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Zachary Comeau Daily News Staff @zcomeau_MDN

MILFORD - Four candidates for two selectman seats each had slightly different opinions on immigration in town when asked at a forum Wednesday night. Some advocated for education and pushing assimilation while others said the federal government needs to do a better job of immigration enforcement to ease the burdensome local effects of illegal immigration.

In recent years, Milford has seen a steady rise in the number of South American immigrants, most notably from Ecuador and Brazil.

Mike Walsh, the current School Committee chairman running for the unexpired two-year seat against Harold Rhodes, said the town has a long history of welcoming immigrants, citing theEuropean immigrants from Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Poland and other countries that came to Milford several generations ago.

Whats important, though, is we need to make sure theyre here legally, Walsh said of the current wave of immigrants coming to town. According to some estimates of officials, there are a few thousand Ecuadorean and Brazilian immigrants in Milford, with a large percentage of them undocumented.

For those here legally, Walsh said the town has an obligation to take care of them, but undocumented families are placing a large burden on the school system.

There are 88 more English Language Learner students in the school system this year compared to last year, according to officials. The school system doesnt become aware of some of those students until just before the school year begins, Walsh said.

Walsh said to ensure better assimilation, legal immigrants should be educated on American principles and customs. He pointed to what he said is a practice of Ecuadorean parents to carry their children around the rough terrain of Ecuador, which he said is routinely seen around town.

If theyre here legally, we owe it to them to work with them," he said.

He also said the town should be more welcoming to legal immigrants, citing negative comments made about the population in public places.

Rhodes, his opponent, sang a different tune, rather than talking about the burden placed on the town. He referencing the undocumented immigrant population and the practices of the Milford police, which is to detain undocumented immigrants at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If ICE isnt seeking that person, theyre free to go after release from local custody.

Thats the fair way to do it, Rhodes said.

The other selectman race sees Building Commissioner and School Committee member JohnErickson against incumbent Bill Buckley, and both said recent immigration to Milford is burdening the schools and town financially.

The impact on the school system, particularly the ELL aspect, is by far the biggest impact on this community, Erickson said.

Buckley cited Milfords rich history of accepting immigrants, citing the several European countries from which immigrants settled in Milford, but shifted to focus on illegal immigration in Milford, which he said is effecting not only the schools, but hospitals and housing.

Even landlords are taking advantage of (illegal immigration), Buckley said, citing illegal boarding houses.

Buckley said the town has done a great job in welcoming legal immigrants, but assimilation hasnt come as quickly as citizens would hoped, he said, citing immigrants still living in a shadow economy.

Thats primarily where I hear residents have the biggest concerns, he said.

Erickson advocated for the community to be compassionate toward immigrants with proper documentation, but agreed that assimilation has been slow.

Its a function of human nature that it takes time to assimilate to new cultures to our area, he said.

Zachary Comeau can be reached at 508-634-7556 and zcomeau@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZComeau_MDN.

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Candidates: Illegal immigration burdening Milford - Wicked Local

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland is facing backlash from some conservative groups because they are creating an undocumented student coordinator position.

Advocates for strict enforcement of immigration laws say the universitys move is putting politics ahead of the law and at the taxpayers expense.

The decision follows a campus group, ProtectUMD, who issued 64 demands of university officials. One of those demands calls for "a full-time undocumented student coordinator to advocate for, advise, represent, and protect undocumented students." In the 2017 debate over immigration reform, one person's undocumented immigrant is another person's illegal immigrant.

Bob Dane, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, says Marylands move is about advancing a political agenda on campus and one that is opposed to the reforms the Trump administration wants.

It's about politics and this protest isn't legitimate. A university can disagree with the law, but that doesn't give them the right to aid and abet and harbor illegal immigration, which is really what all of these sanctuary policies and those at the University of Maryland are all about," said Dane.

The University of Maryland released a statement saying, the undocumented student office is part of the university's ongoing commitment to undocumented students and we continue to consider ways to offer support.

Continued here:
University of Maryland helping illegal immigrant students - Story ... - FOX 5 DC

Island Packet (blog)

The illegal immigration conundrum is not about Tanner. It's not even ... Island Packet (blog) We can talk for hours about Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner's intractable demeanor, his disappointing use of partisan rhetoric or his seeming eagerness to ... and more »

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The illegal immigration conundrum is not about Tanner. It's not even ... - Island Packet (blog)

President Trump lauded the contribution of Irish immigrants Thursday during St. Patricks Day festivities in Washington, but he and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny also wrestled with thorny questions about the administrations crackdown on illegal immigration.

Mr. Kenny has been pressing U.S. officials for special treatment for the estimated 50,000 Irish illegal immigrants in America, most of whom overstayed visas and remain in the country for years.

They dont suffer the same stigma as Hispanic illegal immigrants but face the same peril of deportation or being barred from returning to the U.S. if they travel home, and pressure on them has intensified under Mr. Trumps get-tough policies.

Were here today to celebrate Americas commitment to Ireland and the tremendous contributions, and I know it well, the Irish immigrants and their descendants have made right here in the United States and throughout the world, Mr. Trump said at the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon at the Capitol, a St. Patricks Day tradition in Washington since the 1950s.

In his remarks at the luncheon, Mr. Kenny, whose Irish title is Taoiseach, broached the issue of illegal immigration.

On this day when we remember St. Patrick, himself an immigrant twice over to our shores, I urge you to look sympathetically at this issue, he said in remarks at the luncheon. We would like this to be sorted. It would remove a burden of so many people that they can stand out in the light and say, Now I am free to contribute to America as I know I can. And thats what people want.

Mr. Trump, who declared Mr. Kenny was his new friend, appeared sympathetic.

Mr. Kenny also raised the plight of Irish illegal immigrants at a bilateral meeting with the president earlier in the Oval Office.

Afterwards, Mr. Kenny said the president was surprised to learn that there were 50,000 Irish illegal immigrants in the U.S.

I think he might have felt that that might have been a higher figure, he told reporters at the White House.

The push to accommodate the Irish is a small wrinkle in the illegal immigration mess that Mr. Trump has promised to clean up.

Irish make up a tiny fraction of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S.

They also are less likely to face deportation. In 2014, 33 Irish were deported, compared to 177,000 Mexicans, according to government statistics compiled by Irish Central.

Mr. Trumps strong stance on illegal immigration has stoked fears on both sides of the Atlantic.

There is fear and there is concern about this president and what is he going to do, said Caro Kinsella, an immigration lawyer based in Florida who has duel citizenship in the U.S. and Ireland. A lot of these people have families and friends in Ireland, so it is a wider-ranging problem. Its not just the 50,000 in the states.

She said that Mr. Trumps executive orders that target for deportation illegal immigrants who commit serious crime also threaten people who overstay visas, putting many of the Irish illegal immigrants in jeopardy.

Irish illegal immigrants are not seeking amnesty, said Ms. Kinsell, but hope for leniency that would allow them to pay a fine and get on a path to legal status.

At the luncheon Mr. Trump vowed that the bonds between the two countries would endure.

The president recited an Irish proverb: Always remember to forget the friends who proved untrue, but never forget to remember those who have stuck by you.

He said the quote was particularly true in politics.

The people of the United States and the people of Ireland have stuck together, he said.

Mr. Kenny was the first European Union leader to meet with Mr. Trump after British Prime Minister Theresa May. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to visit the White House on Friday.

Originally posted here:
Trump touts success of Irish immigrants at St. Patrick's Day luncheon - Washington Times

posted at 10:41 am on March 16, 2017 by Jazz Shaw

One of the more popular verbal tricks employed by open border advocates in debates over immigration reform is to say that its, not a crime to be in the United States illegally. Weve seen this trope trotted out before many times but its popped up once again at Politifact this week. This bit of fact checking was spurred by a debate in the Florida State House of Representatives over new penalties for illegal immigrants who commit violent crimes. As part of that discussion, one of the Democrats involved made a point of declaring that those in the country illegally are not guilty of committing a crime, but rather a civil violation.

This truly is the type of linguistic gymnastics which liberals always fall back on when attempting to obfuscate the obvious and cloud the issue. The Politifact team summons up a couple of experts to immediately support this assertion.

[Ingrid M.] Delgado said, Unlawful presence is not a crime. It is a civil violation.

But we wanted to get to the bottom of whether undocumented immigrants were committing a crime by just being in the country.

According to legal experts, the answer is that most of the time, unlawful presence is not a crime.

When we checked with the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Michele M. Taylor, the groups associate director for communications, pointed to the 2012 Supreme Court case Arizona vs. United States. The majority opinion found that as a general rule, it is not a crime for a removable alien to remain present in the United States.

Okay, so to a certain extent there is at least some truth found in these statements.If you find someone who is in the country illegally they may indeed be committing a civil violation (rather than a felony or misdemeanor) as youre looking at them, but if they crossed the borders without appropriate permission they were already guilty of an actual crime. FindLaw lays out the distinction between Unlawful Presence and Improper Entry.

To be clear, the most common crime associated with illegal immigration is likely improper entry. Under federal criminal law, it is misdemeanor for an alien (i.e., a non-citizen) to:

Enter or attempt to enter the United States at any time or place other than designated by immigration officers; Elude examination or inspection by immigration officers; or Attempt to enter or obtain entry to the United States by willfully concealing, falsifying, or misrepresenting material facts

But mere unlawful presence in the country is not a crime. It is a violation of federal immigration law to remain in the country without legal authorization, but this violation is punishable by civil penalties, not criminal. Chief among these civil penalties is deportation or removal, where an unlawful resident may be detained and removed from the country.

In other words, it all depends on how you arrived here. If you snuck in without permission you are guilty of Improper Entry (which is in fact a crime) as well as the aforementioned civil violation of Unlawful Presence. If, on the other hand, you came here on a visa and decided to stick around after it expired you may not technically be committing a crime but you are still in violation as the Department of State reminds us on their website.

But its also rather disingenuous to conflate the act of Unlawful Presence with other civil violations. Politifact calls on a quote from Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute to put forth precisely this line of deceptive thinking.

Not everything thats illegal meaning against the law or violating the law is a crime, Shapiro said. There are civil violations, like when you get a parking ticket. Unlawful presence is one of these. You dont go to jail or receive any other criminal punishment for being in the country illegally you get deported.

Lets stop and think about that for a moment. Weve just seen someone compare the condition of being an illegal alien with that of receiving a parking ticket. By strictly following the definitions that may be technically true, but illegal immigration is virtually unique in the broader world of civil violations. If you get a parking ticket (heck even if you get hundreds of parking tickets) nobody is going to throw you into a wagon, haul you off to a cell, march you in front of a judge and then put you on a bus and eject you from the nation. You wind up having a small fee to pay at worst in the case of almost all other civil violations. Just because the two things fall under the same broader definition, its hardly an example of fact checking or any form of truth telling to conflate the two as if they were even close to being the same thing.

This is a disingenuous dodge which the open borders crowd loves to keep bringing up over and over again. Sadly, I dont see any end to this practice on the horizon, but it should be called out whenever we find it.

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Politifact once again insists that illegal immigrants are not criminals - Hot Air