Thursday, January 31, 2008

A response to Liz Siebeck

This letter was recently printed in the Courier News:

AFLA engendering fear among group of people
I would like to respond to David White and his AFLA. Just because something is a fact doesn't mean it can't be manipulated, taken out of context or used for propaganda.

My concern is that his group seeks to vilify, demonize and intimidate an entire group of people. Those who come here legally, have all their papers in order, own homes and work in the same place for years can often be profiled. They can live in fear of being stopped by the police for no reason.

This fear-mongering, whether intended as such or not, is another way of striking fear into Americans. Fear of foreigners, terrorists, illegal immigrants, economic decay and so on are deterrents to a working democracy. The trouble with targeting illegals is that often, those who are following the rules become inconvenienced, harassed and eventually persecuted.

Although White does not see himself as a "persecutor," that is how I perceive such movements. The term "illegal" can be used to justify actions that may be "legal" but are often immoral. I truly hope we can keep the treatment of human beings foremost in our intentions to "keep things legal."

Elizabeth Parker Siebeck
Elgin

And our comments about her letter:
It is always hard to read these letters, because I know Liz is an active member of the community. She’s with the AAUW and reads to the kids at Sheridan Elementary. She’s a learned person.

But I also think she can be manipulated. Surely she was impressed by the recent presentation about assimilating Hispanics into our community. And perhaps she’s had conversations with JoAnn Armenta of LULAC, a fellow AAUW chapter member.

Did it occur to Liz that something is wrong when only 13 White kids are enrolled at Sheridan? Or the 37 African-Americans? Or the 8 Asian children? And a whopping 460 Hispanic kids? That is the make-up of Sheridan Elementary where she goes to read books.

It is a matter of being overwhelmed. Don’t dare call it “diversity.” It isn’t even multiculturalism.

I would encourage Liz and any others who are well-read and open-minded to read a few articles and revisit their position that AFLA demonizes, profiles, or targets anyone. We are simply protecting our sovereignty.

Here’s the reading list:
Pew Hispanic Center Report 2005 and 2006
http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/44.pdf

http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/61.pdf
Note that Pew suggests that the influx of illegals is growing dramatically. Note also that since the year 2000 85% of the immigrants from Mexico are ILLEGAL ALIENS. 85%! Does that sound an alarm in your head that we need a more strident attitude? Perhaps a little adjustment to our Post-modern thinking?

Samuel Huntington - The Hispanic Challenge
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/blogs/gems/culturalagency1/SamuelHuntingtonTheHispanicC.pdf
Note that Dr. Huntington points out that this is not just another wave of immigrants. There are significant differences.

Vernon Briggs – An Economist’s Testimony before Congress
http://judiciary.house.gov/media/pdfs/Briggs070503.pdf
Dr. Briggs points out the harm illegal aliens are doing to our workforce and our economy in general.

Please don’t lecture us about morality. There is nothing moral about people who hide among legitimate immigrants and cast stereotypes upon the rest. We intend to expose those who do not belong here using bona fide law enforcement programs. We want Elgin to return to the place it was 15 years ago; a place where we were reasonably certain the foreign-born were here legally. We cannot at present say that.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Press Release - January 25, 2008

AFLA Approaches State Leaders

The Association for Legal Americans (AFLA) has begun contacting Illinois state level elected officials to demand action to curb the illegal alien population.

“With at least 550,000 illegal aliens in the state at an annual cost of $3.5 billion, we want Springfield to take action on this problem,” said David White, Co-director of the group. “We can’t wait any longer.”

AFLA has prepared a 200-page book containing 21 initiatives Illinois legislators could enact to make Illinois a less-attractive destination for the estimated 800,000 illegals who enter the United States annually.

The document also includes background information on the problem and the impact on Illinois taxpayers.

“Springfield spent a long, hot summer trying to make a budget work. Obviously, finding ways to discourage illegal aliens will be a revenue plus to Illinois,” according to Co-director Doug Heaton. “Something as simple as denying a state tax refund to someone with a false Social Security number would generate new revenue and send a message to illegal aliens at the same time,” said Heaton. He notes that Kansas and Missouri already seize such refunds.

Other initiatives include training Illinois State Police troopers as Immigration officers, billing the federal government for costs associated with illegal aliens, and enacting job protection legislation.

The book will be delivered to local state legislators and sent to other selected leaders in the state Senate and House

The Association for Legal Americans strongly believes in legal immigration. We believe it is every country's right and obligation to protect its sovereignty. We believe that immigrants should come here legally from a variety of nations and races in order to bring true diversity.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

PROGRESS!

In case you haven't heard, the city agreed to verify new hires using E-Verify, monitor contractors to make sure they use E-Verify, meet with Immigration to discuss the ICE ACCESS program options for the city, and perform immigration status screening checks on all foreign-born suspects as part of the booking process at the Elgin city jail.

100% screening is HUGE. By reporting the results to Immigration every time they detect an illegal alien in custody, they are placing the responsibility back on the feds to do their job. And that information will follow the arrestee into court so the judge can set bail with all the information available.

We want to thank all of the AFLA supporters who have made it impossible for the city to ignore the request.

And we want to thank the Mayor and City Council for taking these steps.

Friday, January 18, 2008

It's a small world...

(sorry to get a tune stuck in your head)
It’s a freaky thing, you know. I used to think this “six degrees of separation” theory was all bunk. I don’t even know my neighbors and you’re telling me that I have some sort of connection with everyone else on the planet through just six people.

But I’m a believer now. This lawyer, John Dalton, who wrote to the Courier and blasted AFLA as racists and unchristian and all sorts of other awful things (Dalton’s letter sounded like a verse from the song, “Alice’s Restaurant”), turns out to have the same address as Rich Jacobs.

So, who is Rich Jacobs? He runs the Elgin office of State Senator Michael Noland. And Mrs. Noland is the president of a Latino advocacy group here in Elgin. It is a small world indeed.

Of course, none of these people have any influence on one another. They are all independent thinkers. It just fascinates me how these coincidences all seem to come to roost over the issue of illegal aliens in Elgin and what to do about them.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Ever wonder if Illinois is a sanctuary?

The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) is an official agency of state government. Their employees receive their paychecks and pensions from the state treasury. The agency was established and is funded by the votes and approval of our elected state officials; namely state reps, state senators, and the governor.

In 2005, with the “vision” of Governor Blagojevich, the agency began offering an “Opportunity I-LOAN” program to a select group of individuals, “even if they do not have a bank account or credit cards or social security number,” according to the brochure.

IHDA promises to review applicants “in lieu of a credit score when one does not exist. Credit reporting companies have failed to identify an important and vulnerable population.” (So has Immigration, folks!)

Now, one might think that these state government do-gooders are unaware that their clients are illegal aliens. Not so! In their brochure they not only make it clear that illegal aliens might be applying for these loans, they welcome them.

Here’s what it says:
“Why do they loan to illegal aliens?
“IHDA, our originators and our mortgage insurance companies will not differentiate between an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and a Social Security Number (SSN). We feel immigration status is an issue for the INS, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies that police these issues.”

And in their FAQ about the program they write:
“Why make this program available to illegal immigrants?
“Only the federal government knows who is legal and who is illegal, regardless of what kind of number is on their tax return. IHDA has no way of knowing anyone’s immigration status, and the federal government won’t share that information with us.”

Now IHDA makes it clear that they fund this program using the tax exempt bond volume cap. “This program does not take any money away from any other group or program. If more residents want to participate in our mortgage programs, IHDA will issue more bonds to accommodate them. IHDA issues bonds several times per year and we have an unlimited capacity to issue more debt to meet demand,” they say.

Free money. No risk. No limit. What world do they live in?

As I read this I kept asking myself how an agency of the State of Illinois could possibly get more deeply involved in aiding, abetting, and harboring illegal aliens.

And if a state agency doesn’t feel they have the authority to verify the identity of someone when they process a mortgage application because, “IHDA does not have the resources of the FBI or the INS or the Department of Homeland Security,” are there any safeguards in place anywhere in Illinois?

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Friday, January 11, 2008

Mr. Laesch responds to our blog...

We have received this from Candidate John Laesch. Please note our rebuttal at the bottom:
Thank you again for maintaining a conversation. I have read your post at AFLA.

I don’t mind you posting the statements that I have made, but I don’t think that your allegations on “Free Trade” are accurate. You will lose credibility on this simply because I have stated repeatedly that I am the only FAIR TRADE candidate in this race. Additionally, I have stated clearly that getting out of NAFTA is the only real way to fix the illegal immigration problem. Perhaps you didn’t take the time to read my website.

When it comes to the middle class, I am confident that economic issues (undercutting minimum wages in the workplace) are the core reason why many people are angry at Hispanic immigrants. At least, that is my concern. Getting out of NAFTA and raising the bar on our trading partners ( Mexico ) with respect to workers rights, wages and environmental standards will allow more Mexican workers to live a sustainable life in Mexico . Most academics will agree on this approach and I am the only one in this race who is talking about it. I am sorry that this line of thinking requires one to step back from the political rhetoric and examine the issue thoroughly from a global perspective.

Quite frankly, I don’t think that the United States can continue to absorb all of the world’s problem’s, poor, sick and impoverished through immigration (legal or illegal) channels. This is why I think that we have to raise the bar on other nations. Either America is going to sink to third-world status or we can encourage them to raise their standards of living. I do not suggest that we invade other nations’ through the UN or unilaterally, but I do advocate for a strict and immediate change to our trade policies. We need to impose a security fee on goods coming from countries like Mexico and China . We could use that security fee to pay for border security, re-educating workers in America who lose jobs and inspecting goods coming from places like China .

Perhaps there is an opportunity to continue this conversation in person. Perhaps you are already working for another candidate and this is an attack engineered through their campaign. I don’t know, but I am glad that you have decided to keep the conversation going. Thank you for the dialogue and I would like to make time to talk further.

Respectfully,
John Laesch

I have also attached a piece on Oberweis/China. My instinctive guess would be that you are an Oberweis supporter and I thought you should know how he became a multi-millionaire.

You can learn more at http://www.oberweis.net/

And here’s what we have to say about his response:
We are not backing other candidates. We have received over 3,000 e-mails, letters and votes from Elgin citizen's in just three months and we get more every day. Their comments are filled with frustration as they tell what has happened to them and how our leaders have been unresponsive on the issue of illegal aliens.

Tell me, what benefits do Americans get from people who enter this country illegally? Please don't say they do jobs Americans won't do. They are taking all kinds of jobs away from legal Americans. You say you are for the middle class. Who do you think pays for the schools and entitlements these illegals take? It's the middle class.

This may surprise you, but America is sick and tired of being Mexico's welfare nation. Just watch how they vote in the coming elections. We all have compassion fatigue. Kane County’s population is just over 400,000. Hispanics are now 25% of that population. Anchor babies have taken over our schools. How else do you explain 5,300 Hispanics in Elgin schools K-6 and only 2,100 Caucasians? 48% more Hispanics in schools than Whites. Close the borders, fine the employers, stop all entitlements, and change the 14th amendment to stop giving citizenship to illegals’ children. They will go home on their own. Then if you need more workers bring in immigrants from around the world the right way. We need to keep this great country’s diversity and save our culture.

As for free trade, we are confused when Laesch talks about no one being illegal. Of course, they are. That’s fundamental.

Here’s a quote from his website: “As a solution, the US must use its economic and diplomatic power to push other countries to adopt fair labor practices and living wages. We need to stop supporting free trade (NAFTA) and promote fair trade. Fair trade and better working conditions abroad will tackle the root cause of immigration, slowing the number of immigrants, relieving the strain on our borders, and promoting job and income growth for U.S. Citizens.”

Can you see why we think he ought to work at the UN or Amnesty International? Of course the illegal alien problem goes away when all countries within flying distance of the United States “adopt fair labor practices and living wages.” (Maybe he found Kenneth John’s Libertarian playbook.)

But let’s get back to earth here, John. The 14th District. What are you going to do about the impact of illegal aliens HERE while we wait for your Utopia? You’re not running for Congressman of the Universe. You have limited power to get anything done, let alone dictate what every other country in the world is going to do.

You’re critical of a do-nothing Washington. We can’t think of a better way to insure continued failure than to depend on the cooperation of the rest of the world to eliminate the incentive to sneak in here.

And we aren’t “angry at Hispanic immigrants” as you state above. We’re talking about illegal aliens. There is a difference, you know.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Who we aren't voting for...

...and why
Laesching out
AFLA is a little timid about wading into the territory of endorsing candidates, but we have no trouble giving out this non-endorsement.

John Laesch is running for US Congress 14th District to replace Dennis Hastert. He’s been endorsed by State Senator Mike Noland and our old friend Laurel Bault. He will not be endorsed by AFLA.

Here’s what he said in a press conference in front of the World Relief Immigration and Citizenship Services office in Aurora: “We need to reject the idea that any human being is illegal. We may have different skin colors and different cultures and backgrounds, but we all belong to the human race.”

And when another candidate talks about the need to crack down on illegal aliens, Laesch says:
“These ads are designed to make people afraid by blaming immigrants and keeping people distracted from the real issues like stagnating wages, unfair trade agreements, out of control health care costs and the war in Iraq.”

His website has this page on immigration. It sounds far different from his “No human being is illegal” press conference in Aurora on November 21st.
http://www.john08.com/?p=133

Like Bault and Councilman John Steffen, he’s trying to lump the illegals in with the legals while we are trying to get our government to identify and deal with the illegals so we can embrace immigrants without having to worry about the 30% who ignored our laws and simply decided to help themselves to our social services and local jobs.

Based on his free trade ideas, perhaps Laesch would be happier working for Amnesty International or maybe in a small office at the United Nations. We don’t see him helping us much when it comes to our problem with illegal aliens since there is no such thing to Laesch.

And for you union members out there, he’s picking up endorsements from labor. You need to send a nasty note with your dues explaining to the BO that illegals hurt the trades. They have trouble with that concept.

Responding to the Brethren

There was an editorial in the Daily Herald from an agency owned by the Church of the Brethren. The executive director expressed opposition to AFLA’s proposals with this explanation: “The proposed ordinances express racism and prejudice against non-English speakers, people of other nationalities who are living in our community, and those of backgrounds other than European-American. We believe the ordinances, in practice, would target people of color. We are concerned especially for the effects on families and children.

“The proposed ordinances have potential to create grievous situations for children and their parents, as enforcement would divide families, creating virtual orphans of children who are U.S. citizens as undocumented parents are jailed or deported.

“This would create an unconscionable burden on social service agencies on whom the children would then depend for their care. Financial consequences for Elgin may be equally devastating.

“The proposed ordinances would divert city services and resources, especially those of the police department, away from needs in the community and into harsh expressions of enforcement inappropriate for the population of Elgin.”

She went on to praise Elgin with, “We feel the genuine nature of Elgin as a lively multicultural and open community would be destroyed. We value Elgin's cultural diversity and the many exciting opportunities it offers for our agency and staff.”

Dan Kairis of South Elgin wrote back to the paper with this response:
“Reid's letter defining the Association of Brethren Caregivers' position on immigration is as inaccurate as all the other arguments regarding illegals. Throughout her letter, she continually refers to immigrants. She does not refer to those to whom the ordinances pertain, and those are the illegal aliens who have come to the United States illegally.

“She uses the same false argument that the ordinances are racially motivated. I believe she is showing her prejudice. This city does not provide documentation in Polish, German, French, Italian or any language other than Spanish, which nullifies her argument of the English-only ordinance being pro-European-American.

“She says the ordinances would divert city services and resources away from the needs of the community. She fails to mention the financial costs of the illegals, who take vital services from the legal seniors, schoolchildren, veterans, etc., of the city.”

Thanks Dan, for your understanding of the issues and for speaking up.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Thanks, Doc

A clinical psychologist and expert in addiction has written to the paper about our cause. We appreciate his free diagnosis that we are manipulators, opportunists or haters. I suppose the diagnosis is worth what we paid for it.

But he is obviously a well-read, logical fellow with some common ideas about the current immigration problem. I’d like to address some of them here.

As to “immigrant fears” he is trying to paint this problem as xenophobia. Not so. Elgin has been tolerant to a fault with the influx of Laotians and Hispanics. The manipulators, opportunists and haters would have bubbled to the surface long ago.

What has happened of late is a realization that a large segment of the foreign-born population is here illegally. And the growth rate of illegals is staggering. Even by Pew Hispanic Centers “soft” numbers 850,000 per year are entering illegally, up from 180,000 per year in the 1980s. Taking into consideration previous amnesty programs and the current wave of "undocumented", nearly half of the foreign-born in the United States either are now, or once were, illegal aliens. That is unprecedented.

This isn’t just like the immigrant wave of a century ago. It is very different in these key respects:
*LEGAL immigration is dominated by Hispanics; 30% from Mexico alone. Never before has one nation dominated the immigration scene. Diversity? I don’t think so!
*Our nation now funds a social services network not seen during the last wave of immigrants. Translation: We, the taxpayers are subsidizing their presence. Having worked for a United Way agency, the good doctor should know that. You've cashed your share of government checks over at Renz.
*Immigration dominated by unskilled, Third World immigrants, with all their extra needs related to education and health care. And with all their Third World habits.

Now, the doctor didn’t talk much about ethnic enclaves. Elgin IS one, you know. Enclaves slow assimilation by clinging to the language and customs of the homeland. Surely the doctor knows how that impacts DUIs, graduation rates and domestic violence. If not, we’d be glad to share the data with him.

He mentioned gangs. Perhaps he could get a grant and study anchor babies. Or perhaps he could study the foreign-born population and their involvement in gangs. Or maybe look at the census map of the high concentration of foreign-born and overlay that on the map of gang shootings in Elgin. We make no claim about the impact of illegal aliens on the gang problem in Elgin, but we’d sure like to find out.

As for terrorism, we can show him a government report that explains not only the possibility of terrorists coming through the Mexican border but actual evidence they have done so. But that isn’t the point. Were we talking about terrorists in Elgin? I don’t think so.

We certainly hope that the citizens of Elgin can see that this is not just another wave of immigration. There are distinct differences not only in the demographics, but also in the society receiving them. And there are clear differences in the magnitude and attitude of those here illegally.