Illegal Aliens

Nearly every day, immigrants newly arrived from Mexico pick up job applications at Car Wash on Sunset. Owner George Garcia insists that they provide proof, such as Social Security or green cards, that they are authorized to work. What he does not do is pick up the phone to see if the documents are phony. "I run a business," he said. "Why is it my job to kick people out? It is not my responsibility to figure out who is legal and who is not legal. It's their job to stop them at the border."

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court justices, hearing arguments Wednesday over Arizona's tough immigration law, suggested they were inclined to uphold parts of the state's law but may block other parts. The Obama administration lawyer who wanted the entire law struck down ran into skeptical questions from most of the justices, who said they saw no problem with requiring police officers to check the immigration status of people who are stopped. But the justices also said they were troubled by parts of the Arizona law that made it a state crime for illegal immigrants to not carry documents or seek work.

When Juan Antonio Sigala was arrested in Puerto Rico by U.S. immigration agents in 1998 and faced deportation, he knew whom to call for help: South Pasadena attorney Enrique Arevalo. Sigala, who had gone to San Juan for an AIDS conference, knew of Arevalo from listening to the lawyer's Spanish-language radio show in Los Angeles that focuses on immigration law.

One San Bernardino County supervisor's plan to require restaurants to inform customers whether the establishment does immigration background checks on its employees was overwhelmingly rebuffed Tuesday by fellow supervisors. Supervisor Neil Derry, the measure's sponsor, was the only one to vote for the plan, which would have color-coded the A, B and C grade cards that restaurants receive during annual health inspections. Restaurants are required to display the cards. Three supervisors voted against the measure and one abstained, officials said.

Border agent Jose Luis Maldonado raises his binoculars and scans the desert horizon, looking for would-be migrants making the perilous crossing into the United States. When he finds them, he doesn't arrest them. Rather, he makes sure that they know what dangers they face and lets them go their way. If they're in trouble, he helps.

Regarding your Aug. 6 editorial ("Keep Open a Window to Police"): "detaining illegal aliens who had committed no crime"? The last time I looked, it was a crime to enter this country without permission and proper papers. This is why those who enter without permission are called illegal aliens--they are here illegally, having broken federal law in the process. DUNCAN McCARTHY San Diego

Two letter writers this week questioned terms used in reporter Teresa Watanabe's article, "Activists push Dream Act bill," Aug. 24. Reader R.J. Johnson of North Hollywood wrote: "In the lead-in to Teresa Watanabe's article, the words used are 'the undocumented.' But in the actual article, Watanabe uses the phrase 'illegal immigrants.' L.A. Times, which is it?" Reader Sue Martin of Los Angeles wrote: "Regarding correct English, you refer to these students as illegal 'immigrants.' The correct term is 'aliens.' Writers for the L.A. Times continually make this mistake.

As my colleague David Savage reports, the Supreme Court wasn't very hospitable to the Obama administration's argument that Arizona's infamous Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act unconstitutionally infringed on federal authority over immigration. Worse than that, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. inadvertently (we hope) provided opponents of illegal immigration with a snazzy sound bite. Section 2(B) of the Arizona law provides that “[f]or any lawful stop, detention or arrest made” by Arizona law enforcement, “where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien and is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person.” It also states that “[t]

Unable to escape the ire of his party, Rick Perry on Wednesday backed away from a controversial remark that questioned the compassion of people who opposed granting in-state tuition to the children of illegal immigrants. At Thursday's Republican presidential debate in Orlando, Fla., the Texas governor defended his decision to sign into law a policy that allows the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition by suggesting that opponents of the policy "don't have a heart.

Two letter writers this week questioned terms used in reporter Teresa Watanabe's article, "Activists push Dream Act bill," Aug. 24. Reader R.J. Johnson of North Hollywood wrote: "In the lead-in to Teresa Watanabe's article, the words used are 'the undocumented.' But in the actual article, Watanabe uses the phrase 'illegal immigrants.' L.A. Times, which is it?" Reader Sue Martin of Los Angeles wrote: "Regarding correct English, you refer to these students as illegal 'immigrants.' The correct term is 'aliens.' Writers for the L.A. Times continually make this mistake.

Some bright lights in Washington have come up with another solution to the problem of illegal immigration. This one won't ever become law, because it involves tinkering with the Constitution, and specifically with the 14th Amendment, which declares that everyone born in the U.S. is a citizen. The 14th Amendment was written to overturn an 1857 Supreme Court decision that found U.S.-born people of African descent were not entitled to citizenship. And it's responsible for the citizenship of this columnist, the L.A.-born son of Guatemalan immigrants.

A group of state legislators came to Washington on Wednesday to unveil legal language they say is a blueprint for states to pass immigration laws that might force a Supreme Court review of the 14th Amendment, which grants U.S. citizenship to any child born on U.S. soil, regardless of the parents' citizenship. The group is pushing state legislation that would take two approaches: It would create two tiers of birth certificates, one of which states would produce only for babies born to U.S. citizens and legal residents; and it would attempt to skirt laws stipulating that the federal government defines U.S. citizenship by adding a second level of "state" citizenship.

The California Supreme Court appeared skeptical Tuesday of a lawsuit that would end in-state tuition for an estimated 25,000 illegal immigrants who attend the state's public universities and colleges. The state high court is reviewing an appeals court ruling that said the state is barred by federal immigration law from giving illegal immigrants in-state tuition, which can be as much as $19,000 a year lower than fees charged to out-of-state students. At issue is a 2001 state law that provides lower tuition for students, including illegal immigrants, who attend at least three years of high school in California and graduate here.

Off-road tragedy Re "Deadly crash stirs debate," Aug. 16 Regarding the tragic and deadly Mojave crash, I was saddened to see the usual finger-pointing to place blame. I know if I were into off-roading and came to this event, I would take personal responsibility and keep far back from trucks flying by. Even if fences are erected to create a safe zone, that still won't address one of the most disturbing sentences in the article: "On Sunday, empty beer and water bottles littered the area.