THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF A PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL NEW DEAL.. CITY... I WANT OUT!! BALTIMORE...
SECEDE PATRIOTS .,.. THEY WILL SUCK US DRY!! YOU CANNOT CO-EXIST.
Read and Share a snap shot of the cities they are building around you.
The Illegal Alein population will help swell this blight even faster.
FYI.. Citizens of this metropolis have not elected a Republican as mayor since 1963, before
the War on Poverty began. That mayor’s 4 year term is the only
interruption in Democrat rule since 1947. They have had Democrat control
for 64 of the last 68 years, and sole control for the last 48 years
straight. Their mayor is black. Their previous mayor, Sheila Dixon,
was black. She was convicted of embezzlement in 2010 and couldn’t finish
her term. They had a white mayor (current Democratic Presidential
hopeful Martin O’Malley) for eight years. The mayor before him was
black. Their City Council consists of 15 members. All fifteen are
Democrats. The Council President is black. Democrats have had control of
legislation in Baltimore for the last 50 years. Every program, policy,
initiative, or school curriculum that exists in Baltimore was enacted by
liberal Democrats. The Police Commissioner is black. Approximately 50% of the police force is black. The School Superintendent is black, along with the School Board. The
district has an annual budget of $1.32 billion to teach 84,000 kids. The
Baltimore school system ranks second among the nation’s 100 largest
school districts in how much it spent per pupil at $15,700 per student.
Only NYC spends more. Only two thirds of students graduate high school,
despite this high level of spending. The average SAT scores of
Baltimore City public school students are: 379 in Reading; 376 in Math;
381 in Writing. These are the scores of the best of the best in
Baltimore schools who actually think they should get into college. The
average scores in the country, which still suck, are around 500.
Students with these scores have about a 15% chance of graduating
college. This is the ROI you get after spending $188,000 per student
over their 12 year academic career. The population of Baltimore is
623,000 and 63% are black. Median household income is $41,000, with 24%
living below the poverty line. The home ownership rate is 48%. The
percentage of college graduates is 27%. The population was 950,000
in 1950, so it has fallen by 35% in the last 65 years. The population
was 24% black in 1950. Decades of liberal Democrat policies drove most
of the white population out of the city. Baltimore’s violent crime
rate is 370% higher than the U.S. rate. They have over 200 murders, 300
rapes, 3,600 robberies, 4,600 assaults, 7,800 burglaries, and 22,000
thefts per year. These are all 2 to 4 times the U.S. averages per
100,000 people. Over 35% of all Baltimore residents get food stamps. Over 85% of the kids get free breakfasts and lunches at school. More
than 60% of Baltimore residents are receiving some form of government
assistance. Baltimore’s welfare paradise is paid for by outrageously
high taxes. It’s income tax rate of 3.2% is on top of the state rate of
4.75%. It’s property tax rate is more than double the other counties in
Maryland. The sales tax rate is 6%. Corporations pay an income tax rate
of 8.25%. The percentage of out of wedlock births to black women in
Baltimore exceeds 72%. Baltimore and Detroit are the two cities with
populations over 600,000 with the highest percentage of single parent
households – 59% to 61%. The reported unemployment rate for
Baltimore is 8.2%, one of the highest in the country. In reality, 42% of
the working age population is not working. Young black men between the
ages of 20 and 24 have a reported unemployment rate of 37%. But in
reality, it is north of 60%. The number of employees in 1990 totaled
475,000. Today they total 365,000, down 23%
LEAVE.. THIS BLIGHT TO THEM.. YOU DO NOT WANT THESE CITIES !!
RRR
MAKE NO MISTAKE POPE FRANCIS IS A LEFTY!
SET UP BY THE SOCIALISTS TO TRY AND TURN THE MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS
STREAMING ACROSS OUR BORDER AGAINST THE VALUES AND PRINCIPLES THEY CAME
TO AMERICA FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE!
IF
THE LEADERS OF THE COUP ARE PATRIOTS AND FORMER MILITARY GENERALS...
WHO LOVE AMERICA AND HAVE A TRACK RECORD OF INTEGRITY WOULD YOU SUPPORT A
COUP/REVOLUTION WHICH HAVE RULE BY A COMMITTEE OF CIVILIAN CONSERVATIVES WHO WILL RUN GOVERNMENT AND THE GENERALS/ LOYAL MILITARY WHO WILL DEFEND OUR NATION AGAINST ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC
REMEMBER THE COUP STARTS WITH A REVOLT LED BY "WE THE PEOPLE". And yes we must remove Obama and his Cabal and Restore the Constitution.
COUP/REVOLUTION SAME MEANING IN THIS POST
PLEASE READ THE WHOLE TEXT.. THEN SHARE AND ASK YOUR FRIENDS!!
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ... SHARE IT AGAIN !! GET THE WORD OUT!
THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMAND WOULD NOT INCLUDE ANYONE ONE OF THE CURRENT MEMBERS OF CENTCOM. THEY ARE ALL OBAMA LACKEYS.
READ AND TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ??
So many of you are so afraid of a Military Removal of the Obama
Cabal.... You have referred to the founding fathers and Military
Control. The fact is that you got the logic backwards. The Founding
Fathers did not want a Military Commander in Chief and wanted the
military in the command of a Civilian. That is why the President.. a
Civilian is the CIC. But delve deeper into the intents of the balance of
power and you will see that writings are explicit about Revolution.
Thomas Jefferson said it best… "God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion.
The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is
wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts
they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is
lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ...
And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."
He did not mean a namby pamby vote … neither did he say that REAL
AMERICANS should fear a “coup”. It takes Military men and their armed
followers to oust the Tyrant. It will not happen by singing Kumbaya and
praying for a miracle without shedding blood.
It also will not
happen because people blindly repeat that we have a Constitution and we
must all follow it. The process to remove a Tyrant was weakly worded in
the Constitution and I consider it one of the BIG FLAWS. The Founding
fathers made one major blundering assumption. That the elected
Politicians of America would all have one thing in common. That they
loved America and the Republic. They did not make provisions for a
Trojan Horse Scenario.
That is why I trust our Righteous
America Loving Military Leaders who have bled for our country in every
war without asking for ANY part of the spoils.. EVER. As a group...They
are most righteous fighting force in the HISTORY of the world
You immediately attach the word "Coup" to this action and it scares
people into thinking that if the Military took over they would act Like
Fidel Castro or Pinochet or some other tinpot dictator. Coup is a buzz
word for most folks who really do not want to change the status quo.
Remember George Washington led a Military Revolt/Coup.. that gained us
independence.
HOWEVER ONLY THEY WITH OUR SUPPORT CAN REMOVE OUR CURRENT TYRANT AND HIS CABAL...
SO WHY AS A COMMANDER IN CHIEF AND NOT AS ANOTHER "PRESIDENT" YOU MIGHT ASK??
Because until we clean the political cesspool we do not need another
Politician. We need a Commander who can make decisions without bowing to
the progressive bureaucracies that are embedded with anti America
Leftist, Pan African Anarchists, and Progressives.
We must
restore the Constitution and it cannot be done without an interim time
where a PATRIOTIC AMERICAN LEADER WITH THE STRONG BACKING OF THE
MILITARY CAN HOLD AMERICA TOGETHER AND SET THE SHIP RIGHT..
Yes I know so Many Sincere and earnest Patriots talk about all kinds of ways... short of "Revolution" to Restore our Republic.
Things like the "States Convention" the "Countermand Convention" "Impeachment" etc etc...
All of these are "Intellectual Pipe Dreams" ... the Cabal is so firmly
entrenched that the process will be sabotaged and will NEVER EVER COME
TO FRUITION...
THE ONLY WE WAY TAKE BACK THE COUNTRY THIS LATE IN THE GAME IS REVOLUTION... IN SOME FORM OR ANOTHER!
No election of a Conservative Senate, Congress or President or
Governors or Legislatures ...... is going to resolve the decayed
underpinnings of the Constitutional Republic our country once was.
It needs a whole lot more work before any Patriotic "President" can do any meaningful work.
FACT:
The Bureaucracy and the Federal Judiciary is loaded with leftist
Progressives and Socialists and unless and until we remove all of them
through a Radical Bloodless/bloody Revolt.. all we will do is spend the
next 30 years fighting against people with legal authority to enforce
the mandate created by these crooks and ideologues over the past 90
years ...who have diametrically opposite views of what America should be
than we do..
FACT: WE CANNOT CO-EXIST WITH IDEOLOGIES THAT
ARE POLAR OPPOSITES TO OURS. NOTICE AS SOON AS THEY LOSE THEY TALK
ABOUT US WORKING WITH THEM. WHEN THEY HAVE THE POWER THEY DO WHAT THE
HELL THEY WANT.
Electing a Conservative Senate, Congress or
President or Governors or Legislatures whose hands are tied by Federal
Judges and by Bureaucracies like the EPA, THE IRS, THE HHS etc that are
also loaded with enemies of the Constitutional Republic is a WASTE OF
TIME...and energy UNTIL we have completed the catharsis first.
That's a fact !! ONLY A REVOLUTION CLEANS THE SYSTEM. AN NON POLITICAL
GENERAL WHO TILL NOW HAS SHOWN NO LONG TERM POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS AND
HAS SHOWN LOVE OF COUNTRY IS WHAT WE NEED.
DON'T YOU AGREE??
Remember.. When the SHTF we have to have someone who is well known who
can stand up and lead and have the Military come over to our side. The
Military is tired of this Fake.
SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!
Obama Fires Or Kills off Military Officers Because He 'Fears a Coup'
TIME FOR REVOLUTION: SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS.
We ask all fired Officers to please come to our side.
Never in the History of our country have so many gallant and brave
Soldiers been relieved of their command in such short order. This is
destroying the morale of the real fighting men!
UPDATED APRIL 30 2015
Marine Corp Times Report:
The commanding officer of Marine
Corps Base Hawaii was relieved of his duties Monday following “a loss of
trust and confidence in his ability to lead,” the service said.
Col. Eric Schaefer, who assumed
command of the base in August, was removed from his post by Maj. Gen.
Charles Hudson, the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations
Pacific, according to a Marine Corps news release. Schaefer was
reassigned to another position effective immediately.
“The Marine Corps holds all Marines,
especially commanders, responsible for their actions, and is committed
to upholding high standards of honor, courage and commitment within the
ranks,” the release states.
No additional details about the
relief or Schaefer’s new position were immediately available. Schaefer
could not immediately be reached for comment.
Col. Christopher Snyder, the deputy
commander of Marine Corps Installations Pacific, has been assigned as
the interim commanding officer of Marine Corps Base Hawaii until a
permanent replacement is named by Headquarters Marine Corps.
Schaefer, a career aviator with more
than 2,000 flight hours, graduated from San Diego State University in
1991, according to his official Marine Corps biography. He served as the
commanding officer of Marine Attack Squadron 214, which was named the
Marine aviation attack squadron of the year in 2009 following a
deployment to Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
From Commander, Naval Surface Force U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs
SAN DIEGO (NNS) — The commanding
officer of USS Lake Erie (CG 70) was relieved of his duties April 27,
due to loss of confidence in his ability to command.
Capt. John Banigan was relieved by Rear Adm. Dee Mewbourne,
commander of Carrier Strike Group 11. The decision was based on the
findings of an investigation into poor command climate aboard Lake Erie,
a guided-missile cruiser homeported in San Diego. Banigan assumed command of the ship in May 2013. He has been
temporarily assigned to the staff of Commander, Naval Surface Force,
U.S. Pacific Fleet. Capt. Douglas Kunzman, deputy commander of Destroyer Squadron 9,
will temporarily assume command of Lake Erie pending assignment of a
permanent relief.
The List of Senior Ranking Military Officers Forced Out By Barack Hussein Obama
Many of these below have spotless records, 25 and up years service,
many medals and honors such as Brig. Gen Bryan W. Wampler and Command
Sgt. Major Don B. Jordan.
Commanding Generals fired:
General John R. Allen-U.S. Marines Commander International Security Assistance Force [ISAF] (Nov 2012)
Major General Ralph Baker (2 Star)-U.S. Army Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn in Africa (April 2013)
Major General Michael Carey (2 Star)-U.S. Air Force Commander of the
20th US Air Force in charge of 9,600 people and 450 Intercontinental
Ballistic Missiles (Oct 2013)
Colonel James Christmas-U.S. Marines Commander 22nd Marine Expeditionary
Unit & Commander Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force
Crisis Response Unit (July 2013)
Major General Peter Fuller-U.S. Army Commander in Afghanistan (May 2011)
Major General Charles M.M. Gurganus-U.S. Marine Corps Regional Commander
of SW and I Marine Expeditionary Force in Afghanistan (Oct 2013)
General Carter F. Ham-U.S. Army African Command (Oct 2013)
Lieutenant General David H. Huntoon (3 Star), Jr.-U.S. Army 58th
Superintendent of the US Military Academy at West Point, NY (2013)
Command Sergeant Major Don B Jordan-U.S. Army 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command (suspended Oct 2013)
General James Mattis-U.S. Marines Chief of CentCom (May 2013)
Colonel Daren Margolin-U.S. Marine in charge of Quantico’s Security Battalion (Oct 2013)
General Stanley McChrystal-U.S. Army Commander Afghanistan (June 2010)
General David D. McKiernan-U.S. Army Commander Afghanistan (2009)
General David Petraeus-Director of CIA from September 2011 to November
2012 & U.S. Army Commander International Security Assistance Force
[ISAF] and Commander U.S. Forces Afghanistan [USFOR-A] (Nov 2012)
Brigadier General Bryan Roberts-U.S. Army Commander 2nd Brigade (May 2013)
Major General Gregg A. Sturdevant-U.S. Marine Corps Director of
Strategic Planning and Policy for the U.S. Pacific Command &
Commander of Aviation Wing at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan (Sept 2013)
Colonel Eric Tilley-U.S. Army Commander of Garrison Japan (Nov 2013)
Brigadier General Bryan Wampler-U.S. Army Commanding General of 143rd
Expeditionary Sustainment Command of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command
[TSC] (suspended Oct 2013)
Commanding Admirals fired:
Rear Admiral Charles Gaouette-U.S. Navy Commander John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group Three (Oct 2012)
Vice Admiral Tim Giardina(3 Star, demoted to 2 Star)-U.S. Navy Deputy
Commander of the US Strategic Command, Commander of the Submarine Group
Trident, Submarine Group 9 and Submarine Group 10 (Oct 2013)
Naval Officers fired: (All in 2011)
Captain David Geisler-U.S. Navy Commander Task Force 53 in Bahrain (Oct 2011)
Commander Laredo Bell-U.S. Navy Commander Naval Support Activity Saratoga Springs, NY (Aug 2011)
Lieutenant Commander Kurt Boenisch-Executive Officer amphibious transport dock Ponce (Apr 2011)
Commander Nathan Borchers-U.S. Navy Commander destroyer Stout (Mar 2011)
Commander Robert Brown-U.S. Navy Commander Beachmaster Unit 2 Fort Story, VA (Aug 2011)
Commander Andrew Crowe-Executive Officer Navy Region Center Singapore (Apr 2011)
Captain Robert Gamberg-Executive Officer carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower (Jun 2011)
Captain Rex Guinn-U.S. Navy Commander Navy Legal Service office Japan (Feb 2011)
Commander Kevin Harms- U.S. Navy Commander Strike Fighter Squadron 137 aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln (Mar 2011)
Lieutenant Commander Martin Holguin-U.S. Navy Commander mine countermeasures Fearless (Oct 2011)
Captain Owen Honors-U.S. Navy Commander aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (Jan 2011)
Captain Donald Hornbeck-U.S. Navy Commander Destroyer Squadron 1 San Diego (Apr 2011)
Rear Admiral Ron Horton-U.S. Navy Commander Logistics Group, Western Pacific (Mar 2011)
Commander Etta Jones-U.S. Navy Commander amphibious transport dock Ponce (Apr 2011)
Commander Ralph Jones-Executive Officer amphibious transport dock Green Bay (Jul 2011)
Commander Jonathan Jackson-U.S. Navy Commander Electronic Attack Squadron 134, deployed aboard carrier Carl Vinson (Dec 2011)
Captain Eric Merrill-U.S. Navy Commander submarine Emory S. Land (Jul 2011)
Captain William Mosk-U.S. Navy Commander Naval Station Rota, U.S. Navy Commander Naval Activities Spain (Apr 2011)
Commander Timothy Murphy-U.S. Navy Commander Electronic Attack Squadron 129 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, WA (Apr 2011)
Commander Joseph Nosse-U.S. Navy Commander ballistic-missile submarine Kentucky (Oct 2011)
Commander Mark Olson-U.S. Navy Commander destroyer The Sullivans FL (Sep 2011)
Commander John Pethel-Executive Officer amphibious transport dock New York (Dec 2011)
Commander Karl Pugh-U.S. Navy Commander Electronic Attack Squadron 141 Whidbey Island, WA (Jul 2011)
Commander Jason Strength-U.S. Navy Commander of Navy Recruiting District Nashville, TN (Jul 2011)
Captain Greg Thomas-U.S. Navy Commander Norfolk Naval Shipyard (May 2011)
Commander Mike Varney-U.S. Navy Commander attack submarine Connecticut (Jun 2011)
Commander Jay Wylie-U.S. Navy Commander destroyer Momsen (Apr 2011)
Naval Officers fired: (All in 2012):
Commander Alan C. Aber-Executive Officer Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71 (July 2012)
Commander Derick Armstrong- U.S. Navy Commander missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (May 2012)
Commander Martin Arriola- U.S. Navy Commander destroyer USS Porter (Aug 2012)
Captain Antonio Cardoso- U.S. Navy Commander Training Support Center San Diego (Sep 2012)
Captain James CoBell- U.S. Navy Commander Oceana Naval Air Station’s Fleet Readiness Center Mid-Atlantic (Sep 2012)
Captain Joseph E. Darlak- U.S. Navy Commander frigate USS Vandegrift (Nov 2012)
Captain Daniel Dusek-U.S. Navy Commander USS Bonhomme
Commander David Faught-Executive Officer destroyer Chung-Hoon (Sep 2012)
Commander Franklin Fernandez- U.S. Navy Commander Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 24 (Aug 2012)
Commander Ray Hartman- U.S. Navy Commander Amphibious dock-landing ship Fort McHenry (Nov 2012)
Commander Shelly Hakspiel-Executive Officer Navy Drug Screening Lab San Diego (May 2012)
Commander Jon Haydel- U.S. Navy Commander USS San Diego (Mar 2012)
Commander Diego Hernandez- U.S. Navy Commander ballistic-missile submarine USS Wyoming (Feb 2012)
Commander Lee Hoey- U.S. Navy Commander Drug Screening Laboratory, San Diego (May 2012)
Commander Ivan Jimenez-Executive Officer frigate Vandegrift (Nov 2012)
Commander Dennis Klein- U.S. Navy Commander submarine USS Columbia (May 2012)
Captain Chuck Litchfield- U.S. Navy Commander assault ship USS Essex (Jun 2012)
Captain Marcia Kim Lyons- U.S. Navy Commander Naval Health Clinic New England (Apr 2012)
Captain Robert Marin- U.S. Navy Commander cruiser USS Cowpens (Feb 2012)
Captain Sean McDonell- U.S. Navy Commander Seabee reserve unit Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14 FL (Nov 2012)
Commander Corrine Parker- U.S. Navy Commander Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 1 (Apr 2012)
Captain Liza Raimondo- U.S. Navy Commander Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, MD (Jun 2012)
Captain Jeffrey Riedel- Program manager, Littoral Combat Ship program (Jan 2012)
Commander Sara Santoski- U.S. Navy Commander Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 (Sep 2012)
Commander Kyle G. Strudthoff-Executive Officer Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (Sep 2012)
Commander Sheryl Tannahill- U.S. Navy Commander Navy Operational Support Center [NOSC] Nashville, TN (Sep 2012)
Commander Michael Ward- U.S. Navy Commander submarine USS Pittsburgh (Aug 2012)
Captain Michael Wiegand- U.S. Navy Commander Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (Nov 2012)
Captain Ted Williams- U.S. Navy Commander amphibious command ship Mount Whitney (Nov 2012)
Commander Jeffrey Wissel- U.S. Navy Commander of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 1 (Feb 2012)
Naval Officers fired: (All in 2013):
Lieutenant Commander Lauren Allen-Executive Officer submarine Jacksonville (Feb 2013)
Reserve Captain Jay Bowman-U.S. Navy Commander Navy Operational Support Center [NOSC] Fort Dix, NJ (Mar 2013)
Captain William Cogar-U.S. Navy Commander hospital ship Mercy’s medical treatment facility (Sept 2013)
Commander Steve Fuller-Executive Officer frigate Kauffman (Mar 2013)
Captain Shawn Hendricks-Program Manager for naval enterprise IT networks (June 2013)
Captain David Hunter-U.S. Navy Commander of Maritime Expeditionary
Security Squadron 12 & Coastal Riverine Group 2 (Feb 2013)
Captain Eric Johnson-U.S. Navy Chief of Military Entrance Processing Command at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, IL (2013)
Captain Devon Jones-U.S. Navy Commander Naval Air Facility El Centro, CA (July 2013)
Captain Kevin Knoop-U.S. Navy Commander hospital ship Comfort’s medical treatment facility (Aug 2013)
Lieutenant Commander Jack O’Neill-U.S. Navy Commander Operational Support Center Rock Island, IL (Mar 2013)
Commander Allen Maestas-Executive Officer Beachmaster Unit 1 (May 2013)
Commander Luis Molina-U.S. Navy Commander submarine Pasadena (Jan 2013)
Commander James Pickens-Executive Officer frigate Gary (Feb 2013)
Lieutenant Commander Mark Rice-U.S. Navy Commander Mine Countermeasures ship Guardian (Apr 2013)
Commander Michael Runkle-U.S. Navy Commander of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 (May 2013)
Commander Jason Stapleton-Executive Office Patrol Squadron 4 in Hawaii (Mar 2013)
Commander Nathan Sukols-U.S. Navy Commander submarine Jacksonville (Feb 2013)
Lieutenant Daniel Tyler-Executive Officer Mine Countermeasures ship Guardian (Apr 2013)
Commander Edward White-U.S. Navy Commander Strike Fighter Squadron 106 (Aug 2013)
Captain Jeffrey Winter-U.S. Navy Commander of Carrier Air Wing 17 (Sept 2013)
Commander Thomas Winter-U.S. Navy Commander submarine Montpelier (Jan 2013)
Commander Corey Wofford- U.S. Navy Commander frigate Kauffman (Feb 2013)
157 Air Force majors forced into early terminations, no retirement or benefits, all were within six years of retirement.
Update Nov 12
Vice Adm. Ted Branch and Rear Adm. Bruce F. Loveless have both taken
forced leaves of absence and had their access to classified materials
suspended.
The news comes on the heels of the reports that at least two Navy
commanders allegedly leaked inside information to Malaysian businessman
Leonard Glenn Francis -- chief executive of the contractor Glenn Defense
Marine Asia, which resupplies ships and submarines across Asia. Federal prosecutors are reportedly accusing Navy Cmdr. Michael Vannak
Khem Misiewicz, 46, of tipping off Francis to the worldwide movement of
Navy ships so his company could obtain contracts to service those
vessels at port. Also reportedly arrested was Naval Criminal Investigative Service
supervisory Special Agent John Beliveau, 44, who allegedly (and
secretly) downloaded reports on his agency’s investigation into Glenn
Defense Marine Asia -- and how it won a $125 million contract to service
naval ships at ports of call. Such information allegedly allowed the company to bilk the U.S.
government of more money – and even secure more contracts worth up to
$200 million -- as it defended itself from the Navy's criminal
investigations. The Post wrote in a past report that in return for the ill-gotten
information, Glenn Defense Marine also supplied the officers with
prostitutes, cash, luxury hotel rooms, plane tickets, and even tickets
to a Lady Gaga concert in Thailand.
According to The Post, neither Branch nor Loveless has as-yet been
charged with a crime or service violation, or been demoted. As director
of naval intelligence, Branch serves as the Navy’s top intelligence
officer. But the paper cited a Navy official, who spoke on the condition of
anonymity, as saying the Naval Criminal Intelligence Service unearthed
evidence of “personal misconduct,” by Branch and Loveless as part of the
larger investigation into Glenn Defense Marine. And the paper adds the alleged improprieties predate either man’s promotion to their current positions.
“We do believe that other naval officers will likely be implicated in
this scandal,” Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, the Navy’s chief spokesman,
told The Post in a telephone interview.
UPDATE NOV 10 2013
3-star Navy admiral fired as deputy chief of nuclear command, demoted to 2-star rank
This image provided by the U.S. Navy shows Navy Vice Adm. Tim Giardina
in a Nov. 11, 2011, photo. The Navy says a Giardina was notified
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, that he has been relieved of duty as
second-in-command at the military organization that oversees all U.S.
nuclear forces. Giardina will drop in rank to two-star admiral as a
consequence of being removed from his position at U.S. Strategic
Command. He is under investigation in a gambling matter. (AP Photo/U.S.
Navy) (The Associated Press)
WASHINGTON – The deputy commander of
U.S. nuclear forces, Vice Adm. Tim Giardina, was notified Wednesday that
he has been relieved of duty amid a military investigation of
allegations that he used counterfeit chips at an Iowa casino, the Navy
said. The move is exceedingly rare and perhaps
unprecedented in the history of U.S. Strategic Command, which is
responsible for all U.S. nuclear warfighting forces, including
nuclear-armed submarines, bombers and land-based missiles. The
Navy's top spokesman, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said Giardina, who had held
the job since December 2011, is being reassigned to the Navy staff
pending the outcome of the probe by the Naval Criminal Investigative
Service, which originated as a local law enforcement investigation in
Iowa in June. As a consequence of being removed from
his post at Strategic Command, Giardina falls in rank to two-star
admiral. He had been suspended by Gen. Robert Kehler, the top commander
at Strategic Command, on Sept. 3, although that move was not disclosed
publicly until Sept. 28. After his suspension
Giardina remained at Strategic Command but was not allowed to perform
duties that required use of his security clearance. The
decision to take the next step — to relieve him of duty — was made
on Oct. 3, one official said. That required approval by President Barack
Obama, two defense officials said. The officials spoke on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the
internal decision-making. Kehler had recommended to
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that Giardina be relieved of duty and
returned to the Navy, according to Pentagon spokesman Carl Woog. A
former commander of Strategic Command, retired Air Force Gen. Eugene
Habiger, said he believes this is the first time in the history of the
command that a deputy commander has been relieved of duty. Strategic
Command was created in 1992 at the end of the Cold War. The aim was to
unify the command of nuclear forces previously run separately by the Air
Force and the Navy. "I know of no other case ever
of a deputy commander who was relieved for cause," Habiger said in a
telephone interview. He headed the command from 1996-98.
UPDATED OCTOBER 31 2013:
BREAKING....ANOTHER OBAMA ASSASSINATION!
USAF General Brown Dies in Mysterious Crash today: He was Investigating MISSING NUKES!
The plane went down in a subdivision near the Williamsburg/Jamestown Airport
Two people, including a Major General in the United States Air Force,
were killed Friday afternoon when a small plane crashed in the
Williamsburg area. WAVY, citing Virginia State Police, reported that
Major General Joseph D. Brown IV, 54, had died in the crash, along with
a female passenger and a family pet. The woman’s name was not released.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen
described the plane as a Cessna 210 that went down about a half-mile
from the Williamsburg/Jamestown airport in a subdivision. No injuries
were reported on the ground. Read More Prior to assuming his
current position, he served as the Deputy Director for Nuclear
Operations, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. In this
capacity, he was the principal adviser to the commander on issues
pertaining to strategic deterrence and nuclear operations and was
responsible for management and oversight of the nuclear enterprise
overseeing personnel, procedural, equipment, communications and facility
requirements supporting the nuclear command and control system. The
general is a command pilot with more than 4,300 hours, primarily in the
B-1 and B-52, including combat time in operations Enduring and Iraqi
Freedom.
TIME LINE OF HOW OBAMA AND HIS SOCIALIST CABAL ARE DISMANTLING AMERICA THROUGH ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND AMNESTY..
this is a plan to dilute America's legal Population
Timeline: How the Obama Administration Bypassed Congress to Dismantle Immigration Enforcement In September 2011, President Obama said, “We live in a democracy.
You have to pass bills through the legislature, and then I can sign
it.” Yet, since that time, and indeed before then, he has systematically
voided existing laws and unilaterally created new measures that
Congress has refused to adopt under either Democratic or Republican
control. Most recently, the President announced he would do what he once
said only an “emperor” could do – grant unilateral amnesty, work
permits, and access to government benefits to more than five million
illegal immigrants. This unprecedented action, combined with new
“enforcement priorities” for Department of Homeland Security personnel
that exempt the vast majority of illegal immigrants from the threat of
removal, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals directive, the
“Morton” memos, and numerous other lesser-reported but far-reaching
Executive actions, has threatened not only our constitutional system,
but our national sovereignty. Indeed, the idea of national, sovereign
borders is being daily eviscerated by the President’s determination to
write his own immigration rules in defiance of Congress and the American
people. Below is a detailed timeline of how the Obama Administration
systematically dismantled immigration enforcement, undermining the very
rule of law upon which our nation was founded and upon which its
greatness depends. January 2009: Obama Administration Ends Worksite Enforcement Actions In early 2009, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
executes a raid (initiated and planned under the Bush Administration) on
an engine machine shop in Bellingham, Washington, detaining 28 illegal
immigrants who were using fake Social Security numbers and identity
documents. Shortly thereafter, pro-amnesty groups criticized the
Administration for enforcing the law. An unnamed DHS official is quoted
in the Washington Times
as saying, “the Secretary is not happy about it and this is not her
policy.” Instead of enforcing the law, the Secretary investigates the
ICE agents for simply doing their duty. Esther Olavarria, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, says on a call with employers
and pro-amnesty groups that “we’re not doing raids or audits under this
administration.” January 29, 2009: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano Delays E-Verify Deadline Former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano delays
the original deadlines for federal contractors to use the E-Verify
system, from January 15, 2009, and February 20, 2009, to May 21, 2009. April 16, 2009: Secretary Napolitano Delays E-Verify Deadline a Second Time Secretary Napolitano again delays the deadline for federal contractors to use E-Verify, this time to June 30, 2009. June 3, 2009: Secretary Napolitano Delays E-Verify Deadline a Third Time For the third time, Secretary Napolitano delays the deadline for federal contractors to use E-Verify to September 8, 2009. March 8, 2010: ICE Inflates Deportation Statistics According to the Washington Post:
“Months after reporting that the number of illegal immigrants removed
by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement increased 47 percent during
President Obama’s first year in office, the Department of Homeland
Security on Monday corrected the record, saying the actual increase in
those deported and ‘voluntary departures’ was 5 percent.” March 16, 2010: DHS Announces Termination of Funding for Virtual Fence along Southwestern Border Secretary Napolitano announces
that, effective immediately, DHS would redeploy $50 million of stimulus
funding originally allocated for virtual fence technology because “the
system of sensors and cameras along the Southwest border known as SBInet
has been plagued with cost overruns and missed deadlines.” May 19, 2010: ICE Director John Morton Announces Termination of Cooperation with Arizona Law Enforcement In an interview with the Chicago Tribune,
the former Director of ICE, John Morton, states that ICE will not even
process or accept illegal immigrants transferred to ICE custody by
Arizona law enforcement, largely because the Obama Administration
disagrees with Arizona’s immigration law, which made it a crime to be in
the state illegally and required police to check suspects for
immigration documents. May 27, 2010: Internal ICE Emails Reveal Relaxed Security and New Benefits for Detained Illegal Immigrants Internal ICE emails reveal
that “low-risk” immigration detainees will be able to have visitors
stay for an unlimited amount of time during a 12-hour window, be given
access to unmonitored phone lines, email, free internet calling, movie
nights, bingo, arts and crafts, dance and cooking classes, tutoring, and
computer training. June 18, 2010: Obama Administration Sues Arizona over Immigration Enforcement Law The Obama Administration announces that it will sue Arizona to block the implementation of the state’s immigration enforcement law. June 25, 2010: ICE Union Casts Unanimous Vote of “No Confidence” in Agency Leadership The National ICE Council, the union representing more than 7,000 agents and officers, casts a unanimous vote of “No Confidence”
in ICE Director Morton and Assistant Director Phyllis Coven, citing
“the growing dissatisfaction and concern among ICE employees and Union
Leaders that Director Morton and Assistant Director Coven have abandoned
the Agency’s core mission of enforcing United States Immigration Laws
and providing for public safety, and have instead directed their
attention to campaigning for programs and policies related to amnesty.”
The union lists some of the policies that led to the vote of No
Confidence: “Senior ICE leadership dedicates more time to campaigning for
immigration reforms aimed at large scale amnesty legislation, than
advising the American public and Federal lawmakers on the severity of
the illegal immigration problem . . . ICE [Enforcement and Removal
Operations are] currently overwhelmed by the massive criminal alien
problem in the United States resulting in the large-scale release of
criminals back into local communities.” “Criminal aliens openly brag to ICE officers that they are taking
advantage of the broken immigration system and will be back in the
United States within days to commit crimes, while United States citizens
arrested for the same offenses serve prison sentences. . . . Thousands
of other criminal aliens are released to ICE without being tried for
their criminal charges. ICE senior leadership is aware that the system
is broken, yet refuses to alert Congress to the severity of the
situation . . . .” “ICE is misleading the American public with regard to the
effectiveness of criminal enforcement programs like the ICE ‘Secure
Communities Program’ using it as a selling point to move forward with
amnesty related legislation.” “While ICE reports internally that more than 90 percent of ICE
detainees are first encountered by ICE in jails after they are arrested
by local police for criminal charges, ICE senior leadership
misrepresents this information publicly in order to portray ICE
detainees as being non-criminal in nature to support the
Administration’s position on amnesty and relaxed security at ICE
detention facilities.” “The majority of ICE ERO Officers are prohibited from making
street arrests or enforcing United States immigration laws outside of
the institutional (jail) setting. This has effectively created ‘amnesty
through policy’ for anyone illegally in the United States who has not
been arrested by another agency for a criminal violation.” “ICE Detention Reforms have transformed into a detention system
aimed at providing resort like living conditions to criminal aliens.
Senior ICE leadership excluded ICE officers and field managers (the
technical experts on ICE detention) from the development of these
reforms, and instead solicited recommendations from special interest
groups. . . . Unlike any other agency in the nation, ICE officers will
be prevented from searching detainees housed in ICE facilities allowing
weapons, drugs and other contraband into detention centers putting
detainees, ICE officers and contract guards at risk.” July 14, 2010: Obama Administration Ignores Dangerous Sanctuary City Policies Less than a week after suing Arizona to block its immigration law, the Department of Justice announces
that it will not take legal action against sanctuary cities, with a
spokeswoman stating: “There is a big difference between a state or
locality saying they are not going to use their resources to enforce a
federal law, as so-called sanctuary cities have done, and a state
passing its own immigration policy that actively interferes with federal
law.” July 30, 2010: Leaked U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Memo Reveals Obama Backdoor Amnesty Plan A leaked USCIS memo
to agency Director Alejandro Mayorkas details the Obama
administration’s plan to bypass Congress and grant amnesty by executive
fiat. The memo, entitled “Administrative Alternatives to Comprehensive
Immigration Reform,” suggests a number of unilateral actions to “reduce
the threat of removal for certain individuals present in the United
States without authorization” and “extend benefits and/or protections to
many individuals and groups,” including many that Obama has since
implemented and many that appeared in the Senate comprehensive
immigration bill (S. 744, 113th Congress). August 2010: ICE Memo Stops Agents from Detaining Illegal Immigrants During Traffic Stops In August 2010, ICE begins internally circulating a draft policy
that would significantly limit the circumstances under which ICE could
detain illegal immigrants. In effect, ICE agents are no longer
authorized to stop/detain an illegal immigrant for illegally entering
the country or for possessing false identification documents. Now,
illegal immigrants can be detained only if another law enforcement
agency makes an arrest for a criminal violation. August 24, 2010: DHS Begins Closing and Dismissing Deportation Cases The Houston Chronicle
reports that DHS has begun “systematically reviewing thousands of
pending immigration cases and moving to dismiss those filed against
suspected illegal immigrants without serious criminal records.” September 8, 2010: Obama Administration Files Supreme Court Brief Supporting Challenge to Arizona’s E-Verify Law The Obama Administration argues
that the Supreme Court should strike down Arizona’s 2007 E-Verify law—a
law enacted by the state’s former Governor, and the current Secretary
of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano. The law required all employers
in the state to use E-Verify and revoked business licenses of those who
hired illegal workers. The Supreme Court upholds
the law in May 2011, finding that it was not preempted, because
“although Congress had made the program voluntary at the national level,
it had expressed no intent to prevent States from mandating
participation.” September 16, 2010: Leaked DHS Memo Reveals President Obama’s
Long-Term Plan to Circumvent Congress and Grant “Broad Based” Amnesty A leaked 10-page memo,
dated February 26, 2010, details how the Obama administration had “long
envisioned” a two-phase “broad based” amnesty plan “legalizing those
who qualify and intend to stay here.” The memo states that “during Phase
1, eligible applicants would be registered, fingerprinted, screened and
considered for an interim status that allows them to work in the U.S. .
. . During Phase 2, applicants who had fulfilled additional statutory
requirements would be permitted to become lawful permanent residents
[i.e., obtain green cards].” The memo asserts that the Administration
could proceed “in the absence of legislation,” e.g., deferred action;
deferred enforced departure; waiver of inadmissibility for certain
illegal immigrants; parole-in-place. Remarkably, the memo contemplates
the pros and cons of such unprecedented executive action: “A registration program can be messaged as a security measure to bring illegal immigrants out of the shadows.” “A bold administrative program would transform the political
landscape by using administrative measures to sidestep the current state
of Congressional gridlock and inertia.” “The Secretary would face criticism that she is abdicating her
charge to enforce the immigration laws. Internal complaints of this type
from career DHS officers are likely and may also be used in the press
to bolster criticism.” “Even many who have supported a legislated legalization program
may question the legitimacy of trying to accomplish the same end via
administrative action, particularly after five years where the two
parties have treated this as a matter to be decided in Congress.” “A program that reaches the entire population targeted for
legalization would represent use of deferred action far beyond its
limited class-based uses in the past (e.g. for widows). Congress may
react by amending the statute to bar or greatly trim back on deferred
action authority, blocking its use even for its highly important current
uses in limited cases.” “Congress could also simply negate the grant of deferred action
(which by its nature is temporary and revocable) to this population. If
criticism about the legitimacy of the program gain[s] traction, many
supporters of legalization may find it hard to vote against such a
bill.” “The proposed timeline would require a rapid expansion of USCIS’s
current application intake capacity. Significant upfront resources
would be needed for hiring, training, facilities expansion and
technology acquisition, and the only realistic prospect of a source of
funding may be a new appropriation.” “Immigration reform is a lightning rod that many Members of
Congress would rather avoid. An administrative solution could dampen
future efforts for comprehensive reform and sideline the issue in
Congress indefinitely.” “Done right, a combination of benefit and enforcement-related
administrative measures could provide the Administration with a
clear-cut political win. If the Administration loses control of the
message, however, an aggressive administrative proposal carries
significant political risk.” “More ambitious measures would have to be carefully timed. We
would need to give the legislative process enough time to play out to
deflect against charges of usurping congressional authority. . . . This
is likely to mean that the right time for administrative action will be
late summer or fall [2010]—when the midterm election is in full-swing.” “The President could make the case that the nation’s economic and
national security can wait no longer for Congress. Administrative
action is necessary to restores [sic] rule of law by ending illegal
hiring, requiring individuals who are unlawfully present to pass
background checks or get deported, and guaranteeing that all employers
and workers are paying their fair share of taxes. Clearing backlogs of
family-based visas would be an added bonus.” “If the American public reacts poorly to an administrative
registration effort, Congress could be motivated to enact legislation
tying the Administration’s hands. This could result, in the worst case
scenario, in legislation that diminishes the Secretary’s discretion to
use parole or deferred action in other contexts. A heated fight could
also poison the atmosphere for any future legislative reform effort.” October 17, 2010: DHS Dismissals of Deportation Cases Up 700 Percent The Houston Chronicle
reports that the government dismissed, on its own motion, hundreds of
deportation cases—up 700 percent between July and August 2010. The
article states that “government attorneys in Houston were instructed to
exercise prosecutorial discretion on a case-by-case basis for illegal
immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for at least two years and have no
serious criminal history.” December 2010: Internal ICE Emails Reveal Padded Deportation Statistics On October 8, 2010, Secretary Napolitano and ICE Director Morton announced
that in 2010, ICE had “removed more illegal aliens than in any other
period in the history of our nation.” On December 6, 2010, however, the Washington Post
reports that internal ICE emails show that ICE padded its deportation
statistics by including 19,422 removals from the previous fiscal year.
The article also describes how ICE extended a Mexican repatriation
program beyond its normal operation dates, adding 6,500 to its final
removal numbers. February 15, 2011: DHS Ignores Mandate to Maintain Operational Control of Border During a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, Chair Candice Miller announces
that, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), U.S.
Customs and Border Protection maintains operational control of only 69
of the roughly 4,000 miles along the northern border and only 873 of the
almost 2,000 miles along the southwestern border. Under the Secure Fence Act of 2006,
Congress required DHS to achieve and maintain operational control,
which is defined as “the prevention of all unlawful entries into the
United States, including entries by terrorists, other unlawful aliens,
instruments of terrorism, narcotics, and other contraband.” March 2, 2011: Morton Amnesty Memo #1 In the first
of a series of memos, ICE Director Morton outlines new enforcement
“priorities”—convicted criminals, terrorists, gang members, recent
illegal entrants, and fugitives. The memo encourages ICE employees to
exercise prosecutorial discretion for illegal immigrants who do not meet
these “priorities,” and directs ICE field office directors to not
“expend detention resources” on certain illegal immigrants. March 30, 2011: 9/11 Commission Chair Warns that Obama
Administration’s Delay of Implementation of Biometric Exit System and
REAL ID Act Risk National Security Testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Committee,
9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean warns that “border security
remains a top national security priority, because there is an
indisputable nexus between terrorist operations and terrorist travel.
Foreign-born terrorists have continued to exploit our border
vulnerabilities to gain access to the United States.” In his testimony,
he highlights two programs that the Obama Administration has delayed: “[F]ull deployment of the biometric exit component of US-VISIT
should be a high priority. If law enforcement and intelligence officials
had known for certain in August and September 2001 that 9/11 hijackers
Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar remained in the U.S., the search
for them might have taken on greater urgency.” . . . “[N]o further delay [in compliance with the REAL ID Act] should be authorized, rather compliance should be accelerated.” May 10, 2011: President Obama Declares Border Secure and Border Fence “Basically Complete” In a speech
in El Paso, Texas, Obama claims that his administration has
“strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible”
and that the border fence “is now basically complete,” despite the fact
that only 33.7 miles of the 700 miles of fence mandated by the Secure
Fence Act of 2006 had been completed by that time. Chairman of the House
Homeland Security Committee Michael McCaul responds, stating “the border is not secure and it has never been more violent or dangerous. Anyone who lives down there will tell you that.” June 1, 2011: Obama Administration Ignores New York’s Refusal to Cooperate with Federal Immigration Agents New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces
he is suspending New York’s participation in the Secure Communities
program, which allows law enforcement agencies to run the fingerprints
of those arrested against immigration databases, because of “its impact
on families, immigrant communities and law enforcement in New York.” The
Obama Administration takes no action. June 17, 2011: Morton Amnesty Memos #2 and #3 ICE Director Morton issues a second memo
further directing ICE agents not to enforce the law against certain
segments of the illegal immigrant population, including those who would
qualify for the DREAM Act, despite having no legal authority to do so
and despite the fact that Congress had explicitly rejected the
legislation three times. On the same day, Morton also issues a third memo
instructing ICE personnel to refrain from enforcing the law against
individuals engaging in “protected activity” related to civil or other
rights (for example, union organizing or complaining to authorities
about employment discrimination or housing conditions). June 23, 2011: ICE Union Outraged Over Morton Amnesty Memos The ICE union issues a press release
expressing outrage over Director Morton’s actions, stating: “Unable to
pass its immigration agenda through legislation, the Administration is
now implementing it through agency policy.” The release further states
that ICE leadership and the Administration “have excluded our union and
our agents from the entire process of developing policies, it was all
kept secret from us, we found out from the newspapers. ICE [leadership]
worked hand-in-hand with immigrants rights groups, but excluded its own
officers.” Describing ICE policy as a “law enforcement nightmare,” union
president Chris Crane states “the result is a means for every person
here illegally to avoid arrest or detention, as officers we will never
know who we can or cannot arrest.” The release concludes: “we are
asking everyone to please email or call your Congressman and Senators
immediately and ask them to help stop what’s happening at ICE, we
desperately need your help.” June 27, 2011: DHS Cover-Up of Backdoor Amnesty Policy Revealed The Houston Chronicle
reports that internal ICE emails and memos show that DHS “officials
misled the public and Congress in an effort to downplay a wave of
immigration case dismissals in Houston and other cities that they had
created a ‘back-door amnesty.’” These internal emails and memos revealed
that this backdoor amnesty was instituted and encouraged at the
direction of top ICE officials, including Riah Ramlogan, a high-ranking
attorney at ICE subsequently named in a lawsuit by an award-winning ICE
attorney in November 2014. In one instance, DHS Assistant Secretary for
Legislative Affairs Nelson Peacock wrote a letter to several members of
the Senate Judiciary Committee denying the existence of a directive
“instructing ICE attorneys to seek the dismissals of immigration
proceedings involving certain classes of criminal aliens”—a directive
which not only existed, but had been praised by senior ICE officials. August 1, 2011: Obama Administration Sues Alabama over Immigration Enforcement Law The Obama Administration files
a lawsuit to block implementation of Alabama’s immigration enforcement
law, which authorizes state law enforcement to act when they reasonably
suspect individuals are violating federal immigration laws. August 18, 2011: Obama Administration Begins Review of Deportation Cases forPurposes of Granting Executive Amnesty In a letter
to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Secretary Napolitano announces
that the Obama Administration had begun a review of all pending and
incoming deportation cases and will stop proceedings against those
illegal immigrants who do not meet administration “priorities.” September 2, 2011: Treasury Inspector General Reports Government Paying Billions in Tax Credits to Illegal Immigrants A report
by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)
reveals that the IRS paid out a staggering $4.2 billion in refundable
tax credits to illegal immigrants via the Additional Child Tax Credit
(ACTC) in 2010. The inspector general states: “Millions of people are
seeking this tax credit who, we believe, are not entitled to it. We have
made recommendations to the IRS as to how they could address this, and
they have not taken sufficient action in our view to solve this
problem.” The report further states that “the payment of Federal funds
through this tax benefit appears to provide an additional incentive for
aliens to enter, reside, and work in the United States without
authorization, which contradicts Federal law and policy to remove such
incentives.” September 7, 2011: Cook County (Chicago), Illinois Board of Commissioners Votes to Ignore Federal Immigration Law The Cook County Board of Commissioners passes an ordinance
directing local law enforcement to refuse ICE detainer requests and
access to individuals or County facilities. While ICE Director Morton
acknowledges that the ordinance poses a serious threat to public safety
and likely violates federal law, the Administration’s only action is to
offer to pay Cook County to honor the detainers and to set up a “working
group,” both of which the Board rejects.
ICE’s Executive Associate Director of Enforcement and Removal
Operations says the policy presents a major problem for enforcement
efforts and is an “accident waiting to happen.” In June 2011, Saul Chavez, who had a prior DUI conviction, was
driving with a blood-alcohol content of nearly four times the legal
limit when he hits and kills 66-year-old William “Dennis” McCann. While
attempting to escape, Chavez drove his car over McCann’s body, dragging
him 200 yards before a witness stopped his vehicle. Chavez was charged
with two felonies, and ICE issued a detainer asking Cook County to hold
him until he could be taken into federal custody. But, pursuant to Cook
County’s new anti-detainer law, he was released when he posted 10
percent of his $250,000 bail. He has since disappeared and is believed
to have fled the country. September 28, 2011: President Obama Admits Deportation Statistics are “Deceptive” At a roundtable
with amnesty advocates, President Obama admits that his deportation
statistics are misleading: “The statistics are actually a little
deceptive because what we’ve been doing is . . . apprehending folks at
the borders and sending them back. That is counted as a deportation,
even though they may have only been held for a day or 48 hours.” October 18, 2011: Obama Administration Ignores Santa Clara County’s Defiance of Federal Immigration Law The Obama Administration refuses to take action when the Santa Clara County, California, Board of Supervisors votes
to stop using county funds to honor ICE detainers, except in limited
circumstances. Santa Clara County’s failure to cooperate with Secure
Communities continues to this day. In August 2013, illegal immigrant Mario Chavez was arrested after
threatening his 6-year-old son with a knife. His wife obtained a
protective order but Chavez made bail and was released from jail instead
of being held for further investigation by ICE. A month later, Chavez
went to his family’s new home where he then stabbed his wife to death.
According to San Jose Mercury News,
ICE officials “contend they could have kept Chavez off the streets,”
but the county’s policy limits access that ICE has to inmates. The
official reportedly said, “We’re not asking them to do our job. We’re
asking them to let us do our job.” October 18, 2011: ICE Continues to Pad Deportation Statistics ICE announces
its year-end deportation statistics, which it described as “the largest
number in the agency’s history.” However, according to the 2010 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics,
published by DHS’s Office of Immigration Statistics, ICE is detaining
far fewer illegal immigrants than ever before, locating fewer than half
the number of deportable aliens in 2010 than it did in 2006. October 19, 2011: Obama Administration Ignores Washington, D.C.’s Defiance of Federal Immigration Law The Obama Administration refuses to act when District of Columbia Mayor Vincent C. Gray issues an order
to prevent local law enforcement from enforcing federal immigration
laws. In June 2012, the D.C. Council unanimously votes to further
restrict cooperation with ICE, requiring that suspected illegal
immigrants can be detained only if they have prior convictions for
violent crimes, among other things. According to the Washington Post,
a spokeswoman for ICE states that “ICE has not sought to compel
compliance through legal proceedings. Jurisdictions that ignore
detainers bear the risk of possible public safety risks.” October 28, 2011: Obama Administration Stops Routine Border Searches According to the Associated Press,
Border Patrol field offices nationwide receive orders from DHS
headquarters to stop regular inspections at transportation hubs—both at
the border and in the interior of the country—such as random stops and
investigations of suspicious behavior, and instead act only based on
actual intelligence indicating a threat. The article notes that “halting
the practice has baffled agents” who said it was “an effective way to
catch unlawful immigrants, including smugglers and possible terrorists.”
The National Border Patrol Council, the union representing Border
Patrol agents, responds
to the changes: “Stated plainly, Border Patrol mangers are increasing
the layers of bureaucracy and making it as difficult as possible for
Border Patrol agents to conduct their core duties. The only risks being
managed by this move are too many apprehensions, negative media
attention and complaints generated by immigrant rights groups.” October 31, 2011: Obama Administration Sues South Carolina over Immigration Enforcement Law The Justice Department files suit against South Carolina, challenging the state’s immigration enforcement law. November 7, 2011: USCIS Stops Issuing “Notices to Appear” in Immigration Court for “Non-Priority” Deportation Cases Following ICE’s lead, USCIS Director Mayorkas issues a new Policy Memorandum
stating that USCIS will no longer issue place illegal immigrants into
removal proceedings by issuing “Notices to Appear” in immigration court
for illegal immigrants who do not meet the Administration’s deportation
“priorities.” November 17, 2011: ICE Announces Review of Entire Immigration Court Docket to Close More Deportation Cases Although it had previously denied the existence of a program
involving the dismissal and closure of cases in its Houston office, the
ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) issues a new policy memorandum
instructing all agency attorneys to “begin a review of incoming cases
and cases pending in immigration court” and identify the cases eligible
for “prosecutorial discretion in the form of administrative closure,”
i.e., executive amnesty. November 22, 2011: Obama Administration Sues Utah over Immigration Enforcement Law The Obama Administration files
a lawsuit to block provisions of Utah’s immigration enforcement law.
This is the fourth lawsuit by the Administration against a state that
enacted such a law. November 22, 2011: Obama Administration Ignores New York City’s Defiance of Federal Immigration Law New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signs a measure
directing city jails to ignore certain requests by ICE to maintain
custody of illegal immigrants, so as to give ICE the opportunity to
assume custody. To date, the Obama Administration has taken no action
against New York City to compel compliance. December 11, 2011: Reports Surface that President Obama to Reduce National Guard Presence on Border According to severalreports,
the Obama Administration plans to reduce the 1,200 National Guard
troops stationed along the southwestern border. From 2006 to 2008, under
the Bush Administration, thousands of troops worked along the border as
part of “Operation Jumpstart” to free up Border Patrol to focus on
border security. On April 17, 2012, the Obama Administration implements
its plan and reduces the number of National Guard to 300; there are currently about 130 stationed on the border. December 15, 2011: DHS Rescinds Maricopa County, Arizona’s 287(g) Agreement DHS rescinds
Maricopa County, Arizona’s 287(g) agreement—a cooperative agreement
whereby local law enforcement receive training in identifying and
apprehending illegal aliens. Director Morton told the Maricopa County
Attorney that ICE will no longer respond to calls from the Maricopa
County Sheriff’s Office involving traffic stops, civil infractions, or
“other minor offenses,” even though federal law requires the federal
government to respond to inquiries by law enforcement agencies to verify
immigration status. December 29, 2011: ICE Creates 24-Hour Hotline for Illegal Immigrant Detainees ICE announces
a new 24-hour hotline for illegal immigrant detainees to ensure they
“are made aware of their rights.” The hotline is to be staffed by the
Law Enforcement Support Center, which ICE previously claimed was too
understaffed to respond to local law enforcement trying to verify
immigration status. ICE also revises its detainer form to include a new
provision that says ICE should “consider this request for a detainer
operative only upon the subject’s conviction”—a change in policy that
explicitly ignores that illegal presence in the United States is a
violation of federal law. January 5, 2012: DHS Stops Secure Communities in Alabama in Retaliation for State Immigration Enforcement Law In an email
from DHS to congressional offices, DHS reveals that it had stopped the
roll-out of Secure Communities in Alabama because the Obama
Administration disagreed with the state’s immigration enforcement law:
“Although the federal courts have enjoined several parts of H.B. 56,
certain provisions were not enjoined and are currently in effect . . .
While these provisions of Alabama’s state immigration enforcement law,
which conflict with ICE’s immigration enforcement policies and programs,
remain the subject of litigation, ICE does not believe it is
appropriate to expand deployment of Secure Communities . . . in
Alabama.” January 6, 2012: USCIS Announces Proposal to Permit Entire Segments of Illegal Immigrant Population to Remain in U.S. USCIS announces
a proposed rule to allow illegal immigrant relatives of U.S. citizens
to apply for waivers to remain in U.S., thereby avoiding the provisions
in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that require them to return
to their home countries and apply for a waiver to return to the United
States. On January 3, 2013, USCIS issues the final rule.
During a stakeholder call, USCIS Director Mayorkas emphasizes that
USCIS will also consider expanding the waiver to illegal immigrant
relatives of green card holders and clarifies that even illegal
immigrants in deportation proceedings who had their case
administratively closed are eligible for these waivers. On January 24,
2014, USCIS issues field guidance
for the program, instructing USCIS officers that an applicant with a
criminal history is still eligible for a waiver as long as the offense
qualifies as a “petty offense” or “youthful offender” exception under
the INA, and is not a crime involving moral turpitude. January 9, 2012: DHS Inspector General Reveals Rubberstamping of Immigration Applications A report
by the DHS Inspector General reveals that USCIS officials pressure
employees to approve applications that should have been denied, and that
employees believe they do not have enough time to complete interviews
of applicants, “leav[ing] ample opportunities for critical information
to be overlooked. One [adjudicator] said that an [adjudicator] is likely
to ‘grant and just move on,’ rather than use information to make a
better determination in certain cases.” Ninety percent of those surveyed
felt they did not have enough time to complete interviews of
applicants. January 16, 2012: ICE Prosecutors Suspend Deportation Proceedings Due to the immigration court docket review ordered by the OPLA in November 2011, proceedings in immigrationcourts
in Denver and Baltimore are stopped for six weeks. On January 19, 2012,
ICE prosecutors recommend the voluntary closure of 1,667 deportation
cases. On March 30, 2012, the Administration announces
the expansion of the program to Detroit, Seattle, New Orleans, and
Orlando, suspending the immigration court dockets in four large cities. January 19, 2012:President Obama Uses Executive Order to Eliminate Statutory Requirement for Visa Interviews for Certain Countries President Obama issues an Executive Order
attempting to nullify a longstanding statutory requirement that those
applying for a nonimmigrant visa (in a foreign country) submit to an
in-person interview with a consular officer. The President’s Executive
Order waives these requirements for travelers from China and Brazil,
increasing the potential for visa overstays and risking national
security and law enforcement threats. February 7, 2012: ICE Creates “Public Advocate” for Illegal Immigrants ICE announces
the creation of the ICE Public Advocate, who is to serve as a point of
contact for aliens in removal proceedings, community and advocacy
groups, and others who have questions, recommendations, or other issues
they would like to raise about the Administration’s enforcement and
executive amnesty efforts. February 13, 2012: President Obama’s Budget Slashes 287(g) Program The President’s FY2013 budget proposes a massive cut in funding for ICE and the 287(g) program, effectively gutting it. April 25, 2012: ICE Voluntarily Dismisses Over 16,500 Deportation Cases ICE announces
that it will voluntarily close over 16,500 deportation cases in
connection with the Obama Administration’s larger review of 300,000
cases. The Administration also announces that the number of illegal
immigrants whose deportation cases it has already dismissed is up to
2,700 from just over 1,500 the previous month. April 25, 2012: DHS Announces Another Delay of Biometric Exit System In March 2012, DHS Principal Deputy Coordinator of Counterterrorism John Cohen had testified
before the House Committee on Homeland Security that DHS’s plan to
implement the statutorily-required biometric exit system will be
completed in the next 30 days. However, on April 25, 2012, Secretary
Napolitano testifies
before the Senate Judiciary Committee that DHS will be able to deploy
such a system “within four years” and then only if DHS determines that
it is cost-effective. Dating back to 1996, Congress has mandated six
times that this system be implemented and the 9/11 Commission
recommended that DHS complete this system “as quickly as possible.” April 27, 2012: Obama Administration Undermines the Successful Secure Communities Program ICE announces
that it will no longer ask local jails to detain illegal immigrants
stopped for “minor traffic offenses,” weakening the effective Secure
Communities program. Instead, ICE will consider detaining an alien only
if the alien is ultimately convicted of an offense. Also, despite claims
of limited resources, ICE announces it plans to take action against
jurisdictions with arrest rates the agency deems too high. June 5, 2012: ICE Deportation Dismissals Up to 20,000 ICE releases its latest statistics in its review of pending deportation cases. Of the 288,000 reviewed, 20,648 will be dismissed. ICE prosecutors in California also begin reviewing more than 18,000 pending deportation cases. June 12, 2012: Obama Administration Sues Florida for its Effort to Remove Ineligible Voters The Obama Administration files
a lawsuit to prevent the State of Florida from removing ineligible
voters, including illegal immigrants, from its voter registration rolls.
On June 28, 2012, a federal court denies
the Administration’s request, largely because Florida had abandoned its
efforts, but also holds that a State is not prohibited from removing
the names of noncitizens from its voter rolls, even within the 90-day
“quiet” period before a federal election. June 15, 2012: President Obama Bypasses Congress and Unilaterally Implements His Version of Failed DREAM Act PresidentObama unilaterally
implements provisions of the DREAM Act, circumventing Congress under
the guise of “prosecutorial discretion.” By executive fiat, the
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or “DACA” program grants amnesty
and work authorizations to illegal immigrants under the age of 30 who
claim they arrived in the country before the age of 16. ICE officers
later report that this amnesty is being granted to adult illegal aliens
who have been arrested for criminal offenses. In an interview
the same day, Secretary Napolitano admits that DHS “internally set it
up so that the parents are not referred for immigration enforcement if
the young person comes in for deferred action,” thereby further
expanding the scope of the non-enforcement directive. June 25, 2012: Obama Administration Rescinds Arizona’s 287(g)
Agreements in Retaliation for Supreme Court Upholding State Immigration
Enforcement Law Immediately following the Supreme Court’s decision
upholding most of Arizona’s immigration enforcement law—which required
law enforcement officers to take reasonable steps to verify the
immigration status of those lawfully stopped or detained where there is
reasonable suspicion to believe they are in the country illegally—the
Administration rescinds all of its 287(g) agreements in Arizona. July 6, 2012: Obama Administration Announces Closure of Nine Border Patrol Stations The Obama Administration announces
the closure of nine Border Patrol stations throughout the
country—Lubbock, Amarillo, Dallas, San Antonio, Abilene, and San Angelo,
Texas; Billings, Montana; Twin Falls, Idaho; and Riverside, California.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman claims it is being done
to more effectively use personnel. August 6, 2012: Obama Administration Admits It Does Not
Enforce Law Designed to Prevent Aliens from Relying on Public Welfare
System The Ranking Members of the Senate Budget, Judiciary, Finance, and Agriculture Committees request
information from DHS and the State Department about visa denials after
learning that only two of roughly 80 means-tested welfare programs were
officially considered when evaluating whether an applicant for admission
to the U.S. was likely to become a “public charge,” i.e., dependent on
government assistance. Under Section 212 of the INA, an alien who is likely to become a public charge is inadmissible. On February 8, 2013, DHS finally responds
that, in 2012, not a single immigrant was identified by the federal
government as being a public charge, and that from FY2005 to FY2011,
just 9,700 applicants for admission through the Visa Waiver Program out
of more than 116 million were denied on public charge grounds. On March
1, 2013, the State Department finally responds with data
showing that, in 2011, only 0.0033 percent of net applications for
admission to the U.S. were denied on “public charge” grounds. September 12, 2012: Obama Administration Admits Aggressive Campaign to Recruit Immigrants to Sign-Up for U.S. Welfare Programs In response to a request from the Ranking Member of the Senate
Budget Committee, then-U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary
Tom Vilsack admits
that USDA personnel have conducted more than 30 meetings with the
Mexican government to encourage non-citizen enrollment in food stamps
and 14 other USDA-administered welfare programs. It is later revealed
that a pamphlet
distributed at Mexican consulates in the U.S. assures non-citizens that
food stamp enrollment will not affect their path to citizenship, and
that the USDA produced and broadcasted
a soap opera-like “radio novela,” the premise of which included
pressuring an individual to enroll in food stamps even though she
insisted she could subsist without the benefits. October 4, 2012: Obama Administration Ignores Los Angeles County’s Defiance of Federal Immigration Laws The Obama Administration fails to take any action after Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck announces that the LAPD will ignore requests by ICE to detain illegal immigrants arrested for “low-level” offenses. December 21, 2012: Morton Amnesty Memo #4 On the Friday before the Christmas holiday, ICE Director Morton issues a fourth memo
with guidance on implementing executive amnesty, stating that ICE
agents can no longer detain illegal immigrants if their only violation
of the law is being in the country illegally. ICE agents now may detain
only those who have committed a crime independent of their illegal
presence, administratively suspending core elements of the INA. January 22, 2013: Obama Administration Files Brief in Support
of Challenge to Arizona Law Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote The Obama Administration files
a brief in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.,
challenging Arizona’s law that requires individuals to provide evidence
of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. On
June 17, 2013, the Supreme Court holds
that although federal law preempts the Arizona law, Arizona can still
request that the Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) include
state-specific instructions on the federal form and a state may
challenge a rejection of that request. Writing for the majority, Justice
Scalia notes: “Arizona would have the opportunity to establish in a
reviewing court that a mere oath will not suffice to effectuate its
citizenship requirement and that the EAC is therefore under a
nondiscretionary duty to include Arizona’s concrete-evidence requirement
on the Federal form.” February 14, 2013: Obama Administration Announces It Has Approved Nearly 200,000 DACA Applications USCIS releases
its latest DACA statistics showing that the Administration has granted
deferred action to 199,460 illegal immigrants under the program. February 26, 2013: DHS Admits It Has No Metrics for Determining Whether Border Is Secure GAO releases a report
stating that DHS has no official metrics by which to determine whether
the border is secure and has no plans to adopt any until late 2013.
Since 2004, DHS had used “operational control” as a way to measure
border security, and, in 2006, Congress mandated
that DHS maintain operational control of the “entire international land
and maritime borders of the United States.” After DHS reported in 2010
that it had operational control over only 13 percent of the 8,607 mile
northern, southwestern, and coastal border, and only 44 percent
operational control of the southwestern border specifically, the Obama
Administration abandoned the metric.On March 21, 2013, the New York Times
reports that Administration officials admitted that “they had resisted
producing a single measure to assess the border because the president
did not want any hurdles placed on the pathway to eventual citizenship
for immigrants in the country illegally.” February 2013:Obama Administration Uses Sequester as
Excuse to Release More Than 2,000 Illegal Immigrants—Including Illegal
immigrants with Criminal Records—from ICE Custody After reports surface that ICE had been releasing illegal immigrants in ICE custody due to the sequester, ICE Director Morton testifies
before the House Judiciary Committee that ICE had, in fact, released
2,228 illegal immigrant detainees, at least 629 of whom had criminal
records, contradicting earlier statements by DHS officials. Morton also
admits that ICE had rearrested and brought back four of the most
dangerous released detainees. According to the Associated Press,
more than 2,000 had been released before the sequester even took effect
and the Administration planned to release 3,000 more. In October 2014,
USA Today
obtains internal ICE records contradicting the Administration’s
assurances to Congress – including by White House spokesman Jay Carney –
that those released had only minor criminal records. Morton had
testified that none were charged or convicted with murder, rape or
sexual abuse of a minor. However, according to the internal ICE
documents, those freed had been charged with aggravated kidnapping,
sexual assault (including of minors), drug trafficking, homicide,
assaulting police officers, and weapons charges. April 10, 2013: Border Patrol Chief Testifies Apprehensions Have Increased Chief of the Border Patrol Michael Fisher testifies
before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
that there has been an increase in “attempted entries,” in part due to
Congress’ consideration of amnesty. April 23, 2013: Federal Court Holds DHS Does Not Have Discretion to Stop Deportations In Crane v. Napolitano, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas holds
that “DHS does not have discretion to refuse to initiate removal
proceedings [where the law requires it to do so].” The court also
affirms that Congress, and not the President, has the plenary power to
set immigration law and that the Obama administration’s non-enforcement
policies violate federal law. The lawsuit originated when several ICE
agents sued Secretary Napolitano, Director Morton, and Director
Mayorkas, arguing that the Administration’s policies cause them to
violate their oath of office to enforce the law. April 24, 2013: Attorney General Eric Holder Declares Amnesty Is a “Civil Right” In a speech before the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Attorney General Eric Holder declares
that amnesty is a “civil right”: “Creating a pathway to earned
citizenship for the 11 million unauthorized immigrants in this country
is essential . . . This is a matter of civil and human rights.” August 23, 2013: Obama Administration Makes Broad New Category of Illegal Immigrants Eligible for Executive Amnesty ICE announces a new policy
prohibiting its agents from detaining and/or deporting illegal
immigrant parents, legal guardians, and “primary caretakers” of minor
children. The policy memo states that ICE personnel “should ensure that
the agency’s immigration enforcement activities do not unnecessarily
disrupt the parental rights of both alien parents or legal guardians of
minor children.” In response, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob
Goodlatte states
that the new directive “poisons the debate surrounding immigration
reform and shows that the Administration is not serious about fixing our
broken immigration system.” October 5, 2013: Obama Administration Ignores California’s Defiance of Federal Immigration Law California Governor Jerry Brown signs
a law prohibiting state and local law enforcement from detaining
illegal immigrants pursuant to an ICE detainer except in certain narrow
circumstances. The bill is opposed
by the California State Sheriffs Association and the California
District Attorneys Association. To date, the Obama Administration has
taken no action in response. November 15, 2013: Obama Administration Announces More Executive Amnesty USCIS issues a new Policy Memorandum
that employs a dubious interpretation of “parole in place”—a provision
of law intended to allow aliens outside the U.S. to come into the
country on a temporary and case-by-case basis under certain
circumstances for humanitarian reasons at the discretion of the Attorney
General. The Administration announces that it will now use this policy
to grant a path to citizenship to illegal immigrant immediate relatives
of active and veteran members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are already
inside the country. November 30, 2013: Obama Administration Has Approved Over 500,000 DACA Applications According information provided to congressional offices from
USCIS, as of November 30, 2013, USCIS has received a total of 627,763
requests for DACA. Of the total, 509,926, or 81 percent, have been
approved, while only 14,614, or 2 percent have been denied. December 13, 2013: Federal Court Rebukes DHS for Aiding Smugglers in Violating U.S. Laws U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Andrew S. Hanen, issues an order
stating: “This Court is quite concerned with the apparent policy of
the Department of Homeland Security of completing the criminal mission
of individuals who are violating the border security of the United
States.” Judge Hanen details the practice of DHS immigration agents
assisting human traffickers deliver illegal immigrants to their
relatives in the United States—including relatives who are themselves
illegal immigrants. January 24, 2014: New DHS Secretary, Jeh Johnson, Declares Illegal Immigrants Have “Earned the Right” to Become U.S. Citizens In a speech
to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, newly sworn-in DHS Secretary Jeh
Johnson endorses a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and
states: “It is also, frankly, in my judgment, a matter of who we are as
Americans to offer those who want to be citizens, who’ve earned the
right to be citizens . . . to have the opportunity that we all have to
try to become American citizens.” February 5, 2014: Obama Administration Unilaterally Changes Federal Law Prohibiting Admission of Terrorists to U.S. The Departments of Homeland Security and State publish
new regulations to narrow a ban in the INA prohibiting individuals who
had provided “limited” material support to terrorists from entering the
country. The regulations would excuse activities such as: committing or inciting to commit, under circumstances indicating
an intention to cause death or serious bodily injury, a terrorist
activity; preparing or planning a terrorist activity; gathering information on potential targets for terrorist activity; soliciting funds or other things of value for terrorist activity; committing an act that the actor knows, or reasonably should
know, affords material support, including a safe house, transportation,
communications, funds, transfer of funds or other material financial
benefit, false documentation or identification, weapons (including
chemical, biological, or radiological weapons), explosives, or training
for the commission of a terrorist activity. Under the new administration policy, such individuals would be
permitted not only to enter the country, but to apply for any
immigration benefit, including permanent resident status. February 8, 2014: Obama Administration Diverts Resources to DACA Applications, Tripling Wait Times for Legal Immigrants According to a report
in the New York Times citing “administration officials and official
data,” USCIS has diverted personnel and resources to processing DACA
applications, tripling wait times for U.S. citizens petitioning for
green cards for immediate relatives. According to the report, “waits
for approvals for those resident visas stretched to 15 months, and more
than 500,000 applications became stuck in the pipeline, playing havoc
with international moves and children’s schools and keeping families
apart.” February 11, 2014: DHS Inspector General Audit Reveals Decline in Worksite Enforcement According to a report
by the DHS Inspector General, from 2009 to 2012, the Obama
Administration systematically reduced fines levied against employers
found in violation of the INA for employing illegal immigrants. The
report states fines were reduced an average of 40 percent from $52.7
million to $31.2 million, and that of 1,174 final orders, 68 percent
were reduced, 28 percent by more than half. The Inspector General states
that such significant reductions “may diminish the effectiveness of
fines as a deterrent to hiring unauthorized workers.” March 4, 2014: President Obama’s Annual Budget Request Cuts Enforcement Funding President Obama’s FY2015 budget request
proposes reducing overall funding for ICE by 4.5 percent, maintaining
fewer detention beds, increasing alternatives to detention, and
eliminating funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
(SCAAP). His introductory budget message calls on Congress to pass
amnesty. March 12, 2014: DHS Secretary Admits that Obama Administration Manipulates Deportation Statistics Testifying before the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee,
Secretary Johnson admits that more than half of the 368,000
deportations reported by ICE for fiscal year 2013—touted as a record
number of deportations—were actually due to arrests by U.S. Customs and
Border Protection (CBP) and would not have counted toward ICE’s removal totals under previous administrations. March 13, 2014: President Obama Announces Review of DHS Enforcement Practices The President meets with Congressional Hispanic Caucus Leadership
to discuss “their mutual efforts to pass commonsense immigration reform
legislation through the House of Representatives this year.” A White
House readout
of the meeting notes that the President announced to those in
attendance that he has directed Secretary Johnson to “do an inventory of
the Department’s current practices to see how it can conduct
enforcement more humanely within the confines of the law.” March 26, 2014: Analysis of DHS Deportation Data Reveals Far-Reaching Defiance of Immigration Laws According to ICE’s published data
on 2013 removals, 98 percent of all removals met one of the agency’s
“enforcement priorities”: individuals who have been convicted of a
serious criminal offense; those apprehended in the act of crossing the
border; those who have been previously deported; and fugitives from the
law. The first two categories—border apprehensions (which are not
deportations as commonly understood) and convicted criminals—accounted
for 94 percent of the 368,000 removals. Less than 0.2 percent of the
approximately 12 million illegal immigrants and visa overstays who did
not have a serious criminal conviction were placed into removal
proceedings; only .08 percent of the approximately 12 million were
placed into removal proceedings who were neither convicted of a serious
crime nor a repeat immigration violator. While there is no published
tally of the .08 percent, reports from ICE officers indicate that these
individuals likely had other security red flags on their records.
Regardless, over 99 percent of illegal immigrants and visa overstays
without known criminal records did not face removal. March 26, 2014: Obama Administration Releases Illegal Immigrants into Texas to Ease Overcrowded Detention Centers Texas television station KRGV
reports instances of women and minors claiming to have been recently
released from immigration officials with “documents that allow [them] to
travel anywhere in the United States.” The report claims that most
individuals interviewed and released were of Central and South American
origins other than Mexico. March 31, 2014: New Report Reveals ICE Released 68,000 Convicted Criminals in 2013 A report released
by the Center for Immigration Studies based on internal ICE data reveals
that in 2013, ICE charged only 195,000, or 25 percent, out of 722,000
potentially deportable aliens they encountered, and released convicted
criminal aliens 68,000 times. According to the data, more than 870,000
aliens who have been ordered removed remain in the country. April 2, 2014: CBP Commissioner Testifies Administration Policies Contribute to Recent Border Surge On April 2, 2014, CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske testifies
before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security that
Obama Administration polices—“deferred action, the family reunification,
is an issue”—contributed to the recent border surge of unaccompanied
alien minors and adults. May 6, 2014: Obama Administration Unilaterally Expands Guest Worker Admissions DHS announces
the publication of two proposed rules to give employment authorization
to the spouses of certain H-1B workers, providing nearly 100,000
additional guest worker permits immediately and approximately 30,000
each year thereafter, and to loosen restrictions on other high-skill
foreign workers. Meanwhile, the U.S. Census Bureau reported
that majority of U.S. citizens with Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics (STEM) degrees do not work in STEM occupations. May 8, 2014: Obama Administration Revises Education Guidance Requiring “Equal Access” To Public Schools for Illegal Immigrants Circumventing formal rulemaking processes that allow for public
comment, the Departments of Justice and Education send a “Dear
Colleague” letter
to every public school district in the country regarding acceptable
forms of student identification for illegal immigrants. The letter
states that schools should not require commonly accepted forms of
identification, such as “immigration papers,” Social Security numbers, a
parent’s driver’s license, or state-issued identification, to establish
residency in a district because illegal immigrants are less likely to
have such identification and requiring such information could have a
“chilling effect” on enrollment. May 12, 2014: Report Reveals ICE Released 36,007 Criminal Illegal Immigrants in 2013 According to a report
by the Center for Immigration Studies based on internal ICE data, ICE
released 36,007 criminal illegal immigrants into U.S. communities in
2013 alone. These criminals had 88,000 convictions, including 193
homicide convictions, 426 sexual assault convictions, 303 kidnapping
convictions, 9,187 dangerous drug convictions, and 16,070 drunk or
drugged driving convictions. May 28, 2014: Obama Administration Announces Plan to Bypass Congress to Permit DACA Recipients to Enlist in Military According to a report
in the New York Times, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel sent a letter
to a group of Senators stating that he had “taken initial action to
allow for the enlistment” of DACA recipients, creating an expedited
pathway to citizenship in as little as three months. The plan would
permit the individuals to apply under the Military Accessions Vital to
the National Interest (MAVNI) program, which currently allows legal
immigrants with temporary visas to enlist if they have certain skills or
speak certain languages. Shortly thereafter, the President requests
that the plan be delayed until August to give House Republicans a chance
to pass amnesty legislation. May 30, 2014: Memo from Deputy Chief of U.S. Border Patrol Reveals Border Surge Incentivized by Obama Policies A draft internal memorandum
by Deputy Chief of the Border Patrol Ronald Vitiello warns the National
Security Council’s trans-border security directorate that the border
surge is worse than the Administration previously acknowledged and is
“compromising” the government’s ability to combat other border threats.
Vitiello states: “Releasing other than Mexican family units, credible fear claims,
and low-threat aliens on their own recognizance, along with
facilitating family reunification of UAC in lieu of repatriation to
their country of citizenship, serve as incentives for additional
individuals to follow the same path. To stem the flow, adequate
consequences must be delivered for illegal entry into the US and for
facilitating human smuggling, either as a direct member of an illicit
alien smuggling organization or as a private facilitator. These
consequences must be delivered both at the border and within the
interior US, e.g. through expanded ICE Homeland Security Investigations
to target individuals facilitating UAC and family unit travel to the
US.” June 5, 2014: DHS Virtually Eliminates Education Requirements for DACA Renewal Contrary to the publicly announced reasoning behind the DACA policy, guidance published
by USCIS reveals that the agency will not require proof that
individuals applying for DACA renewal graduated from an educational
institution or are even continuing their studies. Also, many applicants
will not have to include any supporting documentation at all. June 20, 2014: Obama Administration Officials Admit Rumors of Amnesty Fueled Border Surge White House Director of Domestic Policy Cecilia Muñoz says that
“misinformation . . . is being deliberately planted by criminal
organizations, by smuggling networks, about what people can expect if
they come to the United States.” This contradicts statements by Muñoz in
early June, when she denied
that rumors of amnesty played a role in the surge: “At least from our
own anecdotal experience, from our federal agencies in talking with
these children as they arrive, they appear to be unaware of the
potential for any benefits. It seems to be quite clear that what’s
driving this is what is happening in their home countries.” July 2, 2014: Border Patrol Union: “It’s Open Season on Border Patrol Agents” In an interview,
National Border Patrol Council Vice President Shawn Moran states that
conditions on the border are more dangerous than ever and that “[i]t
seems that it’s open season on Border Patrol agents.” Moran warns:
“There are still people that are getting away—they are getting around
us—and the cartels are managing this to their own advantage. And so, it
is still a very dangerous place.” Moran states that agents are
frustrated with pay cuts, lack of resources, “lip service” from
Congress, and an official administration policy of “catch and release”
for illegal immigrants that only encourages more illegal immigration:
“You cannot be complicit in getting people further into the United
States by giving them bus tickets, giving them a notice to appear, when
you know good and well that 80 percent-plus do not show up for these
immigration hearings.” July 5, 2014: ICE Data Shows 80 Percent Decline in Deportations of Minors According to a report
in the Los Angeles Times, citing ICE data released pursuant to a
Freedom of Information Act request, deportations of minors fell from
8,143 in 2008 to 1,669 in 2013. July 7, 2014: Internal Government Intelligence Report Shows Administration Policy Behind Border Surge According to a leaked report
from the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), the widespread belief that
illegal immigrants would receive “permisos” upon arriving at the U.S.
border is the driving factor in the decision to come to the U.S. Below
are key excerpts from the report: “In late May, the U.S. Border Patrol interviewed unaccompanied
children (UAC) and migrant families apprehended in the Rio Grande
Valley. Of the 230 total migrants interviewed, 219 cited the primary
reason for migrating to the United States was the perception of U.S.
immigration laws granting free passes, or permisos, to UAC and adult
female OTMs traveling with minors. Migrants indicated that knowledge of
permisos was widespread across Central America due to word of mouth,
local, and international media messaging—prompting many to depart for
the United States within 30 days of becoming aware of these perceived
benefits, according to the same reporting.” “A majority of migrants interviewed also noted that they had
encountered family units, consisting of a mother and child under the age
of 18 during their journey to the United States and that the families
had indicated they planned to surrender to U.S. authorities because they
were informed that they would likely be released.” “EPIC assesses homicide trends and migrant interviews suggest
violence is likely not the principal factor driving the increase in UAC
migration. While CBP data from early fiscal year 2011 indicates a steady
increase in OTM and UAC migration, United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC) statistics—within this same timeframe—show a decline in
per capita homicide rates in these three countries; El Salvador saw the
sharpest decline, followed by Honduras and Guatemala, respectively.” “Migrants cited Univision, Primer Impacto, Al Rojo Vivo and
several Honduran television news outlets for helping shape their
perception of U.S. immigration policy.” “Although EPIC lacks reliable reporting of Central American
newspapers broadcasting the perceived benefits of U.S. immigration
policies, several U.S. media outlets since June 2014 have identified
Central American newspapers that have enticed minors to travel to the
United States. For example, Honduran and El Salvadoran press have
reportedly advertised the DACA policy, accommodations for detained UAC,
and the promise of reunification with family members in the United
States.” “U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also notes that a large
number of migrants interviewed claimed family members in the United
States encouraged their travel because the U.S. government would cease
issuing permisos after June 2014.” “U.S. Border Patrol officials report that the majority of
migrants interviewed in late May indicated that they made arrangements
with smugglers in their respective countries through the assistance of
family members and friends in the United States.” “EPIC assesses that UAC flow to the border will remain elevated
until migrants’ misperceptions about US immigration benefits are
changed.” July 12, 2014: Border Patrol Reassigned to Paperwork, Changing Diapers According
to National Border Patrol Council Vice President Shawn Moran, Border
Patrol agents are routinely reassigned from their duties to changing
diapers and babysitting. In an interview, Agent Hector Garza states
that up 70 percent of agents have been reassigned from patrolling the
border to handling paperwork related to the border surge. Former
National Deputy Chief of Border Patrol Ronald Colburn tells National Review:
“It’s ironic that over the past decade we’ve doubled the staffing
levels of sworn uniformed armed officer personnel, yet we now find them
with their sleeves rolled up repairing vehicles, processing paperwork,
answering phones, changing diapers, mixing formulas, playing badminton
with children—they’re doing anything except patrolling the border. And
[it’s] contrary to their own mission, but it’s out of their hands.” July 14, 2014: Asylum Approvals Increase Tenfold under Obama Administration According to a report
in the Daily Caller, leaked DHS data shows successful asylum claims
almost tripled from 2012 to 2013, up to 30,393—ten times the number of
approvals in 2008. July 16, 2014: White House Cites “Privacy Rights” in Refusing
To Release Location of Illegal Immigrants Relocated During Border Surge
White House Spokesperson Josh Earnest refuses
to answer questions regarding the relocation of illegal immigrants
throughout the U.S., stating that the Administration would “abide by the
privacy rights of particular individuals.” July 19, 2014: Report Reveals Obama Administration Had Advance Warning of Border Surge Contradicting administration claims that “nobody could have predicted the scale” of the border surge, the Washington Post reports that nearly a year earlier, DHS received a 41-page report
(funded and supported by DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate)
“rais[ing] alarms about the federal government’s capacity to manage a
situation that was expected to grow worse.” In addition, Texas Governor
Rick Perry had written to President Obama in May 2012, warning of such a crisis. According to the Post: “A person involved in the planning said that inside the White
House, national security staffers were concerned about the growing
influx of children but that the influential team of domestic policy
advisers was far more focused on the legislative push. ‘Was the White
House told there were huge flows of Central Americans coming? Of course
they were told. A lot of times,’ said the person, who spoke on the
condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. ‘Was there a
general lack of interest and a focus on the legislation? Yes, that’s
where the focus was.’” July 21, 2014: Agents Believe Administration Intentionally
Handcuffing Them in Midst of Border Crisis; Fear Retaliation for
Speaking Out According
to former National Deputy Chief of the Border Patrol Ronald Colburn,
some ICE officials believe “the Obama Administration has intentionally
neglected to give them orders to support efforts to resolve” the border
crisis. Colburn states: “They’re sitting still at their desks—reading newspapers, playing
video games on their government computers—because they’re not being
tasked with work, and they feel like it’s coming all the way down from
the top. These are guys that do want to go out more, but basically
they’re not.” Executive Vice President of the Law Enforcement Officers Advocates Council and retired Border Patrol agent Dave Stoddard says
all law enforcement agents are “terrified” of speaking out for fear of
the consequences. One CBP email obtained by National Review warns that
the punishment for leaking certain information to outside sources could
result in up to 10 years in prison. Earlier in July, a Border Patrol
agent received a cease and desist letter after speaking out about public health risks relating to transporting illegal immigrants. He later receives a formal reprimand. August 11, 2014: Department of Education Releases Fact Sheet about Illegal Aliens Being Entitled to Public Education The Department of Education releases a Fact Sheet
stating that all illegal immigrant minors are entitled to a
publically-funded education. According to the FAQ section, “States and
local educational agencies are obligated to provide all
children—regardless of immigration status—with equal access to public
education at the elementary and secondary level. This includes children
such as unaccompanied children who may be involved in immigration
proceedings.” August 11, 2014: Obama Administration Approves Rule to
Reverse Longstanding Policy Banning Libyan Pilots and Nuclear Scientists
from Training in U.S. OMB approves a final regulation
to lift a ban on permitting Libyan pilots and nuclear scientists to
enter the U.S. to attend flight school, work in aviation maintenance or
flight operations, or study or seek training in nuclear science. The ban
had been put in place in 1983 after numerous terrorist attacks
involving Libyans. Approximately a month later, on September 17, 2014,
Secretary Johnson testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee that he did not intend to lift the ban “at this time.” August 12, 2014: DHS Inspector General Reveals ICE Released
2,211 Illegal Immigrants, Including 600 Criminal Aliens, in Early 2013 According to a DHS Inspector General report,
ICE released 2,211 illegal immigrants in FY13, including 617 criminal
aliens, purportedly in anticipation of budget cuts due to the sequester.
The report states that ICE leadership decided to sharply reduce
detention populations but did not inform the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) of its planned releases: “We were not able to determine
why ICE executive leadership did not wait for OMB to make a decision on
releasing additional funding.” According to the report, ICE leadership
sent some of its field offices a target reduction number higher than
their current detention population; did not provide written guidance on
prioritizing releases or from which facilities to release them; did not
formally notify ICE attorneys of the releases; and did not instruct
field offices to track the releases. ICE leadership also did not provide
Congress with accurate information on the number released for budgetary
reasons. The report states that since the releases, “DHS transferred funding from other DHS components to fund
detention bed space. Despite this transfer, [Enforcement and Removal
Operations] officials said ICE executive leadership instructed them
several times to increase detention populations and then release
detainees. As a result, . . . ICE did not meet the [statutory] 34,000
mandate for FY 2013.” August 16, 2014: Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) Transfers Thousands of Unaccompanied Illegal Immigrant “Minors”
with Gang Ties throughout U.S. Vice President of the National Border Patrol Council Shawn Moran tells Fox News
that MS-13 gang members are crossing the border and using Red Cross
phones at detention facilities to coordinate gang activity. RGV Border
Patrol Agent and Local 3307 Union Representative Albert Spratte tells CNSNews that many of the MS-13 gang members are adults but Border Patrol has to process them as minors if they claim to be under 18. August 20, 2014: Boston Becomes Sanctuary City The Boston City Council unanimously passes
the “Boston Trust Act,” which provides that the City will no longer
hold illegal immigrants for federal authorities unless an arrest warrant
has been issued. ICE spokesman Daniel Modricker refuses to address the
ordinance, instead stating: “When law enforcement agencies remand
criminals to ICE custody rather than releasing them into the community,
it helps contribute to public safety and the safety of law enforcement.
To further this shared goal, ICE anticipates that law enforcement
agencies will comply with detainers.” August 21, 2014: ICE Discloses Information on Location of Illegal Immigrants Convicted of Homicide and Released In response
to a letter from Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck
Grassley, ICE discloses that of the 169 detainees with a
“homicide-related conviction” released from custody in FY2013, 131 had
been ordered deported. However, ICE does not specify how many, if any,
actually have been deported. The letter provides the zip codes
associated with the criminal aliens’ last known addresses. August 22, 2014: After Initial Denials, TSA Admits Illegal Immigrants Permitted to Board Planes without Identification After denying such accounts for over a month, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) admits
that illegal immigrants are being permitted to board planes with no
more than a “Notice to Appear” issued when they arrived in the U.S. TSA
had originally stated: “These reports are false. A Notice to Appear,
issued by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), is not an
acceptable form of ID at the TSA checkpoint.” In a letter
to Rep. Kenny Merchant (R-TX), however, TSA had admitted that if such
an NTA is presented as identification, TSA will allow the passenger to
board if TSA can corroborate the passenger’s identity though “DHS
partner components.” August 25, 2014: Report Reveals Border Surge Will Cost States $761 Million in Education Costs The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) releases a report,
based on federal government data, indicating that more than 37,000
minors who were part of the border surge and have been transferred
throughout the U.S. are eligible to attend public schools. The report
states that 10 states make up the bulk of the cost at nearly $600
million: New York, Texas, Maryland, California, New Jersey, Florida,
Virginia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Georgia. August 26, 2014: Department of Justice Announces Victims of Domestic Violence in Guatemala May Qualify for Asylum in U.S. Under the INA, individuals may seek asylum if they can show
evidence of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political
opinion, or membership in a qualified “particular social group.” On
August 26, 2014, the Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration
Appeals rules
that “‘married women in Guatemala who are unable to leave their
relationship can constitute a cognizable particular social group that
forms the basis of a claim for asylum or withholding of removal.” This
ruling means that anyone who merely claims a history of domestic
violence in a foreign country may be entitled to refuse to seek the
assistance of local law enforcement, leave his or her country, and come
to the United States indefinitely. August 27, 2014: Obama Administration Enters into Settlement with ACLU Allowing Deported Illegal Immigrants to Return to U.S. The Obama Administration enters into a settlement
with the ACLU, which represents 9 Mexicans who claim they were
“tricked” into agreeing to fast-track voluntary return deportation
agreements between 2009 and 2013. Under the settlement, not only will
the 9 individuals be able to return to the U.S. to challenge their
deportations in court, but so too will anyone who deported voluntarily
during that time period, which the ACLU estimates to be in the hundreds of thousands. Some argue
that the agreement sets a legal precedent that could cover roughly 8.8
million illegal immigrants who were successfully deported under the same
policy from 2001 to 2012. The settlement agreement also requires the
U.S. to launch an outreach effort through Mexican media to inform
deportees that they may be eligible to return if they are part of the
settlement class. In addition, federal agents must advise illegal
immigrants of their right to a hearing and provide them with access to
an informational hotline and a list of free legal services providers. August 28, 2014: ICE Officers Ordered to Stay Away From Amnesty Rally in Front of ICE Headquarters When 2,000 amnesty activists are expected at a CASA de Maryland
rally in front of ICE Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Assistant
Director Timothy Moynihan directs ICE personnel not to “engage in verbal
or physical confrontation with participants.” An ICE officer speaking on the condition of anonymity says: “We’re a big joke to these immigrant rights groups and the
illegal immigrants know we’re not allowed to do anything. So basically,
we have to use the back door and let activists, many who are illegal,
stand in front of our building and protest the law. We have to sit there
and watch, we have to suck it up and know that regardless of the law,
groups like CASA can pretty much dictate policy and do whatever they
want.” August 29, 2014: Over Six Months, 37,477 Unaccompanied Alien Minors Released, Only 280 Deported HHS releases a report
listing 126 counties throughout the U.S. where 29,890 unaccompanied
alien minors have been transferred. Only 280 (0.9 percent) have been
deported. August 29, 2014: EEOC Signs Agreement with Mexican Government
to Allow Mexican Nationals, Including Illegal Immigrants, to Exercise
“Workplace Rights” The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enters into a Memorandum of Understanding
with the Mexican government that states that the EEOC will provide
education and training programs to inform Mexican Nationals about their
workplace rights and to inform employers about compliance with
anti-discrimination laws. EEOC General Counsel David Lopez says:
“This redoubles our efforts to ensure that the most vulnerable workers
are protected by the laws – even those who live and work in the
shadows.” September 2, 2014: President Obama Declares Illegal Immigration to Be a “Right” In a Labor Day speech
in Milwaukee, President Obama declares that illegal immigration is a
“right”: “Hope is what gives young people the strength to march for
women’s rights, and workers’ rights, and civil rights, and voting
rights, and gay rights, and immigration rights.” September 2, 2014: Obama Administration Announces 18-Month Extension of Temporary Protected Status for Sudan and South Sudan Secretary Johnson announces
that Sudanese nationals are eligible for Temporary Protected Status
(TPS) for an additional 18 months, effective November 3, 2014, through
May 2, 2016. TPS for Sudan was initially granted on May 3, 2013, and on
September 2, 2014, for South Sudan. The DHS Secretary may declare TPS
for certain foreign countries if “conditions in the country that
temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely, or in
certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return
of its nationals adequately.” TPS is granted to individuals from
specifically designated countries who are already in the U.S.,
regardless of immigration status, meaning those who entered the U.S.
illegally or overstayed their visa are eligible. Although TPS is
generally granted to nationals of a TPS-designated country, individuals
who last resided in the designated country may also qualify.
Individuals who are granted TPS (or found preliminarily eligible after
an initial review) cannot be removed from the U.S., can be granted
travel authorization, and can obtain employment authorization. Once TPS
is granted, DHS cannot detain a person based on his or her immigration
status. September 2, 2014: Report Reveals that DHS Has Lost Track of
More Than 6,000 Foreign Nationals on Student Visas of “Heightened
Concern” ABC News
reports that DHS has lost track of more than 6,000 foreign nationals in
the U.S. on student visas. According to the report, more than one
million foreign students enter the U.S. each year. DHS’s own data show
that 58,000 overstayed their student visas in the past year alone, of
which 6,000 were referred to agents because they were determined to be
of “heightened concern.” Approximately 40 percent of the estimated 11 to
12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. are visa overstays. The
article notes that closing loopholes in the student visa program was a
major recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, “after it was determined
that the hijacker who flew Flight 77 into the Pentagon, Hani Hanjour,
had entered the U.S. on a student visa but never showed up for school.”
The article states 9/11 Commission Chair Tom Kean “was stunned the
federal government continues to lose track of so many foreign nationals
who had entered the country with student visas.” September 2, 2014: Justice Department Sues Employer for Attempting to Ensure a Legal Workforce The Justice Department announces a settlement
with Culinaire International, which was alleged to have engaged in
“citizenship discrimination” during the employment eligibility
reverification process for requiring lawful permanent residents to
produce new Permanent Resident Cards when their prior card expired.
Under the settlement agreement, Culinaire will pay $20,460 in civil
penalties, undergo training on the anti-discrimination provisions of the
INA, establish a $40,000 back pay fund to “compensate potential
economic victims,” revise its employment eligibility reverification
policies, and be subject to federal government monitoring for 20 months. September 3, 2014: Obama Administration Conceals Continued Influx of Border Crossings Despite the President’s claims during an August 28, 2014, press
conference that border apprehensions in August are down from July and
lower than the previous year, CBP recordsreveal
the number of “family units”—adults and children crossing together—fell
only slightly from 5,517 to 5,205. The President was likely referring
only to the number of unaccompanied minors, which fell from 4,322 in
July to 2,037 in August. September 3, 2014: Immigration Court Dates for Illegal Immigrants from Border Surge Years Away Reports surface that immigration judges are setting court dates for recent border crossers as far into the future as 2018. September 9, 2014: Justice Department Rolls Back Operation Streamline In a letter
to Attorney General Eric Holder, Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff
Flake state that the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office has informed them that
the U.S. Attorney for Arizona will no longer prosecute first-time
border crossers under Operation Streamline—“a program seeking to reduce
recidivism by expeditiously prosecuting those entering or reentering
illegally under a ‘zero tolerance’ approach.” The letter notes that due
in part to the program, “Yuma Sector’s border with Mexico has gone from
being one of the busiest and most dangerous in the nation to one of the
most secure.” To date, Holder has not responded. September 11, 2014: Report Reveals that U.S. Border Patrol Cannot Track Thousands of Released Illegal Immigrants According to statement issued to Texas television station KRGV,
government officials have no mechanism to keep track of illegal
immigrants who fail to report to ICE after being released by the U.S.
Border Patrol. September 12, 2014: Associated Press Reports Deportations Lowest Since 2007 According to an analysis
of DHS data by the Associated Press, the Obama Administration is on
pace to remove the fewest number of illegal immigrants since 2007. The
report also notes that “as of early September, only 319 of the more than
59,000 immigrants who were caught traveling with their families have
been returned to Central America.” September 12, 2014: Despite Law Prohibiting Taxpayer-Funded
Lawyers for Illegal Immigrants, Department of Justice Announces Millions
in Legal Aid Grants for Unaccompanied Minors The Department of Justice and the Corporation for National and Community Service announce
$1.8 million in taxpayer-funded grants to “legal aid organizations to
enroll approximately 100 lawyers and paralegals to represent children in
immigration proceedings.” However, under the INA, illegal immigrants are not entitled to taxpayer-funded representation in immigration proceedings. September 17, 2014: DHS Secretary Admits Amnesty Background Checks Would Miss Terrorists, Criminals Testifying before the
House Homeland Security Committee, Secretary Johnson admits that
terrorists and criminals in the country illegally would not voluntarily
undergo background checks. September 18, 2014: USCIS Union President Says Administration’s Lax Policies Easily Exploited by Terrorists In a statement,
U.S. National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council President
Ken Palinkas warns that terrorists can “exploit our loose and lax visa
policies to gain entry to the United States.” Palinkas goes on to state:
“Our caseworkers cannot even do in-person interviews for people
seeking citizenship, they cannot enforce restrictions on welfare use,
and they even lack the basic office space to properly function.
Applications for entry are rubber-stamped, the result of grading agents
by speed rather than discretion. We’ve become the visa clearinghouse for
the world.” September 19, 2014: Internal CBP Document Reveals that 474
Illegal Immigrants from Terrorism-Linked Countries Apprehended in 2014 An internal document
from the CBP Office of Intelligence and Investigative Liaison reveals
that 474 illegal immigrants from terrorism-linked countries were
apprehended in 2014 alone. Since FY2009, almost 3,000 such individuals
have been apprehended by Border Patrol attempting to enter the U.S. September 30, 2014: DHS Inspector General Report Reveals Visa Security Program in Shambles The DHS Inspector General releases a report
stating that not only has DHS failed to fully implement the Visa
Security Program (currently in less than 10 percent of all consular
offices), but it is also unclear whether the program is effective,
because the program is so poorly run. The program is supposed to stop
terrorists and other bad actors from obtaining visas. September 30, 2014: Obama Administration Circumvents Congress and Creates New Central American In-Country Refugee Program The State Department announces
that parents who are “lawfully present” in the U.S. who have children
living in El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras may request their child’s
admission into the U.S. as a refugee—despite a lack of explanation as to
how those children may constitute “refugees” as defined in the INA.
Even when a child is not eligible for entry under the refugee program,
they can still be considered for entry under a case-by-case parole
program. Section 101 of the INA defines a refugee as a person “who has a
well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion,
nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political
opinion.” Courts have held that persecution requires government action,
and that general violence or poverty does not meet the requirements for
refugee or asylee status. Parole, commonly referred to as “humanitarian
parole,” is authorized by Section 212 of the INA. The statute grants the
Executive Branch discretion to “parole into the United
States temporarily under such conditions as [it] may prescribe only on
a case-by-case basisfor urgent humanitarian reasons or
significant public benefit.” While the administration acknowledges in
its release that parole, by definition, is temporary in nature, it says
aliens granted parole from Central America would be allowed into the
U.S. in two-year increments and allowed to renew their parole,
apparently indefinitely. It is later revealed
that those granted deferred action, deferred enforced departure, and
withhold of removal, will be eligible to participate. In effect, the
program will allow
“illegals in the United States to bring their children, their adult
children, their grandchildren, and even step-parents into the United
States.” September 30, 2014: Obama Administration Announces Plans to Accept Large Numbers of Syrian Refugees According to statements
delivered by the Assistant Secretary of State at a United Nations
meeting in Geneva, the Obama administration expects the number of
refugees entering the United States from Syria “to surge in 2015 and
beyond.” The United States currently accepts 70,000 “displaced persons” a
year, more than all the other countries in the world combined. October 1, 2014: Despite Law Prohibiting Taxpayer-Funded Lawyers for Illegal Immigrants, HHS Announces Millions in Legal Aid for Illegal Immigrants The Department of Health and Human Services announces
that it will give $9.2 million to the Conference of Catholic Bishops
and the Committee for Refugees and Immigrants to provide legal
assistance to undocumented minors in deportation proceedings. Under
federal law, illegal aliens are not entitled to government-funded
representation in immigration proceedings. October 4, 2014: Obama Administration Continues to Ignore Growing Sanctuary Jurisdiction Problem According to the Los Angeles Times,
more than 225 local law enforcement agencies across the country have
policies to completely ignore ICE detainer requests. Another 25 local
law enforcement agencies limit the number of detainer requests they will
honor. In a statement to the Times, an ICE spokeswoman simply says
that ICE will continue to work with local agencies “to enforce its
priorities through the identification and removal of convicted criminals
and other public safety threats.” According to an October 17, 2014, Fox News report,
in the last nine months, 275 counties in 42 states have refused to
honor ICE detainers. “In doing so, those jurisdictions have released
some 9,000 [illegal immigrants] with criminal records who otherwise
would have been removed from the U.S.” October 6, 2014: Obama Administration Solicits Bids for Contractors to Produce Millions of ID Cards Ahead of Executive Amnesty USCIS posts a draft solicitation
for bids for vendors capable of producing a “surge” of 9 million
identification cards in one year and “to support possible future
immigration reform initiative requirements.” The solicitation states
that USCIS will need a minimum of 4 million cards per year and estimates
the maximum for the entire contract to be 34 million cards. October 7, 2014: Report Reveals that Mexican Government Pays for Illegal Immigrants’ DACA Application Fees A report from NPR
reveals that Mexican consulates in the U.S. have been providing
financial assistance for Mexican nationals to apply for DACA, including
paying for all or part of the application costs and legal fees for
lawyers. When asked why the Mexican government is spending money to help
its citizens remain in the U.S., a spokesperson said the government’s
“main objective is the well-being of our nationals wherever they are.” October 9, 2014: DHS Secretary Announces Increase in Border Apprehensions for Third Straight Year Appearing before the Center for Strategic and International Studies, DHS Secretary Johnson announces
that illegal immigration across the southern border has increased for
the third straight year, reaching 479,377 apprehensions in FY2014.
Although largely ignored by the media, Johnson admits that the influx of unaccompanied minors (68,541) was matched by an equally large influx of “family units” (68,445):
“A lot of the spike that we saw this summer were not just unaccompanied
kids. Unaccompanied kids got the most attention. But a lot of it,
perhaps on the same numbers, if not larger, were what we call family
units—parents with kids.” October 10, 2014: Federal Employee Survey Shows DHS Morale Continues to Sink The 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey
reveals morale among DHS personnel continues to decline, and is among
the lowest levels in the entire federal government, with only 41.6
percent of survey participants indicating they are satisfied with their
employer. When DHS employees were asked on their views of their
employers, only 24.9 percent had a positive response, with many also
noting that leadership did not maintain high standards of honesty and
integrity. October 13, 2014: Reports Reveal that Obama Administration is
Abusing Advance Parole to Allow DACA Recipients to Leave U.S. and
Return without Consequences Mandated by Law A local Arizona radio station reports,
and it is later confirmed, that around 40 illegal aliens benefitting
from the DREAM Act were issued “advanced-parole documents” that allowed
them to visit Mexico and then immediately reenter the United States. October 15, 2014: Report Reveals Further Collapse of Immigration Enforcement A new report
from the Center for Immigration Studies analyzing ICE records shows
that immigration enforcement has continued to decline significantly in
2014. The report notes: Total deportations credited to ICE, the majority of which were
arrests by Border Patrol and CBP officers at ports of entry, declined 15
percent from 2013 to 2014. Deportations from the interior dropped 34 percent from 2013 and are 58 percent lower than the peak in 2009. The number of criminal aliens deported from the interior also
declined 23 percent since 2013 and declined by 39 percent since the peak
in 2011. Catch-and-release policies continue: in 2014 deportation
processing was initiated for only about 143,000 illegal immigrants out
of the 585,000 encountered by agents. Tens of thousands of those let go
by ICE had been labeled a criminal threat. The number receiving a final order of removal but still in the
U.S. has risen to nearly 900,000; nearly 160,000 are convicted criminals
who were released by ICE and are currently at large. October 16, 2014: Obama Administration Extends Temporary Protected Status for Honduras and Nicaragua Secretary Johnson extends the Temporary Protected Status of Honduran and Nicaraguan
nationals to July 5, 2016. TPS for Honduras was initially granted on
January 5, 1999, and for Nicaragua on March 9, 2001. The DHS Secretary
may declare TPS for certain foreign countries if “conditions in the
country that temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning
safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to
handle the return of its nationals adequately.” TPS is granted to
individuals from specifically designated countries who are already in
the U.S., regardless of immigration status, meaning those who entered
the U.S. illegally or overstayed their visa are eligible. Although TPS
is generally granted to nationals of a TPS-designated country,
individuals who last resided in the designated country may also qualify.
Individuals who are granted TPS (or found preliminarily eligible after
an initial review) cannot be removed from the U.S., can be granted
travel authorization, and can obtain employment authorization. Once TPS
is granted, DHS cannot detain a person based on his or her immigration
status. October 17, 2014: President Obama Circumvents Congress and
Creates New Program to Allow 109,000 Haitians to Enter U.S. Without
Visas USCIS announces
a new Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program, which will waive
visa waiting periods for family-based immigration visa applications.
This program will permit an estimated 109,000 Haitians to enter and work
in the U.S. up to two years earlier than they otherwise would have
under current law, even though visas are not currently available. Under
current law, visa applicants must wait in their home country until a
visa becomes available. The President claims he has the power to do this
under parole authority; however, as indicated elsewhere, parole was
intended to be used for humanitarian purposes and on a case-by-case
basis. October 21, 2014: USCIS Director Predicts Another Border Surge Speaking at Georgetown University Law Center, USCIS Director Leon Rodriguez states
that the administration is working to “prepare for another potential
surge” at the border: “In order to process individuals more efficiently
at the border, the unaccompanied children presenting claims, we have
had to redeploy, we’re also hiring more asylum officers. We have a lot
of work to catch up.” October 22, 2014: DACA Recipients on North Carolina Voter Rolls After the Division of Motor Vehicles runs a search for
individuals with DACA driver’s licenses, the North Carolina State Board
of Elections discovers that 145 DACA recipients are listed on state voter rolls. October 22, 2014: Justice Department Expands Legal Orientation Program to Assist Illegal Immigrants The Justice Department announces
that beginning November 1, 2014, the Executive Office for Immigration
Review (EOIR) will provide assistance to illegal immigrants detained at
the Karnes Family Resident Center in Texas. Through the program,
representatives from non-profit organizations provide explanations about
immigration court procedures and other “basic legal information” to
detained individuals. The Justice Department announcement notes that
“this expansion is possible due to additional funds Congress provided
EOIR for the [program].” According to the announcement, since the start
of FY2014, the program has expanded to seven additional sites and is
currently at 32 sites across the country. October 24, 2014: Report Reveals Non-Citizen Voting in 2008 and 2010 Elections A study
by Professors Jesse Richman and David Earnest based on data from the
Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES) reveals that “more than
14 percent of non-citizens in both the 2008 and 2010 samples indicated
that they were registered to vote. Furthermore, some of these
non-citizens voted.” October 26, 2014: Internal DHS Report Reveals Suspected Terrorists Crossed Northern Border According to a leaked DHS Intelligence Information Report,
at least 13 men with terrorist ties have illegally entered the U.S. in
one region of the U.S.-Canadian border since 2010. The report also
details that, as of September 9, 2014, there have been 155 encounters in
the same area involving hundreds of individuals from special interest
countries. October 27, 2014: USCIS Union Pleads for Public’s Help in Stopping Executive Amnesty In a statement, USCIS union president Ken Palinkas says: “[T]his statement is intended for the public: if you care about
your immigration security and your neighborhood security, you must act
now to ensure that Congress stops this unilateral amnesty. Let your
voice be heard and spread the word to your neighbors. We who serve in
our nation’s immigration agencies are pleading for your help—don’t let
this happen. Express your concern to your Senators and Congressmen
before it is too late. Whether it’s the failure to uphold the public
charge laws, the abuse of our asylum procedures, the admission of
Islamist radicals, or visas for health risks, the taxpayers are being
fleeced and public safety is being endangered on a daily basis.” October 31, 2014: 94 Percent of Illegal Immigrants from Border Surge Fail to Appear in Immigration Court According to documents
from the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), between July 18
and October 7, 2014, immigration judges handed down 3,885 decisions on
removal cases with respect to “aliens” in family units—94 percent of
which were made in absentia. Over that same time period, 9,874 cases
were still pending. Of the 9,170 cases where individuals appeared before
a judge, 7,330 were adjourned. November 6, 2014: Lawsuit Alleges ICE Leadership Pressured Prosecutors to Release Criminal Aliens An award-winning career prosecutor and Chief of the Phoenix, Arizona ICE field office files
a lawsuit against Secretary Johnson for retaliation after she resisted
orders to release convicted criminal illegal aliens from ICE custody.
The complaint highlights the Obama administration’s gross mismanagement
of OPLA—including by high-ranking officials in OPLA, such as Peter
Vincent, James Stolley, Matthew Downer, and Riah Ramlogan, some of whom
were previously involved in directing a backdoor amnesty at the ICE
Office of Chief Counsel in Houston. According to the complaint, ICE
leadership directed its field offices not to take action against aliens
with felony convictions, including an alien who registered to vote twice
and claimed to be a U.S. citizen. November 10, 2014: President Obama Circumvents Congress and Announces Visa Agreement with China President Obama announces
a plan to extend the validity of Chinese tourist and business visas
from one to ten years in exchange for identical extensions from China.
Student visas will also be extended from one to five years under the
agreement. November 10, 2014: Apprehensions of Unaccompanied Minors Up 77 Percent in FY2014 According to CBP data,
apprehensions of unaccompanied minors in FY2014 are up 77 percent,
while apprehensions of family units are up 361 percent, compared to the
previous year. November 17, 2014: Report Reveals Executive Amnesty Will Give Illegal Immigrants Access to Public Benefits According to a report
from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), if the
President uses “parole” or “deferred action” to circumvent Congress and
grant amnesty, those individuals will be eligible for federal benefits
such as Obamacare, unemployment benefits, Social Security, the Earned
Income Tax Credit, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, and TANF. November 20, 2014: President Obama Announces Executive Amnesty President Obama announces
his “Immigration Accountability Executive Action,” unilaterally
circumventing immigration law, including granting “deferred action” to
approximately 5 million illegal immigrants. DHS issues
10 memos detailing the changes, such as ending the Secure Communities
program and extending DACA to illegal immigrant parents of Americans and
legal permanent residents. The White House issues two memoranda
focusing on the immigrant visa system and integrating immigrants. November 20, 2014: Obama Administration Announces Designation
of Temporary Protected Status for Nationals from Ebola-Affected
Countries Secretary Johnson announces that
nationals from Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone have been designated
for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months due to the Ebola
outbreak in West Africa. The DHS Secretary may declare TPS for certain
foreign countries if “conditions in the country that temporarily prevent
the country’s nationals from returning safely, or in certain
circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of its
nationals adequately.” TPS is granted to individuals from specifically
designated countries who are already in the U.S., regardless of
immigration status, meaning those who entered the U.S. illegally or
overstayed their visa are eligible. Although TPS is generally granted to
nationals of a TPS-designated country, individuals who last resided in
the designated country may also qualify. Individuals who are granted TPS
(or found preliminarily eligible after an initial review) cannot be
removed from the U.S., can be granted travel authorization, and can
obtain employment authorization. Once TPS is granted, DHS cannot detain a
person based on his or her immigration status. November 24, 2014: ICE Issues Agents Five-Point Checklist “For NOT Arresting/Removing Individuals” ICE issues a 5-point questionnaire
to its agents instructing them when not to deport someone under DHS’s
expanded deferred action programs. Despite President Obama and Secretary
Johnson’s promises that deportation will be handled on a case-by-case
basis, the ICE checklist instructs agents to release any individual who
meets the criteria. November 25, 2014: White House Admits Many Executive Amnesty
Recipients Will Be Eligible for Social Security, Medicare, and Other
Benefits President Obama’s plan to provide amnesty for millions of illegal aliens will also provide federal benefits. In an e-mail
from White House spokesman Shawn Turner to the Washington Post, Turner
confirms that eligible illegal immigrants will be eligible to receive
federal benefits like Social Security, Medicare, and survivor and
disability benefits, among others. November 25, 2014: HHS Secretary Says Obamacare Enrollees Will Not Be Asked for Immigration Status When asked if families with “mixed” immigration status will be
eligible for Obamacare, Health and Human Services Secretary Burwell replies
that “everyone should come on, and folks should not be scared. No
questions will be asked, and it is not about an immigration issue.” When
questioned about DACA recipients, however, Secretary Burwell suggests
that they would remain ineligible, though she identifies no enforcement
mechanism in the absence of questions about immigration status. November 25, 2014: President Obama Admits He Unilaterally “Took Action to Change the Law” When questioned at a rally a few days after his executive action, President Obama admits
that he unilaterally changed immigration laws. Prompted by pro-amnesty
hecklers, Obama states: “Now, you’re absolutely right that there have
been significant numbers of deportations. That’s true. But what you are
not paying attention to is the fact that I just took an action to change
the law.” December 2, 2014: DHS Still Cannot Determine Whether Border Is Secure Testifying
before the House Homeland Security Committee, Secretary Johnson
acknowledges that DHS still has not come up with metrics to measure
border security: “The Border Patrol has metrics and I’ve asked that
they improve upon that.” December 3, 2014: DHS Announces 1,000 Job Openings, New Office Space in Preparation for Processing of Executive Amnesty While simultaneously claiming that deferred action in deporting illegal aliens is primarily due to a lack of resources, USCIS lists
around 1,000 new job openings at an operational center Arlington,
Virginia. The primary purpose of these new jobs is to process and carry
out the President’s November 2014 executive actions. Salaries for these
positions are listed as high as $157,000. December 3, 2014: 26 States File Lawsuit Challenging Obama’s Executive Amnesty Eighteen states file
a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas
challenging the President’s unilateral action on immigration. As of
February 6, 2015, 26
states are parties to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that the
President’s actions violate his duty under the Constitution’s Take Care
Clause. December 4, 2014: ICE Report Shows 23 Percent Drop in Removals since FY2012; Release of 30,862 Convicted Criminals ICE’s FY2014 Enforcement and Removal Operationsreport
reveals that removals fell by over 14 percent as compared to 2013, and
23 percent as compared to 2012. Furthermore, of the 315,943 illegal
immigrants removed from the country, less than one-third were
apprehended in the interior. The report also indicates that over 1,000
of those apprehended were from countries known to have links to
terrorism, and that more than 30,000 convicted criminals had been
released from federal custody. December 8, 2014: ICE E-Mails Detail Plans to Drop Questions About Criminal History from Immigration Application Internal DHS documents reveal
that immigrants applying for visas as victims of human trafficking or
other criminal activity might be exempted from answering questions about
their own criminal history. These were key areas targeted for
immigration expansion in President Obama’s amnesty action, and may serve
as loopholes for dangerous criminals seeking to enter the U.S. December 9, 2014: President Obama States Illegal Immigrants “Are Not Going to Be Deported” President Obama admits
to a group of illegal immigrants that his executive action would serve
as de facto amnesty for nearly all of the 11 million illegal immigrants
currently in the U.S. Obama acknowledges that the vast majority of
illegal immigrants in the U.S. are “low priority,” and that anyone in
the “low priority” range will not be deported. This contradicts his
earlier statement that his unilateral actions would affect only around 5
million people. December 9, 2014: USCIS Director Claims Executive Action Meant to Make Illegal Aliens Impossible to Deport Later USCIS Director Leon Rodriguez states
that one of the purposes of the executive amnesty is to ensure that
future presidents “cannot so easily by fiat now remove those people from
the economy.” Rodriguez also suggests that there would be “dire
economic consequences” if the federal government sought to deport more
illegal aliens, and that this was “one of the major reasons why they
haven’t been removed.” This contradicts DHS’s position that the
President’s actions are required because DHS lacks adequate resources. December 18, 2014: After Executive Action, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio Disbands Illegal Immigration Identity Theft Unit Noting that the President’s unlawful executive amnesty will permit many illegal immigrants to work in the U.S., Sheriff Arpaio disbands
his identity theft unit. The unit had raided 83 businesses and charged
more than 700 illegal immigrants with using fake or stolen identities. December 19, 2014: DHS Year-End Statistics Reveal Increase in Illegal Immigration, Decrease in Deportations According to DHS data
released just before the Christmas holiday, border apprehensions
increased 16 percent in FY2014 while deportations from the interior of
the U.S. fell by 24 percent. ICE deported only 315,000 immigrants in FY
2014, 45,000 less than 2013 and 95,000 less than 2012. The drop in
interior removals was even more drastic as ICE deported only 102,000
illegal immigrants from the interior of the U.S., which is the lowest
number of interior removal since 2006. December 19, 2014: Report Reveals 91 Percent of Illegal Immigrants from Border Surge Have Absconded According to a report
from local Houston news outlet examining information from the Executive
Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), very few illegal immigrants have
been repatriated to their home countries. The vast majority—91
percent—have absconded after being released and are no longer a priority
under the Administration’s “prosecutorial discretion” policies.
Following on this report, the Center for Immigration Studies releases an
analysis that shows: The number of family units arriving illegally was larger than the
number of UACs during this time period, although the administration,
its allies, and the media typically described the surge as an influx of
children. At least 92 percent of the family unit arrivals in this sample of
cases were released after apprehension rather than detained in the
border area. Nearly all of those released (5,575 out of 6,093 total families
and UACs, or 91 percent) subsequently failed to appear at their
immigration hearings and are now part of the illegal population. According to these figures, 43 percent of those family members
classified as “detained” (nine people) also failed to appear for their
hearings, suggesting that they actually were released at some point. Even under the current very generous interpretations of
immigration law, only 3 percent of these illegal aliens were found
qualified to stay in the United States (204 out of 6,093 completed
cases). Only 314 of the 6,093 cases completed (5 percent) were present
for their hearing and could actually be removed by authorities after
receiving the order from the judge. December 23, 2014: HHS Seeks Shelter and Childcare Capacity in Preparation for Possible 2015 Border Surge The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) posts
a solicitation for bids in preparation for a surge of unaccompanied
minors in 2015. The post seeks to develop contract options for temporary
structures to serve as shelters for 100 to 2,500 children as well as
“other related services.” December 24, 2014: DHS Inspector General Report Reveals CBP Drone Program to Be Ineffective An audit by
DHS’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) finds that a drone
surveillance system deployed by DHS “has not developed performance
measures” and “has also not achieved the expected results. According to
the OIG report, CPB drones focused on about 170 miles (less than 10
percent) of the entire U.S. southern border. The OIG estimates that it
cost over $12,000 to support approximately 5,100 drones per hour in the
air, compared to CBP’s estimate of approximately $2,100 per flight hour. December 29, 2014: Border Patrol Notes Illegal Border Crossers Becoming More Aggressive President of the Tucson Border Patrol Local union Art Del Cueto states
in an interview: “In recent years, undocumented immigrants’
aggressiveness has increased and that is something we face when we
patrol the desert.” January 3, 2014: Oversight Report Shows 700 Miles of Southern Border Remain Unprotected The final oversight report issued
by then-Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Ranking Member Tom Coburn reveals that 700 miles of the Southern border
remain unsecured. The report further reveals that only 3 percent of
illegal immigrants will ever be deported and that there is “little or no
border security coverage for thousands of miles” of the northern U.S.
border. January 5, 2015: Administration Announces 18-Month Redesignation of Temporary Protected Status for Syria Secretary Johnson announces
that the administration is re-designating Syria for Temporary Protected
Status (TPS), extending the current designation from April 1, 2015, to
September 30, 2016. The redesignation will allow eligible Syrian
nationals (or those who last habitually resided in Syria) to register
for TPS for the first time and the extension will allow current
beneficiaries to extend their TPS. The DHS Secretary may declare TPS for
certain foreign countries if “conditions in the country that
temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely, or in
certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return
of its nationals adequately.” TPS is granted to individuals who are
already in the U.S., regardless of immigration status, meaning those who
entered the U.S. illegally or overstayed their visa are eligible.
Although TPS is generally granted to nationals of a TPS-designated
country, individuals who last resided in the designated country may also
qualify. Individuals who are granted TPS (or found preliminarily
eligible after an initial review) cannot be removed from the U.S., can
be granted travel authorization, and can obtain employment
authorization. Once TPS is granted, DHS cannot detain a person based on
his or her immigration status. January 6, 2015: Over 1,000 Illegal Immigrants from Countries with Terrorism Ties Apprehended in FY2014 According to CBP data,
agents apprehended 1,191 individuals from 12 of the 14 countries that
the Departments of Homeland Security and State have designated as state
sponsors of terror or “countries of interest,” which are countries
designated by the government to have terrorist links. The 12 countries
are Iran, Sudan, Cuba, and Syria (state sponsors of terror), and
Afghanistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi
Arabia, Somalia, and Yemen (“countries of interest”). January 7, 2015: Obama Administration Extends Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador Secretary Johnson extends
the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvadoran nationals for an
additional 18 months, effective March 10, 2015, through Sept. 9, 2016.
TPS for El Salvador was initially granted on March 9, 2001. The DHS
Secretary may declare TPS for certain foreign countries if “conditions
in the country that temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from
returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is
unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately.” TPS is granted
to individuals from specifically designated countries who are already
in the U.S., regardless of immigration status, meaning those who entered
the U.S. illegally or overstayed their visa are eligible. Although TPS
is generally granted to nationals of a TPS-designated country,
individuals who last resided in the designated country may also qualify.
Individuals who are granted TPS (or found preliminarily eligible after
an initial review) cannot be removed from the U.S., can be granted
travel authorization, and can obtain employment authorization. Once TPS
is granted, DHS cannot detain a person based on his or her immigration
status. January 8, 2015: CBP Reports Increase in Aliens Attempting to Enter U.S. with False Papers According to reports,
there was a 25 percent increase in “inadmissibles,” or, people that
were denied entry or detained at Texas ports of entry in FY2014. CBP
notes that most of those were attempting to use fraudulent documents or
documents that belonged to someone else. January 11, 2015: After President’s Executive Action, Border
Patrol Agents Instructed Not to Focus on Majority of Illegal Immigrants
in U.S. Leaked CBP training documents reveal
that Border Patrol agents have been ordered not to enforce immigration
laws against the vast majority of illegal immigrants in the U.S. The
guidance is meant to inform CBP employees about the changes that the
President’s executive will have on DHS’s enforcement priorities. Each
agent involved in implementing the President’s executive actions will be
required to undergo additional training. January 13, 2015: President Obama Unilaterally Establishes Diplomatic Relations with Cuba, Resulting in Immigrant Surge After President Obama unilaterally establishes diplomatic
relations with Cuba, there is a dramatic increase in the number of
Cubans attempting to enter the U.S. According to the Washington Times,
records shared with Congress show that “the Coast Guard interdicted
more than 340 Cubans in the final two weeks of December, more than
double the 140 who came in the first half of the month” prior to the
President’s announcement. 144 Cubans were apprehended in the first week
of January 2015. Other reports note that the policy changes will require major changes to border security strategies. January 14, 2015: Mexican Government Announces It Will Provide Illegal Immigrants in U.S. with Birth Certificates The Mexican government announces
it will start issuing birth certificates to its citizens at consulates
in the U.S. to make it easier for them to apply for work permits,
driver’s licenses, and executive amnesty. Jessica Vaughan with the
Center for Immigration Studies notes that such actions facilitate
remittances to Mexico. January 15, 2015: Justice Department Sues Employer for Attempting to Ensure a Legal Workforce The Justice Department announces a settlement
with U.S. Service Industries (USSI), which was alleged to have violated
the INA by discriminating against work-authorized individuals who are
not U.S. citizens by requiring those individuals to produce documents
issued by DHS as a condition of employment. Under the settlement
agreement, USSI will pay $132,000 in civil penalties, undergo training
on the anti-discrimination provisions of the INA, establish a $50,000
back pay fund to “compensate any workers who may have lost wages,”
revise its employment eligibility verification policies, and be subject
to federal government monitoring for two years. January 15, 2015: CBO Confirms Illegal Immigrants Granted Executive Amnesty Eligible for Federal Benefits CBO releases a report
finding that by 2017, two million additional illegal immigrants will be
eligible for federal benefits under the Obama Administration’s
executive amnesty plan. The report states that, over the next 10 years,
the amnesty will cost over $10.2 billion in Earned Income Tax Credit and
Child Tax Credit payouts; $1.8 billion in Medicare, Medicaid, and
Obamacare subsidies; $1 billion in SSI; and $800 million in SNAP. CBO
warns that long-term “federal spending would increase significantly,”
with costs for Social Security and Medicare becoming much greater
outside of the 10-year budget window analyzed in the agency’s report—the
time period during which newly amnestied individuals would begin paying
payroll taxes but not yet claiming benefits. In a December 1, 2014,
Investor’s Business Daily article,
Merrill Matthews, resident scholar with the Institute for Policy
Innovation in Dallas, and Mark E. Litow, retired actuary and past
chairman of the Social Insurance Public Finance Section of the Society
of Actuaries, conclude similarly that while the government will receive
about $500 billion in payroll tax revenue as a result of the amnesty, it
will pay out some $2 trillion in Social Security and Medicare benefits
over several decades. January 28, 2015: Obama Administration Orders Agents to Find Illegal Immigrants Eligible for Executive Amnesty The Associated Press
reports that internal DHS training documents direct immigration agents
to ask illegal immigrants they encounter whether they might qualify for
executive amnesty and to review government files to identify any jailed
illegal immigrants who might be eligible for release under the program. January 30, 2015: USCIS Announces It Will Begin Accepting
Requests for Expanded DACA on February 18, 2015 Pursuant to Executive
Amnesty USCIS announces
that it will begin accepting requests for expanded DACA on February 18,
2015, pursuant to the President’s executive amnesty. Under the new
guidelines, people of any current age who entered the country before age
16 and have lived in the U.S. since January 1, 2010, may now apply. January 30, 2015: 1,000 Criminal Aliens Released by ICE in FY2013 Re-Offend According to a 38-page DHS document
provided to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, of the 36,007
criminal aliens released from ICE custody in FY2013, 1,000 have since
been convicted of new crimes, including: assault with a deadly weapon;
terroristic threats; failure to register as a sex offender; lewd acts
with a child under 14; aggravated assault; robbery; hit and run;
criminal street gang activity; rape of spouse by force; and child
cruelty involving possible injury/death. February 2, 2015: Government Data Reveals Obama
Administration Issued 7.4 Million Work Permits Since 2009 In Excess of
Established Levels A Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Center for Immigration Studies unearths
government data revealing that the Obama Administration issued more
than 7.4 million work permits to aliens from 2009 to 2014, beyond that
which is authorized by statute. That includes 4.7 million new
Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and 2.7 million renewals of
expired EADs. According to the published data, this includes 2.2
million EADs for unlawful entrants or those unqualified for admission,
547,000 individuals here on tourist visas, 593,000 foreign students who
are supposed to be subject to strict restrictions, and 37,000
individuals who arrived through the Visa Waiver Program. Crucially,
these EADs are in addition to and beyond the existing annual grant of
approximately 1 million permanent residency or green cards to mostly
lesser-skilled legal immigrants and 700,000 foreign guest workers. February 4, 2015: Former USCIS Official Testifies Executive Amnesty Could Overwhelm Agency The former deputy ombudsman for USCIS, Luke Bellocchi, testifies
before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
that it is “hard to imagine” that USCIS can handle the increase in new
applications from the President’s executive amnesty. Bellocchi testified
that USCIS’s processing system is paper-based and will likely have to
divert resources from other immigration applications to handle the
executive amnesty. February 6, 2015: DHS Announces Hotlines for Illegal
Immigrants to Lodge Complaints Against Immigration Enforcement Officers
Who “Violate” New Amnesty Policy CBP announces
a hotline for illegal immigrants “wishing to submit a formal complaint
pertaining to an encounter with a Customs and Border Protection Officer
or Border Patrol Agent.” Prior to the announcement, DHS had alerted
“stakeholders” of three such hotlines for CBP, ICE, and USCIS. Vice
President of the National Border Patrol Council Shawn Moran responds,
stating “[i]nstead of supporting our agents, this administration has
decided it is more important to find new ways to solicit complaints and
invite ridicule against them. We demand that this administration spend
more time defending the men and women defending our nation and less time
promoting the extreme agendas of pro-illegal-immigration
organizations.” Moran suggests DHS set up a complaint line for agents to
register concerns regarding the Obama Administration’s failure to
enforce the law. February 13, 2015: House Judiciary Chairman Reveals Administration Granting DACA Recipients a Pathway to Citizenship
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte sends
a letter to Secretary Johnson regarding the Administration’s
announcement on a call with Congressional offices that it will permit
illegal immigrants to simultaneously apply for both DACA and advance
parole. Advance parole allows illegal immigrants to re-enter the United
States after leaving the country, at which point they may be eligible to
adjust their immigration status and be placed on a pathway to
citizenship.
