Great news from Capitol Hill - I'm doing a series of radio shows all day at the "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" event, and talking on my cell phone in between with our Hill lobbyists, but I am pleased to hear that the House Judiciary Committee is not returning today to pass a giant foreign worker increase.
Republicans ratified a Party platform this week that reversed the pro-amnesty plank President Bush laid out in the 2004 platform. The platform states that the GOP opposes amnesty, supports border security, and calls for a phased-in requirement for employers to use E-Verify to check workplace eligibility.
During a speech yesterday before a Hispanic caucus at the Democratic National Convention in Denver Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, signaled that if elected her husband would attempt to grant amnesty to every illegal alien in the United States.
Pro-amnesty leaders had reasons to be distraught as the U.S. House passed a "clean" re-authorization of E-Verify for 5 years just after the release of a report that perhaps a million unlawfully present foreign citizens may have left the U.S. during the past year. One of the main arguments for an amnesty is that nothing -- NOTHING -- can cause most of the 12 million illegal residents to go back to their home countries.
The pro-amnesty spokespersons were falling all over themselves telling the news media that the exodus is not what it seems to be.
"In the aftermath of McCain's closed-door visit with more than 100 Hispanic leaders on Wednesday--sandwiched into a fundraising visit by the Republican contender--a conservative anti-illegal immigration activist who attended the meeting contended McCain was offering conservatives one view of immigration reform while telling Latinos another.
Rep. Chris Cannon (R - Utah) was defeated in the Republican primary in Utah's 3rd district. While considered a staunch conservative on many issues, Rep. Cannon is known for being pro-immigration and has sponsored many bills to allow more foreign workers to enter the United States. Americans for Better Immigration gives Rep. Cannon a C grade based on his immigration voting record. Rep.
Rep. Chris Cannon -- who lost in a 60%-40% Primary election landslide yesterday -- had survived several previous Primary challenges by fooling enough people into believing that he was not really an amnesty champion.
His loss should strike some fear into the 362 Members of Congress (68%) who have Amnesty grades of D+ or worse but who nearly all claim to voters that they do NOT support amnesties for illegal aliens.
At first blush, I'm sure some will find the news of big California ag firms expanding operations in Mexico to be a negative reaction to increased enforcement against illegal immigration.
Look deeper, however, and this is yet more proof that a constant and escalating enforcement will create an attrition in the illegal population in the U.S. -- and will allow agricultural capitalism to begin to work properly without the distortion of an amnesty.
In the face of enormous opposition from both sides of the aisle, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid opted to drop the agricultural amnesty from the Iraq Supplemental Spending Bill.
Reid decided to drop language, submitted by Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Larry Craig, that would have given a path to citizenship for 1.3 million illegal agricultural workers, as well as their families.