Michelle Malkin
The U.S. Department of Illegal Alien Labor
President Obama's Labor Secretary Hilda Solis is supposed to represent American workers. What you need to know is that this longtime open-borders sympathizer has always had a rather radical definition of "American." At a Latino voter registration project conference in Los Angeles many years ago, Solis asserted to thunderous applause, "We are all Americans, whether you are legalized or not."
That's right. The woman in charge of enforcing our employment laws doesn't give a hoot about our immigration laws -- or about the fundamental distinction between those who followed the rules in pursuit of the American dream and those who didn't.
While in Congress, she opposed strengthening the border fence, supported expansion of illegal alien benefits (including driver's licenses and in-state tuition discounts), embraced sanctuary cities that refused to cooperate with federal homeland security officials to enforce immigration laws, and aggressively championed a mass amnesty. Solis was steeped in the pro-illegal alien worker organizing movement in Southern California and was buoyed by amnesty-supporting Big Labor groups led by the Service Employees International Union. She has now caused a Capitol Hill firestorm over her new taxpayer-funded advertising and outreach campaign to illegal aliens regarding fair wages:
"I'm here to tell you that your president, your secretary of labor and this department will not allow anyone to be denied his or her rightful pay -- especially when so many in our nation are working long, hard and often dangerous hours," Solis says in the video pitch. "We can help, and we will help. If you work in this country, you are protected by our laws. And you can count on the U.S. Department of Labor to see to it that those protections work for you."
To be sure, no one should be scammed out of "fair wages." Employers that hire and exploit illegal immigrant workers deserve full sanctions and punishment. But it's the timing, tone-deafness and underlying blanket amnesty agenda of Solis' illegal alien outreach that has so many American workers and their representatives on Capitol Hill rightly upset.
With double-digit unemployment and a growing nationwide revolt over Washington's border security failures, why has Solis chosen now to hire 250 new government field investigators to bolster her illegal alien workers' rights campaign? (Hint: Leftists unhappy with Obama's lack of progress on "comprehensive immigration reform" need appeasing. This is a quick bone to distract them.)
Unfortunately, the federal government is not alone in lavishing attention and resources on workers who shouldn't be here in the first place. As of 2008, California, Florida, Nevada, New York, Texas and Utah all expressly included illegal aliens in their state workers' compensation plans -- and more than a dozen other states implicitly cover them.
Solis' public service announcement comes on the heels of little-noticed but far more troubling comments encouraging illegal alien workers in the Gulf Coast. Earlier this month, in the aftermath of the BP oil spill, according to Spanish language publication El Diario La Prensa, Solis signaled that her department was going out of its way to shield illegal immigrant laborers involved in cleanup efforts. "My purpose is to assist the workers with respect to safety and protection," she said. "We're protecting all workers regardless of migration status because that's the federal law." She told reporters that her department was in talks with local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials who had visited coastal worksites to try to verify that workers were legal.
No word yet on whether she gave ICE her "we are all Americans, whether you are legalized or not" lecture. But it's a safe bet.
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MEXICANOCCUPATION.blogspot.com
From the above blog, email articles to those concerned about Obama’s endless push for amnesty.
FAIRUS.org
JUDICIAL WATCH.org
ALIPAC.us
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FAIR Slams Administration and Congressional Leadership for Rejecting Permanent Reauthorization of E-Verify
(Washington, D.C. October 8, 2009 ) House-Senate conferees finalizing the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, yesterday, undermined the long-term security of American workers by removing language that would have made the E-Verify program permanent. Instead, the conference agreement limits reauthorization to just three years.
E-Verify is the nation’s essential worksite verification tool that allows employers to voluntarily determine whether workers are legally authorized to work in the U.S. by electronically verifying their Social Security numbers. Over 140,000 employers are using the system, 1000 are joining each week, and according to the Department of Homeland Security, E-Verify has a 99.6 percent accuracy rate.
The decision to extend E-Verify for only three years is further evidence of the Obama administration's and the congressional leadership's effort to raise a smokescreen while it dismantles all effective controls against illegal immigration, charged the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
Conferees also stripped other safeguards in the Senate bill that were intended to protect American workers from losing jobs to illegal aliens. These provisions included a requirement that federal contractors use E-Verify to determine the employment eligibility of new and existing employees working on federal contracts, and language to prevent the repeal of a rule that required employers to take action upon the receipt of "no-match" letters, issued to employers whose workers' Social Security data cannot be confirmed. A third provision would have ensured all employers can use E-Verify to determine employment eligibility of existing workers in addition to new hires.
"A three-year extension of E-Verify was the bare minimum this administration and the congressional leadership could support and still make any credible claim that they are prepared to enforce U.S. immigration laws," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "All that would have been required to make E-Verify a permanent federal program is for conferees to have adopted provisions that were already part of the Senate bill. The fact that they did not speaks volumes about the priorities of this Congress and the Obama administration."
"Unfortunately, at a time when American workers most need the full commitment of their government to protect their jobs, what they got was a half-hearted gesture. E-Verify is the real meat and potatoes of worksite enforcement and dries up the jobs magnet which is the reason illegal aliens come and the reason they stay. The program offers a meaningful solution to our immigration crisis and needs a permanent reauthorization, not a temporary stay of execution. The Obama administration and congressional leaders demonstrated, once again, that their goal is to minimize the enforcement of laws against illegal immigration," concluded Stein.
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The Administration's Phantom Immigration Enforcement Policy
According to DHS’s own reports, very little of our nation’s borders (Southwestern or otherwise) are secure, and gaining control is not even a goal of the department.
By Ira Mehlman
Published on 12/07/2009
Townhall.com
The setting was not quite the flight deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln with a “Mission Accomplished” banner as the backdrop, but it was the next best thing. Speaking at the Center for American Progress (CAP) on Nov. 13, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano declared victory over illegal immigration and announced that the Obama administration is ready to move forward with a mass amnesty for the millions of illegal aliens already living in the United States.
Arguing the Obama administration’s case for amnesty, Napolitano laid out what she described as the “three-legged stool” for immigration reform. As the administration views it, immigration reform must include “a commitment to serious and effective enforcement, improved legal flows for families and workers, and a firm but fair way to deal with those who are already here.”
Acknowledging that a lack of confidence in the government’s ability and commitment to effectively enforce the immigration laws it passes proved to be the Waterloo of previous efforts to gain amnesty for illegal aliens, Napolitano was quick to reassure the American public that those concerns could be put to rest.
“For starters, the security of the Southwest border has been transformed from where it was in 2007,” stated the secretary. Not only is the border locked up tight, she continued, but the situation is well in-hand in the interior of the country as well. “We’ve also shown that the government is serious and strategic in its approach to enforcement by making changes in how we enforce the law in the interior of the country and at worksites…Furthermore, we’ve transformed worksite enforcement to truly address the demand side of illegal immigration.”
If Rep. Joe Wilson had been in attendance to hear Secretary Napolitano’s CAP speech he might well have had a few choice comments to offer. But since he wasn’t, we will have to rely on the Department of Homeland Security’s own data to assess the veracity of Napolitano’s claims.
According to DHS’s own reports, very little of our nation’s borders (Southwestern or otherwise) are secure, and gaining control is not even a goal of the department. DHS claims to have “effective control” over just 894 miles of border. That’s 894 out of 8,607 miles they are charged with protecting. As for the other 7,713 miles? DHS’s stated border security goal for FY 2010 is the same 894 miles.
The administration’s strategic approach to interior and worksite enforcement is just as chimerical as its strategy at the border, unless one considers shuffling paper to be a strategy. DHS data, released November 18, show that administrative arrests of immigration law violators fell by 68 percent between 2008 and 2009. The department also carried out 60 percent fewer arrests for criminal violations of immigration laws, 58 percent fewer criminal indictments, and won 63 percent fewer convictions.
While the official unemployment rate has climbed from 7.6 percent when President Obama took office in January to 10 percent today, the administration’s worksite enforcement strategy has amounted to a bureaucratic game of musical chairs. The administration has all but ended worksite enforcement actions and replaced them with paperwork audits. When the audits determine that illegal aliens are on the payroll, employers are given the opportunity to fire them with little or no adverse consequence to the company, while no action is taken to remove the illegal workers from the country. The illegal workers simply acquire a new set of fraudulent documents and move on to the next employer seeking workers willing to accept substandard wages.
In Janet Napolitano’s alternative reality a mere 10 percent of our borders under “effective control” and sharp declines in arrests and prosecutions of immigration lawbreakers may be construed as confidence builders, but it is hard to imagine that the American public is going to see it that way. If anything, the administration’s record has left the public less confident that promises of future immigration enforcement would be worth the government paper they’re printed on.
As Americans scrutinize the administration’s plans to overhaul immigration policy, they are likely to find little in the “three-legged stool” being offered that they like or trust. The first leg – enforcement – the administration has all but sawed off. The second – increased admissions of extended family members and workers – makes little sense with some 25 million Americans either unemployed or relegated to part-time work. And the third – amnesty for millions of illegal aliens – is anathema to their sense of justice and fair play.
As Americans well know, declaring “Mission Accomplished” and actually accomplishing a mission are two completely different things. When it comes to enforcing immigration laws, the only message the public is receiving from this administration is “Mission Aborted.”
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True Immigration Reformers Brief Capitol Hill Staff on Immigration Policy
On Monday, March 22, the newly-formed Reclaim American Jobs Caucus (see FAIR’s Legislative Update, March 22, 2010) invited representatives from pro-immigration enforcement organizations to brief Capitol Hill staff on immigration policy. The well-attended briefing gave various Congressional offices the opportunity to have a rational, informative dialog with organizations on immigration policy just one day after thousands of amnesty supporters staged a rally on the National Mall. (See FAIR’s Legislative Update, March 22, 2010). Participants in the Capitol Hill briefing included: Dan Stein, President of FAIR; Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS); Carol Swain, Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University and author of Debating Immigration; Mike Cutler, a Fellow at CIS; and Roy Beck, CEO of NumbersUSA.
The briefing primarily focused on the adverse effect that mass immigration has on employment rates in the United States. Krikorian cited statistics debunking the pro-amnesty lobby’s argument that illegal aliens “do jobs Americans won’t do,” including the fact that more than 70 percent of employees in the service industry are native-born, according to the Department of Labor. Professor Swain presented a wealth of data proving that mass immigration harms the employment prospects of native-born minorities the most, and argued that E-Verify should be expanded and made mandatory. Cutler, a former agent with the now-defunct Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), focused on the national security implications of mass immigration, and Beck argued that lowering immigration rates would immediately get unemployed Americans back to work.
FAIR President Dan Stein noted: “Ultimately, this is about the American Dream and the ability of Americans right across the spectrum in our political society to feel that they’re working in a fair labor market where employers are required to hire those who are lawfully authorized to work. It’s about trust and respect. It’s about trusting that the government has the ability to manage immigration properly; that the laws against hiring illegal workers are going to be enforced properly; that employers in a sense have obligations to respect that law. And it’s about respecting the rule of law, and respecting our borders, respecting our sovereignty, and respecting us as a people; that we have the self-confidence…to stand firm and say that our immigration laws can and must
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FAIR Legislative Update June 1, 2010
Senate Rejects Efforts to Secure the Border
The Senate rejected three border security amendments that were offered last week to H.R. 4899, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill. (Roll Call Vote No. 165, May 27, 2010; Roll Call Vote No. 166, May 27, 2010; Roll Call Vote No. 167, May 27, 2010). (The Washington Post, May 27, 2010). These critical amendments would have used unspent stimulus funds to provide funding and personnel to address the increasing violence and illegal immigration on the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats managed to defeat all three measures proposed by border state senators, as they each fell short of the 60 votes required to overcome objections made against the amendments.
The first amendment (S.Amdt.4214), sponsored by Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) and cosponsored by Senators Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), John Cornyn (R-Tex.), and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.), would have funded the deployment of 6,000 National Guard troops to support and secure the southern border of the United States. Arguing on behalf of his amendment, McCain stated, “Deploying the National Guard is essential to securing our U.S.-Mexico border. Families living in Arizona should not suffer from the daily threats caused by illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and human smuggling. It is the Federal government’s obligation to protect all Americans by securing the borders, and deploying 6,000 National Guard is a critical first step.” (McCain Press Release, May 27, 2010).
Senators Kyl and McCain also proposed an amendment (S.Amdt.4288) that would have provided $200 million for Operation Streamline, a program to prosecute illegal border crossers rather than release them. The program has been fully implemented in Del Rio, Texas, and Yuma, Arizona, and since its inception in 2005, has dramatically reduced the number of individuals illegally crossing the border in those sectors. (Kyl Press Release, May 27, 2010).
Senator Cornyn’s amendment (S.Amdt.4202), cosponsored by Senators Kyl, Hutchison, and McCain, was a multi-agency border security measure that would have provided $3 billion for the federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who work on the frontlines of the U.S.-Mexico border. The amendment would have funded six important priorities involving border security, which include border security and technology, state and local law enforcement, southwest border taskforces, border enforcement personnel, detention and removal activities, and ports of entry. Speaking on the Senate floor in support of his amendment, Senator Cornyn said, “Our children are living in fear, but the Obama White House is living in denial…I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and help send a message to our border communities that the federal government accepts its responsibility to keep them safe.” (Cornyn Press Release, May 25, 2010).
Senator Kyl slammed the Senate’s rejection of efforts to secure the nation’s border: “On the heels of the President’s ‘announcement’ to send National Guard troops to the border, it’s unfortunate to once again see actions not matching up with words. What happened today in the Senate once again demonstrates the federal government’s failure, and apparent unwillingness, to do what is necessary to secure the border.” (Kyl Press Release, May 27,
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FAIR Legislative Update February 9, 2010
Obama Proposes Cuts to Important Immigration Enforcement Programs
On February 1, President Obama released the details of his Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Budget Request, which seeks to cut funding for important immigration enforcement programs. (See The President’s Budget Message, February 1, 2010). Specifically, the president’s budget would slash funding for the Secure Border Initiative; cut funding for US-VISIT; and cut 180 agents from the Border Patrol. The president’s proposed budget also proposes to merely maintain funding for the critically underfunded State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP).
The Secure Border Initiative (SBI) “is a comprehensive, multi-year plan to help secure America’s borders” through fencing, infrastructure, and technology. (CBP Factsheet). SBI is a critical element of the larger DHS-CBP effort to increase border security, which includes construction of the border fence. Last year, Congress approved $800 million to fund SBI through FY2010. President Obama is requesting only $574 million for this program in his FY2011 budget, a $226 million cut. (FY2011 Budget Request Appendix: DHS).
US-VISIT, or United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, is an entry-exit tracking program that collects information, including biometric identifiers, on foreign nationals attempting when they enter the United States. This information is then used to, among other things, determine whether foreign nationals should be denied entry and whether exiting aliens have overstayed or otherwise violated the terms of their admission. According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released in November 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not have a unified schedule to completely implement a comprehensive exit function for US-VISIT, and it is difficult to determine when and how US-VISIT will be completed. (GAO Report, November 2009). Despite this failure to complete implementation, President Obama has proposed a $39 million cut to US-VISIT, from $374 million in FY2010 to $335 million in FY2011. (FY2011 Budget Request Appendix: DHS).
In addition, President Obama’s budget provides for a reduction of 180 Border Patrol agents. According to Acting DHS Chief Financial Officer Peggy Sherry, the administration does “not believe the 180 personnel reduction will in any way reduce the overall operating effectiveness of the Border Patrol because over the past five years, the Border Patrol has doubled in size.” Sherry continued: “A lot of the agent workforce, the substantial portion of it, has only a couple of years experience. As they become more seasoned and more mature in their jobs, their effectiveness will increase.” (See DHS Conference Call Transcript).
The administration has also requested only $330 million for SCAAP – a federal program administered through the Department of Justice that helps states pay for the incarceration of criminal aliens. (FY2011 Budget Request: DOJ). Congress recently cut the annual funding level for SCAAP from $400 million in FY2009 to $330 million in FY2010. (See FAIR’s Legislative Update, December 22, 2009). This cut drew significant criticism from border state Governors Rick Perry (R-TX) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), yet through his request, President Obama suggests that he wants to make it permanent. (Id.).
Although President Obama’s budget is a significant barometer reflecting his policies and priorities, it represents simply a funding request to Congress. Congress has the true power to appropriate money and can choose to wholesale adopt, modify, or reject the President’s budget request. As Congress and the administration negotiate the complicated budgeting and appropriations process over the coming months, stay tuned to FAIR for in-depth analyses of important immigration-related funding decisions.
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Reid Jobs Bill Benefits Employers Who Hire Illegal Aliens!
Call your Senators today and tell them to stand up for the American Worker!
On Monday night, the Senate voted to move forward with debate on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) jobs bill, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act (S.AMDT.3310 to H.R.2847). The HIRE Act has two major tax provisions: (1) an exemption from payroll taxes for employers who hire new employees in 2010 and (2) a $1,000 tax credit for employers who keep those employees for at least 52 weeks. However, the bill does not require that these new workers be American workers or that employers use E-Verify to confirm that the workers hired are work authorized. (See FAIR’s Legislative Update)
To make matters worse, Senate Majority Leader Reid intends to block all amendments to the HIRE Act and to hold a vote on final passage tonight!
It’s not too late to make your voice heard! True immigration reformers in the Senate want to fix these problems, but they need our help! Here’s what you can do:
Call your Senators today and tell them:
• Jobs created by the HIRE Act should go to American workers, not illegal aliens;
• Employers should be prohibited from receiving tax benefits if they hire illegal aliens;
• Employers should be required to use E-Verify to qualify for these tax benefits; and
• You expect your Senators to demand that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fix this problem now!
To find your Senators’ phone numbers, click here and enter your five-digit zip code.
After you have called your own Senators, please call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and give him the same message! (202)-224-3452
Reid Jobs Bill Benefits Employers Who Hire Illegal Aliens!
Call your Senators today and tell them to stand up for the American Worker!
On Monday night, the Senate voted to move forward with debate on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) jobs bill, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act (S.AMDT.3310 to H.R.2847). The HIRE Act has two major tax provisions: (1) an exemption from payroll taxes for employers who hire new employees in 2010 and (2) a $1,000 tax credit for employers who keep those employees for at least 52 weeks. However, the bill does not require that these new workers be American workers or that employers use E-Verify to confirm that the workers hired are work authorized. (See FAIR’s Legislative Update)
To make matters worse, Senate Majority Leader Reid intends to block all amendments to the HIRE Act and to hold a vote on final passage tonight!
It’s not too late to make your voice heard! True immigration reformers in the Senate want to fix these problems, but they need our help! Here’s what you can do:
Call your Senators today and tell them:
• Jobs created by the HIRE Act should go to American workers, not illegal aliens;
• Employers should be prohibited from receiving tax benefits if they hire illegal aliens;
• Employers should be required to use E-Verify to qualify for these tax benefits; and
• You expect your Senators to demand that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fix this problem now!
To find your Senators’ phone numbers, click here and enter your five-digit zip code.
After you have called your own Senators, please call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and give him the same message! (202)-224-3452
Reid Jobs Bill Benefits Employers Who Hire Illegal Aliens!
Call your Senators today and tell them to stand up for the American Worker!
On Monday night, the Senate voted to move forward with debate on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) jobs bill, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act (S.AMDT.3310 to H.R.2847). The HIRE Act has two major tax provisions: (1) an exemption from payroll taxes for employers who hire new employees in 2010 and (2) a $1,000 tax credit for employers who keep those employees for at least 52 weeks. However, the bill does not require that these new workers be American workers or that employers use E-Verify to confirm that the workers hired are work authorized. (See FAIR’s Legislative Update)
To make matters worse, Senate Majority Leader Reid intends to block all amendments to the HIRE Act and to hold a vote on final passage tonight!
It’s not too late to make your voice heard! True immigration reformers in the Senate want to fix these problems, but they need our help! Here’s what you can do:
Call your Senators today and tell them:
• Jobs created by the HIRE Act should go to American workers, not illegal aliens;
• Employers should be prohibited from receiving tax benefits if they hire illegal aliens;
• Employers should be required to use E-Verify to qualify for these tax benefits; and
• You expect your Senators to demand that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fix this problem now!
To find your Senators’ phone numbers, click here and enter your five-digit zip code.
After you have called your own Senators, please call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and give him the same message! (202)-224-3452
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