The Iowa DOT announced it will not give driver’s licenses or state identification cards to illegal aliens who receive executive amnesty under the Obama Administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DOT officials said Iowa law does not allow them to issue licenses or other ID to those who are not authorized to be present in the United States.
On Dec. 21 ICE Director John Morton announced a new policy that further limits the categories of illegal aliens targeted for deportation. Morton also said ICE will not renew any 287(g) program investigative agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, and announced fiscal year 2012 deportation numbers.
A new Gallup poll finds that Americans aren't as enthusiastic about "immigration reform" as some Members of Congress and most of the main stream media would like you to believe. The poll asked Americans what is the most important problem facing the country today, and only 2% of respondents said that immigration was the top concern.
South Carolina congressman Trey Gowdy has been chosen to chair the House Immigration Subcommittee for the 113th Congress that starts in January. Rep. Gowdy is wrapping up his first term in Congress where he served as a prominent member of the subcommittee. He'll replace Rep. Elton Gallegly who is retiring at the end of the session.
An audit by the Homeland Security Inspector General found that the SAVE system, which verifies the immigration status of public benefit applicants, okayed one in eight aliens who had been ordered deported. This caused some aliens to get unauthorized benefits.
A new study from the Center for Immigration Studies has found that current U.S. unemployment is disproportionately affecting lesser educated Americans, and therefore they are most impacted by the presence of 11 million illegal aliens who tend to be lesser educated as well. The study takes a closer look at the U-3 and U-6 unemployment rates by breaking the rates down by birthplace, race, and educational attainment.
The Associated Press broke the story: "Sen. Robert Menendez employed as an unpaid intern in his Senate office an illegal immigrant who was a registered sex offender, now under arrest by immigration authorities....The Homeland Security Department instructed federal agents not to arrest him until after Election Day...
Make way for a new Gang of Eight. An octet of senators has begun to meet to discuss immigration reform, multiple sources told POLITICO. It’s a possible sign of progress on what’s expected to be a top legislative priority on Capitol Hill next year.
A bill with bipartisan support filed last year by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) is gaining some momentum in the final weeks of the 112th Congress and meetings to discuss the bill's provisions are scheduled for Friday. The bill would revoke diplomatic visas from nations that block criminal illegal aliens who are being deported from returning to their country.
The Associated Press reports that an illegal-alien registered sex offender worked as an unpaid intern for New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, and that DHS delayed arresting the individual until after Election Day. Menendez claims he did not know of the person’s criminal record or illegal status, and DHS denies delaying an arrest.
Ray Suarez's December 10 interview with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano for PBS' Newshour began with a terrific question about comprehensive immigration reform but quickly went downhill from there.
Nevada Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis (D) plans to introduce legislation next session that would give driver’s privilege cards to all illegal aliens residing in the state. Nevada already offers driver’s licenses to illegal aliens who obtain work permits under the Obama Administration’s executive amnesty.
November unemployment numbers were released earlier today, and while much of the focus is on the fact that the overall rate dropped 0.2 points from 7.9% to 7.7%, a few media outlets are focusing on why the rate dropped - 542,000 Americans gave up their job search and are no longer being counted in the overall statistic. And while the overall size of the population grew by nearly 200,000 people, the number of people working or looking for work has dropped precipitously.
The IRS has announced that it is implementing new rules to its procedures for issuing Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN) after a report from WTHR in Indianapolis last spring shed light on illegal aliens who use ITINs to commit tax fraud. The new rules will make it more difficult for individuals to obtain ITINs and shorten the length of time that ITINs are valid.
Former President George W. Bush, who failed in his quest for amnesty during his presidency – urged Congress to debate immigration reform with “a benevolent spirit” and to “keep in mind the contributions of immigrants.” The address was one of Bush’s first attempts to engage in the national political debate since leaving office.
MSNBC today is suggesting that NumbersUSA's grassroots citizen army very well may stand in the way of the mass media's rush to proclaim "comprehensive immigration reform" (mass amnesty) a done deal in the next Congress. Thanks for the respect.
A committee of the Illinois Senate approved a bill (SB 957) that would give illegal aliens access to temporary driver’s licenses. The bill will likely pass during the legislature’s veto session since it has the support of prominent legislators in both chambers, including the Senate and House Republican leaders.
The ACLU and other pro-illegal alien groups sued Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer today to block her executive order denying driver’s licenses to illegal aliens who get executive amnesty under the Obama Administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. If successful, the lawsuit could affect other states that have denied licenses to DACA recipients.
During his November 14 press conference, President Obama said his broad vision of comprehensive immigration reform "is very similar to the outlines of previous efforts at comprehensive immigration reform." This is newsworthy because previous comprehensive immigration reform efforts since 1986 have produced 7 amnesties, none of which reduced illegal immigration. This begs the question: "Is the permanent reduction of illegal immigration a goal of this administration?"
The Montgomery County Council in Maryland voted to spend $100,000 in taxpayer funds to help illegal aliens sign up for the Obama Administration’s executive amnesty. The pro-illegal alien group CASA de Maryland will receive the funding and administer the outreach program.
In an online Wall Street Journal Live interview last week, Republican strategist Karl Rove, claimed that terms such as "self-deportation" are "distinctively unwelcoming" rhetoric and were the reasons why Romney lost the Hispanic vote this past election. Rove pointed to Texas Senator-elect Ted Cruz who won because he used a more welcoming message, but Ted Cruz ran on an Attrition Through Enforcement platform and was rated as a NumbersUSA True Refomer.
We have our first legislative response from Republicans in the post-election world. Lame-duck Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and Jon Kyl of Arizona have offered a new bill that provides amnesty to illegal aliens who were brought to the United States at a young age through "no fault of their own" by their parents. But in their attempt to write a "touger" DREAM Act, Hutchison and Kyl fail to realize why groups like NumbersUSA oppose their efforts.
Outgoing Republican Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and Jon Kyl of Arizona have co-introduced a new bill that would offer amnesty to millions of illegal aliens who meet certain age and residency requirements. The ACHIEVE Act would put into place a three-tiered visa program that would give young illegal aliens an opportunity to become legal residents in the United States.
Howard Industries accepted a $1.3 million settlement agreement in a lawsuit in which four African-American women alleged that the company held discriminatory hiring practices toward non-Hispanics. Agreeing to the settlement allows the company to avoid what was expected to be protracted litigation.
USCIS last week said that about 309,000 have applied for executive amnesty under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and that 53,273 applications have been approved. Application and approval rates have increased significantly since just one month ago when USCIS had taken in 180,000 applications and approved 4,591.
A new poll from Gallup found that 62% of Americans think stopping illegal immigration should be a top priority for Pres. Obama's second term, while only 37% think providing a pathway to citizenship for the nation's 11 million illegal aliens should be a top priority. The poll questioned 1,000 Americans from Nov. 9-12 and asked them to rate 12 different issues ranging from the economy to military spending to immigration to the environment.
While most in the media have been shamelessly trying to railroad Congress into committing itself to an amnesty in early 2013, some media pundits have actually been saying that immigration won't solve the issues the GOP has with Hispanic voters. Columnists and opinon makers from all sides of the political spectrum have shared their thoughts on this trending topic. Here's a list of what a few had to say.
After House Speaker and Republican John Boehner made comments about moving an amensty bill through the House in 2013, many GOP Members of Congress have expressed an interest in moving immigration legislation. But several GOP Members have resisted the temptation, instead calling for more enforcement to stop illegal immigration.
In his first press conference since being elected to a second term, Pres. Barack Obama told the White House press corps on Wednesday that he will begin the process in Congress for a mass amnesty bill very soon after his inauguration. Pres. Obama said the bill would offer amnesty to the 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States, requiring them to pay fines and back taxes. Pres. Obama cited the Hispanic turnout during last week's election as his motivation for moving immigration up on his list of agenda items.
In a meeting with Progressives on Tuesday, Pres. Barack Obama promised to take quick action on immigration reform after the start of his new term in January. Pres. Obama said in interviews leading up to Election Day that not passing a mass amnesty bill during his first term was one of his greatest disappointments, but continues to be vocal about his desire to get something done in the near future.
Yesterday, House Speaker John Boehner said that it was time for immigration to be dealt with using a "comprehensive approach". Speaker Boehner isn't the only outspoken conservative now calling for an amnesty for 12 million illegal aliens. Pundits including television and radio personality Sean Hannity, tax guru Grover Norquist and many others are making similar statements. But several GOP Members of Congress and other conservatives are calling out Speaker Boehner for his statements.
Let me arm you with some very important numbers to resist a frantic push today by open-borders-leaning journalists and pundits to persuade congressional Republicans to help Pres. Obama pass a mass amnesty early next year.
No question that the results were quite mixed for those of us desiring rational, pro-worker immigration policies. But I believe the net puts us in a somewhat stronger position the next two years than in the last two years. Let's take a first look . . .
Twenty-two incumbent True Reformers ran for re-election on Tuesday, and 21 of the 22 won their races, while one incumbent True Reformer awaits a recount. Six newly identified True Reformers also won re-election, and at least 13 of 14 5-for-5ers also won re-election on Tuesday night.
The best place -- perhaps the only place -- in America for you to follow the Election Night results and their implications for immigration policy will be at www.NumbersUSA.com on Tuesday night. We'll be live-reporting the news and analysis from 6 p.m. Tuesday night into the wee hours of Wednesday -- as we did two years ago.
With Election Day just a few days away, it's a good time to take a look at some of the races NumbersUSA has been monitoring and will watch closely on Election night. With most of the focus on the Presidential campaign, there hasn't been as much coverage of the Congressional elections because, primarily, the make-up of both the House and Senate will look very similar to what it does today. Still, there are 20 Congressional races that could have an impact on immigration when the 114th Congress convenes in January.
A study by the Center for Immigration Studies concludes two-thirds of the net increase in employment since President Obama took office has gone to immigrants and illegal aliens. The analysis calls into question the wisdom of bringing in more than one million new legal immigrants each year.
"Illegal immigration is a market indicator," said Roy Beck, CEO of NumbersUSA, an Arlington, Va.-based think tank that advocates lower levels of legal and illegal immigration. "They all got gigantic networks of family and friends who are already here sending information back and forth. So this is basically another sign that the economy is picking up."http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/25/improved-economy-draws-immigrants/1658975/
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said this week that 200,000 illegal aliens have applied for the Administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that grants amnesty and the possibility of work permits to certain illegal aliens who claim they were brought to the U.S. at a young age. Napolitano also said that USCIS receives more than 3,000 new applications per day despite some reluctance within the illegal alien community to apply for fear of the program's future should Pres. Obama lose the election next month.
In an interview with the Des Moines Register, President Barack Obama said he is “confident” a comprehensive amnesty will pass in 2013 if he is re-elected. He also said Mitt Romney and Republicans have “alienated” Latinos and that may be a big factor in his re-election.
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.
Total identity theft is a growing form of crime among illegal aliens. These audacious thieves go beyond the financial fraud normally associated with ID theft by using the victim’s identity to completely assume the persona of the victim.
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.
The Obama Administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has approved 4,591 applications for executive amnesty since the program began on August 15th. No applications have been rejected so far.
Governor Phil Bryant, on behalf of the state of Mississippi, has joined ten officers and agents for ICE in a lawsuit against DHS' Napolitano and Morton.
On October 10, congregants at a multi-denominational religious gathering in Maryland offered prayers for the DREAM Act and praise for illegal employment, but no love for the unemployed or identity theft victims.
As part of a lawsuit settlement, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez's Administration will discontinue a program that cancels the driver's licenses of illegal aliens who fail to prove state residency.
