Illegal Immigration

Pres. Obama is expected to take executive action after November's mid-term elections that would grant amnesty and work permits to an estimated 5-6 million illegal aliens. His reason for taking the action is that he can no longer wait for Congress to pass "comprehensive immigration reform", but any large-scale action would actually contradict what he's stated on the topic throughout his administration. Pro-amnesty groups have time-and-again pressured the President to act, but he's repeatedly said he doesn't have to take the type of action those groups are looking for.

The Obama Administration announced earlier this week that they would set aside $9 million to help provide legal assistance to thousands of unaccompanied alien children who illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this year. Approximately 2,600 illegal aliens will receive legal representation under the grants issued to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants by Health and Human Services.

A Center for Immigration Studies analysis says that an executive amnesty that protects alien traffic offenders from deportation could shield drunk drivers and tens of thousands of other offenders convicted of drugged driving, vehicular homicide, carjacking, vehicular homicide, and joyriding. Advocates have been pushing the Obama Administration to exempt illegal aliens from deportation if they only committed a traffic offense but the Center says such offenses are not “harmless.”

Approximately 70% of the illegal-alien families, who illegally crossed the border earlier this year, failed to show up for their follow-up meetings with federal immigration agents, according to a new report from the Associated Press. According to the report, an official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that the illegal aliens were detained crossing the border illegally, given an appointment to meet with ICE officials a few weeks later, and then released into the U.S.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and other Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee wrote President Barack Obama to demand that he make public the recommendations he has received for implementing executive amnesty without Congress’ approval. Last week, Obama said he had received recommendations from Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder.

In a procedural vote in the Senate on Thursday, a motion offered by Sens. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) to allow a vote on Pres. Obama's executive amnesty fell one vote short of passing, allowing the President to move forward with his reported plan to grant amnesty and work permits to an estimated 5-6 million illegal aliens after November's mid-term elections. Five Democrats -- four of which face difficult re-election bids -- joined the 45 Republican Senators in supporting the motion to move forward with a vote.

In a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Thursday, Pres. Obama's chief of staff, Denis McDonough, told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that the Administration will move forward with an executive action that could grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens before the end of the holiday season, according to Politico.com. McDonough told the Members that the action would be "significant" and will occur regardless of the midterm election results.

New data from the Department of Homeland Security show that the Obama Administration is deporting a significantly lower number of illegal aliens in fiscal year 2013 as compared to past years. In the current fiscal year, which started on October 1, 2012, through the end of July, the Administration has deported only 258,608 illegal aliens compared to 320,167 over the same time period the previous year and compared to 344,264 two years ago.

Members of Congress returning to Washington, D.C. after their summer recess were greeted today with a $1.2 billion request from Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson for addressing the border surge. Johnson said that while the “worst [of the surge] is over for now, there are still bills to be paid and our border security efforts must be sustained to prevent another spike like we saw this year.”

President Obama today said that he received proposals from Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder for immigration actions that can be taken without Congress’ approval. He had previously vowed to take action before the end of summer, but today only said "My expectation is that fairly soon, I'll be considering what the next steps are."

President Obama recently reported that the number of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) illegally crossing the border was down in August but failed to discuss illegal family crossings, which remained steady according to the Daily Caller. The inflow of UACs is expected to rise again when the weather cools.

Immigration officials have begun efforts in southern Mexico to prevent Central Americans from boarding north-bound trains. Officials are also raiding certain towns in the south and rounding up aliens, especially those with gang tattoos.

Performing eye surgeries in Guatemala, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring the House-passed anti-executive amnesties bill to the Senate floor for a vote. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) was the first Senator to publicly call on Reid to move the bill introduced by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) to the floor for a vote, and Sen. Paul now joins his Kentucky colleague and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Sessions' call for a vote.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said terrorist groups, including ISIS who earlier this week killed an American journalist, could be using the ongoing border surge crisis alon the U.S.-Mexico border to sneak operatives into the United States. Perry spoke at The Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C. as part of a discussion panel called The Border Crisis and the New Politics of Immigration. Perry said Congress needs to focus on securing the border before discussing broader immigration reform.

An official with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants expects a second wave of at least 30,000 unaccompanied alien children to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border this fall. Tiffany Nelms told the Washington Examiner that the flow has temporarily slowed because of the summer heat, making the journey across Mexico and into the United States more difficult.

A new report from the Inspector General has found that the Obama Administration released 600 convicted criminal illegal aliens in 2013, including several who had been convicted of violent crimes and others that had fallen into the mandatory detention category. The administration blamed the releases as a consequence of the budget sequester.

President Obama’s decision to release or house tens of thousands of unaccompanied alien children (UACs), rather than remove those who are deportable, will have significant consequences for local school systems beginning next month. Some of the federal contractors used to house UACs will educate the minors on-site but the vast majority who are released to family or guardians will be eligible to enroll in local schools at taxpayer expense.

In an op-ed published on the Daily Signal, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin explained the impact the Obama Administration's relocation of illegal aliens from the border has had on her state coffers. Fort Sill in Oklahoma was one of the first facilities reported to have received illegal aliens during the ongoing border surge along the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite claims from the Administration that states will be reimbursed for any expenses, Gov. Fallin said that many simply get forgotten and absorbed into the local communities.

Appearing Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week,” senior White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer said President Barack Obama will wait until the end of summer to decide on how to expand executive amnesty for illegal aliens. He said the reports suggesting the Obama would formally delay deporting 5 million illegal aliens were “uninformed speculation.”

The House has resumed debate on the emergency supplemental spending bill (H.R. 5230). House GOP leaders plan to add alternative changes in the 2008 human trafficking law and language to block the president’s executive amnesty, according to Roll Call.

Having insufficient votes for passage earlier today, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, pulled from floor consideration H.R. 5230, the supplemental spending for the border surge crisis. Boehner thereafter held an emergency meeting of the House Republican Conference to round up more votes. The House continued to debate the legislation but adjourned for the day. Debate on the bill will resume just after 10 a.m. on Friday.

The Senate voted down an attempt to filibuster S. 2648, the supplemental spending bill President Obama requested to address the surge alien crisis. Senators invoked cloture (initiated debate) on a 63-33 vote. Floor debate is expected to begin Thursday with the first votes on Friday.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other leaders briefed the House Republican caucus on a $659 million in supplemental spending bill that would reportedly amend the 2008 human trafficking law Obama deems responsible for preventing his deportation of surge aliens, but not cut off operating funds for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which most Republicans say largely sparked the surge. Boehner plans a House floor vote on the measure on Thursday before adjournment for the August recess.