A new CNN/ORC International survey found that 62% of Americans say border security should be the main focus of U.S. immigration policy, while only 36% say a path to citizenship for illegal aliens should be the top priority.
According to the poll, more than six in ten Americans say border security is a bigger priority than a path to citizenship for illegal aliens.
In a letter to Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), ICE Union President Chris Crane says the Gang of Eight's bill, S.744, is flawed because it places "new restrictions on interior enforcement." Crane writes that the bill would make the current situation worse and more hazardous and urges them to reject S.744 and instead focus on Rep. Trey Gowdy's (R-S.C.) interior enforcement bill and Rep. John Barrow's (D-Ga.) border security and interior enforcement legislation introduced in the House.
State Legislators for Legal Immigration, a group comprised legislators from 38 states, urged Members of the U.S. Senate to reject S. 744, the comprehensive amnesty bill.
After several more North Carolina sheriffs signed on to a letter to Congress from the law enforcement agencies across the nation, Rep. Walter Jones issued a statement on Wednesday saying he stood by the sheriffs in their opposition to the Schumer-Rubio-Obama amnesty bill. Rep. Jones said he, too, is concerned about the bill's lack of interior enforcement.
Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) has introduced the Keeping the Promise of IRCA Act. The bill would fulfill the border security promises, workplace verification promises, and interior enforcement promises that were never fulfilled by the 1986 amnesty bill. The bill serves as an alternative to the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill, S.744, and is a response to public opinion that's been evident in poll after poll that the border needs to be secured before dealing with other aspects of immigration reform.
The Keeping the Promise of IRCA Act would:
A new Fox Poll surveying 1,000 registered voters over the last several days has found that 73% of Americans favor securing the border before making changes to immigration policy. This percentage is up from polls in April and February showing 68% and 69%, respectively, support for enforcement before amnesty. The Gang of Eight's bill, S.744, puts the amnesty before the enforcement provisions kick in.
This past Tuesday, grassroots groups around the country took part in a national day to remember 1986. At least 50 separate organizations banded together under the banner "Remember 1986 Coalition." With a unified voice they asked Senators, the press, and fellow Americans to remember the broken promises of the 1986 amnesty bill and warned to not let it happen again.
Ever since the Senate Judiciary Committee began its consideration of the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill nearly two weeks ago, one topic has been a recurring theme -- a biometric exit/entry system. After defeating a number of strong amendments to include biometrics in the Gang's bill, the Committee passed an amendment on Monday that was offered by Sen. Orrin Hatch. But Sen. Hatch's amendment actually weakens current law and does nothing to make S.744 any better.
Last week, the union that represents the nation's 7,600 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents sent a letter to Congress warning it that the Gang of Eight's amensty bill, S.744, would endanger the public safety. Dozens of local law enforcement officers had signed on to the letter, and more have added their names since. This week, the union that represents the federal employees at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also signed on to the letter.
Last week, Sen. Marco Rubio sprinted to the airwaves to defend the Gang of Eight's legislation after it had been attacked during the first round of committee markup, but his description of the bill wasn't exactly accurate. Continuing that trend, A Gang of Eight member who also sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Jeff Flake, wasn't exactly accurate himself in his description of the bill's "triggers" when they came under attack from Senators John Cornyn and Jeff Sessions on Thursday.
On the first day of the Senate Judiciary Committee's markup of the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill, one thing was crystal clear -- the Democrat-leaning Committee and its two GOP Gang of Eight Members are set on legalizing 11 million illegal aliens before any enforcement takes place. The Committee voted down 5 amendments that would have required measurable enforcement efforts occur before illegal aliens are legalized and given work permits.
A new Rasmussen Reports poll has found that only 30% of American voters believe the federal government will actually secure the border if Congress passes an immigration reform bill. This shows an ever-increasing pessimism from Americans that the government is serious about securing our nation's borders: in March, 38% said the federal government would secure the borders if legislation passes and in January, the figure was 45%. In the same poll, only 7% of voters consider it "very likely" that the border will be secured, while 24% consider it "not at all likely."
On the floor of the House of Representatives Wednesday night, Reps. Steve King (R-Iowa), Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) voiced their opposition to the amnesty bills being drafted in both the House and the Senate. The three have been mostly silent, but decided it was time to speak out with news that legislation is likely to be introduced next week.
San Antonio's WOAI radio is reporting a surge in illegal border crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, and Border Patrol agents say the detained border crossers are asking for amnesty. Border Patrol agents say the number of illegal border corssers being found dead in the Texas brush country is also up and on path to beat last year's record mark.
A story in the Los Angeles Times reports that a sophisticated airborne radar system being used along the border has found that more individuals trying to cross the border illegally elude Border Patrol agents than what has been traditionally thought. According to the story, between Oct. 1, 2012 and Jan. 17, 2013, the radar helped Border Patrol detain 1,874 people, but another 1,962 people were able to elude capture.
The Obama Administration admitted on Thursday that it resisted efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to create a way to measure border security because it was concerned the measurement would be used to block immigration reform that provides an amnesty to the nation's 11-19 million illegal aliens. The news came after a House Committee hearing on Wednesday where DHS officials said they failed to create a measurement system after telling Congress that it would two years ago.
Earlier this week, ICE Director John Morton told a House Committee that the release of more than 2,200 illegal aliens was necessary in light of the sequester. DHS has also said that Border Patrol agents could face salary cuts because of the sequester. But a new report says the detention centers that hold illegal-alien detainees, which contain many perks for detainees, won't see any cuts.
Since there’s still no "comprehensive immigration reform" bill in either the House or the Senate, there's a lot of uncertainty about what a final bill may look like. But one thing is becoming clear; there are lots of opposing opinions on what should be and shouldn’t be in the bill, and those differences were on display during Wednesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
For the last few years, the Obama Administration has claimed that it's deporting a record number of illegal aliens. But, the Administration is adding numbers to its overall deportation statistics that have not been historically included in the total number of annual deportations. Here's a look at how the Obama Administration has artificially inflated the number of deportations.
After a brief review of border security operations in California and Texas, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the border is secure and questioned Republican lawmakers’ insistence on making amnesty conditional on more border security.
A group of eight Senators today announced the outline of an agreement they reached on immigration-law changes that substantially mirrors the failed 2007 attempt to amnesty illegal aliens and increase foreign-worker numbers. The Senators’ proposal includes a legalization of illegal aliens currently residing in the United States, higher levels of legal immigration, mandatory employment verification, and a new guest worker program.
A new report from the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California finds that illegal migration from Mexico to the United States is back on the rise after a decline during the economic recession that started in 2008. The Institute based its conclusion on six indicators including flows across the southwest border, repatriations, demography, remittances, employment levels of illegal aliens, and enforcement actions.
Over the nine-month period ending June 30, 2012, the number of unaccompanied illegal-alien minors in U.S. detention centers increased almost 50 percent. Most of the growth came from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, according to a report by the Women's Refugee Commission.
Readers may draw one significant conclusion from the powerful print and video report, "Deadly crossing: Death toll rises among those desperate for the American Dream," (NBC, October 9, 2012): People will continue to die crossing the southern border as long as they believe a U.S. job awaits.
Kimberly Dvorak from The Examiner reports that the Obama Administration ignored multiple warnings by Border Patrol Agents and local police that said a wilderness reserve plan would result in national security breaches and deaths.
Border Patrol Agents traveling on horseback near the U.S.-Mexico border were attacked by unknown assailants early today. One Agent was shot to death and another wounded with non-life-threatening injuries. A third escaped injury. The agents were investigating the triggering of a border sensor near Naco, Arizona. It is not known whether they returned fire.
On Thursday, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano faced Members of the House Judiciary Committee who are likely the most outspoken critics of her policy memorandum that provides amnesty through the use of prosecutorial discretion to at least 1.4 million illegal aliens. When the policy was first announced, several questions were left unanswered due to its ambiguity. While Members of the committee asked for answers to many of those questions, Secretary Napolitano dodged, avoided, and redirected her way through the more than two hour hearing.
New data from the federal government show a significant decrease in apprehensions for federal immigration violations, dropping to a 40-year low. The report from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics shows apprehensions at just over half a million in 2010 down from 1.8 million in 2000.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the Conservation and Economic Growth Act, H.R.2578, that included a section to allow the Border Patrol to fully operate on federally-owned lands with 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. The Border Patrol section was originally part of Rep. Rob Bishop's (R-Utah) National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) offered an amendment to strip Bishop's section from the larger bill, but the House voted down the amendment.
Last night, the House passed the Department of Homeland Security Approprations Act of 2013, and with it, eight amendments focused on increasing interior enforcement and securing the border were approved and added to the final bill. Under House Leadership of the last few Congresses, it's been tough to get recorded votes from the full House, but the DHS spending bill is annual measure we can count on!
For the second straight year, Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) offered an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act that would set aside money to build cell phone towers on the Southwest border with Mexico. And for the second straight year, the amendment received strong support during a role call vote late last night in the House, passing by a 302-to-113 margin.
The House of Representatives is currently debating H.R. 5855, a bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security for the 2013 fiscal year. This bill includes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Services. There are several immigration amendments that would strengthen interior enforcement and increase border security.
On Wednesday, the House passed two border security measures with little resistance. Both, the Secure Border Act (H.R.1299) and the Jamie Zapata Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act (H.R.915), were passed under suspension of the rules, meaning there would be no debate and no amendments, but the bills needed at least a 2/3rds vote to pass.
Muriel Watson, who helped focus nationwide attention on our porous Southern border long before groups like NumbersUSA existed, passed away last week in San Diego. Muriel demonstrated that citizens can have a major impact on their communities if they are willing to lead.
Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) has co-sponsored the bipartisan SAVE Act introduced by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.). The SAVE Act would mandate E-Verify nationwide and increase both border security and interior enforcement.
Rep. Graves represents Missouri's 6th Congressional District. He is serving his sixth term in Congress and has a career A- grade.
A new Amnesty International report criticizes the U.S. government for its treatment of the Hispanic and indegenious communities living along the border, according to gantdaily.com. The report urged the Homeland Security Department to suspend parts of its border enforcement program until the agency's Inspector General can investigate and make recommendations for improvements.
Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), along with other Immigration Reform Caucus members, requested that funds not be cut for border security programs and local law enforcement, according to a press release.
The various federal agencies that deal with border security and immigration issues are still not on the same page, according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General. The report concludes that agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol still have significant problems linking databases and maintaining efficient lines of communication.
The House Homeland Security Committee hosted a hearing Wednesday afternoon called “An Examination of the President's FY 2013 Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security” with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.The President's budget essentially cuts all 287(g) funding despite an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the House last year to keep the program. With little chance for the budget to pass, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle didn't put too much pressure on Sec. Napolitano, missing an opportunity to ask hard questions of the Administration and its efforts to curb illegal immigration.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and the rest of the Obama Adminstration have been preaching the repetative Quixotic declaration that the Southwest border with Mexico is more secure now than it's ever been. Well, a shocking new video shows quite the contrary as drug smugglers use a simple car jack to lift the fence panels near Lukeville, Ariz. to open up an unobstructed gateway into the United States. Watch this eye-opening video now . . .
Disney World is dubbed one of the "Happiest Places on Earth", and Pres. Barack Obama will try to make it even happier by proposing to simplify the tourist visa process during a speech there on Thursday. The President will "unveil a strategy that will significantly help boost tourism and travel" said a White House aide. Trying to boost the top industry in a state with double-digit unemployment is a good idea. But making it easier for foreign visitors to come to the United States is a bad idea without a completed entry/exit system.
The Government Accountability Office released a new report, stating that between 2006-2010, illegal aliens started 40% if the human-ignited wildfires along the U.S. - Mexico border. The study was carried out by the independent GAO, the investigative arm of the Congress, at the request of Senator John McCain of Arizona. The GAO investigated 77 of the reported 422 human-caused fires. Of the 77 fires investigated, federal officals concluded that 30 were ignited by illegal border crossers.
The House Judiciary Committee hosted a Department of Homeland Security oversight hearing last Wednesday with Secretary Janet Napolitano. Deferred Action and Fast and Furious were the primary topics of contention, and while Jason Chaffetz and Darrell Issa made their points, other good exchanges from Randy Forbes and Sandy Adams were overshadowed.
The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security hosted a hearing Tuesday morning titled, “Does Administrative Amnesty Harm our Efforts to Gain and Maintain Operational Control of the Border?” While Members stuck mostly to their traditional talking points, the hearing did shed some light on Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith's HALT Act, which out prohibit the Administration from offering an Administrative Amnesty. Democrats on the Subcommittee discussed the costs associated with deportations, while Republicans questioned DHS officials on the logic of allowing illegal aliens in custody go free.
Rasmussen Reports released a new public opinion poll today that shows a majority of Americans believe that the policies of the United States Government are encouraging illegal immigration.
Reps. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and Tom Latham (R-Iowa) have co-sponsored the bipartisan SAVE Act (H.R.2000) introduced by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.). The SAVE Act would mandate E-Verify nationwide and increase both border security and interior enforcement.
Some of the devastating environmental impacts of illegal immigration through these protected areas include:
The Park Service has closed the ohono O'odham Indian Reservation, Organ Pipe National Monument, and Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge due to the "unacceptable level of risk to the public and staff" from the "high level of illegal activity going on."
Trash
Reps. John Barrow (D-Ga.) and Howard Coble (R-N.C.) have co-sponsored the bipartisan SAVE Act (H.R.2000) introduced by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.). The SAVE Act would mandate E-Verify nationwide and increase both border security and interior enforcement.
