NumbersUSA president Roy Beck appeared on Neil Cavuto's "Your World" on Thursday, August 23, 2012. Roy discussed the lawsuit filed by a group of 10 ICE agents against DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and ICE Director John Morton. NumbersUSA is underwriting the lawsuit.
The Obama Administration justified its June 15, 2012 directive that allows illegal aliens who meet certain criteria to receive deferred action and work permits by its record level of deportations. The directive is the subject of the recent lawsuit filed by a group of 10 ICE agents and officers against DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and ICE Director John Morton. But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith says the Administration is "cooking the books" in reporting its deportation figures.
The organization NumbersUSA, with it's self-proclaimed stance of "for lower immigration," quickly claimed a stake in the suit, saying on its website that it was "financing the effort" of the agents' suit.
NumbersUSA also emphasized on its site that Kris Kobach, the Republican Kansas secretary of state who worked on Arizona's controversial immigration law and is an informal adviser to presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is representing the suing agents.
NumbersUSA, an organization that says it is "for lower immigration," said on its Web site it was "financing the effort" of the agents' suit.
NumbersUSA's Web post also said Kris Kobach, an informal adviser to presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, represents the suing agents, CNN said.
The lawsuit is funded by NumbersUSA, a group that proposes lower levels of legal and illegal immigration.http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-08-23/ICE-lawsuit-deport/57255220/1
By Alan Gomez in USA Today
Roy Beck of NumbersUSA, the pro-legal immigration organization that is underwriting the ICE agents’ lawsuit, said the Obama administration’s immigration policies are harming U.S. workers.
"Any threat of harm to our nation's immigration officers for enforcing the law is a threat against the livelihoods of average American workers," Beck said. "Congress passes laws to determine how many and which citizens of other countries are allowed to enter U.S. job markets to compete with American workers.
Congressman Louie Gohmert talks with Fox & Friends about recent news that several Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents filed a lawsuit in Texas against the Obama administration's amnesty program.
Numbers USA, which advocates for reduced immigration and opposes deferred deportation, is paying the legal fees for the agents. The group and many Republicans have criticized the program as a backdoor to amnesty.http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/08/23/159926481/immigration-employees-file-suit-against-obamas-new-immigration-policy
By Corey Dade in NPR
Kris Kobach is the lead attorney in today’s lawsuit and Numbers USA is underwriting the effort.http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/314833/suing-stop-obama-amnesty-mark-krikorian
By Mark Krikorian in The National Review Online
Numbers USA, a group that advocates for reduction of immigration, is funding the lawsuit on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents opposed to current policy. The suit goes after two key Obama policies on immigration: prosecutorial discretion to focus on criminals and repeat offenders, as well as deferred action for undocumented young people.
Numbers USA President Roy Beck said he would like to see Romney come out and say he will end the policy -- so far the candidate has refused to say how he would handle deferred action if he became president.
All summer, citizens have been crying out, 'Why doesn't somebody take this to court!' over Janet Napolitano's Dream amnesty directive. We at NumbersUSA have been looking for a way ever since the Department of Homeland Security Secretary issued her amnesty order on June 15.
WELL, THIS MORNING, ICE AGENTS CAME THROUGH, FILING A KEY SUIT TO PROTECT THEMSELVES -- AND FOR THE SAKE OF ALL AMERICANS!
And I am extremely pleased that NumbersUSA and its on-line activists have been and will be playing a crucial role in this.
Ten officers and agents for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) including ICE Agents Union President Chris Crane, today filed a lawsuit against Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton challenging the Obama Administration’s deferred action Directive and associated Prosecutorial Discretion Memorandum that prevent ICE officers, employees, and agents from fulfilling their sworn oath to uphold the law and defend the US Constitution.
On August 23, 2012, a group of 10 ICE agents and officers, led by ICE Council president Chris Crane, filed suit against DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and ICE Director John Morton seeking an injunction against the Napolitano Directive of June 15, 2012. The Directive orders ICE agents to violate federal immigration laws or face adverse employment action. Kris Kobach is representing the ICE agents and officers, and NumbersUSA is providing financial assistance.
A number of U.S. Senators and Representatives have shown support for the 10 ICE agents who have filed a lawsuit against DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and ICE Director John Morton. In the suit, the agents charge that a department policy issued by Dir. Morton in August 2011 and the DREAM Directive issued by Sec. Napolitano on June 15, 2012 require ICE agents to violate immigration laws or face adverse employment action.
On August 23, 2012, a group of 10 ICE agents and officers, led by ICE Council president Chris Crane, filed suit against DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and ICE Director John Morton seeking an injunction against the Napolitano Directive of June 15, 2012. FOX News broke the story shortly after 12 p.m. on Thursday. The lawsuit has been filed in the District Court for the Northern District of Texas, which is in the 5th Circuit.
In rulings issued yesterday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Alabama and Georgia are likely to prevail in cases involving laws that allow police to check the immigration status of certain people suspected of crimes. The court also reversed a lower-court ruling that blocked an Alabama law prohibiting illegal aliens from conducting business transactions with the state and its local governments.
After calling on the public to support their efforts through an on-line petition, the officers of the union representing federal immigration agents have stepped up their attacks on the Administration's nullification of immigration laws. The union officers say ICE Agents nationwide "are now under threat of disciplinary action, up to and including the loss of their jobs and retirements, simply for attempting to enforce federal laws."
On the day that President Obama's deferred-action amnesty took effect, Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer issued an executive order re-affirming that amnesty recipients are not eligible for drivers licenses and other public benefits under state law. The governor said the deferred-action program does not grant recipients a legal status that would make them eligible for public benefits banned under a 2004 voter-passed ballot initiative.
It shouldn't be surprising, but it IS reassuring that a union has stepped forward to try to slow down the Obama Administration's increasingly brazen unilateral decisions to ignore -- and even violate -- immigration laws. Earlier today, the union posted a petition on its website that challenges the Administration. And it has asked American citizens to sign the petition to back up federal employees who feel like they should enforce the immigration laws passed by Congress.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals this week affirmed the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Arizona’s SB 1070 law and sent the case to a federal district court for further consideration. If the case survives a last-minute challenge by open-border groups, Arizona could be authorized to implement for the first time a provision that requires police, after a lawful stop, to check the immigration status of suspected illegal aliens.
Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), who also sits on the House Judiciary Committee that oversees immigration, told Newsmax yesterday that Pres. Obama's immigration enforcement policies endanger Americans. Rep. Poe spoke out after the Judiciary Committee released a report earlier this week that found that of all criminal illegal aliens that the Administration was made aware of between 2008 and 2011, 17% were arrested after committing another crime.
A report issued today by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) has found that criminal illegal aliens released by the Obama Administration's lax enforcement of immigration laws committed more crimes after their release, including murder, rape, kidnapping and child molestation.
Border Patrol Union heads slammed the Obama administration yesterday over its' executive amnesty policy that they claim is forcing officials to ignore the law and allow illegal aliens to exploit the system. President of the union representing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, Chris Crane said the executive amnesty policy ends up allowing illegal aliens to avoid detention without any proof.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) approved flight training for 25 illegal aliens at a Boston-area flight school that was owned by another illegal alien, according to the Government Accountability Office. The illegal-alien flight-school attendees included eight who had entered the country illegally and 17 who had overstayed their allowed period of admission into the United States, according to an audit by the GAO.
A number of state and local jurisdictions enacted immigration-enforcement measures in 2012 or fended off attempts to accommodate illegal aliens. Alabama revised its enforcement law without significantly weakening it while Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and three local governments enacted enforcement laws. Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Hawaii, Washington State and, so far, California denied illegal aliens the public benefits advocates demanded.
The Massachusetts Senate yesterday followed the House’s lead in rejecting Gov. Deval Patrick’s amendments to legislation that requires proof of legal residence when registering a vehicle. The Senate, which overrode the governor’s changes on a voice vote, is overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats who have shown an increased interest in addressing the traffic fatalities caused by illegal aliens.
Massachusetts representatives rejected Gov. Deval Patrick's attempt to neuter legislation designed to ban illegal aliens from registering vehicles in the Commonwealth. The measure -- a part of the state budget bill -- now goes to the Senate for consideration.
A few weeks after the Supreme Court upheld a key provision of Arizona's immigration enforcement law, a neighboring state is looking at legislation following Arizona's lead. Nevada Assemblyman Ira Hansen has submitted bill draft requests that would include the portions of Arizona's laws upheld by the Supreme Court. The bills would be considered during the 2013 legislative session.
The Pennsylvania House passed two measures (Senate Bills 637 and 9) designed to shut off jobs and public benefits for illegal aliens. The bills now return to the Senate for concurrence votes. Legislators anticipate they will be sent to the governor for signature.
In light of yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, the Obama Administration has suspended the 287(g) program in Arizona. The 287(g) program is an official partnership between local law enforcement agencies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help enforce federal immigration laws at the local level. Federal officials said the program is no longer needed in Arizona now that the Court has upheld the section of the state's immigration-enforcement law requiring all police to check immigration status.
In all the analysis of whether Arizona or Pres. Obama came out on top in the Supreme Court’s ruling on S.B. 1070 today, the key question is: how well did unemployed Americans fare? And the answer is: Very well.
The Supreme Court today invalidated three of the four provisions of Arizona’s SB 1070 law before the court. In a 5-3 decision in Arizona, et. al. v. United States, the Court upheld, for now, the provision requiring police, after a lawful stop, to check the immigration status of a suspected illegal alien.
Frederick County Maryland’s reputation for cracking down on illegal immigration has drawn the ire of pro-illegal alien groups and prompted one to name County Board President Blaine Young to its “Hall of Shame” for 2012. But that reputation has not hurt the area’s business climate or Young’s political prospects.
Last night, the House passed the Department of Homeland Security Approprations Act of 2013, and with it, eight amendments focused on increasing interior enforcement and securing the border were approved and added to the final bill. Under House Leadership of the last few Congresses, it's been tough to get recorded votes from the full House, but the DHS spending bill is annual measure we can count on!
The House of Representatives is currently debating H.R. 5855, a bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security for the 2013 fiscal year. This bill includes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Services. There are several immigration amendments that would strengthen interior enforcement and increase border security.
Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) has cosponsored three immigration bills from the list of bills that make up our "5 Great Immigration-Reduction Bills." Rep. Quayle has now cosponsored bills in 4 of our 5 categories only missing a bill to end the Visa Lottery. That bill, H.R.704 introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, has already been approved by the House Judiciary Committee and can no longer add more cosponsors. Rep. Qualye serves on the Judiciary Committee and voted for H.R.704 during markup.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, who serves as the Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Lamar Smith, who serves as the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, have sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security asking for more specific data on illegal aliens living in the United States that have been ordered deported. The request was prompted by the arrest of a foreign national in San Francisco who was ordered to be deported but hasn't because his home country did not cooperate with U.S. officials.
GPX, a Texas-based seismic surveying company, and a field operations supervisor were indicted for harboring and transporting 19 illegal aliens, and for failing to verify their immigration status. GPX faces a possible maximum fine of $10 million if convicted while the supervisor, Douglas Wiggill, could face a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison and a fine of $5 million.
A new report indicates that deportations of illegal aliens is down 9% compared to the same period in 2011. The Obama Administration boasted about its record-level deportations in 2011 bringing criticism from open-borders advocates that said the numbers were too high and immigration-reduction groups that said the numbers were inflated.
On May 25th, the Massachusetts Senate passed several immigration enforcement measures as part of state budget legislation. It’s likely that most of these provisions will clear the legislature since many were included in the version the House passed.
On May 18th Governor Robert Bentley signed HB 658, a bill that amends Alabama’s 2011 immigration enforcement law. Although marketed as a “tweak” of existing law, HB 658 as passed by the House would have seriously undermined it before courts had a chance to rule on pending lawsuits. Fortunately, NumbersUSA members were able to convince the Senate to delete many harmful provisions and persuade House members to accept the changes.
Last week, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling for an end to the Child Tax Care loophole that allows illegal aliens to receive thousands of dollars in tax refunds by filing with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Sen. Sessions also criticized the administration's refusal to include mandatory E-Verify provisions in any of its jobs bills.
Illegal aliens who are picked up for minor offenses like driving without a license will no longer be picked by by Immigration and Customs and Enforcement officials under the DHS's Secure Communities program. The Obama Administration announced the new rule on Friday amid resistance from several illegal-alien-friendly states such as New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will listen to arguments in the Obama administration's lawsuit against Arizona's immigration-enforcement law. In advance of the hearing, public opinion polls are showing that by more than a 2-to-1 margin, Americans support Arizona's efforts and don't want the high court to overturn it.
Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) has co-sponsored the bipartisan SAVE Act introduced by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.). The SAVE Act would mandate E-Verify nationwide and increase both border security and interior enforcement.
Rep. Graves represents Missouri's 6th Congressional District. He is serving his sixth term in Congress and has a career A- grade.
The Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, Utah lost about 10 percent of its 580 member workforce after a federal audit found these employees were ineligible to work in the United States.
"The audit, conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, was random and the luxury hotel was given three days’ notice before the action. The audit was completed April 3," hotel spokeswoman Sara Myers told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Our webcast on Thursday focused on the almost humorous aspect of 11 anti-enforcement states complaining to the Supreme Court that Arizona's immigration enforcement laws are too successful.
A new Amnesty International report criticizes the U.S. government for its treatment of the Hispanic and indegenious communities living along the border, according to gantdaily.com. The report urged the Homeland Security Department to suspend parts of its border enforcement program until the agency's Inspector General can investigate and make recommendations for improvements.
Politicians usually reserve Fridays to release news items for which they don't want a whole lot of media coverage. Last Friday, the Department of Homeland Security released its annual estimates of the illegal-alien population in the United States. The number remains mostly unchanged - DHS estimates that there are 11.5 million illegal aliens living in the U.S. as of January 2011 compared to 11.6 million in January of 2010. But several things stand out in this year's report.
