Yesterday, the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council (NCISC), joined the National ICE Council in opposing the Gang of Eight legislation. Between these two unions, they represent more than 20,000 Department Homeland Security employees working in immigration enforcement.
Kenneth Palinkas, NCISC president, echoed the concerns of Chris Crane, president of the National ICE Council, in a statement announcing the position:
Yet, like the ICE Council, the USCIS Council was not consulted in the crafting ofthe Gang of Eight’s legislation. Instead, the legislation was written with special interests- producing a bill that makes the current system worse, not better. S. 744 will damage public safety and national security and should be opposed by lawmakers.
Palinkas also indicated that NCISC would support a letter signed by more than 40 law enforcement and immigration enforcement officials that was released earlier in May.
Since many of the 20,000 employees represented between these two unions are on the front line of immigration enforcement, this announcement made headlines:
New York Times: Larger Union That Enforces Immigration Opposes Bill
A letter to Congress that excoriates the Senate proposal, and that the immigration officers’ union signed for the first time, reveals simmering unrest among Homeland Security employees, who have been asked to carry out broad and fast-paced immigration policy shifts by the Obama administration. Deportation agents have been instructed to focus heavily on removing serious criminal offenders, while immigration officers have been urged to accelerate their decisions on granting legal papers and reprieves from deportation.
The Hill: Union for immigration enforcement officers to oppose Senate bill
In a statement, National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council (NCISC) President Kenneth Palinkas said the bill would create an “insurmountable bureaucracy” within his agency and argued the legislation would interfere with the independent judgment of officers who were already “pressured to rubber stamp applications instead of conducting diligent case review and investigation.”
Politico: National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council fights Senate bill
The opposition of the National CIS Council is a boost to the bill’s opponents in the Senate, and to National ICE Council President Chris Crane, who has become a loud and prominent voice against the legislation, but had found himself alone among federal law enforcement unions in opposition. Palinkas said he would sign a letter Crane sent to senators earlier this month declaring the Gang of Eight legislation “fails to meet the needs of the law enforcement community.”
Daily Caller: Immigration officers union warns against Senate immigration bill
‘In his statement, Palinkas highlights nine issues his union believes the Gang of Eight legislation fails to address with the current immigration system, including the fact that Palinkas says USCIS has become an application “approval machine” where few applications are denied due to a “rubber stamp” culture, “discouraging proper investigation into red flags and discouraging the denial of any applications…” Palinkas further decries what he calls Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s “secretive panels,” which must approve USCIS officers’ notices for illegal immigrants to appear before federal judges to be put in removal proceedings…”
Washington Free Beacon: Union representing immigration officials opposes immigration reform
‘Sources say it is highly unusual for the USCIS Council to weigh in publicly on legislation… The USCIS Council, whose members would play a key role in implementing the proposed immigration law, will be the second of three government immigration services unions to oppose the so-called Gang of Eight’s immigration bill… “The legislation will provide legal status to millions of visa overstays while failing to provide for necessary in-person interviews,” said Palinkas “We need immigration reform that works. This legislation, sadly, will not…”
Wall Street Journal: Two Unions Oppose Senate Immigration Bill
For instance, the legislation fails to tackle the agency’s “insurmountable bureaucracy,” where officers are pressured to approve all applications, Kenneth Palinkas said in a statement Monday explaining why he joined Mr. Crane’s letter. Mr. Palinkas’s union, the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, represents about 12,000 USCIS workers.
LA Times: Union of Federal Workers Opposes Immigration Bill
As the committee convened for its fourth day of hearings, the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, which represents about 12,000 employees at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, announced its opposition, saying provisions in the bill could lead to fraud.
NPR: Immigration Officers’ Union Will Oppose Senate Bill
The National CIS Council is the second union to oppose the bill being discussed in Congress. The National ICE Council, which represents Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, has expressed its opposition to the bill for a while now.
Washington Examiner: Why law enforcement opposes Schumer-Rubio immigration bill
A key theme throughout the USCIS statement is a lack of trust in the Obama administration to enforce existing law, and the assertion that Schumer-Rubio does nothing to ensure future enforcement.
6 Comments
I REALLY LIKED WHAT YOU HAD TO SAY ON HUCKABEE AND HAVE WATCHED THE FOX NEWS PROGRAMS LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LAWSUIT. I FELT IT WAS SO IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR NOT BEING ABLE TO DO YOUR JOB AND OBEY THE LAW OF THE LAND. BEFORE THERE IS ANY NEW IMMIGRATION POLICY I BELIEVE WE NEED TO CLEAN UP THE ONE WE HAVE.
I believe that they are trying to do their job, but it is hard to do anything with your hands tied behind your back. Obama has spent millions on equipment, people ( followers. wanna bes) to go after law abiding people. this is going to turn into another beegazi, where Obama, Hillary and the rest of the hill and senate look the other way.
They say this is for the good of the nation, to follow, tape lines and take news reports that are against them. The “new task force” should be used to assist the border patrols. As for rubber stamping green card apps. they need to send each and everyone of them back where they came from. Obama and Hillary are just trying to get more voters on their side so she can be the next president. They are trying to remove are rights to be arms and say what we think. All this is going to do is open the gates of hell up, so every crooks or felon can do what they want.That is 22 million plus what is sill coming or are already here. Law abiding people follow the law while crimmanils. are not going to turn in their guns or obey the law. Obama and Hillary are not giving green cards out. They are giving free food stamps, money, jobs, and homes to the people who have made it here. While all the time breaking the laws.
It’s time we stand up as one and remove Obama, Hillary, and the rest of the senate, and hill from office, even if it means to enforce the laws set forth by our fore fathers. and put them on trail for the crimes they have done against this nation. We should be using this new army of Obama’s and Hillary’s to hunt down any and all that their visa, or green card is expired and deport them back across the border.
If needed tempoay depurtize law abiding people to help patrol the borders, as we have done with the reserve to help patrol the borders in their areas, with the border patrol units. This would not only stop them from coming across the borders, but also stop a lot more of thr drugs that they bring with them.
“We the People” need to stand strong against a government who is and has been self-serving for way too long (through 8 Presidents). If our government were nor so corrupt and working for big business, not the people, this illegal problem this nation is facing now would not have happened. Reagan started this Border running when he granted the illegals Amnesty in 1986, and Obama got re-elected through illegal votes being counted, and almost assured his re-election promising them he would grant them Amnesty again. This madness must be stopped through Impeaching a President that has betrayed this country more than once. getting rid of the corrupt officials in Congress and the politician’s that are in the political ring to fill their coffers. We must stand together people in order for America to survive the next recession that is coming on top of the one we are already in, because the dollar is going to lose the world currency slot, and printing more money will not happen any more; when this happens we all stand to lose what little we have.
What a conspiracy against the wellbeing of USA,,traitor gang of eight,,wake up USA,,,wake up USA
The Only Thing Keeping Our Open Border Politicians Replacing Legal DHS Employee Citizens With Cheap Immigrants
Is security clearances, and they’ll get around that soon too.
Our immigration officials are overwhelmed now and this bill adds many millions more to their burden. They cannot possibly check the backgrounds of all these people. It virtually opens the flood gates, while this administration tries to pressure agents into not doing their jobs. It’s why we have several national investigations going on now. Because this administration enforces the laws and policies it wants, and looks the other way when it’s convenient.