President Barack Obama called House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., on April 16, 2014, to wish him a happy Passover. Although Obama and Cantor have given conflicting versions of this call, both agree that immigration was discussed.
The call was historic in that it constitutes a rare example of outreach by the president during the past five years either to the Republican Congressional leadership or to any Republican Senate or House member.
Politico quotes Cantor as saying, “The president called me hours after he issued a partisan statement which attacked me and fellow House Republicans and which indicated no sincere desire to work together.” The majority leader continued, “You do not attack the very people you hope to engage in a serious dialogue.”
Cantor was expressing the frustration that Republicans have experienced with the president’s constant campaign-mode rhetoric attacking Republicans while calling for bipartisan efforts. Obama used this attack-bipartisanship strategy on a recent CBS "This Morning" show and at his weekly fundraisers.
Congressman Steve Israel, D-N.Y., used another tactic on the CNN State of the Union talk show on April 13, 2014, declaring that Republicans oppose comprehensive immigration reform on racial grounds. Playing the race card does not reflect well on efforts at bipartisanship.
The president repeatedly sends mixed messages to Capitol Hill, to GOP leaders, to the nation as a whole, and to the world. This explains why his “trustworthiness” numbers are down. Obama is losing the trust of many in America and abroad. He ignores the polls that show more than six out of 10 Americans believe that he lies routinely.
The president has promised comprehensive immigration reform — with a pathway to citizenship — since 2009. Even when he had complete control of the federal government with Democrat majorities in both the Senate and the House, he failed to pass immigration reform. Over the past five years, the Hispanic community has been pacified with assurances by Obama that it was all the fault of “racist” Republicans. Accepting this line, Hispanics voted overwhelming for his re-election.
Obama artfully throws Hispanics a few bones. Executive sidesteps and bureaucratic fiats about “prosecutorial discretion” and “deferred deportation” of illegal alien youths calm Hispanic angst. The Obama administration brags that it has deported more illegal aliens than did George W. Bush. He fails to mention, however, that many of these deportees regularly re-enter the United States illegally.
A recent New York Times article showed that the number of illegal border crossers has soared in Texas this year. In some Border Patrol sections the increase has been as much as 69 percent. For the past five years, Border Patrol agents have said the reason for Central American and Mexican illegal border crossings is that Obama and the Democrats welcome them.
Undocumented aliens know it is unlikely they will be deported if caught. Yes, Mexicans entering the United States illegally may be returned immediately if apprehended, but they often succeed on their next try. Non-contiguous undocumented aliens, whether border crossers or visa overstays, know that deportation is unlikely because of Obama’s lenient policy and/or the refusal of their homelands to accept them back.
Oft-reported statistics that show the Obama administration deported 2 million illegal aliens are pure campaign posturing. Leading immigration advocates know that such inflated numbers are meant to appease Middle America.
Since Obama took office in 2009, there has been a 43 percent drop in deportations by court action. This drop in deportations will be larger for 2014 and in the future because of executive and bureaucratic actions of the Obama administration.
Border security is at risk. Deportation numbers regularly are fabricated. Asylum applicant numbers are at record numbers, and tracking of visa holders is lax at best. The actual number of illegal aliens in the United States remains unadulterated guesswork. Immigration is in anarchy, and the Democrats want it that way. They want open borders. Their push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform is a ruse.
Every foreign national from Bangladesh to Zimbabwe knows that Obama is making entitlements — freebies — the law of the land; and it is not just foreign nationals. The facts are that many U.S. citizens are now beholden to entitlements. Estimates indicate that approximately 147.8 million (non-veteran) individuals receive benefits from the U.S. government, while only 86.4 million Americans now hold full-time jobs. This trend is unsustainable.
How many of those receiving “benefits” are undocumented aliens? How many undocumented aliens arrive each day? The Democrat Party and its leaders do not appear to be concerned.
Under the current Democrat regime, the fiscal health and national security of the United States have yet to benefit. To win in 2014 and 2016, the Democrats are counting on the Hispanic vote. This is why Democrats don’t really want immigration legislation — it just might reduce the number of undocumented Hispanic voters.
James H. Walsh was associate general counsel with the U.S. Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service from 1983 to 1994. Read more reports from James Walsh — Click Here Now.
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