The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the ICE Agents and the State of Mississippi lacked standing to sue over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program President Obama set up in 2012, Politico reports. Upholding a district court ruling, a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit said the plaintiffs’ argument that the program would cause them harm was speculative.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen denied a Justice Department request late Tuesday night to lift his injunction on President Obama's plan to grant executive amnesty and work permits to five million illegal aliens. The judge issued his injunction on February 16, just days before the Department of Homeland Security was to start processing amnesty applications, while the case brought by 26 states was being decided.
The Center for Immigration Studies obtained DHS statistics that say the Border Patrol and other agencies apprehended over 2,000 illegal alien minors during each of the last several months. The minors came from 27 different countries, although 90 percent came from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. 70 percent were male, 84 percent were between the ages of 13 and 17 when apprehended, and thirty-one percent claimed to be age 17.
Rep. Paul Gosar, Ariz., and 14 other House Republicans asked appropriators developing the fiscal year 2016 DHS spending bill to prohibit funding for the president’s most recent executive amnesties. Now that the House budget resolution has passed, House Appropriations Committees will begin to draft FY ’16 spending bills after Members return from recess.
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D-Ill., and other House Democrats announced their new "Family Defender Toolkit," which is designed to help illegal aliens avoid deportation if they are detained by an ICE agent, and to gather the documents necessary to apply for President Obama’s executive amnesties. House Democrats have been holding events around to country to educate illegal aliens about the DAPA and expanded DACA amnesties.
The Senate is considering amendments to the fiscal year 2016 budget resolution under a so-called vote-a-rama that could produce votes on at least 100 amendments. The budget resolution is not an appropriations or substantive bill; it lays out Congress’ spending and policy objectives for a given fiscal year and is non-binding. In the realm of immigration, amendments are expected that instruct Congress to clarify birthright citizenship and massively increase the number of work permits issued to foreign tech workers.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hold a hearing on the Justice Department’s request to stay Judge Andrew Hanen’s temporary injunction in the case lodged by 26 governors and attorneys general against the Administration and its executive amnesties. The court also agreed to take up an expedited appeal of the merits of Judge Hanen's injunctive order.
South Texas College of Law professor Josh Blackman debunks the Justice Department's claim that Pres. Obama's unconstitutional amnesties were about boosting national security in an article published in the National Review. The Justice Department tried to argue before Federal District Judge Andrew Hanen last week that Obama's amnesties were an attempt to bring bring illegal aliens "out of the shadows" and that work permits and social security cards were used as an 'incentive' to sign up.
At a hearing on her nomination to become Deputy Attorney General, Sally Yates refused to answer a Senator’s question about whether she personally considered the President’s executive amnesties to be lawful. However, citing her role as Acting Deputy Attorney General, Yates said she stands by the Administration's pleadings in cases before a federal district judge in Texas and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, according to a report in Politico.
The Senate Judiciary Oversight Subcommittee heard testimony from Kris Kobach citing three reasons why the president's executive amnesties are unlawful: “(1) the executive actions do not comply with the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA); (2) even if they did comply with the APA, they would still be in direct violation of substantive provisions of federal law; and (3) even if they did not violate federal law, they would still be unconstitutional.”
The House Committee on the Judiciary yesterday approved a bill that would recognize a state’s inherent authority to enforce federal immigration laws and negate the president’s unconstitutional executive amnesties. The committee also endorsed a bill that would strengthen asylum standards in a manner that prevents the “rubberstamping” of fraudulent claims and effectively ends the process of “catch and release.”
A study by Robert Rector estimates that illegal aliens receiving executive amnesty will receive well over a trillion dollars in Social Security and Medicare benefits. The study comes as part of prepared testimony that Rector gave to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the high entitlement costs of granting legal status to millions of illegal aliens.
Responding to an information request from Senate Republicans, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency estimated it may have to hire 3,100 new staff to implement the Deferred Action to Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program at a cost of up to $484 million a year. Another 400 staff are needed to implement an expanded version of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) program.
As part of an operation targeting dangerous criminal aliens, ICE arrested 15 illegal aliens who had been given a work permit and Social Security card under Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, according to the Associated Press. This revelation undermines the probity of DACA since it was billed as a program to help conscientious young illegal aliens get an education and eventually benefit society.
Administration officials have been telling the media that federal judge Andrew Hanen's injunction against President Obama's November executive actions on immigration limits the administration's ability to prioritize deportations. President Obama says that's nonsense.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals today denied the Obama Administration's request for an expedited ruling on Judge Andrew Hanen’s injunction blocking President Obama's executive amnesties.
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A Center for Immigration Studies' report released today shows that the Obama administration has prioritized the processing of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program applications by pulling resources away from processing select legal immigration applications.
The Center for Immigration Studies published online for the first time an evaluation of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act amnesty. The publication contains a new foreword by one of the original authors that suggests IRCA’s extensive fraud will repeat under Obama’s amnesties, especially since they do not incorporate fraud protections.
A Social Security Administration (SSA) official told Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) that illegal aliens who receive amnesty and work permits under President Obama's executive amnesty will soon also be able to collect Social Security benefits. The SSA official was responding to a letter sent to the agency by Sen. Johnson on the topic.
Several potential Republican nominees for president converged on the Iowa Agricultural Summit to lay out their message and position themselves for a general election race in 2016. While several potential candidates laid out their position on illegal immigration, ranging from enforcement of existing laws to amnesty for illegal aliens, only a few spoke on legal immigration.
In a court filing Justice Department attorneys informed Judge Andrew Hanen that 100,000 DACA program recipients received extended benefits, including work permits, prior to when the judge issued an injunction halting all program activity. Under prior direct questioning by the judge on the subject benefit issuance, Justice attorneys omitted having issued benefits before DACA’s February 18 start date.
The House approved long-term funding today for the Department of Homeland Security that would allow the Obama administration to move forward with its unconstitutional executive amnesties should the courts reverse its temporary injunction. Today's vote in the House was the final step in securing funding for the department through the end of September.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, issued the statement below today as the House readied a vote on the Senate-passed Homeland Security spending bill that excluded restrictions on President Obama’s executive amnesties.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced during a closed-door meeting with House Republicans this morning that they will vote on the Senate-passed version of the DHS funding bill that provides full funding for Pres. Obama's unconstitutional amnesties. Boehner called the vote a "full cave" in their efforts to stop Obama's actions and expected the vote to take place later today.
As for jobless Americans, I suppose the answer is: Let them eat pie, or let them eat when there is a bigger pie. Despite saying some pretty sensible things about immigration at the big CPAC conservative activists conference last Friday, presidential hopeful Jeb Bush displayed zero awareness that immigration issues affect working-class Americans.
Tonight, the House passed a one-week extension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security and the Senate followed suit. The votes capped off a volatile day in which, for the most part, Republicans fought to defund President Obama’s executive amnesties after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., caved to Democrats who had been blocking the agency's funding.
The Senate passed a DHS spending bill after Senators succeeded in stripping language that would have defunded President Obama’s executive amnesties. Going back on their deal with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Democrats blocked from consideration separate legislation to defund the executive amnesty announced on 11/20/14. Meanwhile, the House failed to pass a continuing resolution that would extend funding for the Homeland Security Department through March 19th. Speaker John Boehner will continue to seek votes tonight as the midnight funding deadline looms.
The Senate began a number of votes this morning on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, including on one amendment to strip House-passed language that defunds the president’s executive amnesties. The existing DHS continuing resolution expires at midnight tonight. The House is scheduled to take up another continuing resolution today to avert a funding gap.
Senate Democrats accepted Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) deal yesterday to end their filibuster of the House-passed DHS funding bill, H.R.240. By a 98-to-2 margin, the Senate approved a procedural motion, allowing the bill to come to the floor. McConnell is expected to offer an amendment today that would strip out the two immigration amendments inserted by the House before moving to a final vote on the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced a plan on Tuesday that would allow a vote on a "clean" DHS funding bill that would fully fund Pres. Obama's unconstitutional amnesties. The plan hinges on a possible deal with Senate Democrats that would require them to allow debate on a separate measure that would defund the president's 2014 executive amnesties. The move came a day after Senate Democrats, along with Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), blocked debate on the House-passed DHS funding bill, H.R.240.
In an open letter to Congress, the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers (NAFBPO) invoked the memory of the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (D-Texas) by calling on Members of Congress "to not only stop but to reverse the illegal over reach of this administration" on immigration. Barbara Jordan chaired the bipartisan commission that made several recommendations to Congress, including reducing overall immigration numbers and strengthening interior enforcement.
This week, a federal judge temporarily halted President Obama's most recent executive actions on immigration. But what exactly does that mean? Josh Gerstein of Politico explained the decision as well as anyone.
On Tuesday President Obama announced the Department of Homeland Security would not process executive amnesty applications, and hand out related work permits, in light of the Feb. 16 injunction by Judge Andrew Hanen. He will, however, continue to spend funds in preparation for implementation, which appears to violate Judge Hanen’s injunction, according to the Daily Caller.
United States District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled late Monday night to temporarily block certain executive actions President Obama took late last year that would grant amnesty and work permits to an estimated 5 million illegal aliens. In the wake of the ruling, several Members of Congress have issued statements applauding the injunction and doubling down on their commitment to pass a DHS spending bill that blocks funding for President Obama's executive amnesties.
The fact that the judicial branch has joined the House of Representatives and a majority of states in questioning the constitutionality of the President's executive actions on immigration should make it obvious that the Senate needs to proceed to a debate on the Department of Homeland Security funding bill and add its voice to this critical constitutional question.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen has temporarily blocked Pres. Obama's executive amnesties, saying the action "substantially changes both the status and employability of millions" of illegal aliens. The ruling came in response to the lawsuit filed by 26 states against the administration that argues that Obama's amnesties will place an undue burden on state budgets.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), along with 169 other House Republicans, sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) last week urging him to stop obstructing debate on the Department of Homeland Security spending bill that would also block the funding of President Obama's executive amnesties. In the letter, they charged that Senate Democrats are choosing to defend President Obama's unconstitutional actions by not even allowing debate of the bill.
At a press conference yesterday House and Senate Republicans called on Senate Democrats to end their filibuster of the spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security. Although Senate Democrats want to fund DHS through the end of the fiscal year, as the bill would do, they are blocking debate on the bill to protect the president’s executive amnesties. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said “I believe we’ll prevail. I believe that the American people are not going to allow their Congress to say one thing during campaign season and do another in Congress.”
Three House committees held separate hearings yesterday on the curtailment in interior immigration enforcement, legislation to crack down on asylum fraud, and the potential for amnestied illegal aliens to access the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), even if they never paid income taxes. The hearings took place as Senate Democrats continued to filibuster legislation that would block implementation of the president’s executive amnesties.
International Business Times -- Howard Koplowitz
The president’s most unpopular stance, according to the poll, is on immigration. Obama announced executive actions late last year that would protect some 5 million illegal immigrants from deportation -- a move that angered Congress and set up a fight between the president and the legislature over how to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which enforces immigration. The agency is set to run out of money later this month if Congress doesn’t secure funding.
While Senate Democrats continue to block the DHS funding bill from coming to the floor for debate, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson released a statement warning Congress that any bill that would "attempt to defund our executive actions on immigration reform" would result in consequences. Sec. Johnson specifically threatened to block new funding grants for state and local law enforcement and emergency response agencies.
Former deputy ombudsman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Luke Bellocchi, testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on how President Obama's plan to grant amnesty and work permits to millions of illegal aliens would affect the agency. Bellocci testified that it's "hard to imagine" the agency could handle the surge in new applications created by President Obama's executive actions.
The Senate voted today, mostly along party lines, to block the House-passed version of the DHS funding bill, H.R.240, from coming to the floor for debate. The procedural vote needed 60 votes to succeed, but all Democrats and GOP Senator Dean Heller of Nevada voted against beginning debate of the bill. H.R.240 fully funds the Department of Homeland Security through the 2015 fiscal year, but blocks funding for Pres. Obama's unconstitutional executive amnesties.
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) took to the Senate floor before the vote on the DHS funding bill that would block funds for President Obama's executive amnesty.
Breitbart News -- Caroline May
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is pressing the Senate to pass the House-passed Department of Homeland Security bill that defunds executive action.
At his Tuesday morning news conference, the Ohio Republican highlighted Senate Democrats who have been critical of President Obama’s executive actions and called on them to follow through.
Time Magazine -- Maya Rhodan
President Obama urged Congressional Republicans to stand down from a looming fight over Department of Homeland Security spending tied to the hot-button issue of illegal immigration.
Congress has until the end of this month to approve this year’s funding for the agency, the only one not included in a budget deal passed late last year. But some Hill Republicans hope to use the spending bill to try to undo Obama’s decision to defer deportations for millions who came to the U.S. illegally.
The Blaze -- Pete Kasperowicz
The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday will put the Obama administration’s failure to detain and deport criminal aliens under the microscope, just a few days after it was reported that 1,000 criminal aliens that were released by the Obama administration have committed new crimes.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Friday released data showing that of the 36,007 criminal aliens released by the administration in 2013, 1,000 have committed repeat offenses such as rape, child cruelty and assault with a deadly weapon.
Boston Globe -- Seth Robbins
Thousands of immigrants seeking legalization through the US court system have had their hearings canceled and are being told by the government that it may be 2019 or later before their futures are resolved.
Some immigration lawyers fear the delay will leave their clients at risk of deportation as evidence becomes dated, witnesses disappear, sponsoring relatives die, and dependent children become adults.
This week Rep. Marsha Blackburn called attention to the most controversial and least discussed aspect of President Obama's executive actions on immigration:
World Magazine -- Rob Holmes
Under a new Obama administration directive, immigration agents have been ordered to screen illegal immigrants to help them avoid deportation. The order quickly followed President Barack Obama’s executive order creating a program to help undocumented migrants gain temporary legal status.
