N.J. Senators to Fast In Support Of Immigration Reform
CBS New York reports that senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker joined immigration advocacy group Fast for Families in a 24 hour fast to help support immigration reform. The group has been protesting the lack of movement in the House on the immigration reform bill by participating in a water-only diet. Menendez and Booker were joined in D.C. by Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale of The Reformed Church of Highland Park, as well as some of the church’s Indonesian congregants who have been fighting deportation. The reverend and his congregants also planned a modified fast.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/12/11/n-j-senators-to-fast-in-support-of-immigration-reform/
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Deportations Drop as Obama Pushes for New Immigration Law
Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the Obama administration has forced annual deportation numbers to decline for the first time in more than a decade. In fiscal 2012, deportations hit a record high of 409,900, but fell to 343,020 in fiscal 2013 according to ICE data. The decrease is the result of a new policy on focusing limited enforcement resources on “public safety, national security, and border security.” Roughly 58 percent of deportations during 2013 were “criminals,” which is up from 31 percent in 2008. The Obama administration has also developed some removal exemptions; certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children are protected by DACA, and the Department of Homeland Security recently announced a cessation of forced removals for families of U.S. military members.
Fewer deportations do not necessarily mean fewer detainments. The federal detainment minimum for undocumented immigrants sits now at 34,000. The immigration reform bill approved by the Senate earlier in 2013 would “increase the prison population by about 14,000 inmates annually by 2018.” Some legislators, such as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, believe that Obama’s changes “push executive power beyond all limits.” Conversely, immigration reform advocates hope Obama will do more to minimize deportations. In December of 2013, 29 House democrats signed a letter calling on Obama to suspend deportations. Despite the recent decline, however, close to two million people have been deported during Obama’s five years in office.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/19/us-deportations-plummet-2013-report/
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Jeh Johnson OK’d for Homeland Security
Politico reports that former Pentagon attorney Jeh Johnson has been confirmed by the Senate to lead the Department of Homeland Security in a 78-16 vote. As head of the DHS, Johnson will oversee policies such as national security, immigration, disaster response, and transportation. The hold previously placed on Johnson’s nomination was lifted when Democrats changed the Senate’s rules by a majority vote to abandoning the 60-vote threshold for most nominations. Republicans had been using Johnson’s stalled nomination as a means of extracting information from the administration on border security and other keys issues. Johnson is formally replacing Janet Napolitano, who left her post in September in order to lead the University of California system.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/jeh-johnson-department-of-homelandsecurity-senate-101213.html
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Democrats Use New Filibuster Rules to Approve DHS Nominee Mayorkas under Investigation
Washingtontimes.com reports that the current chief of USCIS, Alejandro Mayorkas, has been approved as the new deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Mayorkas is still under investigation due to allegations of overruling career officers in his agency in order to approve visa applications sought by well-connected Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Senate Republicans claim the move reflects the first time the Senate has ever knowingly confirmed such a high level nominee under active investigation. Mayorkas’ approval was only made possible by the modification of the Senate’s filibuster rules in December. The vote added up to 54-41 along party lines. Some read the decision as indicative of the “bitter” partisanship in the Senate, as well as a “lack of trust” between Senate Republicans and Democrats.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/20/dems-use-new-filibuster-rules-approve-dhs-nominee/
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