Please visit our YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages.

1. DOJ denies shootout claim
2. AZ birthright bill vote
3. VA legislature passes bills
4. SC lawmaker hits work ethic
5. Fired Chipotle workers sue

1.
AP NewsBreak: DOJ denies border shootout claim
The Associated Press, February 8, 2011

The U.S. Justice Department denied a claim made to lawmakers that two guns sold in purchases sanctioned by federal firearms agents were later used in a shootout that left a Border Patrol agent dead near the Arizona-Mexico border.

Assistant U.S. Attorney General Ronald Weich said in a letter obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press that the claim that agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sanctioned or knowingly allowed the sale of assault weapons to straw buyers who then brought them to Mexico is false. Such a claim was made about guns used by bandits in the Dec. 14 fatal shooting of Border Patrol agent Brian A. Terry.

"ATF makes every effort to interdict weapons that have been purchased illegally and prevent their transportation to Mexico," Weich said in a letter to U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa.

Grassley, who was examining the claim received by his fellow Senate Judiciary Committee members, had previously said that he received information that appeared to partially corroborate the claim.

Grassley spokeswoman Beth Pellett Levine said the Justice Department denied one aspect of allegations presented by whistleblowers and promised to give the senator a briefing. "However, the briefing has still not occurred, and documents provided with the allegations are not consistent with that denial," she said. "There are many specific questions that need to be answered in full by the Justice Department as soon as possible."

Terry was waiting with other agents near the Arizona border city of Nogales when a shootout with bandits erupted. Terry, who was the only person killed in the attack, was part of an elite squad similar to a police SWAT team that was sent to the canyon 13 miles north of the border known for robberies, drug smuggling and violence. No other agents were injured.

Grassley had told the Justice Department in an earlier letter that a buyer purchased three assault rifles with cash more than a year ago in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, and two of those guns were used in the shootout that took Terry's life. His letter didn't elaborate on the possible role of federal agents in the sale of the guns, and it couldn't be determined if the purchases were part of a sting operation.
. . .
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jPM9pJmJKqeODDsEAmM63_...

********
********

2.
Bill Denying Birthright Citizenship in Arizona Will Come to a Vote Next Week
Fox News Latino, February 9, 2011

An Arizona bill that would put a stop to automatic U.S. citizenship for children of illegal immigrants could come to a vote next week, according to an Arizona lawmaker intent on pushing the legislation forward, even if it the measure is defeated.

Republican Sen. Ron Gould said Tuesday he called off a previously expected vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee because he believed the bill would have lost.

Gould, of Lake Havasu City, now says he plans to seek a vote Monday so voters will know which lawmakers support and oppose the measure.

The state's legislation would define a U.S. citizen as someone who has been naturalized, or someone born in this country who has at least one parent who has no allegiance to a foreign country.

Supporters of the idea say guaranteed citizenship results in taxpayers covering the costs of services provided to illegal immigrants and their children.

Opponents say the move would be declared unconstitutional.
. . .
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/02/09/vote-eyed-arizonabi...

********
********

3.
Virginia House passes several bills fighting illegal immigration
By Fredrick Kunkle
The Washington Post, February 9, 2011

Virginia's House of Delegates gave final approval Tuesday to a package of bills designed to crack down on illegal immigration, including a measure based on Prince William County's policy that would require all state and local law enforcement officials to inquire of the immigration status of any person they arrest.

"My thoughts are I regret that this is what it's come to," said Del. Scott Lingamfelter (R-Prince William) who sponsored the most controversial measure based on Prince William County's policy. "I regret that the federal government has been so derelict in their duty that they have not enforced the laws of our land."

The Republican-ruled House also passed other immigration-related bills on crossover day -- the final chance for the Senate and House of Delegates to complete work on bills originating in each chamber -- that would order colleges and universities to adopt written policies barring illegal immigrants from enrollment, require schools to begin tallying the numbers of immigrant children on their rolls, and force large state contractors to use the E-Verify electronic background check.

Still others would push the Virginia State Police to join a federal-state program used to enforce immigration laws, boost the criminal penalties for dealing in fake birth certificates, and require local social services departments to ensure that the recipients of benefits are not illegal immigrants. Another bill targets local jurisdictions that have gained a reputation as so-called sanctuary communities by directing their police and other officials to overlook immigration status.

Even the Democratic-led Senate, which generally looks askance at many such bills and will likely kill a number adopted by the House, unanimously adopted a bill Tuesday to require public contractors to use the E-Verify computer system to confirm that their employees are legally present in the United States. Because the House adopted a similar measure, it is likely to go to the governor for signature.

The Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO) warned Tuesday that the bill modeled on Prince William -- sponsored by Lingamfelter (R-Prince William) -- goes farther than Arizona's controversial law allowing police greater latitude to detain illegal immigrants.

"It's worse in one respect because it's entirely subjective," said VACALAO lobbyist Claire Guthrie Gastanaga. She said unlike a similar bill sponsored by Del. David Albo, Lingamfelter's amended bill does not specify that police must consult a database to conclude that the person is not lawfully present in the U.S. Instead, Lingamfelter's bill only requires police to inquire about a person's status.
. . .
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2011/02/virginia_house...

********
********

4.
Black SC state senator says 'brothers,' whites don't work as hard as Hispanic immigrants
By Seanna Adcox
The Associated Press, February 9, 2011

An African-American lawmaker in South Carolina said Tuesday that stricter illegal immigration laws would hurt the state because blacks and whites don't work as hard as Hispanics.

State Sen. Robert Ford made his remarks during a Senate committee debate over an Arizona-style immigration law, eliciting a smattering of nervous laughter in the chamber after he said "brothers" don't work as hard as Mexicans. He continued that his "blue-eyed brothers" don't either.

Once his ancestors were freed from slavery, he said, they didn't want to do any more hard work, so they were replaced by Chinese and Japanese.

"We need these workers here. A lot of people aren't going to do certain type of work in this country," said Ford, D-Charleston. "The brothers are going to find ways to take a break. Ever since this country was built, we've had somebody do the work for us."

He recalled to senators that four workers in the country illegally showed up on his lawn and finished mowing, edging and other work in 30 minutes that would take others much longer, and only wanted $10 for the job. He went on to say he recommended the workers to his neighbors, and one local lawn care businessman lost work — a story one senator remarked was hurting, not helping, his case.

The executive director of the state GOP called on Ford to apologize.

"It's abhorrent and incredibly offensive that any elected official would make comments this racist," said executive director Joel Sawyer.

Ford, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination last year, said he'd apologize, but he doesn't know what for, or what it would change.

Through the generations, whenever one immigrant group becomes "Americanized," they stop working hard, he said.

"Black guys and white guys are going to get out there and do the hard work? No. I'm for America, and America's a country of immigrants," Ford said later when reached on his cell phone. "Everybody in America finds ways to take a break."

To his critics, he said, "They're taking life too serious. My advice is for them to get a life and to learn American history."

The state NAACP leader called Ford's wording unfortunate, and that Ford should have spoken in the larger context from the start, rather than further stereotypes.
. . .
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-black-lawm...

********
********

5.
Chipotle Workers Fired over Immigration Status Sue for Backpay
By Elizabeth Llorente
Fox News Latino, February 9, 2011

Two former employees of Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in Minnesota have filed a lawsuit claiming that the chain failed to pay them wages in a timely fashion.

The workers, who were among hundreds who were fired by the Chipotle chain after an immigration audit raised questions about their immigration status, are seeking class action status.

The lawsuit says that Chipotle did not comply with Minnesota state law when it did not immediately give them their earned compensation upon their dismissal.

The workers are identified in the lawsuit, filed in Hennepin County Court, as Tanya Cortes and Alejandro Juárez, according to the Pioneer Press.

Chipotle’s communications director, Chris Arnold, denied the accusations.

“That simply isn’t true,” he said. “We paid everyone everything they were owed, including wages, accrued vacation and bonuses."
. . .
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/02/08/fired-chipotle-workers-...