A recent article by Fox News led with a quote from the Department of Homeland Security: “We are not engaged in a backdoor amnesty.” Well that certainly is news, considering that the actions of the Administration, or lack there of, scream otherwise.
The article goes on to highlight recently published memos by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which outline “administrative alternatives to comprehensive immigration reform.” The Department defends themselves by asserting that these documents were only drafts, meant to convey ideas, rather than policy. Yet, actions speak louder than words.
It appears that when it comes to immigration enforcement, the White House has decided that it knows best, deciding when laws should be enforced and when they should be ignored. Instead of providing for the rule of law and seeking change to immigration law through the legislative process, the Administration has decided to bypass Congress and dictate these changes themselves.
The fact of the matter is, by undermining immigration enforcement programs like 287(g) by only allowing local law enforcement to check the immigration status of those arrested for “serious offenses,” halting worksite enforcement raids in favor of “soft” audits, and encouraging the dismissal of deportation cases against non-criminal illegal aliens, the Administration has created exactly what it said it wouldn’t—de facto amnesty.
Rather than furthering policies that will only make the country’s illegal immigration problem worse, it is time that the White House pursues meaningful immigration policies that discourage illegal immigration, while strengthening the security and prosperity of the United States.
