HOSTAGE RELEASED FROM PRISON; REMAINING CUBANS REFUSE TO SURRENDER
ABCNews is reporting that two Cuban detainees have surrendered and released one hostage. According to the sheriff, law enforcement personnel have regained control of the jail's control center, which commands cell locks and lighting systems in the jail.
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STEIN REPORT XXXXX Friday, December 17, 1999 13:54:14 EST XXXXX
CUSTOMS BAGS SUSPECTED TERRORIST; TRIED TO CROSS BORDER WITH FALSE DOCUMENTS
Reports from Washington state indicate a man identified as a French speaking Canadian was apprehended after he fled a border crossing. Inside the man's car were several garbage cans full of a white powder that FBI and other law enforcement agents say may be some type of explosive. Federal law enforcement officials are concerned that any accomplices the man has have already entered the United States.
If you would like to send a letter to your representatives in Congress about Section 110, a program designed to shut off the flow of terrorists who enter the United States, read our letter:
Adopt Effective Controls Against Visa Violators!
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STEIN REPORT XXXXX Thursday, December 16, 1999 18:14:04 EST XXXXX
BUCHANAN ENDORSES VISA MORATORIUM
Presidential hopeful Patrick Buchanan today endorsed denying visas to officials of rogue nations. Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C., Buchanan said: "There are other ways to punish rogue regimes…deny visas to their diplomats and military." Buchanan's remarks highlight Section 243(d) of the 1996 immigration law which requires the State Department to stop granting visas to citizens of countries that refuse or unreasonable delay accepting the deportation of their criminal nationals from the United States. The ban applies to government officials, diplomats, and other non-immigrant visitors from such countries. However, Attorney General Reno has failed to act on the provision.
(More than 3,300 deportable criminal aliens remain in limbo in American detention facilities because their native countries refuse to accept their deportation. This costs U.S. taxpayers more than $80 million each year)
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STEIN REPORT XXXXX Thursday, December 16, 1999 17:44:50 EST XXXXX
ELIAN BECOMES FOOTBALL IN NY SENATE RACE; TAKEN TO NEW SCHOOL IN MIAMI
Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez was treated to a preview of what his Miami relatives hope will become his new school on Wednesday, according to the New York Post. Also yesterday, Elian attended a prayer service in Miami, as protesters again rallied in Havana to demand his return. Public opinion appears to be split, with roughly half of Americans polled favoring returning Elian to Cuba, and half favoring keeping him here.
An ABCNews report says that the case is under high level review in the Immigration and Naturalization Service. According to the report, the final disposition of Elian may be decided by Doris Meissner, Commissioner of the INS rather than Attorney General Janet Reno. Recent news reports suggest that Reno has ceded day to day operations of the Department to deputies. Although Reno indicated in a news briefing earlier this week that she hopes to have a decision made before the end of the year, INS sources indicated that any decision contrary to the wishes of the family in Miami would be challenged in court, and resolution of those lawsuits could take years.
Elian's case was guaranteed more media attention when one of his cousins, Marisleysis Gonzalez, wrote to First Lady "Hillary Rotahm Clinton," asking for her help in making sure Elian remains in the United States. And today, ABCNews reports, Mrs. Clinton has responded with a statement from her spokesman "Certainly the legal procedures currently underway should take into account Elian's wishes, the benefits of growing up in a democracy and the sacrifice his mother made to bring him to freedom." Mrs. Clinton's likely opponent in the New York Senate race, New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani had reportedly proposed having Elian help drop the crystal ball in Times Square on New Year's Eve.
And another two op-ed columnists offer their takes on Elian's situation. Froma Harrop, writing in the Arizona Daily Star, believes that Elian should be returned to Cuba post-haste. Max Castro, Ph.D., at the University of Miami, attacks what he believes is the hypocrisy of exile groups in Miami "It is especially ironic that the very people who have clamored loudest for maintaining the embargo on the sale of food to Cuba, which has a negative impact on the welfare of most children there, now are at the forefront of ensuring the future of this one poster child."
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STEIN REPORT XXXXX Thursday, December 16, 1999 16:23:24 EST XXXXX
CUBAN INMATES STILL HOLD HOSTAGES; DEMAND IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Negotiators from the Immigration and Naturalization Service are still working to secure the release of hostages taken by Cuban detainees at a prison in St. Martinville, Louisiana. The detainees are in INS custody because they cannot be deported to Cuba, which refuses to accept criminal deportees. Late Thursday, the criminal histories of the Cuban prisoners became available, revealing a record of drug-dealing, rape, and robbery.
Inmates who were not part of the group that took hostages left the prison on Wednesday, after showing a white flag. But about 90 inmates, according to the Associated Press remained inside. The inmates appear to have total control of the prison, including the electronic locks and lighting systems.
The demands of the Cubans are being exploited by people opposed to the INS policy of detaining foreigners who should be deported but can not be because their home country does not accept criminals who have been deported from the United States. The New Orleans Times Picayune has constantly updated detailed coverage of this crisis here.
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STEIN REPORT XXXXX Thursday, December 16, 1999 16:05:17 EST XXXXX
IS EXCESSIVE GROWTH INEVITABLE? IMMIGRATION REDUCTION TOUTED AS SOLUTION
Read Al Knight's latest op-ed from the Denver Post to learn more about the connection between uncontrolled immigration and urban sprawl.
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STEIN REPORT XXXXX Thursday, December 16, 1999 12:54:36 EST XXXXX
LA RAZA GALA TO FETE FORMER MAYOR OF ROGERS, ARK.
The National Council of La Raza, which touts strong attachment to poor communities across the nation, has sent out invitations to its annual gala in Washington, D.C. The February 29, 2000 event has a minimum charge of $250 per plate, going up to $6,000 tables for 10 people and it promises to be lucrative event. The honorees for this event include Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL). The other honoree is of special interest to residents of Arkansas - former Mayor John Sampier of Rogers. Why does a former small town mayor rate as highly as national political figures like Schumer and Diaz-Balart?
It seems that Sampier, who presided over the poultry processor Tyson's importation of an immigrant workforce to Rogers, is known for his support of unrestricted mass immigration, and for his attacks against Americans for an Immigration Moratorium, a Rogers based immigration reform group. AIM made national news in its fight to prevent the wholesale takeover of poultry and other jobs by imported foreign workers.
After being faxed a letter by AIM suggesting that people would flee the city due to the highly negative secondary effects of immigration, Sampier responded "If `unhappy longtime residents' or any others are discontented for un-Christian, racist attitudes and choose to leave for such reasons, then I believe my city will be better off for their departure."
But opposition to mass immigration was stronger that Sampier and other local officials realized. He was defeated by a pro immigration reform candidate.
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STEIN REPORT XXXXX Wednesday, December 15, 1999 14:17:12 EST XXXXX
MEXICAN POLICE ACCUSED OF SHOOTING ILLEGAL ALIEN; SHOTS FIRED AFTER CROSSING INTO U.S.
An Associated Press report said that an illegal alien who crossed into the United States was shot in the face by men he described as Mexican Police. The victim described the vehicles of his attackers as being similar to those of Mexican judicial police.
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STEIN REPORT XXXXX Wednesday, December 15, 1999 14:17:12 EST XXXXX
NEW MEXICO DRIVERS LICENSE POLICY CHALLENGED; ILLEGAL ALIENS WOULD BENEFIT UNDER CHANGE
According to the Associated Press, immigrant rights groups are challenging a regulation that requires all drivers license exams to be given in English, even though Spanish and English are the official languages of New Mexico. DMV officials explain that they would potentially have to offer the test in every language if they offer it in any besides English.
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STEIN REPORT XXXXX Wednesday, December 15, 1999 14:09:07 EST XXXXX
PATERNITY PROVED BUT NO EASY RETURN FOR ELIAN'S FATHER; US POLICY UNDER INCREASED SCRUTINY
Reuters reports that U.S. officials declined the offer of a second meeting with Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, made by Cuban officials yesterday. In a broadcast Wednesday, Fidel Castro said that he believes President Clinton wants to return Elian to Cuba. Castro again blamed Cuban exiles in Florida for the delay in the return of Elian.
The policy that some blame for the tragedy surrounding Elian is under increased scrutiny. The Associated Press quoted Brookings Institution scholar James Lindsay as saying "It's a Cold War holdover." Lindsay was referring to the Cuban Adjustment Act, which automatically makes any Cuban who reaches U.S. soil a permanent resident. The Miami Herald also has an analysis of the law.
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Reports are moved when circumstances warrant
(c)STEIN REPORT 1999
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