Green Border Security is as Effective as Green Energy

Energy productivity isn't the only thing that is hampered by laws governing so-called endangered species.  For decades, the Departments of Interior and Agriculture have encumbered border security operations with layers of environmental restrictions and regulations.  Additionally, the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has been forced to pay millions in taxpayer dollars, known as mitigation funds, to offset the "environmental effects" of their roads, fences, and surveillance towers in or near national parks and other federally owned lands.  Now, Rep. Rob Bishop is seeking to exempt the border patrol agents from these laws, so they can focus on their real job – protecting the border.

Bishop's bill (H.R. 1505) prohibits the secretaries of Agriculture and Interior from impeding border security operations that are currently stymied by three dozen environmental regulations, including the Wilderness Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, and the 1965 law known as the Solid Waste Disposal Act.  This bill allows CPB to construct roads and fences, use patrol vehicles, and set up monitoring equipment within on all federal lands within 100 miles of both the northern and southern borders.

The bill passed the Natural Resources Committee on a party line vote.  Now Republican leaders must schedule a floor vote on this vital legislation.

Attrition Through Enforcement Immigration Policy Works in Alabama

Proponents of illegal immigration and open borders are constantly propagating a straw-man argument for amnesty that offers false policy choices.  They contend that "we cannot possibly send back the illegals without physically deporting every one of them, and therefore, we are forced to grant them amnesty, in addition to a 'pathway to citizenship.'  Those with some sense of sanity have always realized that the source of the problem is our incentivizing of illegal behavior, and that a concerted effort to enforce the laws would drain the illegal population through "attrition by enforcement."

Now Alabama is showing the rest of the country how we can solve the problem simply by enforcing the laws on the books, or, more accurately, performing the job that the federal government refuses to do.

Last Wednesday, federal district court Judge Sharon Blackburn refused the Obama administration's request to issue an injunction on the major provisions of Alabama's new immigration law (H.B. 56).  Consequently, state and local police are authorized to check the immigration status of those already apprehended for breaking a law or those caught driving without a license.  In addition to upholding the "Arizona SB 1070 provision," Judge Blackburn upheld the provision which requires every public school in Alabama to determine if an enrolling student was born outside the United States or is a child of an illegal alien.

Well, it didn't take long for the illegals to do the jobs that the Feds refuse to do; namely, self-deportation.  Fox News is reporting that many illegals are getting the message that it is a new day for the rule of law in Alabama:

Hispanic students have started vanishing from Alabama public schools in the wake of a court ruling that upheld the state's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration.
Education officials say scores of immigrant families have withdrawn their children from classes or kept them home this week, afraid that sending the kids to school would draw attention from authorities.
There are no precise statewide numbers. But several districts with large immigrant enrollments -- from small towns to large urban districts -- reported a sudden exodus of children of Hispanic parents, some of whom told officials they planned to leave the state to avoid trouble with the law, which requires schools to check students' immigration status. (emphasis added)

Yes – indeed people vote with their feet.  They did the same thing in Arizona.  Even though SB 1070 was never implemented, roughly 100,000 illegals left the state.  The bottom line is that when they are not collecting $4.2 billion in refundable tax handouts, receiving some form of welfare on behalf of their American-born children, or obtaining employment, they will leave.

In that sense, even Obama has demonstrated attrition through the removal of incentives.  He has perpetuated joblessness and stagnation, engendering a sharp decline in illegal migration (CRS report p.3).  Not surprisingly, Texas, which has experienced an economic boom, is the only state with a growing population of illegals.  200,000 more illegals have invaded the Lone Star State from 2007-2009.  Now, if only we could actually remove the magnet without destroying our economy, we would solve the illegal problem without mass deportation or amnesty – or even worse, a pathway to citizenship.  In other words, treating illegals as illegal actually works.

Cross-posted to RedState.com

Joe Walsh’s Smackdown of Obama on Immigration

It's better alligators than Hollywood celebrities.



Like no other president in American history, President Obama supports the domineering use of government over every facet of our lives.  Yet, when it comes to one of the few core functions of government, like border security and the regulation of immigration, he is suddenly tepid about asserting power.  Worse, he uses the power of executive agencies to disregard and subvert immigration laws that were duly passed by Congress.  Now he is denigrating those who suffer from gang violence along the border and those who seek to fulfill our core constitutional responsibilities.

Earlier this week, Obama thought that he would interject his “White House Correspondents’ Dinner level of intellect” into our national security, by accusing Republicans of desiring an alligator-filled moat along the southern border.  Today, Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) offered a superlative smackdown of Obama’s immigration speech in El Paso through an open letter to the President:

GAO Report: Limited Control Over our Own Border

A nation with no borders is not a nation at all.  Sadly, that is exactly what Obama wants.

Obama has no problem ignoring Congress to use our military on behalf of Al-Qaeda backed rebels in a country that has no interest to our security.  Yet, he eagerly abdicates his core constitutional responsibility to protect our own border and sovereignty.

On Wednesday, Richard M. Stana, director of homeland security issues at the Government Accountability Office, testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security regarding the status of our border security.  His 28 page report paints a grim picture and exposes the vulnerability of our border.  Here are some of the key findings:

• Of the 1,825-mile U.S.-Mexico border, only 129 miles, or 7%, are fully secure.  There are another 744 miles in which the border patrol has established "an acceptable level of control."
•  Of the 3,918-mile northern border, only 2 miles are fully secure, while another 69 miles have "an acceptable level of control."
• In 2010, $11.9 billion was appropriated for our overall border security.  Just $3.9 billion was appropriated for border security efforts between points of entry.

In case you are confused about the distinction between the fully secure areas and the "acceptable" ones, the Border Patrol offers the following classification.  The 129 most secure miles of the Mexican border are the ones in which CBP has "the ability to deter or detect and apprehend illegal entries at the immediate border".  An "acceptable level of control" (744 miles, in this case) is established when CPB is able to apprehend illegals after they have entered U.S. soil to “distances of up to 100 miles or more away from the immediate border.”

Haley Barbour, 2012, and the Need for a Focus on Illegal Immigration

Haley Barbour has been under fire for his stance on immigration after Time Magazine published a Justice Department filing showing that Barbour lobbied for amnesty.  The filings show that Barbour was part of a lobbying team that was commissioned by the Mexican embassy to lobby for a pathway to citizenship for illegals in 2001. 

Here are some of the details about the amnesty provisions that he was seeking.

At the time, Mexico was seeking an extension of a provision that allowed undocumented immigrants living in the United States to receive legal visas or green cards without returning to their country of origin, provided they pay an additional fine. In practice, the provision generally helped out undocumented family members of legal immigrants or undocumented immigrants who were eligible for visas based upon certain job skills. Without the provision in place, undocumented immigrants who received legal papers had to return to their country of origin, for three or 10 years, before returning to the U.S. The Congressional Research Service estimated that an extension would put benefit about 300,000 undocumented immigrants.

At first, I was hesitant to excogitate any further on this issue because it appeared to be yet another hatchet job on Haley Barbour from the liberal media.  Any conservative must always be circumspect of any liberal exposé about a conservative deviating from conservatism.  After all, they certainly have no penchant for our views.

Greece Does Something Prudent for Once

Greece has released plans to build a border fence on their border with Turkey in an attempt to keep out illegal immigrants.  The U.K. Daily Mail reports:

The first stage in the planned structure was unveiled yesterday, with a 10-ft high, eight-mile-long trial fence to cover a section of the border near the town Orestidada.
According to the EU's border agency Frontex, the area concerned has become the main entry point for migrants traveling from Africa and Asia, with an average of 245 people per day crossing illegally in October alone last year.  Around 90 per cent of all illegal immigrants into the EU have come through Greece, it is estimated.

It's also interesting to note that Europe has its own anti-border security leftists as in the U.S.  According to the Daily Mail, The European Commission referred to the Greek border fence as "a 'short-term measure'  that does not deal with the root of the problem."  Sound familiar?  Remember all of those who opposed our border fence because, "it can't stop 100% of the illegal crossings"?  At least the Greek government is doing something prudent.  Hey, if we are going to replicate the Greek budget paradigm, we would be wise to copy their immigration policy.

Here's a parting question.  Who are those who are crossing over the Turk-Greek border?

Amidst Obama's Economic Assault, Let's not Forget the Battle for National Security

Our brave soldiers have been dying every day in Afghanistan due to political correctness and egregious rules of engagement.  Unfortunately, conservatives have failed to importune public outrage over the misdirection of the war because everyone is focused so keenly on the Democrats’ unrelenting, multi-pronged assault on our freedoms back home.  However, in light of the killing of a border agent on our own soil, we need to refocus our outrage on national security and the safety of those who are protecting us.

Brian Terry, an American hero, was killed Tuesday night in a shootout with illegal armed bandits near Nogales, Arizona.  KPHO reports:

National Border Patrol Council President T.J. Bonner said Terry was waiting with three other agents in a remote area north of Nogales late last night when a gun battle with the bandits ensued. No other agents were injured, but one of the suspects was wounded in the shootout.  The Border Patrol said that Manuel Arianes, a.k.a. Manuel Arellanes Osorio, was wounded in the gunfight.  Arianes, 34, and a Mexican national, was convicted in Maricopa County Superior Court in 2006 for aggravated assault on a police officer, and had been deported to Mexico twice, according to sources familiar with his case.  Border Patrol spokesman Eric Cantu and FBI spokeswoman Brenda Lee Nath declined to confirm Bonner's account, but said authorities have four suspects in custody and are searching for a fifth.  FBI Special Agent Manuel J. Johnson confirmed authorities were still searching for a fifth suspect.  Johnson said Terry died shortly after he was shot about 11:15 p.m. in a remote and rugged area near Rio Rico, just north of Nogales. (Emphasis added).

So, once again, our brave border agents are obliged to conduct law enforcement operations in areas that are ostensibly war zones and require military action.  Not only do we send thousands of our boys into the meat grinder to fight a politically correct war on the other side of the world, we have them die on our own soil as well.  How did this guy reenter the country after he was apprehended and arrested twice?

Interior Department to Lock up Drilling Because of Polar Bears

In yet another example of overzealous land confiscation on the part of the DOI, the WSJ is reporting that Interior has "designated 187,000 square miles of offshore sea ice and other areas as critical habitat for polar bears".  This act will severely hamper drilling activity in that large, oil rich region.  Although the designation doesn't automatically close off the land to development, it calls on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to research whether outside development will negatively effect the polar bear population.  Furthermore, it exposes the developers to endless lawsuits from radical eco-socialist public interest law firms.

This is a perfect illustration of the regressivness of the progressives.  They will destroy hundreds of local jobs in Alaska, while simultaneously keeping the price of energy high and unaffordable for the "little guy" whom they purport to care for.

It is also another example of the growing amount of public land that is either directly owned by the Feds or heavily regulated.  The DOI has been using contrived pseudo- environmental concerns to thwart other important activities in different parts of the country.  Obama's DOI has been hamstringing our border agents by preventing them from building watch towers along the border due to concerns about plant and animal life in the Arizona desert.

The pattern of overzealous regulations and land annexation on the part of the DOI is very disconcerting.  This is another reason why it is so vital that we have solid conservatives calling the shots on the natural resources and energy committees.  Any future chairman of those committees must make it an immediate priority to reign in the interior department's unconstitutional infringement on our economy, security, and pursuit of happiness.

Congress Can Implement Attrition through Enforcement Illegal Immigration Policy

The pro open borders advocates in both parties often present the American people with the false choice of amnesty or physically rounding up every last illegal alien.  They assert that deportations are so unpractical and distasteful that the only way to solve the illegal immigration problem is by legalizing them.  Those with some sense of sanity have always realized that the source of the problem is our criminal incentivizing of illegal behavior, and a concerted effort to enforce the laws would drain the illegal population through "attrition by enforcement".  Here are two immigration related updates that vividly illustrate the effectiveness of enforcement and the disaster of enticement.

Fox News reported last week that according to a recent study, roughly 100,000 illegals have left Arizona since the passage of SB 1070. In fact, the Mexican government is claiming that almost 25,000 illegals have returned to Mexico.  The amazing thing is that the major provision of SB 1070 is not even being enforced due to the court injunction.  This just proves that a mere perception of enforcement will make the environment inhospitable for illegals, forcing them to go home.  Let's call it attrition before enforcement.

The Perverse Immigration Policy of Absurdistan and the Golden Opportunity for the GOP

Over the years we have been inundated with so many absurd news stories about our immigration system that we begin to expect nothing different from our government.  Let’s take a look at the perverted, unjust, and dangerous immigration-related news just from this week.

• While ignoring those law enforcement agencies that don’t cooperate with federal authorities, the Justice Department is suing Sheriff Joe Arpaio for being stalwart in enforcing our laws.  His constituents are under siege as a direct result of the criminal negligence on the part of the federal government.  Yet, the DOJ is persecuting Arpaio because he is exposing their disregard for our laws and sovereignty.

The Pew Immigration Study and Attrition Before Enforcement

The Obama administration is breathlessly touting a new Pew Research study which shows that the number of illegal immigrants in the country is decreasing.  The media is already lauding the Obama administration for its stepped up immigration enforcement which has supposedly led to this decrease in migration.  The problem is that there is no increased enforcement from the DHS.  Actually, they are hamstringing ICE from apprehending non criminal aliens, while intimidating immigration courts to dismiss outstanding warrens for deportation.  An internal memo from USCIS clearly shows that the administration is trying to implement amnesty through executive administrative actions.  So if it is the policy of the administration to leave no illegal behind, then why is there a sharp drop in the number of illegal invaders?  There are two simple reason; the economy and attrition before enforcement.

During the 90's and early part of this decade, unemployment was 4-6% and the economy was growing rapidly.  Now, as a result of our slide into socialism there is no economy and there are no jobs.  This is not exactly an enticing environment for illegal migration.  To illustrate the point, let's take a look at what the Pew study says about Texas.  According to Pew, Texas is the only southwestern state that experienced an increase in illegal immigration.  200,000 more illegals have invaded the Lone Star State since 2007.  Incidentally, Texas has a lower than average unemployment rate and one of the fastest growing economies.  So in some perverted ironic analysis it is indeed correct to say that Obama and the left have stemmed the tide of illegal immigration.  If you destroy the country there is no incentive for illegals to continue to come.  I guess in some respects it is good that we don't have Texas free market economics in most other states.  Then again, there is one more factor in the decline of illegal immigrants.  Enforcement!

The Democrats and their Repulsive Hypocrisy on Border Security

The Democrats are engaging in yet another political dog and pony show with our border security. Let’s first review some of the immigration related news of the past few weeks. There has been a leaked internal memo from Customs and Immigration services (USCIS) detailing plans to use immigration enforcement agencies for the purpose of promoting amnesty and preventing deportations. Then, in late June, ICE Director John Morton ordered all detention agents to cease from detaining and apprehending illegal aliens, with the exception of violent criminals and terrorists.

Finally, last week we reported on a no confidence vote taken by rank and file ICE union members against Morton and other Obama appointed leaders in the DHS. They issued a devastating critique which exposed their leadership for politicizing border security, hamstringing border agents, creating resort-like conditions for illegals, and using department resources to campaign for and promote amnesty. Can it be more transparent that the policy of the administration is not to execute one of their few core constitutional responsibilities, while subverting our sovereignty and security?

Now, as they are confronted with a devastating midterm election season, the Democrats are attempting to seize the mantle of border security. What is their solution? Throw more money at the problem, of course! A few hours prior to the Senate adjourning for summer recess, Senator Chuck Schumer introduced a $600 million border security bill, which would appropriate more funding for 1500 border agents in addition to increased personnel and infrastructure for ICE and CBP. (S.AMDT.4593 to H.R.5875) Schumer was anticipating a fight from Senate Republicans as this bill will potentially increase the deficit; however, the GOP failed to take the bait and approved the funding by a unanimous voice vote. So let’s get something straight. The official policy of the administration, in concert with congressional Democrats, is to prohibit ICE, CBP, and USCIS from enforcing our immigration laws and securing the border. Yet, they feel that by directing more funding to this black hole of non-enforcement they will be perceived as border hawks by the electorate?!

The reality is that you can fund an additional 100,000 border agents, but if they will be used to teach illegals to dance and play bingo instead of apprehending and deporting them, the funding is worthless. And the Democrats know this. That is exactly why they are supporting this bill. They exploit the good press they receive for being “tough” on the border, but at the same time they know that it won’t lead to a single extra deportation, which is exactly the way the want it. Furthermore, they get to claim that the border is secure and pave the way to amnesty, which they view as a reward for their cooperation on border security. Notice how they oppose any verifiable effort to secure the border in a meaningful way, while opting to promote bills that waste more money on bureaucratic packages that won’t lead to increased enforcement. This is why they have vociferously opposed efforts to complete the double-layer physical border fence. After all, a fence doesn’t have discretion to selectively obstruct illegal entry in the same way that our agencies do.

The Democrat hypocrisy on immigration legislation is even more appalling. One aspect of immigration enforcement that the entire open borders Democrat party claims to support is the deportation of criminal aliens. After all, Obama’s immigration enforcement agency heads have suspended all other priorities for the alleged purpose of dealing with criminal aliens. Well, Republican Congressman Tom Rooney (FL-16) has introduced H.R.6062 -- Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2010. This bill would require federal immigration agents to identify and remove criminal aliens who are currently incarcerated in American prisons. Over 30% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens, and they have become the fastest growing prison population. It is an outrage that American taxpayers are forced to fund the cable TV and free prison education for other country’s violent criminals.

Unfortunately, there is no rush in the House to take up this common sense legislation during Tuesday’s special session. The reason is because a bill like this doesn’t merely send money after a dead end appropriation, it actually dictates policy. Evidently, a policy to remove even criminal aliens would undermine the Democrats effort to perpetuate the illegal invasion unabated. I originally wagered that the Democrats wouldn’t care much for criminal aliens, because as convicted felons, they are ineligible to vote. However, the more I see how Democrats are working furiously in many states to loosen the felon voting laws; it makes sense that they would find some good use for criminal aliens as well.

In light of all the discussion about providing more funding for surveillance drones at the border, we might want to focus on the drones throughout the country that show up and vote for these repugnant politicians. As long as these drones continue to consume the distortions and lies of the media about the Democrats agenda for our border, we will remain vulnerable as a nation.

ICE Employees Expose the Criminal Disregard of Law within their Leadership

Imagine what would happen if the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture would intimidate the department’s employees into abolishing food stamps. Try to envisage a situation in which the Secretary of HUD would direct the department’s bureaucrats to stop granting housing assistance to low income families. Or, what if the director of the EPA would order all environmental regulations to lie dormant and remain unenforced. Now try to envision those respective leaders running around campaigning against their agency’s inherent mission and being exposed by the department’s rank and file. Would there ever be an end to the barrage of media coverage over this dereliction of duty and affront to the sacred responsibilities of the welfare and regulatory state? Would it take more than 24 hours for Congress to subpoena those executive branch leaders and haul them before committee hearings?

Well, it turns out that the union for employees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a vote of no confidence in their executive leadership. This group of dedicated rank and file law enforcement personnel voted unanimously to call for the resignation of ICE Director John Morton and Assistant Director Phyllis Coven because they have politicized the agency to the extent that it has become ineffective. These are whistle blowers from within the department who are accusing the Obama appointed leadership of subverting the core objectives of ICE, yet the media is uninterested. The only media report on this story is from the conservative Washington Examiner. Aside from them, there is a total media blackout

The two page memo signed by National Council 118-ICE Vice President Chris Crane totally exposes the administrations policy to undermine enforcement of immigration law, while using department resources to campaign for amnesty and provide resort-like accommodations for the illegal border crossers. This memo from our immigration agents on the front lines, not only exposes the non enforcement agenda of the administration, but also illustrates how they are aiding and abetting the subversion of our immigration system and the undermining of our sovereignty. Here is one of their bullet points:

The majority of ICE ERO Officers are prohibited from making street arrests or enforcing immigration laws outside of institutional (jail) setting. This has effectively created “amnesty though policy” for anyone illegally in the United States who has not been arrested by another agency for a criminal violation.

This is unbelievable! The administration is taking the unprecedented step to sue a state for enforcing federal immigration laws under the pretenses of a federal pre-emption argument. Yet, the Obama administration and his political hack agency leaders are preventing the federal agencies from enforcing immigration law as well! In fact, according to these ICE agents, the only way for them to apprehend illegals is if they were previously apprehended by the very state and local law enforcement that Obama and Judge Bolton have enjoined from detaining.

One would think that this would be the story of the summer as the ICE agents would be heralded as hallowed “whistle blowers”, which the liberals purport to respect immensely. These accusations should be particularly poignant to Congress and the media as it comes on the heels of a leaked memo from Obama’s director of Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS), which essentially substantiates the charges filed in this ICE union memo. Yet, the media and congressional Democrats are running full interference for the administration because if this story would gain more traction, it would expose Obama for who he is. The memo proves that the administration is purposely distorting immigration and enforcement data to promote his agenda of open borders and the dismantling of American exceptionalism, citizenship, sovereignty, and national security. If this is not an impeachable offense, I don’t know what is. We need to remember in November that elections are the only way to pre-empt this rogue administration from preempting the security of our nation.