Interior Enforcement

A Texas federal judge has ruled that the Obama Administration is most likely violating the law by ordering Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to release illegal aliens that the administration has deemed as low-priority. Judge Reed O'Conner wrote in a court order on Tuesday that Congress sets the priorities for arresting illegal aliens not the Administration.

The Gang of Eight officially unveiled its amnesty bill to the public today, but one of the press conference's attendees wasn't welcome. ICE Union President Chris Crane was removed from the event when he tried to ask a question during the Q&A portion of the press conference.

President of the National ICE Council, Chris Crane, hosted a conference call with the media on Wednesday and said the current plan being drawn up by the Senate Gang of Eight will do nothing to fix our broken immigration system. Crane referred to a statement made by Sen. Chuck Schumer on Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" when he said that legalization will come before enforcement.

Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), called out the Obama Administration on the Senate floor for misleading the public on the recent release of illegal-alien detainees because of the sequester budget cuts. Sen. Grassley said the Obama Administration first said that it was only a few hundred detainees that had been released, but ICE Director John Morton told Congress that the number is more than 2,000 detainees that have been released.

The director of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement admitted today during a House appropriations subcommittee hearing that the Obama administration did indeed release thousands of illegal aliens from immigration jails in February, some of whom were categorized as the highest level criminal offenders. 

Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Hal Rogers, has offered a continuing resolution that would provide funding for the federal government for the rest of FY2013 that would maintain current immigration enforcement efforts. Funding for the federal government expires at the end of March unless a continuing resolution is passed.

The Department of Homeland Security has announced it will release up to 10,000 illegalaliens who are currently in custody due to the budget cuts expected to kick in at the end of this week. While DHS did say they prioritized based on who would pose a significant threat to public safety, the move has some lawmakers and law enforcement agents nervous.

After AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said that passing Pres. Obama's mass amnesty plan was a "top priority" for his union, the ICE Agents Union, which is anAFL-CIO affiliate, issued a press release saying Trumpka doesn't speak for them. In the statement, the ICE Agents Union said, "No President Trumka, there are still differences within the AFL-CIO, and you don't speak for us."

The Montana House passed a bill (HB 50) that would prevent local jurisdictions from declaring themselves illegal-alien sanctuaries. The measure now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The Associated Press reports the Obama Administration set records for the number of worksite enforcement audits and related monetary penalties in fiscal year 2012. But a recent Congressional Research Service analysis suggests it is too early to tell whether the Administration’s emphasis on auditing businesses is an effective immigration enforcement strategy, especially if the goal is to remove illegal aliens from the workplace.

A four-year court battle between the State of Oklahoma and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ended this week when a federal judge approved an agreement between the parties that allows the state to implement certain provisions of its immigration-enforcement law but blocks implementation of other provisions.

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.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris issued guidance saying police can choose whether to cooperate with ICE in deporting illegal aliens under the federal Secure Communities program even if ICE considers participation to be mandatory. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca subsequently announced he will no longer hand over to ICE illegal aliens arrested for low-level crimes.

A federal judge ruled on Thursday that South Carolina police officers can now check the immigration status of suspected illegal aliens during a lawful stop. In a statement, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said, "Giving law enforcement this ability will make our state a better, safer place for all South Carolinians."

Montana voters approved a referendum that will curtail fiscal problems related to illegal immigration while Maryland voters passed an in-state tuition referendum that will add to the state’s fiscal difficulties.

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.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of continuing police immigration status checks in Arizona, while the 11th Circuit Court denied Alabama’s request to restore enforcement provisions that were blocked earlier this year. The 9th Circuit Court also took up a separate case involving Arizona law.

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.

Farmers Branch, Texas asked the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday to uphold a city ordinance that bans illegal aliens from renting in the town. In March, a three-judge panel of the Court invalidated the ordinance. It could take months for the Court to issue its opinion.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Arizona SB 1070 case has cleared the way for lower courts to resume cases involving other state immigration enforcement laws. Action is now pending in the Alabama, Indiana, and Georgia cases.

Rep. Steve King, who also serves as the vice chair for the House Immigration Subcommittee, has extended his support to a group of 10 ICE agents who filed a lawsuit against DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and ICE Director John Morton over the issue of deferred action. The complaint, filed by the agents two weeks ago, charges that the "Morton Memo" issued in 2011 and the DREAM Directive issued in 2012 requires ICE agents to break their oath or office and violate federal immigration laws as passed by Congress.

The California legislature cleared a bill that would prohibit police from honoring ICE detention requests unless illegal aliens are convicted of serious or violent felonies. A number of sheriffs are now asking Gov. Jerry Brown to veto the measure. He has not taken a position on the bill, but must sign or veto it by Sept. 30th.