Amnesty: Politics Before the Public's Safety

It started as a dirty little secret several years ago. Frustrated by opposition to amnesty legislation, the Obama administration bypassed Congress and enacted a backdoor scheme to bypass Congress and enact illegal alien amnesty via executive fiat. That’s when phrases such as, “selective deportation,” entered the administration’s lexicon.

But that was before Barack Obama sailed back into the White House catching a mighty tailwind from minority voters, especially Hispanics.

Now there is no need to bypass Congress. The so-called “Gang of Eight” in the U.S. Senate, including four Republicans, has given birth to the most sweeping amnesty bill in three decades – reform that will certainly worsen the illegal immigration crisis.

Does the immigration “reform” bill provide amnesty for illegal aliens? For certain. It may be clothed in the now-common euphemistic phrase “path to citizenship,” but the bottom line here is that the 11 million+ illegal aliens in the country can first (and perhaps most importantly) become “legalized” and, then, after 13 years, citizens without ever leaving the country.  

“Essentially, [the immigration reform bill] is the most breathtaking, outrageous form of amnesty that’s been seriously considered by the United States Congress, House or Senate in any time that I’m aware of throughout history,” Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King told Newsmax.

Are there loopholes in the mammoth 844-page bill? Yes, and you can drive a truck through them. For example, as currently constructed, the bill would allow those who came to the U.S. illegally “to collect cash assistance, food stamps and health care benefits long before they earn a green card and a pathway to citizenship,” notes The Washington Examiner. Given the state of our sorry economy, such policies are terribly unwise.

And what about border security?  Legalization comes before border security. The timing of border security measures has been left “to the subjective, amorphous discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano,” according to Texas Senator Ted Cruz.  So amnesty first, and border security perhaps never.

Despite its deficiencies, the amnesty bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee without significant changes. It is now set for debate on the Senate floor. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) says he has the votes.

He has 52 Democrats and four Republicans in his camp, needing only four more votes for passage, which he predicts he will “easily” acquire. 

Now even if Reid is correct, there is still the matter of the House of Representatives. House Republicans have said the Senate bill would not stand a chance in their chamber. Instead, they say, the House will craft a bill of its own addressing many of the failings of the Senate version.

“While we applaud the progress made by our Senate colleagues, there are numerous ways in which the House will approach the issue differently,” the Republican leaders said in their statement. “The House remains committed to fixing our broken immigration system, but we will not simply take up and accept the bill that is emerging in the Senate if it passes. Rather, through regular order, the House will work its will and produce its own legislation.”

But I ask you this: How confident are you that the Republican Party will demonstrate the courage necessary to do the right thing? Haven’t we seen Republicans cave before on key issues in the name of political expediency? To hear talk of voter demographics within Republican circles as a justification for granting amnesty to illegal aliens is extremely disturbing.

This is the time to make your voice heard. The U.S. Senate will consider the bill in the next few weeks.  The phone number for the Capitol Hill switchboard is 202-224-3121.  And here’s a link to a site where you can find the contact information for every U.S. Senator. 

Of course, Judicial Watch will persevere no matter what happens on Capitol Hill.  We have a number of active lawsuits over sanctuary policies that aid and abet illegal immigration.  Our investigations in this area are legion (see this link for an overview of our efforts on this crucial issue).  Our nation’s illegal immigration crisis won’t be resolved by Washington politicians.  It will be resolved by citizens acting individually and through groups like Judicial Watch demanding that laws be followed.