1. Obama speaks at NCLR convention
2. Canadian gov't seeks U.S. workers
3. RI enforcement panel meets
4. GA county sued over compliance
5. Illegals facing deportation

1.
Obama promises Hispanics a push for 'American dream'
By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times, July 14, 2008

San Diego -- Sen. Barack Obama received a rock-star welcome Sunday from the nation's largest Hispanic rights group, telling them they are the critical swing group in November's presidential election and promising a renewed effort to pass an immigration bill during his first year in office.

"This election is nothing less than a test of our allegiance to the American dream," the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee told the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) convention, in a speech in which he also proposed a tax credit to help small businesses pay for health insurance for their employees.

Getty Images Thalia Mendoza poses with cardboard images of Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain at the convention of the National Council of La Raza, a large Hispanic rights group that is hosting speeches by both presidential candidates this week in San Diego.

Janet Murguia, president and chief executive of NCLR, heaped praise on Mr. Obama for both his leadership on immigration and his personal outreach to NCLR. It was a boon for the senator from Illinois, who is sparring with presidential opponent Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, over who accomplished more on last year's immigration bill.

She said Mr. Obama "stood with us" in the immigration fight, and said Mr. Obama also has made strong efforts to court Hispanic leaders, telling the convention that Mr. Obama personally sought out NCLR in 2005 and visited Ms. Murguia at NCLR's office soon after he was sworn in as senator.
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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/14/obama-promises-hispanics...

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2.
Losing workers? Blame Canada!
By Regina Medina
The Philadelphia Daily News, July 14, 2008

Bizarro World not only exists in Superman comic books and "Seinfeld" episodes, it's alive and kicking in Alberta, Canada.

An oil boom. A robust economy. Universal health care - free next year.

What's unfolding in the western Canadian province of 3.5 million people is so far removed from Philadelphia's (and most of the country's) reality that, frankly, it's almost bizarro.

There's more. Highly lauded schools. Low crime rates. Low unemployment. Low taxes. A surplus of jobs.

But there's the rub: Not enough workers to fill the positions, expected to top 110,000 over the next decade, according to estimates provided by Alberta. So, government representatives have been visiting cities worldwide - including a stop today at the Westin Philadelphia Hotel - to entice potential employees to think Alberta.

"We're going through some really good times here, for sure," said Sorcha McGinnis, a spokeswoman for Alberta Employment and Immigration. "But we're experiencing labor shortages across every sector of our economy."

Specifically, Alberta needs architects, health-care professionals - nurses are in high demand - engineers and IT workers, McGinnis said. Last year alone, about 89,000 jobs were created and one out of every 13 involved oil, gas and mining extraction.

Alberta is specifically seeking foreign-born professionals living in the United States on H-1B visas - papers given to those with college degrees or equivalents - to apply for the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, she said. Potential employees could become permanent residents of Canada in six to 18 months.

Alberta's decision to entice immigrants angers and saddens some immigration lawyers.

"It absolutely hurts global competition," said Wendy Hess, a partner and business-immigration lawyer with Goldblum & Hess in Jenkintown. "What Alberta is doing is brilliant. It's a sad commentary on the U.S. immigration policy, which doesn't recognize our need to remain globally competitive."

By contrast, John Miano, a fellow with the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., believes Alberta's visit is no threat to the country's vitality.

"The reality is we get the first pick of the world's people," said John Miano, a fellow with the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., a think tank with a "pro-immigration, low-immigration vision," according to its Web site.

"It's not a big threat to the U.S.," Miano said. Alberta is "trying to get second picks."
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http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080714_Losing_workers__Blame_Can...

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3.
Panel monitoring RI immigration crackdown to meet
The Associatd Press, July 13, 2008

Providence (AP) -- An advisory panel monitoring Gov. Don Carcieri's executive order cracking down on illegal immigrants meets for the first time Tuesday, more than two months after it was created to appease clergy who criticized Carcieri's order.

The group, chaired by retired Rear Admiral Joseph Strasser, includes clergy, government officials, police and business leaders. The group's first meeting is expected to be largely organizational, especially since key details of Carcieri's order are still being worked out.

Rev. Donald Anderson, executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, said he wants the panel to find ways to hear from immigrants about how Carcieri's order is affecting them.

"If they hear of issues, I want to bring them forward," Anderson said.

Carcieri's order, signed in March, requires state agencies and companies doing business with the state to use a federal database called E-Verify to check the citizenship status of new hires. It also requires state police and prison officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation.

State officials have started using E-Verify, but police and prison officials are still negotiating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for permission to help enforce certain federal immigration laws.
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http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2008/07/13/panel_...?

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4.
Activist challenges Cobb on state immigrant law
By Ashley Hungerford
The Marietta Daily Journal (GA), July 12, 2008

Marietta, GA -- Anti-illegal immigration activist D.A. King is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Cobb Chairman Sam Olens, calling for a 90-day halt to the county's issuance of all commercial licenses.

King said the decision to file the motion in Cobb Superior Court on Wednesday was not made lightly.

"I'm sorry that it has come to this point," King said. "But I don't think anybody is above the law or can redefine the English language."

King said Cobb officials are not following state law that requires them to verify the immigration status of applicants for public benefits, such as business licenses.

Olens said he could not comment on pending litigation.

"All I'm trying to do is stop illegal action," King said. "My goal is an equal application of American law."

The 2006 Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act, sponsored by state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), requires governments to verify through a federal database that applicants for public benefits are in the country legally.

County officials say they are using the database, organized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to verify the 1,098 business licenses the county issues.

But the county and King disagree over what the county calls "occupational tax certificates."
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http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/1/section/15...

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5.
Deported mother leaves children, husband and parents in the only country she has ever known
By David Olson
The Press Enterprise (Riverside, CA), July 12, 2008

Cristina Ramirez arrived in the United States from Mexico when she was 2. Her husband, four children and parents are citizens. An immigration judge who ordered her deportation for overstaying a visa called her "Americanized."

On March 27, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took Ramirez from her Nuevo home southeast of Riverside, in front of her sobbing children. Several hours later, agents led her through a metal turnstile that locked behind her as she walked into Tijuana.

Today Ramirez, 31, is stuck in an apartment in Rosarito, one of tens of thousands of people who have been separated from their families since the federal government began a crackdown in 2003 of undocumented immigrants who ignored deportation orders.

Arrests have risen 17-fold in the past five years as special teams of agents have fanned out across the country to locate and arrest deportation violators. More than 26,000 people have been apprehended in the past eight months alone. Thousands more arrests are expected in the coming months as ICE adds 29 more enforcement teams to the current 75.

Ramirez's husband is petitioning to return her to the United States. If Ramirez loses her case, she may be prohibited from ever again living in this country.

Advocates of tougher immigration restrictions say more people like Ramirez should be deported. They are in the United States illegally and should not be able to thumb their noses at U.S. law, their detractors say.

Supporters of liberalized immigration policy say Ramirez's case illustrates the unfairness of an immigration system that is inflexible and often rips apart the lives of family members left behind.
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Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, which favors greater limits on immigration, said authorities are too generous now with people like Ramirez. All of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States could claim some type of hardship if they were deported, he said.

Krikorian said Ramirez's situation is "unfortunate." But, he added, "It's her parents' decision that created this situation. They should have thought long and hard about the effect their decision would have on their children."
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http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_deport13.39ae...