Category: Immigration Reform

Categories
Immigration Immigration Reform Politics

After Big Fiscal Cliff Win, Obama’s Next Battle – Immigration Reform

president obama looks

Despite a bruising fiscal cliff battle that managed to set the stage for an even more heated showdown that will likely take place in a matter of months, President Barack Obama is planning to move full steam ahead with the rest of his domestic policy agenda.

An Obama administration official said the president plans to push for immigration reform this January. The official, who spoke about legislative plans only on condition of anonymity, said that coming standoffs over deficit reduction are unlikely to drain momentum from other priorities. The White House plans to push forward quickly, not just on immigration reform but gun control laws as well.

The timeframe is likely to be cheered by Democrats and immigration reform advocates alike, who have privately expressed fears that Obama’s second term will be drowned out in seemingly unending showdowns between parties. The just-completed fiscal cliff deal is giving way to a two-month deadline to resolve delayed sequestration cuts, an expiring continuing resolution to fund the government and a debt ceiling that will soon be hit.

h/t Huffington Post

Categories
Featured Immigrants Immigration Reform

Republican Joe The Plumber Proposes Shooting Immigrants To Fix Immigration Problem

At two separate events in recent days, Samuel “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher has proposed to “put a damn fence on the border going to Mexico and start shooting.”

Wurzelbacher first made the remarks during a campaign rally for Arizona Republican state Rep. Lori Klein on Friday, according to video published by Prescott eNews.

“For years I’ve said, you know, put a damn fence on the border, going to Mexico and start shooting,” he insisted.

Wurzelbacher then repeated the remarks at a so-called “Patriot Rally” with Klein on Saturday.

“I’m running for Congress. How many congressmen or people running for Congress have you heard, put a fence up and start shooting? None? Well you heard it here first. Put troops on the border and start shooting, I bet that solves our immigration problem real quick.”

Categories
Immigration Immigration Reform Politics

Tough Week For The Right

Remember the beginning of June? Lousy jobs numbers, Obama’s muddled message and the popular assumption that the president was going to lose court cases on immigration and health care? Hope and change came quickly and it’s the Republicans who are back on their heels. For now.

Not only was the Supreme Court’s health care decision a deflating coda to the term that also saw most of Arizona’s immigration law struck down (though the right can still claim a victory over checking papers), the news that Chief Justice Roberts actually changed his decision is proving to be too much on the rightward flank. Never mind  that the court struck at the heart of the left wing’s argument that the Commerce Clause allows Congress to require people to buy health care, or that the states would lose all of their Medicaid funds if they don’t comply with ACA. That turncoat Roberts voted to uphold the law!

What’s worse is that the Republican message machine went into overdrive, using the court’s ruling to call Obama a taxer gone crazy, only to have Mitt Romney say that it’s not a tax. Conservatives already suspicious about Mitt’s devotion to their cause will turn even redder over that.

The polls are not being any kinder to Romney as support for the health care law rose after the decision, though a majority still do not support it. The silver lining is that the GOP base is fired up big time and that could pay dividends in November.

But Mitt is not the only Republican facing headwinds. Chris Christie called a special session of the New Jersey Legislature on Monday to get the Democrats to support his proposed tax cut, but to no avail. He even tried to make some room in the budget by line item vetoing $650 million dollars worth of social programs that serve women and children, but those darn lefties wouldn’t budge. 

This is but one week in a long campaign, but the GOP was banking on a health care win to bolster their summer message. It might actually work to their advantage to have the ruling go against them because their fundraising has increased and Obama is still polling below 50% in most surveys. Still, I think they saw a different scenario and Mitt’s going off message will not help. More fireworks for the fourth of July.

Ain’t this a great country?

There’s more patriotic gore at www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives and on Twitter @rigrundfest

Categories
Immigration Immigration Reform Mitt Romney Politics

Before The Words Fell From Romney’s Lips, His Campaign Confirmed He Was Lying

In Mitt Romney‘s never ending chameleon performance on issues facing Americans, Talking Points Memo highlights another obvious change or flip flop by the leader of the Republican party, (and I use that word as loosely as possible… after all, we are talking about Mitt Romney).

Speaking to Newsmax about immigration on Friday, Chameleon, I mean… Romney said this:

“For those that are here as the children of those who came here illegally, I want to make sure they have a permanent answer to what their status will be,” Romney said in the interview, “and I’ve indicated in my view that those who serve in the military and have advanced degrees would certainly qualify for that kind of permanent status.”

But before the words fell from Romney’s lips, his campaign put out a statement confirming that Romney didn’t know what he was talking about. In the campaign’s statement, Romney “misspoke.”

Said the statement to TPM: “The Governor was referring to his long held position that young illegal immigrants brought here as children who serve in the military should be able to obtain legal permanent residence and that we should staple a green card to the diploma of every eligible student visa holder who graduates from one of our universities with an advanced degree in math, science, or engineering,” Williams said. “He simply misspoke in this interview.”

Or as we like to call it, lying!

Categories
Immigration Immigration Reform Politics

Americans Agree With President Obama’s Immigration Policy

President Obama’s new immigration policy is getting high marks.

According to the Bloomberg poll, 64% of likely voters agree with Obama’s announcement Friday to end deportations of illegal immigrants brought to the USA as children; another 30% disagreed.

Independents also backed Obama’s executive order by a margin of more than two-to-one.

Bloomberg reported that “the results underscore the challenge facing Mitt Romney and Republicans as they try to woo Hispanic voters, who are the nation’s largest ethnic minority and made up 9 percent of the 2008 electorate, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of exit polls.

[More]

Categories
Immigration Immigration Reform Politics

President Obama Scores Huge Endorsement from “The Hispanic Oprah”

President Obama, hoping the Latino vote can make the difference in key swing states, secured an endorsement today from a prominent Hispanic talk show host.

Cristina Saralegui, who has hosted The Cristina Show for 21 years, said Obama “understands the Hispanic community and has supported it unconditionally and that is why I was moved to endorse and campaign for our president’s re-election.”

Saralegui also cut an ad for the Obama election team.

In its announcement, the Obama campaign described Saralegui as “a seasoned journalist who is recognized as one of the most respected and influential role models in the Hispanic community.” She’s also been called the Hispanic Oprah.

“Cristina is one of the most trusted names in the Hispanic community,” said Obama campaign manager Jim Messina. “We’re honored to have Cristina be a spokesperson for the campaign, speaking directly to Hispanic voters about the president’s accomplishments.”

The endorsement comes just a few days after Obama announced a new immigration/work permit policy for the children of illegal immigrants.

[More]

Categories
Illegal immigration Immigration Reform Politics

President Obama Eases Immigration Rules on Young Illegal Immigrants

The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The election-year initiative addresses a top priority of an influential Latino electorate that has been vocal in its opposition to administration deportation policies.

The policy change, announced Friday by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. It bypasses Congress and partially achieves the goals of the so-called DREAM Act, a long-sought but never enacted plan to establish a path toward citizenship for young people who came to the United States illegally but who attend college or join the military.

The extraordinary step comes one week before President Barack Obama plans to address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials’ annual conference in Orlando, Fla. Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney is scheduled to speak to the group on Thursday.

[More]

Categories
Health Care Immigration Reform Mitt Romney Politics Texas

Mitt Romney Weaves A Tangled Web Of Lies And Deceit

Oh Mitt! Why are you so filled with deceit? You criticized Rick Perry in a previous debate for providing “magnets” of “extraordinary government benefits” to undocumented immigrants in this country, but as it turns out, you too Mitty Romney are guilty of doing the very same thing you accused Perry of.

Perry provides the undocumented with education benefits, and you Mr. Romney, provides them with health care.

The Massachusetts healthcare law that then-Gov. Mitt Romney signed in 2006 includes a program known as the Health Safety Net, which allows undocumented immigrants to get needed medical care along with others who lack insurance.

Uninsured, poor immigrants can walk into a health clinic or hospital in the state and get publicly subsidized care at virtually no cost to them, regardless of their immigration status.

The program, widely supported in Massachusetts, drew little attention when Romney signed the trailblazing healthcare law.

What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!

Categories
Immigration Immigration Reform Mitt Romney Politics

Former Mexican President Thanks Rick Perry For Educating Mexican “Mirgants”

Thanks to Mitt Romney for pointing this out. Apparently, Mexico’s former president Vicente Fox, issued praise and thanks to Rick Perry for allowing Mexico’s “migrants” the opportunity to be educated in Texas.

Of course, Mitt Romney says now that he disapproves of Perry’s immigration policy, but with the way Mitt flip-flops, we’ll have to wait and see when/if he changes his mind.

Categories
Arizona Georgia Illegal immigration Immigration Immigration Reform Politics United States

Arizona Immigration-Type Bill Signed Into Law In Georgia

By the Associated Press

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has signed a bill that cracks down on illegal immigration by increasing some enforcement powers and requiring many employers to check the immigration status of new hires.

Deal on Friday signed the bill that has some similarities to a controversial bill enacted last year in Arizona.

Most parts of the Georgia law are set to enter into effect July 1. But opponents have said they plan to file lawsuits seeking to block it.

A requirement for private employers to use a federal database to check the immigration status of new hires is set to be phased in.

The new law also authorizes law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of certain suspects and to detain those who are in the country illegally.

Categories
Featured Illegal immigration Immigration Immigration Reform Republican shooting

Republican Congressman Suggests Shooting Illegal Immigrants

This is not your grandparent’s Republican party. This batch is of a whole new breed. We have documented time and time again, the unbelievable attempts by the Republican Party to totally eliminate anyone whose priorities do not match theirs – whether it be Latinos, Muslims, women, Jews, Blacks, Gays or any other minority group. But never before have we seen a Republican congressman suggest shooting illegal immigrants from a helicopter.

His name is Virgil Peck, a Republican representative in Kansas. While debating funding for a bill that allows for shooting feral hogs from a helicopter as a way to control the hog population, Mr. Peck couldn’t help suggesting the use of this method to control the illegal immigration problem, saying;

It looks to me if shooting these immigrating feral Hogs works, maybe we have found a solution to our illegal immigration problem.

With pressure from his fellow Republicans to apologize, Peck issued the following statement;

My statements yesterday were regrettable. Please accept my apology.

How do these people get elected!? A United States Republican congressman publicly advocating shooting people?

Yea, this is definitely not your grandpa’s GOP!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Categories
Immigration Reform Politics Republican United States White House

Haley Barbour – For Immigration Reform Before He Was Against It

In today’s political climate, any Republican in favor of providing a pathway to citizenship for those here illegally would face the wrath of the GOP and the Teaparty. So a potential 2012 Presidential Republican candidate would have every right to hide that fact.

Enter Haley Barbour – the Republican Mississippi governor who was interviewed on Fox News and spoke about his ambitions for 2012. Questions were asked about Barbour’s history as a lobbyist, and in his effort to defend his position, Barbour seemed to forget one very important client he had when lobbying – The Embassy of Mexico.

Time reports;

Barbour may be eager to showcase his record, but one of Barbour’s foreign lobbying clients could cause him some troubles in the 2012 Republican primary, if he decides to run. According to a Justice Department filing by Barbour’s former lobbying firm, The Embassy of Mexico decided to retain Barbour’s services on August 15, 2001, to work on, among other things, legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for foreigners living illegally in the United States—what opponents of immigration reform call “amnesty.”

“Haley Barbour and I will lead the BG&R team,” wrote Lanny Griffith, Barbour’s former business partner, in the filing. According to subsequent filings, Barbour’s work included “building support in the legislative branch for passage of a bill related to Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.” As part of that work, Barbour’s firm arranged meetings and briefings with “Senators, members of Congress and their staff, as well as Executive Branch Officials in the White House, National Security Council, State Department, and Immigration & Naturalization Service.” Barbour’s firm charged Mexico $35,000 a month, plus expenses.

Could it be that Haley Barbour was once for amnesty? What would the Teaparty say if they found out about his amnesty providing past?

Mr. Barhour says he will wait until April to announce whether or not he will run for president in 2012. Until then, there are a lot of questions to be answered but chances are he’s not gonna be asked these type of questions over at the Republican branding FOX network.

Read the full Time report here.

Exit mobile version