Just Elvia

"Texas lawmakers are poised to pounce on illegal immigrants when they start their next session in January, filing a slew of get-tough bills including one designed to challenge the automatic citizenship of babies born in the United States." AP, Nov. 25, 2006.

"An off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent was jailed for more than a day after Mexican border officials found 650 rounds of ammunition in his car, authorities said Saturday." AP, Nov. 25, 2006.

"[I]n the 11 months since the law went into effect, not a single human trafficking case has been prosecuted, according to the law`s sponsor, Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View). Police complain the law makes it too difficult to prove that human trafficking has taken place." Los Angeles Times, Nov. 25, 2006.

"The Porter players were used to stopping at the checkpoint on their way to tournaments, including the semifinal match that had led to the championship game. Still, there is something disconcerting about being in your own country and having to identify yourself to a federal agent." Texas Monthly, Nov. 2006.

"For the first time, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps has revealed a smattering of intriguing details on its finances, but some former Texas members say they`re still not sure how the group has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributors` money." Houston Chronicle, Nov. 25, 2006.

Editorial Cartoon by Jeff Parker, Florida Today, Nov. 1, 2006.

"Here are three ideas that would help reduce migration by improving living conditions south of the border, rather than just helping Halliburton, Boeing and other major U.S. defense contractors get richer." Andres Oppenheimer, Nov. 26, 2006.

"Bush`s party lost favor among Hispanics in 2006. Now the new Republican chief has to woo them back." Newsweek, Dec. 4, 2006.

"Thanks to increased security along the Mexican border, thousands of migrant workers who harvest the nation`s fruits and vegetables never showed up for work. Ivicevich`s pears ripened and then just fell off the tree." ABC News, Nov. 24, 2006.

"Look Beneath the Surface: Human Trafficking is Modern-Day Slavery." HHS Administration for Children and Families website.

"Felons on probation and homeless men have filled some of the poultry jobs left by illegal Mexican laborers deported in raids two months ago." Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Nov. 26, 2006.

"The first amendment adds Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32.1, which will require all federal appellate courts to allow citation to their own unpublished and non-precedential opinions issued on or after Jan. 1, 2007. The second amendment, which affects Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 25(a)(2)(D), will authorize federal appellate courts to require electronic filing." Howard Bashman, Nov. 27, 2006.

Friday, November 24, 2006,Calexico: "Mexican border crossing card holders who plan to make an extended visit to the United States during the December holiday season will be able to obtain an essential visit document faster and more conveniently by applying now rather than waiting until the holidays, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced today. Beginning immediately, travelers seeking I-94 documents will be allowed to apply up to 30 days in advance rather than waiting in line during the busy holidays when hundreds of visitors apply daily for the permit. The essential permit, or `laser visa,` costs $6, allows visitors to travel further than 25 miles from the border and to stay up to six months in the U.S." CBP News Release, Nov. 24, 2006.

"The White House is reaching out to leading congressional Democrats on the issue of overhauling immigration, hoping to build a bipartisan coalition to support a "guest worker" program and provide a path to legalized status for many undocumented immigrants, lawmakers and administration officials said." Boston Globe, Nov. 27, 2006.

"Criminal Court Judge John Wilson`s `Hot House Flowers` warns of `effects of unregulated immigration` in a plot line about beautiful flowers that wither when dandelions sneak into their greenhouse." New York Daily News, Nov. 27, 2006.