Video: Marco Rubio on Immigration Reform: “It’s Not Amnesty”

Senator Marco Rubio (FL-R) was scheduled to appear on seven talk shows, “This Week,” “Face the Nation,” “Meet the Press,” “FOX News Sunday,” CNN’s “State of the Union,” Univision’s “Al Punto” and Telemundo’s “Enfoque” on Sunday, prompting John Nolte of Big Government to call the gambit “the full Rubio.” 

Via Mediaite, here is his ABC appearance with Jonathan Karl.

Karl pressed him on whether this proposal is actually “legalization first” over “enforcement first” and said that because somebody could gain citizenship within six months it actually is “legalization first.” “The problem is what do you do in the meantime? While you’re doing all these enforcement mechanisms what do you do with the millions of people that are undocumented,” he said.

“What I want is to freeze the problem in place so it doesn’t get worse,” he said.

Rubio deflected Karl’s question on how the fight over immigration could impact the long term health of the Republican Party.

Rubio faced many of the same questions on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.

Again, via Mediaite:

Senator Marco Rubio took another beating for his support for immigration reform legislation in the Senate this morning, this time from Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. Rubio defended his position on the legislation saying that what he supports is not amnesty.

On Face the Nation, Senators Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) debated the issue.

Sessions was not convinced the bill will be anything short of another amnesty bill, saying it will give people of form of amnesty now, with a promise of enforcement in the future. “Even if you pass laws today that appear to be effective, it doesn’t mean they’re going to be enforced,” he said, with possibly the 1986 Amnesty legislation in mind.

Here is a trip down memory lane to the year 1986 where we find that many of the arguments that were made by the likes of Leon Panetta and Chuckie Schumer back then, are the same ones being made by Marco Rubio, today in support for immigration reform.

SEE ALSO:

Michelle Malkin:  Object Lesson: “Temporary” Amnesty Never Dies:

The U.S. allows illegal aliens from TPS-designated countries to live here, work here, be protected from detention or deportation, and travel freely. It’s essentially a bad-weather pass into the U.S. Whenever a natural disaster strikes, we allow legions of foreigners who entered illegally — mostly from Latin America — to stay here while their homelands recover.

In the meantime, TPS winners can apply for a panoply of other immigration benefits and protections and file for “adjustment of status” to pave the way to permanent legalization. In fact, the official draft application for Obamacare lists “Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Applicant for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)” as an “eligible immigration status.”

Yep, that means you don’t even have to be a legit, approved TPS designee to qualify for Obamacare. If you merely filed paperwork to be an “applicant” for TPS, you’re in like Flynn! DHS documents are now officially pimping Obamacare to foreigners. And GOP Senate Budget Committee staffers estimate that covering illegal aliens could raise the cost of Obamacare by$120 billion to $200 billion in its first decade.

In theory, TPS beneficiaries are supposed to go home after their native countries improve. In practice, there is nothing temporary about these “temporary” reprieves for hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens from around the world.

Last week, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that TPS had been extended for at least 70,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans “for an additional 18 months, beginning July 6, 2013, and ending Jan. 5, 2015.” Thanks to American generosity, these TPS winners have been here since 1998 — when Hurricane Mitch hit their homeland.

That was 15 years ago.

Doug Ross:  WHO NEEDS AMNESTY? Millions of Illegal Aliens Ripping Taxpayers Off for $20 Billion a Year in “Tax Credits”:

As the White House shuts down tours and air traffic control towers go dark thanks to the budget sequester, millions of illegal aliens will collect as much as $20 billion in cash from the taxpayers thanks to a widespread scam facilitated by the Obama administration. Ed Rubenstein, president of ESR Research and former chief economist for the Grace Commission on Waste in Government, has issued a new report entitledDefrauding the American Taxpayer: The Earned Income and Additional Child Tax Credits [PDF].

Rubenstein states that, “the IRS knowingly allows illegal aliens claiming children to get Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) cash payments of up to $5,891.”

Schumer: Our Bill Has Legalization First, ‘Then We’ll Make Sure Border Is Secure’ (Video)

What a trainwreck.

This is NY Senator Chuckie Schumer on Meet The Press last weekend, saying  that the Gang of Eight had come to a “basic agreement”

“We’ve come to a basic agreement, which is that first, people will be legalized. In other words, not citizens, but they’ll be allowed to work, come out of the shadows, travel. Then, we will make sure the border is secure. And we have specific metrics that are in the bill. I’m not going to get into what they are…”

Senator Jeff Sessions supplied the video:

But just as the immigration deal was being considered a  fait accompli by Democrats,Marco Rubio slammed on breaks:

“[A]rriving at a final product will require it to be properly submitted for the American people’s consideration, through the other 92 senators from 43 states that weren’t part of this initial drafting process,” Rubio said . “In order to succeed,” Rubio added, “this process cannot be rushed or done in secret.
“A reasonable approach”, but now Liberals are angry with Marco Rubio for refusing to rush immigration reform Matt Lewis reports at The Daily Caller.

The only trouble was, Rubio had stepped on the meme. It turns out that some advocates of immigration reform think the best way to pass something is to rush it through Congress — to never let a crisis go to waste.

In fact, that’s probably the best way to guarantee a). a bad bill, and b). legislation that won’t pass the House.

SEE ALSO:

Drew at AoSHQ: Report: House “Gang Of 8″ Immigration Plan Has 3 Paths To Citizenship/Legalization:

Note that the prize here isn’t simply “a path to citizenship”, it’s automatic legalization. GOP amnesty leaders like Marco Rubio, say “border security must come first” but that means before citizenship. Legalization comes right away. I’m sure some, maybe most, illegals care about citizenship but that’s just a cherry on top of being able to live and work here legally.

Speaking of Marco Rubio he said he’d walk away from any deal that didn’t include the faux “trigger”. Well, the Obama administration said no to them. Rubio also wanted extensive hearings on any legislation, Senate Democrats said no to that too.

Anyone think there’s anything Democrats could do to make Rubio walk away?

His final political calculation will be fascinating. Mickey Kaus has a theory…Rubio will walk for show but support in the end.

Video: Jeanine Pirro and Chairman of House Judiciary Committee, Bob Goodlatte Discuss ICE Chief’s Testimony

Jeanine Pirro also had on Va Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, on her Fox Show,  Justice With Judge Jeanine to discuss his hearings last week on ICE’s decision to release criminal immigrant detainees.

Video via Massteaparty.

Linked by Doug Ross, thanks!

Rand Paul Hits Back at Limbaugh and Coulter: “Newsflash – What We’ve Got Now Is Defacto Amnesty” (Video)

Today on Fox News, Senator Rand Paul discussed his immigration reform proposal, and hit back at critics like Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh who say he supports ‘amnesty’.

Via The Daily Caller:

“I’ve got a news flash for those who want to call people names on amnesty: What we have now is de facto amnesty,” Paul replied. “We have 11 million people here that have been here — some of them for a decade or more. No one is telling them to go home. … So I would say if you want to work, we’ll find a place for you. But that doesn’t mean you get special privileges. It just means we’ll get you a work visa.”

He went on to say that not only is his proposal, the right thing to do, but “it’s a way to expand the Republican Party to where people will listen to us, because they say it’s a reasonable position.”

 

Video: Illegal Immigrants “Dreaming” of Free Healthcare

Are they kidding me? Is this a bad joke? Because it isn’t funny…

Via Gateway Pundit:

Stand With Arizona reported on this latest movement:

A new ad campaign has been launched to extend medical coverage to illegal aliens in the state of California.

The California Endowment, a private foundation that advocates for affordable healthcare, wants county-run Medicaid expansion programs called Low-Income Health Programs to be “retooled” to provide insurance for this population – well over 1 million people!

Just what the people of California need, right? First they cut tuition assistance for citizen students by $1.2 billion.

Then they made illegal aliens eligible for in-state tuition and financial aid, with AB131 – signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

 

Check out this collectivist drivel:

California should not be a place that says some young people deserve healthcare and some don’t. Access to screenings and checkups helps people prevent problems before they start. When healthcare includes everyone, and we mean everyone, that keeps us all healthy. We’re in this together.

Check out #Health4all and help us spread the word that California’s health depends on everyone. Everyone. Learn more about us at http://www.calendow.org

It would never occur to me to move to another country illegally, and then demand free benefits. That’s takes a certain amount of brass cojones I simply do not possess.

Backlash: Obama Regime’s Decision to Release Illegal Immigrant Prisoners Infuriates Republican Lawmakers

Via Bakersfield Now

The Regime’s decision to release illegal immigrants who were in detention awaiting deportation, has spawned a “furious backlash” from some members of Congress, the Washington Times reports:

Department officials have described the move as a cost-savings measure required by the budget sequesters, but two years ago one top official testified to Congress that detaining immigrants is usually cheaper than releasing them.

As the questions build, so does pressure on Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano, who has not yet answered the requests, signed by dozens of Senate and House members, to detail who exactly has been released, why they were being held in the first place, and who gave final approval.

“It is frankly irresponsible that your agency chose releasing detained immigrants as its first effort to control spending,” a group of 37 House Republicans, led by Reps. Matt Salmon of Arizona and Duncan Hunter of California, said in a letter Friday.

On Monday, Sen. Daniel Coats, the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee that oversees immigration, took to the Senate floor to say the department cannot duck his questions. He speculated that the release has already spurred a new wave of illegal immigration.

“I can see the traffickers pitching this to tens or hundreds of thousands of people, taking their money, getting them across the border, breaching the fence or tunneling under the fence or climbing over the fence,” Mr. Coats said.

An internal ICE memo obtained and released last week by the HouseJudiciary Committee found that the agency contemplated releasing 1,000 immigrants a week — far more than the several hundred it said it released.

On Fox News, Saturday, Congressman Steven King (R-IA) said that he would like to get ICE Chief, John Morton to appear before the House Judiciary  committee to explain the prison releases.

(Photo: CBS 2)

 A memo, sent by Morton to field office directors and all special agents last December, provides guidance on when they should issue detainers against illegal immigrants charged with crimes. Although Regime officials have been saying that the released detainees were only guilty of minor infractions, this memo gives you a good idea of how dangerous the 10 percent of illegals who are  incarcerated while awaiting their deportation hearings, are.

The list of persons subject to ICE holds includes:

• persons charged with felonies
• persons with three or more prior misdemeanor convictions
• persons charged with assault, DWI, unlawful flight from the scene of an accident
• drug distribution or trafficking
• sexual abuse or exploitation

Illegals are not detained if they’ve only been charged with minor misdemeanors or traffic violations.

A person charged with misdemeanor drug possession, with no allegation of distribution or trafficking, is also not subject to an ICE detainer.

On Fox News’  Justice with Jeanine, last Saturday, Pinal County Sheriff, Paul Babeu noted that among those released were criminals who had been “convicted not just charged – convicted for weapons violations, drug smuggling, (these are cartel members, these are narcotic traffickers!), drug dealers, these are people who have been in fights,  and aggravated assaults against police officers…. How in the world can you say these are low risk, non criminal detainees?!  These are the worst of the worst. These are people who have been convicted of child molestation! We have people who have been released, I’ve been told by ICE agents, who have been  charged with man-slaughter.”

Pirro brought up the whistleblowers who want to come forward and expose what’s going on. But Babeu said several memos have been sent out to ICE agents about the prisoner releases -  anyone who talks about it “outside our agency shall be disciplined up to and including termination, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.”  He said, “these federal agents, who swore an oath to protect our country, are being intimidated from doing the right thing.”

***

Below is the correct audio for the incredible first hour of the Kris Kobach Show on KCMO, March 3, that I wanted to post, last week.. 

I had instructed my dear husband to grab the first eleven minutes of the first hour, so I could post it. (I can’t do it on Windows Movie-Maker) and he took the entire second hour – (which I didn’t even listen to, so I don’t even know what was on there). So I told him when I noticed it the next DAY, that I need the first eleven minutes of the first hour, and he immediately leaped into action (not). A week later, here it is. Stale news, I know. Oh, it’s the entire hour, instead of eleven minutes, again, too.

Most of the first hour was spent talking about ICE’s shocking and “bizarre” decision to release illegal immigrant prisoners:

Scaring us by releasing illegal immigrant criminals — “REALLY, Mr. President? Really?!” Kobach thundered.“This is a brazen abuse of power”, he said. “They crossed the line.”

“This is impeachment stuff!”

“You do not release dangerous criminals to make a point…”

Keep in mind, as you hear the air raid sirens,  that the sequester had just gone into effect a few days, before.

KS Sec. of State, Kris Kobach: DHS Release of Illegal Immigrants “a Brazen Abuse of Power”, “Impeachment Stuff” (Audio)

KS Sec. of State, Kris Kobach began his Sunday night talk show on 710 KCMO with civil defense sirens wailing in the background, “still broadcasting after the collapse of civilization” following the sequester..  It had been in effect for two days, and Kobach was hunkering down in the KCMO bunker….having a little fun at the Regime’s expense.

One of the effects of sequestration that Kobach wanted to discuss on Sunday’s show – not surprisingly, because he’s known as an anti-illegal immigrant hawk – was the decision of DHS to release illegal immigrant detainees. Kobach was astounded. Speaking as someone who was involved with making illegal immigration policy under the Bush administration, he wanted to clarify just what kind of people the Regime was releasing to the public.

“We detain a very tiny percentage of illegal aliens who are in removal proceedings – roughly 10%”, he began.  “Between 30 and 40,000 are in detention….the rest of the hundreds of thousands who are in deportation proceedings, are not detained. They’re on their honor to come to court. On their honor. And guess what? Many of them don’t show, and if the judge says, “you’re outta here – they ignore their removal letter….  oh, you thought removal meant that someone came with handcuffs and took the illegal alien to the border immediately? Nah. We have an honor system in America.” He continued,  “but about 10%… ARE detained and those are the ones with serious criminal records or extraordinary indicia in their records indicating that they are a huge flight risk. They are a problem. They are not your illegal aliens who just came here for a better life.”

Driving the point home, he explained, “these are illegal alien robbers, arsonists, drug dealers. These are bad guys. These are not illegal aliens who just want a chance at a better life. These are illegal immigrations who are the worst of the worst and the Obama administration decided to turn them loose to make a point about sequesters.”

He noted that it was not necessary to turn them loose.  “There is so much fat in DHS and ICE”, he argued, “it would be easy to cut 2-3% of the budget.”

He suggested they could start with getting rid of executive travel and conferences, and vehicles, making the point  that during the government shut down in 1996, certain emergency services were not shut down including deportation and detention facilities. So the highest levels of government services. But the ” extraordinary, bizarre, extreme” Obama administration decided that to make a political point that they would shut down what couldn’t get shut down during the government shut down in the nineties.

Scaring us by releasing illegal immigrant criminals — “REALLY, Mr. President? Really?!” Kobach thundered.

“This is a brazen abuse of power”, he said. “They crossed the line.”

“This is impeachment stuff!”

“You do not release dangerous criminals to make a point…”

WHOOPS:

Someone who will remain nameless made a booboo. (Not me.) The audio below is hour two of the program. You can listen listen to the first hour, (part of which is described above), here.

House Investigators Obtain ICE Document Showing Regime Plans To Release 5,000 Illegal Immigrant Detainees

Jay Westcott/POLITICO

Although Big Sis, the Head of the Dept. of Homeland Security claimed that “she had no part” in the decision to release thousands of illegal immigrant detainees, House investigators have now learned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had developed plans to release about 5,000 illegal immigrant detainees.

“An internal document obtained by the House Judiciary Committee shows that Administration officials at ICE prepared cold calculations to release thousands of criminal aliens onto the streets and did not demonstrate any consideration of the impact this decision would have on the safety of Americans,” committee chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., announced.

The ICE document contains a table that proposes “reduc[ing] invoiced daily population by 1,000 weekly.” Between February 22 and March 31st, this plan would drop the number of detainees from 30,748 to 25,748.

“The decision to release detained aliens undermines the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to keep our homeland secure and instead makes our communities less safe and more vulnerable to crime,” Goodlatte said. “[R]egardless of sequestration, DHS actually has plenty of funding to pay for the detention of criminal aliens.  Unfortunately, it seems Administration officials are more interested in using sequestration to promote their political agenda than as an opportunity to get our nation’s fiscal house in order.”

……As Brit Hume has been saying: “The President Seems Prepared To Let The Public Suffer Almost As Much As Possible As Long As He Can Blame Somebody Else”.

Janet Napolitano said, yesterday, that the idea that DHS  released 2,000 detainees because of sequester’  was “mythology” and the several hundred illegal immigrants who were released from detention centers last week were, “very low-level, low-risk detainees.”

See Jim Geraghty of Campaign Spot to meet one of Napolitano’s ‘low risk’ released illegal immigrants.

OUTRAGE!

Documentation of what everyone’s been thinking (must not let Precious look bad…):

Via Andy at AoSHQ the Washington Times is Reporting:

In the email sent Monday by Charles Brown, an official with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service office in Raleigh, N.C., Mr. Brown asked “if there was any latitude” in how to spread the sequester cuts across the region to lessen the impacts on fish inspections.

He said he was discouraged by officials in Washington, who gave him this reply: “We have gone on record with a notification to Congress and whoever else that ‘APHIS would eliminate assistance to producers in 24 states in managing wildlife damage to the aquaculture industry, unless they provide funding to cover the costs.’ So it is our opinion that however you manage that reduction, you need to make sure you are not contradicting what we said the impact would be.”

“This email confirms what many Americans have suspected: The Obama administration is doing everything they can to make sure their worst predictions come true and to maximize the pain of the Sequester cuts for political gain,” said Rep. Tim Griffin, Arkansas Republican.

Same thing is going on with the prisoner releases. This should be an impeachment level offense.

UPDATE:

Oh would you look at this:

CNS News: TSA Sealed $50-Million Sequester-Eve Deal to Buy New Uniforms:

The impending sequester did not prevent the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)  from acting in late February to seal a $50-million deal to purchase new uniforms for its agents–uniforms that will be partly manufactured in Mexico.Soon after this new investment in TSA uniforms, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned Americans that the lines are already lengthening at airports due to the sequester.”We are already seeing the effect on the ports of entry, the big airports for example,” Napolitano told Politico on Monday. “Some of them had very long lines this weekend.”

“Look people, I don’t mean to scare, I mean to inform,” Napolitiano said.”If you’re traveling, get to the airport earlier than you otherwise would. There’s only so much we can do with personnel and please don’t yell at the customs officers, the TSA officers. They aren’t responsible for sequester.”

Linked by Doug Ross, thanks!

Hat tip: Weasel Zippers

Video: Napolitano Calls Reporting on DHS’s Sequestration Amnesty “Mythology”

Beware of any mentions of the word “myth” or mythology” by members of this regime. They like to use that word when the ugly truth escapes through the media gatekeepers. Lies = truth,  truth = mythology.

During a Politico Playbook breakfast in Washington D.C. this morning, DHS Sec Janet Napolitano lashed out at the news media last week for reporting that the agency released over 2,000 illegal immigrants ahead of the sequester cuts.

Via Charlie Spiering of The Washington Examiner:

“There was a story that ran last week that said ‘we released 2,000 detainees because of sequester’ Napolitano said, mocking the hype inferred by the headline.

“That is really not accurate,” she insisted.

“That was not a Politico story by the way,” Allen responded.

“It was not a Politico story, I will hasten to say, and I won’t say who put it out there,” Napolitano added. “But as in all things immigration it develops its own mythology.”

She would later admit that there were releases and they were due to the sequester:

When Allen questioned Napolitano about the timeline of the program, she admitted that the actions were related to the sequester cut deadlines, complaining about the “perfect storm” of budgetary problems.

“Several hundred were related to sequester but it wasn’t thousands,” Napolitano said sharply, although she admitted that the program would continue in the “foreseeable future.”

Here is what the Washington Free Beacon reported about the release:

The law requires ICE to maintain an average of 34,000 illegal immigrant detainees in its detention facilities. However, Rep. Michael McCaul (R., Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Wednesday that DHS reported fewer than 31,000 detainees as of last week, “in clear violation of the statute.”

According to Jessica Vaughan, policy director for the Center for Immigration Studies, ICE was recently ordered to reduce its detainee populations even further.

“Last week, ICE field offices all over the country were ordered to reduce the number of detainees from 34,000 to 25,000 by March 1,” Vaughan said in a post on the group’s website.

Now Napolitano says that only several hundred of those were related to sequester. As for the budget woes she says DHS is experiencing:

According to the White House Office of Management and Budget, DHS is slated to finish the year with more than $9 billion in unobligated funds.

Critics of ICE’s detainee release rejected the budget constraint explanation. Some suggested the administration was using detainee releases to accentuate the supposedly catastrophic effects of the sequester.

Jed Babbin of The American Spectator falls into this category:

Arizona is high on Obama’s list of enemies. It’s the state Obama’s Justice Department sued to set aside the state law that enables the arrest and detention of illegal aliens. The Supreme Court struck down part of the law, but left in place the part that allows state law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of people they’ve stopped for other reasons.

He talked to Sheriff Babeu, who told him that neither he nor the county’s police chiefs were given notice of the release.

I asked Babeu if he even knew who these people were. He said that he’s asked for that information numerous times, including by letter, and ICE has refused to tell him. “These people were released into the community. We don’t know their names, we don’t know what charges they were held on or their criminal history.” He added, “But we do know this: this is the same group that Janet Napolitano and Barack Obama have all agreed that these are the worst of the illegals.”

ICE is saying that some of these illegals were released on terms that supposedly provide some supervision. Sheriff Babeu is, to say the least, skeptical.

“They’re saying that they’re going to put them on supervised release, meaning some of them wear an ankle bracelet or they have to check in with authorities. Are you kidding me? These people have broken the law countless times and now they’ve got their chance. They’re out of prison.”

He added, “There’s no incentive for them to report in because what’s the worst thing we can do to them? Deport them?”

Sheriff Babeu apparently learned from ICE and Border Patrol agents who called him unofficially. He said, “Good people who work for ICE, work for Border Patrol, they call me all the time.…They said, ‘Sheriff, help us. We’re releasing all these criminals. This order just came down from Washington and now they’re all out in the streets.”

***

The release of criminal illegal aliens is probably illegal itself. Under our muddled immigration law, Napolitano has the authority to release illegal aliens individually when her department determines that they pose no danger to public safety. But mass releases, such as the one into Pinal County, are beyond her power.

The only answer to this is for Sheriff Babeu — perhaps joined by other concerned law enforcement officers around the country — to sue Napolitano to stop the releases. That lawsuit would reveal who the illegals are, what crimes they’ve committed before, and just who within ICE, the Justice Department, Homeland Security, or possibly the White House ordered the releases.

My question is probably a stupid one and has an easy answer. Why aren’t they sending these illegal immigrants back to Mexico?

Answer: (Of course) They are in removal proceedings but it  takes awhile…

UPDATE:

Another lie she told at that Politico breakfast has been exposed:

Weasel Zippers: Two Airports Cited By Big Sis As Having Sequester-Related Delays Both Say She’s Lying…

Did she really think nobody would check?

Via Telegraph:

Airports have denied a claim by Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security, that the sequester is already causing long delays for travelers at security screening checkpoints.

Ms Napolitano said today that major airports were seeing lines “150 to 200 per cent as long as we would normally expect” as result of the federal spending cuts that went into force on Friday.

Like I said, yesterday – why would any reporter believe a word anyone from this administration says about anything? Shouldn’t the assumption always be that they’re lying to us at this point?

Linked by Doug Ross, thanks!

Same DHS That Used Sequester Cuts to Justify Release of Thousands of Illegal Immigrant Prisoners, Recently Purchased 2,700 Light-Armored Vehicles

Last week the Department of Homeland Security ordered ICE to release 2000 illegal immigrant detainees.

As the Obama Administration spun nightmare scenarios over the impact of sequester cuts, it was revealed that Homeland Security had released from custody illegal immigrants who were charged with crimes. The White House said these actions were taken in expectation of the looming cuts, but dismissed concerns, saying just “a few hundred” criminals were released. The Associated Press, however, reported late Friday that 2,000 detainees had been released, with another 3,000 planned to be released this month.

Although she would later claim that she had no part in the decision to release the prisoners, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano blamed  the sequester cuts for the need to reduce their numbers.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano foreshadowed the announcement earlier in the day at a press briefing. She said ICE “will be forced” under sequestration to reduce detention and removal of undocumented immigrants.

“All I can say is, look, we’re doing our very best to minimize the impacts of sequester,” Napolitano told reporters at the White House. “But there’s only so much I can do. I’m supposed to have 34,000 detention beds for immigration. How do I pay for those?”

I don’t know – the same way you paid for 2,700 light armored vehicles and the more than 1.6 billion bullets?

Lachlan Markay of The Washington Free Beacon reported DHS is actually flush with cash:

According to the White House Office of Management and Budget, DHS is slated to finish the year with more than $9 billion in unobligated funds.

Critics of ICE’s detainee release rejected the budget constraint explanation. Some suggested the administration was using detainee releases to accentuate the supposedly catastrophic effects of the sequester.

If this president is ordering the release of prisoners to scare the American public about sequestration and force the Republicans’ hand  – that’s not just your typical Chicago style hardball – that’s a borderline impeachable offense.  If it was done to grant a defacto amnesty to the detainees – that should be an impeachable offense. Republicans should be investigating, and heads should be rolling over this. Instead, surprise – surprise – they’re capitulating.

And what the hell are all the bullets and armored vehicles for?

UPDATE:

The Truth About the DHS’s MRAPs:

Here’s the 411 from the official spokesman for Das Vaterland. I mean, Homeland . . .The MRAPs were transferred to DHS from the Department of Defense, free of charge. But despite recent reports, they have actually been in service since at least 2008.

“The MRAPs we have are not new,” Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for DHS, told Business Insider. “We have been using them for years.”

“[The vehicle] is used in the execution of high-risk warrants — including drug trafficking, smuggling, and contraband,” Feinstein told Business Insider. “We have 16 MRAPs nationwide.”

Linked by Doug Ross, thanks!

Rubio to Rush: “Without Real Enforcement Triggers We Are Not Going to Have a Bill”….(Audio)

Sen. Marco Rubio R-Fla. was given the opportunity to share  his ideas on immigration reform on the Rush Limbaugh, Tuesday afternoon.

Via Charlie Spiering of The Washington Examiner:

Rubio explained that he was involved in the conversation about immigration reform because it was important to spread the message of conservatism to Hispanic Americans.

“I am confident, that given a fair chance, I can convince most Americans – including Americans of Hispanic decent that limited government and free enterprise is better for them and better for their upward mobility than big government is,” Rubio said, reminding Limbaugh that most Hispanics were choosing the American dream over foreign dictators.

On enforcement triggers, Rubio stated that “the President has a choice to make”, today, and “that issue is a bright line for most of us that are involved in this effort.” He said that there are four Democrat Senators on board with the enforcement triggers, and  without those triggers they are not going to have a bill….

You can listen to the full interview at The Right Scoop.

 

 

Krauthammer: Bipartisan Proposal is Instant Legalization for 11 Million Illegal Immigrants (Video)

Charles Krauthammer weighed in on the bipartisan immigration proposal that’s making waves in the Senate. Krauthammer has long been a supporter of legalization after enforcement of the border. “Americans would accept that,” he said, “and that’s what the proposal appears to do.”

“It says once you get enforcement, you’re going to have to go through a path to get a green card, then citizenship, but that’s highly misleading, because under this proposal, the day this bill is signed, you get instant legalization for 11 million illegal immigrants. It’s called provisional – that’s nonsense. No one is ever going to revoke this legalization.”

Video via Townhall Tipsheet.

Senator Marco Rubio, who’s causing major heartburn in even his most loyal supporters for pushing the proposal,  appeared on the ‘Hannity’ show, last night to discuss the bill.  Rubio agreed with Hannity that the borders need to be secured before any of the steps for a pathway to citizenship would be enacted.

Obama is coming to the rescue of nervous Republicans as it’s being reported that he’ll reject the terms of the Senate compromise and move it further to the left, giving Republicans wiggle room to oppose it. Apparently, he thinks this move is a winner for Obamacrats since everything he does is politically motivated.

But if immigration reform goes down in flames, he’ll be the one to blame.

SEE ALSO:

Drew at AoSHQ: Yes, It Is Amnesty:

Take a look at how Marco Rubio, one of the key figures in the most recent amnesty push, phrases the argument.

We have de facto amnesty right now

No we don’t.

If we did, why are we going through this whole process in the first place? If we had de facto amnesty, we wouldn’t hear about how hard it is for illegal immigrants to live in the shadows. If we had de facto amnesty, we wouldn’t be deporting anyone. If we had de facto amnesty, there wouldn’t be a thriving black market for illicit work documents and identity theft.

Fireworks at the Forum – Jacob Turk Takes Hispanic Student To School (Video)

When Republican candidate for US Congress, Jacob Turk went to a candidates forum at Penn Valley Community College in Kansas City’s urban core, Tuesday morning, he knew that he was going to be a tough sell to the youthful, liberal audience.

A Hispanic girl certainly played her part well, when she asked what I imagine she thought was a trick question,  “what is your definition of America and freedom?”

“We have liberty to do what we each choose, without stepping on the rights of somebody else”, Turk responded.

The girl then pounced -  see if you can follow her logic:

“On your website – (so this would be quoting you directly) – you say,  I am against illegal immigration, I oppose amnesty and I support legal immigration. You just said that you shouldn’t be stepping on the rights of anybody else, and you said that freedom was for everybody… now, if you’re saying that, why can’t I can’t bring up my cousin and my uncle from Mexico to live with me to chase the same American dream that you want, and if he does come, why are you totally allowed to step on his liberties…?”

She bellicosely continued; “You say Hispanics and illegal aliens in general are the ones taking up all the space in your prisons….”

Jacob countered – “That’s not from my website…”

She insisted it was, much to the delight of the other students.

Oh, for crying out loud - here’s what’s on his website:

I am against illegal immigration. I oppose amnesty.

I support legal immigration.

The porous southern border MUST be closed, our northern border security beefed up, and our ports secured. For our southern border, I would insist that the 700 miles of double layer fence that was mandated by Congress in 2006 be built.

Hospitals are overwhelmed, school resources are used up, our law enforcement resources are drained, and our prisons are overflowing in large part due to the waves of illegal aliens invading this country. Americans are paying BILLIONS of dollars, hand over fist, to subsidize the cost of ‘cheap’ labor, and allowing it to continue is a loss for our economy.

I do not support any additional immigration reform until our borders are secured and illegal immigration is halted. When the fence is built and the border secured, we can move forward on retooling our immigration system.

We say loud and clear:

BUILD THE FENCE. SECURE OUR BORDERS.

So – no – he didn’t say Hispanics and illegal aliens  are the ones taking up all the space in our prisons. He  said “our prisons are overflowing in large part due to waves of illegal immigration invading the country.” And he’s absolutely correct about that.

But she thundered on, “you say we’re taking up space in your prisons… (and then her “coup de gras”)….when for a fact we take up less than 10% and the majority taking up space in your prisons are WHITE!!!11!

Oh dear….

Alas, no.

The latest statistics on the racial make up of the prison population doesn’t even come close to bearing out Little Miss La Raza’s claim.

In reality, Hispanics made up 20.6% of the total jail and prison population in 2009. Non-Hispanic blacks accounted for 39.4% of the prison population. So 60% of the prison population is comprised of blacks and Hispanics who together, only make up 30% of the US population.

On June 30, 2006, an estimated 4.8% of black non-Hispanic men were in prison or jail, compared to 1.9% of Hispanic men of any race and 0.7% of white non-Hispanic men. U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.[41]

According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) non-Hispanic blacks accounted for 39.4% of the total prison and jail population in 2009.^{[43][not in citation given]} According to the 2010 census of the US Census Bureau blacks (including Hispanic blacks) comprised 13.6% of the US population.^[44][45][46]

Hispanics (of all races) were 20.6% of the total jail and prison population in 2009.^[43] Hispanics comprised 16.3% of the US population according to the 2010 US census.^[44][47] The Northeast has the highest incarceration rates of Hispanics in the nation.^[48] Connecticut has the highest Hispanic-to-White ratio with 6.6 Hispanic males for every white male. The National Average Hispanic-to-White ratio is 1.8. Other states with high Hispanic-to-White ratios include Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York.^[49]

The Hispanic community is not monolithic, and thus there are variations, even with incarceration rates. Among the Hispanic community, Puerto Ricans have the highest incarceration rate, and are up to six times more likely to be incarcerated than whites, and may explain the higher incarceration rates for Hispanics in the Northeast region.^{[50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58]}Illegal immigrants, usually of Mexican origin, also make up a substantial number of Hispanics incarcerated.^[59][60][61]

In 2010 black non-Hispanic males were incarcerated at the rate of 4,347 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents of the same race and gender. White males were incarcerated at the rate of 678 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents. Hispanic males were incarcerated at the rate of 1,755 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents.^[42][62] For female rates see the table below.

However, black majority cities have similar crime statistics for blacks as do cities where majority of population is white. For example, white majority San Diego has a slightly lower crime rate for blacks than does Atlanta, a city which has black majority in population and city government.^[63]

Census data for 2000, which included a count of the number and race of all individuals incarcerated in the United States, showed for each state that the proportion of blacks in prison populations exceeded the proportion of whites among state residents in every state.^[64] In twenty states, the percent of blacks incarcerated was at least five times greater than their share of resident population.^[64]

If she had been on her game, she would have cited the correct numbers and blamed it on institutional racism.

Jacob responded by making the obvious point that when he referred to our rights – he was talking about American citizens.

He made another obvious point in saying that he and his wife, Donna, “are not the Republican party”.

Then he went on to make the case for immigration reform, but only AFTER the United States follows our current immigration laws.

Video: Jan Brewer on Meet the Press With Jerry Brown + Brewer Endorses Mitt (Sigh)

Governors Jan Brewer (R-AZ) and Jerry Brown (D-CA) appeared on  NBC’s “Meet the Press” program, Sunday morning to discuss U.S. immigration policy and politics.  Governor Brown touted his signing of the DREAM Act and his support for comprehensive immigration reform and Governor Brewer defended her state’s S.B. 1070 immigration enforcement law as being necessary to fight drug cartel violence along the U.S. border with Arizona. In a discussion about the drug violence on the border, Brewer, attacked the Obama administration for sending thousands of guns to the cartels in Mexico, and suing her state, instead of securing the border. “It’s frustrating, David!” she cried.

Note how clumsily David Gregory blurted out his talking point-o-the day: Hispanics as a voting bloc are “certainly not happy with the Republican party.”

Because we believe in securing the borders, that somehow makes us anti-Hispanic, but keeping United States citizens safe is something that Hispanics who are here legally, (and can thus, vote), understand. Meanwhile – you’ve got to be kidding me – Obama is courting the Hispanic vote after arming drug cartels with thousands of high powered weapons to kill Mexican citizens with (virtually an act of war against Mexico), and virtually declaring war against the Catholic Church? He’ll have the  pro-drug cartel vote wrapped up, but less luck with  the pro-life, pro-family Hispanic vote.

A new poll shows that only 46% of Hispanic voters in Florida support Obama for re-election against an unnamed Republican opponent, compared to 57% when Obama ran four years ago. No wonder Gregory is spinning.

On a related note, today, Brewer also publicly endorsed  Mitt Romney for President:

Brewer says Romney’s business background appealed to her.

“I think he’d serve Americans the best of all the candidates,” Brewer said during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, adding that she thinks he’s the candidate who could win November’s election.

The endorsement came four days after Romney and three rivals appeared in a debate in Mesa, Ariz. Immediately following the debate, Brewer told CNN she had yet to decide who to endorse, though she said Newt Gingrich’s plan to consult the governors of southwestern states regarding border policy appealed to her.

Republican Candidate Jacob Turk, (Mo-5) Calls For End To Hotline For Illegal Immigrants

AP File Photo via The Blaze,

Republican candidate for Missouri’s 5th district, Jacob Turk issued a press release denouncing the Obama administration’s creation of a hotline to help illegals fight deportation,  launched between Christmas and News Years when few people were paying attention to the news.

Kansas City, Missouri- Today, Jacob Turk, Republican candidate for Missouri’s 5^th district denounced the Obama administration’s creation of a hotline to help illegals fight deportation.

“This is a waste of taxpayer resources.  The federal government should not be using funds to help illegal immigrants fight deportation.  It sends the wrong message that we are not serious about securing our borders,” said Turk.

The Homeland Security Department has launched a toll free hot line that is staffed 24 hours a day.  Personnel from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement man the line to answer questions on how to fight deportation.  The hotline number is (855) 448-6903.

“Taxpayer funds should be used to help our legal citizens or pay down the debt.  It shouldn’t be used to help keep people who broke our laws in the country,” said Turk.

Turk supports the Obama administration’s Secure Communities program that helps expedite the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants by granting local law enforcement access to fingerprint databases making it easier to identify who is in this country illegally.  The program is supposed to quickly deport illegal immigrants who have further broken our laws and are violent offenders.  It is a way of making our streets safer.  Turk believes that the new hotline established by Homeland Security completely undermines the program.

Turk suggests that these funds would be better spent on securing the borders than giving advice to illegal immigrants on how to circumvent American law.

Having come very close to defeating Congressman Emanuel Cleaver in 2010 and closer than any Republican in the 5^th district since 1946, Turk is in a strong position to defeat the incumbent next November.

Jacob Turk has been a resident of the 5^th Congressional District for 31 years. After completing his Marine Corps service, Turk attended college thanks to the GI Bill, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri. After owning his own small business for 12 years, Turk went to work for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as a programmer and analyst in the research department. Jacob holds the principles of our Constitution and our nation most dear:  a nation founded by the ideals of free enterprise, freedom of speech and religious expression; where one can rise from poverty to prosperity in a single generation through hard work and determination; where people are free to succeed and free to fail.

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Jacob Turk- Republican for Missouri’s 5^th District. We believe representatives must listen to all. Lead with integrity. Protect life and property. Champion opportunity. Leadership. Not politics.

Previously:

Video: Jacob Turk Announces Candidacy For Congress (MO-5)