enforcement

The Obama administration yesterday announced that it is spending $9 million to provide lawyers for some of the young illegal immigrants who flooded across the border earlier this year, but voters strongly believe these illegal immigrants do not have the same legal rights U.S. citizens do.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 68% of Likely U.S. Voters say the new illegal immigrants should not have the same legal rights and protections that U.S. citizens have. Just 19% disagree. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. (To see question wording, click here.)

Seventy-one percent (71%) say these illegal newcomers should not be eligible for government services and benefits. Sixteen percent (16%) believe they are entitled to government aid. Again, 13% are undecided.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters think the availability of government money and services draws illegal immigrants to the United States. Twenty-one percent (21%) believe this government assistance is not a magnet for illegal immigration, but 15% are not sure. These views are little changed from early March 2010 when we first asked this question.

Thirty-eight percent (38%) now say some of this year’s wave of illegal immigrants have been moved by the federal government to their state. Fifteen percent (15%) say their state hasn’t received any of these illegals, but nearly half (46%) of voters don’t know. The administration refuses to make public where these illegal immigrants are being moved and, in most cases, is not telling local and state officials beforehand.

Just 29% of voters approve of housing these illegal immigrants in their state. Only 34% think the administration needs to release publicly the locations of where the illegal immigrants are going, but a plurality (47%) believes it should get the approval of elected officials in a state before moving them there.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August September 29-30, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Most voters think the president wants this latest group of illegal immigrants to stay in this country despite majority support for their quick deportation.

Just 30% of voters give the Obama administration good or excellent marks for its handling of the thousands of illegal immigrant children who have entered the country this year. Forty-seven percent (47%) rate the administration’s handling of the problem as poor. This is unchanged from mid-August.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of Democrats give the administration positive marks for dealing with the latest immigration situation, compared to six percent (6%) of Republicans and 26% of voters not affiliated with either major party.

Democrats, however, tend to agree with the others when it comes to legal rights and government benefits for illegal immigrants but not nearly as strongly. For example, while 89% of GOP voters and 70% of unaffiliateds think illegals should not have the same legal rights and protections that U.S. citizens have, just a plurality (49%) of voters in the president’s party agree.

Similarly, 51% of Democrats do not think illegal immigrants should be eligible for government services and benefits, but that compares to 91% of Republicans and 75% of unaffiliated voters.

Republicans are more aware than the others whether some of the new illegal immigrants have been moved to their state.

Men and women are in general agreement when it comes to legal rights and benefits for these illegal immigrants. Voters under 40 are only slightly more supportive than their elders in both cases.

School districts around the country are beginning to discover where the administration has moved many of the new illegal immigrants, but 53% of all voters don’t believe these youngsters should be allowed to attend local schools. Thirty-two percent (32%) disagree, while 14% are undecided.

Most voters oppose the president’s reported plan to unilaterally grant amnesty to several million illegal immigrants and think Congress should challenge him in court if he goes ahead with it. Consistent with surveying for years, two-out-of-three voters (67%) think securing the border to prevent future illegal immigration should come before amnesty is granted for some illegal immigrants already in this country. Just 26% believe amnesty should come first.

Fifty-seven percent (57%) favor a comprehensive immigration reform plan that would give legal status to those who entered the country illegally but have otherwise obeyed the law – if the border is really secured to prevent future illegal immigration. The problem for immigration reformers is that only 33% think it’s even somewhat likely that the federal government will actually secure the border, with seven percent (7%) who say it’s Very Likely. Read more about Voters Strongly Oppose Legal Rights, Government Benefits for Illegal Immigrants

WASHINGTON, DC (September 30, 2014) A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies examines the potential public safety impact of an executive action to benefit alien traffic offenders, one of the several directives reportedly being considered by the Obama administration. Such a presidential directive would protect tens of thousands of illegal aliens from deportation each year. The analysis found that since 2004, 258,689 aliens whose most serious state or local conviction was a traffic offense were deported by ICE.

These individuals are not “harmless,” as proponents of such a policy have suggested. An amnesty for those “convicted exclusively of traffic crimes” would include those convicted of drunk or drugged driving, vehicular homicide, carjacking, vehicular homicide, and joyriding.

More than half (57%) of deported traffic offenders were convicted of drunk or drugged driving. The number of illegal aliens deported after drunk or drugged driving convictions (as their most serious offense) numbered 22,740 in 2013.

View the full report at: http://cis.org/executive-action-to-benefit-alien-traffic-offenders

In addition, more than half (55%) of the traffic offenders deported by ICE in the last 10 years had been deported at least once before.

“An amnesty to benefit alien traffic offenders undermines the enforcement of immigration law and circumvents Congress with the sole goal of protecting illegal aliens from deportation.," said Dan Cadman, a Center fellow and co-author of the report. "To suggest those convicted of traffic crimes, many of which involved fatalities, are not a threat to public safety or are not worthy of law enforcement resources is a slap in the face to family members who have lost loved ones to reckless illegal alien drivers.”

“Drunk driving is one of the most common violent crimes committed in America, and according to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), one-third of the problem is repeat offenders," noted Jessica Vaughan, the other co-author and the Center's Director of Policy Studies. "It is perfectly appropriate for ICE agents to remove those who not only are here illegally, but also have endangered the public by driving impaired. The Obama administration should not seek political gain by protecting illegal aliens who are a menace on our roadways.”

Key Findings:
An Obama administration executive action that protects from deportation those aliens convicted exclusively of traffic offenses potentially would shield thousands of dangerous drivers, including many convicted of drunk driving, from deportation each year judging by actual deportation records.

Traffic crimes include a wide spectrum of offenses and crimes, ranging from drunk or drugged driving, to vehicular homicide, to joyriding, to improper lane changes, to driving without a license or insurance. Many of these are serious, involve fatalities, and put the public at risk. Proponents of such an executive action should be pressed to define exactly what offenses are meant or intended by the phrase.

More than half (57 percent) of all aliens deported from 2004 to 2013 whose most serious conviction was a traffic-related crime were convicted of drunk or drugged driving.

Other traffic-related criminal convictions of deported aliens included: carjacking, hit-and-run, vehicular homicide/manslaughter, transporting alcohol, vehicle theft, joyriding, and license offenses.

The majority of all traffic-related crimes in the 10-year dataset were committed by adult male aliens (from late teens to mid-30s in age) who entered the country without inspection across the border, and therefore were almost certainly driving without a license and uninsured.

Most aliens deported after convictions for traffic crimes had other aggravating circumstances that weighed on their case. More than half (55 percent) of aliens deported from 2004 to 2013 after traffic-related convictions had been deported from the country at least once before. (Re-entry after deportation is a felony.) In 2013, 70 percent of traffic offenders were prior-deportees.

An even larger percentage (60 percent) of aliens convicted of lesser traffic offenses (a subset of traffic crimes) were prior deportees Read more about Executive Amnesty for Traffic Offenders?

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Cops are on the hunt for a previously deported 14-year-old illegal alien suspected of trying to execute a teenaged human smuggler on the Texas border in an apparent cartel hit. The victim in the case had a lengthy criminal history that had already resulted in two deaths.

While details remain unknown....

...Breitbart Texas has learned that the teenager has a lengthy criminal history that includes several human smuggling arrests and deportations. In October, 2012 the victim drove a red Ford pickup filled with illegal aliens as he tried to elude authorities. The pursuit ended near the border town of La Joya when a Texas State Trooper in a helicopter fired several shots at the truck eventually blowing out its tires. The bullets struck three illegal aliens from Guatemala killing two of them. Since the shooting, DPS has changed its use of force policies.

Authorities have developed a person of interest in the case, however Breitbart Texas has learned that a possible suspect is a 14-year-old male who had been previously been arrested and charged in juvenile court and had been deported three weeks ago. Law enforcement sources have confirmed to Breitbart Texas that one of the leads that investigators are looking at is a possible cartel hit. Read more about Cops Searching for Teenage Illegal Alien for Cartel Assassination Attempt in Texas

Texas Governor Rick Perry says it’s no surprise to him that four individuals with terrorism ties were captured on Texas soil on September tenth. He says it is indicative of the reason they have been bringing this issue to the attention of the federal government for some time.

Perry cites the movement of various law enforcement and Texas National Guard units to the border as the type of response that is needed, one that has already been demonstrated as effective in controlling a significant portion of the influx.

Governor Perry says that all Americans should be substantially concerned “That the southern border of the United States and Mexico is potentially a place where radicalized terrorists could penetrate into the United States with intent to do harm to American citizens.

He says, “That is the reason that the federal government continues to fail, from my perspective, in securing that border, putting the resources there that we know can make that border substantially more secure than it is today.”

Perry addresses the request that his state has had into the FAA to allow the use of drones for surveillance and a failure to respond or authorize their use as evidence that the federal government is not serious about correcting the problem.

He says, “I don’t think we’ve got the federal government’s agreement that this is as big of a problem as what a lot of us in this country and I can assure you that those farmers, those ranchers, those individuals that have seen these people penetrating across the border, crossing their land, and then that’s not to mention the thousands of criminal activities that have gone on by individuals who have come into the State of Texas and then go across this country and committing criminal acts.”

Hannity asks Governor Perry why there is not more of a sense of urgency and recognition of the threat of terrorism to this, our most vulnerable and easily penetrated security weakness.

Governor Perry says he can’t explain it. He feels this country is capable of multi-tasking and that we have the ability to defend ourselves here at home, we just don’t have the will, particularly within the executive branch.

He says that the American people want security; they want to feel safe in their homes and their communities. Border enforcement provides that and both the executive branch and terror groups such as ISIS are working to tear that down.

The Mexican president has labeled Governor Perry as reprehensible for acting in the interest of Texas and of the United States. Governor Perry sent a letter of response yesterday, which identified a portion of the role that Mexico has played in the lawless situation on our border. The governor has trade considerations which seem to have tempered his comments. Mexico is in many ways one of the greatest threats to the United States, particularly as it applies to their contributing to people crossing into our nation illegally.

Hannity points out the hypocrisy with which Mexico criticizes American immigration laws which are less rigid and much less stringently enforced than their own.

Rick Wells is a conservative writer who recognizes that our nation, our Constitution and our traditions are under a full scale assault from multiple threats. Please “Like” him on Facebook, “Follow” him on Twitter or visit www.rickwells.us Read more about Gov Rick Perry Warns Americans – Be Concerned That ISIS Terrorists Are Crossing Border

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An upscale hotel chain has agreed to pay about $2 million to settle allegations that 43 Utah employees working in the country illegally had returned to work after they were flagged by an immigration audit and fired, according to federal authorities...

...43 workers returned to their jobs within days using false names and documents...

The employees were hired before the hotel used the federal E-Verify system to check the eligibility of its workers, authorities said.

The U.S. attorney's office said that while the hotel and its executives helped investigators, the hotel is paying a fine because the employees involved in the scheme were acting on the hotel's behalf.

The hotel chain will pay nearly $2 million to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and spend another $500,000 to adopt new hiring policies, such as retraining corporate lawyers on immigration practices and retooling labor contracts.

"All industries, regardless of size, location and type are expected to comply with the law," said Kumar Kibble, a Denver-based Homeland Security agent overseeing Utah investigations. "As this significant settlement demonstrates, there are real consequences for businesses that employ an illegal workforce."

  Read more about Utah hotel settles case with immigration officials