Posted on 07/29/2010 8:30:12 PM PDT by kristinn
The Obama administration, anticipating that Congress might not pass comprehensive immigration reform this year, is considering ways it could act without congressional approval to achieve many of the objectives of the initiative, including giving permanent resident status, or green cards, to large numbers of people in the country illegally.
The ideas were outlined in an unusually frank draft memo prepared for Alejandro N. Mayorkas, director of the federal agency that handles immigration benefits, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS). The memo lists ways the government could grant permanent resident status to tens of thousands of people and delay the deportation of others, potentially indefinitely.
"In the absence of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, CIS can extend benefits and/or protections to many individuals and groups by issuing new guidance and regulations," said the memo, which was prepared by four senior officials from different branches of USCIS.
The 11-page document was made public Thursday by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who with six other senators wrote to Obama [2] more than a month ago, asking for his assurance that rumors that some sort of reprieve was in the works for millions of illegal immigrants weren't true.
"The administration has failed to reassure us that the information we were hearing was inaccurate," Grassley said in a statement to ProPublica Thursday night. "This memo gives credence to our concerns that the administration will go to great lengths to circumvent Congress and unilaterally execute a back door amnesty plan."
SNIP
In what would be a reversal of a position held by the agency's Office of General Counsel under previous administrations, the memo suggests granting green cards to large numbers of people currently in the country under Temporary Protected Status. That status typically is used to forestall deportation proceedings for large groups of undocumented foreign nationals when it would cause them hardship, such as sending them home in the wake of a major earthquake, hurricane or during a civil war.
SNIP
Read the eleven page memo here
It is coup d’etate..( I can’t put the accent on the e with my type) means seizure of state.
This reminds me of one of the first actions taken by President Carter upon his election. He issued a blanket pardon to all draft dodgers and deserters from the Vietnam War period. This resulted in many undeserving individuals becoming eligible for benefits as honorably discharged veterans. Since his action was under the presidential pardon power, Congress could not stop him, but they immediately enacted legislation specifying that a discharge issued as the result of the Presidential pardon would not qualify a person for veterans benefits. He might not have liked it, but there was nothing he could do.
Any president has a lot of power if he desires to push the issue, however, Congress has the power to trump him on almost any issue if they want to. Just as President Carter’s phony military discharges were rendered worthless, an Oboma green card could also be made meaningless.
I don't see any reason to wait around to see if that happens
And the AnnointedIdiot and his posse of Lie House idiots think their poll numbers are low now and people are angry?........These idiots have no clue to the amount of *hit they will be stirring up....why don’t they just take a seriously huge bee hive and while on national TV, hit it a few times with a big stick. =.=
The Democratic Party will cease to be a political force in this country and many, many angry people, who hardly vote, will see to their near permanent demise.....
I wish that posters would use the Private Reply feature when they want to use their “red pens” (grammar and spelling corrections). Actually, it’s “coup d’etat,” by the way. See how annoying that is?
I see typos and mistakes all the time, but I don’t appoint myself as a roving proofreader. I do enough of that in my daytime job as an English instructor.
Amen to that!
Obama needs to return to Kenya or Indonesia or whereever he is from.
He has
But does today's Congress (the 111th) have as much backbone as the 95th?
Funny thing. Wikipedia mentions how much more powerful the Presidency has grown in the 20th-21st century, but doesn't mention BO.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress
The Constitution provides checks and balances among the three branches of the federal government. The authors of the Constitution expected the greater power to lie with Congress as described in Article One.[17]
The influence of Congress on the presidency has varied from one period to another; the degree of power depending largely on the leadership of the Congress, political influence by the president, or other members of congress and the boldness of the president's initiatives. Under the first half-dozen presidents, power seems to have been evenly divided between the president and Congress, in part because early presidents largely restricted their vetoes to bills that were unconstitutional.
The impeachment of Andrew Johnson made the presidency much less powerful than Congress. During the late 19th century, President Grover Cleveland aggressively attempted to restore the executive branch's power, vetoing over 400 bills during his first term. The 20th and 21st centuries have seen the rise of the power of the Presidency under Theodore Roosevelt (1901–09), Woodrow Wilson (1913–21), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–45), Richard Nixon (1969–74), Ronald Reagan (1981–89), and George W. Bush (2001–09) (see Imperial Presidency).[18] In recent years, Congress has restricted the powers of the President with laws such as the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 and the War Powers Resolution; nevertheless, the Presidency remains considerably more powerful than during the 19th century.[18]
The only time I double post is when I make a grammar or spelling mistake, too many posters are starting to make double posts solely based to gather attention.
That is my pet peeve but I don’t get all exited about it, in as such as getting upset about spelling I suggest these folks sit down at a table, pour out a pile of black pepper, and sit and wait for the flies to land nearby, and then go get your magnifying glass and start counting the specks of fly crap that might be in it.
I wonder how the legal immigrants who are waiting for heir loved ones to get a green card feel about this?
Obama wouldn't even let them pass a budget.
“Green carders can’t vote”
You have never been to a So. California polling place have you
“too many posters are starting to make double posts solely based to gather attention.”
BS
I have heard that happens. Also happens with other foreign nationals...
I don’t think the relationship between congress and the presidency is so much about backbone as it is self interest. So far, congress has given Obama wide latitude because he is essentially doing what the leadership wants and they have sufficiently large enough majorities to deal with most internal opposition. His problem will come when his party no longer has a large majority or when they lose control of one or both houses.
A major difference between the presidency and congress is that the longer a person is president, the less powerful they are while a member of congress becomes more powerful the longer they are in office. You can bet that many of the senior members of both houses in both parties are chaffing at the arrogance of this administration and are waiting for the opportunity to put him in his place. His time will come.
There's not going to be any "war."
With the exception of a distinct minority, Americans have become a bunch of beaten down pussies.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States.
It would seem they now oversee illegal immigration as well?
FYI -something I posted on a similar thread with same topic:
All 10,000 crime victim visas issued
-excerpt:
"By SUZANNE GAMBOA / Associated Press Writer Posted: 07/15/2010 09:57:06 AM MDTWASHINGTON (AP) - The government has issued all 10,000 visas available this year for immigrant crime victims who help authorities investigate and prosecute perpetrators.
The last of this fiscal year's supply of visas was approved Thursday morning, marking the first time the government has hit the statutory "U" visa limit since the program became active two years ago.
The visas were created as part of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. They are given to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other crimes in exchange for cooperation with law enforcement.
In 2007, attorneys for immigrants who had been victims of crime sued the federal government for failing to issue any visas. Only 52 were issued in 2008. About 6,000 applications were approved last fiscal year.
Alejandro Mayorkas, director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, said that an increased focus on U visa processing, as well as increased outreach and resources to crime victims groups and law enforcement, have contributed to increased applications.
"We will not turn our attention away from victims of crime," Mayorkas said. Another 10,000 visas will be available in October, when the 2011 fiscal year begins. Until then, the federal government can grant interim legal status to non-citizens whose applications are approved for the visas so they can work.
Most visas are given to people not allowed to be in the country, but some are given to people with some sort of permission to be in the U.S."
For those interested, some background on the law:
US DOJ: Civil Rights Division - Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.
-excerpt:
"The Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, which enforces slavery and peonage statutes that were initially enacted over 100 years ago, was highly involved in drafting this new legislation. The new law expands the definition of forced labor to reach the more insidious forms of coercion occurring in contemporary times, thus enabling the Section to come to the aid of more victims and to bring more cases than allowed under prior laws.Here are some highlights of the new statute as they affect the Criminal Section's enforcement responsibilities:
* creates new laws that criminalize trafficking with respect to slavery, involuntary servitude, peonage or forced labor* permits prosecution where nonviolent coercion is used to force victims to work in the belief they would be subject to serious harm
* permits prosecution where the victim's service was compelled by confiscation of documents such as passports or birth certificates
* increases prison terms for all slavery violations from 10 years to 20 years and adds life imprisonment where the violation involves the death, kidnaping, or sexual abuse of the victim
* requires courts to order restitution and forfeiture of assets upon conviction
* enables victims to seek witness protection and other types of assistance
* gives prosecutors and agents new tools to get legal immigration status for victims of trafficking during investigation and prosecution"
It is interesting that legislation enacted to protect illegal aliens from slavery, involuntary servitude, etcetera applies as well to domestic violence?
What about the criminals responsible for illegal alien domestic violence -what are the chances that they too may be illegal aliens? If so, what exactly is being done in regard to these supposed criminals? Now, referencing the USCIS just released statement on the memo: -excerpt:
"Internal draft memos do not and should not be equated with official action or policy of the Department. We will not comment on notional, pre-decisional memos. As a matter of good government, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will discuss just about every issue that comes within the purview of the immigration system. We continue to maintain that comprehensive bipartisan legislation, coupled with smart, effective enforcement, is the only solution to our nation's immigration challenges".
With 10,000 "crime victim" visas issued under a "novel" Holderesque interpretation of the law, as noted above, I tend to think facts fly in the face of this statement...
For those who believe Obama has no clue...for those who think his cabinet is inept...for those who think this administration has any regard for the Constitution...
Think again...
Everything that’s being done is being done purposely.
I heard the Governor of WA state say that, after the recovery, the government will be different, in much the same manner that Obama said that in four days our country will be fundamentally changed.
Chilling...
In the spirit of compromise, I propose that Congress submit a McCain-Pelosi Immigration Reform Bill for the President’s signature, decreeing that all illegal aliens shall be rounded up immediately and deported to their native countries. HOWEVER, state Democratic Party organizations are authorized to mail absentee ballots to the deportees.
I know it’s despicable to even entertain such a thought, but the democrats and public unions will find a way for illegals will be able to vote anyway, if they stay in this country.
And think of the fun it would be watching Obama trying to evade accusations of turning a blind eye to “racial profiling” of the deportees as he signs the bill.
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