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Travis County Sheriff Sanctuary Sally Hernandez came up with the idea of instructing crime victims who happen to be in the country illegally on how they can apply for a U visa, Fox 7 in Austin reported. Merely filing out the application for the visa, intended to help true crime victims, is enough to at least temporarily block immigration officials from deporting an applicant.

Her work continues to propagate the myth that Texas new sanctuary city law (previously known as Senate Bill 4) is a threat to crime victims.

During the final days of the debate, several Texas law enforcement officials joined together penning an op-ed published in April by the Dallas Morning News. The police chiefs stated:

Officers would start inquiring about the immigration status of every person they come in contact with, or worse, inquire about the immigration status of people based on their appearance. This will lead to distrust of police and less cooperation from members of the community. And it will foster the belief that people cannot seek assistance from police for fear of being subjected to an immigration status investigation.

Distrust and fear of contacting or assisting the police have already become evident among legal immigrants. Legal immigrants are beginning to avoid contact with the police for fear that they themselves or undocumented family members or friends may become subject to immigration enforcement.

Such a divide between the local police and immigrant groups will result in increased crime against immigrants and in the broader community, create a class of silent victims, and eliminate the potential for assistance from immigrants in solving crimes or preventing crime.

Their statement ignores the fact that SB 4 specifically prohibits officers from inquiring about the immigration status of a crime victim or a witness to a crime, unless the information is pertinent to the crime as in the case of human smuggling or sex trafficking crimes.

ARITCLE 6, SECTION 6.01 Article 2.13: (I)n the course of investigating an alleged criminal offense, a peace officer may inquire ast o the nationality or immigration status of a victim of or witness to the offense only if the officer determines that the inquiry is necessary to: (1) Investigate the offense; or (2) provide the victim or witness with information about federal visas designed to protect individuals providing assistance to law enforcement.

In apparently ignoring this section of the new law (effective September 1, 2017), the Travis County Sheriffs Office is preparing to pro-actively distribute flyers. These flyers could be used to teach people how to abuse or take advantage of a program designed to protect true victims of or witnesses to crimes.

I think that just with the political climate in general across the U.S. that we have victims not reporting crime and thats a concern for us. I mean, we care about all of the victims regardless of immigration status. We want to make sure that we have an avenue to ensure them theyre safe to come and speak with us, Captain Craig Smith of the Travis County Sheriffs Office told Fox 7 News.

Sheriff Hernandez is having the pamphlets printed up to begin distribution, Travis County Sheriffs Office Spokesman Kristin Dark told Breitbart Texas in an email response. It is currently being published in English and Spanish, despite the fact that Travis County has immigrant communities speaking many different languages. The report by Fox 7 does not state what funds the sheriff is using to pay for these pamphlets. Dark told Breitbart Texas she would research the source of funding.

The sheriffs office told the local Fox affiliate they currently receive about 10 U visa applications per month. They stated the department attempts to process the visas within 30 days to forward to immigration officials.

The federal government issues approximately 10,000 U visas per year. Victims or witnesses granted approval receive up to four years of protected status. They are required to cooperate with law enforcement regarding prosecuting the crime they witnessed or were a victim of. While the application is pending, the applicant cannot be removed from the U.S., Fox 7 reported.

At least one Democrat Texas sheriff stood up to tell the truth about SB 4. Hidalgo County Sheriff J.E. Eddie Guerra joined with local chiefs of police in the Rio Grande Valley to try and calm the flames of fear being fanned by others across the state. As Texas Governor Greg Abbott has stated [SB 4] is simply a mechanism such that when someone has a criminal record, or who is also wanted by [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement], they are going to be detained and turned over to ICE, Sheriff Guerra told local reporters. If you have not committed a crime, regardless of your immigration status, and unless you are subject to an ICE detainer, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Sheriff Guerra told the McAllen newspaper, The Monitor, To all the people we serve, we want you to know we are here to help you. We want you to continue working with us. Now more than ever we all need to work together we need to encourage you to report crimes, suspicious activity and fugitives, so that we may all enjoy a better quality of life and a safer community.

In contrast to Sheriff Guerras honesty about the new law, Breitbart Texasreportedthat Travis County Sheriff Sanctuary Sally Hernandez teamed up with four other Texas sheriffs to claim that FBI crime statistics have found that labeled sanctuary cities experience lower rates of all crime types, including homicides. Although fact checkers at the left-of-center PolitiFact admitted that the FBI report does not exist, they still dubbed the statements Half-True. In my book, a half true for an open borders study from Politifact means it was definitely bogus, Center for Immigration Studies Director of Policy Studies Jessica Vaughn told Breitbart Texas.It means we would like it to be true, but it wasnt.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter@BobPriceBBTXandFacebook.

P.S. DO YOU WANT MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX?SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY BREITBART NEWSLETTER.

The rest is here:
Texas Sheriff Actively Promoting Visas for Illegal Immigrants - Breitbart News

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Immigration agents nab an undocumented felon Thursday in a Davidson County Courtroom.

Immigration and refugee rights advocates say they went about it the wrong way, using a tactic that's spreading fear of the judicial system.

Undocumented immigrants rallied earlier this week to support Metro Council bills that would protect immigrants from what happened to Faustino Hernandez.

"Yesterday's arrest sent a really dangerous message to the immigrant community that courts are places to avoid," said Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus, policy director for Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition.

When Hernandez showed up in General Sessions Court for driving without a license, Immigration Customs Enforcement Agents arrested him.

"ICE called the court that morning and said they wanted to pick up Mr. Hernandez and that they had a warrant," Sherman-Nikolaus said.

According to the regional ICE Office, Hernandez is a felon with convictions for aggravated burglary, DUI, and other misdemeanor charges . ICE said he's been deported twice before.

The Metro Council is considering a bill that would require immigration agents to get a criminal warrant before asking a jail to hold and inmate on an ICE detainer. Proponents say the bill sends the wrong message that Nashville is sanctuary city for immigrants possibly running afoul of the law.

TIRRC's Policy Director said ICE Warrants are not signed by a judge like judicial warrants and local courts have no obligation to enforce them.

"We want to make sure local agencies are not carrying out the work of the federal government," said Sherman-Nikolaus. "When they cooperate in this way or help ICE carry out deportations, it erodes trust in the immigrant community."

ICE said many of the targets arrested near courthouses are foreign nationals who have prior criminal convictions.

Because courthouse visitors are typically screened for weapons, the safety risk for the arresting officer and the arrestee inside such facilities are substantially diminished.

See original here:
ICE arrest in Nashville courtroom fuels debate on illegal immigration ... - WZTV

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) Secretary of State Kris Kobach announced his bid for Kansas governor on Thursday.

On Friday, Eyewitness News sat down with the official in Wichita to find out some of his top issues and how he thinks the state could successfully pull itself out a budget crisis.

Kobach had two words for where he believes many problems lie - "illegal aliens".

Kobach said the state has a huge problem with undocumented immigrants and it's affecting the state's deficit.

"So, every year, Kansas government spends $424 million dollars on services and public welfare benefits that are consumed by people who are illegal aliens," said the secretary. "And we had the legislature talking about solving a $300 million dollar deficit in the state budget."

Kobach did not say where that number came from during the interview. Factfinder 12 investigators tracked down a study from 2010 that makes the same claim. The study comes from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). Kobach is listed as legal counsel for a branch of FAIR.

FAIR's website describes itself, in part, as a "non-partisan organization of concerned individuals who believe that our immigration laws must be reformed." The Southern Poverty Law Center brands FAIR as an anti-immigrant extremist group with ties to white supremacists.

The study lists 133 sources as evidence dating back more than two decades. Factfinder 12 investigators are still going through those papers to find out how FAIR got those numbers. Eyewitness News has called Kobach's campaign to ask whether this study is the basis for his claim. Kobach's camp had not responded at the time this was written. Eyewitness News also reached out to other candidates in the race for governor, and had not heard back at the time this was written.

Kobach said Kansas is the only state that does nothing to discourage illegal immigration. He also pointed out the in-state tuition benefit for those who are not citizens.

"We wouldn't be in this budget problem that the legislature found themselves in if they had stopped the illegal immigration," he said.

Kobach said under his leadership as governor he would have the Kansas Highway Patrol sign an agreement to cooperate with ICE and "hand over people that they encounter that are illegal immigrants in the country."

He said he would force legislators to deal with illegal immigration and get rid of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.

"We should not be giving this subsidy at taxpayer expense," said Kobach. "We should not be giving it to people breaking our laws."

As secretary of state, Kobach has cracked down on illegal immigration and made voter registration laws tougher.

Because of this, President Donald Trump offered Kobach a position in the White House and in the department of security, he said. But, the secretary said he could make a bigger difference in Kansas.

"I felt like I could just move the ball further as governor and staying in the state I love then moving to Washington D.C.," he said.

Kobach will face Wink Hartman, Carl Brewer and Josh Svaty in the 2018 governor race.

See the original post:
Kobach: Undocumented immigrants 'draining money out of the state budget' - KWCH

MILWAUKEE

Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Milwaukee on Saturday morning for a scheduled listening session and speech on former President Barack Obama's health care law.

He'll join Gov. Scott Walker at Direct Supply, a medical supply business that services the senior living industry, and business leaders and their families to discuss the "adverse effects" of the law, his office said.

Air Force Two is scheduled to arrive in Milwaukee at 11 a.m. with the Direct Supply meeting to follow about 45 minutes later. He'll give public remarks at about 12:30 p.m.

Pence, whose birthday was Wednesday, has been holding Obamacare events as the Senate works on its own version of a health care bill passed by the House. The legislation faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

President Donald Trump has urged the Senate to send him a health care bill and criticized congressional Democrats as "obstructionists."

Trump will be in Milwaukee next Tuesday.

You will be able to watch Pence's public comments live today on WISN.com and the 12 News app.

Originally posted here:
VP Mike Pence arrives in Milwaukee - WISN Milwaukee

Its good to maintain perspective on the current chaos in Washington and so I look to a number of sources for input.

They include The Washington Post, The New York Times, the television networks, occasionally Fox News, and also comedian Albert Brooks. Heres a tweet he put out in March:

President Mike Pence. The president, Mike Pence. President Pence. President and Mrs. Michael Pence. I was just practicing.

Brooks is a comedian, so its a joke, right? In fact, I borrowed it for use at this years Gridiron Dinner. Thanks, Albert. It got some laughs.

Yet it now appears, all joking aside, that a President Pence is a real possibility, what with the Russia investigations, talk of impeachment and all. And it could be that one Michael R. Pence is preparing for that possibility. More on that in a little bit.

First, lets just contemplate how the fortunes of Mike Pence have changed in the last year. He went from a guy struggling to be re-elected as governor, to vice presidential nominee, to surprise winner on Nov. 8. I can tell you he was surprised, if you werent, because he previously committed to be at a reception for my retirement from WISH-TV Channel 8 on the 11th. He sent a Sagamore of the Wabash (I have found the opportunity to thank him personally) but no one was there to present it. He was otherwise occupied as the VP-elect and didnt have a Plan B.

Meanwhile, we all know Pence had his sights on the White House for some time. When he publicly debated over a run for re-election to Congress versus a run for governor in 2012, he was careful to remind reporters that he was also weighing a possible run for the highest office in the land.

When he became governor, public appearances suddenly looked more and more presidential. The state seal adorned every rostrum he stood behind. News conferences and bill signings had themes with signage to match. House Minority Leader Scott Pelath told me that, when legislative leaders would meet in the governors office, it was like going to the White House. There were eight people taking pictures, he said.

(By comparison, Pelath said meetings with Mitch Daniels were like a trip to the principals office and meetings with Eric Holcomb are surprisingly normal.)

Now, back to what Pence is doing currently. He has started a political action committee and he recently established a plan to make political appearances around the country over the summer. They are moves that are within the realm of vice presidential duties but some pundits see Pence positioning himself for bigger things. Denials mean nothing at this point.

So, lets speculate a little bit. A Pence presidency would be good for Indiana. Make no doubt about it. Every civic leader in this state would suddenly be on a first-name basis with the commander-in-chief. The president would have a clear understanding of every issue facing the state.

But how long would it last? Would a President Pence be forced to pardon his predecessor, as Gerald Ford did? Would that doom his career?

Would he display the sort of leadership failures that marked his term as governor? Would he be steered by ideology?

Or, would he rise to the occasion?

That would be good for America and it would also increase the value of my Sagamore.

__________

Shella hosted WFYIs Indiana Week in Review for 25 years and covered Indiana politics for WISH-TV for more than three decades. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.

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SHELLA: President Mike Pence. The president, Mike Pence? - Indianapolis Business Journal