The stars appear to be aligning for another opportunity for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Apparently, Federation for American Immigration Reform(FAIR) connects the dots and reads the writing on the wall. Here’s what they report:
- A “placeholder bill” S-9 has been reserved by the Democratic Senate leadership. The lower the number, the higher the priority. Known as “A bill to strengthen the United States economy, provide for more effective border and employment enforcement, and for other purposes” it is, in fact, the legislative reservation where illegal alien amnesty will ultimately be debated.
- Amnesty advocacy groups, purporting to represent Hispanic voters, are seeking to leverage those votes to gain amnesty for illegal aliens.
- President Obama has appointed a disturbing volume of administration officials who are on record as opposing enforcement and/or supporting amnesty. Among them include Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano whose immigration enforcement record as Governor of Arizona is mixed, at best. Others include Cecilia Munoz as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, formerly a Vice President of La Raza, Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor who has supported in-state tuition for illegals and opposed REAL ID, and Rep. Gutierrez (D-IL) who continues his 16-city National Amnesty Tour condemning immigration enforcement and encouraging grassroots organizing to pressure lawmakers.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently told a group of both legal and illegal immigrants that enforcement of existing immigration laws, as currently practiced, is “un-American.” The speaker, condemning worksite enforcement efforts by ICE agents, referred to the immigrants she was addressing as “very, very patriotic.”
- In response to an ICE worksite enforcement effort at a Bellingham, WA plant employing illegal aliens, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano revealed her true opinion of worksite enforcement by saying she had “grave concerns” about the enforcement, and promised to “get to the bottom” of it.
- Widespread efforts are underway to roll back or entirely dismantle ICE worksite enforcement and the 287g program. This administration appears to be pushing for immigration enforcement only against convicted violent criminal felons and terrorists. While these individuals must be identified, detained, and/or deported, only targeting this population constitutes a hands-off policy for the vast majority of the illegal alien population.
- E-Verify is still waiting for its permanent reauthorization. It is being held hostage to be used as leverage in a broad amnesty battle. Keeping E-Verify’s existence sputtering along six months at a time with the help of Senator Reid and others maximizes the advantage for the amnesty advocates and their agenda. The expiration of each six-month term represents a new opportunity to use their ace in the hole. “We’ll think about approving E-Verify; you give us amnesty” is the game strategy.
- Groups like America’s Voice, Center for American Progress, MALDEF, LaRaza, and scores of others have shifted their arguments for amnesty to conveniently fit the current economic turmoil and are now claiming that providing a “path to citizenship” for 12 million illegal aliens will actually improve the economy and increase wages. In a more subtle shift, the opposition is now using three tactics in their efforts and arguments to push for legalization: Ignoring the Facts, Appealing to Emotion, and Intimidating and Attacking their Opposition.
- Last, but not least, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (R-NV) was quoted in the Hispanic press as saying, “I expect to achieve it (amnesty) before September, and I feel extremely confident that we can pass it. We are 59 Democrats and we need 60 votes, then we are going to need a little help and we are going to need them (the Republicans).” [Ponen fecha para reforma migratoria, El Informador, January 28, 2009]
