When she declared a state of emergency in Arizona in 2006, Governor Janet Napolitano spent millions on her deployment of National Guard troops on the Mexican border.

Illegal Immigration critics complained that Arizona's governor was playing politics when she announced a state of emergency in response to illegal aliens and then she vetoed a new bill that would aid law enforcement in curtailing rampant illegal immigration.

Governor Napolitano vetoed what would have made the presence of illegal immigrants in Arizona a felony offense. She claims she was responding to the wishes of local police chiefs and sheriffs who want immigration arrests to remain the responsibility of the federal government. Apparently she never spoke with Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, who became a national hero for his policies fighting illegal immigration.

The bill Napolitano opposed would have expanded the state's trespassing law to let local authorities arrest illegal immigrants anywhere in Arizona, one of the country's busiest illegal entry points. The legislation passed through the state legislature but was summarily blocked by the Democrat governor.

In a letter to lawmakers, Napolitano said she opposes automatically turning all immigrants who sneaked into the state into criminals and that the bill provided no funding for the new duties. But critics say she was being disingenuous with her statements. One police commander claims she failed to mention that entering the US illegally is already a crime, albeit a misdemeanor. In addition, reentry into the US once an alien is deported is already a felony in the US.

Besides illegal aliens, the bill would have put more teeth into Arizona law to deal with human smugglers and de facto slave-traders.

"It is unfortunate that the Legislature has once again ignored the officials who are most directly affected by illegal immigration and instead has passed yet another bill that will have no effect on the problem but that will impose an unfunded burden on law enforcement," Napolitano wrote in a press release.

However, when she declared a state of emergency in Arizona, following the lead of another Democrat governor — Bill Richardson of New Mexico — Governor Napolitano spent millions on her deployment of National Guard troops on the Mexican border. Political analysts believe she declared the emergency in order to criticize the Bush Administration as did Governor Richardson.

In fact, Gov. Richardson declared a state of emergency and then deployed a whopping 54 New Mexico National Guard soldiers to aid the beleaguered local law enforcement officers. One police chief said he's seen more guardsmen deployed for a snowstorm than for Richardson's "state of emergency."

Supporters of tough border security said the new bill would have provided Arizona with an opportunity to start gaining control of its vast border problems by providing a second layer of enforcement to catch the tens of thousands of immigrants who slip past federal agents each year.

Republican Senator Barbara Leff of Paradise Valley, who proposed the bill, said the governor has painted herself as tough on illegal immigration by declaring a state of emergency at Arizona's border, but has taken little action to back up her rhetoric, according to the Washington Examiner.

"I don't think the governor wants to do anything about this problem," Leff said. She said the bill would have been a means to detain illegal immigrants until federal agents can pick them up.

The Democratic governor, accused by her Republican critics of being soft on immigration, has vetoed other immigration bills from the GOP-majority Legislature within the past year, including a proposal to give police the power to enforce federal immigration laws. She's also provided services for illegal aliens and is a proponent of drivers licenses for illegals.

While immigrants provide the economy with cheap labor, Arizona spends tens of millions of dollars each year in health care and education costs for illegal workers and their families. An estimated 500,000 of the state's population of about 6 million are illegal immigrants.

While defenders of illegal immigrants tell the American people that these unlawful workers pay taxes, some immigration experts say illegals are usually paid off the books by their employers so there are no federal or state tax deductions. And because of tax laws passed to help low-paid workers, they aren't taxed even is they declare their wages to the Internal Revenue Service.

Up to 28 percent of the work force in the country is paid in cash, meaning as many as one in four don't have federal and state payroll taxes withheld, which creates the kind of economic unpredictability that potential employers tend to avoid, according to economic experts.

Governor Janet Napolitano's veto of the new bill was an about face considering her past speeches in which she told voters she would have two state police squads focus on alien smuggling cases. Both plans offer millions of dollars to communities to thwart illegal entries, and money for combating gang-related border crime.
   
State police in Arizona already work near the border. An average of 27 state police officers are near the border at any given time, assisting federal authorities in looking for fugitives trying to leave the country and people attempting to bring ill-gotten cash and stolen vehicles into Mexico.
   
Advocates for state and local action said the idea will not fix Arizona's vast immigration problems, but would discourage some people from sneaking across the border.
   
"If the federal government isn't going to do the job and Arizona is footing billions of dollars a year for illegal aliens, it makes sense for the state to get involved," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors limits on immigration.
   
Meanwhile, opponents of tough border security are already harping on racial profiling, saying it would increase if officers unfamiliar with immigration law were to try and enforce it. They also say it could make investigating crime harder in immigrant communities, because fewer aliens would cooperate with police for fear of being sent home.

Whenever cornered during a debate over law enforcement, liberal-left activists will always bring up the "racial profiling" issue whether it's germane to the discussion or not. It puts the proponents of law enforcement on the defensive since the debate then becomes one in which the debater must prove he or she is against racial profiling.

Meanwhile, the invasion of the United States continues and the Democrats (and some Republicans) will actually accelerate it.

The Department of Homeland Security's  Immigration and Customs Enforcement dierctorate recently authorized 16 additional Alabama state troopers to enforce federal immigration law, following their completion of ICE training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, AL.

A Florida deputy sheriff was also authorized to enforce federal immigration law after participating in the same class. That graduating class boosted the number of Alabama troopers trained and certified to a total of 60.

The Immigration and Nationality Act includes section 287(g), added in 1996, that grants local and state jurisdictions the ability to enforce immigration law with proper training and supervision by federal authorities. In 2003, Alabama became the second state in the nation to participate in the program by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Homeland Security. Florida was the first state to participate, in 2002.

While many politicians claim their police officers are not allowed to conduct immigration laws, their excuse for ignoring illegal aliens is a canard. Too few police agencies are taking advantage of the training offered by ICE and DHS.

“Partnerships with our state and local law enforcement colleagues have always been essential to our fight against illegal immigration,” said Paul Kilcoyne, ICE deputy director for investigations.

“ICE and the Alabama state troopers are building on an existing strong foundation by agreeing to train and certify law enforcement officers to carry out certain duties that are traditionally handled by federal immigration officers.”

Alabama Governor Bob Riley said the training and authorization allow the troopers, during the course of their regular duties, to question, detain and arrest individuals who are in this country illegally.

“Alabamians are proud that our state is at the forefront of a growing national effort to combat illegal immigration,” said Riley.

“This innovative and cooperative effort allows our state troopers to become force multipliers for America's border security mission. We always welcome those who enter our country legally, but we won't stand idly by and do nothing when we catch illegal aliens, some who have committed crimes like armed robbery, rape and drug smuggling, in our state.”

Joining Riley in praising the graduating officers, in addition to Kilcoyne, were Alabama US Rep. Mike Rogers; Michael A. Holt, special agent in charge, ICE, New Orleans; and James M. Wright, ICE section 287(g) program manager.

Rogers praised the troopers and expressed his appreciation to ICE and the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) for providing the training.

“This program is a win-win for the citizens of Alabama and for federal immigration officials,” said the congressman.

“The training our troopers received will help get criminal aliens and immigration violators who pose a threat to our national security and public safety off our streets. I applaud these troopers and the Alabama Department of Public Safety for participating in this important program,” he added.

The 16 troopers completed a five-week course at the CDP that mirrors the training ICE agents receive. The course focuses exclusively on immigration and nationality law and issues related to its enforcement, including cultural sensitivity and civil rights instruction.

Under the terms of the Alabama MOU, troopers do not conduct immigration-related enforcement actions at businesses and workplaces. They are authorized to enforce federal immigration law only as necessary in the course of their normal duties as state troopers, such as enforcing traffic law, responding to motor vehicle crashes and issuing driver licenses.

Since the first Alabama troopers completed ICE training in 2003, troopers have made 218 arrests of illegal aliens. Many of those arrested also had previous criminal convictions, including armed robbery, rape and drug smuggling. Others also were charged with crimes such as illegal possession of firearms and Social Security fraud.

The first class of 21 Alabama state troopers completed ICE training in October 2003 and a second class of 23 graduated in November 2005, with the third class completing the training program in 2006. All three classes were trained at the Center for Domestic Preparedness, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security training facility in Anniston, AL.

“We're honored to have had the opportunity to once again open our doors to Alabama's responders and to ICE, a sister DHS agency, for this very important training,” said CDP Director Marion Cain.

Since 1998, the center has trained emergency responders at the federal, state and local levels, delivering high-quality, cutting-edge preparedness training. The CDP specializes in advanced, hands-on training aimed at preventing, responding to and recovering from terrorist acts, particularly those involving hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction.   

Wake County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday became the first of four law enforcement agencies in North Carolina to receive new database link that will automatically check the criminal and immigration history of all individuals booked into the jail, according to a report submitted to the National Association of Chiefs of Police. 

This new process provides local officers as much information available about individuals they arrest and help to more efficiently identify criminal aliens for potential removal.

The Departments of Homeland Security and Justice have made enhancements to their respective biometric systems-the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) and the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) to improve the interoperability of the two systems and enable this new information sharing process. IDENT and IAFIS interoperability is the cornerstone of Secure Communities, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE's) comprehensive plan to identify and remove criminal aliens from local communities. In collaboration with DOJ and other DHS components, ICE plans to expand this capability to more than 50 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation by next spring.

"Interoperability will create a virtual ICE presence at every local jail, allowing us to identify and ultimately remove dangerous incarcerated criminal aliens from our communities," said Julie L. Myers, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE. "Using this technology, we will build upon the remarkable success we have had working with state and local law enforcement and we will revolutionize the process of identifying criminal aliens in custody."

"US VISIT's innovative use of biometrics is all about providing comprehensive, reliable information to decision makers when and where they need it," said US VISIT Director Robert Mocny. "By enhancing the interoperability of DHS' and the FBI's biometric systems, we are able to give federal, state and local decision makers information that helps them better protect our communities and our nation."

"Under this plan, ICE will be utilizing FBI system enhancements that allow improved information sharing at the state and local law enforcement level based on positive identification of incarcerated criminal aliens. Additionally, ICE and the FBI are working together to take advantage of the strong relationships already forged between the FBI and state and local law enforcement necessary to assist ICE in achieving their goals," said FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Assistant Director Tom Bush.

Sheriff Donnie Harrison noted that the Wake County Jail processes over 35,000 people each year. "With this new technology," Sheriff Harrison said, "we may find more criminals or criminal aliens who otherwise could have slipped through the cracks."

As part of the routine booking process at most detention centers, an individual's fingerprints are checked against IAFIS to obtain information about the detainee's criminal history. The new process will simultaneously check the detainee's fingerprints against the full IDENT system which holds biometrics based immigration records. If the individual's fingerprints match those of a non US citizen, the new automated process notifies ICE's Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) for officials to evaluate the case and take appropriate action when necessary.

Additionally, the local law enforcement agency will receive biographic identification information about any non US citizen they arrest for criminal charges. Law enforcement officers can use this information to verify the identity of the person they have arrested.

Wake, Gaston, Buncombe, and Henderson county sheriffs' offices are four of the seven sites nationwide that have participated in a pilot version of interoperability between the DHS and DOJ databases. Under the pilot, these sites received limited immigration history information. The remaining three North Carolina counties are scheduled to begin receiving full immigration history information beginning next week.

Local law enforcement officials are not permitted to take action against immigration violators unless trained and authorized by DHS. Wake, Gaston, and Henderson county sheriffs' offices have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE which authorizes their trained officers to enforce immigration law under ICE supervision. Under the 287(g) program the trained officers already have access to the DHS databases; however officers have to run fingerprints separately on the IAFIS and IDENT systems.

This new interoperable system will streamline the process for jail officers and fully check both the criminal history and the immigration records of everyone processed into the jail. Currently only those referred to officers with immigration enforcement authority have their immigration histories checked.

DHS' ICE and US-VISIT program are working with the FBI's CJIS division to make this program possible. US VISIT manages the IDENT database, and CJIS manages the IAFIS database. ICE's LESC serves as a national enforcement operations center by providing timely immigration status and identity information to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies on aliens suspected, arrested, or convicted of criminal activity.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org).  In addition, he's the new editor for the House Conservatives Fund's weblog. Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty. 

He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations.  He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.   Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com.  He's also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com.   He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc.  His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri's own website is located at http://jimkouri.us

One complaint voiced by many conservatives regarding the last presidential election is the fact that there was practically no attention paid by either candidate to illegal aliens and immigration enforcement.  In fact, the victory by President-Elect Barack Obama has led to some illegal alien advocates claiming the American people support amnesty for immigration lawbreakers.

However, a nationwide survey of actual voters reveals that Americans strongly support immigration enforcement, and that less than one-third of Obama voters favor granting amnesty to illegal aliens.

The poll conducted by Zogby International on behalf of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) on November 5 and 6 -- and obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police -- also found that a decisive majority of voters believe that an illegal alien amnesty would "further harm the interests of struggling American workers."

Among the key findings of the poll are:

--  Only 32% of Obama voters considered his support for amnesty as a
factor in their decisions to vote for him. 67% said it was either not
a factor at all, or they voted for Obama in spite of his stance on
amnesty.

--  60% of voters said reducing illegal immigration and cracking down on
employers who hire them is important to them, while only 21% supported
"legalizing or creating a pathway to citizenship" for illegal aliens.

--  57% of voters stated that amnesty would harm American workers and
further strain public resources, while only 26% believe amnesty would
aid economic recovery and ease public burdens.

The findings of the poll commissioned by FAIR of all voters are similar to an unrelated poll conducted of Latino voters by Zogby and Univision on the eve of the election. That poll found that 54% of Latino voters placed concern about the economy as their top voting priority, while only 11% said that immigration was their number one concern.

"Senator Obama received a mandate from the voters to fix our ailing economy, which has shed more than a million jobs so far this year, not to enact a massive amnesty," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "Voter turn-out increased across the board as record numbers of all Americans expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the country. Immigration policy was clearly not a decisive factor in the presidential election, as it was not discussed during the campaign, and the records of both candidates were nearly identical."

To the extent that President-elect Obama and the 111th Congress have a mandate on immigration, it is to secure American jobs and get control of the borders. Driving home the concern voters have about the economy and jobs, Arizonans overwhelmingly rejected a deceptive ballot measure which would have made it easier for businesses to hire illegal aliens. Proposition 202 was rejected by 60% of Arizona voters, including 56% of Latino voters in the state.

"All voters, including Latinos, turned to the Democrats last Tuesday in the hope that they will get our economy back on track. Notwithstanding a massive spin effort on the part of the ethnic advocacy network, the electorate, including Latinos, did not vote for amnesty and more immigration. In fact, the polls show that voters believe amnesty would be an impediment to economic recovery and putting American back to work," Stein concluded.

Jorge Flores-Rojas, 44, an "undocumented Mexican national," pleaded guilty last week in federal court in Charlotte, N.C., to two counts of sex trafficking of minor females and one count of transporting an adult female for the purpose of commercial sex, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Matthew Friedrich and US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.

According documents presented in court -- and obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police -- Flores-Rojas admitted that in  November 2007 he transported a minor female and an adult female from Charlotte to Washington, D.C., for the purpose of causing them to engage in commercial sex acts in the Washington area.

During or around the same time period, Flores-Rojas also admitted he transported another female minor from Washington to Charlotte, and other places, for the purpose of causing that minor to engage in commercial sex acts. According to the superseding indictment, Flores-Rojas's victims were undocumented nationals from Mexico and Honduras.

At sentencing, Flores-Rojas will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, lifetime supervision following his release from prison and up to $250,000 in fines for each of the three counts of conviction. A sentencing date has not been set by the court.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Smith and Cortney Escaravage, as well as Trial Attorney Elizabeth Yusi of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

Assistance is being provided by Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Kayla Bakshi of the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and Special Litigation Counsel Hilary Axam. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department and the Myrtle Beach Police Department.


Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org).  In addition, he's the new editor for the House Conservatives Fund's weblog. Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty. 

He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations.  He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.   Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com.  He's also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com.   He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc.  His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri's own website is located at http://jimkouri.us

"This was a concerted effort by our offices and local law enforcement officials to target, arrest and remove the most dangerous illegal aliens who entered our country and act with blatant disregard for our laws," said Thomas Decker, field office director for ICE Office of Detention and Removal in Philadelphia. "We are a law enforcement agency charged with protecting our community from criminal aliens and the integrity of the nation's legal immigration system."

All together, fugitive operations teams based in Philadelphia, New York City, and Newark, NJ arrested a total of 384 illegal aliens during the 13-day-long operation that commenced on October 14. In New Jersey, of the 145 fugitives arrested, 65 with criminal records. During that operation, an additional 44 immigration violators were arrested, 22 of whom had criminal histories. In New York City, ICE officers apprehended 90 fugitives were arrested, including 46 with criminal histories. Six other immigration violators were arrested, all with criminal histories.

An immigration fugitive is an alien who has failed to depart the United States after receiving a final order of removal from an independent immigration judge, or who has failed to report to a Detention and Removal Officer after receiving notice to do so. People who have illegally re-entered the U.S. after deportation are subject to criminal prosecution or immediate removal from the U.S. The non-fugitive immigration violators arrested during this operation have been charged with immigration violations, placed in removal proceedings and will appear before an independent immigration judge from the Department of Justice.

Their crimes include: Homicide, Robbery, Aggravated Assault with a Weapon, Parole Violations, Possession with Intent to Manufacture or Deliver a Controlled Substance, Knowingly Possessing a Controlled Substance, and DUI. During the federal government's fiscal year 2008, which ended Sept. 30, Fugitive Operations Teams arrested 1,157 illegal aliens in the three-state area covered by the Philadelphia ICE office. Of this total, 849 were fugitive aliens and 257 had criminal convictions in addition to their administrative immigration violations.

ICE established its Fugitive Operations Program in 2003 to eliminate the nation's backlog of immigration fugitives and ensure that deportation orders handed down by immigration judges are enforced. Today ICE has more than 100 Fugitive Operations Teams deployed nationwide to pursue these absconders. In fiscal year 2008, those teams accounted for more than 34,000 arrests, which is more than double the total from just two years ago. As a result of these efforts, the nation's fugitive alien population continues to decline. Estimates now place the number of fugitive alien cases at slightly under 560,000, a decrease of nearly 37,000 within the last year. This is a historic reversal of the previous growth trend in fugitive cases.

ICE's Fugitive Operations Program is an integral part of the comprehensive multi-year plan launched by the Department of Homeland Security to secure America's borders and reduce illegal migration. That strategy seeks to gain operational control of both the northern and southern borders, while re-engineering the detention and removal system to ensure that illegal aliens are removed from the country quickly and efficiently.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, of the 145 fugitives arrested, 65 had criminal records. During the operation, an additional 44 immigration violators were arrested, 22 of whom had criminal histories. The non-fugitive immigration violators arrested during this operation have been charged with immigration violations, placed in removal proceedings and will appear before an independent immigration judge from the Department of Justice.

Criminal histories of the aliens arrested by the Fugitive Operations Teams in New Jersey during this operation included convictions for sexual assault, assault, driving under the influence, and various drug convictions including possession of a controlled dangerous substance, and criminal possession of marijuana.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org).  In addition, he's the new editor for the House Conservatives Fund's weblog. Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty. 

He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations.  He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.   Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com.  He's also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com.   He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc.  His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri's own website is located at http://jimkouri.us