Obama administration scales back deportations in policy shift

The Obama administration has begun a profound shift in its enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws, aiming to hasten the integration of long-term illegal immigrants into society rather than targeting them for deportation, according to documents and federal officials.

In recent months, the Department of Homeland Security has taken steps to ensure that the majority of the United States’ 11.3 million undocumented immigrants can stay in this country, with agents narrowing enforcement efforts to three groups of illegal migrants: convicted criminals, terrorism threats or those who recently crossed the border.

While public attention has been focused on the court fight over President Obama’s highly publicized executive action on immigration, DHS has with little fanfare been training thousands of immigration agents nationwide to carry out new policies on everyday enforcement.

The legal battle centers on the constitutionality of a program that would officially shield as many as 5 million eligible illegal immigrants from deportation, mainly parents of children who are U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. A federal judge put the program, known by the acronym DAPA, on hold in February after 26 states sued.

[Administration halts work on DAPA program ]

But the shift in DHS’s enforcement priorities, which are separate from the DAPA program and have not been challenged in court, could prove even more far-reaching.

The new policies direct agents to focus on the three priority groups and leave virtually everyone else alone. Demographic data shows that the typical undocumented immigrant has lived in the United States for a decade or more and has established strong community ties.

Via: Washington Post

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Barack Obama's Third Term?

The best line President Obama delivered in his 2015 State of the Union Address was not one written for him by his speechwriters. When he said he would not be on the ballot again, Republicans who had just taken over both Houses of Congress stood and applauded.

Good naturedly, but with a bit of sarcasm, Mr. Obama reminded his opponents that he won both times he was on the national ballot. He was the first Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt to achieve back-to-back election victories.

We need to acknowledge that he is a formidable political actor. He has defied the Constitution in many areas since his first days in office. He brazenly announced he did not like the Defense of Marriage Act and would not defend it in court (or enforce it before it got to court).

He has played fast and loose with U.S. immigration law. His response to the GOP takeover of Congress has been to issue Executive Orders detailing how he will not “take care that the law be faithfully executed.”
On Iran, he is proceeding to let the mullahs -- those inventors of suicide bombings -- slip the noose of international economic sanctions. His diplomacy will render -- is rendering -- the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) a dead letter. And he intends to do this in defiance of Congress. Capitol Hill Democrats are increasingly worried about Iran and its threat to extinguish Israel.

President Obama knows he will not be impeached. That is the source of his hideous strength. But it is not the only reason he is powerful.

If you watched the movie, Lincoln, you saw a great performance by Academy Award winning Daniel Day Lewis. There is one scene in the movie, however, that does not ring true for students of the Great Emancipator. You can watch the scene here  [at 1:32:30] although the entire movie is well worth watching.

Via: American Thinker

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[VIDEO] Watch Marco Rubio's Priceless Response To These College Protesters

Marco Rubio Interrupted By College Protesters At The Road To Majority Conference

A group of college-aged protesters interrupted Senator Marco Rubio during his speech at the Road to Majority conference on Thursday, demanding amnesty for illegal immigrants as they were escorted out of the Washington D.C. luncheon.

What do you think?

Senator Rubio was discussing what the title of this conference meant to him when he was cut off by young adults screaming from the back of the room.

What do you think?

“DAPA, IMPLEMENT DAPA,” the protesters yelled.

What do you think?

DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents) — implemented in 2014 by President Obama and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — allows parents with children who are legal American citizens or permanent residents to request government authorization to temporarily stay in the country without fear of deportation.

Rubio remained calm and took a sip of water. “I’ll continue my speech in a second,” he said.

What do you think?

“That’s the difference with the United States,” Senator Rubio said over the audience’s applause for the officers taking the protesters out of the luncheon. “If you do that in another country, you would be in jail tonight.”

What do you think?

“If you do that in another country, your family’s house could be raided, your businesses can be closed, and American people have the right to interrupt speeches, we have the right to be rude, they have a right to be wrong,” the Florida Senator said.

What do you think?

“We live in a free society and I thank God for that everyday.”

What do you think?

Via: Daily Caller

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