By Correctamundo
Immigration reform should start at home, namely: our borders. You'd think that DHS, headed up by Butch Napolitano and her minions, would know if the borders are secure or not. They have no idea.
Immigration reform depends on a secure border. Nearly every lawmaker pushing reform, and certainly every Republican, stresses that the border must be proved secure before millions of currently illegal immigrants can be placed on a path to citizenship.
So far, so good. Until...
The administration [DHS} promised to create something called the Border Condition Index, or BCI, which would be a “holistic” (and a far better) measure of border security.
Time passed, with no BCI. “Nearly three years later, the department has not produced this measure, so at this hearing, we will be asking for a status of the BCI, what measures it will take into account and when it might be ready,” subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Candice Miller, a Republican, said before Wednesday’s testimony. Getting BCI up and running is particularly important now, Miller added, because comprehensive immigration reform cannot happen without a reliable way to assess border security.
And here's where it all falls apart.
So imagine everyone’s surprise when Mark Borkowski, a top Homeland Security technology official, told Miller that not only was BCI not ready, but that it won’t measure border security and was never meant to.
“I don’t believe that we intend, at least at this point, that the BCI would be a tool for the measurement that you’re suggesting,” Borkowski told Miller. “The BCI is part of a set of information that advises us on where we are and, most importantly, what the trends are ... It is not our intent, at least not immediately, that it would be the measure you are talking about.”
Miller appeared stunned and practically begged Borkowski, along with two other Homeland Security officials who were testifying, to tell her what she wanted to hear. “I’m just trying to let this all digest,” she said. “We’re sort of sitting here, as a Congress ... At what point will you be able to give us something?”
She never got an answer.
And the questions continued, even by Democrats.
Even Democrats who oppose tying immigration reform to border security realized they were being played. “I would say to the department, you’ve got to get in the game,” said a frustrated-sounding Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. “At some point, we’re going to have to have DHS work with us more concretely about the confidence of the security of the border.”
Rep. Ron Barber, the Democrat who replaced Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona, noted, “The Border Patrol rolled out last May a new strategy that didn’t have goals, didn’t have metrics, didn’t have a process for evaluation. That’s not really a plan, is it?”
Miller, the chairwoman, reminded the officials that the Department of Homeland Security could end up being the “stumbling block” to immigration reform. But the hearing ended with no hint that any answers might come soon.
They're not a stumbling block: they are boulders, built upon mountains of ineptitude, short-sightedness, and political expediency.
So let's now go to the border in Nogales, AZ, where our chief correspondent, John McCain, is conducting a tour with 3 other Senators.
NOGALES, Ariz. - The top Democratic and Republican Senate negotiators on forthcoming immigration-reform legislation toured the Arizona-Mexico border Wednesday, watching as U.S. authorities apprehended a woman who had scaled a border fence.They reiterated their commitment to strengthen security along the international line.
Whoa, John - what exactly did you see?
McCain had invited Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., to visit Arizona as Congress is working to craft new immigration reform legislation. The four senators are part of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" leading the legislative effort.
Border Patrol successfully apprehended her, but incident is another reminder that threats to our border security are real
Let me take a moment to ask this question: What the h*ll is this 'Gang of 8' thing? Is this what our founding fathers wanted from our Congress? A 'secretive' panel that meets behind closed doors, deciding the failure or success of important national issues without AN OPEN AND HONEST DEBATE THAT WE, THE PEOPLE, WHO EMPLOY THESE CLOWNS, CAN SEE? We have enough problems with the regular open and honest debates we do see without having to add this spy vs. spy crap that goes on behind closed doors.
Back to the Border Patrol apprehending this women: does that matter? It's the same as fishers who do the 'catch and release' thing. OUR AGENTS' HANDS ARE TIED, THANKS TO BUTCH NAPOLITANO, ERIC HOLDER, AND OBAMARAMADINGDONG. And because of budget cuts, the illegals are using this opportunity to play the system.
PHOENIX — Marco Antonio Durazo had been awaiting deportation from an Arizona detention center for six months when an officer came to get him from his cell.
“Obama doesn’t have any money,” the officer said.
“We found it very funny,” Durazo said, but it wasn’t a joke.
Soon, he was free along with hundreds of other illegal immigrants who were released by the Obama administration because of budget pressures. Officials have also scaled back border agent hours, drug patrols and staffing at border crossings — all during the peak illegal border-crossing season.
Let's be clear: it wasn't 'hundreds' - it was thousands.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Homeland Security Department released from its jails more than 2,000 illegal immigrants facing deportation in recent weeks due to looming budget cuts and planned to release 3,000 more during March, The Associated Press has learned.
The newly disclosed figures, cited in internal budget documents reviewed by the AP, are significantly higher than the "few hundred" illegal immigrants the Obama administration acknowledged this week had been released under the budget-savings process.
Does this administration tell the truth about ANYTHING? It really is a systemic problem and could be categorized as pathological.
The White House has said it was not consulted about the releases, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has acknowledged they occurred in a manner she regrets. White House spokesman Jay Carney on Wednesday said the government had released "a few hundred" of the roughly 30,000 illegal immigrants held in federal detention pending deportation proceedings. Carney said the immigrants released were "low-risk, noncriminal detainees," and the decision was made by career ICE officials.
More about these low-risk, noncriminal detainees in a moment.
"Simply blaming budget reductions as a means to turn a blind eye toward the national security of the American people is a dangerous plan, and one that calls into question the department's preparations for sequestration," wrote two Republican lawmakers, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who sits on the Senate panel that oversees the Department of Homeland Security, harshly criticized the administration for downplaying the number of immigrants released, adding the revelation "makes it less and less possible for lawmakers to have productive negotiations with the White House over a comprehensive immigration bill."
No frickin' kidding. Now back to those fun-loving illegals that are just being targeted for their skin color...
In February, 2,228 detainees were released and placed on supervised monitoring in an attempt to frighten the American people about the upcoming ramifications of sequestration. “I am trying to live within the appropriations that Congress gives us,” Morton protested. “Our single largest appropriation is for custody operations …. My view is we need to maintain the operations of the agency; I don’t want to furlough people.” So instead of furloughing administrative employees, Morton simply directed ICE to release illegal immigrants, many of them dangerous.While the Obama White House proclaims that these releases were not dangerous, Morton admitted that 30 percent had criminal records, and 10 percent had criminal records worse than one or two misdemeanors. That means approximately 200 relatively serious criminals were released. Eight Level-1 criminal offenders were released; four are still at large. Level-1 offenders are the most serious offenders.
Obama has no idea what dangerous means. Remember, he has surrounded himself with the likes of Chavez, The Muslim Brotherhood, Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, and Frank Marshall Davis.
And how about these illegals that were released from Florida?
In what has been described as a purely political decision, the Obama administration canceled White House tours and the Department of Homeland Security released thousands of detainees ahead of the implementation of sequestration, all in attempt to make the public “feel” the effects of the forced spending cuts.
Why kind of sadistic loon is sitting in our White House? Excuse me - what kind of sadistic loon that is never at the White House is playing golf right now or on vacation?
But will this effort backfire on President Barack Obama from a public relations standpoint, with children being denied access to “the people’s house” and the American public being exposed to potential harm from the release of illegal immigrant detainees with criminal records?
Yeah, it'll really hurt him in the PR department, which is run by Obama drones like CNN, MSLSD, ABC, CBS, NBC....
This is particularly a question for Florida, where one-third of the detainees released last month have criminal records, the Miami Herald reported.
Seventy-six of the 225 illegal immigrants released in the state by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have criminal convictions, including two who were considered aggravated felons.
Perhaps Obamaramadingdong will reach out to these two personally as a goodwill gesture between countries.
'You know - if I had a couple of sons, they'd look like Jose and Pedro. And I'd hope that they wouldn't be judged on their skin color or their record. And I certainly hope I'm not judged on my record. Actually, I don't have a record yet since I inherited everything from George Washington and still have a lot of work to do. And my college records are sealed so that you can't judge me on those records, either. So basically, let me be clear: I will not rest until my next golf game. And in the spirit of the upcoming Cinco de Mayo celebrations that will occur across this country, I will be inviting these 2 for an authentic Mexican dinner, with entertainment being provided by Gangnam, Jennifer Lopez, and Beyonce. Of course, security will be tight - after all, these guys are criminals and I don't want my daughters subjected to that at their home. But when they're out in the general public, there's security in numbers so you should be fine.'
All joking aside, here's some interesting tidbits about illegal immigration that you might not know.
Illegal aliens crossing the U.S.-Mexico border will reportedly be given handheld satellite devices by Mexican authorities to help them survive their illicit journey.“Our intention is to save lives,” Jaime Obregon, coordinator for the state commission for migrants in Puebla, the Mexican state behind the project, told the London Telegraph. “There are lots of people looking to cross and we are working with the U.S. authorities to make sure they do not die on the way.” [...] WND.com
~~~***~~~
Twelve Americans are murdered every day by illegal aliens, according to statistics released by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. If those numbers are correct, it translates to 4,380 Americans murdered annually by illegal aliens. That’s 21,900 since Sept. 11, 2001.
Total U.S. troop deaths in Iraq as of last week were reported at 2,863. Total U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan during the five years of the Afghan campaign are currently at 289, according to the Department of Defense.
While King reports 12 Americans are murdered daily by illegal aliens, he says 13 are killed by drunk illegal alien drivers – for another annual death toll of 4,745. That’s 23,725 since Sept. 11, 2001. [...] WND.com
~~~***~~~
25% to 27% of "Federal Prisoners" are from Citizens of Central and South America ( Mainly Mexico! ) according to a U.S. Government Site. This doesn't take into account the millions in state jails. [...] BOP.com
~~~***~~~
Illegal aliens are 50%+ more likely to be on welfare or other type of major U.S. tax paid $ benefit program. The quality of American Schools along border states with Mexico have been hurt by over crowding and behavioral issues, and language problems. [...] jpands.org
I'm probably preaching to the choir with most of you reading this. And I really can't say anything more about how dangerous this Imperial President is and his far-reaching tentacles known as his cabinet. We see it daily on the news. Yet they continue to play Houdini with smoke and mirrors to try and get you to pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
Sadly, just over 50% of you do believe what's being spewed at us. Obama is asking you: "Who are you going to believe? Me or your lying eyes?" This line, ironically, is usually spoken by someone who's been caught lying and, instead of admitting it, says the evidence is wrong, as well as the person who's looking right at it. Sound familiar?