Brown Signs Bills to Help Illegal Aliens

Brown Signs Bills to Help Illegal Aliens

“Law enforcement officials in California who arrest immigrants in the country illegally will be prohibited from detaining them for transfer to federal authorities unless they committed a serious crime under one of several bills signed Saturday by Gov. Jerry Brown to ease conditions for immigrants,” the LA Times writes.

“The Trust Act is the second milestone bill on immigration signed by the governor in two days. On Thursday he approved a measure allowing immigrants in the country illegally to receive California driver’s licenses.”

California – Where Illegal Means Legal

“It seems like a lifetime ago when the U.S. Senate passed a bill to revise our immigration laws. The bill — which was touted by some as the cure to our immigration problems — went to the House of Representatives and died. The House stated they wanted to deal with the issue in pieces and not have another monster bill like Obamacare or Dodd-Frank, each of which have massive unintended consequences. Without federal action, California is stepping into the breach to resolve the issue for all Americans,” says Bruce Bialosky at Townhall.com.

[FAIR comment: The bill has never actually been submitted to the House; as a revenue raising measure, it would automatically be “blue-slipped” because all revenue raising measures must originate in the House. Sen. Reid has never sent the bill to the House, this is another example of how the media construct a false narrative on immigration.]

“This column previously wrote that to make any progress on immigration, two truths would have to be accepted: First, there would have to be legitimate enforcement of our borders with a real fence along the southern border. Second, that we would have to deal with the estimated eleven million illegal immigrants within our borders, and kicking them out was not a solution. Well, the leaders of California have taken hold of the second part while ignoring the first.”

Amnesty Protests Ramp Up This Week

“Demonstrators rallied across the U.S. on Saturday to pressure Congress and President Barack Obama to pass an immigration overhaul, in what organizers billed as the opening chapter in a new campaign to revive stalled legislation,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Organizers, from faith, labor and civil-rights groups, dubbed the demonstrations a ‘National Day for Dignity and Respect.’ The marches are a prelude to a rally and concert planned for Tuesday on the National Mall in Washington, which organizers hope will draw tens of thousands.”

Shutdown Politics Overshadows Immigration

“With [amnesty]eclipsed by the federal government shutdown, advocates hoped to regain momentum with weekend marches and rallies in numerous cities,” the Christian Science Monitor writes.

“[Amnesty] supporters want lawmakers locked in a bitter political fight over funding to act on immigration legislation that would legalize an estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally. The Senate in June approved a bill that also incorporates beefed-up border enforcement but the full House has yet to vote on a measure.”

Obama Administration Abuse of Prosecutorial Discretion Continues

“As Congress sputters on an immigration overhaul that could determine the fate of an estimated 11.7 million immigrants in the country unlawfully, the Obama administration has applied prosecutorial discretion in a series of directives. One directive issued in August focused on immigrant parents in deportation proceedings. It re-emphasized guidelines to keep families together,” the Dallas Morning News says.

“‘In the context of immigration, the Obama administration has stretched prosecutorial discretion beyond all recognition,’ said lawyer Kris Kobach, who has represented several cities and states, including Farmers Branch, in legislation targeting illegal immigration. Kobach, who is Kansas secretary of state, was among the attorneys for 10 deportation agents in a Dallas federal suit aimed at reining in many forms of prosecutorial discretion.”