like a crime to me.
But simply getting a job presents some unusual obstacles for someone who is here illegally. He can either use false documents or he can work for cash, “off the books” as they say. Either way, he has committed crimes in the process of working.
Which brings me to the second article in the Herald. It was an article about two Rolling Meadows residents who had stolen the identity of a Carpentersville man and run up delinquent accounts in addition to using the ID to get jobs. Immigration has placed a hold on one of the men, indicating to me that there is something amiss with his residency status.
Now, about those people paid under the table. Bear Stearns Asset Management reported that four to six million jobs have shifted to the underground market and “The United States may be foregoing $35 billion a year in income tax collections because of the number of jobs that are now off the books.”
As for the criminality of document fraud committed by illegal aliens, the United States Congress had a research study done about the laws involved. You paid for the study. You might as well read it.
Here’s the link: http://www.ilw.com/immigdaily/news/2006,1018-crs.pdf
Each of us must answer for ourselves if illegal aliens are breaking the law and what the penalty should be. It seems to be a complex question in Washington. It really shouldn’t be that difficult to answer.
Sincerely,
Doug Heaton
Key to the discussion of illegal aliens is the question of criminality. Some would call sneaking into the United States a “victimless crime” and suggest we should allow them to stay and give them legal status.
Others cry out to our elected officials, “What part of the word ILLEGAL don’t you understand?”
There was an interesting confluence of information in the Daily Herald on December 5th. First, you had a report about immigration enforcement and the fact that our government is getting better at finding and deporting those fugitives who have been ordered deported and failed to comply. Nationwide the government found and deported over 30,000 of those fugitives last year, up from 15,000 the year before.
But there is a seemingly endless supply of people who have been through the appeals process and ordered removed. How many? Over 600,000 people as of August 2006. It kind of makes the 30,000 number seem insignificant, doesn’t it?
The article quoted a spokesman from an organization called the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. They are an advocacy group with field organizers who help put together protest rallies. Those who remember the crowd on the lawn at village hall in Carpentersville last year know exactly what the group does.
Here’s what their director told the Herald: "There's no question there's a huge increase in deportations," Hoyt said. "And an overwhelming number of those they're deporting, their only crime is working."
But let’s take a careful look at that statement, “Their only crime is working.” The people spoken of in the article were fugitives. They had their day in court and they disappeared rather than report for deportation. That sounds like a crime to me.
But simply getting a job presents some unusual obstacles for someone who is here illegally. He can either use false documents or he can work for cash, “off the books” as they say. Either way, he has committed crimes in the process of working.
Which brings me to the second article in the Herald. It was an article about two Rolling Meadows residents who had stolen the identity of a Carpentersville man and run up delinquent accounts in addition to using the ID to get jobs. Immigration has placed a hold on one of the men, indicating to me that there is something amiss with his residency status.
Now, about those people paid under the table. Bear Stearns Asset Management reported that four to six million jobs have shifted to the underground market and “The United States may be foregoing $35 billion a year in income tax collections because of the number of jobs that are now off the books.”
As for the criminality of document fraud committed by illegal aliens, the United States Congress had a research study done about the laws involved. You paid for the study. You might as well read it.
Here’s the link: http://www.ilw.com/immigdaily/news/2006,1018-crs.pdf
Each of us must answer for ourselves if illegal aliens are breaking the law and what the penalty should be. It seems to be a complex question in Washington. It really shouldn’t be that difficult to answer.
Sincerely,
Doug Heaton
Friday, December 14, 2007
No Free Lunch
U46 serves thousands of free lunches each day. But your dad is still right. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Somebody paid for those lunches. The money goes through a federal department, but I wonder if it would make a difference if each home in Elgin got an invoice every 90 days for free lunch expenditures. Maybe if we saw the money coming out of our pockets, we’d think differently about it.
But we consider ourselves lucky to get a $600 tax refund, not entirely realizing that we gave the feds $5,000 during the year.
When it comes to illegal aliens in the workplace all sorts of otherwise intelligent people say, “If they weren’t here working for so cheap, it’d cost us a lot more money.” City contracts would be more expensive if we enforced the clause about not hiring illegals.
A BLT would be astronomical because illegals slaughter the hogs and pick the lettuce and tomatoes. Or so they say.
We all received an education from Dr. Barry Chiswick, Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois Chicago. He was a panelist at the Hemmens back in October when they held that immigration forum. He sat next to Mayor Schock as I recall.
First, Chiswick explains the attraction of cheap, illegal labor: “You know, when I hire a lawn care service I would rather pay a lower price than a higher price. When I go to a restaurant, I would rather pay a lower price than a higher price. But in fact, native workers would otherwise do those jobs.”
Then, Chiswick tells us there is no free lunch, even in using illegal aliens for our labor. He says: “They’re paying the price and actually the rest of us are also paying the price through higher taxes because of the income transfers that go to low skilled immigrant workers and native workers whose earnings and incomes are lower because of the competition.”
Did you hear what he said? Native-born workers are paying the price, especially the low-skilled workers. Low-skilled workers are kids looking for their first job. Low-skilled workers are the poor citizens who otherwise turn to welfare or street crime to get by.
And did you hear that term “income transfers”? That’s a fancy way of saying we are subsidizing the illegal alien. He’s going to show up at the emergency room to be treated for a backache and we’ll pay $800 for it. How will we pay it? Through higher insurance rates and higher fee schedules at the hospital. And maybe we pay by losing our hospital on the east side of town.
We pay because the illegal alien lives with three other families and sends his kids to our schools. The taxes from that one house aren’t going to cover all the kids coming out of it, so our taxes go up to compensate.
This “income transfer” takes place every time we send a check to the insurance company. My policy says it is about $80 a year for uninsured motorist coverage, not to mention my rate being higher because I live in zip code 60120.
Those “income transfers” are all over the place and they aren’t being paid by the employer. They are hidden charges that mask the true cost of illegal labor.
In our Classroom section of www.legalamericans.net we’ve included a congressional testimony but Cornell Professor Vernon Briggs on the subject. You might enjoy reading it.
It is a mistake to think that the city contractor who hires illegals is passing the savings on to the city. It is also a mistake to think that you are beneficiary of the roofer who hires illegals. In both cases they bid the job just low enough to get it and pocket more profit for themselves. There’s an “income transfer” going to the crooked contractor who hires illegals in the first place. And if he’s paying them in cash we’re not even getting FICA or taxes from him. Bear Stearns says that amounts to $35 BILLION a year in lost revenue!
(Link: http://www.firecoalition.com/docs/bear%20stearns%20study.pdf)
But no matter. Things are cheaper when illegal aliens do the work and far too many of us are willing to look the other way.
AFLA is NOT willing to look the other way. It’s costing us money and it is just plain WRONG!
But we consider ourselves lucky to get a $600 tax refund, not entirely realizing that we gave the feds $5,000 during the year.
When it comes to illegal aliens in the workplace all sorts of otherwise intelligent people say, “If they weren’t here working for so cheap, it’d cost us a lot more money.” City contracts would be more expensive if we enforced the clause about not hiring illegals.
A BLT would be astronomical because illegals slaughter the hogs and pick the lettuce and tomatoes. Or so they say.
We all received an education from Dr. Barry Chiswick, Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois Chicago. He was a panelist at the Hemmens back in October when they held that immigration forum. He sat next to Mayor Schock as I recall.
First, Chiswick explains the attraction of cheap, illegal labor: “You know, when I hire a lawn care service I would rather pay a lower price than a higher price. When I go to a restaurant, I would rather pay a lower price than a higher price. But in fact, native workers would otherwise do those jobs.”
Then, Chiswick tells us there is no free lunch, even in using illegal aliens for our labor. He says: “They’re paying the price and actually the rest of us are also paying the price through higher taxes because of the income transfers that go to low skilled immigrant workers and native workers whose earnings and incomes are lower because of the competition.”
Did you hear what he said? Native-born workers are paying the price, especially the low-skilled workers. Low-skilled workers are kids looking for their first job. Low-skilled workers are the poor citizens who otherwise turn to welfare or street crime to get by.
And did you hear that term “income transfers”? That’s a fancy way of saying we are subsidizing the illegal alien. He’s going to show up at the emergency room to be treated for a backache and we’ll pay $800 for it. How will we pay it? Through higher insurance rates and higher fee schedules at the hospital. And maybe we pay by losing our hospital on the east side of town.
We pay because the illegal alien lives with three other families and sends his kids to our schools. The taxes from that one house aren’t going to cover all the kids coming out of it, so our taxes go up to compensate.
This “income transfer” takes place every time we send a check to the insurance company. My policy says it is about $80 a year for uninsured motorist coverage, not to mention my rate being higher because I live in zip code 60120.
Those “income transfers” are all over the place and they aren’t being paid by the employer. They are hidden charges that mask the true cost of illegal labor.
In our Classroom section of www.legalamericans.net we’ve included a congressional testimony but Cornell Professor Vernon Briggs on the subject. You might enjoy reading it.
It is a mistake to think that the city contractor who hires illegals is passing the savings on to the city. It is also a mistake to think that you are beneficiary of the roofer who hires illegals. In both cases they bid the job just low enough to get it and pocket more profit for themselves. There’s an “income transfer” going to the crooked contractor who hires illegals in the first place. And if he’s paying them in cash we’re not even getting FICA or taxes from him. Bear Stearns says that amounts to $35 BILLION a year in lost revenue!
(Link: http://www.firecoalition.com/docs/bear%20stearns%20study.pdf)
But no matter. Things are cheaper when illegal aliens do the work and far too many of us are willing to look the other way.
AFLA is NOT willing to look the other way. It’s costing us money and it is just plain WRONG!
Foot-in-mouth Awards
AFLA bestows its first ever Foot-in-mouth Awards for political foolishness.
Third Place goes to Henry Haupt of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office who confirmed that they use the Social Security Online Verification System to verify identification before issuing a drivers license.
So why is it illegal (according to state law) for employers to use that database, but it’s OK to use it for issuing a license? Oops!
Second Place is awarded to the city council as a whole. Their responses on the AFLA questions were so repetitive they must have been scripted. Some examples repeated over and over were:
“…not do business with anyone who hires illegal aliens for over one year.”
“The city fully complies with all Social Security number verification requirements.”
"The official language of the state of Illinois is English.”
“ICE would not be interested in assigning a CAP officer…”
“The city of Elgin already has an ordinance that allows…”
“…70 percent to 80 percent of people cited for not producing proof of insurance actually have the insurance.”
“…ICE developed a new program called ICE Agreements of Cooperation and Communities to Enhance Safety and Security (ICE ACCESS).”
“…Elgin Police Department intends to expand immigration screening…”
Fellas, when everybody is thinking the same, nobody is thinking. You looked foolish making all the same comments. You were elected because of your unique way of looking at things, not because we like 7-0 votes all the time.
First Place goes to John Steffen who replied: “Having been involved with mortgage companies by practicing real estate law for 17 years I can relate that mortgage companies have been imposing ever stricter verification procedures when loans close, up to and including photo identification, something now required by the Patriot Act. This requirement also applies when a person opens a bank account.”
This statement came out less than a week after Luis Uribe entered a guilty plea to charges he used the same ID and credit history multiple times to sell houses IN ELGIN to illegal aliens. We’re finding it hard to believe that having a secretary photocopy a Social Security Card, then toss it in a file folder, amounts to much scrutiny.
So there you have it folks. We salute bureaucrats everywhere for their effective and efficient methods.
Third Place goes to Henry Haupt of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office who confirmed that they use the Social Security Online Verification System to verify identification before issuing a drivers license.
So why is it illegal (according to state law) for employers to use that database, but it’s OK to use it for issuing a license? Oops!
Second Place is awarded to the city council as a whole. Their responses on the AFLA questions were so repetitive they must have been scripted. Some examples repeated over and over were:
“…not do business with anyone who hires illegal aliens for over one year.”
“The city fully complies with all Social Security number verification requirements.”
"The official language of the state of Illinois is English.”
“ICE would not be interested in assigning a CAP officer…”
“The city of Elgin already has an ordinance that allows…”
“…70 percent to 80 percent of people cited for not producing proof of insurance actually have the insurance.”
“…ICE developed a new program called ICE Agreements of Cooperation and Communities to Enhance Safety and Security (ICE ACCESS).”
“…Elgin Police Department intends to expand immigration screening…”
Fellas, when everybody is thinking the same, nobody is thinking. You looked foolish making all the same comments. You were elected because of your unique way of looking at things, not because we like 7-0 votes all the time.
First Place goes to John Steffen who replied: “Having been involved with mortgage companies by practicing real estate law for 17 years I can relate that mortgage companies have been imposing ever stricter verification procedures when loans close, up to and including photo identification, something now required by the Patriot Act. This requirement also applies when a person opens a bank account.”
This statement came out less than a week after Luis Uribe entered a guilty plea to charges he used the same ID and credit history multiple times to sell houses IN ELGIN to illegal aliens. We’re finding it hard to believe that having a secretary photocopy a Social Security Card, then toss it in a file folder, amounts to much scrutiny.
So there you have it folks. We salute bureaucrats everywhere for their effective and efficient methods.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Proponents of Diversity
A few people in town are surprised when we say AFLA is a proponent of diversity. And they are even more surprised when we show them the U46 data on Elgin schools revealing that our current demographic situation is NOT diversity.
Perhaps they have a different definition of diversity. Here’s ours: Diversity is variety, multiformity, difference, unlikeness, variegation, heterogeneity.
People accuse us of being xenophobes, nativists, even racists.
But where is the diversity in a school like Sheridan Elementary? Here’s what it looks like from the 2007 School Report Card:
460 Hispanic Students
37 Black Students
13 White Students
10 Mixed or Other
8 Asian Students
If you look at ALL Elgin schools in U46 combined, you get percentages like this:
Hispanic 59%
White 27%
Black 10%
Asian 4%
What did Elgin schools look like ten years ago? In 1998 it was like this:
Hispanic 33%
White 50%
Black 12%
Asian 5%
That leads me to conclude that we are not only experiencing “white flight” from Elgin, but also an exodus of Black and Asian students as well. I call that the opposite of diversity.
We once had quite a Laotian population. I’ve attended ten graduation ceremonies at Elgin High, my first in 1993, my last in 2007. I can tell you that there were very few Laotian names read at the Sears Centre ceremony last May. Khamsing doesn’t live here anymore.
And yet the Mayor, ELIPAC, and even a local immigration attorney continue to call our current dilemma “diversity”. I wonder how they define the word.
The irony of it all is that this whole mess started back in 1965, when our elected officials in Washingtion decided that we needed a more diverse population.
-Doug Heaton
Perhaps they have a different definition of diversity. Here’s ours: Diversity is variety, multiformity, difference, unlikeness, variegation, heterogeneity.
People accuse us of being xenophobes, nativists, even racists.
But where is the diversity in a school like Sheridan Elementary? Here’s what it looks like from the 2007 School Report Card:
460 Hispanic Students
37 Black Students
13 White Students
10 Mixed or Other
8 Asian Students
If you look at ALL Elgin schools in U46 combined, you get percentages like this:
Hispanic 59%
White 27%
Black 10%
Asian 4%
What did Elgin schools look like ten years ago? In 1998 it was like this:
Hispanic 33%
White 50%
Black 12%
Asian 5%
That leads me to conclude that we are not only experiencing “white flight” from Elgin, but also an exodus of Black and Asian students as well. I call that the opposite of diversity.
We once had quite a Laotian population. I’ve attended ten graduation ceremonies at Elgin High, my first in 1993, my last in 2007. I can tell you that there were very few Laotian names read at the Sears Centre ceremony last May. Khamsing doesn’t live here anymore.
And yet the Mayor, ELIPAC, and even a local immigration attorney continue to call our current dilemma “diversity”. I wonder how they define the word.
The irony of it all is that this whole mess started back in 1965, when our elected officials in Washingtion decided that we needed a more diverse population.
-Doug Heaton
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Spanish 4, English 0
In case you are keeping score, there have been some recent developments regarding the battle for the language of the United States, and more specifically Elgin. Spanish is winning points right and left.
Point 1- A recent Pew Hispanic Center study reveals that 65% of Hispanics living in the United States speak English “just a little or not at all”. That percentage rises to 71% if their country of origin is Mexico
Point 2- At the public radio forum at the Hemmens in October, a question was asked from the audience that went like this: “Moderator: Let’s go to Veronica from Elgin. Veronica: Thank you. Our local LULAC Council supports the Latino literacy project through the Salvation Army, which teaches basic Spanish literacy. Since basic native literacy is a must before anyone can learn a second language such as English, how can we garner support from the community at large for more of these types of programs and get past the fear.” Did you catch that? They want to teach Spanish to the immigrants. And do you think “garner support from the community” means tax money? It was sort of comical that the panelists thought Veronica was talking about learning English and gave answers accordingly. By the way, those answers mean that when they learn English they assimilate more quickly and make more money.
Point 3- Professor Chris Orem at NIU in DeKalb got a $1.5 million grant from the federal government (our tax dollars at work) because the bilingual students are learning English too quickly. Here’s the quote from the Courier article: "Children of these immigrants are learning English at a faster rate and losing their native tongues at a faster rate. There's no reason to force them into an English-only world," said Orem. And U46 lined up for some of the money.
Point 4- By federal demand, Elgin’s polling places will be staffed with Spanish language interpreters to help voters who do not speak English. The ballots in Spanish are not enough, they say.
I wonder what people think when they drive through town and see businesses making no effort at all in English. All the signage is in Spanish. If you are coming into town to look at a row house or a condo downtown, I’m guessing you make a quick U-turn and look somewhere else.
But more importantly, these points are an indication of surrender to Spanish. Without asking us, they are surrendering English and pushing for a bilingual nation. Our elected officials had better do something besides nod their heads in agreement just because it is politically correct to behave multiculturally. Wake up, city council. We’re talking to you.
Point 1- A recent Pew Hispanic Center study reveals that 65% of Hispanics living in the United States speak English “just a little or not at all”. That percentage rises to 71% if their country of origin is Mexico
Point 2- At the public radio forum at the Hemmens in October, a question was asked from the audience that went like this: “Moderator: Let’s go to Veronica from Elgin. Veronica: Thank you. Our local LULAC Council supports the Latino literacy project through the Salvation Army, which teaches basic Spanish literacy. Since basic native literacy is a must before anyone can learn a second language such as English, how can we garner support from the community at large for more of these types of programs and get past the fear.” Did you catch that? They want to teach Spanish to the immigrants. And do you think “garner support from the community” means tax money? It was sort of comical that the panelists thought Veronica was talking about learning English and gave answers accordingly. By the way, those answers mean that when they learn English they assimilate more quickly and make more money.
Point 3- Professor Chris Orem at NIU in DeKalb got a $1.5 million grant from the federal government (our tax dollars at work) because the bilingual students are learning English too quickly. Here’s the quote from the Courier article: "Children of these immigrants are learning English at a faster rate and losing their native tongues at a faster rate. There's no reason to force them into an English-only world," said Orem. And U46 lined up for some of the money.
Point 4- By federal demand, Elgin’s polling places will be staffed with Spanish language interpreters to help voters who do not speak English. The ballots in Spanish are not enough, they say.
I wonder what people think when they drive through town and see businesses making no effort at all in English. All the signage is in Spanish. If you are coming into town to look at a row house or a condo downtown, I’m guessing you make a quick U-turn and look somewhere else.
But more importantly, these points are an indication of surrender to Spanish. Without asking us, they are surrendering English and pushing for a bilingual nation. Our elected officials had better do something besides nod their heads in agreement just because it is politically correct to behave multiculturally. Wake up, city council. We’re talking to you.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Doug on the radio - ugh!
I was on the radio yesterday, WRMN. I was hoping to get a chance to talk about what we are proposing and why.
But it didn't quite turn out that way. The time slot is a purchase program, not programming by the station. In this case, it was a weekly program by the Libertarian Party. Even the ads were all for the cause. Which is fine with me. After all, they are paying for it.
So I began to explain what we had in mind and the host immediately made the point that the problem of illegal aliens goes away if we don't have social programs, entitlements, public schools, and income tax.
His point was, we don't need borders or immigration laws in a free market.
But what he was really saying was that if all the world had the same free market economy and that economy was left to regulate itself, we would have no problem. He's right, of course, but the Second Coming of Christ has not yet occurred and we are left to deal with the realities of Elgin.
In short, I had hoped to make it a program about illegal aliens in Elgin and instead it turned into a monologue by the host on utopia. I'm sorry to disappoint.
But his view is not unique, and it is not limited to Libertarians. There were two letters to the editor in the Herald this morning innocently pleading, "Can't we all just get along," as though there were no byproducts to open borders and winking at the illegal alien problem.
Doug Heaton
But it didn't quite turn out that way. The time slot is a purchase program, not programming by the station. In this case, it was a weekly program by the Libertarian Party. Even the ads were all for the cause. Which is fine with me. After all, they are paying for it.
So I began to explain what we had in mind and the host immediately made the point that the problem of illegal aliens goes away if we don't have social programs, entitlements, public schools, and income tax.
His point was, we don't need borders or immigration laws in a free market.
But what he was really saying was that if all the world had the same free market economy and that economy was left to regulate itself, we would have no problem. He's right, of course, but the Second Coming of Christ has not yet occurred and we are left to deal with the realities of Elgin.
In short, I had hoped to make it a program about illegal aliens in Elgin and instead it turned into a monologue by the host on utopia. I'm sorry to disappoint.
But his view is not unique, and it is not limited to Libertarians. There were two letters to the editor in the Herald this morning innocently pleading, "Can't we all just get along," as though there were no byproducts to open borders and winking at the illegal alien problem.
Doug Heaton
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Schock's advice to Black teenagers
Schock has some advice for Black teens: Skip your first job.
At the NPR Forum on October 2nd when an Elgin resident pleaded with him to free up some entry level jobs (now held by illegal aliens) for the African-American youth that need to get off the streets, Schock said:
“Economic advancement isn’t a function of whether or not you’re competing with another low wage earner. It’s a function of acquiring twentieth century skills and education. Those who are at the bottom of the economic rung, regardless of the race or ethnicity, are there because they do not have the requisite skills and the requisite education to advance to higher paying jobs."
“The modern day economy in the United States is increasingly dependent on one’s skills and education, and if one hasn’t got those skills and education they are admittedly going to be at a serious disadvantage. And it doesn’t matter whether immigrants or non-immigrants… So, yes, there are instances where new arrivals do compete with those at the bottom rung of the economic ladder. But the answer for all people at the bottom rung of the economic ladder is improved skills, improved education, better marketability... If you’re all alone at the bottom of the economic rung but you don’t have the skills for the jobs that are going to advance you economically, it doesn’t matter if there is competition or not, you’re not going to get the job.”
Schock went on the argue with an Economics Professor about jobs Americans won’t do. The professor explained to the Mayor that Americans would do those jobs if the illegal aliens weren’t flooding the market and driving down the wages for those jobs.
What Schock failed to realize is that there is no particular skill set for those entry level jobs. Black youth are more than capable of doing those jobs. As for education, Schock knows very well that Black high school students out-perform Hispanic high school students every day of the week. They have a lower drop-out rate, a higher graduation rate, and better performance on standardized tests.
His suggestion that these youth lack skills and education to compete with the illegal aliens working those jobs is an insult to African-Americans and their parents.
Doug Heaton
At the NPR Forum on October 2nd when an Elgin resident pleaded with him to free up some entry level jobs (now held by illegal aliens) for the African-American youth that need to get off the streets, Schock said:
“Economic advancement isn’t a function of whether or not you’re competing with another low wage earner. It’s a function of acquiring twentieth century skills and education. Those who are at the bottom of the economic rung, regardless of the race or ethnicity, are there because they do not have the requisite skills and the requisite education to advance to higher paying jobs."
“The modern day economy in the United States is increasingly dependent on one’s skills and education, and if one hasn’t got those skills and education they are admittedly going to be at a serious disadvantage. And it doesn’t matter whether immigrants or non-immigrants… So, yes, there are instances where new arrivals do compete with those at the bottom rung of the economic ladder. But the answer for all people at the bottom rung of the economic ladder is improved skills, improved education, better marketability... If you’re all alone at the bottom of the economic rung but you don’t have the skills for the jobs that are going to advance you economically, it doesn’t matter if there is competition or not, you’re not going to get the job.”
Schock went on the argue with an Economics Professor about jobs Americans won’t do. The professor explained to the Mayor that Americans would do those jobs if the illegal aliens weren’t flooding the market and driving down the wages for those jobs.
What Schock failed to realize is that there is no particular skill set for those entry level jobs. Black youth are more than capable of doing those jobs. As for education, Schock knows very well that Black high school students out-perform Hispanic high school students every day of the week. They have a lower drop-out rate, a higher graduation rate, and better performance on standardized tests.
His suggestion that these youth lack skills and education to compete with the illegal aliens working those jobs is an insult to African-Americans and their parents.
Doug Heaton
Schock on 287(g)
Regarding stricter enforcement of immigration laws among our illegal alien residents, Mayor Ed Schock said:
“I think measures like 287g are more symbolic than substantive, the city of Elgin has had no problems arresting and participating in deportation of aliens who have committed serious crimes. I don’t think that’s the issue. When we adopt measures like that that are more symbolic than substantive, we do put fear unnecessarily in segments of the community that we serve."
“On almost every police car in every municipality it says two things on the door, To serve and protect. Well, we can’t serve a segment of the population that’s afraid of us because they question the motives of certain actions that we take. So I think measures like 287g do more harm than good for our law enforcement officials. That’s why our police department recommended against its adoption.”
Excuse me, Mr. Schock, but I don’t feel served and protected when you allow these people to steal Social Security numbers, use our emergency rooms, take up space in our schools, and drive around uninsured. What about the protection of the faithful taxpayers?
Schock wasn’t the only one to dust off the welcome mat for illegal aliens. Elgin also was praised by the Latino advocate on the panel, Guadalupe Luna, who compared Elgin with other communities. Luna said: “You have communities that have a big history with all sorts of immigrants in their communities…and succeeded. Elgin has succeeded and didn’t have to resort to some of these anti-immigrant measures that I am seeing. I’m also seeing a divorce, a gap, between the hierarchy of law, in that a lot of these states that are choosing to go these anti-immigrant routes are ignoring the relationship between the federal government and the state. And so there’s a big gap here between what I’m seeing today comparable to other cities, Elgin being a point.”
Oh sure, there isn’t an ordinance on the books declaring us a Sanctuary City, but we can’t get the Mayor, City Council, or Police Chief to even identify the illegal aliens in custody and report them to Immigration, let alone train for additional authority.
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…it must be a Sanctuary City.
Doug Heaton
“I think measures like 287g are more symbolic than substantive, the city of Elgin has had no problems arresting and participating in deportation of aliens who have committed serious crimes. I don’t think that’s the issue. When we adopt measures like that that are more symbolic than substantive, we do put fear unnecessarily in segments of the community that we serve."
“On almost every police car in every municipality it says two things on the door, To serve and protect. Well, we can’t serve a segment of the population that’s afraid of us because they question the motives of certain actions that we take. So I think measures like 287g do more harm than good for our law enforcement officials. That’s why our police department recommended against its adoption.”
Excuse me, Mr. Schock, but I don’t feel served and protected when you allow these people to steal Social Security numbers, use our emergency rooms, take up space in our schools, and drive around uninsured. What about the protection of the faithful taxpayers?
Schock wasn’t the only one to dust off the welcome mat for illegal aliens. Elgin also was praised by the Latino advocate on the panel, Guadalupe Luna, who compared Elgin with other communities. Luna said: “You have communities that have a big history with all sorts of immigrants in their communities…and succeeded. Elgin has succeeded and didn’t have to resort to some of these anti-immigrant measures that I am seeing. I’m also seeing a divorce, a gap, between the hierarchy of law, in that a lot of these states that are choosing to go these anti-immigrant routes are ignoring the relationship between the federal government and the state. And so there’s a big gap here between what I’m seeing today comparable to other cities, Elgin being a point.”
Oh sure, there isn’t an ordinance on the books declaring us a Sanctuary City, but we can’t get the Mayor, City Council, or Police Chief to even identify the illegal aliens in custody and report them to Immigration, let alone train for additional authority.
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…it must be a Sanctuary City.
Doug Heaton
Is Elgin a sanctuary city?
I once asked that question of the city manager, Femi Folaren, and he said without reservation, NO.
But if you were in the audience at the Hemmens on October 2nd, you might think differently. WBEZ radio did a community forum on immigration that night and some things were said that led me to believe Elgin is indeed a Sanctuary City. Listen to these quotes and decide for yourself.
When Mayor Schock was asked about the problem of illegal aliens in the community, he said: “I think everyone experiences a degree of frustration around the issue of immigration and the failure to have an orderly process by which people can enter our country, whether it’s to obtain citizenship or work; that’s absent."
“For years the federal government has turned a blind eye, pretending not to see, as millions of people have streamed across the border…Then after having had, and almost invited, millions of people to enter our country, to come up with draconian measures that’s going to punish those people once they are here is to attack the problem from the wrong end. I think everyone wants an orderly process. Every country wants to know who enters and leaves its borders. But the fact of the matter is the economy of the United States is dependent upon and grown as a result of the immigration. The unfortunate thing is that this has had to occur too often in an illegal environment rather than a legal, orderly process.”
According to Schock it’s as simple as that. The US just didn’t order enough foreign workers for our needs. So why are we concerned that 12 million of them came anyway? It was hard to believe the mayor actually said that. But Dave and I heard it with our own ears, and I have it on tape.
When asked about illegal aliens providing labor, he said:
“Of course there have been employee and employer abuses, but the key factor to remember is this; In the Chicago metropolitan area since 1970, 96% of the population growth in the entire six county Chicago metropolitan area has been as a result of Latino immigration. No immigration; no new workers. Our region would have lost jobs because of its inability to provide or find workers."
“So, when you combine the fact that almost all of the population growth for the last 35 years has been the result of immigration with the fact that over the next decade the University of Notre Dame estimates that two out of the seven million workers that we have in the Chicago metropolitan area will need to be replaced because of retirement, the baby boomers going through, where would we find an additional two million workers in a region whose entire population growth is traceable to immigration?”
(Just a footnote here. That Notre Dame estimate came at a Metropolitan Mayors Caucus meeting from Latino Studies Professor Sylvia Puente. Consider the source. Economics Professor Barry Chiswick has some different opinions about the value of Third World workers.)
“It wouldn’t happen. The Midwest, Illinois, Chicago area economy would collapse. We need additional workers. The pity is that the federal government didn’t establish a process, an orderly process, to allow workers and to bring needed workers to the United States rather than having it happen in the manner that it has.”
Schock repeatedly spoke of illegal aliens in terms of their economic benefit. I suppose there are economic benefits to dealing drugs too, but IT IS ILLEGAL! Surely he can’t be a proponent of situational ethics.
When the mayor talks about it, his logic is that we needed more workers, Washington didn’t plan for it, people came here illegally, we exploited their willingness to work below market rates, and that’s OK.
Doug Heaton
But if you were in the audience at the Hemmens on October 2nd, you might think differently. WBEZ radio did a community forum on immigration that night and some things were said that led me to believe Elgin is indeed a Sanctuary City. Listen to these quotes and decide for yourself.
When Mayor Schock was asked about the problem of illegal aliens in the community, he said: “I think everyone experiences a degree of frustration around the issue of immigration and the failure to have an orderly process by which people can enter our country, whether it’s to obtain citizenship or work; that’s absent."
“For years the federal government has turned a blind eye, pretending not to see, as millions of people have streamed across the border…Then after having had, and almost invited, millions of people to enter our country, to come up with draconian measures that’s going to punish those people once they are here is to attack the problem from the wrong end. I think everyone wants an orderly process. Every country wants to know who enters and leaves its borders. But the fact of the matter is the economy of the United States is dependent upon and grown as a result of the immigration. The unfortunate thing is that this has had to occur too often in an illegal environment rather than a legal, orderly process.”
According to Schock it’s as simple as that. The US just didn’t order enough foreign workers for our needs. So why are we concerned that 12 million of them came anyway? It was hard to believe the mayor actually said that. But Dave and I heard it with our own ears, and I have it on tape.
When asked about illegal aliens providing labor, he said:
“Of course there have been employee and employer abuses, but the key factor to remember is this; In the Chicago metropolitan area since 1970, 96% of the population growth in the entire six county Chicago metropolitan area has been as a result of Latino immigration. No immigration; no new workers. Our region would have lost jobs because of its inability to provide or find workers."
“So, when you combine the fact that almost all of the population growth for the last 35 years has been the result of immigration with the fact that over the next decade the University of Notre Dame estimates that two out of the seven million workers that we have in the Chicago metropolitan area will need to be replaced because of retirement, the baby boomers going through, where would we find an additional two million workers in a region whose entire population growth is traceable to immigration?”
(Just a footnote here. That Notre Dame estimate came at a Metropolitan Mayors Caucus meeting from Latino Studies Professor Sylvia Puente. Consider the source. Economics Professor Barry Chiswick has some different opinions about the value of Third World workers.)
“It wouldn’t happen. The Midwest, Illinois, Chicago area economy would collapse. We need additional workers. The pity is that the federal government didn’t establish a process, an orderly process, to allow workers and to bring needed workers to the United States rather than having it happen in the manner that it has.”
Schock repeatedly spoke of illegal aliens in terms of their economic benefit. I suppose there are economic benefits to dealing drugs too, but IT IS ILLEGAL! Surely he can’t be a proponent of situational ethics.
When the mayor talks about it, his logic is that we needed more workers, Washington didn’t plan for it, people came here illegally, we exploited their willingness to work below market rates, and that’s OK.
Doug Heaton
We don't need no stinking DREAM Act
We received this from one of our local supporters who works at a college/university. (The name has been omitted by us, not at his request, to protect his job!):
This is a subject close to my heart. Do you know that we have adult students at the school where I teach who are not US citizens and who get the PELL grant, which is a federal grant (no pay back required) plus other federal grants to go to school? One student from the Dominican Republic told me that she didn't want me to find a job for her after she finished my program, because she was getting housing from our housing department and she was getting PELL grant which paid for her total tuition and books, plus money left over.She was looking into WAIT which gives students a CREDIT CARD for gas to come to school, and into CARIBE which is a special program for immigrants and it pays for child care and all sorts of needs while they go to school or training. The one student I just mentioned told me she was not going to be a US citizen because she plans to return to the Dominican Republic someday and that she "loves HER country." I asked her if she felt guilty taking what the US is giving her and then not even bothering to become a citizen and she told me that it doesn't bother her, because that is what the money is there for!I asked the CARIBE administration about their program and if you ARE a US citizen, you don't qualify for their program. And all the while, I am working a full day, my son-in-law works more than 60 hours a week, and everyone in my family works and pays for our education.Something is wrong here. Right?I am sorry but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close. Sorry if this offends anyone but this is MY COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP -- please pass this along.I am not against immigration -- just come through like everyone else. Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and GOD BLESS AMERICA! PART OF THE PROBLEM. Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone -- YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!It is Time for America to Speak up
This is a subject close to my heart. Do you know that we have adult students at the school where I teach who are not US citizens and who get the PELL grant, which is a federal grant (no pay back required) plus other federal grants to go to school? One student from the Dominican Republic told me that she didn't want me to find a job for her after she finished my program, because she was getting housing from our housing department and she was getting PELL grant which paid for her total tuition and books, plus money left over.She was looking into WAIT which gives students a CREDIT CARD for gas to come to school, and into CARIBE which is a special program for immigrants and it pays for child care and all sorts of needs while they go to school or training. The one student I just mentioned told me she was not going to be a US citizen because she plans to return to the Dominican Republic someday and that she "loves HER country." I asked her if she felt guilty taking what the US is giving her and then not even bothering to become a citizen and she told me that it doesn't bother her, because that is what the money is there for!I asked the CARIBE administration about their program and if you ARE a US citizen, you don't qualify for their program. And all the while, I am working a full day, my son-in-law works more than 60 hours a week, and everyone in my family works and pays for our education.Something is wrong here. Right?I am sorry but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close. Sorry if this offends anyone but this is MY COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP -- please pass this along.I am not against immigration -- just come through like everyone else. Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and GOD BLESS AMERICA! PART OF THE PROBLEM. Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone -- YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!It is Time for America to Speak up
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Social Security Number Verifications
Did you know that the Illinois State Legislature passed a law FORBIDDING employers to use the federal database to check Social Security numbers for new employees? The next time one of them tells you they are working hard to protect your identity, ask them about it.
It is House Bill 1744 and the Gov signed in on August 13.
Now, the state is being sued by Homeland Security for that little stunt but we don't know how that is going.
But I learned today that it doesn't become law until January 1. Get on the phone and ask your elected officials to change that law.
We need Social Security number verification.
It is House Bill 1744 and the Gov signed in on August 13.
Now, the state is being sued by Homeland Security for that little stunt but we don't know how that is going.
But I learned today that it doesn't become law until January 1. Get on the phone and ask your elected officials to change that law.
We need Social Security number verification.
Monday, November 26, 2007
We hit a nerve with this one!!
Here's a comment we received at legalamericans.net. AFLA received this comment on 11/25/07 through the website. As a point of information, her name is Hispanic with two Hispanic surnames hyphenated.
Here’s her letter in its entirety (complete with CAPS and misspellings):
“Based on these comments that you wrote on your website, I would like to know where your family came from-or are you NATIVE AMERICANS.
These comments are ludacrist-and all I can say is you are a bunch of RACIST pigs. For your FYI- When an illegal alien uses a fake SSN to WORK, they are paying taxes and not getting one penny back from those taxes that were taken out of the checks. This comment is insane, when they have children those children are automatically citizens. By being born here they are entitled to all the benefits of our own children. what have happened if they would have not let your ancestors come into America, you too would not have been US citizen. I am very proud to say, that I came from 2 hard working parents, that came into this great country as ILLEGAL ALIENS and became legal as soon as they were able to do it. As an illegal alien my mother worked at 2 great institions of education in this city, in the houskeeping department of both ELGIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE and JUDSON COLLEGE, she became legal in 1986 and then was employed at U-46 as a secretary until she retired in 2005 due to illness, otherwise she would still be working. As my parents said, they came to this country to work and not ask for anything. WE NEVER received UNEMPLOYMENT or PUBLIC AID. Most WHITE or AFRICAN AMERICANS or HISPANIC AMERICAS (that have been here for over 3 generations) will not work at McDonald's or at the drycleaners. If illegal hispanics would not go into work one day, lets see how this great nation would function... Who would serve you WHITE racists your breakfast at the local diner, who would cut your lawn and shovel your snow or work construction in the hot sun or in the cold weather? NOT a WHITE or BLACK AMERICAN that is for sure, they would rather go sit their lazy butt at the unemployment line or public aid office and beg for money, rather than go do a menial job. So, I propose a day without hispanics- lets do it !!!! Lets see how this country functions, if every hispanic person stays home legal or illegal. Lets see how the economy does... Reading the garbage that you write makes me so angry and sick to my stomach, that all I want to do is go out and be a better person and make sure that my 2nd generation children who are AMERICAN make something out of their lives, go to college and get EDUCATED, that is the only way to fight ignorant people and thinking. and to keep our language alive. I am sorry if your family all decided to wipe away your language and your customs, but I will not- I will keep what my parents taught me about my MEXICAN heritage alive and incorporate with my AMERICAN life. My son is 19 years old and is a freshmen in college and is studying to become a lawyer (either corporate law or immigration law). Like he says, he wants to be an immigration lawyer to help in this fight to help people wheather they are Europeans, Asians or Hispanics achieve the dream of being able to be in this country in peace and make this country a STRONG COUNTRY, without RACISM and bring back the morals that our country was based on. Just remember this GOD loves all people whether they are ILLEGAL or Legal, you all are not being good Christians. Well, maybe you are not and that is why you do not care. Jesus always helped the less fortuante.
As a first generation U.S AMERICAN, and I say this because MEXICANS are also AMERICANS, because Mexico is located in the continent of NORTH AMERICA- because they are ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS de Norte America, which transltes to UNITED MEXICAN STATES of North America).
I will always lend a hand to help out anyone in need whether they are LEGAL or ILLEGAL - this is what my priest has said in our church in Elgin and he is an White American- he has said that we are here to help our fellow brothers and sisters whatever there status is as that is what GOD would want and that is who will be judging me when the day comes...
God Bless you and heal your racist heart and mind. It is sad to think that this is what you are teaching your children, I am teaching my children to LOVE everyone ... Respectfully submitted a pro-human. “ and she typed her name.
Here’s her letter in its entirety (complete with CAPS and misspellings):
“Based on these comments that you wrote on your website, I would like to know where your family came from-or are you NATIVE AMERICANS.
These comments are ludacrist-and all I can say is you are a bunch of RACIST pigs. For your FYI- When an illegal alien uses a fake SSN to WORK, they are paying taxes and not getting one penny back from those taxes that were taken out of the checks. This comment is insane, when they have children those children are automatically citizens. By being born here they are entitled to all the benefits of our own children. what have happened if they would have not let your ancestors come into America, you too would not have been US citizen. I am very proud to say, that I came from 2 hard working parents, that came into this great country as ILLEGAL ALIENS and became legal as soon as they were able to do it. As an illegal alien my mother worked at 2 great institions of education in this city, in the houskeeping department of both ELGIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE and JUDSON COLLEGE, she became legal in 1986 and then was employed at U-46 as a secretary until she retired in 2005 due to illness, otherwise she would still be working. As my parents said, they came to this country to work and not ask for anything. WE NEVER received UNEMPLOYMENT or PUBLIC AID. Most WHITE or AFRICAN AMERICANS or HISPANIC AMERICAS (that have been here for over 3 generations) will not work at McDonald's or at the drycleaners. If illegal hispanics would not go into work one day, lets see how this great nation would function... Who would serve you WHITE racists your breakfast at the local diner, who would cut your lawn and shovel your snow or work construction in the hot sun or in the cold weather? NOT a WHITE or BLACK AMERICAN that is for sure, they would rather go sit their lazy butt at the unemployment line or public aid office and beg for money, rather than go do a menial job. So, I propose a day without hispanics- lets do it !!!! Lets see how this country functions, if every hispanic person stays home legal or illegal. Lets see how the economy does... Reading the garbage that you write makes me so angry and sick to my stomach, that all I want to do is go out and be a better person and make sure that my 2nd generation children who are AMERICAN make something out of their lives, go to college and get EDUCATED, that is the only way to fight ignorant people and thinking. and to keep our language alive. I am sorry if your family all decided to wipe away your language and your customs, but I will not- I will keep what my parents taught me about my MEXICAN heritage alive and incorporate with my AMERICAN life. My son is 19 years old and is a freshmen in college and is studying to become a lawyer (either corporate law or immigration law). Like he says, he wants to be an immigration lawyer to help in this fight to help people wheather they are Europeans, Asians or Hispanics achieve the dream of being able to be in this country in peace and make this country a STRONG COUNTRY, without RACISM and bring back the morals that our country was based on. Just remember this GOD loves all people whether they are ILLEGAL or Legal, you all are not being good Christians. Well, maybe you are not and that is why you do not care. Jesus always helped the less fortuante.
As a first generation U.S AMERICAN, and I say this because MEXICANS are also AMERICANS, because Mexico is located in the continent of NORTH AMERICA- because they are ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS de Norte America, which transltes to UNITED MEXICAN STATES of North America).
I will always lend a hand to help out anyone in need whether they are LEGAL or ILLEGAL - this is what my priest has said in our church in Elgin and he is an White American- he has said that we are here to help our fellow brothers and sisters whatever there status is as that is what GOD would want and that is who will be judging me when the day comes...
God Bless you and heal your racist heart and mind. It is sad to think that this is what you are teaching your children, I am teaching my children to LOVE everyone ... Respectfully submitted a pro-human. “ and she typed her name.
How's Business?
For those of you who heard Mayor Schock at the Hemmens on October 2nd, you'll recall he was so proud of the economic strength of Elgin.
Here's what he said about the contributions of illegals:
"It starts with the basic belief and a conviction that diversity is a factor that enhances the quality of life for everyone who lives in our community; that diversity brings, both economic as well as ethnic diversity; brings a richness to a community that homogeneity doesn’t. So, we felt it was important to convey that message that this is a community that not only accepts diversity but welcomes it and embraces it.It’s because it is our sincere belief that diversity is an economic benefit. It’s in our self-interest. It strengthens our local economy. It’s allowed us to grow jobs in Elgin at a rate faster than the state of Illinois and the other Midwestern states." ~Elgin Mayor Ed Schock -
Now, here's the reality of Elgin's unemployment rate. Not so good. We beat C'ville, Rockford, Waukegan, and the state of Michigan last year. See for yourself. (Hint: You can click on it to see a clear image of the chart.)
The truth is that illegal aliens are bad for entry-level, low-skill workers. It hits hardest in the areas of the poor among us and people going for that first job.
Unemployment Rate Comparison
Here's what he said about the contributions of illegals:
"It starts with the basic belief and a conviction that diversity is a factor that enhances the quality of life for everyone who lives in our community; that diversity brings, both economic as well as ethnic diversity; brings a richness to a community that homogeneity doesn’t. So, we felt it was important to convey that message that this is a community that not only accepts diversity but welcomes it and embraces it.It’s because it is our sincere belief that diversity is an economic benefit. It’s in our self-interest. It strengthens our local economy. It’s allowed us to grow jobs in Elgin at a rate faster than the state of Illinois and the other Midwestern states." ~Elgin Mayor Ed Schock -
Now, here's the reality of Elgin's unemployment rate. Not so good. We beat C'ville, Rockford, Waukegan, and the state of Michigan last year. See for yourself. (Hint: You can click on it to see a clear image of the chart.)
The truth is that illegal aliens are bad for entry-level, low-skill workers. It hits hardest in the areas of the poor among us and people going for that first job.
Unemployment Rate Comparison
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