The last time NumbersUSA was mentioned on the House floor during a debate, it was amnesty-champion Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) slamming us for supporting an end to the Visa Lottery. But Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) mentioned us in a more flattering way on Wednesday night during debate over his amendment to the Defense spending bill that would have blocked DACA recipients from enlisting in the military.
Primary challengers were lining up against North Carolina incumbent Renee Ellmers and her history of supporting amnesties and increases in foreign workers. But after a federal court ordered the last minute redrawing of the Congressional district boundaries, Ellmers was pitted against Congressman George Holding. Still, it wasn't enough to save her seat after a 4-year history of voting against her constituents' wishes on immigration.
Federal District Court Judge Andrew Hanen, who has jurisdiction over the DAPA/extended DACA amnesty case, concluded that Justice Department attorneys were “intentionally deceptive” and ordered them to take remedial ethics classes. Judge Hanen said Department of Justice lawyers knowingly hid information and misled the court concerning the approval of amnesty applications.
The House Rules Committee, along with House GOP Leaders, blocked Rep. Paul Gosar's (R-Ariz.) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have blocked illegal aliens from enlisting in the military. Instead, GOP Leaders are standing behind a compromise amendment added during the bill's markup between Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) that would encourage the Secretary of Defense to enlist DACA recipients into the military.
At a hearing today, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said “In a three-year period, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released more than 86,000 criminal aliens into the American public…These are people that were here illegally, got caught committing a crime, were convicted of that crime and instead of deporting them, they were just released back out in the United States of America.” Chairman Chaffetz said the released aliens had been convicted of over 231,000 crimes.
After oral arguments on Monday the eight Supreme Court Justices seem to be evenly split over the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) case. The court spent 90 minutes debating if Texas and the other 25 states have the right to sue over Pres. Obama’s executive amnesty and if so does DAPA, specifically the Administration's plan to grant work permits and Social Security numbers to a class of illegal aliens, violate the constitution.
Oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the case filed by Texas and 25 other states against Pres. Obama's second executive amnesty will take place on Monday. The Court's ruling, which likely won't come until late June, could have an enormous impact on the race for the White House, Congressional action for the rest of the session, and millions of American workers who would face increased labor competition from millions of illegal aliens receiving work permits if the President's actions are upheld.
In a letter to DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, called out the Obama Administration’s abuse of advance parole authority in granting a citizen path to illegal aliens with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status. President Obama had said these executive amnesty recipients would not get citizenship.
Breitbart News reports on Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo’s interview with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., during which he admitted immigration limitations are not part of the 2016 Republican job-centric “pro-growth” agenda. “We’re not going to be talking about visa caps in our agenda,” Ryan said. This runs contrary to recent Pew polling which found that 67 percent of Republican voters want immigration reduced while only seven percent want more.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., expressed confidence that Supreme Court Justices will block implementation of President Obama's DAPA and extended DACA executive amnesties. He said "(s)uch lawlessness must be stopped so that we protect the Constitution and the intent of the Founding Fathers that the legislative branch, which reflects the will of and is accountable to the American people, makes the laws, not the President.”
Today the Texas Attorney General’s Office, on behalf of a 26-state coalition, filed a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling blocking President Obama’s unconstitutional executive amnesty. The brief, which opposes the Administration’s motion for certiorari (i.e., a hearing on the case), argues the president exceeded his authority in attempting to unilaterally grant lawful presence and work permits to millions of illegal aliens.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., yesterday warned that the omnibus appropriations bill would quadruple a foreign worker program replacing Americans, expand the refugee program amid serious national security threats, and ignore the existence of dangerous Sanctuary Cities.
The pro-amnesty group, United We Stay, released a 10 item list of demands, same number as the Bill of Rights, for illegal aliens living in the U.S. They are demanding that Americans recognize that illegal aliens already living in the country deserve citizenship, health care, and in-state tuition rates for college.
The newly-elected House Speaker said in several interviews on Sunday that he will not work on any comprehensive immigration bills with Obama due to his use of executive orders to shield millions living in the U.S. illegally from deportation.
In his effort to become the next Speaker of the House, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) made two immigration promises to Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Rep. Ryan agreed not to move immigration legislation while Pres. Obama is still in office and to abide by the Hastert Rule on all immigration bills.
When House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy dropped out of the race for House Speaker, it opened it up to a new field of Republican Representatives being touted for the position. Here's a look at the Speaker candidates and where they stand on immigration . . .
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced this morning he will resign from Congress at the end of October. The Speaker leaves behind a long history of pressing his caucus to legalize illegal aliens and increase already historically-high legal immigration levels. This, and his lack of interest in fighting President Obama’s executive amnesties, led to some of the biggest clashes within the House Republican Caucus.
U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen has decided to excuse top DHS officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, from the August 19th court hearing concerning the issuance of executive amnesty work permits in violation of his injunction.
Breitbart News acquired the written responses from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to the Senate Judiciary Immigration and the National Interest Subcommittee Republicans that showed that the the Obama administration has issued over 7.4 million work permits over the legal limits set by Congress over the past 6 years.
Top DHS officials have recovered all but 22 of 2,000 work permits given to illegal aliens after being threatened with contempt charges by U.S. District Court Judge, Andrew Hanen, for violating his injunction against Obama’s executive amnesty orders. Judge Hanen gave the Obama administration till July 31 to void all of the permits that were given out after the Feb. 17, 2015 injunction.
The Obama Administration proposed a rule that would amnesty the illegal-alien spouses, children and parents of Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) in a manner similar to the congressionally-authorized 245(i) amnesty. The provisional unlawful presence waiver under the rule would allow an estimated 272,000 illegal aliens in these categories to obtain a green card without facing the current statutory penalty - a 3-year or 10-year bar on re-entry to the U.S.
At a House Judiciary Committee hearing today, Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., disclosed new information showing the Obama Administration released from detention 1,423 criminal aliens in fiscal year 2014 who were later convicted of more crimes. These new crimes included assault, burglary, robbery, sexual assault, kidnapping, various types of homicide and manslaughter, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments last Friday in the case brought by the Obama Administration to overturn a lower-court injunction on executive-amnesty implementation. The Capitol Hill newspaper Politico predicted the case may have to be resolved in the Supreme Court since the Administration is likely to lose in the 5th Circuit.
A House subcommittee yesterday missed an opportunity to permanently defund the president’s executive amnesties. The subcommittee cleared a draft DHS spending bill that defunds the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents amnesty and the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals amnesty, but only while a related federal court injunction remains in effect. The measure does not affect DHS because the injunction imposed by Texas District Court Judge Andrew Hanen already prohibits the agency from implementing those amnesties.
At a Senate hearing this week an Obama Administration official said that nine out of 10 unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who crossed the border illegally during the border surge were placed with family members or friends in the United States. The vast majority of these minors were never eligible for placement, however, because the law Obama used to shield them from deportation defines a UAC as an illegal-alien minor without a parent or legal guardian in the U.S.
Federal District Judge Andrew Hanen issued an order requiring Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and top agency officials to appear in his court to explain why they should not be sanctioned for failing to remedy the issuance of 2,000 work permits in violation of the judge’s injunction. The order comes just days before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in a case brought by the Obama Administration to overturn Judge Hanen’s injunction.
Traveling with a congressional delegation to Ireland last week, House Speaker John Boehner told Irish leaders he is still committed to so-called immigration reform but needs to overcome objections from his caucus. According to an Irish Times reporter, “His remarks indicate he may yet move to confront opponents of reform within his own Republican party, which is in the vanguard of resistance to it and has a majority in the House.”
Fifth Circuit Judges Jennifer Walker Elrod, Jerry Smith, and Carolyn Dineen King have been selected to hear the legal merits of President Obama's executive actions to grant amnesty and work permits to millions of illegal aliens. Two of the judges, Elrod and Smith, have previously ruled against President Obama in regard to the executive actions.
U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen ordered the Administration to void and change the three-year work permits issued to about 2,000 illegal aliens after he imposed an injunction on implementation of President Obama’s executive amnesties. The judge said he was shocked this illegal action has not yet been remedied, but did not sanction the Administration’s conduct.
Pushed by Democratic Members of Congress and special interest groups, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson today announced DHS would further limit the detention of those who illegally crossed the border as family units. Johnson's announcement comes despite a FOX News report this week indicating that 84 percent of Central American families who were released during last year’s border surge failed to appear in court.
As the courts sort out the legality of President Obama's executive action to grant amnesty and work permits to 5 million illegal aliens, the Obama administration is moving forward with its Priority Enforcement Program, which prohibits U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from targeting most illegal aliens for removal, including most of those who come into contact with state and local police.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., introduced the Immigration Slush Fund Elimination Act, which would ban DHS from using the fees collected for legal immigration benefits to fund President Obama’s executive amnesties. In a press release, Sen. Cruz said, “The federal government should not be in the business of looting the wallets of those who followed the law and came here legally to fund the President’s illegal and unconstitutional amnesty. This bill will cut off DHS’s credit card.”
The Obama Administration has quietly ceased its preparations to implement the president's Nov. 20 executive amnesty. The Department of Homeland Security has suspended plans to hire up to 3,100 new employees that would have processed the applications to grant work permits and other documentation necessary to allow approximately 5 million illegal aliens to stay in the U.S.
Politico reports the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Justice Department and a coalition of 26 states to comment on a three-judge panel’s ruling that temporarily affirmed an injunction blocking President Obama's executive amnesties. Supplemental briefs addressing that panel’s majority and dissenting opinions in the emergency stay case are due on June 18. Another three-judge panel within the 5th Circuit will hear arguments in the separate injunction appeal case beginning on July 10.
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen confirmed through written responses to Congress that illegal aliens granted amnesty under President Obama's executive actions could claim back tax refunds even if they never filed returns to pay their taxes in the first place. The responses were released by Sen. Chuck Grassley, who pressed Commissioner Koskinen in the past.
The House of Representatives approved three immigration amendments offered by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) to the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill Wednesday evening. Two of the three amendments were approved with roll call votes, including an amendment that would block funding for the Department of Justice in its defense in the lawsuit filed by Texas and 25 other states against Pres. Obama's unconstitutional executive amnesties.
The Department of Justice announced it will not ask the Supreme Court to negate a district court judge’s injunction on implementation of President Obama’s executive amnesties. The Administration will instead proceed with an appeal before the 5th Circuit Court scheduled for July 10.
The 5th Circuit of the Federal Court of Appeals rejected an emergency request by the Obama administration to lift an injunction on President Obama's plan to grant amnesty and work permits to millions of illegal aliens. The temporary injunction was put in place after 26 states sued the Obama administration alleging the plan is unconstitutional.
Last week media outlets grey and green, left and right, and with varying focuses breathlessly reported President Clinton’s bland statements of questionable newsworthiness on the important topic of immigration.
The House of Representatives approved an amendment offered by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) on Thursday night that strips an amnesty provision from the National Defense Authorization Act. The provision would have encouraged the Secretary of Defense to waive military enlistment requirements for illegal aliens who received amnesty through Pres. Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security released a report finding that DHS does not consistently track its uses of prosecutorial discretion in immigration enforcement, which may compromise national security and public safety.
The House Rules Committee approved votes for 135 amendments last night to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including an amendment offered by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) that would strip out language, encouraging the Secretary of Defense to waive enlistment requirements for illegal aliens. The Committee also blocked Rep. Jeff Denham's (R-Calif.) military amnesty amendment from a floor vote.
The Cato Institute, along with several law professors, has filed an amicus brief supporting the lawsuit filed by 26 states challenging President Obama's executive action to grant amnesty and work permits to millions of illegal aliens. Joining Cato in the brief are South Texas College of Law professor, Josh Blackman, George Mason University School of Law professor, Jeremy A. Rabkin, and Roger Williams University School of Law professor, Peter S. Margulies.
113 Republican Members of Congress signed on to an amicus brief that argues the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals should affirm Judge Andrew Hanen’s injunction against implementation of President Obama’s executive amnesties. The list includes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Ky., House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Va., former House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, Tex., and Sen. Ted Cruz, Tex.
The Washington Times reports that Department of Justice attorneys informed a federal judge that USCIS issued 2,000 three-year work permits under the extended version of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) amnesty after the judge’s Feb. 16 injunction. Administration attorneys were already in jeopardy of possible sanctions for deceiving the judge regarding the issuance of 100,000 applications under the 2012 DACA amnesty prior to the injunction.
As the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) makes its way through the House, Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) plans to offer his military amnesty bill as an amendment to the bill. The ENLIST Act would allow illegal aliens who enlist and serve in the military to receive a green card. Rep. Denham tried to offer the bill as an amendment to last year's NDAA, but the effort was thwarted in part by NumbersUSA activists.
The House Armed Services Committee approved an amendment on Wednesday to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016, offered by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), that affirms Pres. Obama's unconstitutional 2012 DACA amnesty. The amendment was approved 33-to-30 by the Committee, mostly along party lines, but with enough GOP support to pass.
While Congress was unable to stop President Obama's executive actions on immigration, a series of court cases that are making their way through the system may be able to do just that. Currently, there are court cases dealing with a wide array of issues, including amnesty and work permits for millions of illegal aliens to programs that hurt both low and high-skill American workers.
The Blaze -- Pete Kasperowicz
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told the Senate Tuesday that he has no regrets at all for going around Congress to implement President Barack Obama’s several immigration-related executive actions.
“Do you regret the actions that you and the administration have taken that have gotten us to this point?” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) asked Johnson at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
The Washington Times’ Stephan Dinan explored one product of President Obama’s decision to relocate and care for, rather than deport unaccompanied alien children that surged over the southern border. He found that some of the minors have been charged with serious crimes such as murder and aggravated rape – a harbinger of problems to come this year as DHS begins to handle another surge. This undermines Obama's "felons, not families" rationale for his November 2014 amnesties, which are now the subject of litigation in a Texas District court
