Thread: Trey Gowdy Fights Back Against Obama’s Amnesty With New Immigration Plan

1:36 PM 02/27/2015
Chuck Ross

South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy has introduced an immigration bill to defund President Obama’s executive amnesty and expedite the removal of criminal aliens from U.S. soil.

Named after Michael Davis, Jr., a sheriff’s deputy in California who was killed in the line of duty last year by an illegal immigrant, Gowdy’s bill would also provide a work-around for state and local governments to reinforce federal immigration laws while also implementing an annual review of the executive branch’s use of prosecutorial discretion in immigration cases.

“If we are serious about finding a long term solution to our immigration system, we must address interior enforcement,” Gowdy, the Republican chairman of the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, said in a statement announcing the measure.

“This bill, which is one part of the Committee’s step-by-step process to address our broken immigration system, will ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of the past and help us earn back the trust of the American public,” he added.

If enacted, the bill would completely dismantle what Gowdy describes as Obama’s “unilateral, constitutional actions on immigration” by cutting off any and all funds to the initiative. It would also strip Obama and all future presidents of any power to unilaterally shut down immigration enforcement by allowing state and local governments the authorization to enforce federal immigration laws.

Gowdy’s measure would also cut some grants to “sanctuary cities” — municipalities that prohibit law enforcement from inquiring about immigration status.

The bill would also facilitate and expedite the removal of criminal aliens. And in cases where the federal government cannot remove criminal aliens straight-away, the measure would allow the Department of Homeland Security to detain them.

Last year it was revealed that more than 36,000 criminal illegal immigrants had been released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody during 2013.

In Davis’ case, the Placer County (Cali.) sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed during a traffic stop by 34-year-old Luis Enrique Monroy-Bracamonte. The Mexican national had been deported twice and had a previous drug conviction.

Countries that refuse to accept the return of their citizens who have been ordered removed from the U.S. would face certain sanctions under Gowdy’s bill.

The bill would also enact mandatory detention for illegal immigrants who have been convicted of DUIs. Currently, DHS considers illegal immigrants with DUIs to be a low enforcement priority. That is at the behest of the Obama administration which says that enforcement should be focused on violent criminals and those and who pose a threat to national security.

ICE officers would also be helped by Gowdy’s law, the lawmaker insists, by strengthening their ability to make arrests for immigration violations. All deportation officers and agents will be allowed to carry firearms if the bill is passed.

Gowdy’s measure also addresses national security. The bill prohibits foreign terrorists or removable immigrants who pose a national security threat from receiving discretionary relief from removal or from being naturalized. It also addresses visa security by strengthening “the integrity of the student visa program” and granting DHS and the State Department the authority to revoke visas for foreign nationals if they pose a threat to national security.

“For decades, Americans have been promised a secure border and an immigration system that works for all Americans,” Gowdy said in his statement.

“Those promises have not been kept and both political parties bear responsibility for that. This legislation allows state and local governments to assist in the enforcement of our federal immigration laws. By doing so, we remove the ability of this or future Presidents – of either party – to systematically shut down portions of the law to suit their political purposes.”

http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/27/tr...iminal-aliens/

States need authority to enforce, not just "assist". That language must be much stronger than what it sounds. And, there should be no prioritization at all between so-called criminal aliens and any illegal alien under US immigration law. All are required to be deported and all should be. Just saying, because Trey, we don't want another ruse where the guts of your bill focus on 36,000 "criminal aliens", we want all 20 million or more removed and removed swiftly, which of course if states and local law enforcement have the authority to enforce, then this will be accomplished rapidly as it should be.

They need to be "processed" as swiftly or even more so since they have their own courts for deportation hearings, as state courts process traffic violations. Either you have documents or your don't. That is all that the deportation order must rely upon. It doesn't matter if under some plot or scheme you may or may not be eligible for something else, if you don't have the documents on you or can't prove them up in 24 hours, then off you go back to your home country. It's really that simple and should be enforced as such. Once back in your own country if there's some application you would like to make and try to snare one of the legal spots, then you would be free to do so.

However, we have at present such a frigging mess on our hands, we need a 10 year moratorium on all new immigration until this whole travesty is stopped, sorted out, fixed, deportables are deported, and the system reset so this never ever happens again. You can't fix the plumbing with the water on. You can't fix an engine while it's running. Get my drift? I'm sure you do, now tighten up your language and make damn sure it does what we want it to do which is empower the states to do the job the feds can't, won't and haven't done.

Originally Posted by Judy

States need authority to enforce, not just "assist". That language must be much stronger than what it sounds. And, there should be no prioritization at all between so-called criminal aliens and any illegal alien under US immigration law. All are required to be deported and all should be. Just saying, because Trey, we don't want another ruse where the guts of your bill focus on 36,000 "criminal aliens", we want all 20 million or more removed and removed swiftly, which of course if states and local law enforcement have the authority to enforce, then this will be accomplished rapidly as it should be.

They need to be "processed" as swiftly or even more so since they have their own courts for deportation hearings, as state courts process traffic violations. Either you have documents or your don't. That is all that the deportation order must rely upon. It doesn't matter if under some plot or scheme you may or may not be eligible for something else, if you don't have the documents on you or can't prove them up in 24 hours, then off you go back to your home country. It's really that simple and should be enforced as such. Once back in your own country if there's some application you would like to make and try to snare one of the legal spots, then you would be free to do so.

However, we have at present such a frigging mess on our hands, we need a 10 year moratorium on all new immigration until this whole travesty is stopped, sorted out, fixed, deportables are deported, and the system reset so this never ever happens again. You can't fix the plumbing with the water on. You can't fix an engine while it's running. Get my drift? I'm sure you do, now tighten up your language and make damn sure it does what we want it to do which is empower the states to do the job the feds can't, won't and haven't done.

I hear what you're saying and I agree. However, as much as I'd like my cake and to eat it too, I'd settle for just a dam piece of cake at this point! Of course as we all know, it's really a moot point while Obama sits in the White House. As we've seen with the DHS funding bill, the Senate doesn't have the votes to pass such a bill and Obama has made it very clear that his veto pen sits in the ready. That being said, I won't say these kind of bills are completely useless because representative's constituents need to know where they stand on the issue.

Yes, I agree MW. Our gooses are cooked because we need 6 more seats in the Senate, and a President who will sign the bill. So for the next 2 years, we'll be suffering the surge of legalization. Even if the states win the court case, it won't really matter, because Obama has already committed to breaking the law to legalize and he'll break the court order. He's a criminal on a mission, and usually the Supreme Court supports these people, why I don't know, but that's been their history when it involved the people versus the government.

The best shot we had was defunding DHS.

But, they caved, and instead of standing up for US, they fed US to the wolves.