When President Obama was inaugurated, he swore an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Article II, Section 3 directs the President to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Unfortunately, in what has become an all too common occurrence in this administration, Obama is once again bending that oath to the breaking point by specifically not taking care that immigration laws passed by Congress are faithfully executed. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday that it would halt all deportation proceedings against …
Everything about the recent decision by the White House to just stop deporting illegal immigrants reinforces the conclusion that the Administration has adopted exactly the wrong policy. This will not help solve the problem of America’s deeply flawed immigration policies and broken borders. I received a form email today from Stephanie Valencia, deputy director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, informing me that “President Obama is deeply committed to fixing our immigration laws and has been aggressively searching for partners in Congress who are willing to work with him …
Across the country, lawmakers are working to limit illegal immigration and reform policy so that more individuals can honorably and legally become American citizens. Last year’s notorious immigration battle in Arizona was met with hostility from pro-illegal immigration forces who misunderstood the Founders’ intent for a legal and meaningful naturalization process into America. Now, the same kind of battle is heating up in Alabama. With an estimated 120,000 illegal immigrants (according to the Pew Hispanic Center), Alabama leaders felt the federal laws weren’t protecting the state adequately. Considering the population …
President Obama opened his speech to the National Council of La Raza yesterday by publicly acknowledging the Hispanic group’s close ties to the White House, a relationship that has aligned the two on nearly every policy issue during his presidency. “Right off the bat, I should thank you because I have poached quite a few of your alumni to work in my administration,” Obama said to laughter. “They’re all doing outstanding work. … Latinos serving at every level of my administration.” Those alumni have rewarded La Raza generously with taxpayer funding. …
Fireworks broke the darkness of the sky over Washington last night in a choreographed dance of light that paid tribute to our nation’s independence. It was a breathtaking display marking America’s birth of freedom–a sight to behold, a sight to remember. Last week, another choreographed display befell Washington as more than 200 illegal immigrants were welcomed into the U.S. Capitol as props for Senator Dick Durbin’s (D–IL) immigration reform show. It was a scene designed to tug at the heartstrings and garner support for his pet project, the DREAM Act, …
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 …
Late last week, at least 80 illegal immigrants were abducted from a train by armed gunmen in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. According to accounts, the train operators “didn’t stop where they usually do.… Instead, they continued on to a remote area where the trains that come from Coatzacoalcos pass by.” There the gunmen were waiting and “went straight—like they already knew—to (the cars in which the) women and children were riding.” Sadly, this violence is nothing new. According to Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission, more than 400 kidnappings …
Critics of state and local government action on immigration fail to keep in mind one simple but critical point: The states have these rights. It is preposterous to take the position that, short of federal action or the commission of a crime, governors and mayors are constitutionally powerless to deal with illegal immigrants within their states and cities. The argument that state and local governments must incur enormous fiscal and societal costs, asserting that all aspects of immigration (legal or illegal) are entirely the purview of the federal government, is …
For the residents of Arizona’s Vekol Valley—80 miles north of the border with Mexico—Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano’s claim that security at the border “is better now than it ever has been” must seem like a joke. The area is a veritable highway for illegal immigrants traveling to the United States, and it’s marked by evidence of their passage. If the bullet-ridden signs warning, “Danger: ‘Active drug and human smuggling area. Visitors may encounter armed criminals’” aren’t enough of a dead giveaway, the evidence strewn across the valley ought to be …
When President Obama went public with his support for expansion of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) while in Poland last month, it was a long-overdue acknowledgement of not just Poland’s but Europe’s critical importance as an ally of the United States. (It may of course also have been an acknowledgement of the importance of Polish-Americans for the presidential race, but that is another matter.) Poland clearly deserves to be party to the VWP, which allows travelers from certain countries to enter the United States for 90-day visits for vacation …
