enforcement

Prez Candidate Officially Commits

HOUSTON, TX - For over a decade, mothers have given congressional testimony and pouring out their hearts about the preventable killings of their children and, yet, politicians have done nothing.  

In this light, an Open Letter was sent to all GOP Presidential Candidates.  
 
BREAKING NEWS:  An official statement has been given from the Donald Trump Presidential Campaign.

"Donald Trump, who has been honored to receive the endorsement of the Border Patrol Union, will always stand by the victims of illegal immigrant violence.  A Trump Administration will support this important initiative from the Remembrance Project to provide legal and support services to the surviving families, which can easily be funded by eliminating welfare payment to illegal immigrant households.  We will deliver justice for the families and, at last, put Americans first."

"We look forward to be of any assistance to Mr. Trump in facilitating the needs of our families.  We are very excited to have someone who has finally listened to Americans,"  said Maria Espinoza, National Director.

Read the Sean Hannity article posted today. Read more about Prez Candidate Officially Commits

Say it in a letter - more than just song lyrics

Does it seem like our country is coming completely unraveled with the lack of enforcement of our immigration laws? 

Everyday we hear another story more horrific than the day before - murders, drugs, gangs, ID theft, tax fraud and even American citizens being laid off their jobs only to be replaced by VISA workers - which they are required to train -  and the list goes on and on.

American citizens are continually being thrown under the bus, so that politicians can flood the country with low-skill, cheap labor supposedly with the potential of a big, future voting block.

Businesses that rely on cheap, illegal labor or even the excessive use of VISA workers have apparently bought off our elected officials and convinced them this is the only way to go.  Meanwhile, citizens get to enjoy being displaced from jobs at all skill levels and even get to pay excessive taxes to support overwhelmed entitlement programs and over-crowded classrooms. 

Our need for evermore housing is causing an environmental creep that is sickening to watch as cheap apartment complexes and ticky-tacky housing developments swallow up our beautiful farmland.

Do you have something to say?  Get it off your chest in a Letter to the Editor.  Elected officials do read them - although it wouldn't seem so.  So - we need to write even more letters to the editor like these collected from across the country. 

Read the rules for submitting your letters to each newspaper and don't overlook small, weekly papers which are often read cover to cover!  Get started today with this inspiring collection of letters:

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THE ORANGE COUNTY
REGISTER
 
Follow the law on immigration

April 24, 2016

Re: “Obama actions split high court” [Front page, April 19]: You need to look no further than the two quotes the Register published on the Supreme Court’s recent hearing of Obama’s executive action on illegal immigrants. The Supreme Court’s sole job is to interpret the laws. Justice Kennedy gets it when he identifies the issue as whether Obama has used his executive power to usurp Congress’ constitutional authority to make the laws. On the other hand, liberal activist Justice Sotomayor focuses on the economic impact of illegal immigrants, which has nothing to do with the issue of executive overreach. This is why it is so critical to get a Republican president in November so we can get a new justice who knows their constitutional duty, and will follow it.

Greg Woodard
Mission Viejo

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/laws-713209-people-court.html

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THE ORANGE COUNTY
REGISTER

Follow the law on immigration

April 24, 2016

Once again the president has over-stepped laws and we need the Supreme Court to make a ruling. I can only pray the court has the wisdom to do what is right for our country and not businesses and immigrant rights organizations that are willing to overlook our laws. I cannot see the good in allowing people to break our laws to come here and when they are caught say, “I only want a better life” or “my children were born here.” The parents made the choice to break the law – period.

According to the Register, the court decision will affect 3.5 million people. These are people we must help with food, health care and education, just to name a few freebies. How many of the jobs they do could be done by our returning servicemen and women? Wouldn’t it be better to spend the money we spend on the illegals on our deserving service men and women? We shouldn’t need organizations like Robin Hvidston’s “We the People Rising” to protest the injustice of our broken immigration laws. We do not need more laws for the president to ignore, we need to enforce the laws we have. If you start taking the illegals’ cases one by one, we will never solve this problem and they will just keep coming.

Secure our border and enforce our laws. Problem solved.

Elaine Proko
Anaheim

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/laws-713209-people-court.html

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THE ORANGE COUNTY
REGISTER

Follow the law on immigration

April 24, 2016

I must take some exception to your statement in regard to the applicability of the rules in question and under review with the Supreme Court. You state that these rules could affect about 100,000 people in Orange County. The main article states that this affects close to 4 million people. I disagree with both counts. This issue affects more than 300 million people, all living here in the United States. Immigration, legal or otherwise, impacts all of us. It particularly impacts us all in a negative way when current laws are ignored and the government goes out of its way to provide for those who have chosen to break our laws. People make choices that they must deal with. If I choose to not pay federal income taxes, there will be ramifications as a result of that choice that affect me and my family. I do not expect a pass. But executive orders at a federal level and state drivers licenses and Medi-Cal coverage only undermine our ability to discourage illegal immigration and to adequately manage and balance legal immigration.

Robert Filacchione
Fullerton

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/laws-713209-people-court.htm

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THE ORANGE COUNTY
REGISTER


Follow the law on immigration

April 24, 2016

Months before a presidential election, Obama’s executive order for deferring deportation of approximately 4 million illegal immigrants without criminal records, but with lawfully resident children and allowing them to work, obtain driver’s licenses, gain entrance into Social Security with other welfare benefits, is before the Supreme Court.

The plan was first introduced just after the House of Representatives declined a Senate-passed immigration update in 2014. Congress had (restructured) work permits and benefits as a deterrent to unlawful immigration, whereas the administration appeared to be an enabler inciting further transgressions. This was egregious in that it inferred the parents of citizen children were using their children as illegal pawns to gain lawful admittance for themselves.

President Obama promised to transform America. In addition to packing the courts, he’s packing the nation, not only with illegal immigrant adults, but also unattended Central American children, Middle Eastern refugees and released drug traffickers to circulate in our communities, all under the Constitution’s Preamble mandate “To promote the general welfare.”

Jack A. Watkins
Corona del Mar

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/laws-713209-people-court.html

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SN StarNews    

Letters to the Editor, April 23

Published: Sunday, April 24, 2016

Different walls

Contrary to what some people may think, there is a difference between the Berlin Wall at which President Reagan said “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall” and the wall that Mr. Trump wants to build along our southern border.

The Berlin Wall was built by communist East Germany to keep their people from escaping. Trump wants a wall to keep people out that want to come here illegally. I agree with Trump — stringent action must be taken to stop the flow of illegal aliens coming in.

James A. Torrance
Wilmington

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20160424/ARTICLES/160429842/-1/TOPIC0171

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DentonRC.com
Denton  Record - Chronicle

Published: 23 April 2016 10:35 PM

Immigration issue

A study published by the Center for Immigration Studies reports 61 million immigrants and their American-born minor children living in the United States.

Between 1970 and 2015, the proportion of immigrants to population increased by 353 percent — six times faster than the general U.S. population, which grew by 59 percent. Some states watched their numbers of immigrants rise much more steeply: in Georgia, 3,058 percent; in Virginia, 1,150 percent; and in Texas, 1,084 percent.

A survey conducted by the consulting firm A.T. Kearney and previewed by Bloomberg Business Week finds that 61 percent of Americans polled say “continued immigration into the country jeopardizes the United States.”

The immigration issue isn’t simply about numbers. It’s whether the nation will remain moored to its founding values or be transformed into a place unrecognizable. A majority of Americans understands that an American identity cannot survive open borders.

The liberal aim is to eliminate all vestiges of America’s heritage to establish a new nation easily integrated into a global village without borders (Washington Times, March 14).

Thomas Sowell’s column (DRC, March 15) states: “Historians of the future, when they look back on our times, may be completely baffled when trying to understand how Western civilization welcomed vast numbers of people hostile to the fundamental values of Western civilization — meaning people who had been taught that they have the right to kill those who do not share their beliefs.”

Europe is reaping the results of its “open door” immigration policy. Will Americans have the same harvest?

Alice Gore,
 Denton

http://www.dentonrc.com/opinion/letters-headlines/20160423-letters-to-the-editor-april-24.ece

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Lompoc Record

Mailbag

Growers houses
April 23, 2016

Let growers build houses

I have to agree with a recent letter writer. There is a very high level of unemployment in this area.

How about 20-30 percent? Since growers feel a need to import more workers, why doesn't the grower build near his own house? Because he doesn't want to turn his neighborhood into a slum.

If you bring a couple hundred either illegal or legal, unskilled, single guys in, it will become a slum.

Robert Jones
Santa Maria

http://lompocrecord.com/news/opinion/mailbag/porter-experience-growers-houses/article_d330c7ff-1054-58c4-9e9a-4c652889271e.html

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Journal Inquirer.com
NORTH-CENTRAL CONNECTICUT’S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER

April 23-24 letters

Immigration concerns

This concerns the all-important issue on immigration. Yes, there always are two sides but I’ll give the side why illegal immigration is not in American interests — just use some common sense here.

Here is a quote from former Rep. Ron Paul on the subject: “This mass migration from the Middle East and beyond is a direct result of the neocon foreign policy of regime-change, invasion, and pushing ‘Democracy’ at the barrel of a gun.” He also had this to say, “This is a man-made crisis and it is a government-made crisis.”

I believe the United States is admitting some 250,000 Muslim immigrants each year. President Barack Obama is allowing Syrian refugees by the thousands into America, despite the fact that it is impossible to check those with sinister plans of terrorism, for example.

Sen. John McCain should be exposed for being a leading supporter of the policies that brought on the refugee crisis.

Obama and EU leaders are fully aware of what brought on a refugee crisis in the Middle East.

They are playing on the compassion for the refugee civilians (children included), a situation brought on by the “globalists.” The bottom line is, illegal immigration is a threat to Western civilization.

There are those who dislike freedom and America. I say, “Get out.”

Harry Lo Giudice
Rocky Hill

http://www.journalinquirer.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/april---letters/article_9ebbbe82-07ac-11e6-9a85-17f2c64555d8.html

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The Jamestown Sun

Third-party presence is needed in the U.S.

By Mark Schuttenhelm from Jamestown

The corruption that permeates our political parties is on display this primary season. On the Democrat side, it doesn’t matter how many votes Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., amasses; the super delegates will ensure Hillary Clinton gets the nomination. Everyone knows it. Similar shenanigans are happening on the right with Donald Trump. Only difference is Sanders is willing to eat the dirt sandwich being handed to him by party elites. He will take one for the team, but Trump won’t. He continues to expose the Republican Party corruption, and because of that, and his desire to take its cheap labor and free trade deals away, the party apparatchiks despise him. Is our political system salvageable, or is it too far gone?

Many would say it’s too far gone, that short of another American Revolution, we are doomed to deal with these two corrupt entities. I think the presence of a strong third party — a party that would appeal to disaffected Democrats and Republicans — is what’s needed. Not the lunatic fringes of either party, but thoughtful Democrats and Republicans who are sick and tired of holding their noses while voting for the latest pathetic candidate their party has trotted out for them.

The party should feature a simple platform, focusing on the economic health of the middle class and the security of our citizens. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Borders. Open borders are a security and economic nightmare. Our borders must be secured by whatever means necessary — walls, drones, satellites, border patrol, National Guard, etc. Sanctuary cities are unacceptable. Local politicians and law enforcement who refuse to cooperate with the feds will be dealt with harshly, as will businesses that employ illegal aliens.

2. Immigration. Ninety-three million Americans are out of the workforce. Many are looking for work, many have given up. Accordingly, there will be a moratorium on new immigration for five years, at which point the issue will be revisited. When the time comes, potential immigrants will need to be free of communicable diseases, be able to make a case that they will be an asset to our nation and be prepared to learn English.

3. Trade. No more trade deals that benefit big business and/or foreign countries at the expense of American workers. Flawed existing trade deals need to be renegotiated.

4. Corruption in government. U.S. senators and representatives will be limited to two terms and barred from becoming lobbyists when they leave office.

5. H1-B and H2-B visas. These programs are regularly abused by U.S. companies willing to throw American workers under the bus in favor of lower-paid foreigners. These programs will be shelved until a time when an actual labor shortage arises.

http://www.jamestownsun.com/letters/4016437-third-party-presence-needed-us

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Portland Press Herald

April 23, 2016

Letter to the editor: Support Trump to keep our families safe from terrorists

Radical Muslim terrorists in Pakistan bombed a park frequented by Christian families on Easter Sunday, killing 72 and injuring more than 300. Many of the dead were women and children. Muslim terrorists celebrated after the attack and promised more to come.

Meanwhile, the president of the U.S. emphasizes his goal of bringing thousands more refugees from primarily Muslim countries into the U.S. As Jim Comey, director of the FBI, has stated, it is often impossible to check on the background of these individuals, since they are not in any database.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you like the daily bombings occurring throughout the world and don’t mind if that activity becomes common here also, then please support the approach to immigration favored by President Obama, Hillary Clinton and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree.

On the other hand, if you believe that our kids and families are precious, then I hope you’ll support Donald Trump, who has promised a temporary ban on allowing questionable individuals into the U.S. until we can do so safely.

Ethan Jones
Bath

http://www.pressherald.com/2016/04/23/letter-to-the-editor-support-trump-to-keep-our-families-safe-from-terrorists/

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MONTEREY
HERALD

Peninsula readers' letters: April 22

By From Daily News Group readers

Cheap labor

Dear Editor: The Democrats are very good at pointing out cases in which a company reaps private profits while dumping on the rest of the society its risks and the damages caused while making these profits. This is exactly what those who employ illegal immigrants are doing: They are reaping the benefits of employing cheap and compliant labor while the costs of having this labor in our country are dumped on all of us. Our builders are making huge profits, while the rest of us pay for the schooling and welfare of children who should not be here. If our companies are to be made to pay the true costs of their profits, then the employers of illegal immigrants should pay the true costs of their cheap labor force.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. The reality is that many illegal immigrants are purposefully imported to work in illegal businesses set up by their families. These businesses pay wages that are way under the legal minimum and pay no taxes. How is any legitimate American business to compete under such unfair conditions? This is why legitimate American businesses in certain fields have been decimated and many more will go bankrupt as minimum wages are increased.

If you want to have a good laugh at comical duplicity, observe how stringent our unions are regarding any intrusion by illegal Latino labor while voting Democrat. Unfortunately, the joke is on all of us.

Virgil Stevens,
San Carlos

http://www.montereyherald.com/general-news/20160422/peninsula-readers-letters-april-22

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Miami Herald

April 20, 2016 10:49 PM

Democracy in peril

I’m an avid reader of the news. I constantly see references to and complaints about the tax code, our dysfunctional immigration system, crumbling infrastructure, healthcare and money spent on political campaigns, in addition to many other problems that the wealthiest country in the world should easily be able to fix.

I’m convinced that the reason these problems persist is because the plutocrats who comprise the top 1 percent of the country in wealth and income and who own half of its assets profit from the status quo. This harms the well-being of the other 99 percent and in the long run is a serious danger to our democracy.

The tax code and lobbying laws that greatly benefit the top 1 percent should be revised.

This could provide a more even distribution of wealth, which would improve the standard of living for the rapidly shrinking middle class.

If the middle class disappears, the United States may end up poor and corrupt like many of its southern neighbors.

Paul Alberts, Miami

http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article73001427.html

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JEWISH JOURNAL
Connect. Inform. Inspire.

Posted on Apr. 20, 2016

Immigration Affects Health Care

I wanted to comment on Rob Eshman’s assertion that there is “no illegal immigration crisis” (“Haters, Meet Najia,” April 15). As a primary care physician working with indigent patients including illegal immigrants, I can attest that there is a crisis in L.A. County health care. This is manifested by the long wait times for uninsured residents (legal and illegal) for specialist consultations and by the ability of the consultants to treat only certain problems, as they are overwhelmed by demand. That demand is exacerbated by illegal immigration. California’s generosity toward illegal immigrants keeps drawing them to the state, making planning social services difficult.

Alex Fridman Jr. via email

http://www.jewishjournal.com/letters_to_the_editor/article/letters_to_the_editor_cigars_simone_zimmerman_and_more

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rrstar.com

Letter: Illegal immigration is detrimental to US economy

By Wally Haas
Opinion editor

Posted Apr. 20, 2016

Scott Reeder’s recent article supported the GOP establishment, leftists who despise America, ethnic advocates like La Raza, the Democratic party and selfish businessmen.

Am I a fascist supporting ethnic cleansing because I respect the law? The Balkan disaster resulted from Yugoslavia, a “multicultural,” secular state, falling apart. Ethnic cleansing followed.

Economic benefits? Is he referring to legal immigrants as entrepreneurs or illegal immigrants as criminals? If our economy grew 6 percent it may be due to 52 percent of legal immigrants being on welfare. Add to that 11-20 million current illegal immigrants. Reflect on family reunification policies and add tens of millions more. Go economy!

The U.S. Government Accountability Office, reported that there were 296,000 incarcerated illegal immigrant in state prisons in 2011. I guess our economy grew as we built new prisons and hired more guards, lawyers and judges. Migrants make up 25 percent of federal prisoners. If Americans hired Americans, wages would probably be higher, thus growing our economy.

I was “accidentally” born to a janitor father. Does that give me the right to take money from a child born of a more prosperous neighbor?

Abuse of H-1B visas, manipulation of guilt and compassion, deceptive terms like nation of immigrants cannot be discussed here. Sorry.

“E pluribus unum”? More like, “E unum pluribus.”

— Daniel King, Roscoe

http://www.rrstar.com/article/20160420/OPINION/160429993

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THE DAILY
Evergreen

Letter to the editor: College Republicans are not hateful

BY JAMES ALLSUP | (President of WSU College Republicans | Students for Trump Sr Advisor) [April 20, 2016]

In a recent letter to the editor, Hayley Hohman wrote to condemn College Republicans and the decision to host a pro-Trump table in the CUB. Hohman, you are wrong to call those concerned about illegal immigration "fear mongers."

We support legal immigration. We disavow hate. And we support the American Dream – for Americans and those who come here legally.

You are welcome to support moderate policies. I personally believe in the rule of law and strict enforcement of immigration policy, bringing in people who seek to contribute to our economy, and barring those who would break our laws, leech off our system, or do us harm – and the Republican platform agrees with me.

It is not hateful to defend our borders. It is not hateful to want to protect American interests first, nor to refuse to bend over backward for open-borders globalism and allow illegal immigrants to flood our labor market, putting Americans out of work.

I challenge you to demonstrate how defending American sovereignty is "hateful."

I question how you can state that the pro-security "movement" is not Republican. The leading candidates, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, both support building the wall. As WSU College Republicans (WSUCR) president, I work to increase awareness of all Republican candidates. Our board comprises supporters of many former Republican candidates.

Since the event, we have seen an influx of interest. Dozens of students have come out of the shadows, thanking WSUCR for standing up for free speech and voicing support for conservatism on campus.

http://www.dailyevergreen.com/opinion/article_42526fcc-0687-11e6-9973-877ce88dfd81.html

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The World

We've failed to enforce Immigration laws

April 20, 2016

I find the hypocrisy interesting that the media, the federal government and so many others are “outraged” at the recent events in Eastern Oregon involving the “Bundy Bunch” occupation of a wildlife refuge, while there is such limited “outrage” over President Obama’s absolute failure to enforce our immigration laws with equal vigor.

Let’s look at the facts. Did the Bundy Bunch break the letter of the law with their occupation? Yes. Did it result in costs to the public? Yes. Were any public innocents killed? No. What was the size of terror? Limited.

Let’s look at the Obama administration’s neglect to enforce our immigration laws in comparison. Was the letter of the law broken when Obama directed his agencies to not enforce existing immigration law? Yes. Did it result in costs to the public? Billions of dollars when you total up private as well as direct public costs. Were any public innocents killed? Thousands, when all the murders and vehicle accident casualties are counted, caused by the influx of illegal immigrants. This doesn’t even take into account the rapes and other criminal activity, nor does it include the casualties or costs caused by diseases brought into this country wholesale by the uncontrolled mass influx of illegals in recent years. Was terror created? Absolutely.

While I don’t approve of anarchy in any form, whether by citizens revolting against the law, or the government itself failing to enforce the law, I hope whoever sits on the jury trials for the Bundy Bunch will take a page from our pre-Revolutionary history and refuse to find the Bundy Bunch guilty, just as our forefathers refused to convict people charged with crimes against King George’s laws.

When government picks and chooses which laws to enforce, and against whom, we are no longer a free government of the people, but closer to the tyranny of King George.

In my opinion, our Congress and federal attorney general are derelict to their oath of office for not finding our president guilty of not performing his duties as chief law enforcement officer under the Constitution regarding protecting our country’s borders, causing death, facilitating the spread of disease, and costing individual citizens and the public generally billions of dollars.

JohnShank
Coos Bay

http://theworldlink.com/news/opinion/mailbag/we-ve-failed-to-enforce-immigration-laws/article_48f3d96c-b749-512a-a1c8-5494334c65c4.html Read more about Say it in a letter - more than just song lyrics

President Obama: Accessory to the Crimes Committed By Illegal Aliens?

On Tuesday, April 19, 2016, the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security conducted a hearing on the topic, “The Real Victims of a Reckless and Lawless Immigration Policy: Families and Survivors Speak Out on the Real Cost of This Administration’s Policies.”

I urge you to watch the entire video of that important hearing...

The witnesses at this hearing were: Sheriff Charles Jenkins of Frederick County, Maryland; Michelle Root, the mother of Sarah Root; Laura Wilkerson,  the mother of Joshua Wilkerson; and Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the United Methodist Church.

The timing of the hearing could not have been better because the day before, on Monday, April 18th, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the administration's implementation of the DAPA program (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents)...

...President Obama stood in the White House Rose Garden to proclaim that “since Congress failed to act” he was going to take action. Of course to Obama, his concept of a "failure of Congress to act” was the refusal of Congress to pass bad legislation. When Congress votes down bad legislation, they most certainly are acting.

Obama also deceptively said that this was about children, kids and young people, even though illegal aliens as old as 31 years of age could apply for this program...

...Incidentally, I cannot pass up the opportunity to note that while the term “alien” has come under attack by Obama and his supporters, the open borders anarchists, the term “DREAMers” is derived from the acronym for the “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors” Act. 

The “a” in DREAMers stands for “aliens.” ...

The congressional hearing that was conducted on the heels of oral arguments at the Supreme Court illuminated the level of carnage that Obama's executive orders, policy decisions and misuse of prosecutorial discretion has unleashed on America and Americans.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, the Chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee, opened the hearing with his statement that set the stage and the tone for what would follow. Breitbart.com used one of Rep. Gowdy's statements as the title for the article “Trey Gowdy: More Illegal Immigrants Convicted of Crimes At Large in the U.S. Than The Population of Pittsburgh.” Gowdy noted that simply stating that there are more than 350,000 known criminal aliens at large throughout the United States is a statistic and statistics are often not persuasive, so he thought he needed to put that huge number in perspective. And, indeed, he did....

Congressman Lamar Smith of Texas had previously chaired the House Immigration Subcommittee and the House Judiciary Committee...

Smith's understandable outrage at the April 19th hearing became readily apparent when he stated rhetorically that he wondered if President Obama might be an accessory to the crimes committed by illegal aliens since he has implemented policies that he knows are going to result in the loss of life to innocent Americans, noting that the administration had released from custody some 100,000 aliens who had been convicted of committing serious crimes. He also noted that although it has been estimated that illegal aliens account for about 3% of the U.S. population, they account for 30% of all murders -- making illegal aliens 10 times more likely to commit murder than anyone else.

Congressman Smith came up with some additional staggering and infuriating statistics. He noted that of the 100,000 aliens that Obama had released from custody, 473 had been previously convicted of committing homicides, 375 of these criminal aliens had been convicted of kidnapping, 890 of these released criminal aliens had been previously convicted for committing sexual assaults and others of this stellar group of “pre-citizens” (the term I decided to use when, during the Carter administration all INS personnel were told to stop using the term “illegal alien” to describe aliens illegally present in the United States) had been previously convicted of committing 10,731 assaults...

As bad as these statistics are, Smith went on to report that since the release of these criminal aliens, many have gone on to further their criminal careers by committing 124 additional (known) homicides from 2010 until 2014 and an additional 1,423 sexual assaults.

Trey Gowdy noted that people tend to not pay attention to statistics so he decided to compare the number of criminal aliens currently at large with the population of a major U.S. city.

...two of the witnesses who testified at the congressional hearing, as I noted at the beginning of this article, were Michelle Root, the mother of Sarah Root, and Laura Wilkerson, the mother of Joshua Wilkerson.

Ms. Root and Ms. Wilkerson both lost their children to illegal aliens.

The title of a Breitbart.com news article posted on the day of the hearing was based on Michelle Root's poignant and heart-breaking prepared testimony at the hearing: “Mother of Daughter Killed by Illegal: His Bail Was ‘Less Than it Cost to Bury My Baby.’

The illegal alien in this case was released on bail and it is believed he fled to his native Honduras, availing himself use of the “escape hatch” foreign criminals and terrorists frequently avail themselves of: the ability to flee our nation to escape the long reach of the law.

The day after the hearing CNS News posted a report about the compelling testimony of Laura Wilkerson at that hearing in an article that summed up the anguished mother's demands of our elected “representatives.”

The title of that article was, “Mother of Teen Murdered by Illegal Immigrant Tells Congress: ‘Do Something – It Is Your Job.’

Wilkerson’s prepared testimony provided horrific details about the torture and murder of her high school student son by Hermilo Vildo Moralez, an illegal alien.

Sheriff Charles Jenkins of Frederick County, Maryland discussed how since the “surge” of “unaccompanied minors” the high schools and even lower grade schools have witnessed a massive increase in gang activity by those aliens who flooded across our southwest border. Sheriff Jenkins noted that the majority of those gang members who have been arrested arrived across that border after 2013...

Rep. Bob Goodlatte is the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and participated in this hearing. His final statement in his prepared testimony will serve as the conclusion for my commentary today:

By releasing known criminal aliens and refusing to secure our border, the Administration has sent a clear message to the American people that their safety and security are far less important than ensuring that these individuals remain here. I want to see these dangerous policies stopped, and I will continue working to stand in the way of President Obama’s pen and phone. The real costs of illegal immigration are something no family should be forced to pay.

Owner of dog killed in car theft says he'll never forget 'Kona'

The owner of a dog found dead inside his stolen car told a judge Monday he hopes the accused thief never leaves jail.

Bill Robbins' minute-long statement came during a Multnomah County Circuit Court arraignment for Francisco Vincent Gonzalez, who was arrested April 14 after police found him in a North Portland hotel. Police said Gonzalez stole Robbins' car with the dog, named Kona, inside.

A Multnomah County grand jury indicted him on new charges Tuesday including felony unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, first-degree theft, identity theft and possession of methamphetamine. He was also charged with five misdemeanors related to animal abuse, animal neglect and animal abandonment. Gonzalez pleaded not guilty....

Prosecutor Brian Davidson declined to discuss specifics of the case but said the nature of the animal crimes doesn't happen often in the county. When they happen, however, the cases are significant and troubling, he said.

Robbins reported the theft occurred April 7 about 3:30 p.m...

Officers arrested Gonzalez on April 12 at the Super Value Inn Motel in North Portland. Gonzalez confessed to detectives that he stole the car and dog, then abandoned the car with the pet inside, according to a probable cause affidavit filed April 15. Officers also arrested his wife, Linda Kathy Gutierrez, 33, on accusations of hindering prosecution.

Circuit Court Judge Karin J. Immergut raised Gonzalez's bail from $33,000 to $135,000 after prosecutor Brian Davidson requested it, noting that Gonzalez has been the subject of federal prosecution twice before on immigration offenses. Read more about Owner of dog killed in car theft says he'll never forget 'Kona'

Call your Senators! Protect your family and your community!

Alert date: 
April 22, 2016
Alert body: 
 

Call your Senators and urge them to oppose a vote on crime bill as currently written

There are a number of new reports surfacing that the Senate may try to move a highly-flawed criminal justice reform bill over the next few weeks. NumbersUSA takes no position on crime reform, but because the bill, as currently written, would largely benefit non-citizens who are incarcerated in federal prisons, and the Obama Administration has shown little interest in deporting criminal aliens, we're urging Congress not to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.

The Criminal Justice reform bill, S.2123, would reduce the sentences for certain individuals who have been convicted for federal crimes; that's an important distinction to point out -- this bill would only impact federal prisons. It would have no impact on state, county, or local jails.

According to federal data, 25% of all federal trafficking convictions and 77% of all federal drug possession convictions in 2015 were handed down to non-citizens. The criminal alien who killed California Detective Michael Davis, Jr. and Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver was convicted of federal drug offenses before being released from prison.

In FY2015, the Obama Administration released 60% of the criminal aliens it came in contact with. If S.2123 passes in its current form, it would result in the release of thousands of more criminal aliens onto the streets. Several open-borders groups have already petitioned the Obama Administration, asking for any criminal aliens who are released should the law be passed be considered for Deferred Action (protection from deportations).

Please call your two U.S. Senators and urge them to oppose a vote on S.2123, the criminal justice reform bill because it could potentially release thousands of criminal aliens onto the streets.

Capitol Switchboard -- (202) 224-3121

You can call your Senators by dialing the Switchboard number above and asking the operator to be connected to your Senators' offices.

 

Supreme Court must rebuke Obama's self-coronation: Texas AG

The president of the United States of America has declared that unlawful conduct is lawful.

It sounds unbelievable when you say it out loud, doesn’t it? The president, the person we trust to take care that the laws are faithfully executed, has declared illegal conduct to be legal?

But in 2014, President Obama did just that. He declared that four million unlawfully-present immigrants were now lawfully-present. How? Because he says so.

Unfortunately for the president, the Constitution does not let him do that. And on April 18, Texas will lead a coalition of 26 states before the United States Supreme Court to stop President Obama’s illegal immigration policy.

This lawsuit should not be groundbreaking. It is a question that was decided at the nation’s founding. Can one person unilaterally change the law?

Of course not. Our Founders drafted the Constitution to make clear that the people, through their elected representatives in Congress, have the authority to decide immigration policy for the United States.

In 2011, President Obama understood this. When asked about immigration reform, he addressed his supporters honestly, explaining that “I know some people want me to bypass Congress and change the laws on my own ... But that’s not how our system works. That’s not how our democracy functions. That’s not how our Constitution is written.”

But in 2014, the president was singing a different tune. He announced to the world, with a flick of his pen on an executive order, “I just took an action to change the law.”

The president had it right the first time. He did not have the power to unilaterally change the law. He does not have the power to override the will of the people as vested in our Constitution.

As James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 47, “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands ... may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”

Make no mistake, this is about more than just immigration. If this blatant power-grab goes unchecked, nothing would stop a president from issuing an executive order dissolving the rights of gun owners in violation of the Second Amendment, nullifying the religious freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment or abolishing any other right that we hold dear.

Madison warned against one person deciding for the entire nation what the law shall be. It is the antithesis of who we are as Americans. In this country, the people, through their representatives, decide the law — not one person.

Or as President Obama once put it, “I am president. I am not a king. I can’t do these things just by myself.”

Exactly.

Ken Paxton is the Attorney General of Texas. Read more about Supreme Court must rebuke Obama's self-coronation: Texas AG

Obama's immigration order overreaches: Our view

Sometimes it seems the Supreme Court’s main purpose these days is to resolve disputes between Republicans and President Obama.

Toward the end of Obama’s first term, the court ruled on a challenge to his signature health care law. On Monday, as Obama approaches the end of his second term, the justices are set to consider his executive order that would allow millions of undocumented workers to avoid deportation.

Obama won the first of these cases. The court ruled, correctly in our view, that Obamacare's insurance mandate did not violate the Constitution. The president's backers hope and believe that the court will take a similar tack in U.S. v. Texas, finding that the case is a political squabble dressed up as a legal dispute.

That, however, would be a mistake.

To be sure, Obama’s quest to reform the immigration system is a worthy cause. Keeping millions of undocumented immigrants in a state of legal limbo makes little sense.

Like his predecessor, George W. Bush, Obama backed legislation to grant these immigrants a path to legal status while beefing up border enforcement and making needed changes to the legal immigration system. That legislation passed with bipartisan support in the Senate but ran into a buzz saw of opposition from conservatives in the House.

Faced with legislative gridlock, the president acted unilaterally. Obama’s 2014 order, known as the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, combined with a predecessor order he issued two years earlier, would allow as many as 5 million of the estimated 11 million undocumented people to remain in the United States without fear of deportation.

While courts have typically given great deference to presidents in matters of immigration, this is simply too sweeping a policy change to exclude the legislative branch. It does the right thing in the wrong way.

The order has many flaws. Because it could be rescinded by a future president, it would not give immigrants the certainty they'd need to come out from the shadows and fully participate in their communities. Because it addresses only undocumented workers, it would do nothing for backlogs in legal immigration and a shortage of skilled workers.

The order's biggest flaw, however, is the precedent it would set by giving the president sweeping authority to interpret immigration laws virtually any way he or she sees fit. The same people who think Obama should have broad powers over immigration enforcement will feel a lot differently if a Republican wins the White House in November.

Imagine what orders Ted Cruz or Donald Trump would issue if elected president. Trump has advocated mass deportations, temporarily banning entry of foreign Muslims, and building a border wall financed by confiscating the remittances that undocumented workers attempt to send to their families back home.

In an interview with NBC News this year, Trump said he wouldn't hesitate to issue executive orders, noting that Obama had “led the way” with his actions.

The court would be wise to limit the president's authority in this area, and leave Congress and the White House to work out through the legislative process how to handle undocumented immigrants, as maddening as that might be.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.
  Read more about Obama's immigration order overreaches: Our view

Main result of current prison reform bill likely would be release of criminal aliens into U.S. communities (with no deportations)

Unfortunately, the legislation being considered by Congress in response to concerns about overly-long prison sentences for Americans has been crafted to primarily benefit criminal aliens. (Those are not Americans but citizens of other countries who have been imprisoned for committing serious crimes in the U.S.)

That's the conclusion of our legislative affairs team after several weeks of scrutinizing documents and reports, and of meeting with a number of experts on the issue.

NumbersUSA takes no position on issues of sentencing reform for Americans.

But we have to get involved with the current sentencing reform legislation (companion bills S. 2123 and H.R. 3713) because most of the people who would benefit from it would be criminal aliens who would be helped to avoid deportation and to re-enter the job market to the detriment of struggling American workers.

Reports are surfacing in Washington that both chambers of Congress are preparing this spring to pass S. 2123 and H.R. 2713 which were approved by the respective Judiciary Committees last October.

Speaker Paul Ryan has called passing the legislation a priority. (See more on Ryan below.)

As currently written, the legislation would result in the massive release of criminal aliens from federal prisons into the streets. It could alternatively be called the Criminal Alien Prison Release Act of 2016, but that bill title probably wouldn't garner many votes in Congress.

The bills would retroactively reduce the minimum sentencing requirements for all individuals (regardless of their citizenship or immigration status) convicted of certain federal crimes. It would only apply to federal prisons, which comprise 9% of the entire incarcerated population in the United States.

Its impact on reforming sentencing guidelines for U.S. citizens would be minimal.

In a letter sent to Sen. Jeff Sessions last fall, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reported that 77% of individuals convicted of federal drug possession charges and more than 25% of individuals convicted of federal drug trafficking charges in FY2015 were non-citizens. Since these are the individuals who would most likely be released, you can see our concern with the legislation. Further, there is no requirement in the legislation that Immigration and Customs Enforcement take custody of a criminal alien who is released and remove them from the United States, even when theirconviction by current law should result in their immediate removal under current law.

In October of 2015, the Obama Administration released 6,600 inmates from federal prison after the U.S. Sentencing Commission revised its guidelines. One-third of those released were non-citizens. Shortly before the release, the Center for Immigration Studies uncovered a letter written by 14 immigration-expansionist organizations to the Department of Homeland Security, pleading with the Administration to consider the criminal aliens for prosecutorial discretion under Pres. Obama's 2014 executive actions.

"We urge ICE not to rush to judgment on these immigrants' cases, but instead to commit to ensuring individualized due process in each case. ...

"Each of these immigrants, including those with an "aggravated felony" and those with final removal orders, must be individually assessed for [Prosecutorial Discretion]. The 2014 DHS civil enforcement priorities memorandum specifies that removal of Priority 1 immigrants may be deprioritized if "there are compelling and exceptional factors that clearly indicate the alien is not a threat to national security, border security, or public safety and should not therefore be an enforcement priority."

The full letter can be read here.

Given the Administration's history on interior enforcement, the bills, as written, would allow tens of thousands of deportable criminal aliens to return to the American communities they victimized in the first place. Just last year, the Administration released 90,000 criminal aliens from custody -- roughly 60% of all criminal aliens it came in contact with. In fact, the criminal aliens who were responsible for the 2015 killing of Kate Steinle and the 2014 murders of California Detective Michael Davis, Jr. and Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver had been earlier convicted for the same class of federal drug crimes that lawmakers seek to reform through this legislation.

Unfortunately, the provisions of the bills that would result in the release of criminal aliens are central to the efforts of both House and Senate-- and key to the Democrats' support of the bills. Unless the criminal alien issues are addressed, NumbersUSA must call for rejection of the legislation. Sentencing reform efforts should focus on new legislation that isn't a Trojan horse for yet another kind of amnesty.

Local American communities (disproportionately Black and Hispanic) into which released criminal aliens likely would return should not be asked to bear this burden under an Administration that has eviscerated immigration enforcement.

RYAN GETS A PRIMARY CHALLENGER

House Speaker Paul Ryan has learned that he'll face a Republican challenger in the August 9 Wisconsin primary. Not only has Wisconsin businessman Paul Nehlan thrown his name into the race, but he's also focusing on the immigration issue hoping to rekindle some of the voter angst that lead to Rep. Dave Brat's upset of former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in Virginia in 2014.

Earlier this week, Nehlan completed a NumbersUSA immigration reduction survey and earned our True Reformer status. You can view the grid here.

Ryan has a troubled history on the immigration issue. He's a passionate supporter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership that would greatly increase the number of foreign workers allowed to work in the U.S. He's also pushed for work permits for illegal aliens and expanding legal immigration.

During Tuesday's GOP Presidential Primaries, Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump combined for 83% of the vote in Ryan's district. Cruz and Trump have immigration positions vastly different from Ryan's. But Nehlan's positions are closer aligned with Cruz and Trump, so we'll be keeping a close eye on this race over the next 5 months.


  Read more about Main result of current prison reform bill likely would be release of criminal aliens into U.S. communities (with no deportations)

Rep. Bonamici to host Townhall meetings near you

Alert date: 
March 31, 2016
Alert body: 

Townhall meetings coming this month to a location near you

This is a great opportunity for you to attend and ask specific immigration related questions.  Invite a friend or neighbor to join you.

Forest Grove Town Hall Meeting

Apr 6, 2016 in Forest Grove, OR

Astoria Town Hall Meeting

Apr 9, 2016 in Astoria, OR

St. Helens Town Hall Meeting

Apr 11, 2016 in St. Helens, OR

Congressional Art Competition Reception

Apr 25, 2016 in Beaverton, OR

Portland Town Hall Meeting

May 7, 2016 in Portland, OR

Sherwood Town Hall Meeting

May 7, 2016 in Sherwood, OR


 

Court Rules Oregon Attorney General Must Not Distort Language In Immigration Control Initiative

Advocates for immigration restriction in Oregon have stopped the state’s attorney general from distorting the language in a citizen initiative that seeks to stem the tide of local businesses hiring illegals.

In a ruling issued in early March, Justice Rives Kistler ruled in Kendoll v. Rosenblum that the modified language inserted by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum into Initiative Petition 52 would mislead voters and moreover did not even properly communicate the effect of the initiative, were it become to law.

“[The measure] would require, as a matter of state law, that employers use a federal website to verify the authenticity of the documents that federal law requires only that they review,” the ruling stated. “That additional requirement is one major effect of the measure. The caption, however, does not highlight that effect.”

Rosenblum must now go back to the drawing board and change the ballot language to communicate its actual effect.

The measure states that business with five or more employees must confirm employees through E-verify, a federal website which checks out employment information, like social security numbers.

Oregonians for Immigration Reform (OFIR) forwarded the ballot-measure in response to data indicating that illegals comprise about 5 percent of the workforce in Oregon. Meanwhile, unemployment rates among black youth rest at about 55 percent.

If the measure is successful, Oregon would join the ranks of several other states with similar verification programs. Arizona’s implementation of a verification program proved to be the most controversial. Pro-immigration groups challenged Arizona’s law, a challenge which the Supreme Court picked up. Ultimately, the coalition comprised of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic nationalist groups, the Department of Justice and others failed to strike down the law.

Immediately after it came into play, illegal aliens started to pour out of the state, prompting outbursts of anger from Mexican officials, as the Mexican labor market was clearly struggling to accommodate the new surge of workers. For illegals, employment in the United States is attractive because average wages are 10 times higher than in Mexico. E-verify, then, is seen as an important step by immigration-control advocates to protect American wages from plummeting.

Dale Wilcox of the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), who served as OFIR’s co-counsel, said in a statement, “The ballot language written and certified by the attorney general hid the true purpose and effect of the initiative and would have only served to confuse voters.”

IRLI is also working to battle an attempt by illegals in Oregon to eliminate Measure 88, which prevents them from gaining driver’s licenses. This measure, five illegals are arguing, is unconstitutional.

Follow Jonah Bennett on Twitter

Send tips to jonah@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
  Read more about Court Rules Oregon Attorney General Must Not Distort Language In Immigration Control Initiative

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