While Congress was unable to stop President Obama's executive actions on immigration, a series of court cases that are making their way through the system may be able to do just that. Currently, there are court cases dealing with a wide array of issues, including amnesty and work permits for millions of illegal aliens to programs that hurt both low and high-skill American workers.
Los Angeles Times -- Jim Puzzanghera
The U.S. Labor Department will not investigate allegations that Southern California Edison Co. abused a popular visa program for skilled foreign workers, according to senators who requested the probe.
A top Labor official said an investigation could not be opened because there was no complaint from someone adversely affected by the use of the H-1B visas and no reasonable cause to believe the company violated the rules governing the visas.
New figures provided to Congress show that deportation rates have taken a steep dive, another 25%, so far this year. For the first six months of FY 2015, which began Oct. 1, 2014, only 117,181 illegal aliens were removed. Compared to the 157,365 illegal immigrants deported during the same period last year, the statistics suggest President Obama's executive actions on immigration have significantly reduced total deportations.
A report released by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) shows that the Census Bureau's projections indicate that the current high levels of immigration will have an "enormous impact" on the U.S. population's demographic make-up and overall size.
Gov. Scott Walker's (R-Wis.) position to protect American workers from the economic effects of mass immigration has received criticism from many as being one that will alienate voters. However, polling from Gallup has shown that a sizable number of American voters are not only dissatisfied with the current levels of immigration, but want to see them reduced.
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), introduced a bill on Tuesday that would mandate the use of E-Verify by all employers. The Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act of 2015, S. 1032, would permanently authorize and require employers to use the Internet-based system that assists employers in determining the eligibility of employees to work in the United States.
During an interview on Monday, Wisconsin governor and potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker said that he would protect American workers from the economic effects of increases in both legal and illegal immigration. Walker joins former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum as the only potential presidential candidates to link high levels of immigration to American workers.
Washington Times -- Stephen Dinan
The administration has granted about 541,000 Social Security numbers to illegal immigrants under President Obama’s original 2012 deportation amnesty for Dreamers, officials told Congress in a letter made public Wednesday.
That means almost all of the illegal immigrants approved for the amnesty are being granted work permits and Social Security numbers, opening the door to government benefits ranging from tax credits to driver’s licenses.
Documents obtained by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) show that an immigration program described by CIS as "obscure, almost secret" is costing American workers hundreds of thousands of jobs. The program has also exempt billions of dollars from taxation towards Social Security and Medicare.
A bipartisan coalition of Senators, led by Chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), and Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, and Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, asking them to investigate Southern California Edison’s use of the H-1B guest worker program to replace American workers.