1. McCain, Obama hide similarities
2. Crowd questions McCain on issue
3. Enforcement in AZ stirs debate
4. VA county to check status
5. Illegal workers detained in MD

1.
Analysis: Rivals hide immigration similarities
By David Epso
The Associated Press, June 30, 2008

Washington (AP) -- When it comes to immigration, Barack Obama and John McCain generally agree. It's just that they don't want to say so.

Instead, the White House rivals accuse one another of flinching when it mattered most, during and after last year's Senate debate on a bill that would have given millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

McCain "was a champion of comprehensive reform, and I admired him for it," Obama said Saturday in an appearance before The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. "But when he was running for his party's nomination, he walked away from that commitment and he's said he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote."

McCain had spoken earlier in the day to the same group, and his campaign swiftly countered his rival's charge. "Obama put politics first and supported 'poison pill' efforts to kill the immigration reform compromise last year," it said in a written rebuttal.

If the disagreement seems somewhat forced, the motives behind it are straight forward.

The issue is important to Hispanics, who make up a large and growing minority of the electorate, and may hold the balance of power this fall in the potential battleground states of Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico as well as Florida.

Obama is out to win over as many as possible of the 75 percent of Democratic primary voters who chose Hillary Rodham Clinton over him, and then begin attracting Latino voters who went for President Bush in 2004.

As a Republican, McCain has a somewhat more complicated challenge. He can't afford to have conservatives who view immigration legislation as amnesty sit out the election. But he also can't allow his share of the Hispanic vote to recede to pre-Bush levels.

Based on McCain's words and Obama's voting record, there is a measure of truth in what both sides say, even though the two men supported the bill with provisions to secure borders, crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, expand guest worker programs and provide a path to citizenship for millions in the country illegally.
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http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=213&sid=1431568

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2.
McCain Crowd Tough on Immigration
Wall Street Journal, July 1, 2008, Pg. A6

Pipersville, PA -- Sen. John McCain has tilted his position on immigration to the right, but he continues to be greeted by supporters who want him to take an even tougher line.

At a town-hall meeting at Worth & Company Inc., a woman asked: "Why as an American do I have to push a button to speak English?" The crowd roared with applause.

"I think you struck a nerve," Sen. McCain said.

"I'll tell you, I really get ticked," the woman continued. "You go into Lowe's and it says 'Entrada,' " or entrance.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121487635057417987.html

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3.
Crackdown on Arizona IIlegals Stirs National Immigration Debate
By Lindsay Stewart
Fox News, July 1, 2008

Sheriffs in Phoenix, Ariz., have launched an aggressive crackdown on illegal aliens as part of a growing movement by local officials to help prevent illegal immigration.

Maricopa County sheriffs have instituted a zero tolerance policy — knocking on doors and arresting those suspected of living in the country illegally.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the law is clear cut. “Our policy is if we come across any illegal ... you are arrested. You don’t get a ticket. You get to appear before a judge later on.”

In the wake of two unsuccessful attempts at passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill in Congress, state and local governments have increasingly taken it upon themselves to find solutions to the immigration problem.

Recent statistics indicate that enforcement of existing immigration laws — both at local and state levels — has been successful in stemming the tide of illegal immigrants coming into the country.
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,374121,00.html

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4.
Prince William County Implements Tough Immigration Policy
ABC 7 News (Washington, DC-area), July 1, 2008

One of the nation's toughest immigration policies goes into effect in Prince William County today, where police are now not only empowered but actually required to check the immigration status of every person they arrest: starting today, every person arrested in Prince William County will be run through a national database to check their citizenship status.

Prince William County's Board of County Supervisors unanimously passed the immigration crackdown last fall and the policy went into effect at the beginning of March, but officials returned to revise it almost immediately. The changes to the policy were approved in late April.
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http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0708/532405.html

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5.
Authorities Detain 45 in Immigration Raid at Painting Company
By William Wan
Washington Post, July 1, 2008, Pg. B2

Authorities raided the offices of an Annapolis painting company yesterday and detained 45 suspected illegal immigrants, who officials say were hired and housed by the company in private homes.

The raids, executed simultaneously at the offices of Annapolis Painting Services and 10 private homes that authorities said were owned by the company, were conducted by a force of 75 federal immigration agents and 50 Anne Arundel County police officers.

The immigrants are being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Baltimore while their status is reviewed, said Scot Rittenberg, an assistant special agent in charge in Baltimore.

No charges have been filed yet against the owner of the painting company, Robert Bontempo Jr., because the investigation has not been completed, Rittenberg said. But Police Chief James Teare Sr. said Bontempo could face federal felony charges.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/30/AR200806...