Latin America Roundup - April 19/20

The U.S. economic downturn and beefed-up border control have meant hard times for many Mexicans who depend on remittances from the north, reports Ken Ellingwood. The developments have produced worry and deep uncertainty in towns such as Tejaro, a farming community of 4,200 where pickup trucks bear license plates from Nevada and Minnesota. Virtually every family here has sent relatives across the border, usually illegally and often to the same few U.S. destinations.

Picture: Lilia Acevedo works at a hardware store in Tejaro, Mexico, whose business has been hurting. Sarah Meghan Lee / For The Times

Fred Garza has been patrolling a piece of the Rio Grande for 16 years, usually riding solo on horseback, sometimes venturing to areas where his radio and cellular phone have limited range. But Garza isn't looking for drug smugglers, human traffickers or illegal immigrants. He's looking for stray livestock that might be carrying a tick with a deadly disease into the United States, reports the Associated Press.

Five high-ranking retired navy officers were indicted in Chile on Friday for the abduction, torture and killing a British-Chilean priest and other dissidents in the days after Chile's 1973 military coup. The priest, Michael Woodward, was taken into custody by security forces in the port city of Valparaiso on Sept. 16, 1973, five days after the coup that brought Gen. Augusto Pinochet to power, says the Associated Press.

The leading presidential candidate in Paraguay, Fernando Lugo (pictured) is seen as an agent of change by supporters and as a leftist fanatic by critics, writes Patrick J. McDonnell.

Tiny, landlocked Paraguay, still recovering from the stultifying legacy of the 35-year dictatorship of Gen. Alfredo Stroessner, will cast ballots Sunday to elect a new president. The stunning emergence of Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, as the leading presidential candidate has turned the place upside down. Picture: Jorge Saenz, Associated Press

Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff (pictured) is the point man for White House efforts to stop illegal immigration. He has an ambitious agenda -- and a stubborn streak to match. Nicole Gaouette spent some time with the man in Tuscon. Picture: Ken Cedeno / Bloomberg News

At the heart of the debate over whether the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Order 40 should be revised is a call for closer cooperation between cops on the street and federal immigration authorities, writes Monica Varsanyi in Opinion.

Since 1979, when the policy went into effect, L.A. police officers have purposely stayed clear of enforcing immigration law. The reason seems obvious: In a city with growing immigrant populations, especially Latino, noncitizens must feel confident that they can come forward and inform cops when a crime is committed, or act as witnesses, without fear of deportation.

Immigrant rights activist Angelica Salas was one of more than 80 people at the "Nation of Immigrants" Passover Seder held this month by the local Anti-Defamation League at Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

"The singing, the poems and the prayers by others were really welcoming, and even if you weren't Jewish, you really felt welcome. And even if this isn't your faith and your tradition, there was a message," said Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. Ari B. Bloomekatz reports on how the Passover meal is helping to build bonds between communities.

Agustin Gurza tells us how to enjoy Cinco de Mayo, or May 5, an annual Mexican holiday, in style in East Los Angeles. "To avoid the Cinco syndrome, here are a few offbeat alternatives offering more refined aspects of Mexican culture in more intimate settings. What better way to celebrate the defeat of the French than with good food, fine wine and sophisticated music, all with a Mexican twist?" he writes.

Comments

[Iceni]

The pro-illegal immigrant special interests groups use the same MANTRA, as though by confusing the words is going to change the demands of the majority of logical thinking citizens and legal residents. Most national newspapers and the media, always categorizes ALL people who enter America as immigrants! There is a stark difference between those people who are inspected for contagious diseases, criminal backgrounds and have been issued a entry visa. People who ignore THE PEOPLE'S laws are illegal immigrants or illegal aliens? In most newspapers the editors have been brain-washed or lobotimised, because they refuse to illustrate the massive difference between legal and illegal.Perhaps other than the Pope and hypocrites like Cardinal Mahoney, most Catholics know the difference between legal immigrants and others who ignore the law of a sovereign country.

The LA times suppresses the true feelings of the majority of citizens, and never fails to omit comments or editorial as most in the national media do.

But anti-illegal immigration advocates are spreading the suppressed news in thousands of communities, counties and states in the rural .press. The pro-special interest lobby may be bank-rolling for keeping our borders open and the rush of illegal cheap labor, but today the American public have finally woken up and are fighting back.

[Iceni]

Back in the late 60's Los Angeles county, was a pleasant place to live. As a Senior I even remember the red cars we used to travel through the city. It became of the illegal immigration nightmare in the early 80's and noticed the sudden change for the worst, in this once sparkling city. I think the momentum of gated communities became my first inclination that something was very wrong. I and many others protested at the influx of foreigners who began to demand rights, even though the majority were here illegally. That day I ended up on the receiving end of a frozen can of soda and still carry the scar over my left eye.

I no longer demonstrate in the streets, because I'm getting up their in age. But now I use the pen to bring people's attention to such issues as Special Order 40. It is a terrible and disgusting situation when young people cannot go out on the streets? My step-son has been attacked twice, and he carefully traverses the dangerous neighborhoods overtaken by carrion in human form.

Special Order 40 is against the majority of California's society wishes, unless your one of the 12 to 30 million illegal immigrants occupying this nation, with a massive population living in Los Angeles county? This was enacted against federal immigration law, to stop police from questioning foreign nationals relating to there immigration status. Its main objective was for witnesses to come forward and identify suspects, without fear of apprehension of getting arrested for being in this country illegally.

But that was yesterday and this is today. When America has become bloated with illegal aliens, with thousands of violent gang members terrorizing our streets. California is occupied by an abomination of street gangs without, any conscious of destroying human life. It seems like our law enforcement is powerless, because a significant number of pro-illegal immigrant advocates will block the rescinding this Special order 40.

Such gangs as MS-13 are an atrocity in Los Angeles, who indiscriminately murder that use mostly machetes to hack the living arms and behead their enemies. They are the filth from third world countries, that must be exterminated or imprisoned along with all alien criminals who have entered America illegally.

Mayor Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, along with his city managers and timid lieutenants have allowed gangs such as MS 13, 18 street gangs to multiply and cause havoc in a once sparkling city. The chief of police has done little or nothing to rescind Special Order 40 and should be made accountable for the nightmare of gang intimidation. This police mandate is no longer working and as in many Sanctuary Cities must be removed and allow our police to work with Homeland Security, ICE and special forces. They will eradicate this pestilence that daily causes bloody mayhem in what these animals call their turf. I think it is time to remove this Mayor and Chief of police from office for playing with peoples lives, as still promoting the long dead Special order 40. We need a new Mayor such as Walter Moore who states he will terminate the power of violent gangs and give the police the power to arrest and detain illegal foreign nationals. But he himself will be up against the influence of the church, the corporate money machine and the zealots in special interest groups. As the motto on the sides of police patrol car says, "TO SERVE AND PROTECT" and let our police do exactly that? But also reinstate the law to question foreign nationals their legal status, and you will see quite rapidly people self-deporting as in Arizona, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri and soon Rhode Island.

More than 10 million immigrants have arrived since year 2000; it is estimated that nearly 6 million are illegal. All told, the group of immigrants now account for 38 million at the moment according to the White House's own census bureau.

America cannot afford to enact another AMNESTY? The ramifications are unthinkable on each states economy? Taxpayers will have to support even more illegal immigrants as the word gets out and millions more will pour into our nation.

Leading Democrats are trying to gut the border fence..

Keep calling your Democratic Congressmen today to co-author THE SAVE ACT! Toll free numbers include 18778516437 and 18662200044, or call toll 12022243121 AND REGISTER YOUR OUTRAGE at ongoing efforts to keep our country from enforcing its immigration laws! For the suppressed news not found in the Los Angeles Times and the national media go to these sites: NUMBERUSA! AMERICAN PATROL! LIBERTY POST! UNIPAC! FAIRUS!

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YOU CAN PETITION TO COMPLETE THE BORDER FENCE HEREgrassfire