A new study released by the Center of Immigration Studies shows that both legal and illegal immigration increased 39% between 2014-2015. More than 3 million immigrants settled in the U.S. in the last 2 years, this rate is now higher than the pre-recession levels of 2007.
The House approved an amendment on Wednesday night offered by Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) to the Energy and Water Development spending bill for FY17. The amendment would prevent any funds from the bill going to sanctuary cities. It was approved by voice vote.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection's latest report shows that 38,000 illegal aliens were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in April 2016, this is the highest number caught since the 2014 border surge.
Pres. Obama’s 2017 proposed budget includes $1.3 billion in benefits for unaccompanied children who illegally cross the U.S. border. Around 75,000 minors are expected to cross this year, meaning $17, 613 would be set aside for each UAC while the average Social Security benefit is only $14,772.
Pres. Obama told a group of reporters that the record numbers of deportations were "deceptive".
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an Arizona law that made it a crime to steal someone’s identity for the purpose of obtaining a job. The law had targeted illegal aliens committing identity theft but the court said it did not violate the Constitution because it applied to others as well.
A new chart released by the Senate Subcommittee Immigration and the National Interest, headed by Chairman Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), shows that deportations have declined by 43% in the last three years while the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) budget for the detention and removal of aliens has grown by 25%.
At a hearing today, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said “In a three-year period, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released more than 86,000 criminal aliens into the American public…These are people that were here illegally, got caught committing a crime, were convicted of that crime and instead of deporting them, they were just released back out in the United States of America.” Chairman Chaffetz said the released aliens had been convicted of over 231,000 crimes.
According to new Border Patrol statistics, apprehensions at the southern border rose for the third consecutive month led by increases in illegal-alien family units. The Border Patrol apprehended 32,117 family units so far in fiscal year 2016, more than double the amount for this period last year and a 62% increase over the record number in fiscal year 2014 for that period. The numbers suggest a new border surge from Central American countries of record proportions.
Sheriff Charles Jenkins of Frederick County, Md. told a House panel that “(o)pen borders, reckless sanctuary policies, and failure to enforce our immigration laws have greatly impacted public safety and national security throughout every jurisdiction of this country. He linked the surge in unaccompanied alien minors crossing the border to a rise in alien gang crime, including attempted murder, armed robbery and the rape and sexual assault of children.
Unfortunately, the legislation being considered by Congress in response to concerns about overly-long prison sentences for Americans has been crafted to primarily benefit criminal aliens. That's the conclusion of our legislative affairs team after several weeks of scrutinizing documents and reports, and of meeting with a number of experts on the issue.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents set up a fake university to catch those helping foreign nationals to keep or obtain a student visa to stay in the U.S. The sting operation resulted in the arrest of 21 people who conspired to help over 1,000 foreign nationals to remain in the country.
42 House Republicans, led by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), sent a letter to the Appropriation Committees in charge of funding the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department asking them to deny federal funding to any jurisdictions that uphold sanctuary policies for illegal aliens.
In testimony released by the House Judiciary Committee on Monday Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, confirmed that he and other border patrol agents were told to release illegal aliens caught at the border since DHS had “no intention” of deporting them.
Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) has cosponsored Rep. Lamar Smith’s bill to mandate E-Verify and Rep. Trey Gowdy’s bill that would strengthen interior enforcement. This makes Rep. Jones one of only three members of Congress to cosponsor all NumberUSA’s 5 Great Immigration Solution Bills, the other two members are Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.).
At the request of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) disclosed information about criminal aliens they have released since 2010, including information that shows that 124 criminal aliens were charged with homicides after being released from ICE custody.
At a news conference on Tuesday in Florence, AZ Pinal County Sheriff, Paul Babeu denounced Pres. Obama’s immigration policies that hinder border agents from enforcing immigration laws. He criticized the administration for cutting the number of border agents and not allowing them to patrol high-traffic smuggling routes efficiently.
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) introduced the ICE Agent Support Act (H.R. 4597) and the American Jobs First Act (H.R. 4598) this week and both are identical to the bills introduced by Sen. Sessions (R-Ala.) and Cruz (R-Texas) in the Senate earlier this month.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch has issued a new policy that could encourage sanctuary jurisdictions to start cooperating with ICE deportation requests.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement released 90,000 illegal aliens back onto the streets that were deemed as criminal threats in 2015. The massive release was a result of Pres. Obama’s Priority Enforcement Program that puts the focus only on criminal aliens who pose a "serious" threat.
The Wisconsin Assembly passed legislation (AB 450) yesterday that would penalize local governments for maintaining policies that prevent officers from reporting the immigration status of anyone charged with a crime. If a judge finds a city in violation, state aid could be reduced by between $500 and $5,000 for each day the sanctuary policy remains in place. The measure now goes to the Senate.
Pres. Obama issued the final budget proposal of his tenure, making one last push for passage of “comprehensive immigration reform.” The President’s proposed budget would also end the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that reimburses state and local prisons for housing criminal illegal aliens. It’s unlikely that Congress will even vote on the proposal.
The Obama administration has reinstated the catch and release policy forcing Border Patrol to release any illegal aliens “claiming” to have been in the country since January 2014, without ordering them to appear at a deportation hearing. This essentially ignores our immigration laws and grants illegal aliens the right to remain in the country.
The Florida House yesterday passed a bill (HB 675) that would penalize local governments for adopting illegal-alien sanctuary policies – i.e., those that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement officials -- and would provide a cause of action for personal injury or wrongful death caused by a city’s sanctuary policies. The bill now moves to the Florida Senate where it faces an uncertain fate.
San Francisco taxpayers have filed a lawsuit (Cynthia Cerietti v. Ross Mirkarimi) to end the sanctuary ordinance that prohibits the Sheriff’s Department in San Francisco County from notifying the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the immigration status of any inmate in the Sheriff Department’s custody.
Assistant Homeland Security Secretary, Sarah R. Saldana, testified to Congress on Wednesday that ICE had given away $113 million designated for deportations to other departments, because there were not enough illegal aliens to deport while also admitting that more than 179,000 illegal aliens who have committed crimes are roaming free in the United States.
In light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), says that the U.S. should take extra precautions and temporarily suspend the visa waiver program with Europe.
The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department announced a new plan that will allow ICE agents into the jails to interview illegal aliens and immigrants considered as serious public safety threats for possible deportation.
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced this morning he will resign from Congress at the end of October. The Speaker leaves behind a long history of pressing his caucus to legalize illegal aliens and increase already historically-high legal immigration levels. This, and his lack of interest in fighting President Obama’s executive amnesties, led to some of the biggest clashes within the House Republican Caucus.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will not mark up Sen. Vitter’s (R-La.) Stop Sanctuary Cities Act (S. 1814) as planned today, Politico reports. Republicans are still working though differences on the measure. Sources on the Hill tell NumbersUSA that once Members agree on language, Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is likely to bypass committee and move to consider the bill on the Senate floor.
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) has sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding that they stop releasing criminal illegal aliens onto the streets, enabling them to commit more crimes. The response from Rep. Salmon comes after learning that the administration had released three violent criminal illegal aliens into Pinal County just south of Phoenix.
A poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports has found that the majority of voters support increased immigration enforcement, including additional fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border and deportation for criminal illegal aliens. According to the poll's findings, 51% of likely voters support more fencing along the border, while a whopping 80% support the deportation of criminal illegal aliens.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has agreed to detain illegal aliens in state custody for pickup and eventual deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His predecessor, Martin O’Malley (D), last year established a policy of refusing ICE detainer requests, which resulted in the release of criminal aliens from the state-run Baltimore City Detention Center onto the streets.
Five days after being released from jail on a weapons charge illegal alien, Victor Aureliano Martinez, with illegal alien Jose Fernando Villagomez assaulted and killed Marilyn Pharis, a civilian Air Force contractor. Local law enforcement blames conflicting state and federal laws regarding immigration detainer requests as the reason why Martinez, who has been arrested multiple times, was allowed to remain in the US illegally.
The House passed legislation that would block certain federal funds to jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with ICE agents, and would authorize the Department of Justice to block policing grants to localities that similarly adopt sanctuary policies. The legislation is weaker than that the House passed earlier this year and does not address the Obama Administration’s sanctuary policies, such as the mass release criminal aliens.
At a House Judiciary Committee hearing today, Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., disclosed new information showing the Obama Administration released from detention 1,423 criminal aliens in fiscal year 2014 who were later convicted of more crimes. These new crimes included assault, burglary, robbery, sexual assault, kidnapping, various types of homicide and manslaughter, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) has cosponsored Rep. Jody Hice's bill to end Chain Migration and the four immigration enforcement bills approved earlier this year by the House Judiciary Committee. Rep. Brat in one of the few Members of Congress to support bills that would both help end illegal immigration and make reductions in legal immigration numbers.
A House subcommittee yesterday missed an opportunity to permanently defund the president’s executive amnesties. The subcommittee cleared a draft DHS spending bill that defunds the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents amnesty and the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals amnesty, but only while a related federal court injunction remains in effect. The measure does not affect DHS because the injunction imposed by Texas District Court Judge Andrew Hanen already prohibits the agency from implementing those amnesties.
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) has introduced legislation that would increase interior enforcement and expedite the deportation of criminal aliens. The bill was introduced in the wake of one of his constituents being murdered by a criminal illegal alien awaiting deportation.
As the courts sort out the legality of President Obama's executive action to grant amnesty and work permits to 5 million illegal aliens, the Obama administration is moving forward with its Priority Enforcement Program, which prohibits U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from targeting most illegal aliens for removal, including most of those who come into contact with state and local police.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has introduced legislation that would bolster the interior enforcement of federal immigration laws. The bill, S.1640, entitled the Michael Davis, Jr. and Danny Oliver in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act, would end the mass release of criminal aliens, allow local law enforcement to assist in the enforcement of federal laws, and help ensure the just, consistent and uniform application of federal law.
The Associated Press reports that Mexico apprehended 92,889 Central Americans between October 2014 and April 2015, while the United States detained 70,226 "other than Mexican" illegal aliens during that period, the majority of whom are Guatemalan, Honduran and El Salvadoran citizens. But the important issue is the disposition of these illegal aliens and there, AP notes, “Mexico has proved the more efficient."
The Washington Times obtained new data from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., that shows 57 percent of the criminal aliens released from detention pending deportation were let go on a discretionary rather than on a mandatory basis. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau considered about 3,700 of the released criminal aliens to be “Level 1” threats – its top priority for deportation – but chose alternatives to detention such as electronic monitoring.
Under pressure from illegal-alien advocacy groups, the Obama Administration has released some aliens from detention and placed them in the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. But according to Breitbart News, a report by the Homeland Security Department’s Inspector General says the agency no longer monitors some of the released aliens and over 2,000 were arrested for committing crimes after their release.
A report released by the Obama Administration states that the federal government should cease utilizing local and state police while enforcing immigration law. The recommendation comes as part of a task force, in conjunction with the Department of Justice, set up by the president to help rebuild trust between police and the communities they work in.
The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security released a report finding that DHS does not consistently track its uses of prosecutorial discretion in immigration enforcement, which may compromise national security and public safety.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to terminate the 287(g) Memorandum of Understanding that allowed ICE Agents to expedite the deportation of felonious illegal aliens from within county jails. However the Board authorized the County Sheriff to negotiate with ICE regarding when ICE agents can enter county jails and interview criminals who are suspected illegal aliens.
