Mainstream Americans Oppose Citizenship for Children of Illegals

For years, conservatives have been impugned for opposing so-called Birthright Citizenship, the practice of granting automatic citizenship to children born to illegal alien parents.  Most of us with commonsense intuition just could not fathom how someone could run across the border, overstay their visa, or exploit "birth tourism" - and proceed to reap the benefits of citizenship for their children. 

We have always asserted that just a convoluted interpretation of the 14th amendment only serves to attenuate the value of American citizenship.  After all, the 14th amendment was meant to guarantee citizenship for blacks who lived in this country for centuries; not for those who break our laws as their first act on American soil.

Now, the latest Rasmussen poll confirms that this is indeed mainstream thought in America:

Voters oppose more strongly than ever granting automatic U.S. citizenship to a child born to an illegal immigrant in this country.
Now, nearly two-out-of-three Likely U.S. Voters (65%) say if a woman enters the United States as an illegal alien and gives birth to a child here, that child should not automatically become a U.S. citizen. 

Only those who live in the New York-Washington ivory tower could possibly view American citizenship any other way.  Unfortunately, they control the media, and as such, will ensure that the immigration polling data is not reported, even though these are the people who live and die by polls.

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

Illegal Aliens Receive $4.2 Billion in Additional Child Tax Credits

What happened to the balanced approach toward revenue?

 

Throughout the entire debt ceiling imbroglio, Democrats incessantly regurgitated the talking point about the need for “a balanced approach.”  They were so uniform and synchronized that they sounded like the sheep in Animal Farm.  Ironically, their idea of a balanced approach was singularly focused upon Oil Company and corporate tax deductions, which are negligible compared to the crushing debt.  The targeted oil tax deductions would have brought in $2 billion in annual revenue, while the cancellation of the corporate jet depreciation deduction would have saved only $3 billion over 10 years!

Well, it turns out that illegal aliens, most of which pay zero in net taxes, enjoyed $4.2 billion from the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) last year.  That’s more than the annual revenue from the selected oil tax deductions and corporate jet deductions combined!

Yesterday, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Collection released a shocking report detailing how illegal aliens are able to utilize a filing loophole to obtain billions in ACTC funds.  The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and ACTC (unlike the base child tax credit) are totally refundable and can award the recipient with a negative tax balance.  Appropriations for the EITC in FY 2010 were $54.7 billion and $28.3 billion for the ACTC.  While EITC appropriations are protected from illegals (those who don’t engage in identity theft) because they are only awarded to those who provide a valid Social Security number, the same cannot be said for the ACTC.

Here is the punchline of the Inspector’s report:

I Refuse to Obey the Law

What's good for the goose...
In yet another demonstration of contempt for the rule of law and the separation of powers, the Obama administration has announced that it will no longer enforce our immigration laws.  Secretary of Homeland Insecurity Janet Napolitano proclaimed in a letter to the Senate that she will suspend deportation proceedings and grant amnesty to those who ostensibly fit the criteria of the Dream Act – a bill that was defeated with overwhelming bipartisan support of Congress.  Hence, Obama is publicly declaring that he will ensure our laws are not executed faithfully.

This unprecedented abdication on the part of the president begs the question – what sort of message does this convey to our youth regarding the inviolability of the rule of law?

What other laws will this president refuse to execute faithfully?  Will he direct the EPA to enforce cap and trade, or instruct the DOI to block the issuance of drilling permits?  Oh, he is already doing that.

And, most importantly, if the president is above the law, then why should any of us be compelled to adhere to laws that we regard as undesirable or unfair?  If Obama can refuse to enforce his core constitutional duties, why can’t we disregard his individual insurance mandate – a law that is an anathema to the constitution?

Ironically, the very illegals that remain in the country as a result of Obama’s shirking of his constitutional duties, will receive healthcare benefits from the unconstitutional Obamacare.  Remember when Obama claimed that illegals would be barred from those benefits?  Well, as Congressman Joe Wilson so presciently and succinctly declared, “YOU LIE.”  I guess the real question is this: does an illegal have the authority to opt out of the individual mandate?  Or can they play both sides of this lawlessness?

Not only has this president refused to uphold our immigration laws; he has thwarted the states and law enforcement agencies from doing so.  He has taken the unprecedented step of siding with foreign nations and suing two of our states for upholding the laws that he refuses to recognize.  This is the most profound and dangerous form of extremism in our government today, as it undermines the very core of our political system.

What if citizens would stop paying taxes, or refuse to participate in Social Security?  If the executive branch can countermand a law of Congress, why can’t the voters – those who grant Congress its authority – do the same?

This administration is setting a dangerous precedent.

Congress must reassert its constitutional authority over immigration law.  They should hold public hearings and shed some light on the darkest corners of this administrative power grab.  Additionally, as part of any budget negotiations for the FY 2012 continuing resolution, Republicans should ensure that no funds are allocated for the joint DOJ-DHS task force charged with granting these administrative amnesties.

This extreme president is beneath contempt.  He must be stopped.

Cross-posted to RedState.com

The Residual Effects of MD Petition Drive

The unprecedented success of Maryland's petition drive against in-state tuition for illegals will reverberate far beyond the issue of immigration.  The successful execution of the petition drive, in conjunction with the innovative use of the internet, will serve to buttress Maryland conservatives in their inexorable battle against the one-party oligarchy.

Prior to the petition drive, there was simply no deterrent against the assault on our freedoms, values, and prosperity from Democrats in Annapolis.  They enjoy almost 3:1 majorities in both houses of the legislature and have an unbreakable grip over the courts.  Due to the way the districts are drawn in the state, Democrats never had to fear electoral reprisal or constituent backlash from their pernicious policies.  The petition has changed everything.

While we are not accorded the right to referendum for all budget related issues, thus precluding any usage of the petition against tax hikes, we can petition against any other law.  And the Democrats in Annapolis know this.

During the next (regular) legislative session, O'Malley plans to push for gay marriage.  However, we will no longer sit by and beg Baltimore City Democrats to oppose the bill.  We will now have an opportunity to place the marriage issue before the voters, once and for all.  If they were shocked by the auspicious results of the in-state tuition petition drive, Democrats will be stupefied by the success of a pro-marriage petition drive.  Conservative won't be the only ones to sign such a petition.  Many voters from the large black communities in Maryland will enthusiastically support the effort, in addition to the plethora of Catholic Democrats across the state.

Now that we have the power of the referendum petition behind us, Democrats will think twice before introducing unpopular legislation.  In Maryland, that is huge progress.

MD Petition: Over 100,000 Signatures and Counting

From the incipient stages of the petition drive, I always knew that we would surpass the requisite 55,000 signatures to win a ballot referendum against the Maryland Dream Act.  However, none of us ever dreamed that we would be so successful.  According to the latest figures released by the Maryland Board of Elections, 102,338 signatures have been validated.  Aside for the profound alacrity to sign the petition, these figures show how competently and efficiently MDPetitions carried out the process.  This has been the most successful public policy push by conservative in Maryland history!

Here is the breakdown of the figures by county:

COUNTY TOTAL_VALID_SIGNATURES TOTAL_INVALID_SIGNATURES

Allegany 994

Anne Arundel 13,045

Baltimore City 2,592

Baltimore County 24,257

Calvert 1,778

Caroline 1,130

Carroll 10,494

Cecil 2,503

Charles 770

Dorchester 922

Frederick 7,469

Garrett 289

Harford 12,431

Howard 5,070

Kent 608

Montgomery 4,969

Prince George's 2,338

Queen Anne's 1,250

Saint Mary's 718

Somerset 431

Talbot 1,379

Washington 5,478

Wicomico 879

Worcester 544

TOTAL 102,338 

Those astounding numbers from Baltimore County should serve as a lesson for Maryland Republicans.  There is a lot of potential to pick up elected offices in BC, if we would only try.

A Day to be Proud in Maryland

It is not very often that conservative have reason to be exuberant in the state of Maryland, however, today is one of them.  Today, July 1, was the day that the law granting in-state tuition to illegals was set to take effect.  Instead, thanks to the selfless work of Delegate Neil Parrott and the army of volunteers, the law will be suspended indefinitely, pending the outcome of the 2012 ballot referendum.

The final numbers from the petition drive have yet to be certified, but based on the preliminary numbers; it appears that we will have well over the 55,000 required signatures, possibly over 100,000!  We were outgunned and outmanned by the left in the most Democrat state in the nation, yet we were able to collect 130,000 signatures.  This was accomplished with just $7,500, a fraction of what the opposition spent blocking the petition.  This has been the most successful petition drive in Maryland history.

The success of the petition could not come at a better time.  Unfortunately, today is the first day of the gratuitous 3% alcohol tax.  The petition drive gives us something to cheer; some light amidst the darkness of tyranny in Maryland.

Dick Durbin Invites Illegal Aliens to Senate Hearing

It's a sad day in America when the "lawmakers" have such disregard for our immigration laws that they openly invite illegals to take part in a Senate hearing.  Yesterday, Senator Dick Durbin invited a bunch of illegals to a Judiciary subcommittee hearing about the so-called Dream Act.  He referred to them as the future of America, suggesting that one of them could be a future president!

While it is clear that there is nothing we can do about the current crop of children from illegal aliens, we must prevent future chain migration by ending birthright citizenship once and for all.  The 14th amendment has been erroneously interpreted to include illegals who are born in the country among our citizens.  The clarification of the law cannot be changed retroactively, but we must do it as expeditiously as possible.  Otherwise we will be stuck with a permanent Democrat majority.  What Dick Durbin really meant to say is that these people are the future of the Democrat Party.

Maryland Gov't Complicit in CASA's Illegal Intimidation Tactics

 Call the Maryland Board of Elections and tell them to stop collaborating with a criminal organization to intimidate those who are exercising their civic duties.  Politely request that they keep the petition records away from CASA de Maryland.

410-269-2840

There is something fundamentally wrong when an organization, whose sole purpose is to subvert the law, is granted resources by government to intimidate those who desire to restore the law.  Unfortunately, that is exactly what is occurring in Maryland, as the state Board of Elections is turning over the names of the petitioners to CASA de Maryland.  In a sane world, any organization that advocates for illegal aliens should be shut down.  In Maryland, CASA is funded with taxpayer dollars, and now they are being provided with the names of those who signed the petition against the Maryland Nightmare act.

Here is the latest from Deleage Mike Smigiel:

I just realized that there is no longer an issue of what CASA is going to do if they get the names and addresses of all those who signed petitions, CASA, who also received the disk, already has the information on all those who signed the petition.

I have heard from dozens of people this last weekend who had two concerns:

“Do I have to worry about someone calling to harass me about signing the petition?”  and
“How do I find out if my name is one of the more than 7,000 that was rejected and why it was rejected?”

It is my opinion that the actions of CASA to date would give petition signers legitimate reason to be concerned about what CASA may do with the lists of names.  We know that CASA has been posting phone numbers to call if you see people out exercising their Constitutional duties per Article 16 of the State Constitution, collection signatures. CASA would then send people out to the location to intimidate and harass people coming to sign as well as those collecting signatures.

The ACLU Parasites are Focusing on Maryland Petition Drive

It is easy to discern that our petition drive has been a smashing success, as the ACLU is now meddling into our legal right to referendum in Maryland.  At present, over 44,000 signatures have been certified, much of them coming from the online filing at MDPetitions.com.  The ACLU is claiming that online filing is not admissible for a referendum petition.

The problem is that not a single signature was filed online.  The website merely filled out the voter information of the applicant in order to make the information appear legible.  The activist still had to manually sign his name and mail a live copy to the Board of Elections or to a coordinator.  Consequently, it appears that the ACLU is trying to disfranchise voters simply because Delegate Neil Parrott and other petition organizers made it easier for people to access their voter information.

How ironic that an organization which has a penchant to promote more voter registration and easier access to the democratic process, is now attempting to quash civic participation against illegal immigration.  They have once again exposed themselves as a criminal liberties organization, with no regard for civil liberties.  The sad thing is that these affluent lawyers have nothing to lose and will force us to spend money we don't have in order to defend the law.

You can help by donating money to MD Petitions today.  Let's help stop the Criminal Liberties Union from supplanting democracy and promoting the interests of lawbreakers over Maryland voters.

Supreme Court Voids Ruling Against Hazleton's Immigration Law

The tide is turning in the battle over illegal immigration.

It appears that last month's Supreme Court ruling upholding Arizona's E-Verify law will precipitate a potent counteroffensive against the illegal immigration judicial defense industry.

In light of the Court's 5-3 decision validating the right of state and local governments to impose penalties on employers who hire illegal aliens, the high court vitiated a ruling against a similar ordinance passed by government officials in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. 

In 2006, following a sharp spike in violent crime perpetrated by illegal aliens, Mayor Lou Barletta (now a Republican congressman) signed an ordinance prohibiting landlords from renting to illegals and employers from hiring them.  Under the Hazleton Immigration Relief Act, renters and employers who failed to verify the  immigration status of renters and employees would face fines or suspension of business and rental licenses.  This law was the impetus for dozens of subsequent efforts by states and municipalities to curb their growing illegal immigration problem.

Hazleton was challenged with well funded legal action by an unholy alliance of the ACLU, special interest legal defense groups, and the Chamber of Commerce.  In 2007, the law was struck down by a federal district judge on the premise that the law was preempted by federal immigration law (Hazleton v. Lozano (10-772)).  Last September, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's preemption argument against Hazleton.  Today, the Supreme Court voided the Appellate Court's ruling and remanded the case to the Philadelphia-based court for further review.  This from Fox News:

Update on In-State Tuition Petition Drive

It turns out that the first round of the petition drive was even more auspicious that previously reported.  Yesterday, it was announced that over 40,000 signatures had been collected, well over the 18,500 needed by the May 30 deadline.  The final number of signatures that were turned in to the Maryland Board of Elections was 62,496!  That is more than the 55,736 needed for the total submission due on June 30.  Delegate Neil Parrott reported that almost 14,000 came from Baltimore County alone.

Despite the early success of the petition drive, we must continue to collect signatures so we can send the criminal politicians an unequivocal message.  Moreover, we need to ensure that there are many more signatures over and beyond the requisite 55,000 in order to compensate for the petitions that will invariably be disqualified.

Please continue circulating the petition in your community.  If you experience any harassment from unsavory community agitators like CASA de Maryland, please contact mdpetitions.com.

Let's evince a strong and mobilized opposition to the oligarchy in Annapolis so they will think twice before they pass more malevolent legislation.

Tea Party Victory Against Illegals in Maryland

Immigration enforcement is a winner even in Maryland

Liberal politicians incessantly demagogue the issue of illegal immigration by offering a false choice between amnesty and a police style roundup of 12 million aliens.  Obama believes that without a pathway to citizenship, even a moat with alligators can't preempt illegal immigration.   They always forget the third option; enforcing the laws on the books and not offering them hospitality that isn't afforded to legal Americans.  

Last month, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley offered such a taxpayer funded courtesy by signing a bill granting in-state tuition benefits at state universities to illegal aliens residing in Maryland.  Maryland taxpayers already spend $1.7 billion annually on illegal aliens, one of the highest per capita costs in the country.  It is no wonder why Maryland has become a magnet for those whom O'Malley affectionately calls "new Americans."

While such cloddish policy decisions are par for the course in wacko Maryland, the Tea Party response was quite anomalous.  Maryland is not known for its strong Tea Party presence.  But against all odds, Maryland conservatives have successfully passed the first hurdle in securing a ballot referendum to strike down the tuition law.

When conservative state delegates Neil Parrott and Pat McDonough announced their inchoate plans for a petition drive against the tuition bill, the opposition and the local media dismissed the effort as futile.  After all, how could a few right wing delegates with no money or formal organization obtain the requisite 55,736 signatures (with properly spelled middle names) in the bluest of blue states?  This attitude from liberals, and too many Republicans, is a quintessential example of the dissonance between the elites and 'we the people' regarding illegal immigration.

Promoters of Tuition Breaks for Illegals in MD Scared of Petition

They are resorting to incoherent and absurd arguments.

We have really reached a nadir in Maryland politics when a legislator advocates against the anti-illegal immigration petition because it will cost too much money.  You read that correctly.  Sen. Victor Ramirez, the lead sponsor of in-state tuition for illegals, is claiming that the petition drive against his bill will cost the state millions.  This from Maryland Reporter:

The lead sponsor who objects to efforts to overturn his bill granting in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants said referendum efforts by opponents could cost the state millions and the drive is being funded by outside Tea Party interests.
“It costs the state a lot of money, and these guys are supposed to be fiscally conservative?”  Sen. Victor Ramirez, D-Prince Georges, said last Friday. “We’re going to spend millions of dollars potentially for a referendum.  It’s going to be more expensive to run the referendum than it is to fund the policy.”
“It’s definitely being driven by the Tea Party, not locally, but nationally,” Ramirez said.  “It’s people from the outside trying to tell Maryland what policy they should pass.”

So let's get this straight.  He is concerned about the minimal cost of the petition drive, but not about the billions that we spend on education for illegals.  And the last time I checked, we, the people of this state, have a constitutional right to a referendum petition; illegal aliens don't even belong in the country, much less enjoy the right to subsidized services.

Also, he incoherently and fallaciously accuses his opposition of being initiated from other states and dictating policy to Marylanders.  I've got news for you Ramirez.  You are the one who is stealing in-state money to give to the consummate foreigner; the illegal alien.  You are the one who is obdurately blocking any effort to let the people of Maryland decide next November.  We are organizing this petition so that Marylanders can have a say at the ballot box.  If they agree with your pernicious policy, then they will vote the referendum down.  So what are you scared of, a good old fashioned election?
Please sign the petition and let Senator Ramirez know what Marylanders think of his effort to purloin our tax money for the purpose of out-of-country interests.

Petition Drive: A Maryland Call to Action

You can help stop the illegal handouts to illegal aliens.

During the closing hours of the Maryland legislative session, the lawmakers became lawless and decided to grant in-state tuition benefits to illegal aliens (SB 167). Throughout the session, we were forced to sit back helplessly while the one-party oligarchy waged an inexorable war on Maryland taxpayers and consumers. Now is our chance to strike back and let the people be heard.


Thanks to the assiduous work of Washington County Delegate Neil Parrott and others, there is a well organized effort to place the in-state tuition bill on the ballot as a referendum in 2012. They are organizing a petition drive to round up the requisite number of signatures in order to force the referendum. At this point, we are required to garner 19,000 signatures by May 31 and 54,000 by June 30.   However, we will need many more to overcome the invariable legal challenges that will disqualify some of the signatures.

Every Maryland voter can participate. This is your chance to strike back at the lawless leftists in Annapolis and retake our state from the illegal alien mafia.

Delegate Parrott has set up a website which provides all of the pertinent information for circulating the petition. You can go here to download and print a copy of the petition.

Please make sure to follow all of the critical directions. We will need to get a lot more than 19,000 votes because a large percentage of the signatures will be disqualified. The illegal alien lobby is surprisingly well connected and well funded. They will pour over every signature and attempt to have it disqualified.

Therefore, we must act now to gather as many signatures from our friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. Make sure that they are registered to vote and that they sign their name and address that matches precisely to what is written on their voter registration card.   Also, make sure that every co-signer is from the same county.  All of the signatures on a given petition must be from the same jurisdiction.  You may circulate a petition for multiple jurisdictions, but you would need to start a new and separate document for each one.

This is our first opportunity to truly affect change in Maryland. While you only have one vote in November, you have the power to garner hundreds, if not thousands, of signatures for the petition. Don't shy away from asking acquaintances who are Democrats. This issue is a slam dunk and resonates even with liberals.  Illegal aliens are already costing the state $1.7 billion annually-more than the total sum of the projected budget deficit.

Please help take back our state and become a true community leader.

Download the petition now and show the criminal politicians who is truly in charge!

The Injustice that is Maryland Politics

As the dust begins to settle from the midnight adjournment of the Maryland General Assembly for the 2011 session, I really don't have much to say.  The 9% alcohol tax passed both Houses of the General Assembly late Monday night and is headed for the governor's desk.  Ditto for the in-state tuition for illegals bill.

Simply put, we live in an oligarchy where nothing we say matters.  There is no deterrent to the criminal behavior exhibited by the legislators because they rightfully know that the asinine voters of Maryland will reelect them.  As such, they can even raise taxes and expend that money towards criminal aliens who don't even belong in this country.  Sadly, there is nothing we can do to deter them from enacting such egregious laws.

We can only take solace in the fact that there is a higher being-one who is watching the insidious behavior of the lawmakers who are lawbreakers.  Other than that, our only recourse is to vote with our feet and move to another state.

Boundless Immigration: The Silent Killer of the Welfare State

There is no better time to reform our reckless immigration system.

As we finally embark on the imperative discussion of entitlement reform, we cannot overlook immigration and its disproportionate effect on the welfare state.
Our immigration system is stuck in the Kennedy days of the 1960's when our population was half of what it is today. Over the past few decades, in addition to the migration of 12 million+ illegals, we have allowed legal immigration to spiral out of control. We no longer promote an immigration system which benefits Americans, rather an unsustainable system of chain migration. This system encourages immigration which is too random, too low skilled, and quite simply too much. While our historical average for annual immigration ranged from 200,000-400,000, the current inane system has allowed for over 1 million new immigrants almost every year for the past decade. Again, a disproportionate number of those immigrants are low skilled.

There are obviously numerous challenges that are endemic in such a reckless immigration system, but the detrimental factor that is most relevant to the budget fight is the strain on our welfare system. Yesterday, Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies published a timely study on the impact of immigration on the welfare state. Here are some key findings:

MD Senate Votes to Exacerbate Illegal Immigration

In a sane world, members of Maryland's General Assembly and Senate would be frog marched out of Annapolis and sent straight to prison.  The very people who swore to uphold the law are now subverting it by purloining public funds for the use of illegal aliens.  Last night, the Senate voted 27-20 to grant in-state tuition to illegal aliens.  At a time when they are levying egregious taxes on the citizens of Maryland in order to solve a self inflicted budget shortfall, they are stealing more funds and earmarking them for lawbreakers.

According to a study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, illegal aliens cost Maryland a total of $1.7 billion annually.  This is not including the cost of the new proposed legislation granting them in-state tuition.  That is roughly commensurate to the entire structural deficit for the coming fiscal year.

This illegal bill now moves to the Hoouse where it will be voted on in the Ways and Means Committee.  Please email the members of the committee and tell them to represent Marylanders, not illegal aliens.  Here are the emails of the two leaders of the Ways and Means Committee.
 
Sheila.Hixson@house.state.md.us
Samuel.Rosenberg@house.state.md.us

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?