"

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — When Mohamed Mejri, a Tunisian immigrant with a limousine business here, first learned that the State Department of Motor Vehicles refused to issue him a new driver’s license, he thought it was a mistake.

After all, he had been a licensed driver in Virginia for years.

But last fall, the department stopped accepting his federally issued work permit, a document that was his main proof that he was in the country legally, because he does not have a green card.

Now, five months later, his business is collapsing, and bill collectors are calling.

Virginia changed its policy in September after an illegal immigrant from Bolivia was charged with hitting and killing a nun while driving drunk in Prince William County.

Her death hardened what was already a strong anti-immigrant mood in the state. Virginia’s governor, Bob McDonnell, announced that work permits would no longer be accepted as proof of legal residence because they could be held by people who, like the Bolivian immigrant, are in deportation proceedings. The governor said other documents would still be accepted.

The permit, called the employment authorization document, allows foreign nationals to work in the United States. It is broadly held, including by many asylum seekers, refugees and foreign students.

For Mr. Mejri, who is 54, the permit is all he has. He fled Tunisia in 1992, and after living in Canada, where he had been granted political asylum, he came to the United States in 2000. American immigration authorities rejected his application for asylum, over an unpaid fine in Canada. By the time it was paid and processed, several years had passed, and he received notice that it was too late to reapply. He then received an administrative order to leave the country, but a federal judge ruled in his favor that he not be deported. Now he is in limbo, in the country legally but without any path to citizenship."

[continues]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/us/18license.html?pagewanted=1&hp

 

Read the rest.  It's f'ing.......

Brilliant!  So he was here legally, running a successful business/"assimilating", with a work permit, and now he's completely F'd. 

All because a Republican Merchant of Fear pandered to panicky white people.

"American immigration authorities rejected his application for asylum, over an unpaid fine in Canada. By the time it was paid and processed, several years had passed"
Whose fault was that? He should have paid his fine on time! When his initial application for asylum was denied, why didnt he obey the law and leave? Like most, he stayed, because we never deport anyone, seemingly...

I have but little sympathy for Mr. Mejri...I do have sympathy for this other family in Virginia, however.

Illegal Immigrant Charged With First-Degree Murder in Virginia

MANASSAS, Va. -- A Salvadoran man who was ordered deported nearly a decade ago but never left has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in a series of shootings and a knife attack in a Virginia suburb of Washington, authorities said Friday.

Jose Oswaldo Reyes Alfaro, an illegal immigrant, was charged in the pair of attacks blocks apart Thursday night that left three people dead and three others injured, Manassas Police Chief Doug Keen said.

Reyes Alfaro knew all of the victims, he said, but police were still sorting out the exact relationships. The county's chief prosecutor said he'll likely seek to upgrade the charges to capital murder, which could carry the death penalty.

The killings touched off further discussion of illegal immigration in Manassas and surrounding www.foxnews.com/topics/politics/prince-william.htm#r_src=ramp" target="_blank" class="r_lapi">Prince William County, which was one of the early flashpoints in the national debate over whether local authorities should play a role in enforcing the nation's immigration laws.

"It's another abject failure of the federal government," said state Delegate Jackson Miller, R-Manassas, a former www.foxnews.com/topics/politics/city-council.htm#r_src=ramp" target="_blank" class="r_lapi">city council member and police officer. "Now we have three innocent victims in my city -- about a mile from my house there's a murderous rampage. I am furious. ... Yet it happens over and over and over again, and then we have to hear all of these apologetic excuses as to why we shouldn't be addressing criminal illegal aliens on the state or local level. It's just disgusting."  Link

Is whatsitnow trying to equate this with all republicans? geez.

I guess the illegals who break the law have no responsibility for stricter laws trying to stop them!? It's the people speaking out about putting tougher laws in place that are at fault not the criminals who've been breaking them.


wheeeeeeeeee

In Response to Re: Collateral Damage of Fear-Mongering About Immigrants:


"Equate"?  Oh, the bitter irony.

Screw darker-skinned person because other darker-skinned persons entered illegally?

You're in favor of collective punishment, then?

PS:  In my post I said "All because a Republican..." 

 "a" is singular.

 For your own sake, learn better English before demanding that government print forms only in English.

In Response to Re: Collateral Damage of Fear-Mongering About Immigrants:


One illegal immigrant did something bad, therefore, punish legal immigrants?

That's narrow-minded even for you, but I can't say I'm surprised.



I figured all the nonsense about being fine with immigrants as long as they assimilate and support themselves was typical Bobin BS.  Lies to cover bigotted fear-mongering.

Why do you use a single article, riddled with unsubstantiated facts, and written by a left-biased tabloid paper make such a generalization on such a huge issue in this country.

Did you think we'd listen to what you wrote, and change our minds?

Oh that's right, you're what's-his-face, never mind.......

In Response to Re: Collateral Damage of Fear-Mongering About Immigrants:


No, I did not think that you would suddenly stop being a bigotted and scared little child.

But, one can dream...one can dream...



And just who do you think you are speaking for?  "We".  HAH!

Don't tell me - you're one of those miserable pissants who get tough when they think they've got a crowd behind them... 

In Response to Re: Collateral Damage of Fear-Mongering About Immigrants:


Again you fail to admit the people committing the crimes that change the laws have some cupability in the problems with the new law.

And I find it offensive and telling how you equate them all as "darker skinned".

Intolerance in the name of tolerance!!

Admit?  There's nothing to admit.

You're simply repeating the bigotted lie of scared Republicans.

That one illegal immigrant violates the law is no reason to screw over self-sufficient business owners who are here lawfully. 

You should be ashamed of yourself.  But that would take, I dunno, morals?  A conscience?

In Response to Re: Collateral Damage of Fear-Mongering About Immigrants:


What fine?  They don't say. 

Have you really never, ever forgotten to pay a bill?  A traffic ticket?  Of course you have, but that doesn't stop you from casting the first stone.


 


"By the time it was paid and processed, several years had passed, and he received notice that it was too late to reapply. He then received an administrative order to leave the country, but a federal judge ruled in his favor that he not be deported."


Because you are a small-minded bigot, you told yourself that the judge must have been a "liberal activist", and you could therefore ignore the fact that the ruling meant the guy was HERE LEGALLY.




OH MY GOD!  I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

Now look here Bobby 'ole pal....  if you want to have any chance of getting Democrats on board with your paranoid immigration policies, you're going to have to come up with real policy ideas.

For example, if as you say, immigration is national suicide because immigrants will use multi-culturalism as a shield, and refuse to assimilate, you need to come up with a good policy reason why we should punish assimilating business owners like Mr. Meija.

Why do you have so much against hard working business owners who are here legally?




Gee, Bobby, being scared of legal immigrants because one illegal immigrant committed a crime isn't a solid policy reason, now is it?

Come on.  You're better than that (I hope).

Always remember, Jesus loves you. Jesus also loves Mr. Meija, right? 

Right?

"That one illegal immigrant violates the law is no reason to screw over self-sufficient business owners who are here lawfully." 

Over 25% of today's federal prison population are illegal aliens. In some areas of the country, 12% of felonies, 25% of burglaries and 34% of thefts are committed by illegal aliens."

Ignoring the "minor crime" such as ID theft and property crimes being committed by illegal aliens, here is a summary on some of the collateral damage reaped in crimes as a result of tolerating illegal aliens in the USA:

• In Los Angeles, 95% of some 1,500 outstanding warrants for homicides are for illegal aliens. About 67% of the 17,000 outstanding fugitive felony warrants are for illegal aliens.
• There are currently over 400,000 unaccounted for illegal alien criminals with outstanding deportation orders. At least one fourth of these are hard core criminals.
• 80,000 to 100,000 illegal aliens who have been convicted of serious crimes are walking the streets. Based on studies they will commit an average of 13 serious crimes per perpetrator.
• Illegal aliens are involved in criminal activities at a rate that is 2-5 times their representative proportion of the population.
• In 1980, our Federal and state facilities held fewer than 9,000 criminal aliens but at the end of 2003, approximately 267,000 illegal aliens were incarcerated in U.S. correctional facilities at a cost of about $6.8 billion per year.