By Matthew Stanmyre and Steve Politi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 04, 2017 at 7:03 AM, updated April 04, 2017 at 5:12 PM
Andrea Aquino began her journey in Paraguay. At 6-foot-7, people in her village thought she was a freak — all arms and legs clinging to the motorcycle she and her mother sold clothes from to support themselves.
Selwyn Rodriguez and Christian Ortiz started their odyssey in Puerto Rico. Once in the mainland United States, Ortiz slept on piles of laundry and cold floors, while Rodriguez lived with a stranger who openly used drugs.
And Blessing Ejiofor landed in the U.S. on the fast track to college, via Nigeria, but her dreams were crushed by the adults she trusted most. That trust has cost her a scholarship to Vanderbilt and forced her back to Africa, where she remains a prisoner of immigration rules.
Four players from three continents — all bound by the same dream and pitch: Leave your friends and family behind, travel thousands of miles and use basketball to find a better life.
Ridgewood NJ, while the mainstream media made much of the Irish Prime Minister claiming Saint Patrick is the symbol, “the partron of immigrants”. The truth however could not however be further ,and if so illegal Immigrants are in big trouble .
The truth comes from Saint Patrick himself through the chance survival of two remarkable letters which he wrote in Latin in his old age.
The real Saint Patrick was not Irish at all, but a spoiled and rebellious youth of Roman citizenship living a life of luxury in fifth-century Britain. Saint Patrick was kidnapped from his family’s estate as a teenager and sold into slavery across the sea in Ireland.
For six long years he endured torture and brutal conditions as he watched over his master’s sheep on a lonely mountain in a strange land.
Saint Patrick went to Ireland an atheist, but there heard what he believed was the voice of God. When he finally escaped and risked his life to make a perilous journey across Ireland, he found passage back to Britain on a pirate ship.
His family welcomed back their long-lost son with open arms and assumed he would take up his life of privilege, but Saint Patrick heard a different call. He returned to Ireland to bring a new way of life to a people who had once enslaved him.
There he became a warrior ,constantly faced opposition, threats of violence, kidnapping, and even criticism from jealous church officials, while his Irish followers faced abuse, murder, and enslavement themselves by mercenary raiders. But through all the difficulties Saint Patrick maintained his faith and persevered in his Irish mission.
The Ireland that Saint Patrick lived was utterly unlike the Roman province of Britain in which he was born and raised. Dozens of petty Irish kings ruled the countryside with the help of head-hunting warriors while Druids guided their followers in a religion filled with countless gods and perhaps an occasional human sacrifice.
Saint Patrick was not an illegal immigrant but a kidnapped slave forced into servitude , To quote Democrat Senator Bob Menendez says on Twitter what may have felt is the real purpose for illegal immigrants the Senator commented on Twitter, “A #DayWithoutImmigrants means Senators & Senate staff couldn’t get their coffee because immigrants are part of our everyday lives” . Associating Saint Patrick with illegal immigration simply implys the illegals are here as seconclass citizens to shine your shoes, cut your lawn and make your coffee.
By Matthew Stanmyre and Steve Politi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 08, 2017 at 7:33 AM, updated March 08, 2017 at 7:40 AM
Multiple basketball players at the center of a broadening scandal at Paterson Eastside High entered the school with transcripts that were incomplete, altered or fraudulent, NJ Advance Media has learned.
In two cases, transcripts for Nigerian student-athletes did not match their previous stop at a private school in northern Idaho, according to documents obtained by NJ Advance Media and interviews with school officials.
The most brazen example shows a player’s transcript from 2012-13 — when he would have been in the equivalent of the sixth grade — was crudely forged and presented as his work for the 2015-16 school year in Nigeria, even though he was enrolled in Idaho. While the class year on the barely readable transcript was changed, the player’s classes, grades and academic standing were all left the same.
Advocates and immigrants urge lawmakers to make New Jersey a sanctuary state, one that will not cooperate with ICE if it makes broad sweeps of undocumented communities
Immigrants and advocates concerned about the national crackdown on the undocumented may have a sympathetic ally in legislative Democrats, but it’s doubtful Gov. Chris Christie will support any of their suggestions for protecting those born abroad who consider New Jersey their home.
Testifying to high levels of fear and anxiety among the state’s immigrant communities, a number of lawyers and advocates, as well as two undocumented young people, told an Assembly committee last Friday that the state and local governments should take steps to protect immigrants, or at least turn a blind eye to the recently launched federal crackdown on the undocumented. One even suggested that New Jersey declare itself a sanctuary that refuses to help federal authorities arrest the undocumented.
“You should consider passing a resolution declaring New Jersey a sanctuary state and risk losing federal funds,” the Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale, a Highland Park pastor whose Interstate-RISE organization recently was approved as a refugee resettlement agency, urged the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Reform and Federal Relations Committee. Kaper-Dale, who is running for governor under the banner of the Green Party, termed the Trump administration’s executive orders and policies regarding immigration “a planned and coordinated attack based on race and ethnicity.”
By Marisa Iati | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on February 24, 2017 at 10:58 AM, updated February 24, 2017 at 11:17 AM
ELIZABETH — The mayor of Elizabeth, where almost half the population is foreign-born, said he won’t give the municipality a “sanctuary city” designation despite concerns of immigration advocates.
Mayor J. Christian Bollwage said this week he believes the “sanctuary” phrasing would put a target on the back of unauthorized immigrants.
“If you become a ‘sanctuary city,’ you’re kind of encouraging the national officials (and saying), ‘Come look at us. Here’s where the people are,'” he said.
The term “sanctuary city” has no official definition under U.S. law, but it usually means local police will decline to help the federal government find and detain unauthorized immigrants.
By Matthew Stanmyre and Steve Politi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on February 24, 2017 at 7:30 AM, updated February 24, 2017 at 2:39 PM
UPDATE, Feb. 24, 1:35 p.m.: The Paterson Public School District has announced wide-ranging penalties to its athletics department, including the suspensions of three district employees and the withdrawal of the Paterson Eastside High School girls basketball team from next week’s state tournament. For details click here.
PATERSON — At least eight international boys and girls basketball players have shown up seemingly out of nowhere to play for Paterson Eastside High School’s powerhouse teams over the past four years, broadening state investigations and drawing the attention of federal agencies, NJ Advance Media has learned.
The discovery of the international pipeline comes a little less than three weeks after an NJ Advance Media report found as many as six players living with Eastside boys coach Juan Griles. Three of the boys were from Puerto Rico and not among the eight who may have violated federal immigration laws.
Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly has signed sweeping new guidelines that empower federal authorities to more aggressively detain and deport illegal immigrants inside the United States and at the border.
In a pair of memos, Kelly offered more detail on plans for the agency to hire thousands of additional enforcement agents, expand the pool of immigrants who are prioritized for removal, speed up deportation hearings and enlist local law enforcement to help make arrests.
The new directives would supersede nearly all of those issued under previous administrations, Kelly said, including measures from President Barack Obama aimed at focusing deportations exclusively on hardened criminals and those with terrorist ties.
“The surge of immigration at the southern border has overwhelmed federal agencies and resources and has created a significant national security vulnerability to the United States,” Kelly stated in the guidelines.
He cited a surge of 10,000 to 15,000 additional apprehensions per month at the southern U.S. border between 2015 and 2016.
Ridgewood Nj, Democrat Senator Bob Menendez says on Twitter what may have felt is the real purpose for illegal immigrants.
Earlier today the Senator commented on Twitter, “A #DayWithoutImmigrants means Senators & Senate staff couldn’t get their coffee because immigrants are part of our everyday lives”
It is clear from this Tweet that the Senator feels legal and illegal immigrants amount to nothing more than personal servants and flunkies .
Yes, #DayWithoutImmigrants, Senator it is a very difficult day for you, no one to fetch your paper, get your coffee, shine your shoes.
The Menendez tweet was met instantaneously derision
Vince Brunda @VinceForNJ
@SenatorMenendez Wow, I’m sorry you were so inconvenienced, and please don’t stereotype immigrants as cafe workers. #daywithoutimmigrants
The On Blast Show @TheOnBlastShow
@VinceForNJ @SenatorMenendez LOL too funny, make your own coffee them! Give them everyday off
Tony Buero @BueroTony
@SenatorMenendez so what you are saying is you use them as slaves or personal servants? U have lost your mind!
Michael Novack @mdnovack
@SenatorMenendez That’s horrible. However, as a mere commoner, I managed to get my own coffee this morning. Wasn’t difficult.
NEW BRUNSWICK — A student columnist for Rutgers’ student newspaper claims he was fired for questioning the choice to edit out the term “illegal immigrants” from one of his pieces.
Aviv Khavich, who is originally from Israel, told New Jersey 101.5 he was writing about a rally held on campus by a group called “Undocurutgers” in support of immigrants to protest pro-Donald Trump “chalkings” written on sidewalks around the Rutgers campus.
“I am an immigrant so I decided to write an article to give my perspective,” he said.
A compromise forged between Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic legislative leaders several years ago let undocumented immigrant students living in New Jersey qualify for in-state tuition rates at state colleges and universities. But many haven’t been able to take advantage of the lower rates since they continue to be locked out of state-administered financial-aid programs. John Reitmeyer, NJSpotlight Read more
Ridgewood NJ , back in December the Ridgewood Police department investigated an alleged kidnapping and carjacking that was reported early Saturday morning.
At the time the Ridgewood Police said that the “vehicle in question” has been located near the Thruway in Bergen County, N.J, and an investigation is ongoing. .The victim has also been recovered suffering only minor injuries.At the time the Ridgewood Police withheld further information about the incident .And we were told New York State Police are also working with police in Ridgewood, N.J.
Today it is being reported that two men wanted in connection with this carjacking, kidnapping and robbery were arrested by members of a task force comprised of federal, state, county and local authorities. Including FBI and ICE, investigators from the New Jersey State Police, New York State Police and Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and members of the Ridgewood, Mahwah, Hawthorne and Waldwick Police departments .
Jostin Vidal Reyes of Waldwick and Wilbur J. Barhona of Ridgewood, both 20, were taken into custody Monday following more than a month and a half of intensive work.
Authorities and other sources said Reyes and Barhona got into a cab in Paterson around in the early a.m. hours of Dec. 26 for a ride to Waldwick. Sources say the two decided to rob the cabby and kidnap him once they reached Ridgewood and as previously reported ditched him on the New York Thruway.
The pair now face various counts of robbery, aggravated assault, cajacking, kidnapping ,weapons offenses and are being held pending $400,000 bail each in the Bergen County Jail.
Borders: The savage behavior of “migrant” revelers on New Year’s Eve in Germany should remind Europe that borders matter. But decades of political correctness and moral relativism have brainwashed a generation.
The mostly Muslim migrants from North Africa and the Mideast who have swarmed Europe over the past year have strained welfare resources and frayed social ties in nations such as Greece, Hungary, Italy, Germany and France.
The challenge faced by Europe in integrating the masses of newcomers was underscored in Cologne, Germany, last weekend. There, more than 1,000 newly arrived men committed some 90 serious crimes, including assault, rape and robbery, near the city’s train station and right next to its landmark cathedral.
The outrageous criminality has finally set off angry debate across the EU over leaders’ failure to protect citizens from those who come from nations that do not share Western values, morals and codes of behavior.
Liberal notions of seamlessly integrating hordes of immigrants into an advanced, post-industrial society have been shown to be naive and dangerous.
The Eurocrats and leftists who govern the European Union are starting to panic. “We’re willing to do more than anyone else,” said Swedish Migration Minister Morgan Johansson. “But even we have our limits.”
A lot of countries, it seems, are reaching their limits. Hungary has erected border fences to keep migrants out. Sweden and Denmark are fortifying their borders, setting up checkpoints to catch troublemakers. The New York Times cites growing “fears that terrorists are seeking to enter Europe masquerading as refugees.”
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie on Sunday continued his assault on the White House’s approach to admitting Syrian refugees into the United States.
“The FBI director himself said they cannot vet these folks,” Christie told Jake Tapper in an interview Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The New Jersey governor has drawn criticism for his opposition to taking any refugees in his state, even widows and “orphans under five.”
Everyone from President Obama to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have gone after Christie for his remarks. The issue has been in the spotlight as Congress considers a bill to restrict Syrian immigration in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has taken credit for the attacks, which killed about 130 people, and reports have since emerged suggesting at least one of the attackers may have entered Europe by using a Syrian passport.
file photo Scott Garrett at Temple Emanu-El of Closter, NJ
NOVEMBER 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY SCOTT GARRETT
THE RECORD
We live in an imperfect world and there is no room for error when ensuring that incoming refugees are not a terrorist threat.
Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, represents New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District.
RECENT ATTACKS in Paris, Mali and Beirut are horrific reminders that terrorist organizations are increasingly aggressive in their campaigns to spread death and chaos. From 2013 to 2014, deaths related to terrorism around the world have increased by 80 percent. As we mourn these senseless losses of life, we must adapt to new security threats.
Officials report that at least one of the terrorists in Paris traveled to the country by impersonating a refugee. We also know that President Obama has set the overall refugee ceiling at 85,000 total people and announced that the administration will admit 10,000 Syrian refugees over the coming year. The United States is faced with a delicate balancing act between protecting our country against those who wish us harm and ensuring that we support people who are fleeing tyranny and bloodshed in Syria.
We live in an imperfect world and there is no room for error when ensuring that incoming refugees are not a terrorist threat. Immediately following the attacks on Paris, ISIS made threats to our country — specifically targeting New York City and Washington, D.C. — that cannot be ignored. The House of Representatives is examining this national security issue, and many top officials have expressed their concerns about the vetting process.
Enhanced risks
Last month, FBI Director James Comey acknowledged that there are enhanced risks associated with bringing people to our country from conflict zones such as Syria. He said, “There is risk associated with bringing anybody in from the outside, but especially from a conflict zone like [Syria]. My concern there [about bringing Syrian refugees into the United States] is that there are certain gaps I don’t want to talk about publicly in the data available to us.”
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson echoed Comey’s sentiment when he said, “It is true that we are not going to know a whole lot about the Syrians that come forth in this process … we know that organizations like ISIL might like to exploit this [Syrian refugee resettlement] program … the bad news is that there is no risk-free process.”
Obviously, we must reexamine our refugee program.
Safety and security
My top priority is the safety and security of the American people, and the attacks on Paris are a stark reminder that our enemies are willing to go to great lengths to commit acts of terror. Last week the House voted to fortify our refugee program by requiring supplemental certification and background investigations prior to admissions of refugees.
The bill would require the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to unanimously certify through background investigations that a refugee is not a security threat. The bill also requires that DHS submit a monthly report to Congress on the number of refugees that are being certified, and those that are denied certification.
As Secretary Johnson and Director Comey alluded to, vetting refugees is a difficult process. One of the biggest problems when vetting refugees from Syria is our lack of diplomatic ties with their country, which means we have limited access to law enforcement information and pertinent documents. This problem is compounded by the fact that the Syrian government is in shambles and the information can be unreliable, incomplete and sometimes non-existent.
I’ve heard from countless constituents who are concerned that the United States will continue our refugee program without taking a moment to question our practices and implement safeguards to protect our country.
Lesbos (Greece) (AFP) – As the hunt for jihadists widens after last week’s Paris attacks, authorities in Greece warn it was virtually impossible to pick out dangerous extremists among arriving migrants, without prior intelligence.
“If they are not already registered in the database, it’s nearly impossible,” says Dimitris Amountzias, police captain in charge of Moria, Greece’s main registration camp on the island of Lesbos.
At the camp, dozens of migrants and refugees queue to give their fingerprints, have a photo taken and be quizzed by agents from European border agency Frontex.
It’s a seemingly detailed security check, but jihadists have already proven they can bypass it with ease.
The suspected architect of the Paris attacks that killed 130 people, 28-year-old Abdelhamid Abaaoud, escaped from Europe to Syria and returned without being detected.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve this week suggested Abaaoud, who was killed in a police raid in Paris on Wednesday, had passed through Greece.
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