Tag Archives: immigration

No quorum for Lawrence’s Council meeting on 287(g)

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Three City Council members fell short of forcing a vote Wednesday on the city’s participation in a controversial immigration screening program after the rest of their colleagues skipped a special meeting. The city secretary counted only three members — … Continue reading →

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Who’s ready for the Census?

Posted on October 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that Houston is in pretty decent shape, at least as far as big cities go, in being ready for the 2010 Census. The bad news is that a lot of other big cities aren’t ready at … Continue reading →

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Change in course on 287 (g)

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron notes a change in course on how the city wants to deal with undocumented immigrants. Mayor Bill White is distancing himself from a controversial federal program that trains local law enforcement to identify suspected illegal immigrants, saying this … Continue reading →

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Corruption on the border

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting article from the AP about official corruption along the US-Mexico border. An Associated Press investigation has found U.S. law officers who work the border are being charged with criminal corruption in numbers not seen before, as drug and … Continue reading →

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Parker’s crimefighting plan

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Tis the season for Mayoral candidates to send out position papers on various issues. I’ve gotten a couple in my mailbox in the past few days and want to spend a little time examining them. First up is Annise Parker’s … Continue reading →

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City or county?

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Like Nancy Sims, I was at the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce candidate forum yesterday morning. And like Nancy, I thought this bit was one of the more interesting parts of the debate. Several questions focused on city finances and … Continue reading →

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The immigration question in the Mayor’s race

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Man, we need comprehensive immigration reform we can all live with. The city’s plans to step up cooperation with federal authorities in efforts to deport illegal immigrants is garnering new debate in the 2009 mayoral contest. Latino advocates have pressed … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Irving ordered to switch to single-member Council districts

Posted on July 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

A federal judge has ordered the city of Irving, Texas, to switch to single-member City Council districts because their current at-large system was in violation of the Voting Rights Act. U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis issued the ruling Tuesday in … Continue reading →

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Berman not running for Governor

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That’s too bad, because it means the Republican primary won’t be as mean, nasty, and bats-in-the-belfry crazy as it could have been. But while Leo Berman won’t be in the race, Bermanism will be. Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Leo … Continue reading →

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Will Perry bow to Berman?

Posted on June 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Leo Berman, who’s been threatening to run for Governor so he can personally deport anyone who looks like an undocumented immigrant, is now offering a deal to Governor Perry where he’d drop out and endorse the Governor in … Continue reading →

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Berman says he’s in for Governor

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Finally, the Republican primary for Governor becomes interesting. With plans to join the GOP primary with Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, said today he wil announce as a candidate for governor … Continue reading →

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Outside agitation

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve got to agree with Stace here: Why should anyone in Houston care what some outfit that’s based in Spring thinks about anything related to Houston politics or policies? Last I checked, the citizens of Spring don’t vote in Houston … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Brown and Locke spar over education

Posted on May 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

At a Mayoral forum on Thursday, Gene Locke and Peter Brown get into it over the school system. Gene Locke, the former city attorney, targeted Councilman Peter Brown’s recent statement to the Chronicle that Houstonians should consider forming an urban … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Villafranca loses in Farmers Branch

Posted on May 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Back in March, I noted that businesswoman Elizabeth Villafranca, one of the leading voices in Farmers Branch against its anti-immigrant xenophobia, was running for City Council there. Alas, she did not win. Among other municipal races from Saturday, a leading … Continue reading →

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HPOU wants to get into the immigration business

Posted on May 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I really don’t know why it is that the Houston Police Officers Union has decided it wants HPD to be different from every other urban police force in the state and start questioning residents about their immigration status. The reasons … Continue reading →

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House passes budget, slaps Perry

Posted on April 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Chris Turner, on Twitter: At 3:56 am, the House unanimously passed the budget. Believe it or not, that was earlier than was originally anticipated. The pregame chatter was that the House would have to reconvene today to finish … Continue reading →

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Now how much would you pay to get rid of those immigrants?

Posted on April 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

They sure do seem to like flushing their money away in Farmers Branch. The Farmers Branch City Council will spend nearly a half-million dollars more to cover the cost of legal fees incurred by two groups that have challenged the … Continue reading →

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Court issues injunction against DPS over drivers license rules

Posted on April 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

A district court judge has suspended the new drivers license rules implemented by the Department of Public Safety pending a civil trial on the grounds that DPS didn’t have the authority to do what it did. The rules prevent thousands … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Two immigration stories

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry writes a letter to the Department of Homeland Security. Perry asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano this week to take a series of steps to improve information-sharing between federal, state and local law enforcement. The Homeland Security-related issues … Continue reading →

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Which Republicans do you have in mind for that?

Posted on March 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Republican attorney Jacob Monty calls on his party to tackle the problem of immigration reform in a serious and rational way. I think he makes some good points about the toxic relations the GOP currently has with Hispanics nationally, and … Continue reading →

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Activist running in Farmers Branch

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via Stace, I see that one of the leaders in the fight against xenophobia in Farmers Branch is a on the ballot for City Council there. Business owner and activist Elizabeth Villafranca [announced] her candidacy Monday afternoon. Villafranca, an outspoken … Continue reading →

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The Riddler goes on a rampage

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer looks at a trio of bills by Rep. Debbie Riddle in which she tries to solve the immigration issue all by herself. Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, is launching a three-pronged attack on non-citizens this session. Prong 1: Hook … Continue reading →

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Our Hispanic future

Posted on February 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s happening now. In a new report on population trends in public schools, the Texas Education Agency reports that Texas now enrolls 130,000 fewer white children than 10 years ago. For the first time, Hispanic children dominate first-grade classes, adding … Continue reading →

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Roy announces

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Dream big, dude. A Republican elected official who twice ran unsuccessfully for Houston City Council is claiming a spot as the conservative choice in the nonpartisan campaign for mayor. Roy Morales, 51, elected in 2006 as a Harris County Department … Continue reading →

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Roy is in

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’d been counting him as a candidate, if not a particularly serious one, since he had filed a treasurer’s report, but Roy Morales has now officially announced his candidacy for Mayor of Houston. He Twittered about it last night, but … Continue reading →

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So how’s the state of our state?

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Well, you can read the text of Governor Rick Perry’s State of the State speech and see for yourself what it was all about. Frankly, I think Matt got it in one: This was a campaign speech. I mean, stem … Continue reading →

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The border camera boondoggle blues

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Your tax dollars at work, courtesy of Governor Perry. A virtual border surveillance program Gov. Rick Perry has committed millions of taxpayer dollars to fell far short of expectations during the first six months of operation. Border sheriffs, who Perry … Continue reading →

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