Roy's blog from last week highlighting a new coalition of businesses and community leaders supporting a mass Amnesty generated a ton of interest from NumbersUSA Members. His blog generated more than 200 comments to date, including many of you asking for a complete list and the contact info for each person. Well, here it is . . .
Citizens in the city of Fremont, Neb. have voted to pass an immigration enforcement city ordinance that will prohibit the hiring and the renting of apartments to illegal aliens. The ordinance passed with 57% of the vote will likely face court challenges from opponents of the measure.
Several Senators have learned of a possible plan by the Obama Administration that would provide a mass Amnesty for the nation's 11-18 million illegal aliens. Led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), eight Senators addressed a letter to the President asking for answers to questions about a plan that would allow DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to provide an amnesty if they can't secure enough votes for a bill in the Senate.
President of the Pro-Amnesty organization ImmigrationWorks USA, Tamar Jacoby, writes in the Los Angeles Times that the federal government's decision to sue the state of Arizona is a bad idea. Jacoby declares her opposition to Arizona's immigration enforcement law, but argues that the Administration's decision to sue would foster anti-amnesty sentiment.
Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) has teamed up with State Rep. John Galloway to urge the state senate into passing a mandatory E-Verify law. Two house bills would require all construction contractors to verity new hires through the E-Verify employment verification system. Rep. Galloway says there are approximately 35,000 illegal aliens working in the construction industry in Pennsylvania.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an Ecuadorian television station that the Obama Administration will sue the state of Arizona. Pres. Obama has maintained that the Justice Department is looking into potential civil rights violations that could stem from the state's new immigration enforcement law, but has never outright said that the Administration would sue.
Mexico has been outspoken in its opposition to Arizona's new immigration enforcement law, including Mexican President Felipe Calderon who blasted the law during a recent visit to the United States. But a new report in the Washington Post highlights the treatment an illegal alien in Mexico would receive if detected.
A new poll conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News reveals that 58% of Americans support Arizona's immigration enforcement law that goes into effect in late-July. The poll also reveals that 75% of respondents feel the government isn't doing enough to secure the border and 83% support use of the National Guard to patrol the border.
The Members of the Reclaim American Jobs Caucus sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder responding to a brief filed by the Justice Department urging the Supreme Court to review Arizona's E-Verify law. The law suspends the business license of any business that hires illegal aliens, but the Obama Administration believes the law oversteps federal authority.
Two legal immigrants in Washington State are working on a ballot initiative that would crack down on illegal aliens living in the state. The ballot initiative would prohibit illegal aliens from obtaining a driver's license, require all public and private employers to use E-Verify, and deny non-emergency public benefits like in-state tuition.
A gathering of 200 city mayors today condemned Arizona's enforcement efforts and asked Congress to pass an amnesty giving 7 million illegal foreign workers permanent work visas while increasing future importation of foreign workers. You would think the nation's cities had zero unemployment rates. In fact, most of these cities have worse joblessness than the nation as a whole. But on a voice vote, the city mayors took the side of foreign workers and the employers who hire them.
Arizona's new immigration enforcement law doesn't take effect for another six weeks, but the state is seeing early signs of what impact it could have on its more than 400,000 illegal aliens. School districts are reporting an increased number of students being pulled from schools, and retail businesses that typically cater to illegal aliens are seeing a decrease in profits.
The city of Orange, Calif. voted earlier this week to "Stand with Arizona" after the council approved two resolutions that support Arizona's new immigration enforcement law. The city council declared Orange a rule of law city and several NumbersUSA activists were there to offer their thoughts to the council.
Congress is back in action on Capitol Hill for a busy 4-week session leading into the 4th of July recess. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is on track to move an energy bill to the Senate floor and is supposedly pushing immigration reform aside for the moment. But don’t be too sure. Keep your eye on the DREAM Act and Ag Jobs amnesties. Add them together and you have a genuine full-scale Amnesty that would add well over 3 million people.
A new report from Politico.com exposes a possible shift of the rhetoric used by the Democratic Leadership when speaking on the issue of illegal immigration. Democratic Leaders are considering the use of stronger words when referring to the nation's estimated 11-18 illegal aliens, but the goal will remain the same - a mass amnesty.
A new poll conducted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal reveals that 57% of the state's residents support an Arizona-style immigration enforcement law. The poll asked respondents if they would support allowing local law enforcement to inquire about immigration status after they've already stopped an individual.
NumbersUSA's Director of Government Relations Rosemary Jenks spoke to the supporters of Arizona's immigration enforcement law at the Phoenix Rising rally on June 5, 2010.
Rosemary Jenks, Director of Government Relations for NumbersUSA, was one of the speakers at Saturday's rally in Phoenix, Ariz. The rally gave supporters of Arizona's new immigration enforcement law a chance to voice their support, and Rosemary read a statement from Members of Congress who also stand with Arizona lawmakers.
Supporters of Arizona's new immigration enforcement law rallied in Phoenix this weekend to show their support for the state's crack down on illegal immigration. National and local leaders spoke to the crowd, including former Congressman Tom Tancredo and the bill's author State Sen. Russell Pearce.
Last week, the Massachusetts State Senate passed an immigration enforcement amendment, 28-to-10, to an appropriation bill. The State House had previously passed a different version of the spending bill, so the enforcement amendment is at the mercy of a conference committee.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer met with Pres. Barack Obama at the White House yesterday to discuss security plans along the Arizona-Mexico border and the state's new immigration enforcement law. While the two leaders don't agree on how to handle the steady and dangerous flow of illegal aliens into Arizona, both did agree that something needs to be done.
While city and county councils in California are finding ways to boycott Arizona, the city of Yorba Linda in Orange County voted unanimously to support Arizona and its new immigration enforcement law. NumbersUSA activists showed up at the city's council meeting on Tuesday night, urging the city council to vote in favor of a resolution strongly supporting Arizona.
A new Quinnipiac University poll reveals that a plurality Americans want a law similar to Arizona's immigration enforcement law passed in their own state. Forty-eight percent of Americans want their state to pass an immigration enforcement law that allows local police to ask about an individual's legal status if there is reasonable suspicion that they are in the country illegally.
A new CNN Poll reflects a shifting mood among Americans and the issue of illegal immigration. While support for Arizona's new immigration enforcement law remains strong, support for securing the border is also on the rise.
UPDATED: Several immigration-related amendments are being offered to an Emergency Spending bill that is making its way through the Senate floor. Senators Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) have all offered amendments to a spending bill with an underlying goal to help create jobs this summer. The amendments offered by Senators DeMint and Hutchison did not make it through the cloture vote.
Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has announced that the Obama Administration will send up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the Southwest border. Pres. Obama also plans to request $500 million from Congress to increase border security.
Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have admitted they haven't read the 10-page Arizona immigration enforcement law, but they were quick to criticize the bill. But in their criticism of Arizona's law, formerly known as SB1070, they also revealed their lack of understanding for federal immigration law. Here's a list of suggested readings for them and others critical of the law.
Unlike federal officials who have criticized Arizona's law, Rosemary Jenks -- an attorney and NumbersUSA's Director of Government Relations -- has read it thoroughly and offers here a full description of everything the law does.
Reps. Gary Miller (R-Calif.), Sue Myrick (R-N.C.), and Lamar Smith (R-Texas) are introducing a resolution to express the sense of the House of Representatives that state and local governments have inherent authority to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. The resolution is a response to criticism of Arizona's new immigration enforcement law.
The City Council of Costa Mesa, California, has approved a resolution declaring it would not be a sanctuary city for illegal aliens. This is in stark contrast to Los Angeles, which has decided to boycott Arizona over it's illegal immigration enforcement law.
A newsletter I subscribe to sent out an alert last week entitled "Evangelical Leaders Unite on Just Assimilation Immigration Policy." With heightened interest I began reading about how the law in Arizona is a response to the federal government's failure, that we need a rational immigration policy, that we are a nation of laws, and that we needed a solution that is neither amnesty nor mass deportation. I was excited because this is what I believe, until I realized that it was just a trial balloon for an alternative to the word Amnesty: Assimilation Immigration.
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) became a cosponsor of Rep. Phil Gingrey's Nuclear Family Priority Act. In doing so, he has joined an elite group of Congressmen and women who have cosponsored NumbersUSA's 5 great immigration bills. These bills are the SAVE Act, the Nuclear Family Priority Act, the SAFE Act, the Birthright Citizenship Act, and the CLEAR Act.
In a recent The Hill op-ed, Representative Lamar Smith derided the DREAM Act amnesty bill, calling it a "nightmare" and a "dual assault on law-abiding, taxpaying American citizens and legal immigrants."
Yesterday, the respected Pew Research Center released a new poll showing Americans are backing Arizona's recently passed immigration enforcement bill, SB 1070, by huge margins. According to the poll, seventy-three percent of Americans agree with "requiring people to produce documents verifying their legal status if police ask for them.”
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who has been more than critical of Arizona's tough immigration enforcement bill SB1070, admitted yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee that he hasn't actually read the bill and was basing his information off of news reports.
In an article published by Investor's Business Daily, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) writes that a mass amnesty will drain funds from Social Security despite claims by pro-amnesty supporters who say a mass amnesty will help Social Security over time.
Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) is blasting the Los Angeles City Council after voting yesterday to officially cutoff business with the state of Arizona. In a written statement, Rep. Miller, who represents parts of Los Angeles and its neighboring counties, said the boycott hurts American citizens and legal immigrants.
It isn’t every day a person gets to sit down and chew the fat with one of their U.S. Senators. So I jumped at the chance to participate in an hour long Q & A session with Michael Bennet, the junior Senator from Colorado, who fielded questions from two dozen environmental activists here in northern Colorado. Senator Bennet considers himself a strong environmentalist and in his first year in the Senate he has earned good marks from the League of Conservation Voters. But his poor grade with NumbersUSA contradicts his commitment to the environment.
A new Pew Research poll reveals that the majority of Americans support most of the provisions offered in Arizona's new immigration enforcement law. Seventy-three percent of Americans believe that individuals should carry proof of legal status, 67% support police being able to detain an individual that can't prove legal status, 62% support police questioning an individual they suspect to be in the country illegally, and 59% support the Arizona law.
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are divided over the timing of an Amnesty bill in Congress. While some feel now is the time to push for an Amnesty for the nation's 11-18 million illegal aliens, other Members of the Caucus feel the timing is bad with mid-term elections coming in the fall.
Last week, Pennsylvania Rep. Daryl Metcalfe introduced a bill similar to Arizona's recently passed immigration enforcement bill, SB 1070. Several more states are looking to introduce, or already have introduced, similar legislation as well.
Currently high levels of legal immigration combined with illegal immigration are proving to be a detriment to the 25 Million Americans who can't find full-time work. In light of Arizona's passage of SB1070, this ad demonstrates that negative impact.
Yesterday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) took the extraordinary step of writing a letter to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, asking her to delay implementation of Arizona’s new immigration law in order to give the Senate a chance to pass comprehensive immigration reform. The Governor’s quick reply: “No.” Sen. Schumer’s letter, combined with other actions by previously pro-amnesty Senators, shows that Schumer and his cronies are running scared because the American people are about to get the chance to see that Attrition Through Enforcement works.
