“Papers, please!”

Starting today, every American citizen is now required to have a passport to return to the U.S., even for travel to Mexico and Canada. Beginning today, American travelers entering the U.S. by land, air or sea from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda or the Caribbean are required to carry a U.S. passport. "The basic, number one rule is that everyone should get a passport," ...

Would Immigration Solve Housing Crisis?

A few weeks back, Thomas Friedman ran this tongue-in-cheek proposal for getting us out of the financial mess, particularly in the housing market. “All you need to do is grant visas to two million Indians, Chinese and Koreans,” said Shekhar Gupta, editor of The Indian Express newspaper. “We will buy up all the subprime homes. We will work 18 hours a ...

Obama: Citizen of the World

Greg Ransom: BARACK OBAMA IS A CITIZEN OF KENYA as well as a citizen of the United States, according the Rocky Mountain News and other sources.  There's reason to believe that Obama is also a citizen of Indonesia.  He calls himself a "citizen of the world", and in some sense, he is. That's a good line.  Whether Obama is actually a ...

News from North of the Border

Despite being fully integrated economically the media seems to ignore stuff north of the 49th parallel. I live a few hundred miles south and get the CBC on TV. I warn you that this report is disturbing. First, if you are crossing a border into the USA you are a suspect. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will investigate every last word ...

Huzzah for Provincialism!

Today's Outrage of the Day on the right side of the blogosphere regards this latest bit from Barack Obama, regarding the need for our educational system to get better at teaching other languages. Now, I agree that immigrants should learn English. I agree with that. But understand this. Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English -- they'll learn English ...

They Took Our Jobs!

Drew Carey asks, “How are we supposed to compete against something that doesn’t get paid, doesn’t get health insurance, and never goes on breaks?” No, not illegal aliens, silly. They get paid (a little) and take the occasional break. No, he's talking about robots. Today, we don't need human workers to book our travel, do our banking, or file our ...

Lou Dobbs for Governor

I just got an email from a group calling itself "America's Voice calling attention to a spoof Lou Dobbs for Governor site they've put up because Dobbs is ostensibly "contemplating a run for Governor of New Jersey next year." Lou Dobbs for Governor: Because Nothing Says “Welcome to the Garden State” Like “Show Me Your Papers Amigo!”

Spanish Miami’s Primary Language

Spanish-only speakers have an easier time getting by in Miami than English-only speakers, AP reports. In many areas of Miami, Spanish has become the predominant language, replacing English in everyday life. Anyone from Latin America could feel at home on the streets, without having to pronounce a single word in English. In stores, shopkeepers wait on their clients in ...

McCain Still the Same on Immigration Reform!

John Hawkins, who initially supported Duncan Hunter for president and came to nominally support John McCain after exhausting all other possible Republican choices, has now announced the withdrawal of his support. Why? "John McCain is a liar. He's a man without honor, without integrity ..." That seems rather harsh. What happened to give him that ...

Voter ID and Proof of Citizenship

Missouri is trying to join Arizona in requiring people prove that they are U.S. citizens before allowing them to vote. The battle over voting rights will expand this week as lawmakers in Missouri are expected to support a proposed constitutional amendment to enable election officials to require proof of citizenship from anyone registering to vote. The measure would allow far more ...

McCain Reaches Out to Latino Small Business Owners

John McCain goes Español in his latest ad campaign. Matt Yglesias calls the ad "shrewd," noting that Latinos tend to vote based on their interests rather than as a bloc, that McCain needs to distance himself from the "I hate immigrants" wing of the party, and that "given the tendency of small business owners everywhere to love the GOP a specific ...

Obama on Guns, God, and Hate in Rural America

Barack Obama's foray into pop psychology, trying to explain why rural Pennsylvanians aren't warming to him and are asking him to talk more about patriotism, is causing quite the stir in the blogosphere. "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now ...

Absolut Redraws USA - Mexico Border

Absolut Vodka has got some 'splainin' to do: Laura Martínez found the ad in the print edition of Quién magazine in Mexico City and it's going viral. Jim Hoft has picked it up, calling it an "Absolut-ly Outrageous Ad," Pierre Legrand profanely calls for a boycott, and Brian Ledbetter goes with "Absolut-ly Insulting." Michelle Malkin cranks it up a ...

Michael Chertoff Interview - Border Fence, RealID, and Alert Levels

As mentioned earlier, I had the opportunity to interview Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff this afternoon on his ordering environmental waivers to expedite construction of a fence along the U.S. - Mexico border and other issues. The summary below is a description, not a transcription, of the conversation, unless quotation marks are used. Noting that these issues have been known ...

DHS Waives Environmental Rules for Border Fence

I'm scheduled to interview DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff later this afternoon about a new policy announcement and other issues related to his department. AP's Eileen Sullivan highlights the changes: The Bush administration plans to use its authority to bypass more than 30 laws and regulations in an effort to finish building 670 miles of fence along the southwest U.S. border by ...