DACA Amnesty Alert

NumbersUSA posted this Action Alert this morning:

CAN YOU HELP STOP THIS? A much-awaited bi-partisan Senate proposal is a DACA amnesty that

(1) continues Chain Migration

(2) rejects E-Verify

(3) gives green cards to TPS, and

(4) rewards parents of DACA with lifetime of work permits

In other words, the Senate proposal is the opposite of the House of Representatives DACA bill -- H.R. 4760 -- that NumbersUSA is endorsing.

Your senators need to know that their voters see the so-called balanced senate amnesty deal as a scary joke.

Phone Sen. Sherrod Brown at (202) 224-2315

Phone Sen. Rob Portman at (202) 224-3353

Pick one or more numbered items from above that you oppose and tell the Senators' staffers that is why they should make it clear that they want nothing to do with that "Durbin-Flake amnesty proposal" presented to the White House Thursday.

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Action Alert: Amnesty Again

image credit: americanmexorist.wordpress.com

RE: H-2B visas for 2018 and DACA amnesty

NumbersUSA sent this Alert out today:

NumbersUSA has learned that Congressional Leaders may include an H-2B visa increase in the year-end spending bill. The H-2B visa is the low-skilled guest worker program used to fill seasonal or temporary jobs in landscaping, food service, hospitality, and more. This program adds extra job competition for low-skilled American workers and adversely affects the wages for these jobs.

In past year's spending bills, Congress has exempted returning workers from the H-2B program, having the potential impact of quadrupling the number of these guest worker visas issued each year. For FY2017, Congress didn't exempt returning workers, but gave the Department of Homeland Security authority to issue visas beyond the annual cap. DHS ultimately increased the number of visas available by 15,000.

This new threat adds to the continuing threat of a DACA amnesty being part of the spending bill. Despite rhetoric from leaders of both Parties, Congress could still include this amnesty in the must-pass bill.

The ALERT:

Please call your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators and tell them to oppose a DACA amnesty and an H-2B visa increase in the must-pass, year-end spending bill.

Sen. Sherrod Brown  ~  (202) 224-2315

Sen. Rob Portman  ~  (202) 224-3353

Rep. Marcia Fudge  ~  (202) 225-7032

If Marcia Fudge is not your Representative, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 255-3121 to reach your Rep.

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UPDATE on Amnesty (A "No Action Needed" Alert)

NumbersUSA sent out this newsletter earlier today:

Thirty-three Republican U.S. Representatives want to put young illegal aliens who received the unconstitutional DACA amnesty ahead of the interests of American workers, according to a letter they all signed addressed to House Speaker Paul Ryan earlier this week.

The letter signers urged Speaker Ryan to immediately pass legislation that would grant a permanent amnesty to approximately 700,000 illegal aliens before the end of the year.

While they did mention their desire to improve border security and to fix the "broken immigration system", they offered no specifics. And they did not suggest that those fixes or any other immigration-related provisions be paired with DACA legislation.

We write in support of passing of a permanent legislative solution for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients before the end of the year. ...

We are compelled to act immediately because many DACA recipients are about to lose or have already lost their permits in the wake of the program's rescission. ...

We must pass legislation that protects DACA recipients from deportation and gives them the opportunity to apply for a more secured status in our country as soon as possible. Reaching across the aisle to protect DACA recipients before the holidays is the right thing to do.

You can read the full letter here: https://www.numbersusa.com/news/34-house-republicans-call-daca-amnesty

The letter's signees -- led by Reps. Scott Taylor of Virginia and Dan Newhouse of Washington -- fail to address any of the unintended consequences that would result from passing amnesty-only legislation. They ignore interior enforcement, including a requirement for all employers to use E-Verify for all new hires, that would cut off the jobs magnet and significantly reduce future illegal immigration. An amnesty without E-Verify would only guarantee demands for future amnesties for the new illegal aliens who would be enticed to come.

The letter fails to address Chain Migration, which if not ended, would multiply the size the amnesty, adding millions more foreign workers to the labor market to compete with unemployed and underemployed American workers. Pres. Trump, himself, has said that an end to Chain Migration must be part of any DACA deal, but the letter signers instead refer to an outdated quote from White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders that leaves out Chain Migration.

The full list of the letter signers is at the link above to the full letter, or click here. I am pleased to say that none of the signatories are from Ohio, so there’s no Action Alert today to get on the phone to them.

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More maneuvering on taxes, spending, and immigration ?

art credit: crooksandliars.com

What Is Little Marco Up to?

Sen. Marco Rubio was interviewed yesterday evening on Fox’s Ingraham Angle. Sundance @ ConservativeTreehouse explains why his alarm bells went off:

There’s a big con job just over the horizon.  All of the elements are there.  The timing, the platform, the personalities, the discussion topics, etc., it’s a familiar script.  CTH would like to direct attention to this interview which took place last night on Laura Ingraham’s new Fox News show.  Listen carefully to three elements:

·         On Tax Reform – on one side of Rubio’s ‘full-throated‘ mouth he wants higher taxes on corporations 22% -vs- 20%. In the almost the same breath, inside the same argument, he says “it’s not their (the government’s) money”.  Try to reconcile that.

·         On DACA – [Remember, three months ago President Trump gave congress six months to fix DACA]  Rubio says the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) program is not the “Dreamers”.  What? Yes it is. The childhood arrivals ARE the so-called ‘dreamers’.

·         However, much more importantly, listen to what is said on “chain migration“.  Ingraham asks if Rubio supports “chain migration”.   Rubio says no, then immediately says: “I’ve always agreed to limiting chain migration to immediate family members”. WHAT? That is chain migration.

. . .

Something is going on in DC that precipitated this interview.

The rest of Sundance’s analysis is here (includes video).

Here is what may be “going on in DC that precipitated this interview.” NumbersUSA, an immigration & amnesty legislation watchdog, sent out an alert today. It includes the following:

Congress loves to add unpopular provisions to must-pass spending bills, and that's why we're on high alert.

As most of you know, the Trump administration stopped accepting new applications for Pres. Obama's unconstitutional executive amnesty for young illegal aliens (DACA) in September. Since then, both Democrats and Republicans have introduced several proposals that would give a permanent amnesty to DACA recipients. The must-pass December spending bill provides the vehicle to do so.

We've seen this play out before. Congress has used massive spending bills to hide unpopular immigration provisions or tried to pass amnesty when voters were less engaged during the holiday season.

. . .

A handful of high-profile Democratic Senators have announced that they'll withhold support for the spending bill if it doesn't include an amnesty for DACA recipients. To support their efforts, the open-borders lobbying group Partnership for a New American Economy is investing heavily in grassroots lobbying efforts over the next few weeks.

So far, both Pres. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have said that they don't want DACA to be included in the December bill.

Which side wins could depend on how much opposition to adding a DACA amnesty to the spending bill lawmakers in Washington hear from their constituents.

And here is a NumbersUSA Action Alert:

Over the next several weeks, Members of Congress need to hear a constant beat of opposition to adding an amnesty for DACA illegal aliens to the must-pass spending bill. Here are two actions you can take to get you started:

1) Call Senate GOP Leaders

While Speaker Ryan has been vocal about his opposition to DACA's inclusion in the spending bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been quiet. However, the third ranking Senate Republican, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) did say over the weekend that he doesn't think DACA should be part of the spending deal, but fell short of saying it won't be part of the final package.

Please call the following GOP Leaders in the Senate and tell them that you oppose adding the DACA amnesty to any must-pass spending bill.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell -- (202) 224-2541

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn -- (202) 224-2934

Senate GOP Caucus Chair John Thune -- (202) 224-2321

The NumbersUSA website is here. I expect more Alerts over the next couple of weeks.

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Trump endorses Renee Ellmers?

 Trump endorses Renee Ellmers

Not a good development. From Conservative Review:

[Ellmers is] a fighter alright – a fighter for the Boehner K Street political elites.  There is perhaps no sitting member who embodies the source of anger among Republican voters – the anger that has engendered the rise of Trump in the first place – more than Renee Ellmers.  After she was elected as a “Tea Party conservative” in 2010, she immediately became one of the most loyal foots soldiers for Boehner, Cantor and McCarthy and has done more to fight the conservative grassroots on immigration that any sitting House member.

. . .

Check out her CR profile here, and you will discover a more extensive liberal rap sheet than almost any sitting Republican congressman. 

Ellmers (R-NC) was endorsed by Sarah Palin, and upon election in 2010-11, promptly turned to the left. On immigration issues, NumbersUSA gives her a better report card rating than Conservative Review, but Mr. Trump could have sought out any number of congress critters with better track records. 

Ellmers faces a tough primary tomorrow; here's the report from NPR.

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Illegal Immigration in an Obama World

photo credit: rare.us

NumbersUSA tracks legislation, executive orders, developments, and issues concerning immigration laws and enforcement. I thought I would share their lead story from today’s depressing newsletter.

Top Obama official admits executive actions & sanctuary cities to blame for lower deportation numbers

Fri, May 20th

The days of Pres. Obama being called the "Deporter-in-Chief" are long over. Overall removals are way down and removals of illegal aliens from the interior by Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents are down 70% from the early years of the Administration.

Why such a decline?

A Senate panel heard the answer Thursday from Thomas Homan, Executive Associate Director for ICE's Enforcement And Removal Operations. He said the decline is a result of both the Administration's executive actions issued in 2012 and 2014 and the existence of sanctuary jurisdictions.

"There are a number of reasons why the numbers are down," Homan said and listed them.

"Sanctuary cities"

"Jurisdictions not honoring my detainers"

"The Trust Act [2013 California law limiting holds on illegal aliens]"

"In 2012, John Morton, the Assistant Secretary of ICE, issued a policy in who we issue detainers on. Virtually took Level 3s off the table. This is a law-abiding society, so most crimes are Level 3."

" Executive actions. Executive actions have narrowed my target pool down."

EXECUTIVE ACTIONS RESPONSBILE

Then, there was this exchange between Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Homan.

SESSIONS: Isn't it true that ICE gets calls every single day from police officers all across America that are not Sanctuary Cities and you're not responding to them because they don't meet the guidelines or the priorities established by the President?

HOMAN: That is true.

SESSIONS: So it's not true then that the reason your numbers are down is because you don't have people to deport. You have them to deport, but you have policies that tell you not to deport whole categories that are here unlawfully. Isn't that correct?

HOMAN: That's a factor, yes sir.

Homan made it a point to praise the men and women of ICE, and their commitment to the "mission". Of course, he's not allowed to comment on his opinion of Pres. Obama's policies, so we don't know where he, a career ICE agent stands, but morale among ICE agents is among the lowest of all federal employees, which would lead one to believe that the agents don't necessarily agree with the Administration's policies.

UNION CHIEF SAYS BORDER PATROL RELEASES ALMOST EVERYONE

Border Patrol Union President Brandon Judd also testified and shed further light on the Administration's policies, specifically its catch-and-release policies. According to Judd, the Border Patrol releases almost every illegal alien it comes into contact with -- even if the alien has a criminal history.

"The second part of the catch-and-release program is releasing people without NTAs [Notices to Appear]. This is actually the most disconcerting part. We can actually arrest somebody with an actual criminal arrest record here in the United States, and if it does not meet these priority guidelines, we have to walk them out the door if they've been here since, if they claim to have been here (his emphasis), since January of 2014, we have to walk them out our door. And we don't even issue them an NTA. In effect, we're saying stay in the country as long as you want."

Judd went on to say that anyone caught crossing the border illegally who is not from Mexico is released by the Border Patrol and that approximately 80% of Mexicans who are caught crossing the border illegally are released. Again, all of this is not a reflection on the men and women of the Border Patrol or of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It's all under the direction of the Obama Administration.

Civil Rights icon and Chair of the last bipartisan Commission on Immigration, Barbara Jordan, once told Congress, "Credibility in immigration policy can be summed up in one sentence: those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave."

The Obama Administration has sent a message to the world that unless you're convicted of a violent crime, you'll never be required to leave.

 Maybe Rep. Paul Ryan can put a stop to this.s/o Anyway, the NumbersUSA website is here. 

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The Omnibus spending bill and the Uniparty

photo credit: jamesaltucher.com

Last Friday, Jim Robb at NumbersUSA reported on the Omnibus spending bill that sold conservative voters down the river:

This week, Congress pushed through a horrible Omnibus spending bill to fund the government through next September.

The bill amounts to a betrayal of American voters, especially on immigration matters.

Where do I begin to condemn this? I'll start with House Speaker Paul Ryan.

It didn't take long for Ryan to break all his promises on immigration, did it?

When he was running for Speaker two months ago, Ryan promised he would not bring up immigration bills that did not have the backing of a majority of Republican House Members.

Yet as soon as he got the chance, Ryan snuck several huge immigration giveaways into the Omnibus spending bill Congress approved today. It goes further:

Nearly QUADRUPLES the number of H-2B low-skilled foreign workers allowed in this year. This could raise the total of these workers this year from 66,000 to 264,000.

Not only that...

FUNDS a large increase in Syrian and other refugee resettlement in this country. Instead of a timeout and a full security review, Congress handed Obama everything he wants.

FUNDS Obama's catch-and-release policy that virtually stops deportations.

FUNDS Sanctuary Cities, so that cities like San Francisco that refuse to turn over jailed illegal aliens to the feds will face no cut in funding.

MAINTAINS tax credits to illegal aliens in the form of the Earned Income Tax Credit. That is, if a family is poor enough, they not only pay no income tax, the government pays THEM. Yes, that includes illegal aliens! Also, Congress continues to allow illegal aliens to claim child tax credits on their tax returns.

FUNDS the continued relocation into America of the unaccompanied minors who are marching across the border into Texas and states. The numbers of these crossing the border is way up again this year.

Even with all these outrages I've mentioned, there are still MORE terrible things hidden in the Omnibus bill, which passed both the House and the Senate. A hopeful sign is that 95 House Republicans joined with 18 House Democrats, and 26 Senate Republicans joined with 6 Senate Democrats to vote NO on this monstrosity. Yet, most Republicans and most all the Democrats voted yes, and it passed.

The House roll call votes are here; the Senate roll call votes are here.

Voting YEA on this irresponsible bill were Rep. Marcia Fudge, Sen. Sherrod Brown, and House Republicans from Ohio Steve Chabot, Brad Wenstrup, Bill Johnson, Michael Turner, Pat Tiberi, Tim Ryan, David Joyce, Steve Stivers, and James Renacci.

Rob Portman, Ted Cruz, and Rand Paul voted against the bill. Marco Rubio did not cast a vote. Also disappointing were Congressional freshmen who ran on conservative values and then voted for this “monstrosity,” such as Mia Love and Martha McSally.

As Conservative Treehouse concluded,

the Omnibus Spending and Tax Provision bills, used by Republicans in lieu of an actual Fiscal Year 2016 budget . . . passed. . . .

Summary:  [conservative voters] gave Republicans large majorities in both the House and Senate so they could push-back against ridiculous progressive big government spending.   What did the REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP do with the majority?   Republicans constructed big spending on behalf of the Democrats and voted with them to end up with the same result if Democrats were in control.

….THAT IS A UniParty !!

This blog will be taking a close look at the UniParty as we head into next year.

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Report cards on immigration

Photo credit: www.wnd.com

Ever since Donald Trump announced his candidacy and identified illegal immigration as a major issue, the media – and other candidates – have been forced to address the problem. So far, most of the candidates, whether running as Democrats or Republicans, are given a pretty poor grade for their positions over at NumbersUSA here. Most patriots who are closely following the campaigns so far may be surprised at the low ratings for, e.g., Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, and John Kasich.

Stay tuned. 

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Do we have any borders anymore?

Real Clear Politics reports that 

President Obama on Tuesday requested an additional $3.7 billion for the fiscal year that ends in September, arguing that additional resources are necessary to discourage the recent surge of adults and children seeking illegal and often unsafe pathways into the United States.

This surge of illegal immigrants was planned by the administration. From Free Republic, which reproduces the document calling for bids to escort illegal “alien children”:

On January 29, 2014, the Federal Government posted an ad on their BizOpps website seeking escorts for unaccompanied illegal alien children. If this doesn't prove that the entire mess with all the illegals flooding our country was planned by this administration, nothing ever will. Here is the entire document that lays out the "requirements" to become such an escort: . . .

Procurement Type: Request for Information (RFI)/Sources Sought

Title: Escort Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children 

Classification Code: V- Transportation/Travel/Relocation

You can read the entire document here.

NumbersUSA has an interactive map of the US, showing relocations, relocations blocked, and relocation areas under consideration. They also provide phone numbers for each state’s officials who would oversee such relocations, so citizens can let the state know their support of, or opposition to relocation in their backyard. Here are the three for Ohio:

·         State Refugee Coordinator: Jennifer R. Johnson 614.644.1174

·         State Refugee Health Coordinator: Sandra Hollingsworth 614.752.2953

·         ORR State Analyst: Goran Debelnogich 202.260.7143

If you are opposed to providing emergency funds to the administration – which will inevitably extend the crisis – or if you are opposed to providing more funding to an administration that deliberately caused the crisis in the first place, or if you are alarmed about the health crisis involved in the flood of immigrants not properly screened and carrying infection to who-knows-where, let Speaker Boehner and your US Representative hear from you.

The Directory for House Representatives is here. Just click on “O” to see all the Ohio reps.

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