The Obama Administration’s Version of Immigration Reform

Matt Mayer / September 07, 2009

As widely noted, President Barack Obama has comprehensive immigration reform on his 2010 legislative agenda. Given the policy changes made during his first nine months, it is clear that President Obama sees reform through the prism of perceived Hispanic votes and union payback.

First, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano changed the worksite raid policy of deporting illegal immigrants caught during raids to giving those illegals temporary work permits to cooperate with DHS. Beyond the legal weakness in buying cooperation, does anyone really believe that the illegals released with work permits will hang around and face deportation once the case is resolved? The history of the “catch and release” program — ended by President George W. Bush in 2005 — unequivocally demonstrates that illegals will move to another city or state and resume their illegal activities. By effectively ending the “detention and removal” policy, Secretary Napolitano has only put back in place one of the incentives illegals had in coming to America; namely, an all bark and no bite enforcement regime. (more…)