Former Immigration Official Gets Prison Term for Harboring Illegal Immigrant

The Associated Press
Friday, March 7, 2008; 5:05 PM

A former top investigator in the internal affairs office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has been sentenced to one year in prison for harboring an illegal immigrant who also was his girlfriend.

Forty-nine-year-old Lloyd W. Miner, of Centreville, was convicted in December by a jury at the federal courthouse in Alexandria.

His 21-year-old girlfriend, originally from Mongolia, was sentenced to one month in prison for conspiracy to commit identification fraud.

Prosecutors said Miner met the woman in 2005, gave her a black Volkswagen convertible and allowed her to live in his home.

Miner had been the assistant chief of internal affairs investigations for Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Anti Illegal Immigration Effort Takes Hold in Md.

By Pamela Constable
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 23, 2008; B01

Of all the communities in Prince George's County, tiny Mount Rainier seemed a fitting place to pass a broad sanctuary law for illegal immigrants. After all, the ethnically diverse city of 9,000 already prohibits its police force from enforcing federal immigration laws and inquiring about a person's citizenship status.

But when the five-member City Council sat down to consider sanctuary status, dozens of angry speakers from Mount Rainier and beyond crowded into public hearings to oppose the measure. The debate not only split neighbors but drew activists from across the state who are concerned about illegal immigration.

This week, the council tabled the resolution, citing the divisiveness. "I think it's pretty much dead," said council member Jimmy Tarlau, who lobbied for the proposal.

Maryland's nascent movement against illegal immigration, which began with protests over a day-laborer center in Gaithersburg, is moving beyond Montgomery County as advocates reach out more broadly, to African Americans and other groups and to rural counties.

"I have nothing against anyone who wants to come to America, but don't expect us to open our arms if you are not willing to do what it takes to become a citizen," said Natalie McKinney, a newly minted activist who hands out leaflets at her gym in Waldorf, at crowded bus stops and at a farmer's market in La Plata.

McKinney's message is new not only to Charles County, where she heads a fledgling chapter of Help Save Maryland, a group that opposes illegal immigration. It is also new to Maryland's African American community, which until now had been largely silent on the issue or had found common cause with the struggle of Latino immigrants.

In contrast with Virginia, where a fast-growing movement against illegal immigrants has prompted several counties in the past year to call for restricting services, Maryland has appeared more welcoming toward its Latino populace, now estimated at more than 500,000, including tens of thousands of illegal immigrants.

The core of Maryland's small movement against illegal immigration has been in suburban Montgomery, where members began organizing last year to oppose a day-laborer center in Gaithersburg that helps Latino immigrants find jobs regardless of their legal status.

Until recently, the groups were considered a fringe minority in a state with a tradition of liberal politics. Civil rights groups, labor unions and black church leaders across Maryland have embraced the immigrant cause as an echo of their own struggles.

"There are some who want to create a schism between African Americans and Latinos, but we need more black-brown coalitions. In one way or another, we are all immigrants," said the Rev. Jamila Wood Jones, an African Methodist Episcopal pastor in La Plata. "This is a land of opportunity, not a place where we want to make criminals out of people who come to make a better life for their families."

Recently, a group of Maryland lawmakers with family ties to a dozen countries launched a pro-immigrant committee called the New Americans Caucus, which they said was aimed at keeping national anti-immigrant sentiment out of Maryland politics and at fighting legislative proposals that target illegal immigrants.

In recent months, however, the movement against illegal immigration has gained altitude across the state, with groups such as Help Save Maryland recruiting members and forming chapters.

The surge has been driven in part by fears of immigrant flight from Virginia and in part by several controversial issues, such as a state proposal that would have allowed illegal immigrants to obtain special driver's licenses. That plan was ultimately rejected by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D).

"The epicenter is still Montgomery, but we are getting members in many other counties now," said Brad Botwin, a Rockville resident who heads Help Save Maryland and speaks at meetings across the state. "This is not like the Ellis Island time, when my grandparents came. We cannot afford to build schools and clinics and job centers for people who came here illegally."

This message has begun to resonate in unexpected corners of the state. In Carroll County, the largely white farming community of Taneytown recently debated, then rejected, a resolution to keep out illegal immigrants. In Charles County, African American activists such as McKinney are beginning to solicit support from their neighbors.

In Prince George's County, a racially and economically diverse jurisdiction whose Latino population has grown rapidly in some neighborhoods, the issue of job competition from poorly paid illegal immigrants has aroused concern among some African Americans. Until recently, though, there were virtually no organized groups raising the issue.

When Mount Rainier proposed becoming a "sanctuary city," like Takoma Park in Montgomery County, Help Save Maryland joined some residents in lobbying against it.

Such a regulation, Botwin said, does not stop federal authorities from enforcing immigration laws. "It's irresponsible for our elected officials to put in policies like this," he said. "It's unnecessary."

Joe Robbins, a Mount Rainier resident who testified in favor of the law, saw the immigration issue differently. "Isn't it similar to the one that this country was founded on, that of 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free'?"

Elsewhere, Green Line riders are likely to encounter Pree Glenn-Grayves, a legal secretary, handing out leaflets at every stop on her commute home from the District. For Glenn-Grayves, the issue hit home the day her husband discovered that many customers of his home remodeling business had switched to firms that hired Latino workers, paid lower wages and were able to make lower bids on renovation jobs.

Angry and frustrated, Glenn-Grayves said she turned to the Internet and discovered the Web site of Help Save Manassas, which led her to Help Save Maryland. Nine months after signing on as a volunteer, she has become its county coordinator.

"You'd be amazed how many African Americans are incensed about this. A lot of them are still in the closet, but I am being flooded with e-mails," she said. "The black and Latino movements have nothing to do with each other. We want to help the civil rights of our citizens, not of the people who invade our country, take our jobs and drag themselves across the border so they can have U.S. citizen babies."

Pro-immigrant groups say the clout of Help Save Maryland and its allies is still minimal. They assert that the great majority of state residents, even if unhappy about problems associated with illegal immigration, are opposed to harsh measures against immigrants. Taneytown's City Council eventually rejected a proposal to make the community a "sanctuary" from illegal immigrants, and the General Assembly has routinely killed proposals to deny services or legal rights to illegal immigrants.

"If groups like Help Save Maryland exist now, we consider that a price of our success in retaining Maryland as a positive place for immigrants," said Kim Propeack, an activist with Casa de Maryland, a state-funded group that runs five day-laborer centers. "Most Marylanders are not comfortable with undocumented immigrants, and they believe we have a broken system. But they want constructive dialogue and solutions."

In trying to enlist public support, new activists such as McKinney and Glenn-Grayves seem to face an uphill battle. Most people accept their leaflets politely, and some express concern. But few seem eager to get involved. Last week, at the farmers market in La Plata, a woman selling vegetables told McKinney that she had mixed feelings.

"I don't want to see people be ostracized if they have been mistreated in their home countries," said Joan Bowling, who has lived in Charles County for 30 years. McKinney pointed out that many immigrants enter the country illegally, some commit crimes and many do not learn English.

"I see what you mean," Bowling said, tucking away the leaflet. "I'm with you on that. They should do it legally."

At the Branch Avenue Metro stop, where Glenn-Grayves often tries to start conversations, an assortment of commuters expressed concern about such issues as job competition from Latino workers and overcrowded rental housing. But they also expressed sympathy for hardworking immigrants trying to survive.

"I disapprove of people living 20 to a house, using public services and not paying taxes. There should be stronger laws," said Norman Brown, 57, who works for a firm that organizes trade shows. "But these immigrants do the jobs a lot of our younger people won't do, and once they settle down with families, it may be too late to send them back. I have strong feelings, but this is not an easy issue."

Staff writer Jackie Spinner contributed to this report.

NAACP Djokens' Support for Illegal Aliens Disturbing

Guy Djoken, Frederick County NAACP branch president, fails to make a compelling case against Commissioner Charles A. Jenkins’ proposal to end county funding for organizations that aid and abet illegal aliens (The Gazette, Sept. 6).

Instead of condemning Commissioner Jenkins, his much-needed proposal should be commended and supported by all citizens in Frederick County. Taxpayer dollars should never be used to fund groups like the Frederick Community Action Agency or CASA of Maryland that help those who have broken the law to enter and stay in Maryland.

Despite Mr. Djoken’s misguided sermon about ‘‘creating personal relationships and circles of support that will not tolerate suffering and indignity,” the bottom line is that illegal aliens have no moral or legal right to be in Maryland.

They are uninvited guests who abuse our social services, schools, hospitals, housing, law enforcement and criminal justice system.

Even more disturbing was Mr. Djoken’s attempt to compare the decade’s earlier struggles of black citizens with disenfranchisement to the issue of ‘‘rights” for illegal aliens in our communities. Supporting diversity and community spirit are noble objectives, but don’t attempt to lump illegal aliens into the mix.

I suggest Mr. Djoken take a few moments from his crusade to read a recent article by Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, titled ‘‘Get Serious: More Immigrants Mean Fewer Jobs for Blacks”, published in the Urban League Opportunity Journal, this past summer.

Mr. Djoken may find that he is out of touch with his clientele on illegal immigration, as is Gov. Martin O’Malley and most other Maryland politicians.

The members of HelpSaveMaryland.com look forward to participating in the Oct. 2 public hearing to support Commissioner Jenkins’ proposal before the board.

Brad Botwin

The Quiet Invasion: Illegals In Maryland - Part I

Reprint from the Last Reporter - First of a multi part report

August 19, 2007
Last Reporter - Chet Dembeck

Editor's note: This is the first part of a multi-part series where Last Reporter will explore Maryland's growing illegal immigration problem. The series will also examine the politicians, nonprofit advocates and businesses that are fostering this quiet invasion, and the economic conditions that are fueling it. Last Reporter will attempt to define the negative consequences of illegal immigration is having on Maryland and show what the average citizen can do to voice his or her opposition to this economic, cultural and legal threat to our state and country. The series will also explore some real solutions to this serious issue.

The Quiet Invasion

Illegal immigration and illegal aliens were two terms that never entered the minds of most Marylanders until the mid-1990s.

Unlike Western and Southwestern states such as California,Texas and New Mexico, Maryland had never experienced the massive influx of illegal aliens it has come to know, until the last decade.

At first, the average citizen didn't know what to make of the phenomena.

But soon, residents of towns throughout the state began to see large groups of Latino men gathering on their street corners running over to and surrounding the trucks of small and larger business owners, who would show up everyday to hire them.

As of 2000, the Pew Hispanic Center estimates Maryland's illegal population had swollen to 225,000 to 275,000 -- and growing.

Cheap labor for employers but costly for taxpayers

Local businesses hired and continue to hire this labor because it is cheap in so many ways.

In reality, it gives business owners a way to shift the cost of their operations onto taxpayers and their competitors, who are playing by the rules.

For example, employers hire illegals because they can pay them under the table and not withhold federal, state and FICA taxes, which is required by law when hiring legal immigrants or U.S. citizens.

In a recent study, the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank, found that illegal immigrants only paid 2 percent of the region's taxes, while they made up more than 4 percent of its households.

This simply means the vast majority of illegals pay no taxes.

It also means those hiring them do not have to pay workman's comp, or contribute toward the illegals' medical benefits or unemployment insurance.
For more:

So when an illegal worker gets injured on the job or becomes ill, he is often driven to the nearest emergency room and dropped off.

Since federal law forbids hospitals from refusing anyone medical care regardless of their ability to pay, illegals are treated in emergency rooms, which is the most costly and inefficient method of providing health care.

It also means that citizens, who may have a true emergency, are often faced with crowded emergency rooms, with doctors busy seeing illegal alien patients suffering from such minor ailments as colds or upset stomachs.

Since most illegals have no insurance and cannot pay, hospitals absorb the costs, and at the end of the year show these charges as unpaid bills.

Health insurance premiums raised

In some states, such hospitals with too many bad debts are forced to close their doors. But in the Free State, the Maryland Health Care Commission steps in and simply allows the hospitals with bad debts to raise their rates for all of us.

This is part of the reason, you and I face 20% to 30% health insurance premium increases every year.

In effect, you and I are subsidizing the health care benefits for the cheap labor unscrupulous businesses use to increase their profits and gain an edge against their more law abiding competitors.

This is no accident.

The oligarchy running the Mexican government offers no economic opportunity for its uneducated masses and encourages them to go North in an attempt to systematically transfer the cost of its citizens' health care to states such as Maryland.

In addition to depressing wages for entry-level, citizen workers, illegals cost Maryland taxpayers an estimated $331 million annually -- just to provide them basic services such as education and to cover incarceration costs, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

In 2010, FAIR estimates illegal aliens will cost Maryland taxpayers $551 million and by 2020 nearly $1 billion.

Cultural Cost

But aside from the dollars-and-cents issues, the quiet invasion of Maryland by illegals is exacting a major toll on the state's language and culture.

For example, all of our state agencies have been forced to hire interpreters for Spanish speakers, and in some areas, signs are now in English and Spanish.
In fact, Spanish has become the dominant language being spoken is large portions of Montgomery County and other parts of Maryland.
A new study by FAIR shows that limited English proficiency is rising in Maryland schools, as are the costs of teaching children in Spanish.

But it's just not our language that is suffering, it is our culture.

Unlike my great grandfather, who had to pass a physical, sign a statement renouncing his former country and its leaders, and be expected to speak English when he entered the state -- illegals have no such obligations.

In many cases, they have no desire to assimilate, and since they came to our state by breaking the law, they have no respect for it.

No, from the get go, they have and are being taught that obeying the law is an inconvenience, which does not apply to them and it keeps them from getting what they want.

So, it is not surprising that some illegal aliens are joining dangerous street gangs, doing nothing to assimilate into our culture, and only want to make money and wire it to destinations South of the border.

That is not to say that all illegal aliens fall into these categories, but the fact is -- at the very least -- they are guilty of jumping in front of hundreds of thousands who have been patiently waiting in line for years to get a chance to migrate to Maryland legally.

How did it happen?

How we reached this point in the quiet invasion of Maryland is similar in many ways to the non-fiction story "The Perfect Storm," depicting the horrific storm in 1991 that formed off the coast of Gloucester Massachusetts and was responsible for the demise of many fishermen.

*We will continue this discussion in Part Two of "The Quiet Invasion." *

The Propaganda of Hate

Friday, August 17, 2007

The following letter was posted on Stand With Me
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, August 15, 2007DATELINE: ROCKVILLE, MD 8/1/07Why is it that whenever Mr. Torres, of CASA, is questioned about his operations that the 'H' or 'R' word is used with such profusion. He finds fault with our Freedom of Information Act only when it is his information in question.

Recently the Help Save Maryland organization sought details as to the use of public funds dispersed to CASA with no strings attached. This, or any, group has an obligation to its constituents to find out how our tax dollars are spent and to make certain it is used to support legal operations. I hope that Mr. Torres would agree.

It does not surprise me that neither Big Ike Leggett nor his mouthpiece Mr. Lacefield cannot provide evidence of lawful activity and the proper use of my money by CASA or any organization that might come hat in hand for a public dole. If our County Executive cannot provide such answers then why do we have a county executive? Mr. Leggett, as his predecessor Doug Duncan, has put themselves above such things as accountability and credibility.

Mr. Leggett's perceived ignorance and Mr. Torres reaction would have me believe that our money has not been well spent. Is our money going to aid legal immigrants, as Mr. Torres claims, or did our dollars become a another payoff to unregistered agents of foreign governments?Mr. Torres should be now understand that words like 'hate' and 'racists' are fast disappearing as a method of distraction. Words like these are used to hide the facts from public view. If Mr. Torres' books are in order then he has nothing to hide.

U.S. Set for a Crackdown on Illegal Hiring

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has been searching high and low for a forum where someone would actually agree with him on his lawless position on Illegal Worker Pickup Centers (aka Day Laborer Centers). Well he found one today at the radical "Center for American Progress" in DC. On a panel with the Deputy Mayor of New Haven, CT (Home of ID cards for illegals) and the ACLU Director for PA (fighting the good citizens of Hazelton, PA) Ike was in good company. Love the panel description - " made up of elected officials and litigators at the center of this controversial issue will discuss their insights on the ordinances, the impact they have on communities of color, and the implications the ordinances present for the national immigration debate."

I hope Ike had a chance to catch today's New York Times article. He may be losing some key supporters and possibly members of his inner circle in the near future.

Help Save Mayland


August 8, 2007, New York Times
By JULIA PRESTON

In a new effort to crack down on illegal immigrants, federal authorities are expected to announce tough rules this week that would require employers to fire workers who use false Social Security numbers. Officials said the rules would be backed up by stepped-up raids on workplaces across the country that employ illegal immigrants.

After first proposing the rules last year, Department of Homeland Security officials said they held off finishing them to await the outcome of the debate in Congress over a sweeping immigration bill. That measure, which was supported by President Bush, died in the Senate in June. Now administration officials are signaling that they intend to clamp down on employers of illegal immigrants even without a new immigration law to offer legal status to millions of illegal immigrants already in the workforce.

The approach is expected to play well with conservatives who have long demanded that the administration do more to enforce existing immigration laws, but it could also lead to renewed pressure from businesses on Congress to provide legal status for an estimated six million unauthorized immigrant workers. “We are tough and we are going to be even tougher,” Russ Knocke, the spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said yesterday. “There are not going to be any more excuses for employers, and there will be serious consequences for those that choose to blatantly disregard the law.”

Experts said the new rules represented a major tightening of the immigration enforcement system, in which employers for decades have paid little attention to notices, known as no-match letters, from the Social Security Administration advising that workers’ names and numbers did not match the agency’s records.
Illegal workers often provide employers with false Social Security numbers to qualify for a job.

Employers, especially in agriculture and low-wage industries, said they were deeply worried about the new rules, which could force them to lay off thousands of immigrant workers. More than 70 percent of farmworkers in the fields of the United States are illegal immigrants, according to estimates by growers’ associations.

“Across the employer community people are scared, confused, holding their breath,” said Craig Regelbrugge, co-chairman of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform, a trade organization. “Given what we know about the demographics of our labor force, since we are approaching peak season, people are particularly on edge.”

The expected regulations would give employers a fixed period, perhaps up to 90 days, to resolve any discrepancies between identity information provided by their workers and the records of the Social Security Administration. If workers’ documents cannot be verified, employers would be required to fire them or risk up to $10,000 in fines for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

Immigrant rights groups and labor unions, including the A.F.L.-C.I.O., predicted the rules would unleash discrimination against Hispanic workers. They said they were preparing legal challenges to try to stop them from taking effect. Some Republican lawmakers welcomed the administration’s stance. “If they shut off the jobs magnet in the workplace in a way that shows they are serious about restoring the rule of law, then I’m encouraged,” said Representative Steve King of Iowa.

The new rules codify an uneasy partnership between the Department of Homeland Security, which enforces the immigration laws, and the Social Security Administration, which collects identity information from W-2 tax forms of about 250 million workers each year, so it can credit the earnings in its system.
Mark Hinkle, a spokesman for Social Security, said the agency expected to send out about 140,000 no-match letters to employers this year, covering more than eight million workers. After the rules are announced, the agency is anticipating a surge in requests from employers seeking to clarify workers’ information, Mr. Hinkle said.

Social Security issues letters only to employers who have more than 10 workers whose numbers do not match, when those workers represent at least one-half of 1 percent of the company’s workforce, Mr. Hinkle said. The agency cannot verify which mismatches came from immigrants who presented false Social Security numbers when they applied for jobs, he said. Mismatches also occur because of clerical errors, or when workers marry and forget to inform Social Security that they changed their names. Several federal studies in recent years have found significant error rates in the Social Security database.

“We don’t know and we don’t speculate” about the reasons for mismatches, Mr. Hinkle said. The new rules will clarify steps employers can take to avoid being accused of knowingly hiring illegal immigrants, officials said. According to the draft, employers would be given 14 days after receiving a no-match letter to check for clerical errors and consult with the employee to correct mistakes. If the discrepancies are eliminated and new, valid work papers are filed within the fixed period, employers would enjoy a “safe harbor” from penalties.

The rules proposed last year brought a storm of criticism from both employers and workers groups. In a formal comment, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. said the rules would “harm all workers regardless of immigration status.” “The enforcement is only on the immigration side,” Ana Avendaño, associate general counsel for the A.F.L.-C.I.O, said yesterday. “They don’t do any labor inspection. So they are just giving employers another tool to repress workers’ rights.” Even large companies that do not hire many low-skilled immigrants would be affected by the rules, lawyers said.“It’s going to be a big change for almost every company,” said Cynthia J. Lange, an immigration lawyer in California.

Muzaffar A. Chishti, a director of the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group, said, “If this is strictly enforced there could be massive layoffs of workers.” But Mr. Chishti said that illegal immigrant workers might not leave the labor force but would apply for jobs at other businesses using the same invalid documents. He predicted the market for forged documents would grow. “A lot of employers are saying, ‘We just can’t handle this,’ ” said Laura Reiff, co-chairwoman of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, which represents employers in low-skilled industries. She said the rules might lead to new pressure from business on Congress to reconsider measures granting legal status to illegal immigrants.

Help Save MD Event -Aug 1, 8-9am, Rockville

Help Save Maryland will have a sidewalk press conference Wednesday August 1, 2007, 8-9am on the sidewalk in front of County Executive Ike Leggett's office, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville 20850.

Please join us as we present Leggett and the County Council with a detailed Freedom of Information request regarding the County Funded Day Laborer Centers and funding for CASA of Maryland.

On street parking is available or take the Metro Redline to Rockville Station and cross over to Monroe Street.

See you Wednesday morning! Spread the word!

Brad Botwin


“HELP SAVE MARYLAND SIDEWALK PRESS CONFERENCE”
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) REQUEST FILED

Help Save Maryland will conduct a Press Conference on the sidewalk in front of Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett’s office, from 8-9 a.m., Wednesday, August 1, 2007, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville 20850.

Concerned citizens of Montgomery County will read a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request regarding operations at the County-funded Day Laborer Centers and County financial support for the pro-illegal alien group CASA of Maryland. The FOIA request will then be hand delivered to Mr. Leggett and Montgomery County Council President Praisner for immediate action.

As taxpaying citizens, we have the right to know who is using the County-funded Day Labor Centers and if the employers are paying their federal, state and social security taxes. We are also concerned about the cozy relationship between Ike Leggett, the County Council and CASA of Maryland. Millions of dollars of taxpayer funds are funneled into CASA for a variety of questionable programs and initiatives. The citizens of Montgomery County want a full accounting of this wasteful spending.

Montgomery County has been placed in the crosshairs of the illegal immigration issue because our elected officials refuse to enforce the law and protect our citizens. Montgomery County is a haven for illegal aliens who overrun our schools, housing and abuse our hospitals and other social services. Just recently, federal agents arrested a local restaurant owner for harboring illegal immigrants, laundering money, and not paying taxes; prosecuted MS-13 gang members for murder and rape; and arrested a major Mexican drug lord in Wheaton. These are clear signs that Ike Leggett, the County Council and the Montgomery County police are not doing their jobs.

Help Save Maryland will become very active in fighting the elected politicians who selectively enforce the law for their own personal benefit. We ask all Montgomery County taxpayers to support our efforts. Call Ike Leggett and the County Council and demand funding for CASA of Maryland and any social services for illegal immigrants be STOPPED.

Contact HelpSaveMaryland@comcast.net for more information on how you can help

www.HelpSaveMaryland.com

Concerned citizen groups multiply

Article published Jul 21, 2007

July 21, 2007

By Natasha Altamirano - Recent lobbying by grass-roots organizations to force tougher enforcement of immigration laws in Prince William and Loudoun counties is inspiring similar groups to form in other Virginia localities and even across the state line in Maryland.

Residents concerned about the negative effects of illegal aliens recently formed Help Save Virginia Beach, the fourth chapter of the umbrella group Help Save Virginia.

Aubrey Stokes, founder of the flagship group Help Save Herndon, said concerned residents have contacted him from Annandale, Culpeper and Henrico County.

"Citizens can see they can make a difference," Mr. Stokes said. "There's the old saying: Think globally, act locally."

Corey A. Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, said the grass-roots efforts of Help Save Manassas were instrumental in drumming up support for a resolution county officials adopted July 10 that restricts public services for illegal aliens.

"The group played a very large role in the illegal immigration crackdown that the board is pursuing," said Mr. Stewart, at-large Republican. "They played a very helpful role in providing some of the research for the measures that the board took and they were also effective at generating public interest and turnout."

The resolution requires police officers to ask about immigration status in all arrests if there is probable cause to believe that a suspect has violated federal immigration law. The resolution also requires county staff to verify a person's legal status before providing certain public services.

Loudoun Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio thanked Help Save Loudoun and Help Save Herndon after the Loudoun board adopted a similar resolution on July 17.

Mr. Delgaudio, Sterling District Republican who introduced the resolution, said the groups held public forums for residents, candidates and elected officials.

"They've been working on these issues for years," he said. "They've done everything that a traditional, nonprofit educational group is supposed to do."

Help Save Herndon helped organize a chapter in Maryland, which has scheduled a protest today at a taxpayer-funded day-labor center in Derwood.

Help Save Maryland founder Brad Botwin said he wants to remind Montgomery County Executive Isiah "Ike" Leggett that some county residents still oppose the center, which opened in April and is one of four operated by CASA of Maryland.

"I think this is the best way to show Mr. Leggett that we're alive and kicking," Mr. Botwin said. "Someone is speaking out — that's the most important thing."

Mr. Botwin said he and other opponents of the day-labor center have received little feedback from county and state officials.

Montgomery County spokesman Patrick Lacefield said Mr. Leggett, a Democrat, and county officials always have been open to discussions with residents on a variety of issues.

"The problem they have is basically we don't agree with them — it's not that we don't talk to them or listen to them," Mr. Lacefield said.

The center generated more than 700 jobs last month. There have been no reports of negative incidents involving the workers, he said, but in early May a deliberately set fire slightly damaged the trailer that houses the center.

Montgomery County's population increased from 873,341 in 2000 to 932,131 in 2006, U.S. Census Bureau figures show. The Hispanic population increased from about 11.5 percent to 13.6 percent in the same period.

Prince William County's population increased from 281,813 in 2000 to 357,503 in 2006, according to census figures. The Hispanic population nearly doubled during that period, from about 9.7 percent to 18 percent.

In Loudoun County, the population increased from 169,599 in 2000 to 268,817 in 2006. The Hispanic population increased from about 5.9 percent in 2000 to 9.3 percent in 2006, according to census data.

Help Save Herndon successfully lobbied for town police to become the first locality in the region to receive immigration-enforcement training under an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security. Officers completed training last month.

Local action is motivated in part by frustration with federal inaction on immigration reform and by the desire to make a difference in the local community, Mr. Stokes said.

"If you're taking a bath and the tub starts to overflow, what are you going to do first: Turn off the water or grab a mop?" he asked. "Local communities — we're the mop. If local communities cannot affect change at the border, which we cannot, most definitely we can start dealing with the consequences."

Day-Laborer Center Draws Protest

Group Against Illegal Immigration Wants County to Stop Funding Facility

By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 22, 2007; C04



A group opposed to illegal immigration held a two-hour protest yesterday in front of a day-laborer center in Montgomery County, calling on elected officials to stop funding the center that the county set up near Gaithersburg.

"Other counties are pushing legislation to stop this," Brad Botwin, one of the organizers, said at the protest yesterday morning. "We're becoming a sanctuary."

Botwin, a federal employee who started Help Save Maryland last year to advocate cutting benefits for illegal immigrants, said he has been hearing from more people who have joined his cause.

"You're seeing PTA members, government workers saying enough is enough," Botwin said. "I'm getting e-mails from across the county, across the state."

Gaithersburg officials, faced with considerable political resistance, had rejected several sites for a center where day laborers could gather to meet employers. In April, the county set up the site just outside the city limits.

One of the protesters who attended yesterday's rally, Gretta Patten, 41, of Rockville used her dachshund, Schroeder, in what she said was her debut as an activist against illegal immigration. The pet, which scurried around protesters who were waving flags and signs looking for spots of shadow, wore two signs fastened to a vest.

One said: "I've got a bone to pick with Ike," referring to County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), who supports the day-laborer center and has said Montgomery will not follow in the footsteps of Prince William and Loudoun counties, where ordinances against illegal immigration have been enacted recently. The dog's other sign said: "This hotdog's got a beef with illegal immigration."

Patten, 41, said her main gripe is about the county's financial support for groups such as Casa de Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group that operates the day-laborer center.

"It's knowing my tax dollars go to people who are breaking the law," she said.

The protest drew members of the Minutemen, a national group founded in Arizona to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border and limit immigration. While the group of about 20 protesters waved to passing motorists near the Shady Grove Metro station, day laborers planted flowers on an unkempt patch of land in front of the center, which operates in a trailer.

Across the street, a slightly larger group of counter-protesters challenged and at times taunted Botwin's group.

"Minutemen, KKK, racist bigots, go away!" the immigrant activists yelled.

Gustavo Torres, executive director of Casa de Maryland, said the anti-illegal immigration protesters represent the view of a "small minority." He said that the center has been a success and that he thinks most people in the county support it and acknowledge the need for it.

"Any organization doing the type of work we do is going to become a target," he said.

Sara Pellecer, an immigrant from Guatemala who was with the day laborers yesterday, said she and other immigrants worry about the anti-immigrant sentiment that appears to be spreading in the region, especially in the wake of the new ordinances in Virginia.

"The measures aren't wise," she said. "They push people toward poverty and despair."

Help Save Maryland Citizens' Rally a Success!

Thank you to all the citizens who took part in today's event at the Day Laborer Center in Derwood. Our numbers clearly exceeded my expectations for a first event. Special thanks to those who drove a great distance to stand with us. And to the Montgomery County Police for allowing ALL parties to express their views without interference. The Police did an excellent job.

The media coverage was excellent with at least 4 TV stations and 4 newspapers in attendance. I think County Executive Ike Leggett will have lots to read and watch on TV this weekend. This is only the beginning of our activities to end taxpayer funding for CASA of Maryland.

The counter-protesters were an "interesting" group to say the least. Glad the MC Police kept those upstanding individuals across the street and out of our way. CASA's illegal alien weed-whacking and flower planting ceremony was quite pathetic as well. I don't believe one illegal alien was hired during our 3 hour event.

I will keep everyone posted on our upcoming activities and events to participate in. Tell you friends and neighbors how well we all did today. Get them to join Help Save MD and contact me. Write letters or e-mails to Leggett, the press and others. Say NO to CASA . Thanks.

Brad Botwin
Help Save Maryland.com

JOIN THE CITIZENS’ RALLY!

NO MORE COUNTY OR STATE TAX DOLLARS FOR
CASA OF MARYLAND

Saturday, July 21, 8 a.m. -11 a.m.
Sidewalk in Front of Day Laborer Center
16642 Crabbs Branch Way, Derwood 20855

Bring your Camera and take Pictures of County Police standing by while CASA aids and abets Businesses openly breaking U.S. Immigration Laws – All with the Blessing of County Executive Leggett!

Proudly Bring Your American and State of Maryland Flags

CONTACT MONTGOMERY COUNTY EXECUTIVE IKE LEGGETT AT OCEMAIL@MONTGOMERYCOUNTYMD.GOV

CONTACT GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY AT 1-800-811-8336

No New TAXES to Subsidize CASA’s activities; No In-State Tuition, Voting Privileges or Drivers’ Licenses for Illegal Aliens; Say NO to all funding for CASA;
Protect and Serve the CITIZENS of MARYLAND”

Directions: METRO-Take the Red Line Metro to Shady Grove -Exit Station East Side Thru Parking Lot Towards Redland Rd. & Crabbs Branch Way – Left on Crabbs Branch

DRIVING–Take I-270 to Shady Grove Exit 8A (East) – Park in Grove Shopping Center at intersection of Shady Grove Road & Crabbs Branch, Derwood 20855

Sponsored By Help Save Maryland www.helpsavemaryland.com

For Information and Volunteer Opportunities E-Mail: HelpSaveMaryland@comcast.net