Thread: Obama: Amnesty to illegal aliens by executive order

GOP Lawmakers Warn of Administration Plan to Grant Amnesty to Illegal Immigrants

Published June 23, 2010
| FOXNews.com

Eight Republican senators and an independent group that supports tighter limits on immigration are warning that the Obama administration is drafting a plan to "unilaterally" issue blanket amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants as it struggles to win support in Congress for an overhaul of immigration laws.

The senators who wrote the White House on Monday say they are concerned that the administration is readying a "Plan B" in case a comprehensive reform bill cannot win enough support to clear Congress.

"It seems more real than just bullying (Republicans) into a bill -- that it's a plan that they can actually put forward ... circumventing Congress," an aide told FoxNews.com on Wednesday.

In their letter, the senators -- Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; David Vitter, R-La.; Jim Bunning, R-Ky.; Saxby Chambliss, Ga.; Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.; James Inhofe, R-Okla.; and Thad Cochran, R-Miss. -- urge the president to "abandon" what they say is a move to "unilaterally extend either deferred action or parole to millions of illegal aliens in the United States."

"Such a move would further erode the American public's confidence in the federal government and its commitment to securing the borders and enforcing the laws already on the books," they wrote.

Deferred action and parole, which give illegal immigrants the ability to seek a work permit and temporary legal status, are normally granted on a case-by-case basis. But the aide said the lawmakers have learned from "sources" that the administration is considering flexing its authority to grant the status on a mass basis.

Numbers USA, an organization that presses for lower immigration levels along with humanitarian treatment of illegal immigrants, has started a petition to the president expressing "outrage" at the alleged plan.

Rosemary Jenks, director of government relations with Numbers USA, said she's been hearing for weeks from "sources close to the Democratic leadership" in both chambers that administration officials are discussing whether the Department of Homeland Security could direct staff to grant "amnesty" for all illegal immigrants in the country.

"They're trying to figure out ways around a vote," she said.

"Any attempt to force an amnesty on the American people using this underhanded method smacks of despotism," reads the fax the group is urging supporters to sign.

The White House has not responded to a request for comment.

The Department of Homeland Security estimated last year that 10.8 million undocumented residents live in the United States; other estimates have ranged higher. Any move to grant blanket legal status, even temporary, would raise questions about how Homeland Security would be able to handle the caseload. Jenks said Congress certainly wouldn't grant the administration the funding for more caseworkers.

The purported discussions of a blanket amnesty come in the middle of several concurrent and heated debates over illegal immigration. The recently signed immigration law in Arizona has divided the country, with some states trying to replicate the state's tough legislation and other jurisdictions boycotting the state in protest. The Obama administration plans to file a court challenge.

Democrats, meanwhile, have been trying to round up support for an overhaul bill in Congress, and the Interior Department is facing renewed criticism from Republican lawmakers over restrictions it places on Border Patrol officers policing the border on federal lands. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., shocked several Arizona residents last week when he told them that Obama had said he would not beef up border security because it would leave Republicans without an incentive to pass broader immigration reforms.

Jenks said the talks about Homeland Security allowing illegal immigrants to stay are "serious."

Under the law, immigration officials can grant deferred action to temporarily postpone removing an illegal immigrant from the country. That status does not offer a guarantee that they won't face deportation, but Jenks said illegal immigrants granted parole are often allowed to seek permanent legal status.

If a "Plan B" is being discussed, it's unclear how far along the talks might be. Another GOP Senate aide said the discussions started after Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind., called on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in April to stop deportations of undocumented students who could earn legal status under a bill they introduced.

A Senate Democratic aide said the Obama administration never responded to the April letter.



http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06 ... t-amnesty/

This will start a civil war. No one in their right mind is going to let our government get away with going against the majority of Americans. If there was an exccutive order that would give amnesty to illegal aliens, then why wasnt it used by other pro-illegal presidents before him? The damage that would be done to our country would be irreservable. Please pray for our country!

Originally Posted by butterbean

This will start a civil war. No one in their right mind is going to let our government get away with going against the majority of Americans. If there was an exccutive order that would give amnesty to illegal aliens, then why wasnt it used by other pro-illegal presidents before him? The damage that would be done to our country would be irreservable. Please pray for our country!

Praying won't get it. These traitors in office must be stopped.

Senators Challenge Pres. Obama on Rumors of Amnesty Through Executive Actions

Updated Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 10:58 AM EDT - posted on NumbersUSA



Several Senators have learned of a possible plan by the Obama Administration that would provide a mass Amnesty for the nation's 11-18 million illegal aliens. Led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), eight Senators addressed a letter to the President asking for answers to questions about a plan that would allow DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to provide an amnesty if they can't secure enough votes for a bill in the Senate.

The letter that was sent to Pres. Obama earlier today asks the President for clarification on the use of deferred action or parole for illegal aliens. The executive actions are typically used in special cases and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but if 60 votes can't be secured in the Senate to pass a mass Amnesty, the Administration may use the discretionary actions as an alternative.

Here is the text of the letter signed by Sens. Grassley, Hatch (R-Utah), Vitter (R-La.), Bunning (R-Ky.), Chambliss (R-Ga.), Isakson (R-Ga.), Inhofe (R-Okla.), and Cochran (R-Miss.).

Dear President Obama:

We understand that there’s a push for your Administration to develop a plan to unilaterally extend either deferred action or parole to millions of illegal aliens in the United States. We understand that the Administration may include aliens who have willfully overstayed their visas or filed for benefits knowing that they will not be eligible for a status for years to come. We understand that deferred action and parole are discretionary actions reserved for individual cases that present unusual, emergent or humanitarian circumstances. Deferred action and parole were not intended to be used to confer a status or offer protection to large groups of illegal aliens, even if the agency claims that they look at each case on a “case-by-caseâ€

Sen. Grassley and 11 Senators Again Press Administration for Answers on Executive Action Amnesty

Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 10:41 AM EDT - posted on NumbersUSA

Sen. Chuck Grassley

Sen. Chuck Grassley

After receiving no response from their first letter sent to the Obama Administration on June 21 regarding reports of an Executive Action mass amnesty, a group of 12 Senators, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), is again asking the Administration for answers. The Administration has not denied reports of a plan to provide a mass amnesty for the nation's 11-18 million illegal aliens through deferred action and parole.

“The administration has yet to answer our letter about reports that it may be planning a large-scale, de facto amnesty program through deferred action and parole," Sen. Grassley said in a press release. "By shedding a little light on the numbers, we’re working to get to the bottom of the administration’s plans. If it wants to claim that discretionary authority is being used on a case-by-case basis, then let’s determine if these cases are truly meritorious.â€

If this happens on top of what just happened with the Arizona law, I smell a civil war coming too.

It is a good time to get prepared for that eventuality if not already.