In a decision that should cheer those who believe in the rule of law and want to see our federal immigration laws enforced (despite all of the efforts of the Obama Administration to prevent that from happening), the Supreme Court today accepted Arizona’s petition for certiorari in the lawsuit filed against the state’s immigration law by the Justice Department. That means that the Supreme Court will make the final decision on whether Arizona’s law (SB 1070) is constitutional. SB 1070, which has served as a model for other states such …
Consider it an illegal fringe benefit for illegal immigrants. Today, 12 states allow individuals who are in the United States illegally to pay the same in-state tuition rates as legal residents of the state without providing the same rates to others in the country who are here legally. And those states are doing it in direct contravention of federal law. In a new paper, Heritage’s Hans von Spakovsky and Charles Stimson explain that in 1996, Congress passed–and President Bill Clinton signed into law–the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. Under Section …
In an op-ed for FOX News Heritage’s Jim Carafano lays out policy ideas that can lead to true immigration reform. The main argument was that immigration reform cannot begin with Amnesty. There are many other ways to confront the problem of illegal immigration, but Amnesty is a “non-starter” The first thing we must do, Carafano argues, is secure our borders. This will require a partnership with Mexico. Carafano states: …we can and must do more stateside to secure the border. But we need sensible security measures, with D.C., the states …
On October 18, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director John Morton announced the removal of the largest number of illegal immigrants in the ICE history. The agency boasted the record-breaking deportation of 396,906 individuals in fiscal year 2011, labeling its recent efforts to combat illegal immigration a large success. Yet, according to a recent Politico article by Representative Lamar Smith (R–TX), the Administration’s numbers appear to be largely smoke and mirrors. “Take away the illusion,” Smith writes, “and the facts show that the administration conjures up its deportation statistics.” …
How goes the battle for the border? Heritage Foundation Latin American specialist Ray Walser and I spent some time on the border at Laredo, Texas, with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Border Patrol. Laredo is America’s largest inland port of entry. Last year, 1.64 million trucks passed through the port, representing about $70 billion in commerce. Also in transit were hidden stacks of cash, guns, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, as well as people illegally trying to enter the United States. The job of CBP and the Border Patrol, …
The illegal immigration of Mexicans to the U.S. has “sputtered to a trickle” due to an increase in economic and educational opportunities in Mexico coupled with a surge in border violence. At least, that is what The New York Times reported earlier this year. Ignoring that the apprehension of 447,500 illegal immigrants along the southwest border in fiscal year 2010 can hardly be called “trickle,” has the economy in Mexico really seen such drastic improvements that economic conditions are pushing fewer and fewer Mexican citizens to head to the U.S.? …
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an appeal today with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals of a federal district court’s decision refusing to issue an injunction against major portions of Alabama’s new immigration law. On September 28, Judge Sharon Blackburn upheld most of Alabama’s law, including a requirement that police officers check the immigration status of individuals stopped, detained, or arrested when they have a reasonable suspicion that the individual is unlawfully present in the United States. The inherent right of state and local police officers to make immigration …
Just imagine if a President announced that his administration would not be prosecuting anyone for violating the following federal crimes currently on the books: (1) willfully disturbing or killing any bird, fish, or wild animal not in compliance with wildlife regulations; (2) anyone who obstructs or interferes with peaceful picketers during a labor controversy, or; (3) anyone who serves on a vessel employed in the transportation of slaves from a foreign country. The howls from the New York Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR and the like would be …
In 2009 alone, 419 bodies were discovered along the Mexican border. In the even shorter time between April and September 2010, some 11,333 illegal immigrants were kidnapped throughout Mexico. And just last year, 72 immigrants were brutally slaughtered by the Los Zetas, their bodies dumped in mass graves. Unfortunately, this violence is nothing new. It is both shocking and unacceptable, and it’s finally getting recognition. On July 6, The Washington Post produced a piece about the treacherous journey of illegal immigrants from Mexico. This timely front page spread had striking …
Here we go again. On May 11, Senator Dick Durbin (D–IL) again introduced the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or “DREAM” Act (S. 952). The bill allows for illegal immigrants between the ages of 15–35 who attend college or serve in the military for two years to obtain legal permanent resident status. The act has been a hotly debated topic for the better part of a decade when the first edition was introduced in the 107th Congress. The text of the legislation has barely changed, but the …
