Immigration News

The GOP in its replies to President Obama's State of the Union Speech sent a mixed message. The first one, by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, was in English. The second one, by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), was in Spanish. The languages were different, and so was the content of each. Haley's affirmed that "stopping illegal immigration" was one of party's goals, and she made no suggestion of amnesty for illegal aliens. Diaz-Balart, however, stated that America must offer a "permanent and humane solution to those who live in the shadows." This language commonly refers to amnesty.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Rep. Dave (R-VA) has called on GOP lawmakers to take a stand for immigration control. In a Dear Colleague letter, Sessions and Brat state that this is "the one policy that separates the views of the GOP's voters from the party's biggest donors." They further maintain that "If we want to lay out a 'bold, conservative agenda' and demonstrate that we serve the voters--and not the special interests--we should begin by advancing bill to reduce out-of-control immigration."

Two refugees, in Texas and California, have been charged with having ties to ISIS, the Islamic terrorist organization. Commenting on these cases, Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott stated, “This is precisely why I called for a halt to refugees entering the U.S. from countries substantially controlled by terrorists. I once again urge the President to halt the resettlement of these refugees in the United States until there is an effective vetting process that will ensure refugees do not compromise the safety of Americans and Texans.”

The recent federal spending bill authorized an expansion of the H-2B visa program, for seasonal workers not in agriculture. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) justified this provision by claiming that there is a shortage of these workers. The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) investigated Ryan's claim and found no evidence of a shortage.

PEGIDA began as a organization of patriotic Germans opposed to mass immigration from Islamic countries. Last month it held a 40,000 person rally in Dresden, Germany. Groups associated with PEGIDA have recently formed in other European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Holland, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and Switzerland.

While most Americans were welcoming in 2016, on New Year's Eve the Obama administration published 181 pages of proposed regulations that will allow many...

The Obama Administration is proposing work-permits for 15 categories of migrants who are appealing deportation orders. The proposal, a Hill staffer observed,“Obama is transferring the jobs and salaries of Americans to foreign nationals, including illegal aliens . . . [who will be] licensed to take middle class jobs. [It] “highlights the unholy alliance between progressive Democrats, progressive Republicans, and the Obama administration… [so] when it comes to finding a job in America, being native-born in America is a disadvantage.”

Former Congressman Tom Tancredo believes that attention should be directed to the danger to public health posed by illegal immigration. He cited a February 2015 report by the Southern Medical Association which stated that “Illegal immigration may expose Americans to diseases that have been virtually eradicated but are highly contagious, as in the case of TB.” The report added that “There’s a growing health concern over illegal immigrants bringing infectious diseases into the United States."

Citing official statistics from the Department of Homeland Security, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) reports that immigration law enforcement is in "a state of collapse." CIS noted that : •Total deportations by ICE (including both border and interior cases) declined 25% from last year, from 315,943 in 2014 to 235,413 in 2015. •Interior deportations by ICE declined 31% from last year, from 100,114 in 2014 to 69,478 in 2015. •Most concerning, deportations of criminal aliens from the interior declined 27% from last year, from 86,923 in 2014 to 63,127 in 2015.

Britain's Central Bank, the Bank of England, affirmed that mass immigration to Britain suppresses the wages of UK natives, particularly those who are semi-skilled and unskilled workers--about one-forth of the workforce. Mass immigration advocates in the UK use the same arguments to claim that immigration doesn't suppress wages that Americans who support it use.