Supreme Court Said NO

The US Supreme court in a 5-to-4 decision overturned the deportation James Dimaya a 25-year-old U.S resident from the Philippines who was convicted of two burglaries. James came to the US at the age of 13 as a legal permanent resident. He was convicted of two home burglaries in California and was sentenced four years in prison. The government was trying to place his deportation and crimes under a “violent crime’ even though neither of James crime involved violence. The Court said that “language is so vague that it invites arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement”.



“Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch, Scalia's successor, cast the fifth and decisive vote, along with four liberal justices. In a lengthy concurring opinion, he said the ’Constitution looks unkindly on any law so vague that reasonable people cannot understand its terms and judges do not know where to begin in applying it.’”

Trump responded via tweet expressing his unhappy feelings about the supreme court decision.

“Today’s Court decision means that Congress must close loopholes that block the removal of dangerous criminal aliens, including aggravated felons. This is a public safety crisis that can only be fixed by.......Congress – House and Senate must quickly pass a legislative fix to ensure violent criminal aliens can be removed from our society. Keep America Safe!


https://www.npr.org/2018/04/17/603160263/supreme-court-strikes-down-part-of-immigration-law

Misconceptions About Immigrants Part 1

After having a semi-heated discussion about illegal immigrants and the actions taken by Oakland’s Mayor Libby Schaaf -warning the community about ICE raids- it came to my attention that a lot of people are angry but they don’t fully comprehend immigration. Most of their beliefs are based on myths, that the media continue to spread and propaganda.  

Most immigrants are here illegally. Most immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens (44%). 27% of immigrants who are not naturalized are a lawful permanent resident. They are known as green-card holders). Immigrants who are unauthorized make up 25.5%.

It’s easy to enter the country legally. There is a rigorous process for obtaining visas and permanent resident/green-card status. Many immigrants who arrived between 1790 and 1824 would not be allowed under the current immigrant policy.

Immigrants don’t want to learn English. Immigrants must speak, read, write and understand English in order to complete the naturalization application process and on a 100 question civics test that has an oral and written parts

Immigrants take good jobs from US Citizens. “The U.S. civilian workforce included 8 million unauthorized immigrants in 2014, which accounts for only 5 percent of the entire workforce”. 

Undocumented immigrant works often fill the void of low-skilled U.S Workers. As a result, it is a lot easier for unethical employers to “exploit this labor source, paying immigrants less, refusing to provide benefits and ignoring worker-safety laws. On an economic level, U.S. citizens benefit from relatively low prices on food and other goods produced by undocumented immigrant labor”.

Immigrants are “the worst” they come from other countries and bring crime/ violence. According to American Immigration by David A. Gerber, immigrants actually lower crime and violence. “Urban crime and social problems associated with immigration have not nearly approached the dimensions that alarmist have assumed. …immigrants are less likely to commit crimes or to be incarcerated than native-born Americans (54).

Undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes and burden the national economy. Immigrants pay taxes every time they buy taxable goods such as gas, clothes or new appliances. They also pay property taxes which is the main source of school funding.

                                                                                                                                     

“A 2017 report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy highlights that undocumented immigrants pay an estimated $11.74 billion in state and local taxes a year. The U.S. Social Security Administration estimated that in 2010 undocumented immigrants—and their employers—paid $13 billion in payroll taxes alone for benefits they will never get. They can receive schooling and emergency medical care but not welfare or food stamps. Under the 1996 welfare law, most government programs require proof of documentation, and even immigrants with documents cannot receive these benefits until they have been in the United States for more than five years”.

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-2011/ten-myths-about-immigration

Trump: Back at it Again

This blog will be focusing on Trump’s knowledge on Immigration because he has deployed the National Guard to the US – Mexico border to fight illegal immigration. I honestly have multiple question about his decision like how is the national guard going to improve the so-called border issue? Are they trained to handle these situations? What kind of impact does Trump think this new proclamation would do? Trump’s reason for his decision is "The lawlessness that continues at our southern border is fundamentally incompatible with the safety, security, and sovereignty of the American people," Trump wrote in a memo authorizing the move, adding that his administration had "no choice but to act."


A few more questions. What lawlessness? Does he have proof of this lawlessness? Where’s the facts?


Trump’s decision was made after he pledged to that he would take “strong action today” on immigration. The lack of progress on building his promised wall has been frustrating Trump. Even though the federal law prohibits the use of active duty service members for the law enforcement inside the U.S, unless authorized by Congress, over the past 12 years a president has sent the national guard to the southern border twice. The National Guard was sent to “the border to bolster security and assist with surveillance and other support”.

Kristjen Nielsen, Homeland Security Secretary has expressed that she had been working “with governors of the southwest border states to develop agreements on where and how many Guardsmen will be deployed”.

“One congressional aide said that lawmakers anticipate 300 to 1,200 troops will be deployed and that the cost was expected to be at least $60 million to $120 million a year. The Pentagon would probably need authorization from Congress for any funding beyond a few months, said the aide, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity”.

Governor Jerry Brown, said that “any federal request would be promptly reviewed to determine how the state could best offer its assistance”. Trump’s decision is being largely supported by four U.S States governors.

“Senators in Mexico urged President Enrique Pena Nieto to temporarily suspend cooperation with the U.S. on immigration and security issues. In a nonbinding statement approved unanimously Wednesday, the senators asked Mexico's government to freeze joint efforts "in the fight against transnational organized crime" until Trump starts acting "with the civility and respect that the people of Mexico deserve."
In all honesty I hope trump has some success with this plan he has put in motion. I do pray that those who are the border treats everyone like they are human. I hope they report the truth and that no one is murdered or mistreated during this process. I am aware of how the US can treat “enemies” or “illegals” and I hope they have a heart. We are all just humans trying to coexist in world overrun by racism and unfair capitalism.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-immigration-20180404-story.html

California sets rules for cooperating with feds on immigration

On Wednesday, the California Department of Justice issued new guidelines clarify how state and local law enforcement may cooperate with federal immigration officials.


This comes after California passed Senate Bill 54, which "effectively legalized non-cooperation between state law enforcement agencies and federal immigration officials". In response to the bill, Trumps administration filed a lawsuit again challenging SB54.


The guidelines were outlined in a 10 document. State Sen. Kevin de Leon explains that the new guideless should offer “further evidence that SB54 is consistent with federal law.”


U.S Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other members of the Trump administration criticize California's efforts to protect undocumented immigrants and their attitude towards federal immigration laws. Despite California efforts, there has been several immigration raids targeting businesses that employ undocumented immigrants.


Under the new guidelines, "police and sheriff’s departments are prohibited from inquiring about a person’s immigration status, but are permitted to share information regarding an immigrant’s legal status when they have information".


State and local authorities are allowed to assist federal immigration officials as long as they follow state law and it is being enforced. However, the California government still discourage cooperation between federal authorities and state/local enforcement.


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/03/28/california-sets-rules-for-cooperating-with-feds-on-immigration.html

Sheriff Participates in ICE Raid

Rensselaer County Sheriff Patrick A. Russo has agreed to work with federal immigration authorities. Rensselaer County is a former steel town built by Irish and Italian immigrants. Sheriff Russo became one of 75 counties to help the federal immigration authorities with raids. He has been in local law enforcement for 43 and he’s a Republican who believes by participating he is making the country safe again. Alphonso David, the chief counsel to Governor Cuomo expressed that, “State police agencies do not and will not engage in such activity, and we are troubled that one local sheriff in the state has decided to participate,” 

Under the program, Ice will train two staff corrections officers to identify, interrogate and turn over inmates and those who are awaiting criminal trial for being in the country illegally.

 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/20/nyregion/new-york-rensselaer-county-ice-jails.html

ICE Spokesman Quit

James Schwab former spokesman for immigration and customs enforcement in San Francisco resigned after the recent immigrant raid in the Bay Area. Schwab told the SF Chronicle that the Trump administration officials exaggerated the number of undocumented immigrants who avoided arrest after Oakland Mayor Bibby Schaaf tipped off the public days before the raid. ICE arrested 232 people were arrested in the sweep and the number could have been higher without the tip. The Director of ICE Thomas Homan stated that about 864 “criminal aliens” escaped arrest. Trump complained to the media that the round up could have been close to 1000 people. “Schaaf applauded Schwab’s decision. 

“Our democracy depends on public servants who act with integrity and hold transparency in the highest regard,” the mayor said in a statement.

Sessions escalated the dispute last week by filing a lawsuit against the state of California over its so-called sanctuary cities― areas that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities”.