Category: Other Immigration

Obama Administration to forge ahead on Amnesty

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is probably one of many stories that we will receive on the issue of Obama’s plans to move ahead with so-called Comprehensive Immigration Reform (aka Amnesty for illegal aliens) this year.  From the Immigration Policy Center (hat tip: Ellen).

In the face of many studies to the contrary (Rubenstein here and Rector here), his theme will be that low-wage workers bring economic benefit to the US (maybe to the meatpackers, some of which are foreign-owned!). 

In the State of the Union Address this evening President Obama made clear his ongoing commitment to immigration reform noting “we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system – to secure our borders, enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.” Some may continue to argue that immigration reform is too politically risky to move on this year and that we should focus instead on rebuilding our economy. However, comprehensive immigration reform is compatible with economic reform as it would generate needed economic growth, create jobs and increase tax contributions by ensuring that everyone working in the United States is doing so legally. In fact, immigration reform would allow us to take full advantage of the opportunities for economic growth that immigrants bring.

Read the whole article.

You go for it Obama—throw more red meat to the Tea Partiers!   I consider that devastating defeat for Progressives on the Kennedy/McCain Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill as the first organized action by the Tea Party forces.  Of course, there was no Tea Party label in 2007, but it was the seminal event that showed Conservative grassroots that they could join forces and win with all odds stacked against them—even President Bush was on the side of amnesty.

SEIU VP: Immigrants will create a governing coalition for the long term

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

In my previous post I told you about Progressive Eric Schwartz who heads up the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.  I said that grateful* immigrants could be counted on as Democratic voters and that was one of the primary objectives driving the open borders movement (that and creating a borderless world).   Only moments later I saw that Trevor Loudon writing at his New Zeal blog said the same thing and backs it up with words right out of the mouth of an SEIU (Service Employee International Union) VP.

This is what Loudon said and he has a film and research to back it up! [Emphasis mine]:

Why, in a time of high U.S. unemployment, is the Obama Administration seriously considering Rep. Luis Gutierrez’s “Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity” bill which would grant citizenship to up to 12 million illegal immigrants.

The answer has little to do with humanity, national security or prosperity.

It is all about power- raw socialist power. It is all about 8,000,000 more Democratic Party votes and the creation of a “governing coalition for the long term”.

At the “progressive” America’s Future Now! conference in Washington, DC on June 2, 2009, SEIU International Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina addressed attendees on the issue immigration reform.

Speaking of Latino voters, Medina said “when they voted in November, they voted overwhelmingly for progressive candidates. Barack Obama got two out of every three voters that showed up.”

So I think there’s two things that matter for the progressive community.
When you are in the middle of a fight for your life you will remember who was there with you. And immigrants count on progressives to be able to do that.

Number one, if we are to expand this electorate to win, the progressive community needs to solidly be on the side of immigrants, that we’ll expand and solidify the progressive coalition for the future…”

Number two.

We reform the immigration laws, it puts 12 million people on the path to citizenship and eventually voters. Can you imagine if we have, even the same ratio, two out of three?

If we have eight million new voters who care about …… and will be voting. We will be creating a governing coalition for the long term, not just for an election cycle.”

There you have the strategy. Fight for the illegal immigrants, grant them citizenship, then exploit their gratitude in the form of votes to create a “governing coalition for the long term, not just for an election cycle..”

Read the rest of Mr. Loudon’s research on the issue.

I have joked on several previous occasions that if a majority of immigrants came to the US and voted Republican this open borders push from Progressive Democrats would end in a heartbeat.

* Regarding gratefulness, I don’t know if you’ve been noticing the increasing outspokenness of black Conservatives.  Many are beginning to realize that a considerable number of their problems have been created by leftwing policies primarily relating to welfare dependence.  Along those lines, I’ve been wondering lately, as we read one story after another of unhappy refugees feeling let down by their resettlement agencies, whether the Left would suffer a setback if refugees continue to feel pretty angry at their condition, afterall it is primarily Progressives who made unrealistic promises and brought them here.

Endnote:  Of course the flaw in my theory is exemplified by the case of Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, and some other inside-the-beltway Republicans who also are pushing for open borders.   Either they are Republican Progressives (Glenn Beck maintains that politicians like John McCain are also Progressives) who think they can bring immigrant voters to their side, or they are just flat out looking for cheap labor for businesses.   Or it could be something far more sinister, but we won’t go there.

Muslims attempting to get to South Africa stopped in Zimbabwe

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

It’s been a long time since I mentioned the problems of the rainbow nation, South Africa, so here is a little update.  Corrupt immigration officials in Zimbabwe have been involved in granting illegal alien Pakistanis, Somalis, and Bangladeshis entry through Zimbabwe.

Harare — A SENIOR immigration officer has gone into hiding after he allegedly issued 26 Bangladeshis with visas without authority.

Police have since launched a manhunt for Alter Upenyu Nhidza who was based at Kanyemba Border Post.

It is believed that Nhidza is only one link in a syndicate that has seen Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Somalis trickling into the country mostly through illegal entry points en route to South Africa.

[…..]

The Herald understands that a sizeable number of Pakistanis, Somalis, and Bangladeshis entered Zimbabwe with the aid of rogue immigration officials.

Caliphate building are we?

Israel is serious about keeping out illegal immigrants. . .

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

. . . even if they try to pose as refugees. That was the message Prime Minister Netanyahu gave in a speech this week reported in Israel News.

“Infiltrators cause cultural, social and economic damage, and pull us towards the Third World,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a Manufacturers Association assembly. 

“We suffer from a problem that actually stems from Israel’s economic success,” he said, explaining the problems that arise from the breached border with Egypt.  

“We have become almost the only First World country that can be reached by foot from the Third World. We are flooded with surge of refugees who threaten to wash away our achievements and damage our existence as a Jewish democratic state.”

“Almost” but not quite. The United States has probably the longest border with a third world country that can be walked across in many places.  The only reason our character and existence are not quite as threatened by our illegal aliens is that we are so big. Israel has only around 7 million people, and could easily be swamped by these immigrants.

Imagine an American president being so gutsy as to tell a meeting of manufacturers that they are going to be stopped from employing illegal aliens.  Can you think of any potential president who would?

Of course the guilt-playing left gets its licks in:

The Hotline for Migrant Workers was enraged by the prime minister’s remarks, and issued a response saying: “The danger to the Jewish state is not the refugees, but the many Jews in key positions who have forgotten that their parents were refugees, and who besmirch the persecuted in order to whitewash their submission to the manpower corporations.” 

Somehow I don’t think Netanyahu is going to be swayed by that. For one thing, it makes no sense. For another, he faces fiercer enemies than these folks, whoever they are. Bravo to him.

Miami Herald: Maybe as many as 200,000 Haitians illegally in US will apply for TPS

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We told you about the Obama Administration’s decision to grant illegal alien Haitians already in the US before the earthquake Temporary Protected Status here.

Now comes word, oops! that the number is far greater than originally thought. 

The Obama administration is preparing to handle applications from as many as 200,000 undocumented Haitian immigrants who want to live and work legally in the United States under a new immigration program unveiled last week in the aftermath of Haiti’s destructive earthquake.

The federal government will begin accepting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applications on Thursday, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas, whose agency will process the paperwork.

Mayorkas was in Miami Wednesday to meet with local immigrant aid groups to South Florida to talk about the daunting task of handling the likely blizzard of applications from Haitians seeking the opportunity to remain in the United States.

[….]　

The TPS designation is reserved for selected undocumented migrants from countries disrupted by natural disasters, armed conflicts or other emergencies.

Those Haitians approved will be allowed to stay in the United States for 18 months and be issued work permits to find jobs.

The Liberian example*:   This 18 months business is a joke.  We granted Liberians TPS years ago and halted it in 2006.  When the deadline approached this year to deport those who had TPS status, heavy lobbying by the likes of Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island (here) and others persuaded the Obama Administration to extend their deadline to be deported, here.   What do you think the chances are that once established in jobs, buying homes and sending kids to school they will ever be returned to Liberia (or Haiti)?

What a surprise, earlier in the week immigrant advocacy groups had the number of Haitians in the US wrong.

Local immigrant advocacy groups say that between 34,000 and 68,000 potential TPS applicants may be in South Florida and almost 100,000 statewide. They had earlier pegged the number of Haitians eligible for TPS at 30,000 nationwide.

So, let’s see!  We are going to give TPS status to 200,000 Haitians so they can compete with Americans for scarce jobs then send a large portion of the money they make back to Haiti.  And, if they don’t find jobs, will they send their welfare checks back to Haiti?

By obtaining work permits with the possibility of getting a job, tens of thousands of undocumented Haitian immigrants in the United States are likely to send tens of millions of dollars to homeland relatives.

The latest estimate shows that Haitian immigrants in the United States send more than $1 billion in remittances to Haiti, according to the Inter-American Development Bank, which closely tracks remittances to the region.

The money sent from Haitians living in the United States and other foreign countries represents more than one-third of Haiti’s gross national product.

There is a fee schedule for TPS applications, but no surprise the feds are considering waiving it.

* Update:  A reader sent me this good article by Roy Beck at NumbersUSA from last March about the Obama extension of TPS for Liberians.