By Juan Mann
12/31/2003
In January, 2003, I made some predictions about the real grass-roots immigration reform movement and some of its patriots.
The good news was that they all came true — well, sort of.
The bad news for 2003 was that few in Congress or the Bush Administration seem to care — yet. The already pronounced gap between public and "elite" opinion on immigration policy got even worse in 2003.
This situation is not stable and will not last. But it’s very irritating while it does.
Here’s a review of my predictions … and what really happened in 2003
Yes, all three are still unmitigated disasters. But only the lunacy of illegal alien driver’s licenses shows any signs of losing momentum. California voters — God bless 'em! — still frisky from the gubernatorial recall of Gray Davis made sure to keep up the pressure to force the newly-elected Governor "Terminator" and the California legislature to repeal the insane SB-60 illegal alien driver’s license bill.
Most American patriots already know that NAFTA and the "free flow" of trade (with Mexican trucks on American roads) means two things: 1) illegal drugs and illegal aliens go north, and 2) American jobs, laundered money and remittances go south. But few in government seem to mind.
As California implodes with massive budget deficits, the new "Son of Prop. 187" campaign can’t come a moment too soon! But while the Big Apple sleeps — grudgingly repealing illegal alien sanctuary rules — California is way ahead of the rest of the country with its train wreck of illegal immigration and the welfare state. Stay tuned in 2004.
The first annual Kris Eggle award was given in memory of all the fallen U.S. Border Patrol agents in October, 2003. But save Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo and a few courageous others, Congress and the President still aren’t listening. Heroic Border Patrol officers, out-manned and out-gunned, still die from cat and mouse games with illegal aliens and smugglers on our borders.
I guess no one should ever underestimate the insanity of our government. As of Christmas Eve — when the White House thought no one would notice — the illegal alien amnesty (this time by stealth) is back on the table again.
There’s been a lot of action with these three citizen groups on the border in 2003. The technological advances made by Glenn Spencer’s ABP are being investigated for possible use by the U.S. military in Iraq … maybe for the Iraqi border? Chris Simcox and his Civil Homeland Defense volunteers successfully intercepted and possibly saved the lives of hundreds of illegal aliens crossing into Arizona. Jack Foote’s Ranch Rescue group may have gained a boost from being featured in Soldier of Fortune Magazine, but it took a hit after volunteer Casey Nethercott was brought up on aggravated assault charges in South Texas.
The SOF articles in 2003 showed what a group of highly-trained American citizens — in this case, Ranch Rescue volunteers who just happened to be military and law enforcement veterans — could do against marijuana smugglers on the Mexican border. As always in the pages of SOF, the bad guys didn’t stand a chance.
We'll let our beloved readers be the judge …
Despite the efforts of prosecutors, the young illegal alien from Jamaica was given life in prison — thanks to Santa Claus and a Virginia jury the week before Christmas.
But the truth of the matter remains that the carnage Malvo inflicted in and around the Beltway was brought to you courtesy of meddling "immigrant rights" lawyers, the bureaucratic morass of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), and the detention and removal staff at the now abolished INS who released the illegal Jamaican alien from detention in the first place.
At least I got one right!!
Americans are paying attention to Terry Anderson like never before. Terry’s radio show spread like wildfire in syndication across the country this past year. He even testified before Congress in October. Congratulations on a great 2003, Terry!
(Dreaming for 2003 started here … .)
Unfortunately, the well-dressed Secretario Ridge — another political appointee serving in lieu of a law enforcement officer — was too busy dithering about exactly how to phrase his support for illegal alien amnesty than to appoint anyone who might know what is going on with immigration law enforcement.
The bureaucrats of the EOIR are still at large. The humble DeportAliens.com remains a voice crying in the wilderness.
Federal immigration detention remains mandatory for all convicted criminals (except spouse abusers — go figure!), just as Congress said in 1996. But it took a ruling in 2003 by the United States Supreme Court to finally get the message across.
And since the DHS has a finite amount of detention bed space, more illegal alien arrivals are being released into the United States every day — never to be seen again until they commit crimes too.
Actually, thanks to a report from a VDARE.COM reader, I now know that it’s possible. In some northwestern portions of the river — the temperature does drop below freezing.
There’s hope yet!
Juan Mann is a lawyer and the proprietor of DeportAliens.com.
This is a content archive of VDARE.com, which Letitia James forced off of the Internet using lawfare.