Immigration News

Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) appointed an illegal alien, Lizbeth Mateo, to the California Student Opportunity and Access Program Grant Advisory Committee. She is the first illegal alien to appointed a state office in California. Mateo complained that illegal residents are not adequately represented in state government. She stated, "While undocumented students are become more visible in our state they remain underrepresented in places where decisions that affect them are being made."

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Texas Senate Bill 4 which bans sanctuary cities in that state. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hailed the ruling. He stated, "I'm pleased the 5th Circuit recognized that the Senate Bill 4 is lawful, constitutional and protects the safety of law enforcement officers and all Texans. Enforcing immigration law prevents the release of individuals from custody who have been charged with serious crimes. Dangerous criminals shouldn't be allowed back into our communities to possibly commit more crimes." 

A study by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) found that a wall on the Mexican border can pay for itself simply by impeding the flow of illegal aliens. Citing data from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, CIS noted that "illegal border-crossers create an average fiscal burden of $74,722 during their lifetimes, excluding any costs for their U.S.-born children. If a border wall stopped between 160,000 and 200,000 crossers--9 to 12 percent of those expected to successfully cross in the next decade--the fiscal savings would equal the $12 to $15 billion cost of the wall.

Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban affirmed that unchecked mass migration threatens to  pull down all achievements of the receiving countries. He affirmed that "If migration becomes a human right. . . . [And if] sovereignty is taken away, then ancient cultural rights, opportunities and living standards achieved through hard work will be at risk." He added, in reference to the Hungarian elections next month that "We have to face the fact that some people out there have set out to turn Hungary into an immigrant country and they have selected as candidates, backed by a lot of money--the international money of George Soros, his civil organizations and a large part of the foreign-owned media operating in Hungary."     

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) harshly criticized the Trump Administration's lawsuit against California for obstructing federal efforts to deport illegal aliens. She stated, "The people of California will not be bowed by the Trump Administration's brazen aggression and intimidation tactics. California will continue to proudly keep our doors open to the immigrants who make America more American. We will fight this sham lawsuit and will fight all cowardly attacks on our immigrant communities." Pelosi didn't explain why it is "cowardly" to uphold the rule of law.  

The Department of Justice has sued the state of California for its obstructions of federal immigration law enforcement. Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated, "The Department of Justice and the Trump Administration are going to fight these unjust, unfair, and unconstitutional policies." California Gov. Jerry Brown replied that the DOJ's move to uphold the rule of law would "further divide and polarize America."

San Francisco's interim mayor Mark Farrell announced that the city aims to spend a large sum of taxpayers' money to provide legal defense for every individual Trump Administration seeks  to deport as an illegal alien. He will seek $7 million from state sources and $3.5 million from the city. Said Farrell, "We are in unprecedented territory here. [Trump] is targeting our immigrant community, here in San Francisco. We are not going to stand for that." He didn't explain what what is "unprecedented" about federal immigration authorities trying to enforce the law or why its wrong to target foreigners for deportation who are residing in our country illegally. 

Although Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf alerted illegal aliens in her city to an upcoming ICE raid, ICE will still able to arrest 232 of them. Among those arrested, said the enforcement agency, were 115 who "had prior felony convictions for serious or violent offenses, such as child sex crimes, weapons charges and assault, or had past convictions for significant or multiple misdemeanors." Schaaf defended her decision to safeguard criminals in her city by saying that "I did what was right for my community as well as protect public safety. People should be able to live without fear or panic and know their rights and responsibilities." Acting ICE Director Tom Homan harshly criticized her action, "What she did is no better than a gang lookout yelling 'police' when a police cruiser comes in the neighborhood, except she did this to a whole community. This beyond the pale." He estimated that as many as 800 illegal aliens were able to escape because of her warning.

A study by U.S. News and World Report lists California as the state with the worst "quality of life" in the nation. This is interesting in light of the claim by immigration advocates that immigration always brings  economic and cultural enrichment. If that were true, California--with the highest number and percentage of immigrants--one would think the state would be near the top. Actually, by general consensus, it did have an excellent quality of life--before mass immigration. Two of the categories in the study were the environment, which is stressed by immigration-fueled population growth, and social engagement which suffers from excessive diversity stemming from immigration.

California' Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom has urged local leaders in California to follow the example of Oakland's Mayor Libby Scghaaf who believes in warning illegal aliens of impending raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As the San Francisco Chronicle observed, "Not only will Oakland and its police force not cooperate with ICE, but the city will actively seek to thwart efforts to detain and deport [illegal immigrants]."