EDITORIAL: Green cards on the table
President Obama lets slip his scheme for a permanent majority
By THE WASHINGTON TIMES - - Monday, October 20, 2014
The White House intended to remain silent about its plans for immigration. Revealing a scheme to open the floodgates of amnesty would be disastrous on the eve of the critical midterm elections. But this is the gang that can't shoot straight.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Friday threw open the door to as many as 100,000 Haitians, who will now move into the United States without a visa. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, rightly and accurately denounced enabling Haitians awaiting a U.S. visa to enter the country and legally apply for work permits as "an irresponsible overreach of the executive branch's authority."
That was just the beginning. The immigration agency earlier this month had solicited a printer able to handle a "surge" of 9 million green cards "to support possible future immigration-reform initiative requirements." In an ordinary year, about 1 million green cards are issued, and over the life of this contract the company is expected to produce up to 34 million cards, a figure representing an increase of the population of the United States by 10 percent.
The cards do not come with automatic voter registration, but that's obviously what the scheme portends. President Obama's promised "executive actions" to bring about this enormous wave of amnesty constitute a transparent and cynical ploy to expand the Democratic voter base, creating a permanent majority. Republicans running for the House and Senate should demand that Mr. Obama lay his green cards on the table now, before — and not after — the Nov. 4 elections. No other campaign issue carries as much of an impact on the future of the nation.
In economic terms, importing millions of unskilled workers creates competition for the diminishing number of available jobs. Combine a flooded job market with the Democratic proposals for a doubling of the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and millions more American citizens will be without a job. Those who do have jobs will pay to provide federal freebies, from Obamaphones to Obamacare, to the formerly illegal aliens now with a green card.
As the recent influx of minor children over the southern border demonstrates, word of amnesty on the way travels fast. Handing green cards to those who cheated the system and entered the country illegally creates an incentive to millions more to follow in their path, collecting as many benefits as possible along the way. It's a disaster in the making — indeed already here — for public health and national security, straining the welfare state to its limit.
Most Americans want no part of this. A Gallup survey finds that 74 percent of Americans want the level of immigration to stay where it is, or reduce it. Mr. Obama has no support for his amnesty scheme except from those who want to transform America into a nation that no one would recognize. Voters can get to work on stopping the transformation on Nov. 4.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...-on-the-table/
White House Punts on USCIS Request for 'Surge' of Immigration ID's
by Charlie Spiering 21 Oct 2014, 11:38 AM PDT
breitbart
http://cdn.breitbart.com/mediaserver...protest-ap.jpg
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest declined to address a Breitbart News report about a “surge” of immigration ID’s requested by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
When asked about the report at the White House Press Briefing today, Earnest referred Breitbart News to the USCIS for comment.
A draft solicitation for bids issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Oct. 6 says potential vendors must be capable of handling a “surge” scenario of nine million id cards in one year “to support possible future immigration reform initiative requirements.”
The request for proposals says the agency will need a minimum of four million cards per year. In the “surge,” scenario in 2016, the agency would need an additional five million cards – more than double the baseline annual amount – for a total of nine million.
“The guaranteed minimum for each ordering period is 4,000,000 cards. The estimated maximum for the entire contract is 34,000,000 cards,” the document says.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Governm...migration-ID-s
White House: Order For Surge of Immigration ID's For 'Ongoing Operations'
by Charlie Spiering 22 Oct 2014, 11:18 AM PDT
breitbart
Grilled by reporters, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest addressed an order for a “surge” of immigration IDs of up to 9 million in one year, but said the move is no confirmation President Obama will issue a major executive amnesty after the election.
“I think those who are trying to read into those specific orders about what the president may decide are a little too cleverly trying to divine what the president’s ultimate conclusion might be,” he said.
As reported by Breitbart News, USCIS is soliciting the materials to required to print green cards and employment permits of the type used to implement Obama's "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" program. The draft solicitation says that in addition to a minimum order necessary to print 4 million such IDs per year, vendors must have the capacity to produce materials for a "surge" of 9 million IDs in 2016.
“The Contractor shall demonstrate the capability to support potential 'surge' in PRC and EAD card demand for up to 9M cards during the initial period of performance to support possible future immigration reform initiative requirements,” the document says.
Earnest explained that he had a chance to read reports about the issue after declining to address it at yesterday’s press briefing, but dismissed questions about it as a a “relatively clever way” of trying to predict Obama’s decision.
“So you are suggesting that ordering these green cards shows that the government is at least preparing the president to announce this soon?” Fox News reporter Ed Henry asked during the White House Press briefing.
Earnest denied that the order was a indication of what Obama was planning to do.
“I think the report is that they ordered some paper,” Earnest said, insisting that the order was for “ongoing operations” at the Department of Homeland Security.
“Don’t be absurd with us!” replied White House CBS reporter Major Garrett. “That’s not just an ordinary piece of paper it’s central to what the president has promised in public to do … is that coincidental or is it unrelated?”
“You would have to ask the DHS about orders of green colored papers that they’ve ordered,” Earnest said.
“I mean this is crazy,” Earnest chuckled as Garrett continued to press him on the issue.
“Why isn’t it just obvious that that seems to be related?” asked Garrett.
Earnest laughed and again suggested that the orders for more “card stock” associated with making IDs was just part of their daily operations.
“You would have ask them about the policies that govern their procurement of green paper. Right?” Earnest said, insisting that he was not trying to be clever with his response.
Garrett replied that it would be difficult for the DHS to be caught without a proper supply of materials - if the president decided to issue an executive order.
“There are a lot of things we don’t know,” Earnest replied, adding that there were still decision to be made about Obama’s executive actions.
“What I would caution you against doing, is making assumptions about what will be in those announcements based on the procurement practices of the Department of Homeland Security.”
According to the USCIS solicitation, the "surge" capacity would allow the agency to issue more than double the baseline number of immigrant IDs it would issue as part of its current "ongoing operations."
The document describes the materials sought by the agency as "100% polycarbonate solid body card stock with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and holographic images embedded within the card construction substrate layers, card design service, and storage."
Top Republicans including Speaker John Boehner have denounced Obama over the issue, and immigration experts said the solicitation suggests the administration is already beginning to implement a broad executive action.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Governm...ing-Operations
Obama Admin To Brief Goodlatte On Immigrant ID 'Surge'
by Caroline May 22 Oct 2014, 2:27 PM PDT
breitbart
With questions swirling about the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ solicitation for material to create millions of new immigrant IDs and work permits, the agency has agreed to brief House Judiciary Committee staff, Breitbart News has learned.
Breitbart first reported Sunday that USCIS has issued a draft solicitation for vendors that can supply the materials necessary for millions of Permanent Residency Cards (PRC) and Employment Authorization Documentation (EAD) “to support possible future immigration reform initiative requirements.”
Monday, House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) revealed that his staff have demanded a briefing.
“It is alarming that the Obama Administration seems to be silently forging ahead with its plan to unilaterally grant millions of unlawful immigrants legal status and work authorization,” Goodlatte said at the time.
A House Judiciary aide confirmed to Breitbart News Wednesday that the agency has agreed to brief the committee staff but noted such a meeting has not yet happened. The aide did not provide any information about when the briefing will occur.
With President Obama poised to take executive actions on immigration after the midterm election, White House Press Secretary John Earnest faced a barrage of questions Wednesday from reporters about the USCIS solicitation.
Earnest denied — to skeptical reporters — that the order provided hints about Obama’s executive action plans.
Nevertheless, many questions remain about the solicitation which explained the agency is looking for a contractor that can handle a “surge” of 9 million ID cards in a single year and up to 34 million cards for the entire contract.
“The Contractor shall demonstrate the capability to support potential 'surge' in PRC and EAD card demand for up to 9M cards during the initial period of performance to support possible future immigration reform initiative requirements,” the solicitation reads.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Governm...e-Solicitation