McCain and Obama speak about immigration.

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama both agree that immigration is an important issue for American voters. The two candidates differ on policies concerning the Iraq War and the economy, yet neither has clearly distinguished himself when it comes to immigration. In this clip, a collection of statements regarding immigration reform, McCain and Obama sound more similar than different…

John McCain Promises Amnesty for Illegals

Interesting clip but it's obvious where Lou Dobbs stands, not exactly an objective journalist.
Watch the CNN report.

Tijuana Mexico and San Diego border fence.

Click the image to zoom.
A small fence separates densely populated Tijuana, Mexico, right, from the United States in the Border Patrol's San Diego Sector. Construction is underway to extend a secondary fence over the top of this hill and eventually to the Pacific Ocean.

Why did Cannon get fired?

In the aftermath of Rep. Chris Cannon's primary defeat, many pundits, activists and news stories have declared that Cannon's moderate immigration stance cost him a seventh term in Congress.
A vocal crew clamored to label it an anti-undocumented immigration victory.
"Cannon's pro-amnesty crown finally became an albatross," NumbersUSA Executive Director Roy Beck wrote supporters. "No amount of advertising claiming that blue is red and that amnesties are not amnesties apparently could fool the voters this time."
The election "was, without a doubt, the greatest electoral victory of the immigration-control movement," proclaimed a story in the conservative newsletter Human Events.
And Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican who has made a crusade of opposing undocumented immigration, said Cannon's loss "sends a very clear message."

Read the full article.

West Coast mayors decry immigration raids

Three West Coast mayors are asking the leaders of other cities to take a stand against workplace immigration raids that they say hurt local economies and may force companies to relocate.

At the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors this week in Miami, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will ask their colleagues to challenge how the government raids businesses in search of illegal workers.

They want Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to focus on businesses that exploit workers, such as those that violate wage and safety laws, not "responsible employers" that contribute to economies, their resolution says.

"We've never taken the position that you shouldn't enforce the law," Villaraigosa says. "What we've said is, in a time of limited resources, we should prioritize our enforcement. At a time when we don't have the resources to go after criminals, we're going after legitimate businesses and workers instead. That doesn't make sense."

The resolution will be discussed by a committee Saturday and, if approved, will go to all the mayors for a vote Monday.

Read the full article here.

Arizona groups want 'compassionate' immigration talk

More than a dozen religious leaders on Monday called on Arizona's elected officials and community leaders to turn what they call a fear-based immigration debate into a more compassionate dialogue.

The mostly evangelical leaders wrote a letter to the governor, House speaker and Senate president urging them to seek out and enact tangible solutions to the nation's immigration woes.

"Unfortunately, a number of local and state officials have responded by engaging in a public conversation that is dividing our community, confusing enforcement procedures and creating an unwelcoming spirit for many seeking to make Arizona their home," according to the letter.

"The debate continues to focus on broad fears and assumptions concerning the complex issue of immigration."

Barrett Marson, a spokesman for Republican House Speaker Jim Weiers, said in a statement that while they had not received the letter, legislation related to illegal immigration passed in the House "seeks to eliminate any fear among the state's residents,"

"In fact, the House bills seek to ensure law and order is preserved and all citizens are protected," he said. "People obeying the laws should have no fear from law enforcement."

Jeanine L'Ecuyer, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano, said the group wasn't "too far afield" from the governor on the issue. "We look forward to hearing from them in constructive ways as we go forward," L'Ecuyer said.

Gary Kinnaman, pastor at large of the 6,000-member Word of Grace church in Mesa, said the faith leaders are not advocating a specific plan to address illegal immigration, but they do support discussing a path to citizenship for the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants.

"No one is illegal in the eyes of God," Kinnaman said. "Regardless of how we stand politically and how we see this issue, there are real people in the crossfire. Somehow we have to affirm the need for law and order, but by the same token, we've got to do something that's compassionate."

Read the full article here.

Fear & Loathing in Prime Time: Immigration Myths and Cable News

There are many problems facing the United States today: a faltering economy, a health-care crisis, and the continuing war in Iraq, to name a few. But viewers of some of the most prominent cable news programs are presented a different reality in which one issue stands above all others: illegal immigration.

Media Matters Action Network undertook this study in order to document how immigration is discussed and debated on cable news. When it comes to immigration, cable news overflows not just with vitriolic rhetoric, but also with a series of myths that feed viewers' resentment and fears, fostering hostility toward immigrants.

Full article

Rights on the line: Vigilantes at the Border

RIGHTS ON THE LINE offers a provocative look at the growing role of armed vigilante groups and their attempts to play on anti-immigration scapegoating. Filmed by legal observers and human rights activists at the US-Mexico border, this new video has just been produced by AFSC, in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union and WITNESS, a group using video activism to defend human rights.

The growth of vigilante activity at the United States' southern border – and beyond – is the latest development sparked by the growing militarization of the border, as well as the criminalization of undocumented immigrants. Marked increases in the presence of the Border Patrol and other law-enforcement agencies have now spilled over into the formation of paramilitary groups such as the "Minuteman Project," whose activities in the Arizona desert are documented in RIGHTS ON THE LINE.

Developed as a tool for community education and human rights advocacy, RIGHTS ON THE LINE explores the true nature of the vigilante movement, contrasting their media-savvy public message with the reality of their night-time raids against border crossers and threatening posture toward border communities. This 25-minute video includes interviews with border residents, border crossers, human rights activists, and members of the Minuteman Project themselves. (The DVD also includes a 12-minute abridged version and a 4-minute trailer.)

RIGHTS ON THE LINE is now available on DVD and VHS, in both English and Spanish, from AFSC's Online Store. Background information on the issue, suggestions for taking action, and listings of helpful organizations are available in this companion guide. For more information, please contact ProjectVoice@afsc.org.

Watch the Trailer

Coming soon from ABC: Border. The reality show.

Reality show will document homeland security

By James Hibberd
May 28, 2008, 09:54 PM

The network has ordered 11 hours of "Border Security USA" from executive producer Arnold Shapiro ("Big Brother"). Shot on location throughout the United States, the series will focus on the efforts of border protection agencies to halt illegal smuggling and immigration.

A typical episode might jump from a border patrol in Texas to security screeners at a New York airport to a Coast Guard boat off Puerto Rico.

"Border" is billed as the first multiepisode television series to be shot in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, as well as several other government agencies.
Full article

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Absolut vodka promo puts California, Arizona beyond U.S. borders

A vodka advertisement that put California, Arizona and several other southwestern states within the borders of Mexico "hearkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal," according to the sponsor.

Over a redrawn map of the U.S., the ad by the Swedish Absolut Spirits Co. declares, "In an Absolut World," noted columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin.

Major Hispanic civil rights groups in the U.S., such as the National Council of La Raza, are tied to movements advocating a "reconquista," or reconquest, of territory lost when Mexico signed the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo at the end of the Mexican-American War.

Malkin points out the Mexico City-based firm that created the ad, Teran, says its philosophy is advocating "disruption" as a "tool for change" and "agent of growth." The firm encourages "overturning assumptions and prejudices that get in the way of imagining new possibilities and visionary ideas that help create a larger share of the future."

Full article

Fortress America

Fortress America is the Denver Post’s four part series concerning border control. The in-depth feature contains articles, graphs, videos, slides, and statistics concerning the border prison boom, construction of the massive fence along the border, and the motivations of those crossing.As part of the feature, the Post commissioned their graphic journalist, Severiano Galvan, to go to the Mexican-American border and document illegal border crossing. While the story has been documented and told hundreds of times, Galvan’s retelling in unique for a couple reasons. One, Galvan utilizes drawings to capture the mood and events. The other interesting point is that the assignment took Galvan back into his own past. Galvan returned to the site where he crossed the border undocumented more than 35 years ago. Thus Galvan’s current story is inter-mixed with his own history. Full story here.