Free Republic

Federal immigration officers released another 30,000 immigrants with criminal records last year, following the 36,000 it released in 2013, the government announced Wednesday — though it promised to take steps to cut down on the problem. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that handles detention and removal of illegal immigrants, said it will no longer allow overcrowding to be the main reason a dangerous illegal immigrant is released, and will require a top supervisor to approve the cases of any serious criminals that officers want to release. Overall, ICE released 30,558 criminal aliens in fiscal 2014, which is down...

Loretta Lynch, President Obama's attorney general nominee who once appeared to be on a glide path to confirmation, is now a vote away from losing the job after months of delay, thanks mostly to her views on illegal immigration. Senate Republicans leaders have postponed a confirmation vote on Lynch, who was nominated more than four months ago. And each passing day has generated another GOP "no" vote, even from Republicans who typically would be amenable to approving Lynch, who is now serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and is highly regarded for her legal...

End Birthright Citizenship Now by MARK KRIKORIAN March 17, 2015 President Obama has clinched the case for ending automatic citizenship for the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens, tourists, and foreign students. To the extent that supporters of our current practice have made any coherent arguments at all in response to claims that such children are “anchor babies,” they have noted — correctly — that having a U.S.-born child does not give parents any formal right to stay or work in the United States, so that the “anchor baby” label is inaccurate. They have claimed that automatic citizenship for children was...

Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Bob Corker (R-TN) say they will opposed President Obama’s attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch. “I will vote against President Obama’s nomination of Loretta Lynch for attorney general of the United States,” Alexander said in a statement. He explained that he intends to use his vote against Lynch to protest Obama’s executive amnesty. “This is an opportunity, within the Senate rules, to express my disapproval of the president’s abuse of executive authority, and it’s an opportunity I intend to take,” he said. Corker voiced concern that Lynch would not be independent enough within the administration. “The...

President Obama has clinched the case for ending automatic citizenship for the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens, tourists, and foreign students. To the extent that supporters of our current practice have made any coherent arguments at all in response to claims that such children are “anchor babies,” they have noted — correctly — that having a U.S.-born child does not give parents any formal right to stay or work in the United States, so that the “anchor baby” label is inaccurate. They have claimed that automatic citizenship for children was not a magnet for illegal immigration because the parents remained...

There has been a flurry of procedural developments in the lawsuit filed by 26 states in a Texas federal court against President Obama’s amnesty plan for 5 million illegal aliens. On March 19, Justice Department lawyers — and officials of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — will be in the hot seat at a hearing scheduled by Judge Andrew Hanen. Sitting in the dock, they will have to explain whether they misled (others might say “lied to”) the court. Or, as Hanen put it in formal judge-speak: “be prepared to fully explain to this Court all of the matters...

I wonder whether most people truly understand the scope and import of Obama's lawless order to halt deportations and allow work permits for up to 5 million immigrants living illegally in the United States. Do they understand that he doesn't have the constitutional authority to do this? Do they understand that he admitted not having the constitutional authority to do this? Do they understand that Congress considered and rejected such action when it declined to pass the DREAM Act? Do they understand that under Obama's rule, these immigrants will be eligible for Social Security payments and even receive credit, in...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker made another massive misstep on Monday, hiring Liz Mair of Mair Strategies to handle communications and social media for his campaign-in-waiting. Mair’s support for amnesty for illegal aliens, wide-open-borders immigration policies, and public advocacy for the Senate “Gang of Eight” amnesty bill is sure to dog Walker in Iowa, South Carolina, and other early presidential states. During the Senate Gang of Eight bill fight, Mair very publicly and very aggressively promoted the amnesty bill—pushing it to media and making the case for the need for it over and over again. She claims her advocacy was done...

Governor moves toward conservatism before presidential campaign announcement.Gov. Scott Walker acknowledged his flip on immigration during an interview on Fox News Sunday this month – a move consistent with his shift toward being a model conservative. The reason behind the change is simple, experts say; Walker is interested in a 2016 presidential bid. Walker recently announced he now supports stricter border patrol and opposes “amnesty” programs which allow certain undocumented workers to stay in the United States. He previously supported creating a path toward citizenship for undocumented immigrants. According to University of Wisconsin political science professor Kenneth Mayer, Walker’s stance...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker made another massive misstep on Monday, hiring Liz Mair of Mair Strategies to handle communications and social media for his campaign-in-waiting. Mair’s support for amnesty for illegal aliens, wide-open-borders immigration policies, and public advocacy for the Senate “Gang of Eight” amnesty bill is sure to dog Walker in Iowa, South Carolina, and other early presidential states. During the Senate Gang of Eight bill fight, Mair very publicly and very aggressively promoted the amnesty bill—pushing it to media and making the case for the need for it over and over again. She claims her advocacy was done...

If President Barack Obama’s immigration plan gets past a federal court injunction and 60 percent of illegals apply for deferred action protection under the plan, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency projects that it may have to hire an additional 3,100 employees, with a total program cost of up to $484 million a year. In a detailed response to questions from Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee about the cost of processing the illegals at a newly rented facility in Arlington, Va., the USCIS said “planning was based on the assumption that 60 percent of all individuals who...

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from 
Texas, spoke with Boston Herald Radio’s Holly 
Robichaud yesterday about his possible 
presidential run: Q: Great job up in New Hampshire. Are they loving you out there? A: I’ll tell you that the reception we received in New Hampshire has really been breathtaking. We’ve had standing-room-only crowds. ... It has been really encouraging. There’s a lot of enthusiasm. People are hungry for a leader who is willing to tell the truth and stand up and do what he said he would do. Q: Here in Massachusetts there’s a lot of us worried about...

LAPD Officer Accused of Trying To Smuggle Mexican citizen Across Border By JOSEPH SERNA LAPD officer arrested at Otay Mesa border on suspicion of human smuggling is 10-year veteran LAPD officer charged with trying to smuggle man into U.S. A 10-year LAPD officer and a second person were charged by federal prosecutors Monday with trying to smuggle a Mexican citizen into the United States in the trunk of a car at the Otay Mesa border crossing. Officer Carlos Curiel Quezada Jr., 34, and Angelica Godinez, 31, were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers Saturday evening when they drove...

After two months in the majority, has Mitch McConnell finally hit a red line with Harry Reid? The confirmation of Loretta Lynch to replace Eric Holder as Attorney General has stalled for the last few weeks, and McConnell threatened to stall it indefinitely after Democrats blocked a human-trafficking bill. The Senate Majority Leader wants an end to Democratic obstructionism:CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, authored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), has been stalled after Democrats accused Republicans of sneaking anti-abortion language into the bill. McConnell noted that Democrats on the Judiciary Committee...

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told skeptical voters Friday that he would not soften his views on immigration or education to win their backing. On his opening foray into New Hampshire for his likely campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Bush challenged voters here to spend time learning about the issues and avoid shrill partisan sniping. He said “facts don’t matter” to some of his critics and told his first political audience in the state in 15 years that true leaders do not shrink from their beliefs for political expediency. Bush, the brother of one president and the son of...

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, during a gaggle with reporters in New Hampshire on Friday, came out publicly for the previous Senate’s “Gang of Eight” amnesty bill that would have provided citizenship, public benefits and other goodies such as work authorization for every illegal alien in America. “The book I wrote is a pathway to legal status, and,” Bush began to answer when a reporter asked him about why he is now talking about how he wants a “pathway to legal status” for all the illegal aliens in America rather than a “pathway to citizenship,” which he previously endorsed. “But...

You have to give a certain amount of credit to politicians who are able to maintain a level of consistency, if nothing else. Stopping in New Hampshire, Jeb Bush was faced with yet another series of questions on the subject which seems to have sunk his prospects with conservatives this cycle. When asked yet again about a possible path to citizenship for illegals and a chance to “come out of the shadows” in an orderly fashion, Bush doubled down and let all of you haters out there know that he’s the grown up in the room here. Jeb Bush said...

Sen. David Vitter gave a speech on the Senate floor calling on Congress to end the practice of birthright citizenship, arguingthat "no sane country" would allow it for the children of illegal immigrants. Vitter ended the remarks Thursday by saying he was actually quoting an old speech by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who now opposes ending birthright citizenship. Reid had slammed Vitter over the issue the previous day. "This is not my statement. Let me clarify: This is Sen. Harry Reid's statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate," said the Louisiana Republican, who is sponsoring an anti-birthright...

The Justice Department, in an "emergency motion" filed on Thursday, asked a federal appeals court to suspend a lower court's injunction "interfering with immigration enforcement." The injunction, imposed last month by a U.S. District Court in Texas at the behest of 26 states, "offends basic separation-of-powers and federalism principles and impinges on core Executive functions," DOJ argued. "The lower court's order is unprecedented and wrong," said the Justice Department's request for an emergency stay, filed with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday. "The Constitution does not entitle States to intrude into the uniquely federal domain of immigration enforcement....

War On Terror: The head of U.S. Southern Command has warned lawmakers that IS is radicalizing converts and other Muslims in Latin America and could train and send them north via human traffickers. Gen. John Kelly issued his warning in a hearing Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee on defense appropriations for fiscal 2016. He's concerned that in addition to the Iranian terrorist puppet Hezbollah being active in Latin America, the Islamic State is promoting and recruiting for jihad against the United States in the region. "Last year, IS adherents posted discussions on social media calling for the infiltration...