1. MA Gov. backs illegal aliens
2. Group asks judge to block AL
3. UT group calls for repeal
4. Ammo meant for cartels
5. Suspect in killing

1.
Patrick backs illegal immigrants on tuition
By Maria Sacchetti
The Boston Globe, July 21, 2011

Governor Deval Patrick, just weeks after defying federal immigration officials over their controversial Secure Communities program, unexpectedly appeared at a packed State House hearing yesterday to urge lawmakers to let illegal immigrants pay the reduced resident rate at state colleges and universities.

The surprise visit appeared to signal an aggressive new stance by the Patrick administration on illegal immigration and a sharp departure from the governor’s first term, when he shied from incendiary issues such as tuition and driver’s licenses for unauthorized immigrants.

Patrick’s appearance yesterday could inject new life into a bill that has languished in the Legislature for years. Only hours before he arrived, hopes had seemed dim for legislation that passed the Senate in 2005 but failed in the House and has not budged since, with little visible support from leadership in either chamber.

“I know they’re going to hear the arguments on both sides,’’ he said after he addressed the Joint Committee on Higher Education about two bills that would allow students here illegally to pay in-state tuition. “But they should keep in mind we’re talking about real people - individuals, students, and families - whose ambitions are caught up in the only community in most cases that they know.’’

Massachusetts has been a focal point in the debate over illegal immigrant students, drawing national attention last year when Harvard student Eric Balderas was arrested for being here illegally, then allowed to stay.

Harvard’s president and others have endorsed federal legislation known as the Dream Act that would allow such students to apply for legal residency, but that, too, has been stalled for years.

In the absence of federal action giving illegal students a path to residency, advocates for immigrants have lobbied states to make public colleges more affordable for illegal immigrants, many of whom have lived here since they were children. Advocates seize on what they call a discrepancy in federal law: A 1982 US Supreme Court decision guarantees undocumented students a K-12 education, but they are not entitled to go to college and they are barred from receiving government financial aid.

Twelve states, including Connecticut this year, allow such students to pay resident tuition, according to the National Immigration Law Center.

In Massachusetts, illegal immigrants pay the nonresident rate, which is double or triple the price paid by residents, depending on the school. The University of Massachusetts Amherst cost nonresidents $23,630 last year in tuition and fees, compared with $11,734 for state residents.

“We understand that the lawmakers cannot fix the federal situation, but they can fix Massachusetts law,’’ said Eva Millona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

The House and Senate bills would allow students to pay in-state tuition if they meet certain criteria, such as attending high school in Massachusetts for at least three years and promising to apply for legal residency as soon as the government allows it.

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation estimated that passing the legislation would boost the state’s revenues by about $2 million in the first year, if 315 to 365 students enrolled, and up to $7.4 million by the fourth year, when the enrollment could more than double.

The foundation’s president, Michael Widmer, estimated that Massachusetts is home to more than 14,000 illegal immigrants under age 18, nearly 2 percent of enrollment in public schools statewide. Since such students are not eligible for state or federal financial aid, Widmer said the cost to the state would be minimal.

During his first race for governor, in 2006, Patrick was a vocal supporter of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. But he did not make it a priority during his first term. Since being reelected Patrick has taken a bolder stance on several personnel and policy issues. Last year Patrick said he thought the state could not grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants without changes in federal law, but yesterday he did not mention that concern.

House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo voted against in-state tuition in 2006, when it failed in the House, but yesterday he would not comment because the bill is still in committee, said his spokesman, Seth Gitell. Senate President Therese Murray could not be reached for comment last night, but last year the Senate approved a measure to bar illegal immigrants from higher education benefits, though it did not become law.
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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/07/21/patri...

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2.
Civil rights groups ask judge to block tough Ala. law cracking down on illegal immigration
The Associated Press, July 21, 2011

A coalition of Alabama civil rights groups is asking a federal judge to block a tough new state law cracking down on illegal immigration from taking effect Sept. 1.

The motion was filed Thursday in federal court in Huntsville by the same groups that have already filed a suit challenging the law. Opponents and supporters say the law is the toughest of its kind in the nation.

The latest motion calls the law blatantly unconstitutional and asks U.S. District Judge Sharon Blackburn to stop it before it harms Alabama residents.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/civil-rights-groups-ask-judge-to-...

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3.
Immigration law opponents call for repeal of HB 116 by fall
By Billy Hesterman
Daily Herald (UT), July 21, 2011

The group leading the charge to repeal Utah's controversial immigration law, House Bill 116, announced Wednesday that it wants the bill repealed and replaced by the fall.

The group gathered at the State Capitol during the Legislature's interim day and called on lawmakers to heed the call of the Republican state delegates to repeal the law in a special session. The group went on to call those who supported HB 116 traitors to the state.

"Those that drafted this bill are traitors to Utah, and they will be held accountable by voters in 2012," said Brandon Beckham, a Republican delegate leading the group who opposes HB 116.

State lawmakerswho stood with the group at the announcement were quick to distance themselves from the traitor comment, stating they don't think their colleagues in the Legislature are traitors to the state, but reaffirmed that they will work to repeal the immigration law.

"I don't think they are traitors," said Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George. "It just doesn't work to have 50 states come up with their own amnesty scheme, their own immigration naturalization scheme, and that is what is going on here. This legislation, HB 116, is constitutionally impermissible."

Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden, the chief sponsor of HB 116, said the comment by Beckham was outlandish.

"I think its over the top for anybody to make a comment like that," Reid said. "What we are trying to do is make Utah more safe, more secure and better manage the illegal immigration challenges that this state is facing."

Reid acknowledged that he was open to amendments and changes on the law but stated that no one has come forward to him with any suggestions on how to improve the law.

"There's so many people coming in so many directions right now on HB 116," Reid said. "The delegates at the Republican convention said they wanted to repeal and replace but they did not outline any kind of replacement."

A replacement bill appears to be in the works. Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Provo, who was expected to speak at the event but was missing because he was meeting with Gov. Gary Herbert, said after the meeting that he is working on an alternative to HB 116. Sandstrom did not give any details as to what his replacement would be and did not reveal a timetable as to when the bill would run. He did say everyone will have to work together to make the bill happen.
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http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/legislature/arti...

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4.
Ammo meant for cartels seized at Nogales, authorities say
By Matt Haldane
The Arizona Republic, July 20, 2011

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers stopped 100 AK-47 magazines and 4,050 rounds of ammunition from going into Mexico on Tuesday when the contraband was discovered in a car driven by a U.S. citizen, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

A 34-year-old woman traveling with her two minor children was selected for a secondary inspection while driving into Mexico at Mariposa Port in Nogales, according to Homeland Security.

After the contraband was found stored in duffel bags, the woman was taken into custody and her children were turned over to a family member.

Homeland Security says there have been a record number of seizures of weapons and illicit currency since the beginning of operations meant to crack down on Mexican drug cartels.
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http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2011/07/20/20110...

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5.
Suspect in 2003 killing of Border Patrol agent handed over to Mexican prosecutors at AZ border
The Associated Press, July 20, 2011

A Mexican citizen accused in the killing of an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent in 2003 has been turned over to prosecutors in Mexico.

Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say 25-year-old Jose Arturo Arreola-Lopez was handed over Wednesday to the Mexican Attorney General's Office at the border crossing in Nogales, Ariz.

Authorities say Arreola-Lopez is one of four suspects charged with murdering Tucson Sector agent Jorge Luis Salomon Martinez in February 2003 near Bacocahi, Sonora. The 23-year-old Martinez was in Mexico visiting relatives.
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http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/17f9c68da4b44a468a9791c2ff3a42cb/A...