Evil does its bidding in the dead of night.
Maybe that explains what happened Thursday when the House passed H.R. 5855, the fiscal year 2013 Homeland Security Appropriations Act, on a vote of 234-182. The bill included a laundry list of immigration-related amendments, but two in particular underscore the self-destructive mean-spiritedness that dominates the American immigration debate.
The first, offered by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), might as well have been called the "Let's Prevent Common Sense Immigration Enforcement Act." King's goal is to stymie the Obama administration's stated policy of prosecutorial discretion -- summarized in a June 17, 2011 memorandum by ICE director John Morton -- which prioritizes the deportation of violent criminals, egregious immigration violators and national security risks. To do that King attached an amendment to the appropriations bill that would, in effect, prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from spending tax dollars with the aim of keeping our borders secure and our communities safe.
Sadly, the joke may be on King. He and his cohorts in the House may have wasted their precious midnight oil because, while the administration has talked a good game on common sense enforcement, there is little evidence that the Morton memo is worth the paper it's written on. All across the U.S. ICE agents are still engaged in the foul task of splitting up American families and deporting the promising undocumented youth known as DREAMERS. Of the nearly 300,000 immigration cases reviewed, a paltry 1.5 percent of the immigrants in deportation proceedings were actually granted prosecutorial discretion, and even those were granted only a temporary reprieve, keeping their lives completely in limbo. In fact, in most cases immigrants are better off taking their chances before an immigration judge where at least they have a fighting shot at remaining with their loved ones or avoiding the prospect of being deported to a dangerous country.
The other amendment, tacked onto the legislation by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), would effectively derail the Obama administration's proposed "Family Unity Waiver" -- a processing tweak that will allow undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens to remain in the U.S. while the Department of Homeland Security determines whether or not denial of their green card would cause extreme hardship to their spouse or parent. The procedural fix is important to American families who face long-term separation from a loved one who, under the current rules, must travel abroad and wait many months to process their green card and waiver applications. Over the years immigrants and their families have been seriously injured, even murdered, while stuck in dangerous cities like Ciudad Juarez waiting for bureaucratic backlogs to clear.
It's hard to imagine what House members were thinking late Thursday night as they walked through the corridors of Congress to vote for H.R. 5855. No wonder they waited until America was fast asleep.
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Every nation on Earth has immigration laws and most are much harsher than those of the US. The people who cross our Southern Border illegally know they are breaking the law and they seek to evade the authorities. They use any method they can to stay and work even if it involves fraud or ID theft. By necessity they disregard any laws that they don't agree with, be it lying on applications or driving without licence or insurance.
The Morton Memo was a cheap attempt by the Administration to go around our law and it didn't work very well. What the Representatives were doing was plugging loopholes. Obama has convinced many foreigners and their nations that he can get CIR and the DREAM Act through on his own and Congress is letting him know that is not the case.
The president has no authority to grant amnesty for foreigners nor can he sign something like the DREAM Act into being with any executive order. He also can't tell federal agencies not to enforce the law or prejudice enforcement. The only way the laws can be changed or even seriously bent is by Congress. What they said loud and clear was "NO!".
Second, I agree on the following: It isn't America's job to save the world. And they did break our laws.
The only thing I'd last to ask your opinion on is your lack of support for the Morton Memo. Can you explain? I'm of the opinion, seeing as how the U.S. does not have the man-power nor the budget to deport every single undocumented person (no matter whether you think this is the answer or not, for the purposes of this argument, it doesn't matter), it makes sense for ICE to focus on those with criminal records and those who pose the biggest threat to the country's security.
I was under the impression that ~10-percent of the outstanding cases had been cleared, and of those that were cleared, next to none gave the person a legal status where they could go out and lawfully obtain a job or get a drivers license.
First of all they are NOT American families, they are illegals who violated the law and componded that by having children on American soil. Here is the real question that no one ask? What about the children that plenty of the illegals left behind in their countries of origin, to SNEAK into the USA? What about their dreams of seeing mommy and daddy?
the GOP is like a cancer this election cycle... and Citizens United is their gift from the Roberts court.
This is a American vs. illegal alien issue. Republicans and democrats are united on this.
and the burden on schools and hospitals. We are taking away health care and school from Americans but cannot say a thing when someone here illegally use the hospitals like a general practitioner. I do understand
but at the same time. I don't think the total deportation roundups where they separate families is effective and probably causes more problems.
I also think the constant lazy-Suzann of deportation is not cost effective and is double the drain.
I think your going to have to selective deportation with the ones that are here...
and prevent the new ones from coming. (easier said then done).
and one thing I can say. The majority of the folk here illegally work hard. I see it every day . They are out there starting businesses and working and we all go to work in the morning.
but there is a legal way to get to America...its slow though... so maybe they should open up Ellis Island again. Just speed up the process a little bit.
Illegal aliens know the risks when coming here illegally, and they seem ok with it, so I am just fine with HR 5855.
Unlike, this article's author ~ the U.S. House of Representatives have read U.S. Code title 8, sections1100 thru 1700 = U.S. Immigration Laws on the books since November 6, 1986
The left wants as many poor people streaming into the country as they can get because poor people want other people's money so vote Democrat.
The right thinks we can deport millions of people or that we should try to kick out hard workers along with the rabble.
A common sense approach is needed. If you've taken any government aid for yourself or your kids, get out. Now. Make life hard on them. Even if you receive the money for your kids, _no_ government aid. Any crimes? Get out now.
Otherwise, pay a fine and get legal status.
But history has proven amnesty only makes the problem much much worse. The border crossing go up when amnesty is being seriously discussed. The bills are so full of loopholes and outright silly largess that virtually any and all illegals will qualify. The bills never require any substantive proof from the illegal, never make them pay the full cost of such a program and always allow them to stay with criminal activity on their record.
Fool me once shame on me fool me 7 times and I'm and id/iot.
The ONLY Issue that the Democrats & Republicans agree on?
Deportation of illegals
Democrats = forceable deportations at 1 each & every 79 seconds
Republicans = voluntary "self-deportations"
Theoretically--but as a practical matter it amounts to protected status and is included more for political cover. If you've ever read the leaked "Administrative Alternatives to Comprehensive Immigration Reform" memo, you would know that ICE is conscious of the controversy of its non-enforcement strategies.
So the question becomes, how many more parents of United States citizens will President Obama deport if he is afforded a second term?
I for one will not allow him to stab me in the back as I cast a vote this November.
Let's hope all of them.
When did this occur?
A plan like that will get us the best immigrants possible won't it?
If the household is headed by an illegal alien, and we're deporting that illegal alien, how exactly are we splitting up 'American families'?