In a letter to President Obama, 22 Republican senators said the deportation policy changes under consideration by DHS would represent “a near complete abandonment of basic immigration enforcement and discard the rule of law and the notion the United States has enforceable borders.” The letter warns Obama to improve immigration enforcement, not look for ways to weaken it.
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Arizona’s appeal of a lower court ruling on the state’s “harboring” law. The 9th U.S. Court of Appeals had blocked implementation of the measure, which made it a state crime to knowingly harbor or transport illegal aliens.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Speaker John Boehner and certain key House Republicans recently told donors and special interest groups they still want to pass immigration legislation this year. President Obama continues his push for comprehensive amnesty today in a meeting he hopes will persuade the American Legion to drop their opposition to inclusion of the ENLIST Act in the defense authorization bill.
Pres. Obama called House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Wednesday shortly after issuing a public statement that included harsh criticism for House Republicans who he says are blocking the Senate's comprehensive amnesty bill. After the call, and in light of a tough primary challenge, Cantor took a hardline position against the Senate bill and said the President has no desire to work with House Republicans on a solution to the issue.
House Democrats are urging 30 Republicans who've said they support some form of amnesty to sign a discharge petition and force a floor vote on H.R. 15, their comprehensive amnesty bill. "We're calling out the members of the House…who have said they support immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship," said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo. "We're saying, 'Do something about your support…(P)ut their pen where their mouth is."
According to Breitbart News, a high-ranking staffer for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor admitted the Representative supports granting amnesty to certain illegal aliens if they enlist in the U.S. military. This confirms prior statements by ENLIST Act sponsor Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., and Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Calif.
The Denver public school is on track to hire as teachers illegal aliens who received a two-year stay of deportation and a work permit under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Critics say the move is unfair to unemployed citizens who are qualified educators.
The House of Representatives rejected two separate substitute amendments to Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) FY2015 budget resolution that would have included revenues and funding for immigration provisions included in S.744, the Senate-approved Schumer-Rubio-Obama amnesty bills. While both votes were reflective of bigger issues, the House has approved the Ryan budget without any immigration-related provisions other than standard enforcement.
Illegal-alien advocates staged protests in several dozen cities on April 5 to demand a freeze on deportations and the passage of so-called comprehensive immigration reform this year. Immigration-enforcement supporters turned out as well in a number of places.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Calif., said he will not include the “ENLIST” Act amnesty in the draft defense authorization bill he introduces. McKeon’s decision was a setback for the measure’s sponsor, Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., who had been quietly trying to include it in the Chairman’s draft. Still, Denham promised to try to add the amnesty in committee or on the House floor.