Janet Napolitano refuses to enforce immigration laws per Obama

By Frosty Wooldridge

Homeland security chief Jane Napolitano continues her defacto non-enforcement of America’s immigration laws.  She enforced nothing as Governor of Arizona as she saw her state overrun with 1 million illegal aliens.  Today, with 20 million illegal aliens living and working within U.S. borders in violation of U.S. immigration laws—the security chief fails in her office.

Senate Appropriations Committee Urged to Stop Funding Covert DHS Amnesty Team

Dan Stein, president of Federation for American Immigration Reform, www.fairus.org gave this interview.

“FAIR has delivered a letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security requesting that the panel “exercise its authority, including the power of the federal purse strings, to reassert its constitutional prerogatives over U.S. immigration policy.”

“The request specifically calls for the Appropriations Committee to bar the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from funding an interagency task force with the Department of Justice,” said Stein.  “The purpose of the task force is to review 300,000 pending deportation cases with the intent of dismissing many, if not most of those cases. “The Appropriations Committee must immediately defund the secretive and unauthorized interagency task force whose stated purpose is to identify unlawful aliens who will be allowed to remain in the United States in direct contravention of laws passed by Congress,” states the letter.

“Congress, through the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, painstakingly determined how money should be spent to carry out U.S. immigrations laws.  Yet, the Administration has decided, without seeking approval from Congress, to spend billions of dollars as it sees fit, pursing its own agenda of dismissing hundreds of thousands of deportable illegal aliens. It is up to the Appropriations Committees to exercise their oversight responsibilities to ensure that DHS resources are spent as Congress has determined, not in pursuit of the Administration’s political objectives.”

Read the full letter to members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security on FAIR’s website.

Napolitano on Hot Seat, Again

“Members of the House Judiciary Committee took Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano to task Wednesday for failing to enforce U.S. immigration law,” said Stein. “The questioning shed light on a number of issues plaguing the Department, including its newly launched administrative amnesty program, the release of criminal aliens onto city streets, the postponement of implementation of the REAL ID Act, and the federal government’s payout of billions of taxpayer dollars to illegal aliens in refundable tax credits.

“Perhaps the most hotly contested subject of the hearing was the Morton memos. Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) criticized ICE’s new policy of deliberately releasing criminal aliens because the agency does not consider their crimes serious enough. When he asked Secretary Napolitano if she knew the specific crimes committed by illegal aliens ICE is now releasing, she conceded she neither knows nor is familiar with how such statistics are tracked.

“It was clear from her testimony that Secretary Napolitano has little interest in her responsibility to provide transparency to Congress and the American people. Just as she did last week in the Senate, Napolitano offered a weak defense of her Department’s prioritization methods while rebuffing persistent appeals for more information from Congress. Whether she responds to these requests promptly, if at all, remains to be seen.”

Democrats Consider Another Run at Failed Amnesty Plan

“It’s a broken record; Senate Democrats are once again considering introducing yet another amnesty plan,” said Stein. “Sources say Democrats could introduce a comprehensive amnesty plan or the DREAM Act – which failed to pass the Senate less than a year ago.

“Pro-amnesty constituencies are outraged that the President has not secured the sweeping amnesty he promised during his 2008 campaign. In an attempt to mitigate this backlash and secure the voting block for President Obama, congressional Democrats may introduce an amnesty bill without any expectation that it will pass the Senate or the House.

“The move to once again consider amnesty, after its many past failures and widespread opposition from the American public, is incredibly cynical and transparent. Senate Democrats are attempting to highlight the divide between their party and Republicans, including the presidential candidates, who are currently emphasizing border security and interior enforcement as top immigration reform priorities.”

DOJ Jails Border Patrol Agent over Arrest of Drug Smuggler

“Border Patrol Agent Jesus Diaz, Jr. was sentenced to two years in prison for using excessive force against a 15 year-old suspected drug smuggler,” said Stein. “150 pounds of marijuana was recovered during the arrest and the teenage smuggler was given immunity in exchange for his testimony.

“In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter (R-Cali.) questioned the reasoning behind the prosecution and harsh two-year prison sentence for Agent Diaz. The Department of Justice pursued the case against Diaz after a complaint from the Mexican government claiming the agent had used “unreasonable force” when arresting the teen – alleging he had been lifted by his handcuffs and restrained with a knee in his back. DHS and ICE had cleared him of any improper conduct and defense attorneys said no evidence of the abuse was found.

“This case, along with the now commuted sentences of Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, could have a detrimental effect on the confidence and decision making of agents in the field. Law enforcement officers depend on instincts and experience to determine appropriate action. Measured restraint of resisting suspects is common police practice. The excessive targeting of Border Patrol Agents, tasked with protecting our vulnerable borders, could cause them to hesitate before acting – risking their safety and national security.”

Republicans Fall into “Illegal Immigration Bad, Legal Good” Trap

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) recently announced that, “the Republican Party needs to be the pro-legal immigration party.”

“He should be pleased because most Republican candidates want to increase legal admissions,” said Stein. “Because immigration is a volatile issue, candidates often advocate for increases in legal immigration in order to give themselves “permission” to condemn illegal immigration.

“The far left loves this because it furthers their goal of increasing legal immigration in order to expand the electorate with new, heavily government dependent voters who typically don’t vote Republican. Eliseo Medina, who leads SEIU, is on record saying, “by way of immigration we will be creating a governing coalition for the long term, not just for the election cycle.”

“Reducing excessive levels of legal immigration – at a bare minimum stopping its growth – would reduce labor surpluses, put Americans back to work and alleviate taxpayer burdens for scarce public services.

“Adjusting legal immigration is an economic tool and should be discussed and used. No apologies necessary. America already has the most generous system on earth, admitting over 1.2 million legal immigrants annually. Yes, illegal bad, legal good…but all things in moderation. And that’s OK to say.”

You may reach Dan Stein at www.FAIRUS.org .

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Frosty Wooldridge is a member of the board at FAIR.