Interests Plot against State and Local Laws

Thanks to vested interests, immigration reform — at least for the time being — has ground to a halt in Washington. At the same time reformers at the local and state level are making great strides, passing numerous laws against illegal immigration.

This successful movement has alarmed the open-border interests and they are now plotting two ways to stop it, specifically involving legislation in Washington. One is cutting funding of the 287(g) program in the appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security. The 287(g) program, sanctioned by the 1996 immigration act, specifically allows local and state law enforcement agencies to assist in immigration law enforcement after receiving federal training. The program has proven highly effective as a means to enlist local and state governments against illegal immigration. The funding cut would leave the program intact, while making it far less effective.

The measure, H.R. 5515, is deceptively labeled as a measure to improve immigration law enforcement. It proposes to upgrade the E-Verify, the system that allows employers to check the legal status of employees. However, buried deep in the text of the bill is Section 101(b)(2)(A). In the words of Human Events (5/19/08), a respected Washington weekly, this provision "would kill all the laws recently enacted by long-suffering states and localities in response to the federal government's unwillingness to enforce its own federal laws on immigration."

Comment: Open border interests will stop at nothing to prevent reform. The only thing that will stop them is the determination of citizens — many citizens — who will not hesitate to make their views known in Washington. Take action and email your House members — demand that they not cut funding to 287(g) and tell them to oppose H.R. 5515.

Cannon Loses Utah Primary

Six-term Utah House member Chris Cannon lost the Republican primary to challenger Jason Chaffetz. As reported by The Politico, "Immigration was the driving force behind Cannon's unpopularity with the district's Republican base." Cannon has been an outspoken advocate of benefits for illegal aliens, including amnesty (permanent legal status) and in-state tuition.

In 2002, Cannon spoke at the award ceremony of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Foundation (MALDEF), an illegal alien advocacy group. He expressed approval that Utah was granting driver's licenses on the basis of the Mexican Matricula card, an ID the Mexican government commonly issues to its citizens who illegally reside in the U.S.

Chaffetz ran on a platform of deporting illegal aliens and ending automatic citizenship for the children of illegals born in the U.S.

Comment: Cannon's defeat should send a message to other politicians that supporting illegal immigrants is not good way to remain in office.

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