(Just an aside) I’m sure it hasn’t escaped readers here at RRW that “comprehensive” never includes reforming the refugee resettlement program.

An Act of God or an Act of Grover (Norquist)?

The coalition largely driven (up to now) by big business (cheap labor!), the Christian Left, and the hard core Open Borders Socialists, can say they have won over the generally conservative Christian Right according to this article in Politico yesterday (hat tip: Robin):

The usual suspects pushing immigration reform have a new ally in the fight this time — the religious right.

Christian conservatives, who stayed on the sidelines in 2006 or opposed reform outright, have sprung into action for the cause.

They’re talking to their congregations from the pulpit. They’re urging lawmakers in private meetings to support reform. And they’re even calling for change publicly.

The efforts have dramatically changed the dynamics of the debate, so much so that Republicans anxious to vote yes on a deal might have the political cover to do it.

“I think it is night and day, particularly among social conservatives,” Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Ralph Reed told POLITICO of the support for immigration reform.

Reed’s group released a letter Tuesday that outlines broad goals for reform, like keeping families together, reforming the visa system and securing the border.

High profile leaders are also weighing in. Mathew Staver, vice president of Liberty University, the college started by former TV minister Jerry Falwell, is on board. Focus on the Family, which for years has focused on issues like opposing abortion rights and gay marriage, is supporting immigration reform for the first time in its history — even using its radio broadcast that reaches millions to push its message.

Giving cover!

Social conservatives are directly targeting GOP offices and trying to show that they can give cover to lawmakers in the South, West and Midwest, who are worried about facing retaliation at the ballot box in 2014.

Just because they have the word “evangelical” in their name doesn’t make them conservatives!

Nearly a dozen groups, including Bread for the World, Esperanza, Christian Community Development Association and the National Association of Evangelicals, have launched a 40-day “I was a stranger” campaign asking parishioners to read a bible verse dealing with immigrants each day.  [Is your church doing this? Tell them you are offended or find another church—ed]

The National Association of Evangelicals is the parent organization of World Relief one of the big nine federal refugee contractors.   From its Form 990 (2010) note that they are a $53 million dollar a year organization and YOU the taxpayer funded them that year to the tune of $31 million.   It has been my view that these refugee contractors are nothing more than head-hunters for the service industry, the meatpacking giants  and other industries in need of cheap captive labor disguising themselves as humanitarians.  A side benefit is that the immigrants are in need of welfare and become Democrat voters.

So where does Norquist the Islamist come in?

Doesn’t Republican Norquist see that immigrants in the first generations vote for Democrats?  Could it all just be about money from his industry supporters that Norquist cares about?  Or is he really interested in a specific subset of immigrants?

This closing section of the Politico story has Norquist written all over it—Ali Noorani is Grover’s Pakistani buddy (big smooch from Noorani to Grover ), and this is classic Norquist strategy:

It’s not just religious leaders looking to help galvanize support from social conservatives. The National Immigration Forum has created its “Bibles, Badges and Business” effort that targets conservative lawmakers by bringing in pastors, law enforcement and business owners into the debate. The group helped facilitate more than 70 meetings on Capitol Hill in December, of which 56 were with Republicans.

NIF is preparing to roll out a formal network to help provide a vehicle for sharing and strategy.

Ali Noorani, head of the forum, said it just makes sense when looking at how immigration reform is going to get passed.

“A conservative voter is going to listen to a conservative leader, especially in conservative states,” Noorani said. “From our perspective, this is about voters hearing from their pastor police chief or business — why their Republican member of Congress needs to be supported in this push for immigration reform.”

For more on Ali Noorani who created the political agitation group Massachusetts Immigrants & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), see my previous posts here.

Also, see Discover the Networks (DTN) about Noorani’s National Immigration Forum(NIF).  Although the entry is several years old, DTN lists the board members at the time:

The NIF Board of Directors includes such notables as: (a) James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute; and (b) Jeanne Butterfield, currently the Executive Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and formerly the Director of the Palestine Solidarity Committee, which acted as the political arm of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Also sitting on the NIF Board are members of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Service Employees International Union, and the Los Angeles branch of the Central American Refugee Center, which backed the Communists in El Salvador’s civil war and helped pioneer the “sanctuary” movement to subvert American immigration law.  [For Maryland readers, the sanctuary movement brought us CASA de Maryland–ed]

Here is today’s NIF board (Jeb Bush is on it!).

For more on Norquist, see my archive here.

Update!  New poll! Most Americans want illegal immigrants to go home and will support the political party that stands for enforcing immigration laws!