Clipmarks | Rustee's Immigration collection

Medellin Executed

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:29:52 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: The end of what became a divided international struggle for justice.

HUNTSVILLE, Texas—A Mexican-born condemned prisoner was executed Tuesday night for the rape and murder of two teenage girls 15 years ago after a divided U.S. Supreme Court rejected his request for a reprieve.

Medellin’s attorneys contended he was denied the protections of the Vienna Convention, which calls for people arrested to have access to their home country’s consular officials.

President Bush asked states to review the cases, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this year neither the president nor the international court can force Texas to wait.

Medellin, 33, was condemned for participating in the 1993 gang rape, beating and strangling of Elizabeth Pena, 16, and Jennifer Ertman, 14.

“I don’t want sympathy or pity, I’d rather have your anger,” Medellin had written on an anti-death penalty Web site where prisoners seek pen pals. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I’m where I’m at because I made an adolescent choice. That’s it!”

Tags: crime, death penalty, texas

Home Invasions by Columbian Gangs

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:12:20 GMT

clipped by: Rustee

Clip Source: www.khou.com

HOUSTON -- Three years ago, a group of well-trained MS-13 gang members wearing black FBI shirts executed several home invasions in the Houston area.

Thirty-six months later, home invasions across the country are on the rise. In Houston, investigators believe a Colombian gang is targeting the wealthy.

Earlier this month, Dallas police arrested a group of men they think are responsible for 70 home invasions in 20 North Texas cities.

Moreover, it appears that the gang would research their victims by going online. They would also usually pose as cops.

“They would on many occasions dress in law enforcement-type gear. They would often tell the homeowners they had a warrant for their arrest,” said Dallas Police Detective Duane Boy. “Once they got in, they would bind them and in some cases they did torture them.”

Tags: crime, illegal immigration

Texas v U.N.

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:08:01 GMT

clipped by: Rustee

Clip Source: www.chron.com

Texas will go ahead with the scheduled Aug. 5 execution of Houston rapist-killer Jose Medellin despite Wednesday's United Nations world court order for a stay, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry said.

The U.N.'s International Court of Justice's call for stays in the cases of Medellin and four other Mexican nationals awaiting execution in Texas came in response to a petition filed last month by the Mexican government.

Perry's office dismissed the argument.

"The world court has no standing in Texas and Texas is not bound by a ruling or edict from a foreign court," Perry spokesman Robert Black said.

Medellin, 33, was condemned for the 1993 killings of Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Peña, 16, who stumbled into a drunken midnight gang initiation rite

Meanwhile, Randy Ertman, father of Jennifer Ertman, hotly denounced the world court's order for stays.

"The world court don't mean diddly," he said.

Tags: houston, texas, united nations, mexico, illegal immigration

Brooklyn Jihadis Interrogate Tourist for Taking Picture

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:44:49 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks:

At last, we blurted out that we were admirers of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) and wanted to obtain information about conversion. We were even knowledgeable enough to blurt out “Salaam” and “Allahu akbar.”

The last utterance seemed to be the “Open Sesame” that got us out of the basement and back to Bedford Street, where we managed to take a picture of the mosque before hailing a cab and making a getaway.

Clip Source: canadafreepress.com

If you tarry in front of the Masjid At-Taqwa in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district and dare to take a photo, you might get hauled away by a group of angry Muslims in Islamic attire to the basement of the facility where a group of twenty “security guards” in karate suits will interrogate you.

This sounds preposterous.

But it happened on a weekend in late April at 3:00 in the afternoon.

Ali Kareem, the head of security for Siraj Wahaj’s mosque, conducted the grilling. A small, muscular man with a wispy black beard that has been dyed red with henna, Kareem demanded to know the reason why a trio of kafirs had dared to photograph the building on a public street without securing his permission.

He further insisted on securing our identities and obtaining our motives for such a violation of Islamic space.

We tried to explain that we found the neighborhood

to be rather quaint and interesting.

This explanation was not sufficient.

“I ask the questions here,” he said, “and you provide the answers.”

Anti Illegal-immigration School Project Goes South

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:40:14 GMT

clipped by: Rustee

Clip Source: www.chron.com

A teenager who took a sign reading "If you love our nation, stop illegal immigration" to school said she was hurt after being swarmed by angry classmates, and administrators said Tuesday they have suspended three students involved in the scuffle.

"It's disappointing that it happened," Athens school district superintendent Fred Hayes said. "It does not surprise me with the political nature of this issue."

Melanie Bowers, 13, brought the sign to Athens Middle School on Friday as part of a class project on political activism. Each child was assigned to pick an issue and prepare a poster supporting a position.

Hayes said she was showing the sign in the hallway when a group of students tried wresting it away.

J.R. Bowers, the girl's father, said Melanie suffered scratch marks along her neck, face and arms. He said she also had a swollen jaw.

Tags: illegal immigration

Mexican Police Chief Seeks U.S. Asylum

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:51:19 GMT

clipped by: Rustee

Clip Source: hosted.ap.org

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- The police chief of a Mexican border town racked by smuggling-related violence fled to the U.S. seeking asylum after his deputies abandoned him, federal officials said Friday.

Perez was taken in and was believed to be in custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, according to Mosier. Leticia Zamarripa, an ICE spokeswoman, declined to comment on the case, citing privacy issues.

Perez's village, just south of the border with New Mexico, was once a relatively quiet town. But violence has increased in the last few years, as it has elsewhere along the U.S.-Mexico border, and appears to have spiked of late.

Palomas has had a spate of drug-related violence as Mexico's ongoing crackdown on powerful cartels fuels turf wars among traffickers. The area also is a common meeting point for migrants heading north.

Tags: border, crime

Hunter Calls for Border Security Vote

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:51:14 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: My congressman has signed the petition for vote, and he's a Democrat.
Has yours?

Clip Source: www.house.gov

Press Release/Statement

For Immediate Release
March 11, 2008

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, today joined a bipartisan group of his House colleagues in calling for the immediate consideration of border security legislation. Behind the efforts of House Republicans, signatures are being collected on a discharge petition to require a vote on H.R. 4088 (Shuler-NC), the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement Act.

“The fact that our borders remain open and unprotected is inexcusable,” said Congressman Hunter. “Achieving a secure and enforceable border remains one of our greatest legislative priorities, but the Democratic majority continues to avoid taking action on this critical issue.

A total of 218 signatures on the discharge petition would require Democratic leadership to bring H.R. 4088 to the House floor for consideration.

Tags: illegal immigration, border security, government

San Francisco Uses Tax Dollars to Publicize Sanctuary Policy

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:09:47 GMT

clipped by: Rustee

Clip Source: www.examiner.com

San Francisco’s “sanctuary” policy for illegal immigrants, which has drawn sharp criticism from conservatives, will be promoted in an advertisement campaign complete with multilanguage brochures and radio and TV public service announcements.

The city-funded outreach campaign is expected to roll out this spring and build on San Francisco’s response to last year’s federal immigration raids, which city officials said scared undocumented immigrants into not accessing city services, reporting crimes or sending children to school.

City officials Wednesday were not able to provide The Examiner with a cost breakdown for the campaign.

Additionally, in August, San Francisco will become the first major city to roll out a program that will provide municipal identification cards to all residents regardless of immigration status.

Tags: illegal immigration, san francisco, government

Man Deported 14 Times...Arrested Again

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:01:50 GMT

clipped by: Rustee

Clip Source: www.thedenverchannel.com

EAGLE, Colo. -- A man who already has been caught and deported 14 times has been picked up in Colorado again on charges of human smuggling.

Deputies said they found him driving a Chevrolet Venture van with 13 people who didn't have proper immigration papers. The traffic stop was initiated because the vehicle's license plates were obstructed, according to the deputies.

The driver planned on delivering the twelve adult males to various locations that included Denver, Iowa, and Georgia, authorities said.

Robles-Gaytan now faces charges of criminal impersonation and second-degree forgery in addition to the charges of human smuggling and operating a vehicle without a valid driver's license.

Robles-Gaytan is being held on bond while the others are waiting to be deported.

Authorities said that each time Robles-Gaytan was arrested in the past he gave a different fictitious name.

Tags: illegal immigration, border, crime

Illegal Aliens Rear End Homeland Security Vehicle

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:19:38 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: Ooops!

Clip Source: www.ktar.com

Normally, a non-injury rear-end collision wouldn't warrant a news story. But in an ironic twist, this crash involved a van full of illegal immigrants which slammed into an SUV owned by the Department of Homeland Security.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety said the Chrysler van was heading west Tuesday morning when it was involved in a three-vehicle chain-reaction crash near the Elliot Road off-ramp. Harold Sanders with DPS said, "the 11 illegal immigrants inside the van were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement."

There were no reports of any injuries, despite the fact that the van was overloaded.

Tags: illegal immigration, border

Houston's "New" Chinatown

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:33:41 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: I think this may be immigration at its finest. They're achieving their "American dreams" through sharing their cultures, but still being diversified, which in the end benefits us all.

So what would work as a visual symbol for the new Chinatown? How could you depict a place that's pan-Asian, old and new, united mainly by entrepreneurial zeal?"
"Personally, I hope the winner is a gate: a gate big enough to drive a car through, on a street that seems paved with money.

Clip Source: www.chron.com

This isn't a Chinatown like the old-style ones in New York or San Francisco — jampacked, uniformly Chinese and, because they're more than a hundred years old, built for pedestrians and maybe horses but not for cars. This Chinatown is more Houston-style, an ethnic stew with easy parking, a place where the pioneering businesses date only to 1983. It resembles other new Chinatowns, ones that sprouted in car-dominated places such as the Los Angeles suburbs and Silicon Valley.

Cars promote ethnic diversity, even in a Chinatown. In places where people get around on foot, new immigrants by necessity clump tightly with people much like them, creating enclaves where it's possible to lead your entire life. A Cantonese hair salon would naturally set up shop next to a Cantonese restaurant and a Cantonese grocery store.

But cars change that equation.

The Cantonese hair salon may sit next to a Malaysian restaurant. The Korean music store can occupy the storefront next to a Japanese gift store

Tags: houston, immigration, culture, business

Employer Arrested after Illegal Immigrant Murders a Police Officer

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 06:53:22 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: They're required to say that Quintero "allegedly" shot the officer, but there's no question...he was handcuffed and locked in the back seat where he pulled out a pistol and shot him in the head 4 times.

Robert Rutt, ICE Special Agent in charge of Houston: ''They are economic migrants, and if you take away their ability to get employment, the immigration problem will solve itself for the most part," he said. ''Our biggest weakness is not the porous border, but employers hiring illegal aliens."

Worksite arrests by ICE agents have risen dramatically, according to agency statistics, which show criminal arrests — mostly company managers and contractors — jumped from 176 in fiscal 2005 to 863 in fiscal 2007.

And administrative arrests of undocumented workers in worksite raids have increased from 1,116 in fiscal 2005 to 4,077 in fiscal 2007.

Clip Source: www.chron.com

A HISTORY OF AIDING WORKER

• August 1998: Robert Camp posts a $10,000 cash bond for Juan Leonardo Quintero, who was charged with indecency with a child.

• March 3, 1999: Quintero is convicted of a sexual offense with a minor.

• May 7, 1999: Quintero is deported from the U.S.

• Nov. 26, 1999: Quintero boards a Southwest Airlines flight from Phoenix to Houston after hiring a smuggler to re-enter the U.S. through Arizona. Quintero's wife tells investigators her husband told her Camp purchased the ticket.

• Sept. 21, 2006: Quintero is accused of fatally shooting Houston police officer Rodney Johnson in the head during a traffic stop in which Quintero was driving a company truck owned by Camp. Quintero is later charged with capital murder.

• Oct. 4, 2006: ICE agents receive information alleging that Camp, of Camp Landscaping, knowingly employed Quintero in violation of federal law.

Source: ICE affidavit by Senior Special Agent Gary Renick

Scenes from officer's funeral

Tags: illegal immigration, crime, houston, texas

Couple Pleads Deportation Order

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 02:20:28 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: ""The only possible means for them to qualify for this relief (from deportation) was through a means expressly prohibited by the Catholic Church," Robles said."

I'm no theologian (nor even religious), but what about Christians obeying the laws of the land?

Clip Source: www.sfgate.com

Peter Fernandez and Martha Katigbak, who emigrated from the Philippines more than 15 years ago, argued that being deported would violate their religious freedom.

The married couple said they were being denied equal treatment under a law that allows illegal residents to seek legalization if their deportation would cause exceptional hardship to a child or other close relative who is a U.S. citizen. The couple said they had been trying to have a child for many years, without success, and were prohibited by their religious beliefs from using in vitro fertilization.

A federal appeals court upheld a deportation order

Martin Robles, the couple's lawyer, said he would ask the full appeals court for a rehearing. He said Fernandez and Katigbak, who overstayed their visas after entering the United States, were educated, religious, law-abiding people, "the kind that Americans want to stay here."

Tags: illegal immigration

Illegal Immigration Crimes on the Rise in Houston

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 01:23:02 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: " ICE officials could not say if they would review the immigration status of anyone within the Gonzalez family. In addition to the family member that Gonzalez's mother paid to have brought to the United States, the 14-year-old kidnapping victim is himself an illegal immigrant."

Clip Source: www.khou.com

When you hear what happened to 14-year-old Luis Antonio Gonzalez, you get a clearer picture of what some say is a disturbing trend in Houston.

Gonzalez was kidnapped in Northwest Harris County on Christmas Eve.

Investigators said, so-called “coyotes” were demanding his family pay more money for having smuggled another family member into Houston.

There's been a dramatic increase in smuggling and trafficking crimes here.

The Justice Department says there's been a 300-percent increase in trafficking prosecutions in just the last three years alone.

Earlier this year, smugglers shot at each other in a rolling gun fight on the Southwest Freeway as they fought over a load of illegal immigrants. One person was killed in the shootout.

Officials with ICE told 11 News they are looking at the possibility that Gonzalez’s abduction may be a part of a larger, organized crime smuggling operation.

Tags: houston, texas, crime, illegal immigration

Galveston Hospital Considers Denying Healthcare to Illegals

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:59:53 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: "Painful cost-cutting measures included 381 layoffs last year, which shattered morale at the island campus and may have driven off some highly regarded staff and faculty members."

This move hit particularly close to home.

A solution isn't very clearcut either. I have compassion, but there's got to be limits at some point. There's only so much UTMB can do. This problem is bigger than them. Hell...it's bigger than Texas!

Clip Source: news.galvestondailynews.com

GALVESTON — The University of Texas Medical Branch is considering a policy that would deny cancer care to indigent, undocumented immigrants

Turning away undocumented cancer patients undoubtedly would pull the oldest medical school west of the Mississippi into a fierce contemporary debate about the legality and fairness of treating undocumented immigrants with tax dollars when millions of uninsured legal residents can’t afford health care.

It also will force the institution to face thorny questions about simple compassion and the limits of a physician’s duty to treat the ailing.

“Certainly it’s not a decision we’re taking lightly,” said Karen Sexton, vice president and CEO of hospitals and clinics at the medical branch.

“This is not UTMB’s problem,” Sexton said. “It’s the nation’s problem; we’re trying to do the best we can to help our physicians and others with a decision by making it not so subjective. We’re trying to put up some parameters, but it hurts my heart.”

Tags: illegal immigration, healthcare, texas