The Tucson Sentinel reports that more “family units” are crossing the border illegally and seeking help at temporary shelters in the Rio Grande Valley. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to end any time soon,” said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. “The numbers increased a lot this past month, almost to 100 every day."
This week, NumbersUSA ran two different advertisements in the Capitol Hill publication, Roll Call, highlighting Pres. Obama's past quote, "I'm not an Emperor of the United States." He made the statement during a Google hangout with activists in early-2013, but he may now be regretting it. On Wednesday, White House press secretary, Josh Earnest was grilled by ABC's Jon Karl on the quote and the president's upcoming executive amnesty.
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote President Obama Thursday to urge him not to “legalize undocumented immigrants…until we have properly secured our southern border and provided for effective enforcement of immigration laws.” The three Republicans were part of the “Gang of Eight” who drafted and oversaw passage of the Senate-passed comprehensive amnesty bill (S. 744) in 2013. The fourth Republican "Gang" member, Sen. Jeff Flake, Ariz., did not sign the letter.
U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner Peter Kirsanow, in a letter to President Obama and the Congressional Black Caucus, warns that “(g)ranting work authorization to millions of illegal immigrants will devastate the black community, which is already struggling in the wake of the recession.” He also highlights the adverse effects an executive amnesty would have on U.S.-born high-skilled STEM workers.
In an open letter to the public at large, National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council President Kenneth Palinkas asked for help in stopping President Obama’s plans for a massive executive amnesty. The letter, obtained in advance by Breitbart News, says the draft solicitation for 34 million green cards and work permits “predicts the Administration’s promised executive amnesty.”
In an op-ed for The Daily Caller, former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell rails against "Obama's pro-amnesty agenda". Blackwell calls Pres. Obama's unwillingness to institute a travel ban on Ebola-stricken countries "an extension of his larger, pro-amnesty, open border position."
CNSNews reports that Simon Rosenberg, a leading Democratic strategist, said that “the threat of deportation over the vast majority of undocumented immigrants in the United States has been lifted” because the Obama Administration is not enforcing immigration laws. He expects Obama to grant executive amnesty to millions of illegal aliens after the midterm election, even though all but criminal aliens already are safe from deportation under the Administration’s “prosecutorial discretion” guidelines.
Breitbart reports that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a draft solicitation for bids “to support possible future immigration reform initiative requirements.” The October 6 notice seeks vendors able to produce at least four million immigration-related cards per year, with a possible “surge” in 2016 of 5 million additional cards.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson today extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of Honduras and Nicaragua for an additional 18 months. The TPS designation, originally granted to Honduras in 1999 and to Nicaragua in 2001, gives work permits and legal documents to illegally-present foreign nationals from designated countries.
The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) issued a report saying 95 percent of the illegal aliens deported between 2009 and 2013 were criminal and repeat immigration offenders. Illegal-alien advocates have made news decrying the Obama Administration’s deportation of non-criminals, but the MPI report confirms DHS followed internal policies that prioritize deportations based on criminal records and ignore the illegal presence of other foreign nationals.
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., Thursday said White House press secretary Josh Earnest’s recent comments prove ‘raw politics’ were behind President Barack Obama’s decision to delay his executive amnesty until after the election. Earnest had said earlier in the week that Obama delayed action because he was worried Republicans would make political use of the issue.
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.
A new Obama administration program would give refugee status to a limited number of minors from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador who are the “child relatives” of legal immigrants living in the United States. It would not affect minors who want to join their illegally-present parents in the United States or minors who have already entered the country illegally.
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.”
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 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.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., yesterday said “I think we should use any and all means necessary to prevent the president from illegally granting amnesty.” That could include amending a stop-gap spending bill (continuing resolution) with a House-passed measure that would prevent funds from being spent to implement President Obama’s administrative amnesty. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who opposes the measure, accused Sen. Cruz of inviting a government shutdown.
At a Tuesday press conference with Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and a number of House Republicans, Sen. Cruz said:
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D.-Calif., said if President Obama goes around Congress and issues his own executive actions on immigration “it would be legally challenged.” The president has delayed any unilateral action until after the election.
President Obama said he will not take unilateral action on amnesty before the elections in November. Polls have consistently shown public opposition to Obama acting on his own. Pressure from Senate Democrats who did not want to risk the voters’ ire weeks before an election likely influenced the decision as well.
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."
Signals remain somewhat uncertain about whether the President is about ready to spring a devastating amnesty and immigration increase on us. But one thing is indisputable. All of you in the NumbersUSA network of citizens -- and your allies -- have pressured Democratic Members of Congress so much that many are begging Pres. Obama to renege on his promise earlier this summer to issue an executive amnesty to an estimated 5 million illegal aliens by Sep. 21.
The Washington Post editorial board took a surprising position on Wednesday after the paper reported Saturday on plans by the Obama Administration to grant deferred action and work permits to millions of illegal aliens. The Post said that the President's expanded executive amnesty would violate U.S. law and the Constitution.
According to a new IBD/TIPP poll, 56% of Americans blame Pres. Obama's executive amnesties for the ongoing border surge along the U.S.-Mexico border. The poll also found that the number of Americans who want the border secured before any other immigration actions are taken rose from 39% a year ago to 47%.
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.”
More than 25 groups, including NumbersUSA, signed a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) urging him to force Pres. Obama to use the resources that are already at his disposal in response to the ongoing border crisis. At least 240,000 illegal aliens have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border this year, including 50,000 Unaccompanied Alien Children. Pres. Obama has asked Congress for nearly $4 billion in emergency funding - much of which wouldn't be used until FY2015 and would go towards the caring for and relocation of illegal aliens.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) called an emergency meeting this morning for House Republicans to discuss their options in a response to the ongoing illegal-alien border surge. The House is scheduled to break next week for the month-long August recess. Reports indicate that the Leadership is leaning towards moving a bill that would provide Pres. Obama with about $1 billion in emergency funding and modify the 2008 human trafficking law that has been the blame for some of the surge.
Only $25 million of Pres. Obama's $3.7 billion emergency funding request in response to the illegal-alien border surge would be spent in fiscal year 2014, according to an analysis of the proposal from the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO projected that the $25 million would be spent by the Department of Health and Human Services for the housing, care, and relocation of illegal-alien families, not the Department of Homeland Security that's tasked with securing the border.
Many bloggers and other writers on the Right have been calling for the deportation of recent illegal border crossers. That view is underlined by a recent poll showing that three in five Americans believe surge aliens "should be ordered to leave the U.S.” Now we’re beginning to see some writers on the Left call for the same thing. Take blogger Keli Goff, a strong supporter of President Obama who has advocated amnesty for so-called Dreamers. She argues deportation is necessary to protect vulnerable Americans.
The Daily Caller obtained an unreleased poll that says 59 percent of voters who are closely following the border surge agree that "current administration policies and lack of focus on securing the border" are behind the crisis. One-third of political independents and Hispanics “strongly” blame the president. Six in 10 respondents say that unaccompanied alien children should be ordered to leave the country.
Testifying at a House Homeland Security Committee field hearing in McAllen, Texas, Gov. Rick Perry said the president should deploy the National Guard to secure the Texas border and send unaccompanied alien children and alien families back home. He also wants the federal government to reimburse Texas for expenses related to dealing with illegal immigration.
Thirty-two House Republicans joined Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., in a letter to the president calling on him to end the policies that have caused the surge of illegal border crossings. The letter calls on Obama to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and to forego policies that give the recent illegal border crossers or other illegal aliens special treatment under the law.
In the wake of President Barack Obama’s pledge to implement additional executive amnesty measures, illegal alien advocates called on him to give work permits to most illegal aliens while House Republicans said his actions would lead to more illegal immigration.
President Barack Obama announced he is starting "a new effort to fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own, without Congress." He will reportedly will seek options that shift immigration enforcement from the interior to the border. Obama said he decided to act on his own after Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he would not bring an immigration bill to the House floor “at least for the remainder of this year.”
President Barack Obama wrote congressional leaders today request “new tools and resources we need to implement a unified, comprehensive Federal Government response” to the massive surge of minor and adult illegal aliens crossing the southern border.
For nearly a month, the Southwest border, and especially the Rio Grande Valley sector in Texas, has been overrun by illegal border crossings, many of which have been unaccompanied minors while Americans have been forced to sit back and watch. That starts to change today as the House of Representatives brings the Department of Defense Authorization Act of 2015 to the floor, and a few Members are offering amendments to provide some relief to the Border Patrol's efforts.
Hundreds of illegal-alien children continue to cross certain sectors of the U.S. southern border each day, often with their mother. In an effort to stop them from coming, the Obama Administration is claiming they are subject to deportation but immigration attorneys say the vast majority of children may be given the legal right to stay under current immigration and asylum laws.
A new CNN Poll found that 61% of Americans disapprove of the administration's handling of illegal immigration. The poll was taken between May 29 and June 1 and asked for a simple approve or disapprove rating of a variety of issues. Only 35% said they approved of the President's handling of illegal immigration.
President Barack Obama today said the spike children illegally crossing the Mexican border is an "urgent humanitarian situation," and asked the Senate Appropriations Committee for an extra $1.4 billion to deal with it. Obama issued a presidential memorandum that describes his Administration’s response, which will be led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In keeping with its recent effort to avoid actions that might discourage House Republicans from taking up immigration legislation, the White House told the Department of Defense to delay a plan that would allow illegal aliens to serve in the military if they qualified for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals executive amnesty and possess certain skills.
President Barack Obama told Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to delay finishing a review of executive amnesty options until the window for congressional action has closed, according to one Administration official. The delay is meant to give House Republicans more time to work on immigration bills without exacerbating tensions over the actions Obama has already taken to minimize interior immigration enforcement.
At a meeting today with law enforcement organizations, President Obama made the case for comprehensive immigration reform by saying it is necessary "for our safety and security." He also said there is a "narrow window" of two or three months to pass legislation in Congress before election season derails further efforts.
On the Senate floor yesterday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, decried the Obama Administration’s proposed rule giving work permits to the spouses of certain H-1B visa holders. He said Congress did not authorize the Administration proposal. “They act on their own,” Sen. Grassley said. “And, they do it to the detriment of American workers.”
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, mocked Republicans in his caucus for being afraid to engage in a debate over amnesty. His theatrical display is surprising since Boehner had cited his caucus’ views when earlier declaring that immigration legislation was doubtful this year.
USA Today's April 15th story, "Obama deporter in chief? Not quite." by Alan Gomez is the most straightforward and succinct attempt to clarify President Obama's deportation record to date.
On Wednesday, Pres. Obama sent mixed messages to the American people. In the first half of the day, he once again expressed his support for the Senate-approved amnesty bill, S.744, that would issue more than 30 million lifetime work permits in the first decade. In the afternoon, he told a group of working-class Americans that he'd like to spend $600 million more to expand programs that train low-skilled American workers for high-tech jobs that pay more money.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Speaker John Boehner and certain key House Republicans recently told donors and special interest groups they still want to pass immigration legislation this year. President Obama continues his push for comprehensive amnesty today in a meeting he hopes will persuade the American Legion to drop their opposition to inclusion of the ENLIST Act in the defense authorization bill.
In their April 6, 2014 story, "More deportations follow minor crimes, records show," New York Times reporters Ginger Thompson and Sarah Cohen make it clear in the first paragraph that the Times isn't going to give up on the "record deportations" claim, although Thompson and Cohen do confirm what other news outlets already have: deportations from the
A Texas TV station reports the Border Patrol is releasing women and children that recently entered the United States illegally if they are considered no threat to national security. The agency confirmed the releases, explaining the decision was prompted by an uptick in border apprehensions and already crowded detention facilities.
House Democrats introduced a discharge petition Wednesday in an effort to force a vote on their comprehensive amnesty bill. But some illegal alien advocates have criticized that strategy and re-focused their efforts on President Obama, who they hope will declare amnesty by fiat.
As the Obama Administration searches for options to broaden its executive amnesty, a new analysis by Sen. Jeff Sessions reveals that only two percent of removals in 2013 did not meet DHS’ criminal-oriented enforcement “priorities.” He says DHS policies leave illegal aliens virtually immune from immigration enforcement unless they commit a serious crime and invite foreign nationals to overstay a visa or enter the U.S. illegally,
