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.” …
On February 15, Mexican gunmen boldly attacked and killed a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata and wounded a second, Victor Avila. This latest attack was the highest-profile assault against U.S. law enforcement officials in Mexico in decades. It was not, however, the first time Mexican criminals struck at American officials. Last March, members of the Barrio Azteca gang in Ciudad Juarez murdered U.S. consulate employee Lesley A. Enriquez and her husband Arthur H. Redelfs on the streets of the Mexican border town. The full force of U.S. …
Recently, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it was creating a new center to substantially increase the number of I-9 form audits it conducts of businesses. Though the increase in paper audits come at the expense of worksite raids, the audits are having an impact on the hiring of illegal immigrants. According to ICE, in the last fiscal year, it conducted audits of more than 2,700 companies. When illegal immigrants are discovered during the audits, the companies terminate them. Just …
If you want prime examples of what is wrong with our federal courts and our immigration policies, two recent cases show how much harm liberal activists who masquerade as “impartial” judges can do—and how illegal immigrants not only game our enforcement system but actually make money off of it. The first case involves an illegal immigrant, Cecil Harvey, who was deported back to Barbados in 2007, although that did not stop him from filing a lawsuit courtesy of the Cardozo School of Law. Harvey has just been paid $145,000 by …
A recent article by Fox News led with a quote from the Department of Homeland Security: “We are not engaged in a backdoor amnesty.” Well that certainly is news, considering that the actions of the Administration, or lack there of, scream otherwise. The article goes on to highlight recently published memos by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which outline “administrative alternatives to comprehensive immigration reform.” The Department defends themselves by asserting that these documents were only drafts, meant to convey ideas, rather …
It was only fitting that Stephen Colbert, host of a comedy faux news show, testified before Congress in character and make-up regarding the treatment of migrant workers. It just demonstrates how unserious Congress is with tackling our broken borders and deeply flawed immigration system. That is, if there was a point to it all—even some of the Congressional “leadership” did not get it. According to reports, “House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D–MD) said comedian Stephen Colbert embarrassed himself last week when he testified before Congress. ‘I think his testimony was …
President Barack Obama lets people break laws that he doesn’t like. The latest example is his backdoor amnesty for thousands of illegal immigrants, as a still-fuzzy but insidious picture is emerging. Obama shows a pattern of refusing to enforce laws (or refusing to permit states like Arizona to enforce them). When he dislikes our laws, Obama forces change by dictate rather than seeking legal change through the political process. Congress gets bypassed. Those benefiting can claim a new category of legal immunity: FBO’s–Favored By Obama.
Recently the Obama Administration hired former Houston police chief Harold Hurtt to coordinate state and local activities for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As The Heritage Foundation pointed out at the time, Hurtt seemed like an odd choice to head up an important position with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Hurtt is, after all, a well-documented supporter of “sanctuary city polices,” which puts him at odds, at least philosophically, with the agency’s mission. Seems like we’re not the only ones who noticed that the Obama Administration and the …
The death of a Catholic nun and the serious injury of two elderly nuns in Virginia is more than just a tragedy. It’s the inevitable outcome of the Obama administration’s immigration policy — offering selective amnesty for many illegal aliens while spending tax money on pampering those who break our laws with relative impunity. Carlos Montano, the drunken driver who crossed the center line and slammed head-on into the nuns’ car, already had two convictions for DUI. He had also been arrested or cited for reckless driving, speeding, and public …
Last month the Obama administration hired former Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt to coordinate state and local activities for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On the surface, Hurtt’s selection seems like a strange decision. One of his primary duties will be to “oversee and promote partnerships between federal and local officials” on immigration enforcement — responsibility that seems incompatible with Hurtt’s well-publicized opposition to having local police assist with immigration enforcement. Hurtt’s support for “sanctuary cities” is also hardly in sync with the agency’s mission. As the new state …
