South Salt Lake’s Most Wanted has been captured. As I’ve stated on numerous occasions, illegal immigrants are not the only one’s who steal social security numbers and engage in identity theft for work. Fugitives do so as well. Yet another example:
Police say Barnes got a job using a family member’s identity. She is also accused of other identity theft crimes and has more than $200,000 in warrants.
The Legislature finally passed a bill that begins to deal with requiring employers to verify the ID of those they hire using the free SSA-ICE E-Verify program. However, that bill was limited to businesses who contract with the State and was delayed until 2009 by pressure from Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and the illegal immigrant (including businesses using that labor) lobby. Several other states (such as Arizona, Oklahoma, and Colorado) require verification by all employers. There is also the possibility that Governor Huntsman may veto the bill and that the legislature will gut the bill in the 2009 session. At least, contacting Huntsman’s office (801-538-1000) and asking that he sign SB 81 would be a good idea.
In the meantime, fugitives, deadbeat parents, illegal immigrants etc. can comfort themselves that Utah will remain a friendly state for them to find work by victimizing someone else’s identity (especially children, as they are the prime target of ID thieves).
This will be quick. An illegal immigrant has been arrested sexual abuse of a 14 year old. I heard about this on radio news and found an article at Deseret News. I understand that he has had an immigration hold placed on him and ICE is involved.
Here is a snippet:
A 22-year-old Provo man is being held in the Utah County Jail while the police investigate his alleged involvement in harboring a 14-year-old female runaway, having unlawful sex with her, supplying her with alcohol, possession of forged writings and identity theft.
…police found two resident identification cards as well as two Social Security cards. The numbers on the cards were linked to people other than the man..
As usual, identity theft is involved. However, identity thieves don’t have much to worry about when it comes to finding work in Utah. The Senate bill (SB 81) that begins to deal with identity theft use in employment was delayed until 2009 and may be vetoed by Governor Huntsman or gutted by legislators after re-election. Additionally, SB 81 is very limited as it would only effect businesses that contract with the State (all other businesses are still free to hire all stripes of identity thieves, including illegal immigrants). For more on SB 81 click here, ID theft post can be found here and all posts on illegal immigration can be found here.
Police say the man, who was living in Santaquin, helped his 15-year-old girlfriend [conception occurred when she was 14] run away to Mexico while she was pregnant with their child.
…the two were taken into custody by U.S. Customs agents at the border near Yuma, Ariz. The girl was reunited with her parents and he was held in Arizona until his arrival in Utah…
About six months ago, Sadr withdrew from Iraq and suspended Mahdi operations. At the time, I suspected that it was just a way to take the heat off while he tried to regain his grip on the organization and allowed him to rearm (see previous link). While the prospect of Iran taking things over remains (see emphasis), it appears Sadr may be calling it quits on the political front as well:
Iraq’s elusive Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr has decided to drop out of politics for the time being because his disillusionment with the political scene in Iraq has left him sick and anxious, he said in an unusually personal letter to his followers released Friday.
He also cited the betrayal of some followers, whom he accused of falling prey to “materialistic” politics.”So far I did not succeed either to liberate Iraq or make it an Islamic society — whether because of my own inability or the inability of society, only God knows,” Sadr wrote.
This was the first time Sadr has sought to explain his absence, which had given rise to speculation that he was no longer exerting full control over the Mahdi Army. [emphasis added]
Iran (via Quds Force and material/logistic help) may be taking a greater role in these militias or the militias may continue to splinter and act on their own. Both scenarios present their own, unique challenges. While the aforementioned splinter groups may choose to pursue terrorist actions, they may choose to disband (go back to work and family) or join Iraqi Police Units or assist coalition forces as concerned citizens groups seen elsewhere in Iraq. Ideally, the latter, positive, choices will be made.
What about Mosquitoes?
Yon has a post (deceptively titled “Guitar Heroes“) about Kiowa Warriors (insurgents call them mosquitoes).
I have a friend who flies F-16s. Prior to that, they flew helicopters for the army. I asked why they switched. The response was “I didn’t like getting shot down”. While I understood the response, reading Yon’s post brings much more meaning. The men and women, such as CW2 Susan Weathers, truly deserve the title provided by their aircraft. Here are some teasers:
Ambush! Three bullets struck the helicopter and one hit Jamison’s helmet. The flight helmets have no ballistic protection because Kevlar is heavy, and when you crash it can break your neck or even snap your head off. The bullet went straight through the back of Jamison’s helmet…
Bullets ripped through the cockpit. One bullet punched through the pedals between the pilot’s feet. Another slammed into a seat. Another bullet popped a rotor. And one bullet tore through the belly of the helicopter, severing a wrist-thick skein of wires.
The last thing a lot of pilots hear before they die is the “Caution, Warning, and Advisory System.” Di Giorgio and Sickler heard it start blaring…
SB 81 - Illegal Immigration, made it through and is on the Governor’s desk. I called the Governor’s office this morning and a asked if Governor Huntsman had taken a position on the bill. The staffer was a bit wishy washy but stated that the Governor did indicate that he would sign the bill. Nevertheless, it is still advisable to contact his office (801-538-1000) and ask that he sign the bill. It is also extremely advisable to keep an eye on the implementation of this bill over the next year as the legislature delayed it’s implementation until mid-2009. This gives them the opportunity to tout that they’ve address the illegal immigration issue during this election year and, after re-election, turn around and gut the bill in the 2009 session. The need for vigilance on this bill can not be overemphasized.
Some illegal immigrant activists are already screeching “racism” to try to derail the bill (whether it be by Governor Huntsman on the 2009 Legislature). Gotta love that way overplayed ‘race card’. As usual, when all else fails, go for the race baiting personal attacks. In the meantime, Utah will remain a gateway State for illegal immigrants and various identity thieves.
HB 241 didn’t make it. It would have required illegal immigrants receiving in-state tuition benefits not to engage in identity theft to get a job. Apparently, that is asking too much. Compassion seems one-sided again: care for the ID thieves while ignoring the victims. Additionally, illegal immigrants get to keep their taxpayer funded driver privileges as well.
The nanny state prevailed in HB 140. Parents are, obviously, way too incompetent to decide what is best for their children so the State needs to take over. I can’t wait until the day that we have mandatory home inspections/searches for smoke and CO detectors. You may call the Governor and ask for a veto but I wouldn’t hold my breath on Huntsman - he’s big in social programs etc (even if it uses your money).
Kudos to the legislature for killing a pro-gun bill which was turned into a gun control bill by Representative Urquhart (R-St. George).
The legislature took the tax surplus (tax overpayment) and used it on various programs. That includes a teacher salary increase which, unfortunately, is not weighted based on teacher performance (they all get the same no matter how good or bad they do). We’ll see how much of it actually makes it to classroom teachers vs. what is siphoned off to District administrators. The use of the overpayment without any return to those paying it (taxpayers) is not surprising, based on Huntsman and Legislators indications, at the beginning of the session, that taxpayers got enough last year.
Finally, Senator Hatch et al. have ’seen the light’ on illegal immigration and have requested more ICE officers for Utah. Of course, they timed this at the end of the legislative session when no action could be taken (or legislation influenced). Smells of political gaming to me. If their serious and we actually see the officers here, it might be a step forward but we’ll see if this isn’t just election year footsie.
First, HB241 (Repeal of Exemptions from Nonresident Tuition) will, actually, NOT repeal in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. However, it would require them to sign an affidavit stating they will not gain employment or earn income while they are in school unless approved by the US Government (ie the US grants legal status).
The reason for this is that those who get a job must use a stolen Social Security Number and commit several felonies (falsified identity, government documents etc). The bill attempts to address the ‘compassion’ issue by allowing them to get in-state tuition but also prohibits beneficiaries from victimizing others by stealing their identity in order to gain illegal employment.
Action
The House must ask the Senate to vote on this bill. Call 801-538-1029 and ask to leave a message for Representatives Greg Curtis, David Clark, and Gordon Snow.
Ask that they, as House leadership, request that the Senate address and support HB 241 (specifically Senator Dayton’s substitute).
SB81 has been passed, BUT there is still work to be done.
First, contact Governor Huntsman (801-538-1000) and strongly, but politely, ask him to sign the bill. It is also worth asking what position the Governor has taken on this bill.
Second - contrary to news reports, who consistently get it wrong, the bill only affects businesses that contract with the state (not business, in general). Hence the baby steps to identity theft protection (see the “Help with SB 81″ post for links on this issue too).
Next, the bill may be good once it goes into effect. However, an amendment delayed implementation until July, 2009 (again, baby steps). That means criminal illegal immigrants will be released onto our streets (via parole, end of sentence, etc) and be allowed to earn tax money and public benefits while they and other ID thieves continue to use stolen children’s identities.
In addition, since Senator Jenkins and his group were successful in delaying implementation until 2009, his task force (SB 97) will be able to issue their report before the provisions go into effect. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that the task force is not much more than a mask for a study in excuses and spin to, ultimately, kill implementation of SB 81. The legislature may do so next session (2009). Hence the need for extreme vigilance, especially during the 2009 session to ensure that reforms are not spiked. This is even more important as 2009 (unlike this year) is not an election year.
Basically, they can pass SB 81 this year to cover their political butts during an election year only to rescind or gut the measures (thereby pleasing Chamber of Commerce, big business, and other lobbyists) after re-election. It would be a classic Machiavellian-style maneuver.
Continued vigilance over the next full year is crucial.
Finally, it is also worth observing that Representative McIff was able to put a provision in the bill to allow transporting illegal immigrants less that 100 miles (excluding that from ‘human trafficking’ provisions) in an, apparent, effort to appease groups who knowingly use illegal immigrant labor.
However, Sen. Jenkins amendment succeeded on voice vote (ie no record of who voted for it). The amendment delays provisions until July 1, 2009. This gives legislators etc another year (and session) to spin reasons not to take action and, possibly, spike this bill in the next session.
Provisions affected by this include:
1. State and local governments will not have to verify employment eligibility for another year. Apparently, we need to wait another year for even the government to check if a prospective employee is using a stolen identity. Note: the provision requiring state contractors to verify eligibility was already set to 2009 by the bill sponsor.
2. Criminal illegal immigrants booked into prison will not have their status checked and be turned over to ICE until 2009. That means they can/will still be turned back out onto our streets.
3. You can lay-off a legal worker and replace that worker with an illegal worker with no State consequences until mid 2009.
4. Illegal immigrants can continue to receive taxpayer funded public benefits until mid 2009.
For the full list of affected measures go to the bill text and read the ‘Highlighted Provisions’ section (lines 11 through 63). Note: the link is to the original bill, prior to amendment (the amended bill text is still unavailable).
In terms of the voice vote, I understand that Senators Jenkins, Stephenson, and Killpack joined with Democrats in delaying implementation. However, they are not the only Republicans that did so. I will try to get a full list. In the meantime, contact your Senator and ask how they voted on the Jenkins amendment (feel free to let me know their response).
So on to the House we go. Again, contact (801-538-1029) your Representative (Rep lookup) and ask them to support this bill and that the only acceptable amendment would be to strike Senator Jenkins amendment unnecessarily delaying implementation off until July, 2009.
Depending how things fair in the House, soon you will also want to contact Governor Huntsmanb (801-538-1000) who’s administration is poor on this subject.
SB 81 is coming up for a final vote (likely today). The bill still includes a provision on employment eligibility verification (via SSA-ICE E-Verify) but the opposition is trying to take out this provision. I’m going to provide some background first:
First, it is noteworthy that the E-Verify provision in the bill only applies to the State and businesses contracting to provide goods/services to the State. The provision would only protect your tax money from going to identity thieves (including illegal immigrants). Although, this provision has very limited applicability and only applies to tax money, it appears to be the biggest target of opposing groups.
Here’s what SB 81 will do:
1. Terminate driver priviledge cards for illegal immigrants
2. Allow police agencies to enter ICE’s 287(g) program
3. Initiate a limited employment eligibility verification program
a) This is limited as it solely applies to the State and it’s contractors (the majority of business is NOT included)
b) If the State or it’s contractor get a new hire, they must use SSA/ICE’s E-Verify to assure that the potential hire is legally able to work in the United States and is not using a stolen Social Security Number (SSN identity theft).
Who would use a stolen SSN for work (and why the provision applies to much more than illegal immigrants)?
1. Illegal immigrants (click here for a brief explanation of why this is the case)
2. Fugitives (such as the King of Child Porn)
3. Deatbeat moms and dads (seeking to avoid court ordered wage garnishment etc)
4. Miscellaneous identity thieves (wish to hide the identity for other reasons)
It is also worth noting that those using a false SSN commit several felonies (document fraud, falsifying and I-9 form etc) AND they typically target children’s identities, in particular.
So why the opposition?
Bluntly put, it makes it harder for State contractors, who want your tax money, to outbid ethical employers by hiring cheap, illegal labor - thereby helping cut costs and provide a lower bid. Additionally, this provision also makes unsrupulous companies who hire various illegal labor, nervous. They don’t want the provision to gain traction and, one day, be extended to all - this is the case in Arizona and Oklahoma. They want to “nip this in the bud”. However, such practices have the end result of exploiting children’s and our identities (see the videos below for real world examples).
Further, illegal immigrant supporters don’t want them hindered from obtaining employment. They don’t appear to have any qualms with the identity theft and felonies committed in getting the jobs.
The opponents strategy seems focused on arguing that this is a Federal issue and will handle it (the Fed will NOT be doing anything about it), that we should just study this for another year (put it in the study bill and effectively kill any/all proposed reforms), and the perennial last result is to call people racists. Lobbyists are hard at work to kill this and the only thing keeping it alive is the larger than expected citizen demand (and expectation) that the Legislature take on illegal immigration reform.
What action is needed?
Continue to exert pressure on Senators and Representatives:
1. Call the Sponsor and Senate Leadership politely stating that you want them to support SB81 as it stands without further amendment and expect action (amendments are out there to kill the aforementioned verification provision):
Senate Operator (801)538-1035
Sponsor - Senator Hickman (email)
Senate President - Senator Valenite (email)
Majority Leader - Senator Bramble (email)
It is also worth politely contacting Senator Jenkins (sponsor of the ’study bill’) who’s indicated support of SB81.
2. Call your Representative. State House Operator: (801)538-1029
One of the greatest ignored victims of illegal immigration are those who’ve had their identities stolen. I’ve discussed why illegal immigration and identity theft are interrelated (plenty of background links in that post as well) - they need the SSN to work (and get credit lines etc). Unfortunately, children are the prime targets of this type of identity theft.
On Sunday, the Standard Examiner ran an editorial that the legislature needed to be more humane in their handling of State illegal immigration measures. The editorial focused only on the illegal immigrants and entirely ignored their victims. This isn’t the first time the media has chosen to ignore those impacted (see this response to a similar 2007 Editorial in the Park Record). From the Standard’s editorial:
Early last week, the Immigration Policy Coalition held a news conference at the Capitol. Its members include the Utah Manufacturers Association, the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Utah Farm Bureau, and the message was a plea for gaining knowledge before taking action. Speakers argued against “onerous” and “burdensome” mandates to businesses that might be employing undocumented workers.
The Immigration Policy Coalition is urging passage of Senate Bill 97, sponsored by Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City. The measure would create a task force to study the various issues related to immigration policy and enforcement, and make recommendations.
First, the task force idea is a sham. We’ve been dealing with this subject for years and now is the time for action. The task force is simply a political ploy to kill the subject but give legislators the ability to spin and say they ‘addressed’ the issue this year.
Second, the Utah Manufacturer’s Association et al. have a complaint about “onerous” mandates. The proposed mandates they are referring to is employer identity verification using SSA-ICE’s E-Verify system. The system allows an employer to verify that their new employee is providing a legitimate SSN and not one that has been stolen. The system is web-based and, as I understand, returns a result within 15 seconds. Further, this system protects against all identity thieves (not just illegal immigrants) - fugitives, deadbeat parents, and other ID thieves will find it much harder to obtain employment. Additionally, such verification has helped capture fugitives such as the “King of Child Porn”. The only onerous part of these mandates is that the manufacturers and their cohorts will find it harder to employ cheap illegal labor (be it a fugitive or illegal immigrant) at the expense of our children’s identities.
Additionally, what about those people from Sudan, Zimbabwe, Tibet and the myriad of countries who don’t have borders attached to ours? These countries are typically much poorer and more oppressed than those bordering us. Those peoples can’t just run out across our border and that’s unfair. Why are we, effectively, only catering to those who have the greatest access - we ought to cater to all and make it fair.
Ultimately, the editorial and these calls for humanity are asking us to turn a blind eye to the victims and to our laws. That is not something most of us are willing to do, as demonstrated by the 2007 amnesty push. This issue has been around for years and the federal government has failed to address it and will, in the foreseeable future continue to avoid addressing the problem. In the meantime, our children’s identities (as well as our own) continue to be compromised. It is time to take action. As such I would urge folks to call the Senate (801-538-1035) and ask to leave a message for your Senator (Legislator lookup). Ask them to support Hickman’s SB81. While most employers are left our, the bill will mandate government and it’s contractors to verify employees identities before giving them your tax money. The bill will also revoke certain tax funded benefits and allow ICE’s 287(g) to be implemented.
Finally, I’ve noticed more services are available to check your and your children’s SSN to verify no one else is using it. I would highly recommend doing so. One service I’ve used is UCOURTS and have been quite satisfied with it. I haven’t tried any others thus far to comment on them, however. You may also click here for all my posts involving identity theft.
Utah’s U.S. senators told the Legislature on Tuesday that changes to federal immigration laws won’t occur until after the next president takes office — and possibly longer.
<snip>
“I think the prediction it may be as long as five years is probably true,” Bennett said.
It is called the Merida Initiative. Malkin (actauly, a reader) broke this one. It appears to be another back room deal in the making. For full background, information and associated links:
Time to call your Senators and Representative. It sounds like they won’t know much about it either but it would be nice if they rapidly get informed about this.
