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1. BP denies entry to 200
2. Rep. King outlines plan
3. Sen. says no to DREAM Act
4. US has largest illegal pop.
5. NY passes protections

1.
Border Patrol says 200 people denied entry in Cal
The Associated Press, 14, 2010

The U.S. Border Patrol says more than 200 people were turned back at six California ports of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border between Friday and Monday.

The Border Patrol told the San Diego Union-Tribune that some were hiding in trunks or hidden compartments and some tried to use counterfeit documents or papers that didn't belong to them.

During the three days, more than 1,500 pounds of drugs with a street value of $3.6 million were seized at the six ports.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/12/14/state/n07105...

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2.
King Outlines Immigration Plans for 2011
By Julia Preston
The New York Times, Decmber 13, 2010

The Republican who is expected to lead the main subcommittee on immigration in the House of Representatives in the new congress next year said on Monday that he will push for a bill that would cancel employers’ tax deductions for wages of workers who are illegal immigrants.

In an interview, Representative Steve King of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Judiciary subcommittee on immigration in the current congress, said his priority as chairman would be to pass a bill he introduced last year that would also require the Internal Revenue Service to share information with the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration about the immigration status of workers.

Mr. King said his measure would increase pressure on employers to fire unauthorized immigrant workers by increasing their cost. He estimated that if employers were not able to claim tax deductions for those workers’ wages and benefits, an unauthorized immigrant making $10 an hour would cost the employer the equivalent of $16 an hour.

Mr. King said his measure would be a “velvet glove” that would leave it up to employers to fire unauthorized workers. “That opens up lots of jobs for Americans,” he said.

The proposal would break down a major privacy firewall that protects tax information from scrutiny by Homeland Security authorities. Millions of authorized immigrants in the workforce have payroll taxes deducted and file tax returns using a taxpayer number issued by the I.R.S., which is not routinely shared with immigration agencies.

Mr. King’s strategy would be a sharp departure from the outgoing Democratic-controlled House, which last week passed a bill known as the Dream Act. Mr. King was a leading opponent of that bill, which would open a path to legal status for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant students if they attend college or serve in the military.

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, has said he plans to bring up the House version of the student bill for a vote before the end of the lame-duck session. Although it gained some momentum from the House action, its chances for Senate passage appear slim. Mr. King said that if the bills fails there, “it is dead.”
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http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/king-outlines-immigration-...

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3.
Sen. Brown says he will not support ‘DREAM Act’
The Associated Press, December 13, 2010

Sen. Scott Brown said Monday he will not support the DREAM Act and called the bill aimed at helping illegal immigrant college students "backdoor amnesty."

Speaking to reporters at a Salvation Army charity event in downtown Boston, the Massachusetts Republican said he would not vote for the proposal despite months of intense pressure from advocates and educators that included Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust.

"I’m not supportive of it," he said. "I think it’s a backdoor amnesty and I’m not in favor of it."

Under the proposal, some illegal immigrants would qualify for permanent legal residency by graduating from college or trade school, or by joining the military. The Senate is slated to vote on the measure this week, but supporters aren’t sure if they have enough votes to break a filibuster.

Brown’s remarks came as a coalition of educators, religious leaders and immigrant advocates made a last ditch appeal Monday asking him to support the proposal. Brown also had been a target of a national campaign by advocates.

For months, supporters of the bill and illegal immigrant college students, who call themselves "DREAMers," have staged sit-ins, rallies and marches outside Brown’s office. Students have left hundreds of signed letters from supporters and young immigrants who said they would enlisted in the military if the bill passed.

In September, Brown came out against the DREAM Act being attached to a defense bill and said supporters were "playing politics with military funding in order to extend a form of amnesty to certain illegal immigrants."
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http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20101213sen_brown_says_h...

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4.
U.S. Has Biggest Illegal Immigration Problem In The World
By Victor Hatley
America's Voice Online, December 13, 2010

In the United States, which has more immigrants than any nation, politicians have begun calling for tougher border security and more deportations as the economy continues to sputter. The resulting crackdowns have been criticized both as not harsh enough and too harsh, with the debate becoming more polarizing seemingly by the day.

Supersize Mine

But because of the sheer number of immigrants in the U.S., the issue has become supersized here. U.S. lawmakers are struggling with the same challenges that confront their counterparts around the globe: how to deal with the millions of illegal immigrants who already are living and working inside their countries; how to keep undesirable immigrants out; and how to help immigrants integrate into the dominant culture and society.

No Licenses Here

Only three states—New Mexico, Washington and Utah—offer licenses to undocumented residents, although New Mexico’s new Republican governor has pledged repeal. Obviously, granting driver’s licenses to individuals who aren’t authorized is not an ideal solution. But lack of progress on comprehensive immigration reform has pushed cities and states to take action in addressing some of the challenges, real and imagined, associated with undocumented immigration.
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http://www.americasnewsonline.com/u-s-has-biggest-illegal-immigration-pr...

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5.
Workers’ Safeguards Strengthened by N.Y. Law
By Sam Dolnick
The New York Times, December 13, 2010

Gov. David A. Paterson signed into law some of the nation’s strongest protections against wage theft on Monday, after months of lobbying by immigrants’ advocates and labor unions that said New York lagged behind other states on the issue.

The law, which takes effect in April, will quadruple the penalties for employers who steal workers’ pay, and will protect whistle-blowers from retaliation.

Employers who pay below the minimum wage, fail to pay overtime or unfairly garnishee wages are especially rampant in restaurant, retail and construction businesses where illegal immigrants make up much of the work force, according to a report this year by the National Employment Law Project. In New York City, the report said, lost wages add up to more than $18.4 million a week.

“These issues go unreported and unaddressed because if you speak up you’re likely to be terminated,” Mr. Paterson said in a news conference. “There’s no administrative remedy; there’s no voice. That ends today.”

Under the old law, employers found to have stolen workers’ wages had to repay the money with a penalty of 25 percent.

“The fines were so minimal that a lot of these rogue employers saw them as the cost of doing business,” said State Senator Diane J. Savino, a Democrat from Staten Island who was the bill’s lead sponsor. Under the new law, the employers’ penalty will be up to 100 percent.

The law removes technicalities that required whistle-blowers to cite the section of the law that the employer broke. It also allows up to $10,000 in added penalties for employers who fire or threaten workers for speaking out.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/nyregion/14wage.html?partner=rss&emc=rss