Tag: Comprehensive Immigration Reform

In wake of typhoon, push is on for Temporary Protected Status for Filipinos

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Problem is, once granted the “temporary” right to live, work, get a drivers license legally in America they don’t go home!  About a hundred thousand illegal Salvadorans make that point daily—they’ve been here since 2001 under TPS status and whatever natural disaster gave them the right to stay has long since been forgotten.

Two peas in a pod! Senators McCain and Rubio want any legal or illegal Filipinos in US to get to stay!

Usually granted for 18 months, TPS designation is just extended and extended as we saw here recently with Somali TPS.

If this lobbying push is successful anyone from the Philippines in the US legally (on a limited visa of some sort) or illegally can apply to stay under TPS and then when/if Congress passes so-called ‘Comprehensive Immigration Reform’ they will get to stay forever!

From Global Nation (emphasis mine):

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for undocumented Filipinos picked up bipartisan congressional support, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) urged the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to grant the status.

Currently allowed under immigration laws for countries impacted by a natural disaster resulting in a “substantial, but temporary, disruption of living conditions,” TPS will provide temporary immigration relief to undocumented Filipino immigrants currently residing in the US.

In a letter to DHS Acting Secretary Rand Beers, NaFFAA national chair Eduardo Navarra wrote that “this benefit will alleviate their fears of deportation to a devastated country and allow them to work and stay in the US temporarily. With this authorization, Filipino nationals can continue providing material and financial support to the homeland, especially at a time when they are in dire need of help.”

J.T. Mallonga, NaFFAA national vice chair and president of the Filipino American Legal and Defense Fund (FALDEF), explains that there are precedents where the US administration acted on similar requests.

“Following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti two years ago, the US designated TPS to Haitian nationals, allowing them to continue living and working in the country for 18 months,” Mallonga said. “The same should be done to Filipinos, and it must be done soon.”

Other nationals from countries devastated by natural disasters, such as Honduras, Sudan and El Salvador, have also been granted TPS before.   [And, they are all still here! because even if TPS does expire, no one deports them!—ed]

Obama can designate TPS without Congress, but some Senators and Members of Congress are on board with the proposal.

With members of Congress weighing in on the issue, Navarra has conveyed his thanks to a bipartisan group of US Senators and US Representatives who have endorsed the call for TPS.

“Although congressional approval is not required, their strong message of support is very encouraging,” Navarra said. “We hope more members of Congress will do the same.”

In a Nov. 19 letter signed by 20 US Senators, the signatories assert that “providing TPS is critical to humanitarian relief efforts as it both protects individuals who would be endangered by returning to their country of origin and it allows the home country more time to recover before accepting returnees.”

Among those signing the letter are Senators Harry Reid, John McCain, Robert Menendez, Marco Rubio, Mazie K. Hirono, Richard Durbin, Orrin Hatch, Barbara Boxer, Tim Kaine, and Patrick Leahy. On the House side, 30 US Representatives called on DHS to “exercise its authority to designate the Philippines” for TPS, considering the “daunting rescue and restoration efforts” facing the country. The signatories include Representatives Edward Royce, Zoe Lofgren, Trent Franks. Robert Scott, Xavier Becerra, Judy Chu, Peter King, Colleen Hanabusa, Tammy Duckworth, and Michael Honda.

The next time you hear someone say, ‘I’m o.k. with legal immigration, it’s illegal I have a problem with,’ remind them that Refugee Resettlement, the Diversity Visa Lottery and Temporary Protected Status are all legal programs!

House Judiciary Committee says hearings to be held this year on asylum abuse

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We told you a few months ago that there has been a dramatic jump in the number of asylum claims on our southern border with aliens claiming they were fleeing Mexican crime.  Our asylum system (established in the Refugee Act of 1980 and patterned after the 1951 UN Convention) was never designed to offer protection to people fleeing drug-related and other criminal activities from a country that has a functioning system of government such as Mexico.

Here is the announcement from the House Judiciary Committee, hat tip: Cathy.

And, go here for the Washington Times story yesterday (emphasis mine):

The House Judiciary Committee has begun looking at reports that Mexican drug cartel members are abusing the U.S. asylum system to bypass regular immigration checks and get into the country, where some are setting up smuggling operations and others engage in the same violent feuds that caused them to flee Mexico in the first place.

In one instance, a woman made a claim of asylum and three months later was apprehended at a Border Patrol checkpoint with more than $1 million in cocaine, according to a memo obtained by the committee that says criminal gangs are exploiting holes in the asylum system.

The memo, viewed by The Washington Times, also details cartel hit-squad members who won access to the U.S. after claiming they feared violence after they “fell out of grace” with their employers.

Claims more than doubled in the last year!

Homeland Security officials say they screen everyone who makes a credible fear claim and try to weed out those who don’t meet the standards, and try to detain those who do but also could be dangers to the community.

The asylum system has come under increasing scrutiny after reports that the number of people making “credible fear” asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border has more than doubled in the past year.

While case is pending, Obama administration favors release into society rather than detention!

Once an officer determines a “credible fear” of persecution or torture, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reviews the case to determine whether to detail [detain—ed] the individual pending a court hearing or whether to parole the person into the country on the admonition of returning for hearings.

“If an individual claiming asylum at the border is deemed to be a threat to public safety or national security, ICE has the authority to keep the individual in detention until their case is heard by an immigration judge,” Mr. Boogaard said. “Only a judge can determine asylum eligibility.

9% are actually granted asylum from Mexico (astounding, it should be near zero!).  91% “subject” to removal, but are they removed?

“On average, 91 percent of Mexican applicants seeking asylum following a determination that they have credible fear are denied. Individuals who are denied an asylum application are subject to removal from the United States,” he said.

Mr. Goodlatte, though, said the law requires most people who raise claims of “credible fear” to be put in mandatory detention. Parole is reserved for special medical emergency cases or humanitarian reasons, or when there is a specific public benefit to being released.

The Obama administration has taken an expansive view of the public benefit section, arguing that unless there is a demonstrable flight risk or apparent danger to the community, those seeking asylum should be released rather than held.

I want to know how many of those released ever show up for their court date!

There is more in the WT story, read it all here.

Searching RRW for ‘Mexico asylum’ here are all of our previous posts on the topic.

If S.744 (the Gang of Eight bill) should be signed into law, the definition of asylum will be expanded.

US ‘asylum’ seekers find shackles!

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Really!

Here is the photo that accompanies an opinion piece at the once respectable Christian Science Monitor.  Have a look at the “asylum seeker” and her family—see any shackles?  Looks to me like Ms. Garcia from Honduras (did I miss a war in that country?) has a lovely modern kitchen (granite counter tops!).  Both sons look well-fed.  One son is obviously using a ‘smartphone’ of some sort.  A toy truck on the floor would indicate that the kids have stuff.  Shackles?

Here is a portion of the caption from the Christian Science Monitor:
Angela Garcia fled DOMESTIC VIOLENCE in HONDURAS to seek asylum in the United States

I searched the article looking for some factual information about shackles and didn’t see a thing.  And, let’s remember that a large percentage of “asylum seekers” in the US are simply released to relatives until their case is reviewed.  They should count their lucky stars they didn’t try to get into Australia!

I want to remind readers that asylum (when first included in the Refugee Act of 1980) was meant for the odd political dissident (like a Russian ballet dancer wishing to defect), not the 29,500 this op-ed says we granted asylum to in 2012.  It was never intended to allow tens of thousands to enter the US for flimsy reasons like hubby abused his wife.

The article is one more pitch for Congress to advance the so-called Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill that is languishing and that Obama has to resurrect now to cover his Obamacare roll-out catastrophe.

P.S. Once asylum is granted, Ms. Garcia will be eligible for all of our welfare programs just like any other refugee. Obamacare/Medicare too!  See our fact sheet, here.

Lutherans resettle 10,095 refugees in US in FY2013

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

What do you think the odds are that a paper like the Sacramento Bee would publish a press release from us verbatim as if its a news story?   Zip, zero, nada!    However, if what a refugee resettlement CONTRACTOR says (because they are good people) is published with nary a critical commentary.

LIRS CEO Hartke: In FY2014 we are focusing on bringing Tutsis to your towns!

Here is most of a press release from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) published today in a paper near you!  LIRS is one of nine major federal contractors resettling refugees, but note (LOL!) they still call them “voluntary agencies.”

Headline is:  LIRS Helps U.S. Reach Refugee Admissions Target for First Time Since 1980  (emphasis is mine):

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2013 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) resettled over 10,000 refugees in fiscal year 2013, thereby contributing, as America’s second-largest resettlement agency, to the United States reaching its refugee admissions target for the first time since 1980.

“LIRS has resettled 10,095 refugees in 2013, including many refugee kids who arrived without a parent or guardian and in desperate need of protection and human care,” said Terry Abeles, LIRS Director for Refugee Resettlement. “This achievement comes as we approach our 75th anniversary in 2014, and marks an important new milestone in a history in which we’ve helped nearly 400,000 refugees rebuild their lives.”  

[Readers, up until 1980 they may have helped refugees out of Christian charity, today they receive millions of taxpayer dollars to bring immigrants to your towns and they hope to have even a larger clientele when (if!) Comprehensive Immigration Reform becomes law.—ed]

“LIRS is proud to have worked with our outstanding affiliates to play a key role in the nationwide effort that brought 69,930 refugees to safety and new lives in the United States in fiscal year 2013,” said Abeles. “That number is nearer to the authorized ceiling – 70,000 in 2013 – than in any year since 1980.”

“Reaching this threshold demonstrates this Administration’s efforts to create a refugee admissions program that meets the important security screening standards required by the American people and the growing humanitarian need,” added Abeles. “Research shows that refugees become successfully employed, tax-paying citizens and contribute in a relatively short period of time to the well-being of the United States.”

In fiscal year 2013, refugees were resettled in 186 communities in 49 states. For FY2014, President Barack Obama has authorized the admission of up to 70,000 refugees. Over 60 nationalities are expected to be admitted, with continued strong arrivals from Iraq, Burma, and Bhutan.

“Thousands of people overseas and across the United States make the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program possible each year,” added Abeles. “Their successes are a testament to the effective partnership between the public and private sectors, and express America’s commitment to being a country of refuge.”

LIRS welcomes refugees and migrants on behalf of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, thereby following God’s call to welcome and lifting up the importance of congregations in the work of welcome.

In the next paragraph they say they are lobbying for “comprehensive immigration reform.”

Check out LIRS’s digs at “Don’t break our rice bowls!”  (LIRS income $31 million and $30 million is from you, the taxpayer!)

Big news from LIRS website!

CEO Linda Hartke says this year they are going to put a focus on bringing Banyamulenge Tutsis from the Democratic Republic of Congo to your towns!

Republicans and immigration: an incisive and depressing analysis

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Editor’s note:  Blog partner Judy posted this today at Potomac Tea Party Report, but it is also important for followers of RRW to read it and consider its implications.

Peter Brimelow publishes an adaptation of a speech he gave in a post called  “Hitler’s Revenge” And Donor Riots: Why Americans Aren’t Allowed To Talk About Immigration.  Brimelow is a longtime critic of our immigration policies and author of the 1995 book Alien Nation: Common Sense About America’s Immigration Disaster.

Peter Brimelow

The speech is too complicated to summarize, and it is well worth reading in its entirety, but I’ll give you some excerpts.  This one makes one of his key points:

…the West now faces another existential threat—every bit serious as the Soviet Union. And that is mass Third World immigration.

In the U.S., mass immigration as was kicked off again by the 1965 Immigration Act, after a 40 year pause during which there was essentially no immigration at all. Simultaneously, enforcement against illegal immigration collapsed, so that there are somewhere between 12 and 20 million illegals in the country right now.

The demographic impact of this is dramatic. Because immigration is skewed by public policy toward non-traditional sources, by 2040 a majority of people in the U.S. will be non-white. This is a country that was 90% white in 1965, when the Immigration Act was passed.

Now, of course, what that means is that at that point the US will cease to exist. It will not be the historic America that we know. It may be something else. But it’s not going to be America.

And this is going to happen very soon. Within the lifetimes of at least two people in this room!

Now the amazing thing about this transformation is that it isn’t inevitable at all.  It’s the result of a public policy that isn’t popular at all–in fact, it is extremely unpopular.  

Of course Brimelow has been called a racist and excluded from polite society.  I myself would not emphasize the color of the immigrants but rather their culture, which is the important thing.  In fact, I recall Pat Buchanan writing several decades ago that he would rather have an educated Nigerian neighbor than a British football hooligan, or something along those lines.   Another excerpt:

So now, federally, we have the third major Amnesty drive in the last 10 years, the Gang of Eight’s bill that was put together after the last election—S744. It’s important to recognize that this bill is not simply an Amnesty bill: it also double or triples legal immigration, which was already at record highs. It’s a mind-boggling thing.

Obviously, this tremendous, well-funded campaign for the Amnesty/ Immigration Surge bill was not put together in 5 minutes after the 2012 election. It was ready to go regardless of who won. I believe that had Mitt Romney won the election, he would have supported Amnesty, just as George W. Bush did. Romney actually said that in the Hofstra debates (“I’ll get it [Comprehensive Immigration Reform] done. I’ll get it done. First year.” But nobody paid any attention to him.

So why the huge gap between what the ruling class wants, including the GOP establishment, and what the vast majority of Americans want?  Why can’t we even have a proper debate?  Two very interesting points.  The first:

Everyone here is interested in the power of ideas and ideas rule the world and we all agree on that. The difficulty in the immigration debate is what I called in Alien Nation back in 1995 “Hitler’s Revenge.” The elites of the West emerged from WWII utterly traumatized by the experience of confronting Nazism. It was so traumatic that they went overboard on the opposite side. They became convinced that any discussion of ethnicity or cultural heritage at all, let alone race, was unthinkable. You couldn’t address these things without being a Nazi.

Second is something I’ve not seen before, at least anything beyond slogans of the rich benefiting from immigration:

But there’s a secondary finding that hasn’t has gotten even as much publicity as the general finding: Although immigration doesn’t benefit in aggregate to the native born, it does cause a redistribution of income from labor to capital. It’s running somewhere at 2-3% of GDP, it’s a very large number.

Republicans who benefit from this redistribution are the big donors.

You hear a lot about how the Republican Party is a captive of an extremist faction—that is, the Tea Party. But I actually think that the real extremist faction is not the voters, but the donors.

In some ways, you can interpret the GOP’s history in the last 20 years as a kind of donor riot. The donors just simply refuse tolerate any kind of restriction on immigration at all. They go straight to the candidates, and above all to the consultant class, and tell them they won’t spend money on elections.

There’s lots more, including an account of how Israel recently solved its illegal immigration problem.  Solved it.  Because they knew it was a matter of national survival.  But Israel has an identity as a Jewish state.  We have lost our identity, as those who asserted there was such a thing as an American culture (not popular culture but one concerning traditions, morals, politics, religion, etc.)  have been stigmatized as racists and have, for the most part, shut up.