House GOP Passes Immigration-Related Bill That Goes After Dreamers

[brassmonkey]

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans addressed immigration on Wednesday -- sort of -- by passing a bill that would take aim at President Barack Obama's policy that allows young undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States.

The ENFORCE Act, which passed 233 to 181, isn't about immigration exclusively. Instead, it goes after Obama for alleged overreach on a variety of issues, including Obamacare, education and drug laws. The bill would allow Congress to sue the executive branch for allegedly failing to enforce the law, and it could lead to the dismantling of a key policy protecting some undocumented immigrants.

The move was a far cry from the votes on immigration reform that Democrats want, and stood in stark contrast to the immigration principles put forward by House Republican leadership in January. While those guidelines called for young undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children -- often referred to as Dreamers -- to receive eventual citizenship, the bill approved Wednesday could end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy that keeps the same people from being deported.

The Obama administration has used prosecutorial discretion, or the decision to use limited resources to enforce some cases over others, to grant some undocumented immigrants a reprieve, while continuing a high level of deportations more broadly.

House Republicans said passing the bill was necessary because the president had shown an unwillingness to enforce the law and a desire to go around Congress, including through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy.

"We have seen a pattern: President Obama circumvents Congress when he doesn't get his way," Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said on the House floor in support of the bill. "But the Constitution does not confer upon the president the executive authority to disregard the separation of powers and rewrite acts of Congress based on his policy preferences."

Democrats were irate that the year's first vote on immigration targeted a policy that helps immigrants, and did not implement some type of reform. They argued that it showed House Republicans may hold the same positions they held last year, when they attempted to defund the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program but did little else on immigration.

"We cannot fix our broken immigration system, either with more deportations or with specious constitutional arguments, which is exactly what Republicans are attempting to do today with the ENFORCE Act," Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) said on the House floor in opposition to the bill.

Another bill that would require the attorney general to report to Congress if the administration changed its enforcement of laws will go up for a vote on Thursday.

The Obama administration threatened Wednesday to veto both bills should they come to the president's desk, and White House spokesman Jay Carney criticized them during a press briefing, noting the contrast between the legislation and some Republicans' stated desires to work on immigration reform.

"It is, in my view, in our view, pretty amazing that today House Republicans went in the opposite direction by passing legislation targeting the deferred action for childhood arrivals policy that removed the threat of deportation for young people brought to this country as children, known as Dreamers," he said, adding later, "It doesn't require much to look at what House Republicans are doing today and question whether or not they're serious about moving forward on comprehensive immigration reform."

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) urged the Senate to take up the bill after its passage through the House.

"The fact that the president would threaten to veto a measure requiring him to uphold his constitutional obligations underscores why this bill is needed, and why Senate Democrats should pass it immediately," he said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...aolp000005 92

[Matt 26z]

Originally Posted by brassmonkey

"We cannot fix our broken immigration system, either with more deportations or with specious constitutional arguments, which is exactly what Republicans are attempting to do today with the ENFORCE Act," Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) said on the House floor in opposition to the bill.

A lot of people say the US immigration system is broken, but they never talk about how it's broken.

What burns me is how these people can run across the boarder illegally, understanding full well what they are getting themselves into and then they march in the streets complaining about a broken immigration system that they never even attempted to use legally.

[bronco67]

Republicans idea of immigration reform is to make it tougher for immigrants.

[Vendzilla]

Originally Posted by bronco67

Republicans idea of immigration reform is to make it tougher for immigrants.

Most republicans only want two things, enforce the laws and tighten the security at the border, what problem do you have with those two things?

[brassmonkey]

Originally Posted by Vendzilla

Most republicans only want two things, enforce the laws and tighten the security at the border, what problem do you have with those two things?

one it makes the drugs slower to hit the streets
two illegals can't get to the jobs

[mikesinner]

Fucking Republicans doing the opposite of getting stuff done again.

[Barry-xlovecam]

Did you ever wonder why this law is seldom enforced?

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1324

*See (3)(A)

There are already laws that are rarely enforced -- better to make talking points.

(3)

(A) Any person who, during any 12-month period, knowingly hires for employment at least 10 individuals with actual knowledge that the individuals are aliens described in subparagraph (B) shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.
(B) An alien described in this subparagraph is an alien who—

(i) is an unauthorized alien (as defined in section 1324a (h)(3) of this title), and
(ii) has been brought into the United States in violation of this subsection.

Cause/effect

change a few words:
, and
(ii) is in the United States in violation of this subsection.
Pure grandstanding as usual -- Hey! Look at the monkey!

[brassmonkey]

Originally Posted by mikesinner

Fucking Republicans doing the opposite of getting stuff done again.

obama is "looking the other way" on laws it's bullshit! make these people get documents and pay some fines and fees.

[Vendzilla]

Originally Posted by mikesinner

Fucking Republicans doing the opposite of getting stuff done again.

Wait, let me get this straight, Obama is ignoring the laws and the republicans by stopping that are doing the opposite and that's wrong? I think you are confused!

[Matt 26z]

Originally Posted by brassmonkey

illegals can't get to the jobs

This is a bad thing?

The actual unemployment rate in the US is at least double the official figure; somewhere around 15%. But yeah, let's feel sorry for people from other countries who can't get into the US illegally to take jobs here.

The H-1B visa program has also got to be reined in. They've been using backdoors to get the number up to nearly 1 million per year. There is definitely not a shortage of US labor to that extent for skilled positions. Companies just take advantage of the fact that an Indian on an H-1B will work cheaper than an American.

When the US unemployment rate hits a certain figure, immigration applications need to pretty much stop being processed.

[brassmonkey]

Originally Posted by Matt 26z

This is a bad thing?

The actual unemployment rate in the US is at least double the official figure; somewhere around 15%. But yeah, let's feel sorry for people from other countries who can't get into the US illegally to take jobs here.

The H-1B visa program has also got to be reined in. They've been using backdoors to get the number up to nearly 1 million per year. There is definitely not a shortage of US labor to that extent for skilled positions. Companies just take advantage of the fact that an Indian on an H-1B will work cheaper than an American.

When the US unemployment rate hits a certain figure, immigration applications need to pretty much stop being processed.

i was kidding only people that benefit are the employer and the illegal. i've seen how it works don't ask how. i know all the shit they do.

[Rochard]

Originally Posted by Vendzilla

Most republicans only want two things, enforce the laws and tighten the security at the border, what problem do you have with those two things?

Again it's all about lead, follow, or get out of the way. Instead of passing a law about immigration, the Republicans are trying to pass a law making it easier to sue the White House. This is all the Republicans seem to do at this point is file lawsuits.

Why doesn't Congress "tighten security at the border? There are more Republicans on the United States House Committee on Homeland Security then Democrats - Why don't they do something about this?

[Axeman]

Originally Posted by Rochard

Why doesn't Congress "tighten security at the border? There are more Republicans on the United States House Committee on Homeland Security then Democrats - Why don't they do something about this?

Because the Senate won't pass any bill that tightens the border, without first providing amnesty to the 11-15 million illegals.