| THE COMING REFERENDUM TO ALLOW CITIZENS TO DECIDE ON IN-STATE TUITION FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS
IN THE FINAL HOURS OF THE MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION, THE IN-STATE COLLEGE TUITION FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS BILL PASSED BOTH THE SENATE AND HOUSE ALONG PARTY LINES. DESPITE BEING SEVERLY OUTNUMBERED THE REPUBLICAN SENATORS AND DELEGATES HELD ON, FORCED AMENDMENTS AND FOUGHT TO THE BITTER END. IT WAS LIKE THE BATTLE OF THE ALAMO!
IN MY YEARS OF ATTENDING AND TESTIFYING IN ANNAPOLIS, I HAVE NEVER WITNESSED SUCH WELL THOUGHT OUT ARGUMENTS, QUESTIONS, DEBATE AND PASSION AGAINST THIS LAWLESS LEGISLATION. THOSE WHO QUESTION THE INTEGRITY OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND THEIR INABILITY TO TRULY REPRESENT THE CITIZENS OF MARYLAND, AT LEAST ON THE ISSUE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, NEED TO RETHINK THEIR POSITION. ONE SIDE OF THE AISLE DID THEIR JOB AND THEN SOME.
THE SPONSORS OF THE LEGISLATION, FROM SENATOR VICTOR RAMIREZ (D-PG COUNTY) TO DELEGATE ANNA SOL GUTIERREZ (D-MONTGOMERY COUNTY) COULD ONLY SQUIRM AND UTTER MINDLESS PLATITUDES, CLEARLY UNABLE TO DEFEND OR JUSTIFY THIS RADICAL, UNNECESSARY AND COSTLY LEGISLATION.
AND LIKE THE ALAMO, THIS DEFEAT HAS AWAKENED THE CITIZENRY OF MARYLAND TO QUESTION THE PRIORITIES AND LEADERSHIP OF GOVERNOR MARTIN O’ MALLEY AND THE DOMINATE PARTY LEADERS IN ANNAPOLIS.
A LEADER HAS RISEN, READY TO SPARK A STATE-WIDE FIRE TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF A REFERENDUM TO ALLOW CITIZENS ACROSS MARYLAND TO HAVE THE FINAL, DECISIVE WORD –SHOULD IN-STATE TUITION SHOULD BE GRANTED TO ILLEGAL ALIEN LAWBREAKERS OR NOT? HIS NAME IS DELEGATE NEIL PARROTT FROM WASHINGTON COUNTY.
IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS HELP SAVE MARYLAND, AS PART OF OUR EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES, WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION DISTRIBUTED BY DELEGATE PARROTT TO YOU. THE FIRST STEP WILL BE TO COLLECT VOTER SIGNATURES IN TWO MONTHS FROM 100,000 CITIZENS ACROSS THE STATE TO ALLOW THE REFERENDUM TO BE ON THE NEXT VOTER BALLOT. THIS IS A MAJOR TASK THAT WILL BE UNDERTAKEN COUNTY BY COUNTY.
VOLUNTEERS WILL BE NEEDED TO SUPPORT DELEGATE PARROTT — HSM WILL ALSO PROVIDE CONTACT INFORMATION SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE PART AN ACTIVE PART OF THE VOTER PETITION SIGNATURE COLLECTION AND OVERALL REFERENDUM INITIATIVE.
REMEMBER, GOOD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN CITIZENS GET INVOLVED! STAY TUNED.
Give immigration enforcement a try
When laws are administered, jobs open for unemployed Americans
By Rep. Lamar Smith The Washington Times 6:04 p.m., Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Critics of immigration enforcement often claim our immigration system is broken and that enforcement of immigration laws will not solve this problem. But this argument is flawed because we have never tried to fully enforce our immigration laws. Critics embrace the legalization of millions of illegal immigrants, a so-called solution that has been tried in the past and failed.
We have the means at our disposal to stem illegal immigration, but the Obama administration is going in the wrong direction.
For example, state and local governments can partner with the federal government through the 287(g) program to assist in the enforcement of immigration laws, yet the administration has weakened this successful program.
Work-site enforcement activities, which open up jobs for American workers and legal immigrants, have dropped by 70 percent under the Obama administration.
And E-Verify, a Web-based system that enables employers to verify the work eligibility of newly hired employees, remains voluntary. Expanding E-Verify and encouraging more businesses to use the program is an important step toward protecting jobs for American workers and eliminating the jobs magnet that draws millions of illegal workers to the United States.
Because our immigration laws are not fully enforced, millions of illegal immigrants are enticed to enter the United States each year because they know they are unlikely to be caught and sent home. Illegal immigration costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year, forces Americans to compete with illegal immigrants for scarce jobs and drives down wages for legal workers.
Because we’ve never fully enforced our immigration laws across the United States, why not try? The facts show that when immigration laws are enforced, illegal immigrants leave on their own and wages go up for Americans and legal workers. In states that have passed tough new laws cracking down on the employment of illegal immigrants, the illegal immigrant population has declined.
Take Arizona, for example. In 2007, the Legal Workers Act was signed into law, requiring all employers to use E-Verify. Arizona’s illegal immigrant population then dramatically shrank. In fact, Arizona’s population of illegal immigrants of working age fell by about 17 percent.
Recently, local law enforcement officials in Phoenix conducted work-site enforcement activities at several Pei Wei restaurants and found the restaurants had employed many illegal immigrants, including dishwashers.
A local TV news report followed up afterward and found that hundreds of unemployed American workers lined up to interview for those jobs, including the dishwashing jobs that some claim Americans won’t do.
There are similar stories all across the United States. When Georgia’s Crider Inc. lost more than 600 illegal workers after work-site enforcement actions, the company increased wages a dollar an hour and attracted legal workers.
In light of these results, imagine what would happen if immigration laws were fully and consistently enforced across the country. The result of making it more difficult for illegal immigrants to take jobs in the United States would be to encourage them to leave and also to serve as a deterrent to those thinking about coming into the U.S. illegally.
We should try full enforcement of immigration laws. Unemployed Americans and hardworking taxpayers deserve no less.
Rep. Lamar Smith, Texas Republican, is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
ONE OF MY “FAVORITE” QUOTES FROM THE IN-STATE TUITION DEBATE FROM CASA OF MARYLAND
Students from Baltimore City and Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties are planning to watch the debate Wednesday, said Kim Propeack, organizing director at the immigrant advocacy group Casa de Maryland.
“They want to be there for a core moment in their struggle for civil rights,” she said.
CASA HAS ALSO BE FLEXING THEIR TENTACLES IN OTHER ARENAS, PUSHING WITH OTHER RADICAL GROUPS TO CUT U.S. MILITARY SPENDING AND FUNDING MORE DOMESTIC NEEDS. THAT MEANS THEY WANT MORE TAX DOLLARS TO BRING IN MORE ILLEGAL ALIENS TO MARYLAND.
MORE PROPAGANDA FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA (NCLR), “THE RACE”, A NATIONAL RADICAL HISPANIC GROUP OPPOSED TO THE RULE OF LAW. THIS PLEDGE IS A DISGRACE.
NCLR calls on Congress to oppose irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric toward Latinos and focus on finding solutions to the nation’s most pressing concerns that work for all Americans. The struggling economy, our broken immigration system, and the many issues that prevent our nation’s children from reaching their potential all work against the future of America and its families. While we do not expect everyone to always agree with our positions, we ask that each and every member of Congress pledge to:
1. Acknowledge that Latinos make economic, civic, and cultural contributions to our communities and to the nation.
2. Engage in civil discourse and publicly oppose irresponsible rhetoric that dehumanizes and scapegoats Latinos, exploiting xenophobia for political gain.
3. Take a solutions-oriented, fact-based approach to evaluating public policy options for solving our nation’s most pressing problems.
4. Meet with advocates and leaders from the Hispanic nonprofit and business communities to hear a Latino perspective on the issues and to find areas of common ground based on our shared values and interests.
I endorse this pledge:
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