Immigration News

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump Administration is repealing the DACA amnesty that President Obama unilaterally decreed. By doing so, he ignored the constitutional authority of Congress to pass laws. Sessions noted that DACA showed "disrespect for the legislative process." The program will phase out at the end of six months unless Congress renews it. Some observers believe that the administration will seek concessions from immigration advocates if they want to keep DACA or some version of it. Those concessions might include passage of mandatory E-Verify, border fencing, and significant reduction of legal immigration.

U.S. companies often maintain that they face labor shortages which require them to hire foreign workers who come on temporary visas. This summer that claim faced a test when companies were not able to get all the H-2B seasonal low-wage, foreign workers they wanted. What happened? An article in Politico reported that they filled their positions by advertising for Americans and raising wages.

A federal judge, Orlando Garcia, issued a preliminary injunction blocking SB4, the Texas law that bans sanctuary cities in the state. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton promised to "continue fighting for Senate bill 4 and said he was "confident that SB4 will ultimately be upheld as constitutional and lawful."

According to Richard Fisher, the former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston cannot be rebuilt in the wake of Hurricane Harvey without "Mexican labor." He did not specify as to whether they would be legal or illegal. Research suggests, however, sufficient numbers of American construction workers are available to do the work. The Center for Economic and Policy Research found that there are 3.3 unemployed construction workers for every 2.5 job openings. Commenting on this and other data, the Daily Caller commented that "there are unemployed and underemployed workers whom Texas builders could recruit to rebuild Houston. Part of that strategy could also include offering higher pay to match wage growth in other sectors of the economy."

Under the Trump Administration the 287 (g) program has expanded. Named after the federal law that authorizes it, 287 (g) allows law enforcement to assist federal immigration law enforcement. Last month, 18 new jurisdictions joined the program making a nation-wide total of 60. Illegal alien advocates strongly oppose 287 (g). The Obama Administration tried to phase it out.

In a settlement with the Department of Justice, a company in Louisiana has to pay more than $100,000 to Americans workers who did not get jobs because the company hired foreigners through a work visa program. The Justice Department stated that the company "failed to consider or improperly rejected U.S. workers who applied for positions as sheet metal workers or laborers, and then sought to fill the vacancies with foreign workers under the H-2B visa program."

President Trump pardoned former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio for violating a federal judge's order against detaining illegal aliens. Critics of the order felt that it was politically motivated. A statement from the White House noted that "Arpaio's life and career, which began at he age of 18 when he enlisted in the military after the outbreak of the Korean War, exemplifies self public service. After more than fifty years of admirable service to our nation, he is a worthy candidate for a presidential pardon."

According to one report, President Trump may end the DACA amnesty for illegal aliens in the so-called "Dreamer" category. DACA was created by an edict of President Obama. His action ignored the constitutional requirement that delegates lawmaking to Congress, rather than the president. Since the decree of DACA, 800,000 illegal aliens have used it to gain legal residence and work permits.

McClatchy DC reports that the Trump Administration may accept the DACA amnesty for illegal aliens in exchange for concessions in other areas of immigration policy including reductions in legal immigration, mandatory E-Verify, and funding for a border wall.

An article in The Hill states that the Trump Administration should place as much emphasis on the E-Verify program as it does with building a wall on the Mexican border. E-Verify enables employers to check federal data bases to determine whether new hires are authorized to work in the U.S. The program is now voluntary for employers. If it were made mandatory, this article points out, it would be a highly effective tool against illegal immigration by eliminating the "magnet" of jobs for illegal aliens.