Category: immigration

A ‘Hearing’ on the Border Wall – Are you listening?

I write to inform, not to foment debate. How can there be a good debate without the knowledge of facts?

Intelligent people are always ready to learn.
    Their ears are open for knowledge.
Proverbs 18:15

A great American pastime is the game of armchair quarterback. It’s a game in which we are all players at one time or another. Isn’t it easy to sit in the comfort of your home, calling better plays than the quarterback on the gridiron?

Armchair quarterbacks in Foggy Bottom and across the country are calling plays in the Rio Grande Valley, but quarterbacks actually on the field (the Rio Grande Valley) hold perspectives different from the armchair quarterbacks.

The people most affected by illegal border crossings and tandem crimes committed by illegalssteven r covey quote on listening want very much for the rest of us to listen to them.

The current border wall project isn’t a new idea. It’s already there. About 700 miles of ‘already there’.

It was our 43rd President George W. Bush who, on October 26, 2006, signed into law the Secure Fence Act. I defer to a PBS video produced July 3, 2009, that provides a broad view of the construction of a segmented fence across our southern border, its effects on U.S. property owners along the border, and the opinions of Americans whose lives have been dramatically affected by the fence.

Do you notice the title? PBS doesn’t attribute the fence to either President Bush or to President Trump. PBS rightfully tags the project “Obama’s Border Fence“.

Video source: PBS NOW, July 3, 2009

A current (August 12, 2017) report from the Austin Statesman titled Advocates stage first big Texas protest against border wall reflects sentiments of hundreds of brown-skinned and white-skinned border residents.

My wife and I were born and raised in South Texas, she, right on the border. Our viewpoint is not that of armchair quarterback. I suppose you could label us bench warmers who have seen and experienced Rio Grande Valley life since the 1950’s.

Where is the border? How many borders between the U.S. and Mexico are there? What’s the history of the Mexico-U.S.  border culture and economics?

There are three borders. The one you know about is the geographical (continental) border you see on road maps. There are two other borders not shown on typical road maps: the two immigration borders. Immigration borders? Isn’t that big river an immigration border? In a word, no.

U.S. citizens regularly drive across the border to shop or dine or just visit friends. Your present automobile liability insurance has you covered. Likewise, when Mexican citizens shop in Texas, for example, their Mexican automobile insurance covers them, as well.

The above holds true so long as motorists don’t cross the respective immigration borders (my term) without proper insurance and official permission (a visa). The immigration borders are officially called the border region.

us-mexico-border-region-CDC-map
The border region extends 37 miles south of the continental border, 37 miles north, 37 miles east into the Gulf of Mexico, and 37 miles west into the Pacific Ocean, as per the La Paz Agreement of July 8, 1966.

Historically, a chain of cross-border economic areas defines the official border region. There are Mexican citizens who live in Mexico and work in Texas, likewise U.S. citizens who live in Texas and work in Mexico.

There is a suggestion that Mexico should pay for the border wall. Is this reasonable? Do you know that over half of all illegal immigrants that cross our southern border are OTMs, Other Than Mexicans?

Reference:

Pew Research: What we know about illegal immigration from Mexico, March 2, 2017

Illegal aliens were deported at a much higher rate under the Obama administration than under the present Trump administration. Both liberal and conservative news services confirm this fact among these are the Washington Post, Politico, Newsweek magazine,  Vox, and AOL News.

Chinese illegal immigrants are second only to border crossings by illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America, combined, according to the NY Times, March 6, 2017. Unlike our neighbors to the south that cooperate with deportations, we have no such cooperation from communist China.

Combative rhetoric, devoid of facts, posits unproductive confrontation.

Do I oppose President Trump’s commitment to defending our nation? No. I applaud his boldness and courageous leadership. Do I suggest there is a dearth of knowledge on the matter of border protection? Obviously, yes.

Can we talk? Are we ready to learn?

John White
Rockwall, Texas

Texas Law SB4 Aligns with Existing Federal Law

 

sanctuary cities
TX Sanctuary Cities: San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Dallas

 

The purpose of SB4 is to prevent local Texas governments, so-called sanctuary cities, from shielding illegal aliens who have committed criminal acts against persons or property. In effect, sanctuary cities harbor – this is the operative word – such criminal aliens.

Existing Federal Law

I refer you to the U.S. Department of Justice criminal resource manual available on line. Specifically: 1907. Title 8, U.S.C. 1324(a) Offenses.

Introduction to the Law

Title 8, U.S.C. § 1324(a) defines several distinct offenses related to aliens. Subsection 1324(a)(1)(i)-(v) prohibits alien smuggling, domestic transportation of unauthorized aliens, concealing or harboring unauthorized aliens, encouraging or inducing unauthorized aliens to enter the United States, and engaging in a conspiracy or aiding and abetting any of the preceding acts. Subsection 1324(a)(2) prohibits bringing or attempting to bring unauthorized aliens to the United States in any manner whatsoever, even at a designated port of entry. Subsection 1324(a)(3).

Unlawful Harboring of Criminal Aliens

Harboring — Subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii) makes it an offense for any person who — knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation.

Penalties

Penalties — … With regard to violations of 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(ii)-(iv) and (v)(ii), domestic transportation, harboring, encouraging/inducing, or aiding/abetting, the basic statutory maximum term of imprisonment is 5 years…

Therefore, the law enforcement and city administrators of any municipality acting as a sanctuary city are in violation of federal law, subject to criminal prosecution and imprisonment of up to five years.

Texas law specifically targets sanctuary cities that do not report aliens detained for local offenses against persons or property. SB4 is not a broad sweep of all illegal aliens, just those DETAINED by local authorities who refuse to transmit arrest reports to ICE.

SB4 becomes effective on September 1, 2017.

John White
Rockwall, Texas

Immigrants – Who Needs Them?

Debates and discussions on the subject of immigration policies go unresolved due to intransigent postures of the persons on either side of the issue.

us-immigration-and-naturalization

Does the United States of America need immigrants? This is a great question. Let’s ask a few more questions.

What is a sustainable population? For the U.S.A., a sustainable birth rate is 2.1 births per woman. In 2016, our nation’s birth rate was 1.9 births per woman.

us fertility rate 2016

“Today, almost 50% of women between the ages of 25 and 29 are childless. In fact, the highest rate of childless women aged 15 to 44 since the US Census Bureau began tracking it in 1976 was reported in 2014 when 47.6% of American women had no children.” – Population Education

How does the U.S. compare to some other nations? In 2016, the birthrate of Japan was 1.45 births per woman. In Russia, the rate was 1.77 births per woman and 2.18 in Mexico.

Do Immigrants Steal Jobs from Americans? Another great question. Let’s test the job market.

How many posted job openings go unfilled? The following article from Forbes reports,

“At a recent media event touting the need for apprentice programs, Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka pointed to the latest news from the U.S. Department of Labor: There are currently 6 million job openings in the United States.

The data come from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), which is released monthly. The survey reports an increase of 400,000 job openings at the end of April 2017 as compared to April 2016.

The job market is so strong that businesses and economists believe the inability to find workers is harming economic growth and could encourage companies to move operations. Zimmer Biomet, a maker of artificial orthopedic devices located in Warsaw, Indiana, cannot find sufficient workers for its factory. “It is struggling to find enough workers, despite offering some of the region’s best pay and benefits,” according to the Washington Post.”

What is the future of a nation for which the birth rate cannot sustain it?

I propose my fellow Americans set aside intransigence on either side of the immigration issue to take the time to question the present and future of our nation with respect to sustaining the population and our common prosperity.

While our nation was founded on solid Christian principles, the principles don’t fund functions of government. Taxpayers do this. Government tends to uphold spending as the birthrate declines, leaving the next generation of Americans saddled with ever greater levels of taxation.

One can argue that the federal government has an insatiable appetite to spend. While both parties claim to want to reign in spending, both seem to try to outdo the other while in control of Congressional ‘purse strings’.

Debates are healthy because they lead to finding common ground essential to making America great again.

John White
Rockwall, Texas

Obama ‘Deep State’ Federal Judge Stages Constitutional Crisis

Here’s the headline:
federal judge in Hawaii halts Trump travel ban
Facts in Evidence

  • Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin filed the suit on March 8, 2017
  • Barack Obama arrived in Hawaii 48 hours before the lawsuit
  • Federal judge issues opinion on March 15, 2017
  • Ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson is 43 pages in length – Read full text here ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER 3-15-2017 CV17-50 219 doc
  • Barack Obama-Derrick Watson nexus: Both Barack Obama and US District Court Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii were classmates at Harvard Law School. Both graduated in 1991. Harvard Law graduates between 500-600 students each year.
obama makes trip to hawaii 48 hours before judge blocks travel ban
Obvious Official Corruption

The Big Question of the Hour: Is President Trump anti-Muslim?

Bloomberg headline, March 14, 2017: Saudi Prince Sees Trump as True Friend to Muslims

The ACLU for which the political director is a Muslim activist falsely claims President Trump violates Muslims First Amendment right to Freedom of Religion? The Obama-appointed judge agrees? But, the Saudi kingdom disagrees and you don’t get more Muslim than the country where Islam was founded.

What I want President Trump to know:

  1. The three branches of federal government are not co-equal. There is a hierarchy of authority that was set in place by the Founding Fathers and this hierarchy self-identifies in the first three articles of the Constitution: Most powerful is the Legislative branch (Article I), second most powerful is the Executive branch (Article II), and least and last of all the Judicial branch (Article III). Read Dispelling the Myth of Co-Equal Branches of Government
  2. A judge’s ruling is not law. It’s an opinion. Period. Paragraph second of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution makes this so clear even a child can understand what constitutes the Supreme Law of the Land.
  3. Laws crafted by the Legislative branch and Treaties ratified by the Senate are the Supreme Law of the Land.
  4. Judges are constitutionally bound by the law, not their personal agendas, not their personal opinions, not by political debts to the president who appointed them.
  5. President Trump is acting well within the law: 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, a.k.a. the McCarran-Walter Act (An act to revise the laws relating to immigration, naturalization, and nationality; and for other purposes)

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

Read the law yourself: 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, a.k.a. the McCarran-Walter Act

I call on U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz to demand a congressional investigation of probable criminal acts perpetrated by former president Barack Obama acting through his well-funded subversive organization called Organizing For Action.

John White
Rockwall, Texas

What’s a former president to do with his time and money? How about destroying the nation?

Barack Obama is the first Democrat president in history to destroy his own political party.

When Obama entered the office of president, Democrats held a 58-seat majority in the Senate, 256 seats in the House, and 12 state governors.

According to the Washington Times, “[Democrats] lost the House and ceded the majority of governorships in 2010, held serve in 2012 with Mr. Obama’s re-election, then lost control of the Senate in 2014 and control of the White House this year. All told, Democrats have shed 63 House seats, 10 Senate seats, and 12 governorships.” http://bit.ly/2hl0BZP

After leaving office, Obama did not follow the custom of all previous presidents by getting out of the way of his successor. Instead, Obama chose to live in Washington, D.C. to lead a continuing assault on our nation, our Constitution, and our President.

Paul Sperry, writing for the New York Post, describes how Obama’s community organizing handbook teaches his thugs how to disrupt and bully Congress. I quote from the article:

“Organizing for Action, a group founded by Obama and featured prominently on his new post-presidency website, is distributing a training manual to anti-Trump activists that advises them to bully GOP lawmakers into backing off support for repealing ObamaCare, curbing immigration from high-risk Islamic nations, and building a border wall.”

obama linked activists have training manual.PNG

Obama knows a lot about leftist radical disruption. He was born to communist parents, raised by communist grandparents, and mentored by a well-known communist. Destruction of his own party was not enough. His next goal is the destruction of our beloved nation.

What’s a patriotic American citizen to do?

Holy Scripture informs us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

This same chapter of the Bible educates us on how to counter radical leftist community organizers. We are to take a stand against the demonic attacks by Obama’s trained thugs by putting on the whole armor of God.

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…” Ephesians 6:14-18

Pray for all elected office holders including municipal leaders, to state and county, the Congress, the President and Vice President, and federal judges.

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2

The battle is not a political contest. This is spiritual warfare as we have never before known.

Soli Deo Gloria

John White
Rockwall, Texas

Keep Austin Weird, Councilman Casar? How About Making Austin Righteous?

One dictionary defines weird as involving or suggesting the supernatural;
unearthly or uncanny, that which is mysterious and apparently outside natural law.

One Austin city council member definitely takes his role outside natural law and statutory law to shield illegal aliens. Austin district 4 councilman Gregorio Casar posted a bi-lingual entreaty on his Facebook page that instructs illegals on how to fight back against ICE enforcement officers.

gregorio-casar
Screen capture from Casar’s Facebook page

Most telling about the mindset of Gregorio Casar is his anti-Trump diatribe. I quote:

Trump and his allies will do everything they can to divide Americans, invoke fear in vulnerable neighborhoods, and demonize an entire community of people.

Whether motivated by hatred of non-Hispanic people in general, or just a case of crass ignorance, Casar does a great disservice to the residents of Austin, Texas.

First of all, do the math: there are not enough ICE officers to break into the homes harboring illegal aliens. To think otherwise is truly alien thinking.

The illegal aliens that alarm American citizens are those that rape, rob, and kill while drunk-driving. The way the system works, that is the way it works when municipal governments follow the law, is the arrest of an illegal alien who commits a crime precipitates either criminal prosecution or deportation.

Let’s examine the official records of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

According to DHS status indicators, over 212,000 criminal aliens have been booked into local Texas jails between June 1, 2011 and January 31, 2017. During their criminal careers, these criminal aliens were charged with more than 566,000 criminal offenses. Those arrests include 1,143 homicide charges; 67,501 assault charges; 16,503 burglary charges; 67,213 drug charges; 684 kidnapping charges; 40,092 theft charges; 44,219 obstructing police charges; 3,712 robbery charges; 6,001 sexual assault charges; and 8,493 weapons charges. Of the total criminal aliens arrested in that timeframe, over 141,000 or 66% were identified by DHS status as being in the US illegally at the time of their last arrest.

According to DPS criminal history records, those criminal charges have thus far resulted in over 251,000 convictions including 464 homicide convictions; 24,928 assault convictions; 7,919 burglary convictions; 32,818 drug convictions; 228 kidnapping convictions; 17,956 theft convictions; 21,480 obstructing police convictions; 1,861 robbery convictions; 2,674 sexual assault convictions; and 3,495 weapons convictions. Of the convictions associated with criminal alien arrests, over 167,000 or 66% are associated with aliens who were identified by DHS status as being in the US illegally at the time of their last arrest.

The illegal aliens whom law enforcement targets are those who commit the tens of thousands of crimes named above.

Casar’s endemic misguided, anti-white worldview is very much like the communist worldview of La Raza Unida, a now-defunct political party. Casar’s distorted worldview fits the governments of a number of countries south of our southern border where tyrannical governments are known to slaughter innocent citizens and deprive them of property without due process.

I confess: yes, I once bribed a Mexican cop to avoid a lengthy traffic court with an uncertain outlook. Mexicans say, “If you are robbed, don’t call the police or you will be robbed twice.” Bribes are an effective means to avoid jail or to get out of jail in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and elsewhere. On the other hand, offer a Texas cop a bribe and you will be sleeping at a new address in short order.

If Greg Casar were to ask wisdom of God, God would probably say something like this:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. -Romans 13:1-5 NKJV

If he were to ask counsel of me, I would no doubt follow God’s lead. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

God’s way works only 100% of the time it’s followed, Councilman Casar.

John White
Rockwall, Texas

Crisis de inmigración musulmana a ambos lados de la frontera

Haz clic aquí para ver la versión en inglés | Click here for the English version

Narración
El siguiente texto es de mi comentario de Facebook a una joven cubana a quien amo como hija. Ella es una refugiada cubana y estaba simpatizando con los musulmanes que se ven en el video anterior.
La formación de la Unión Europea facilitó esta crisis. Cada una de las naciones europeas es única, una de otra. La Unión Europea eliminó efectivamente las fronteras nacionales. Las fronteras ya no existen.
 
Lo que está sucediendo ahora es una repetición de la historia de la expansión del Islam en el continente europeo. La historia de las invasiones musulmanas de Europa es compleja.
 
La historia del imperialismo musulmán comenzó hace unos 1.400 años. El imperialismo musulmán abarcaba más países, una mayor área geográfica, que el imperio británico.
 
Tú puedes ver esto como un simple caso de refugiados que huyen de la violencia. Bueno, sí, los sirios y otros están verdaderamente huyendo de la violencia.
 
La historia del Islam está repleta de toda clase de violencia. Los musulmanes matan más musulmanes que cualquier otra gente. El asesinato, la violación, el robo, la masacre en masa, las decapitaciones y las palizas están en la base del Islam y la administración de estos actos violentos está prescrita en el Corán.
 
Sí, la situación de los sirios es trágica. Pero, ¿eres consciente de la difícil situación de las comunidades francesas y europeas que están inundadas de refugiados musulmanes?
 
Tal vez tú piensas que esos refugiados estarían agradecidos a los europeos por permitirles entrar. En lugar de comportarse como invitados, los musulmanes se esfuerzan por hacerse cargo de los barrios, las ciudades y los gobiernos. Los refugiados musulmanes no dejan atrás la violencia; Ellos la traen con ellos.
 
Te sugiero que no compares la difícil situación de los refugiados cubanos con la de los refugiados musulmanes. Los refugiados cubanos hacen la vida mejor para la gente de mi país. Pero, los refugiados musulmanes empeoran la vida de los europeos nativos.