On the week 7 elimination episode of Dancing With the Stars, Pamela Anderson, the magically babelicious pop culture icon who reduced Tom Bergeron to a 12-year-old boy, said farewell to sequins, fringe, and the daily execution of splits. Her poise, ability to assume characters, and sweet nature will be missed. Honestly, it seemed like she knew she'd be gone. She was calm and cracking jokes, as if she'd already had a decent cry before the liiiiiive taping. Due to a vague-sounding injury, Pam got to close out her DWTS experience in a lovely pastel princess gown and perfect makeup instead of a black pleather raincoat and streaks of sweat. Hey, you gotta keep it classy, even on reality TV.
Your votes had set the stage for a shocking elimination! I wouldn't call Pam's oust that shocking, but it did provide the graphics department with a great excuse to splatter sliver lightning bolts all over the contestants' headshots. I have to say, when Tom said ''One of these couples will be in the bottom two'' and the audience gasped, I thought it would be Nicole and Derek. Alas, the ''fast, furious, and fabulous'' Erin and ''her Russian'' could not survive the unflattering bloodbath (of light) of the dreaded bottom two.
My favorite part of Tuesday's show was Niecy's previously taped outburst backstage. ''Why do people keep asking me that? Did I think .............
Read More:ezto.in
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Population Minister Tony Burke says migrants should go bush
Tony Burke said it was "not in the national interest" for newcomers to settle in areas where they put extra pressure on infrastructure and jobs when rural and regional employers were crying out for workers.
Mr Burke, who has been tasked with tackling the nation's population disparities, said he believed Australia could better target its immigration policies, The Courier-Mail reports.
"There is probably more that we can do than we've done in the past in the immigration program in saying, 'If you're coming to Australia there are parts of Australia where we need you to get your first job,' " he said.
His comments come as the debate over population and immigration heats up, with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd saying earlier this year he believed in "a big Australia".
A Lowy Institute poll out today shows that while almost three-quarters of those surveyed support a bigger Australia, 69 per cent do not believe the nation should swell to 36 million by 2050.
Institute executive director Michael Wesley said: "The poll shows Australians are comfortable with some increase in population size, but are not in full support of the 36 million projected in the Government's Intergenerational Report."
Mr Burke told 2GB radio yesterday 36 million was a projection, not government policy.
"There'll be some parts of the country that can take more people, and it is in our economic interests in those parts of the country to be able to let those businesses get the workers they need," he said.
Mr Burke said he wasn't talking about using cash incentives in relation to migrants.
"I'm saying we can set the rules by which people come to the country if they're coming under those business programs," he said.
Premier Anna Bligh said this week Queensland should have a greater say on where migrants settled in order to plug employment shortages.
In the past financial year, Australia's migration program accounted for 171,318 people.
Two categories, the regional sponsored migration scheme and state/territory sponsored migration, tied migrants to work in particular areas and accounted for 22,821 people.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said yesterday Australia needed a national debate on population growth.
"In good years numbers ought to go up, in bad years numbers ought to go down," Mr Abbott told the ABC.
"I want to see a rich Australia, but if we have more people without the infrastructure to make the population sustainable, we won't be stronger and we won't be richer."
Source: heraldsun.com.au/
Migrant construction workers: overlooked and in danger
Chen, a Chinese builder from Da-ao village in Fuqing, has been working on construction sites in London for two years. In a recent accident, he lost a finger on his left hand when it was crushed by a metal beam. To survive, and to continue sending money home, he carries on working with just the use of his right hand.
"Accidents happen all the time and that's the rule of the industry," says Chen. "We have to look after ourselves and live with the risks. We have only our own bad luck to blame if we get hurt." But was it really just a simple matter of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Construction is one of the biggest and most dangerous industries in Britain. In the last 25 years, more than 2,800 people have died from injuries on sites. Serious incidents occur far too frequently, with more than 1,000 workers a month hurting themselves.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 8% of Britain's 2.3m construction workers are migrants, yet they account for 17% of work-related deaths. Research shows that, as a result of their position within an industry built on rules of maximum flexibility and profitability through subcontracting, they are more at risk than their local counterparts.
HSE inspector Simon Hester says: "Nearly 40% of construction workers in London are migrants. We find they are increasingly working in unsafe and unhealthy environments. Construction workers are more at risk on small sites, with far more fatalities and injuries – and many migrant workers tend to work on small sites."
Last April, HSE's construction division began a 12-month outreach campaign, managed by Hester, to raise awareness of health and safety and improve protection for those workers in London. The project targeted three groups: Polish, Gujarati and Romanian, who account for 25%, 8% and 6% respectively of the UK's migrant construction workforce.
At the Polish Association in west London, HSE's Polish-language posters stand out. "The community and press have been very supportive," says Bartek Zdrowowicz, HSE's Polish outreach officer.
Jerzy Kapszewicz, director of Kasa, a popular Polish employment and training centre, is optimistic about the scheme. "Before Poland joined the EU in 2004, Polish workers were in similar situations to undocumented migrants," he says. "They had nowhere to turn to when accidents occurred. Now we have more than 100 Poles here each month to do training for the Construction Skills Health and Safety test, as part of the requirement to apply for a CSCS [Construction Skills Certification Schemes] card."
Despite this, Zdrowowicz says there is often confusion about what the HSE does. "The equivalent institution in Poland deals with employment issues, as well as health and safety, and it can fine people immediately," he says. "Once, we inspected a site where the Polish builders thought I was local and started to discuss how much cash they had on them in case we were going to fine them on the spot."
For many, the biggest barrier to health and safety on sites is language. Zbigniew Hargesheimer, a former building worker who now trains people at Kasa, says: "I wonder why there isn't funding for migrants to learn English for construction. Many employers don't give safety inductions in Polish."
Part of the HSE outreach team's job is to correct that. One day I joined Zdrowowicz and HSE inspector Monica Babb on several unannounced site inspections in Kensington.
Dozens of high-risk building sites were situated in the affluent neighbourhood. The first we came across was a two-storey site with a huge amount of woodwork and dust, but not one fire extinguisher. The Gujarati-speaking labourers were working away with their heads down. There were no proper chairs for them to sit on for a break, nor basic washing facilities or warm water. Babb gave a prohibition notice to the foreman and asked him to stop work immediately until improvements were made.
A worker looked on nervously, but soon felt more relaxed after talking to outreach officer Rhaynukaa Soni on the phone. He told me: "The bosses don't care about our health and safety, and we can't complain. If you do, you'll get sacked, like I was in my last job in Wembley."
Soni says it has taken time to convince workers that the HSE isn't the same as the UK Border Agency. "Building trust is the most important thing," she says. "The first thing we tell people is that health and safety law protects you even if you're not working here legally. We tell them they can make anonymous reports about their work."
At midday, we went into an almost-refurbished flat where five Polish painters were working. Zdrowowicz's explanations in Polish reassured them, which allowed Babb to then advise them to change their ladder.
Turning a corner in Kensington, we visited a five-storey site where the scaffolding was so poorly installed, with clearly visible gaps, that it looked almost like the Romanian builders were working in mid-air. They spoke little English and didn't seem to know the safety risk they had been put in by their employer, who said he couldn't get back in time to meet us. We crawled up the stairs behind one of the workers who showed us around. Babb decided not to go up to the top floor as they were becoming shaky without secure flooring and rails. Unsurprisingly, a prohibition notice was issued.
There are reasons why Romanian workers in particular can find themselves doing high-risk work like this: many of the estimated 50,000 in the UK are in construction as a result of restrictions on their work rights. Both Romanians and Bulgarians have UK employment limited to small quotas in food processing and agriculture, despite their EU member-state status – unless they declare themselves to be "self-employed" agents.
Construction union Ucatt estimates there are 1m casual construction workers with false "self-employed" status in the UK, made possible by the government's Construction Industry Scheme.
These workers are denied employment rights and employers (often agencies) avoid paying national insurance for them. Workers can be dismissed without notice, as reportedly happened at the London Olympic site last year.
Ivan, from Bulgaria, has been working in construction in London for eight years. He says: "The Bulgarians and Romanians tend to keep quiet about their safety and rights because of this false status."
He tells me of an office and shopping complex in central London where he was employed by a contractor. "The company employs mainly Russians and Bulgarians and our wages were kept low," Ivan says. "Their intention was to make us work to the bone – I became extremely stressed and depressed but carried on, to pay my rent."
In front of the Romanian Orthodox Church in London, Romanian workers show similar despair. A "self-employed" builder, who has just finished working on a hotel development, says: "Health? Safety? Bosses don't care." Work has dried up and he's now sleeping rough.
The HSE campaign will build on a solid base of achievement and run for another year. There may also be extra funds to extend the project to other main migrant construction worker communities, such as Bulgarians, Lithuanians and Chinese.
Simon Hester has identified the Chinese, in particular, as a hidden and exploited group. The tens of thousands in London work mostly on small sites via gangmasters, because it's difficult to access large companies without papers. These workplaces may have few safety mechanisms in place.
Helen Yang, a community organiser for London Citizens, remembers the tragic death of a Chinese builder: "He had fallen from 12ft after stumbling through a skylight that wasn't glass-fitted and not properly marked by his employer, Sharaz Butt of Alcon Construction." While the employer was sentenced to 12 months in prison for manslaughter, the worker left behind his wife and three young children.
Ah Long, a gangmaster in London, admits there have never been safety instructions or risk assessment on sites he knows about. "It's not considered necessary because most Chinese builders work indoors … they rarely wear safety boots – we don't think it's necessary."
Chinese construction workers' informal immigration status, and their desperate need to get work and get paid, has kept them in high-risk workplaces.
On my tour with the HSE, at a shop in Watford, I was led into a 4 sq m space where 42-year-old Ah Zhong and his two co-workers live. They've been here for four years, as low-cost builders for a care-home owner.
"My boss found me years ago, when I left Morecambe Bay after the other team of workers drowned there in 2004," Zhong says. "We were paid £40 per day. When I got badly burnt by a steamer because no one showed me how to use the machine, my bao gong tou [gangmaster] took half the money I was given during my sick days.
"Now the British boss asked me to work for him directly – so he can spend less on my labour. We've been paid £50 per day. Health and safety isn't his concern, but this is an ongoing, regular job that's difficult to find. Many builders have to put up with frequent wage arrears or non-payment."
Chris Kaufman, a Unite union spokesman and formerly a board member of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), said: "The construction industry is most similar to agriculture in that there are countless illegal practices … Unite is keen to see the remit of gangmasters licensing extended to other sectors such as construction."
Source: guardian.co.uk/
India's migrant workers face hostility in Mumbai
Rakeshkumar Das fears that nativist laws will end his longtime job as a Mumbai cabdriver. Like most migrant workers here, he cannot speak the local language, Marathi. His family lives 36 hours away by train.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Source: csmonitor.com/
Migration to Australia is a key election issue
The number of people emigrating to Australia is becoming a key battleground in the countries forthcoming election.
Both the ruling Labor party, headed by PM Kevin Rudd, and the Liberal’s, who are led by Tony Abbott, take opposing sides on the “Big Australia” debate.
Australia’s new Population Minister Tony Burke says the opposition must explain its new position on migration to the business community.The Opposition’s Spokesman, Scott Morrison, says the migration rate should be lower to achieve a lower population than the 36 million people that the Treasury predicts for 2050.
Mr Morrison says the net migration rate is 300,000 a year and he argues that’s too high.But Mr Burke says that includes 120,000 temporary visitors such as students or workers brought in to deal with skills shortages.
“Essentially what they’re saying to all the people who are relying on jobs in those sorts of sectors that they’re willing to put caps and cuts against those temporary migration figures now normally we’ve always spoken about permanent migration when we’ve dealt with these sorts of capacity issues,” he said. ”The Opposition ventured into some very new territory today.”
Tags: Australian election
Source: australiamagazine.co.uk/
Both the ruling Labor party, headed by PM Kevin Rudd, and the Liberal’s, who are led by Tony Abbott, take opposing sides on the “Big Australia” debate.
Australia’s new Population Minister Tony Burke says the opposition must explain its new position on migration to the business community.The Opposition’s Spokesman, Scott Morrison, says the migration rate should be lower to achieve a lower population than the 36 million people that the Treasury predicts for 2050.
Mr Morrison says the net migration rate is 300,000 a year and he argues that’s too high.But Mr Burke says that includes 120,000 temporary visitors such as students or workers brought in to deal with skills shortages.
“Essentially what they’re saying to all the people who are relying on jobs in those sorts of sectors that they’re willing to put caps and cuts against those temporary migration figures now normally we’ve always spoken about permanent migration when we’ve dealt with these sorts of capacity issues,” he said. ”The Opposition ventured into some very new territory today.”
Tags: Australian election
Source: australiamagazine.co.uk/
Alcatel-Lucent Migration Operation Center Now Open in Turkey
By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor
Alcatel-Lucent has opened a new Migration Operation Center (MOC) in Turkey. As of March 2010, this MOC is fully operational, staffed with 50 highly skilled experts that manage complex migration projects from the region to support local and international customers.
"As service providers pursue transformation initiatives to meet key business objectives, they are increasingly seeking partners with unique skills to assist in their transformation activities,” said Curtis Price, the Program Vice President of IDC’s (News - Alert) Infrastructure Services group, in a statement.
“Through its global delivery network of Migration Operation Centers (MOC), Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert) has developed a strong set of services for assisting operators with complex migration efforts. The new MOC in Turkey expands Alcatel-Lucent's capabilities, and allows the company to continue delivering global solutions that meet service provider transformation requirements."
This new MOC is positioned as complimenting Alcatel-Lucent’s existing migration capabilities in countries such as Poland, India and Australia. In addition, the center will deliver extensive value as it is capable of delivering critical and complex voice and data migration services in multi-technology and multi-vendor legacy and IP environments.
“Alcatel-Lucent has built unique tools, methodologies and a full set of professional services that help service providers address the complexity of customer and subscribers migration towards new networks. These capabilities enable the automation of the migration process while keeping risks and costs under control,” said Ali Kancal, Head of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in Turkey and Azerbaijan.
“Part of Alcatel-Lucent Global Competency Centers, our new Migration Operation Center in Turkey reinforces our talent base in Turkey and brings a new dimension to our worldwide capabilities. This MOC combines global expertise and customer intimacy and is another key differentiator for our company in Turkey and in the region.”
In providing solutions for service providers’ transformation projects, Alcatel-Lucent demonstrates the importance of value-added delivery capabilities in Turkey and in the EMEA region to support customers as they make the transition to a High Leverage Network architecture and differentiate and grow their business all while reducing the overall cost structure.
In other Alcatel-Lucent news, the communications service provider grabbed headlines when it announced that its “Alternative Energy Program for Global Green Telecommunications” was declared a winner in the 2010 European Commission's Sustainable Energy Europe, or “SEE,” campaign, in the “Market Transformation-Voluntary Commitments” category.
Earlier this week, Alcatel-Lucent announced an enhancement to its microwave packet radio portfolio for the North American market with additional features and support for additional frequency bands.
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Patrick Barnard
Source: next-generation-communications.tmcnet.com/
Bangladeshi migration a huge phenomenon: Tharoor
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor Friday termed illegal migration of Bangladeshi nationals to India as a 'huge human phenomenon'.
'This phenomenon cannot be solved overnight. India and Bangladesh must work together to contain this illegal migration,' Tharoor told journalists at the sidelines of an international conference on 'From Landlocked to Landlinked: North East India in BIMSTEC'.
An estimated 20 million Bangladeshis are living in India illegally. Most of them are economic migrants, who abandon their homes for better living in India.
'A successful and prosperous Bangladesh is in the interest of our country's success and prosperity,' Tharoor asserted.
Terming India-Bangladesh relation was on the 'upswing', he said the improvement was reflected in the recent visit of Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina to India, during which several bilateral agreements were signed.
Asked on China's failure to recognise Arunachal Pradesh as an 'integral part of India', Tharoor said it was a 'reflection of the unresolved dispute' between the two countries.
'We wanted the long-standing border dispute with China resolved peacefully and therefore held 13 rounds of talks so far,' he said.
He also said that the India-China border has been 'tranquil' and there has been no incident in the recent past.
'Indo-China relationship must be viewed in the broader context. Both countries are improving trade and people-to-people contact,' he added.
Moreover, to improve neighbourly relationships, Tharoor said, 'our generosity gives more than its fair share' towards development of the region.
'India by virtue of having 70 percent population and 80 percent Gross Domestic Product of South East Asia is in a position to contribute more than its share for the region,' Tharoor said.
Source: sify.com/
'This phenomenon cannot be solved overnight. India and Bangladesh must work together to contain this illegal migration,' Tharoor told journalists at the sidelines of an international conference on 'From Landlocked to Landlinked: North East India in BIMSTEC'.
An estimated 20 million Bangladeshis are living in India illegally. Most of them are economic migrants, who abandon their homes for better living in India.
'A successful and prosperous Bangladesh is in the interest of our country's success and prosperity,' Tharoor asserted.
Terming India-Bangladesh relation was on the 'upswing', he said the improvement was reflected in the recent visit of Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina to India, during which several bilateral agreements were signed.
Asked on China's failure to recognise Arunachal Pradesh as an 'integral part of India', Tharoor said it was a 'reflection of the unresolved dispute' between the two countries.
'We wanted the long-standing border dispute with China resolved peacefully and therefore held 13 rounds of talks so far,' he said.
He also said that the India-China border has been 'tranquil' and there has been no incident in the recent past.
'Indo-China relationship must be viewed in the broader context. Both countries are improving trade and people-to-people contact,' he added.
Moreover, to improve neighbourly relationships, Tharoor said, 'our generosity gives more than its fair share' towards development of the region.
'India by virtue of having 70 percent population and 80 percent Gross Domestic Product of South East Asia is in a position to contribute more than its share for the region,' Tharoor said.
Source: sify.com/
Total migration to base rate by Dec
Mumbai: While banks have to start lending as per a base rate from July, they have six months till December end to migrate completely to the new system. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Friday that for existing loans, the base rate would be applicable once they matured. For new loans, the base rate will be levied immediately. Also existing borrowers can shift to base rate, before their loans mature.
Banks, however, cannot charge customers any fee for such switchover. The banks should announce their base rates after seeking approval from their respective asset liability committee (ALCOs)/ Boards. M Narendra, executive director, Bank of India, said his bank has put technology in place and are ready to implement the base rate regime by July 1 as has been stipulated by the RBI.
All the existing customers with sanctioned limits will continue to be on old rates. However, all new customers will have to come under the base rate system. Some borrowers like SMEs will derive benefits from it.
Since the base rate will be the minimum rate for all loans, banks are not permitted to resort to any lending below the base rate. Accordingly, the current stipulation of bench mark prime lending rates (BPLR) as the ceiling rate for loans up to Rs 2 lakh stands withdrawn, said RBI.
On applicability of base rate, the central bank has said the new rate could also serve as the reference benchmark rate for floating rate loan products, apart from external market benchmark rates. The floating interest rate based on external benchmarks should, however, be equal to or above the base rate at the time of sanction or renewal.
RBI will separately announce the stipulation for export credit vis-à-vis base rate.
The central bank has further said banks are required to review the base rate at least once in a quarter with the approval of the board or the ALCOs as per the bank’s practice.
However, loans such as differential rate of interest (DRI) advances, loans to banks’ own employees and loans to banks’ depositors against their own deposits could be priced without reference to the base rate
The changes in the base rate will be applicable in respect of all existing loans linked to it in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner. Since transparency in the pricing of lending products has been a key objective, banks are required to display the information...
Source: financialexpress.com/
Banks, however, cannot charge customers any fee for such switchover. The banks should announce their base rates after seeking approval from their respective asset liability committee (ALCOs)/ Boards. M Narendra, executive director, Bank of India, said his bank has put technology in place and are ready to implement the base rate regime by July 1 as has been stipulated by the RBI.
All the existing customers with sanctioned limits will continue to be on old rates. However, all new customers will have to come under the base rate system. Some borrowers like SMEs will derive benefits from it.
Since the base rate will be the minimum rate for all loans, banks are not permitted to resort to any lending below the base rate. Accordingly, the current stipulation of bench mark prime lending rates (BPLR) as the ceiling rate for loans up to Rs 2 lakh stands withdrawn, said RBI.
On applicability of base rate, the central bank has said the new rate could also serve as the reference benchmark rate for floating rate loan products, apart from external market benchmark rates. The floating interest rate based on external benchmarks should, however, be equal to or above the base rate at the time of sanction or renewal.
RBI will separately announce the stipulation for export credit vis-à-vis base rate. The central bank has further said banks are required to review the base rate at least once in a quarter with the approval of the board or the ALCOs as per the bank’s practice.
However, loans such as differential rate of interest (DRI) advances, loans to banks’ own employees and loans to banks’ depositors against their own deposits could be priced without reference to the base rate
The changes in the base rate will be applicable in respect of all existing loans linked to it in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner. Since transparency in the pricing of lending products has been a key objective, banks are required to display the information...
Source: financialexpress.com/
Foreign workers will remain a fact of life
"Like leaving Wayne Rooney on the bench" is how Tim Montgomerie describes the Tory high command's dogged refusal to put immigration at the centre of the election campaign. Like other activists, the editor of the influential ConservativeHome blog wants his party to be much more aggressive in attacking one of Labour's biggest perceived failings.
Among voters, immigration is seen as the most important issue the country faces after the economy. An influx of more than 1m east Europeans since 2004 and soaring unemployment after the financial crisis have been a potent brew. A recent government poll found that 77 per cent of respondents wanted a reduction in immigration.
Yet, having seen how voters were repelled by Michael Howard's "Are you thinking what we're thinking?" campaign in 2005, and his focus on unwanted migrants and asylum seekers, the Cameroons have steered clear of exploiting the public mood with "dog whistle" politics.
In truth, their lead here is so healthy they can afford to stay on the side of the angels. A recent YouGov poll shows the Tories hold a 23-point advantage on immigration, bigger than on any other issue.
For Labour, the subject is painful. Early forecasts suggested that up to 13,000 Poles and other eastern Europeans would arrive each year after their countries joined the European Union in 2004. This was a huge underestimate - the accession of the so-called A8 nations created the biggest wave of inward migration in British history.
Belatedly, the party leadership has woken up to the fact that this worries large parts of the country, not least white working-class voters who believe migrants are taking jobs and depressing wages.
There is scant evidence to back up this belief. Oxford University's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society says the impact of foreign workers on unemployment is "minimal" and on wages "extremely small". All major parties stress the economic benefits that migration brings to the UK.
Nevertheless, recognising the potential for political damage, Gordon Brown, the prime minister, has taken up the banner of "British jobs for British workers".
Alan Johnson, home secretary and Labour's voice of the common man, also admits the party has been "maladroit" in failing to recognise the depth of feeling over the issue.
Despite the government's discomfort, there is in fact little difference between the parties' policies on how to tackle mass migration and population growth.
The Tories say they want net migration back at the levels of the 1990s, when it ran at about 40,000-50,000 people a year. They plan to do this through capping the number of skilled workers coming from outside the EU, though some experts say this is more likely to annoy business than deliver the reductions they want.
Labour has already started cutting the number of non-EU workers through an Australian-style points-based system, and a recession-led drop in eastern European arrivals means net migration is falling.
What is clear for both parties is that large-scale migration will remain a fact of life whoever is in charge, with
Source:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1f8aaa32-436e-11df-833f-00144feab49a.html
Among voters, immigration is seen as the most important issue the country faces after the economy. An influx of more than 1m east Europeans since 2004 and soaring unemployment after the financial crisis have been a potent brew. A recent government poll found that 77 per cent of respondents wanted a reduction in immigration.
Yet, having seen how voters were repelled by Michael Howard's "Are you thinking what we're thinking?" campaign in 2005, and his focus on unwanted migrants and asylum seekers, the Cameroons have steered clear of exploiting the public mood with "dog whistle" politics.
In truth, their lead here is so healthy they can afford to stay on the side of the angels. A recent YouGov poll shows the Tories hold a 23-point advantage on immigration, bigger than on any other issue.
For Labour, the subject is painful. Early forecasts suggested that up to 13,000 Poles and other eastern Europeans would arrive each year after their countries joined the European Union in 2004. This was a huge underestimate - the accession of the so-called A8 nations created the biggest wave of inward migration in British history.
Belatedly, the party leadership has woken up to the fact that this worries large parts of the country, not least white working-class voters who believe migrants are taking jobs and depressing wages.
There is scant evidence to back up this belief. Oxford University's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society says the impact of foreign workers on unemployment is "minimal" and on wages "extremely small". All major parties stress the economic benefits that migration brings to the UK.
Nevertheless, recognising the potential for political damage, Gordon Brown, the prime minister, has taken up the banner of "British jobs for British workers".
Alan Johnson, home secretary and Labour's voice of the common man, also admits the party has been "maladroit" in failing to recognise the depth of feeling over the issue.
Despite the government's discomfort, there is in fact little difference between the parties' policies on how to tackle mass migration and population growth.
The Tories say they want net migration back at the levels of the 1990s, when it ran at about 40,000-50,000 people a year. They plan to do this through capping the number of skilled workers coming from outside the EU, though some experts say this is more likely to annoy business than deliver the reductions they want.
Labour has already started cutting the number of non-EU workers through an Australian-style points-based system, and a recession-led drop in eastern European arrivals means net migration is falling.
What is clear for both parties is that large-scale migration will remain a fact of life whoever is in charge, with
Source:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1f8aaa32-436e-11df-833f-00144feab49a.html
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A group of Silicon Valley geeks try to bring about immigration reform with the Startup Visa Act
At the end of February, Senators John Kerry (D - Mass.) and Richard Lugar (R - Indiana) introduced the Startup Visa Act of 2010, which will let immigrant entrepreneurs earn a two-year visa if they get at least $250,000 in venture capital investment, and then earn them legal US residence if that startup creates five or more new jobs, gets a second round of funding of over $1 million, or nets $1 million or more in revenue.
"Global competition for talent and investment grows more intense daily and the United States must step up or be left behind," Sen. Kerry said in introducing the bill. "Everywhere Dick Lugar and I travel for the Foreign Relations Committee, we see firsthand the entrepreneurial spirit driving the economies of our competitors. Creating a new magnet for innovations and innovators to come to the United States and create jobs here will offer our economy a double shot in the arm -- robust job creation at home and reaffirmation that we're the world's best place to do business."
This week, a group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists led by former PayPal executive turned startup investor and advisor Dave McClure will be heading to Washington DC to promote the bill to legislators in hopes of showing the power that this bill holds.
"There are no lobbyists, no campaign contributions, no PR agencies," McClure writes on the site dedicated to the bill. "This is a 100% grass-roots movement of citizens who want to encourage job creation and innovation in the United States."
More than 160 notable VCs and investors have voiced their support for the bill, and there are plenty of ways for citizens to join in on the startupvisa.com campaign page.
Source:betanews.com/
What Next for Cameron - Immigration?
Ed Vaizey told the truth - Cameron's far more Right-wing than he lets on. The Tory leader's more at home playing the union card than playing with huskies. It's Cameron not Labour or Britain that's going back to the 1970s, reverting to Tory union bashing. What next as Cameron retreats into his comfort zone - playing the race card? A lot of his unreconstructed party are urging him talk more about immigration and he may be tempted, particularly when Tory Towers is congratulating itself over the attacks on Unite.
I made a private vow earlier today not to bother posting again on Stalybride and Hyde until the Labour selection result's know. I was beginning to worry I was becoming obsessed. But I've heard shortlisted Barbara Roche has pulled out and Floyd Millen's threatening to do likewise. The reason is James Purnell and Peter Mandelson insisting - rules or no rules - that Purnell's mate, Johnny Reynolds, be included on the shortlist. Well done boys. What a fiasco.
And for those who like to keep an eye on selections, Valerie "sister of Keith" Vaz won the Labour nomination in Walsall South.
Source:blogs.mirror.co.uk/
Boston immigration trial starts for Homeland boss
Lorraine Henderson was a regional director of homeland security, customs and border protection. She was responsible for stopping illegal immigrants from entering the country through Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
During opening statements in Henderson's trial in U.S. District Court on Monday a prosecutor told jurors she violated the immigration law she had taken an oath to uphold. The charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence upon conviction.
Henderson's lawyer didn't make an opening statement.
The trial resumes Tuesday.
Source:AFP
Asylum-seekers moved to mainland
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship yesterday confirmed that more than a dozen family groups, unaccompanied minors and single women have been resettled from the Indian Ocean territory to make way for the surge of new asylum-seekers.
That surge has pushed the island's crammed detention centre to bursting point. The centre, with a capacity of 2042, is now holding 1977 immigration detainees.
Those regarded as vulnerable, or in the final stages of immigration processing, are being fast-tracked off the island, said a senior DIAC official, who asked not to be named.
The department denied the detainee transfers meant a change in government policy, despite continued denials by the Rudd government that asylum-seekers on Christmas Island would not be transferred to the mainland because of the surge.
"As the numbers of people increase, then the number of people coming off will also increase as well," the official said.
His comments coincided with the departure yesterday of a mainland-bound department-charter flight believed to be carrying more than 100 people, although not all passengers were asylum-seekers. Last Wednesday, 39 asylum-seekers were flown off the island, 25 being going to special government-run transit accommodation in Brisbane and 14 to Melbourne
Source:theaustralian.com.au
Immigration raid leads to 20 deportations
The nine men and 11 women, all Chinese nationals, were working at the Morningside plant in the early hours yesterday.
A criminal warrant was also executed at the factory by the Australian Federal Police and immigration investigators to get evidence of the workers' employment.
Two men detained had their visas cancelled for working in breach of their visa conditions and the remainder of the group had all overstayed their visas.
Investigations are ongoing.
A Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) spokesman said they would pursue with the Director of Public Prosecutions any possible criminal prosecution related to the hiring and exploitation of illegal workers.
"This should serve as a warning that employing illegal workers will not be tolerated and that you can literally lose your workforce overnight,'' the spokesman said.
"All employers need to be aware it is a criminal offence to employ or refer a person for employment where that person is not entitled to work in Australia.''
Employers convicted of illegal worker offences face fines of up to $13,200 and/or two years' imprisonment per illegal worker.
Companies face fines of up to $66,000 per illegal worker.
Source:heraldsun.com.au/
Crackdown on smuggling and immigration off Welsh coast
Coast Watch Wales brings together law enforcement bodies responsible for Wales' 750 miles of coastline.
These include police, coastguards and UK Border Agency officers.
Described as a "maritime Neighbourhood Watch", a single contact point will let boat users and coastal communities make tip-offs about suspicious activity.
With the help of the public, a dedicated team will look to identify vessels and individuals engaged in criminal activity, disrupt their operations and prosecute those involved.
Officers will assess and investigate intelligence provided via the Coast Watch Wales website and e-mail set up for people to pass on information, 24 hours a day.
The public can also phone the Crime Stoppers helpline, which is 0800 555 111, to leave information but are reminded to call 999 for emergencies.
Posters are being placed at key locations from marinas to seaside pubs.
Andy Edwards, deputy chief constable at Dyfed-Powys Police, said: "This is a significant first for Wales showing how everyone concerned with our coastline and the maritime community can work together to safeguard our national borders."
Marc Owen, UK Border Force Director for Wales, said they wanted to create a maritime version of Neighbourhood Watch.
"We're asking maritime communities to help us protect the Welsh coastline by making it simpler to report suspicious activity.
"The UK Border Agency works 365 days a year to prevent illegal immigration and smuggling at the Welsh coast - which forms a large part of the UK's border."
Recent high profile cases of illegal activity off the Welsh coast include Operation Panama Canal which investigated organised crime.
Centred on a business premises at Barry Docks it resulted with the arrest and prosecution of more than 20 people from the UK, Spain, France and Jamaica.
Bales of cocaine
About 400 kilos of cannabis, more than 60 kilos of Class A drugs, 10 kilos of other Class B drugs, two handguns and ammunition were recovered along with a large amount of cash.
The criminal gang had spent months visiting remote beaches and marinas in south and west Wales to conduct reconnaissance and had planned to transport drugs from Jamaica on board a yacht.
In 2008, bales of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than £2m washed up on beaches in north and west Wales.
All were found and reported by the public.
The same year police and UK Border agency officers intercepted a vessel docking at Port Talbot and two Venezuelan men were stopped as they left the ship.
Cocaine with an estimated street value of £500,000 was recovered. One of the men was jailed for 16 years at Swansea Crown Court.
Source:bbc.co.uk
Immigration detainees moved to N.J. protest boost in phone charges
The report said more than 180 detainees were moved to the Hudson County Correctional Center here. Phone calls from the center cost more than 89 cents per minute and system was described as difficult to use, according to detainees who contacted the American Bar Association for help. Detainees threatened to conduct a hunger strike.
Source:nj.com/
Keep America a land of hope: A St. Patrick's Day wish -- for our nation to remain a beacon
The flow of Irish immigrants into America directly corresponds to the Emerald Isle's economic status. During the 1990s, when the Celtic Tiger was among the world's most vibrant economies, Americans saw for the first time the seeds of a reverse migration when Irish-Americans sought opportunity in their ancestral home. But the Irish boom has gone bust along with the rest of the world's developed economies, and many who sought solace abroad must now come back to America to make a better life.
Problems facing Irish immigrants are exacerbated by demographic changes in immigration flows in recent decades. These changes, combined with the increasingly anti-immigrant feeling that hard times have always spawned, are conspiring to throw up a virtual "No Irish Need Apply" sign on the American border.
Visas for family reunification are given priority to would-be immigrants, and there are very few legal slots left after the family visas are distributed. At most, only a few hundred spots are left for the Irish, who are placed behind more recent arrivals from Latin America and Asia. Many immigrants with a place further down the list are forced into the shadows of undocumented status.
Irish immigration is best dealt with within the context of comprehensive immigration reform to rationalize and humanize a process for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who already live and work here. President Obama came into office promising such an overhaul, and has moved to finally turn his attention to it this year despite the likelihood of Republican opposition in Congress.
Absent that, there are interim steps that can help all immigrants in staking their claim to the American Dream, including expanding the available pool of legal entry visas for all immigrants.
A legislative reauthorization and expansion of diversity visas for historically underrepresented populations would permit the Irish and others to legally enter this country on the same grounds as recent immigrants who qualified under family reunification.
The DREAM Act would provide a path for legalization to those who arrived as young children with immigrant parents and were raised and educated in America. The DREAM Act would legalize young adults who are American in every way but their paperwork, and relieve pressure on the pool of visas for other immigrants. Congress must pass the legislation. It is the right thing to do.
It is unconscionable that so many Americans have forgotten where they came from, that all of us except Native Americans are immigrants or their descendants. Slamming the door behind us is not only bad policy, it is un-American. It doesn't seem as if it should be necessary to remind decision makers of the contributions Irish-Americans have made to this country, but apparently it still is.
Irish leaders here and abroad are frustrated by Washington's inability to confront a failed immigration policy that robs the United States of the important skills and energy provided by the immigrants that are the backbone of American life.
To honor the contributions of all immigrants, indeed to honor America, we should commit again this St. Patrick's Day to finally embrace and enact comprehensive immigration reform.
O'Dwyer, a lawyer in the Manhattan firm of O'Dwyer and Bernstien, is chairman of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center.
Source:nydailynews.com/
Immigration status of all O.C. jail inmates will be checked
Orange County joins 11 other California counties -- including Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura -- that have started checking the status of inmates against a federal database as part of a national program to identify and deport undocumented immigrants who land in jail. The program, started in late 2008, is in place in dozens of municipalities nationwide.
Under the Secure Communities Initiative, jail officials will check inmates' fingerprints against FBI criminal records and immigration records maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, authorities said. The database houses fingerprints of people who have had contact with the department, such as those who have applied for some type of immigration benefit. Previously, specially trained deputies screened inmates upon arrival in Orange County jails. Those who were foreign-born were checked further for immigration status.
Since the Secure Communities Initiative began, 18,000 immigrants charged with crimes such as murder, kidnapping and rape -- known as Level 1 offenses -- have been identified nationwide. Of those, 4,000 have been deported. An additional 25,000 immigrants charged with lesser crimes such as burglary, domestic violence and some property crimes have been deported.
The program was introduced as Sheriff Sandra Hutchens negotiates with the Department of Homeland Security to house immigration detainees in county jails to help offset a massive budget shortfall.
Source:latimes.com/
Immigration system must be fixed now
This view illustrates what civil rights activist Lani Guinier calls “blaming the canary in the coal mine.” Back in the day, coal miners brought canaries with them into mines to detect poisonous gas. If the canary croaked, the miners knew to get out ASAP. The situation of undocumented immigrants and other marginalized groups is analogous to the canary in the coalmine. When we see these groups gasping for air, the solution is not to blame the canary, it is to recognize the poisonous environment we all share and act to change it.
Many immigrants lack lawful immigrant status not because it is easy to break our laws but because it is too hard to get legal status under the current system. As Senator McCain wrote in a 2005 editorial, “part of the failure of the existing system is its inability to provide sufficient legal channels to pair willing workers with willing employers.” Another big problem is the gigantic backlog for family-based immigration petitions. For example, according to the US State Dept.’s April 2010 Visa Bulletin, it takes over five years for a legal Mexican immigrant to get a visa for their child or spouse, and up to four years for a legal immigrant from China or India.
For many, the American dream remains elusive because our immigration system is broken. But, although reform is needed, pushing for legislative reform isn’t the only way we can help our local immigrant communities. The most important thing we can do is help change lives, and no change is greater than the opportunity to apply for citizenship.
Benefits of US citizenship include the ability to sponsor relatives and family members so they can immigrate to the US, the freedom to live and work permanently in the US, as well as the fact that a citizen cannot be deported or denied entry into the US. While there are an estimated 12 million undocumented in the US, according to the US Census Bureau there are also 12.6 million immigrants in the US with legal permanent resident status, and one half of them may now be eligible for citizenship.
On April 17, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) will sponsor “Citizenship Day 2010,” a single-day workshop providing assistance to immigrants eligible to become US citizens. This year, AILA will be hosting a citizenship workshop at Hofstra’s Law School. My fellow law students and I who are organizing the workshop are now looking for Hofstra students who are bilingual to assist us on April 17. The workshop also will be open to all Hofstra students and their family members. Legal assistance will be provided for free.
If you or your family member is a legal permanent resident considering becoming a citizen, or if you are otherwise interested in this nationwide effort to bring more people the benefits and blessings of American Citizenship, please contact me at JLESCH2@pride.hofstra.edu for more information.
Source:hofstrachronicle.com/
Phuket Immigration Eyes Expat Trouble-Makers
German Honorary Consul Dirk Naumann said today that the move was ''very positive'' and that corruption, a distinguishing feature some time ago of Immigration on Phuket, no longer seemed to be evident.
Mr Naumann said the new approach by Immigration, along with the first group meeting of honorary consuls with the governor earlier this year, were positive steps towards solving some of the island's key issues, especially public transport.
Today Colonel Panuwat met Australian honorary consul and resort owner Larry Cunningham, who told him that Phuket ''still has very big problems.'' But he added: ''This governor is doing more that all the past governors.
''The tuk-tuk problem especially has to be fixed.''
Mr Cunningham said that Bali was rising again as a rival for Phuket because tourists were spreading the word about ''the tuk-tuks, the jet-skis, the mafia, the extortion by police.''
''If visitors have a good time, they will tell four or five people,'' Mr Cunningham said. ''If they have a bad time, they will tell 40 or 50 people.''
Mr Cunningham said that because he was a resort owner as well as honorary consul, he was very aware of the negatives on Phuket and wanted them to be corrected as soon as possible.
''It costs 500 baht for a 15-minute journey between Surin and Patong,'' Mr Cunningham said. ''That is extremely expensive.''
Yet, he added, the island represented good value in other ways.
''I took five people to lunch in Rawai recently and it cost me $50,'' he said. ''In Australia it would cost me 10 times that.''
He also said that the changes that the island needs had to be driven from Bangkok by the national government.
''Most of the local Phuket news media do not report the problems, and the Bangkok Post and the Nation never mention them,'' he said. ''As a result, the government in Bangkok does not know what's happening.''
Colonel Panuwat said that the motto of the Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, Lieutenant General Wooti Lippatapanlop, was: ''Make Phuket Clean and Safe.'' As a former Director of Tourism, Lt General Wooti understood the issues well, Colonel Panuwat said.
He said he planned to report regularly on the situation on Phuket and would make sure the information was passed to the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Department.
Source:phuketwan.com
It is not immigration
It is not immigration. As fine as most of our Mexican brothers and sisters are, it is "invasion" to enter a country without permission. It is not immigration, and it has to stop.
America must remain free and independent. We cannot survive being overrun by people who do not wish to assimilate, and who do not appreciate the unique treasure of our Constitution or our heritage of freedom.
Yes, we had slavery, but millions of people fought and so many died to end it. Yes, we had discrimination and abuses, but millions of people who believed in the promise of the real America marched, wrote letters, sent telegrams, and voted, and some died to end that bad chapter. Yes, some of this still exists today in America, as it does everywhere, but no other nation in history tells people, "You are born free with unalienable rights from God." No man may take that freedom from you. You have a right and a duty to defend those freedoms.
Allowing the growing influx of immigrants who don't understand the heritage of America — or the countless sacrifices that have made it possible — will lead to the loss of that heritage, and of the promise that is America.
Americans are not against any people. We are made up of all nations. What we are so concerned with is people coming in not learning the language or the history and making no pledge of loyalty to our blessed Constitution — inspired by God, a great gift to the world, a document that has allowed for the greatest prosperity and overall success of any nation ever. Letting too many people come in illegally will lead to the neglect, disrespect, and loss of the protection and power of that great Constitution of the United States. There is no other nation like us, and if anyone has arguments to the contrary, it makes us wonder why they are here.
In 1917, my grandparents came through lawful immigration channels, and had to learn some English, our nation's official language, so they could understand and appreciate our culture. Here we are all Americans — not Irish, not Polish, not Italians, not Jews, not Mexicans, not Africans, though they are all here. We are all Americans first. We all speak English as our primary language. We do not wave foreign flags. None of us want to take over our nation for "The Race."
We Americans appreciate each other. We work together, we help and rescue each other, we defend each other, we wish each other well, we share the World Series and the Super Bowl, and we love George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Santa Clause, and Superman. We fight with each other, then embrace each other, laugh and poke fun at each other's peculiarities, and even give our lives for each other.
We don't mind if immigrants want to join us and become loyal freedom-loving Americans — but we fiercely mind if they want to overrun us and turn our one-of-a-kind gem of a nation into something else, or into the place they fled where there was no free opportunity, no free expression, no freedom to assemble, and no freedom to keep their government in check as "We The People" possess here in America. Stand back and observe the awesome power of a free people as they take back their government in the near future. We will not have to shoot and rampage. We have free political channels to get it done, unless those channels are shut down illegally by any leader wishing to put himself above the law or the will of this people — in which case, stand way back . . . .
Look at it this way, Mr. Illegal Immigrant. What if my eighteen friends and I decide to live in your house, as you discover when you return from work one day soon? We will help out some, but we will need your insurance card, and will be drawing regular "help" from your bank account. As soon as we get the chance, we'll be bringing in our brothers, sisters, uncles, and — sorry — you wouldn't want us to leave out our grandparents, would you? I know it will be difficult, but you can always move out, and so long as we can keep drawing from your account, we can all handle the rent, and oh, my brother says he can handle your job OK. The boss likes him at $5.00/hr. less. So, thanks, we'll be moving in soon!
If the tables were turned on you like this, Mr. Illegal Immigrant, you wouldn't like it any more than we do. Your basic premise, which is that this is an "immigration" problem, is erroneous. "Immigration" is when people are "allowed" and welcomed to enter the United States. When people come across our borders without permission — literally breaking in — it is called an "invasion."
Now the impulsive reaction may be to say, "Racist." No, not at all. We care not who the invaders are or where they are from. We only care that they threaten to overrun our society and harm its stability. We know that many of the Mexican people who come here are very good people. They go to church. They are family people and add to our society. But we also have a big problem of our prisons being too filled with invaders, and all of our resources strained. And yet they keep coming. Not good. Also, there have been many Middle-Eastern marauders caught coming in. How many were not caught?
. . . And, Mr. Illegal Immigrant, are you for amnesty — which would likely open the door even wider to unchecked immigration? If you are for that, then you wish to take over our nation completely, because that is what it would mean with many more millions coming in, with the borders STILL NOT SEALED!
So, I ask you, who has the wrong perspective? I say: #1 — Seal the borders! #2 — Remove all serious offenders from our prisons and parole rolls and deport those criminals back to their country of origin, with a warning that to return would be an act of aggression against the U.S. From that point on, any illegal immigrant who commits a serious crime should be immediately deported upon conviction.
That would be a good start. No more illegal immigrants allowed to invade. Those who are already here and obeying the law should be allowed to go through the customary channels to become legal citizens, if they are prepared to do so, but there should be no amnesty, and absolutely no permission to routinely bring in family members or others. Such a policy is not racist. It is fundamental to the survival of a free and independent America.
Related links
Don't look now! Amnesty is back
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=127604
We March for America
http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/march-index/
President Obama: "No Amnesty for Illegal Aliens!"
http://www.grassfire.com/117/petition.asp?Ref_ID=3235&RID=11671540
D.C. Immigration "March for America" — Bi-partisan or Bi-national
http://lezgetreal.com/?p=28074
Tea Party Against Amnesty Protests Announced for April 15
http://www.mmdnewswire.com/amnesty-tea-party-7407.html
Joe Legal vs. Jose Illegal
http://blogs4borders.blogspot.com/2009/09/joe-legal-vs-jose-illegal.html
© Neil Brian Goldberg
Source:renewamerica.com
America must remain free and independent. We cannot survive being overrun by people who do not wish to assimilate, and who do not appreciate the unique treasure of our Constitution or our heritage of freedom.
Yes, we had slavery, but millions of people fought and so many died to end it. Yes, we had discrimination and abuses, but millions of people who believed in the promise of the real America marched, wrote letters, sent telegrams, and voted, and some died to end that bad chapter. Yes, some of this still exists today in America, as it does everywhere, but no other nation in history tells people, "You are born free with unalienable rights from God." No man may take that freedom from you. You have a right and a duty to defend those freedoms.
Allowing the growing influx of immigrants who don't understand the heritage of America — or the countless sacrifices that have made it possible — will lead to the loss of that heritage, and of the promise that is America.
Americans are not against any people. We are made up of all nations. What we are so concerned with is people coming in not learning the language or the history and making no pledge of loyalty to our blessed Constitution — inspired by God, a great gift to the world, a document that has allowed for the greatest prosperity and overall success of any nation ever. Letting too many people come in illegally will lead to the neglect, disrespect, and loss of the protection and power of that great Constitution of the United States. There is no other nation like us, and if anyone has arguments to the contrary, it makes us wonder why they are here.
In 1917, my grandparents came through lawful immigration channels, and had to learn some English, our nation's official language, so they could understand and appreciate our culture. Here we are all Americans — not Irish, not Polish, not Italians, not Jews, not Mexicans, not Africans, though they are all here. We are all Americans first. We all speak English as our primary language. We do not wave foreign flags. None of us want to take over our nation for "The Race."
We Americans appreciate each other. We work together, we help and rescue each other, we defend each other, we wish each other well, we share the World Series and the Super Bowl, and we love George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Santa Clause, and Superman. We fight with each other, then embrace each other, laugh and poke fun at each other's peculiarities, and even give our lives for each other.
We don't mind if immigrants want to join us and become loyal freedom-loving Americans — but we fiercely mind if they want to overrun us and turn our one-of-a-kind gem of a nation into something else, or into the place they fled where there was no free opportunity, no free expression, no freedom to assemble, and no freedom to keep their government in check as "We The People" possess here in America. Stand back and observe the awesome power of a free people as they take back their government in the near future. We will not have to shoot and rampage. We have free political channels to get it done, unless those channels are shut down illegally by any leader wishing to put himself above the law or the will of this people — in which case, stand way back . . . .
Look at it this way, Mr. Illegal Immigrant. What if my eighteen friends and I decide to live in your house, as you discover when you return from work one day soon? We will help out some, but we will need your insurance card, and will be drawing regular "help" from your bank account. As soon as we get the chance, we'll be bringing in our brothers, sisters, uncles, and — sorry — you wouldn't want us to leave out our grandparents, would you? I know it will be difficult, but you can always move out, and so long as we can keep drawing from your account, we can all handle the rent, and oh, my brother says he can handle your job OK. The boss likes him at $5.00/hr. less. So, thanks, we'll be moving in soon!
If the tables were turned on you like this, Mr. Illegal Immigrant, you wouldn't like it any more than we do. Your basic premise, which is that this is an "immigration" problem, is erroneous. "Immigration" is when people are "allowed" and welcomed to enter the United States. When people come across our borders without permission — literally breaking in — it is called an "invasion."
Now the impulsive reaction may be to say, "Racist." No, not at all. We care not who the invaders are or where they are from. We only care that they threaten to overrun our society and harm its stability. We know that many of the Mexican people who come here are very good people. They go to church. They are family people and add to our society. But we also have a big problem of our prisons being too filled with invaders, and all of our resources strained. And yet they keep coming. Not good. Also, there have been many Middle-Eastern marauders caught coming in. How many were not caught?
. . . And, Mr. Illegal Immigrant, are you for amnesty — which would likely open the door even wider to unchecked immigration? If you are for that, then you wish to take over our nation completely, because that is what it would mean with many more millions coming in, with the borders STILL NOT SEALED!
So, I ask you, who has the wrong perspective? I say: #1 — Seal the borders! #2 — Remove all serious offenders from our prisons and parole rolls and deport those criminals back to their country of origin, with a warning that to return would be an act of aggression against the U.S. From that point on, any illegal immigrant who commits a serious crime should be immediately deported upon conviction.
That would be a good start. No more illegal immigrants allowed to invade. Those who are already here and obeying the law should be allowed to go through the customary channels to become legal citizens, if they are prepared to do so, but there should be no amnesty, and absolutely no permission to routinely bring in family members or others. Such a policy is not racist. It is fundamental to the survival of a free and independent America.
Related links
Don't look now! Amnesty is back
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=127604
We March for America
http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/march-index/
President Obama: "No Amnesty for Illegal Aliens!"
http://www.grassfire.com/117/petition.asp?Ref_ID=3235&RID=11671540
D.C. Immigration "March for America" — Bi-partisan or Bi-national
http://lezgetreal.com/?p=28074
Tea Party Against Amnesty Protests Announced for April 15
http://www.mmdnewswire.com/amnesty-tea-party-7407.html
Joe Legal vs. Jose Illegal
http://blogs4borders.blogspot.com/2009/09/joe-legal-vs-jose-illegal.html
© Neil Brian Goldberg
Source:renewamerica.com
Panel focuses on queer API's and immigration
It is estimated that there are currently 12 million to 15 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Immigration activists, emboldened by the Obama victory, are pressing for another reform package after one failed to make headway during the Bush years. For LGBTQs, immigration reform is an issue for a number of reasons, including employment status; asylum on the grounds of sexual orientation and romantic partnerships with citizens/permanent residents. The speakers emphasized that the interests of LGBTQs and immigrants are not mutually exclusive.
No one can be denied entry into the United States because of his or her sexual orientation or a same-sex relationship. However, lesbians and gays cannot sponsor their partners for citizenship or permanent residency while married straight people can. Some gay and lesbian groups and immigration groups are attempting to rectify that via the Uniting American Families Act which would exactly replicate the current system of spousal sponsorship. The most famous case currently under review is that of the Philipino-American lesbians Shirley Tan and Jay Mercado, who face separation if Tan is deported because of having been undocumented.
Wilson talked about three ways in which queers might gain entry/citizenship: employment-based, family-based and asylum. Ifti Nasim, a Pakistani Muslim man, spoke of his work and that of SALGA ( the South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association, now largely inactive ) Chicago in aiding appeals for political asylum. Nasim said it has become much harder for Muslims to gain admission after 9/11, let alone gain asylum. For instance, all Muslim immigrants over the age of 16 from 18 countries, including Nasim's native Pakistan, are now subject to greater scrutiny of their visa applications and must register and be fingerprinted.
de Guzman spoke of NQAPIA, which has more than 30 chapters and makes a point of distributing multilingual flyers and information brochures. He said, "We do two things: Work with LGBTs on race and economic issues and with others to address homophobia and transphobia in a way that reflects different experiences and languages." He added that they were "thinking intentionally about whom we are including in CIR. The attempt is to create a transparent process that depends on coalition building."
de Guzman said that the issues of immigration reform were fourfold: a path to citizenship that could bring the undocumented out of the shadows; family reunification petitions; concerns about heightened enforcement and militarized borders and detention centers; and future flow or how to continue making immigration measures more humane. Regarding the Asian American immigrant and queer community, he said that queers faced the fact that "our stories are not part of the mainstream dialogue." In addition, "the LGBT focus in the queer community has been very narrowly focused on binational couples." He was in favor of reform that would help couples like Tan and Mercado, referring to them fondly and proudly as his "sisters." But he also said that mainstream gay groups need to stop using UAFA as a "litmus test" by which to judge their support for CIR, noting that such an attitude indicated a "profound disrespect. … We need a dialogue that covers all four issues."
As an example of heightened enforcement, he spoke of Cambodian refugees who were caught shoplifting and deported on charges of aggravated felonies. ( The heightened charge is a result of a 1996 Act which expanded the definition of "aggravated felony" in immigration law to include minor offenses. ) Queer and transgender immigrants "have very limited access to health care in detention centers that often don't even process women, much less trans people." He added that, " [ W ] hat is required is not the addressing of LGBTs in CIR but LGBT aspects of CIR," and that the current need for reform also indicated a pressing need for "intersectional analysis" and that "it's at the margins, [ amongst queers and transgender people, ] that the boundaries between categories break down." de Guzman also pointed out one of the triumphs of recent LGBT immigration reform issues: the lifting of the HIV ban.
The discussion afterwards focused on local efforts to bring about greater dialogue between communities and their queer members. Members of I2I reported being welcomed when handing out flyers at the recent Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations. There is a mass mobilization for immigration reform in Washington, D.C., March 21. A group calling itself Rainbow Riders will be leading two buses of queer immigrants and allies from Chicago. Jacky Luna, who is a key organizer of the effort, asked for support and donations. The buses leave March 20; requests for more information or about donations may be e-mailed to toci47@hotmail.com .
Source:windycitymediagroup.com/
Immigration reform backers heading to D.C.
``No More Raids,'' says one. ``No to the Separation of Families,'' reads another. ``Obama, Keep Your Promises,'' says a third.
The placards convey the aspirations of hundreds of undocumented immigrants and their U.S-born supporters who plan to board buses next week in Homestead and other Florida cities to participate in a March 21 march and rally in Washington, D.C. urging President Barack Obama to champion immigration reform.
``I'm going to Washington because the issue affects me personally,'' said Cynthia Moreno, an undocumented Mexican immigrant at Miami Dade College. ``I need the reform for myself, and for the millions of other undocumented immigrants living in the shadows right now.''
Moreno, 19, was one of about a dozen undocumented immigrants and supporters preparing placards this week at the offices of WeCount!, an immigrant rights organization in Homestead.
The rally comes at a time when the Obama administration appears ready to renew the uphill battle to legalize an estimated 10.8 million undocumented immigrants.
On Thursday, immigration reform advocates met with President Obama and were reassured of his commitment. Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are drafting a bipartisan immigration reform bill.
In a speech last June, Schumer expressed optimism about the legislation, saying that Obama's ``leadership will be the critical difference in getting us over the hump this time around.''
Immigration activists plan to bring tens of thousands of supporters and undocumented immigrants to the nation's capital rally as a way to intensify pressure on the White House to act quickly on immigration reform.
``Florida's participation in the Washington event is remarkable,'' said Ali Noorani, executive director of Washington-based National Immigration Forum, one of the groups involved in organizing the rally.
Noorani said Florida organizers were planning to send 40 busloads to Washington, including about half a dozen from South Florida.
Moreno and the others are hopeful but skeptical of seeing legislation become law.
They desperately want immigration reform so they can stop being fearful of being deported, but are also tired of government promises.
Former President George W. Bush tried -- and failed -- several times to convince Congress to pass an immigration bill, while Obama last year put immigration reform on the back burner to advance healthcare reform.
``We have been fighting for immigration reform for years and nothing has happened,'' said Sebastián Sebastián, a 29-year-old Guatemalan artist in Homestead who will travel to Washington on one of the buses. ``It's time the government fulfills its promises.''
Source:miamiherald.com/
Cardinal Mahony to offer Mass at DC march for immigration reform
The march, whose formal name is “March for America: Change Takes Courage and Faith,” is sponsored by 35 Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim organizations. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and its immigration reform campaign (Justice for Immigrants) are not among the sponsors, though Justice for Immigrants has organized Cardinal Mahony’s Mass and is clearly supportive of the march.
Source:catholicculture.org/
Top Republican Dick Armey urges immigration reform, saying GOP is all wrong on immigrants
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey is urging the Republican party to rethink its attitude on immigration reform.
"Handle it with some sense of compassion and some sense of civility," he said Monday at he National Press Club.
"The Hispanic-American is the most natural-born constituency for the Republican Party since the Black American was in 1965. And these guys are trying to blow it.
"Just do it right... There is room in America. If you love America, if you love freedom, love work, are willing to pay your way, pay your taxes and obey the law, you should be welcome in America."
Sounds perfectly reasonable, no?
Source:irishcentral.com/
Mission District Mobilizes for Immigration Reform
In what some are calling the largest march in the Obama presidency,a projected 100,000 people will gather in Washington D.C. this Sunday to demand immigration reform.
About a half-dozen of the marchers will be from the Mission District. Tomorrow they will embark on a seven-day bus ride, stopping in eight cities along the way to hold press conferences and fill the 55 spaces on-board.
The march is part of a week of action organized by several local and national groups, ranging from faith-based organizations to labor unions. Activists said their goal is to get Congress to pass a bill this year that will lead to the legalization of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants nationwide.
Some riders are longtime activists, while others, like Oscar Mangandid, a 20-year-old City College student, are newcomers to the cause. "I just want to be part of the momentum," said Mangandid, who got involved three months ago.
A U.S. citizen and Mission resident, he said he is going on this trip for his mother, who came here from El Salvador and recently told him the hardships she underwent when she was undocumented.
Another new activist is Jose Palacios, a legal resident originally from El Salvador. Palacios is not going to Washington but is helping organize the San Francisco effort. Saying that there is "too much injustice," he first became involved because people in his neighborhood were being deported. Read more HERE.
Source:sfgate.com/
Even US immigration hire illegal workers
The lady, Lorraine Henderson, who held a very prestigious job as regional director of Homeland security, was caught after a tip off and is currently suspended from the position without pay.
She was caught after the housekeeper, Fabiana Bittencourt, tape recorded her advising ‘not to leave the country’. or otherwise she would ‘not’ be allowed back into the country.
The case stems back to 2003, when Henderson hired the cleaner, but also crucially recommended her to her neighbour and work colleague Nora Ehrlich. In December 2005 all employees at the department for homeland security were advised not to hire illegal workers outside of their sphere of work.
Ehrlich asked Bittencourt of her US immigration status and when she discovered that she was in fact working illegally she promptly released her from her duties, she advised Henderson to do the same. 2 years later when Ehrlich discovered that Henderson was still employing the cleaner she tipped off authorities who arrested Bittencourt, who then co-operated and wore a wire to glean evidence against her employer.
Hendersons lawyer, Francis J. DiMento, had told the judge in the case that his client should not face trial due to a technicality about the nature of immigrant workers, it has however been denied and she will now face trial, where one of the prosecution
Source:globalvisas.com/
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