Inside . . . Obama Immigration Policy Begins to Take Shape: Around the Country Amnesty by Administrative Inaction PAGE 3 ver the coming months Ameri- beginning to show a positive effect, and il- Harry Reid Feels the Heat cans will find out if the Obama legal aliens were starting to return home, in Nevada Oadministration and the congres- the actions of the new administration are PAGE 4 sional leadership are preparing another at- likely to undo that progress. tempt to pass a comprehensive amnesty Based on the administration’s actions bill in 2009. But, with or without legisla- during their first two months in office, New Illegal Immigration tion, the administration is sending unmis- certain patterns are becoming evident: Cost Study: Nevada PAGE 4 takable signals to illegal aliens that they will Review of worksite enforcement not vigorously enforce laws against illegal policies. On February 24, Immigration immigration. Just as increased worksite en- and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents Hispanic Caucus’s forcement during the past two years was raided the Yamato Engine Specialists Com- Pro-Amnesty Tour PAGE 5 CONTINUED on page 2 Senate Rejects Five-Year FAIR Los Angeles Times Reauthorization of E-Verify, Opts for Op-ed PAGE 6 Six Month Extension

or the second time in as many months, the Help FAIR Spread U.S. Senate passed up an opportunity to the Word F reauthorize the highly successful E-Verify pro- PAGE 8 gram for five years. Instead, Congress opted for a six-month extension through September 30, the end of the current fiscal year. An amendment to the $410 billion Om- CONTINUED on page 7

Visit us on the web at www.fairus.org FAIRIMMIGRATIONREPORT

Immigration Policy continued

raid. “I want to get to the bottom of statements since taking office, Secretary this,” said Napolitano. Napolitano has hinted that her depart- The secretary’s statement to Con- ment’s enforcement efforts will focus gress came in response to howls of on tracking and removing terrorists and protest from pro-illegal alien activists criminal aliens from the country. While who demanded that ICE enforcement no one can argue with the objective of cease immediately. The decision to re- removing foreign terrorists and crimi- view ICE enforcement efforts, rather nals, the administration’s statements in- than offer unqualified support for the dicate that those who entered the U.S. Rather than support the ICE agents people enforcing U.S. immigration illegally will not be pursued unless they in the field for doing the job the laws, indicates that the Obama admin- are terrorists or felons. taxpayers are paying them to do, istration is likely to curtail worksite en- The first target may be 287(g) en- Homeland Security Secretary Janet forcement. forcement. The provision, established Napolitano called for a review of Ironically, the raid was carried out in 1996, allows state and local police to worksite enforcement policies. on the same day that the president ad- receive training in immigration law en- dressed a joint session of Congress dur- forcement for the purpose of supple- ing which he vowed to fix the econ- menting limited federal law enforce- pany in Bellingham, Washington, and ar- omy and get unemployed Americans ment resources. It provides an rested 28 illegal alien workers. This was back to work. Hundreds of American important and necessary tool to help the first worksite enforcement action car- workers immediately applied to fill the law enforcement officers protect their ried out by ICE since the new administra- 28 jobs left vacant by the arrest of ille- communities. Under the 287(g) pro- tion took power. gal alien workers at the Yamato Engine gram, which FAIR fought to include Rather than support the ICE agents in Specialists Company in the town about in the 1996 legislation, 67 police and the field for doing the job the taxpayers are 20 miles from the Canadian border. sheriff’s departments across the country paying them to do, Homeland Security Nationwide, an estimated 7.7 mil- have received training to identify and Secretary Janet Napolitano called for a re- lion U.S. jobs are now held by illegal detain suspected illegal aliens. Last year, view of worksite enforcement policies. Tes- aliens. In case after case in which en- 43,000 illegal aliens were arrested by tifying before Congress the next day, forcement actions have removed illegal 287(g) trained officers. Napolitano told lawmakers that she had workers, legal workers have almost im- This highly effective enforcement not been informed about the Bellingham mediately lined up to fill the vacancies. tool is now under attack by the defend- American DO want these jobs. These ers of illegal aliens because some of are jobs that can and should be available those apprehended are not violent to U.S. workers at a time of rising un- felons, according to a review by the employment, without spending $800 Government Accountability Office billion. (GAO). Based on these findings, House If you’re not a terrorist or a felon, Homeland Security Committee Chair- there is no need to worry. In other man Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) in-

CONTINUED on next page

PAG E 2 APRIL 2009

Immigration Policy continued AROUNDTHECOUNTRY dicated that the program may come under review. INDIANA “[T]he record is incomplete, at best, as to whether this By a 37-13 vote on February 24, the Indiana State Senate program is a success,” Thompson said. approved a bill that would impose stiff penalties against The legislative language creating 287(g) did not Indiana businesses caught employing illegal aliens. The specify that it be used exclusively, or even predomi- Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), FAIR’s public interest nantly, to apprehend criminal aliens. Rather, the GAO law affiliate, worked closely with State Senators Mike Delph report notes, “its legislative history do[es] not detail the and Dennis Kruse to craft legislation that would hold exact responsibilities to be carried out” by local law en- employers accountable and stand up to legal challenges from pro-illegal alien advocates. Senate Bill 580 is now headed to forcement. The report also states that “ICE has the dis- the Indiana State House. Gov. Mitch Daniels has pledged to cretion to define the 287(g) program objectives in any sign the legislation if the House approves the measure, manner that is reasonable,” thereby playing into the hands of the Obama administration by suggesting it MARYLAND can decide to use the program solely to identify and re- In an important breakthrough for immigration reform move terrorists and criminal aliens. advocates in Maryland, Gov. Martin O’Malley has indicated What is taking shape is a hands-off policy for all his support for legislation that would require driver’s license illegal aliens, except those engaged in violent crime or applicants to prove legal U.S. residence. Maryland has been terrorism. Even without a formal amnesty, the Obama one of a handful of states that issues licenses and state IDs administration appears to be moving in the direction to illegal aliens. According to Maryland’s Motor Vehicle of allowing all but the most incorrigible illegal aliens administration (MVA), more than 20,000 driver’s licenses to remain and work in the United States. Moreover, were issued to people not lawfully present in the U.S. in the president did not demand inclusion of E-Verify 2008. MVA admits that it cannot authenticate many foreign protections in his economic stimulus package, aimed documents, and that the fraud rate increased 478 percent at creating or preserving some 3.5 million U.S. jobs. between 2003 and 2007. Leaders of the legislature expect FAIR will continue to press for vigorous enforce- the bill to be enacted this year. FAIR has worked closely with Maryland-based immigration reform groups, which have been ment of U.S. immigration laws — especially at a time instrumental in pushing for the legislation. of economic crisis — in spite of the administration’s apparent obstructionism. Working with allies in Con- NORTHCAROLINA gress, the media, and a dedicated core of committed While the leadership of the U.S. Congress took the activists across the country, FAIR will challenge every extraordinary step of stripping provisions that would require effort by the administration to ignore its responsibil- companies that receive money from the economic stimulus ities to law-abiding workers and taxpayers. bill to verify that their workers are legal U.S. residents, The refusal by the Obama administration to carry members of the North Carolina legislature are attempting to out enforcement efforts also provides a powerful ar- adopt those protections in their state. Rep. Wil Neumann gument against future amnesty legislation. It is an introduced legislation that would require any North Carolina early indication that any enforcement promises made employer receiving federal stimulus money to use the E-Verify in exchange for amnesty legislation are likely to be system to ensure that workers are eligible for the jobs. worthless and the failures of the 1986 amnesty law re- Without this validation, as many as 5,000 jobs in the state peated. could be filled by illegal aliens.

PAGE 3 FAIRIMMIGRATIONREPORT

Reid Feels Heat from Back Home Illegal Immigration Costs Nevadans $630 Million a Year enate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was singlehandedly responsible Sfor blocking both the inclusion of a reauthorization of E-Verify in the Sen- The latest in FAIR’s series of state ate’s version of the massive economic stimulus bill and a requirement that com- impact studies finds that illegal panies benefiting from stimulus money use the system to ensure that they hire immigration costs Nevadans $630 only legal U.S. workers. Along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Reid million a year, or about $763 for each made sure that those provisions in the bill passed by the House of Representatives native-headed household in the state. were stripped from the final version sent to President Obama. The Costs of Illegal Immigration to E-Verify is a federal program that allows employers to instantly verify the So- Nevadans finds that these costs are cial Security numbers and work eligibility of new employees. It is currently used limited to unreimbursed K-12 education, by more than 100,000 employers nationwide, and has a near perfect 99.6 percent public health care and incarceration of accuracy rate. criminal illegal aliens. Nearly an equal The majority leader’s actions may have been popular with cheap labor inter- amount, $618 million, flows out of the est groups and other illegal immigration advocacy organizations, but they are rad- Nevada economy each year in the form ically out of step with the views and the interests of Sen. Reid’s Nevada of remittances sent abroad. The findings constituents. According to a Zogby International poll commissioned by FAIR, 83 of FAIR’s Nevada cost study were percent of Nevadans support reauthorization of E-Verify, and 78 percent said that featured in numerous newspaper, companies receiving federal stimulus dollars should be required to use the pro- television and radio news reports across gram. Nevada has the highest per capita number of illegal residents and, at 9.4 the state. percent, Nevada’s unemployment rate is one of the highest in the nation. As part of FAIR’s core mission of educating the American public about the im- Nevada, like nearly every other state, is pact of mass immigration, the organization undertook a multi-faceted effort to struggling to close gaping budget bring Sen. Reid’s actions to the attention of Nevadans. In addition to release of the shortfalls. The state projects about a $2 Zogby poll (full results can be seen on FAIR’s web site, www.fairus.org) FAIR pub- billion shortfall through the end of the lished a report, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Nevadans (see sidebar), pub- 2010 fiscal year. Thus, the costs of lished an open letter to Sen. Reid in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, conducted a illegal immigration could be responsible statewide media blitz, and organized a public rally outside the senator’s Las Vegas for about half of Nevada’s projected office. annual budget gap. With the assistance of local talk radio host Heidi Harris, whose KDWN program is The burdens of illegal immigration are one of the most listened to in Nevada, the widely recognized by Nevadans. FAIR’s FAIR-organized rally brought some 150 ac- statewide opinion poll, conducted by tivists outside Reid’s Las Vegas office on Feb- Zogby International, found that 76 ruary 25 to protest his refusal to protect percent of Nevada residents believe workers in his own state and across the nation illegal immigration has a negative impact by including the E-Verify provisions in the on the state budget. stimulus bill. In addition to the activists who gathered outside Reid’s office, the protesters, The full text of The Costs of Illegal waving flags and carrying placards, received Immigration to Nevadans, along with 12 Heidi Harris, KDWN talk radio host, enthusiastic support from passing motorists. addresses protestors outside Reid’s other state impact studies, can be found Las Vegas office. at FAIR’s web site, www.fairus.org. CONTINUED on next page

PAG E 4 APRIL 2009

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery: Pro-Amnesty Forces Try to Replicate Success of Immigration Reformers

he defeat of the amnesty bill in 2007 was a stunning blow borders group, America’s Voice. Sharry also noted the ability of Tto the illegal alien lobby. Despite their huge financial ad- groups like FAIR to effectively disseminate the immigration vantage, the support of the Bush administration and the con- reform message in the media. gressional leadership, the immigration reform movement beat Determined not to be out-organized again, the Congres- back their best shot at gaining amnesty for millions of illegal sional Hispanic Caucus organized a 17-city national tour to aliens. Irate citizens literally crashed the Capitol switchboard try to build its own activist network in favor of amnesty. Be- with phone calls, while talk radio and ginning in late February and running cable TV news played a vital role in through early April, the Familias keeping the American public in- Unidas National Tour 2009 is aimed formed. at “putting a human face on the issue” The success of FAIR and the im- and creating an activist network of its migration reform movement was not own. lost on the pro-amnesty forces. “Let’s The effort is spearheaded by not miss the fact that one of the rea- Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), sons we lost the last time is that the a close ally of President Obama. anti-[amnesty] forces mobilized their Guitierrez spent the better part of advocates and the pro-[amnesty Spearheaded by Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), the March meeting with illegal aliens and Congressional Hispanic Caucus organized a 17-city na- forces] did not,” said Frank Sharry, tional tour to try to build its own activist network in their families in churches all across executive director of the radical open- favor of amnesty. CONTINUED on page 7

Reid Feels the Heat continued

The protest rally was only part of the Despite the enormous inside-the- message Sen. Reid heard and saw that day. Beltway advantage that special interests pro- Earlier, FAIR’s national field director, Susan moting mass immigration and amnesty Tully, joined with a contingent of Nevada have, FAIR has repeatedly demonstrated voters to present Sen. Reid’s Las Vegas staff that arming the public with timely and re- with a copy of a petition addressed to Pres- liable information can overcome those ident Obama signed by over 16,000 Amer- odds. As we move through what promises icans urging that E-Verify be maintained to be a very challenging year, FAIR will con- and expanded. That same day, the lead story tinue to employ all available means to keep in the local news section of the Review- the American public informed and to en- Journal featured coverage of FAIR’s sure that they have a voice in this important statewide opinion poll and details about national debate. Immigration reform activists demand E-Verify how much illegal immigration is costing and immigration enforcement. Nevadans.

PAGE 5 FAIRIMMIGRATIONREPORT INTHENEWS The following opinion editorial by FAIR’s Media Director Ira Mehlman, appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Published February 2, 2009

PRIORITIES OF IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES ARE OUT OF STEP Despite a Latino coalition’s pitch to Obama, amnesty and higher levels of immigration are not the top concerns of Latino voters.

On the eve of the inaugural, a coalition in the U.S. surveyed, 31%, rated immi- smaller amnesty of 1986, the govern- of Latino organizations gathered to lay gration as an extremely important issue. ment likely would resort to rubber- out their priorities for the Obama admin- And of the five issues Latinos rated stamping applications without conducting istration. At the top of their list was im- as their highest priorities for President adequate background checks. migration: amnesty for the estimated 13 Obama to address, all of them would be The environment. The Census Bu- million illegal aliens living in the United made more difficult by amnesty and reau projects that at current immigration States and still higher levels of govern- higher levels of immigration. levels, the U.S. population will grow by ment-mandated immigration. The economy. With the economy 135 million people over the next 40 These professional ethnic-interest shedding jobs at a rate of half a million a years. An amnesty, coupled with higher advocates came to Washington touting month, legalizing 13 million illegal aliens immigration levels, would surely send us that Latino voters favored Barack and adding to the already record levels over the half-a-billion mark by midcen- Obama over John McCain by a better of government-mandated immigration tury, effectively dooming all environmen- than 2-1 margin and “to settle debts ac- would be like dousing a flame with gaso- tal initiatives. crued during the campaign season,” ac- line. The agenda being pressed by the cording to an article on the New York Education. The schools attended by ethnic-interest and immigration advo- Times website. But aside from the fact predominantly Latino students are af- cacy groups has nothing to do with the that Obama would have coasted to vic- fected the most by immigration. In 2004, concerns or well-being of Latinos in the tory even without his sizable advantage about 44% of the students attending the United States. Rather, in direct contrast among Latino voters, this coalition man- Los Angeles public school system were to President Obama’s inaugural declara- aged to overlook one other important de- classified as “limited English proficient,” tion “that the lines of tribe shall soon dis- tail: More immigration is not what Latino according to the latest district informa- solve,” it is about raw political power. voters want. tion available. Nationwide, the 2006 “I anticipate a dramatic shift in power The Pew Hispanic Center, a re- dropout rate among Latinos in the U.S. toward heavily Latino parts of the United spected Washington think tank, took the was 22% — double the rate for African States” after the next census, said Simon trouble to ask Latinos what issues they American students and quadruple that of Rosenberg, director of the New Demo- considered to be “extremely important.” whites. cratic Network, an advocacy group that For 57% of the respondents to its poll, Healthcare. Immigrants and their is pro-amnesty. “Remember: In redistrict- released just before the inauguration, the U.S.-born children accounted for 71% of ing, we count people, not citizens.” economy was the most important issue. the increase in the medically uninsured Throughout the campaign and Close behind were education and population between 1989 and 2007, ac- standing on the west portico of the Capi- healthcare. Rounding out the top five cording to the Center for Immigration tol, Obama has sought to inspire the na- were national security and the environ- Studies. In all, 34% of immigrant house- tion toward a common purpose. ment. holds lack basic health insurance, com- Americans of all racial and ethnic back- Although the groups purporting to pared with 13% of the native-born grounds are prepared to answer his call. represent the interests of Latinos in the population. Whether on immigration or countless U.S. have set amnesty for illegal aliens National security. America’s already other issues, the nation is hungry for a and higher levels of immigration as their dysfunctional system for processing im- leader who demonstrates through action No. 1 priority, immigration ranks only migration could not possibly handle the that his only debt is to the American peo- sixth among the concerns of ordinary tens of millions of amnesty applications ple. Latinos. Fewer than one in three Latinos they would likely receive. As in the much

PAG E 6 APRIL 2009

E-Verify Still Not Reauthorized continued nibus Appropriations bill reauthorizing by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that are designed to ensure that employ- E-Verify for five years was offered by Sen. and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). ers only hire those who are legally au- Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.). However, that Preventing E-Verify from being ter- thorized to work in the United States, amendment was tabled by the Senate by minated is an important milestone for and believe we need to strengthen en- a 50-47 margin. The Omnibus Appro- supporters of immigration enforcement. forcement against employers who know- priations bill, passed in March, was nec- However, the short-term extension of a ingly hire individuals who are not essary to fund many operations of the program that has been proven to protect authorized to work.” The actions of Sen- federal government through the end of American jobs indicates that the con- ate Democrats to block long-term reau- the fiscal year. gressional leadership is preparing to use thorization clearly belies their professed Sen. Sessions attempted to include a it as a bargaining chip in a renewed effort concern for protecting U.S. workers. reauthorization of E-Verify in the eco- to enact amnesty legislation later this The reauthorization through Sep- nomic stimulus bill passed by Congress year. tember 30 does provide FAIR with time in February, as well as a requirement that The repeated failure of the Senate to to continue to build public support for companies receiving stimulus money use reauthorize E-Verify contradicts asser- this critical immigration enforcement E-Verify to ensure that they hire only tions by Sen. Reid and others that they tool. With more than 12 million U.S. legal U.S. workers. These provisions support E-Verify as a vital protection for workers idled, and unemployment now were included in the House version of American workers during a time of ris- standing at a 26-year high, protecting the stimulus bill, but were blocked by ing unemployment. In a letter to Nevada American jobs from being lost to illegal the Senate leadership and ultimately constituents, Sen. Reid writes, “I aliens is vitally important. stripped from the final version of the bill strongly support programs like E-Verify

Pro-Amnesty Tour continued

America. However, unlike the diverse, broad-based network FAIR has earned and continues to enjoy high visibility and of citizen activists that FAIR has assembled, the pro-amnesty high credibility with print, broadcast and Internet news or- activist network is composed largely of illegal aliens and their ganizations because it represents the sentiments about immi- families. gration of the majority of Americans. The pro-amnesty coalition has also attempted to replicate FAIR does not take the opposition’s efforts lightly. Our re- FAIR’s success in presenting a coherent public interest reform sponse is to expand and broaden our own grassroots network agenda to the American public through the media. However, and strengthen our relationships with the media. Over the lacking any real solutions to America’s failed immigration poli- coming months, FAIR will be working proactively to inform cies, other than amnesty for illegal aliens and unrestricted im- and organize the American public around the idea that im- migration, their message has fallen flat. Consequently, groups migration reforms must be enacted that serve the national in- like America’s Voice and the National Council of La Raza have terest. launched a massive — and so far unsuccessful — effort to dis- credit FAIR and other reform-minded groups.

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