With deportations at record levels, both sides of the
immigration debate are blaming each other. Congress is accusing the president
of ignoring the law, while the President and his advisers maintain their hands
are tied because of Congress. Both sides are talking at each other when they
should be talking to each other. Several quotes in a recent New York Times article are perfect examples of the ignorance that plagues those who should be
the most informed on the issue and demonstrate why it is just so hard to get
something done.
This, from one of the more powerful Republican senators
running off at the mouth demonstrating how ignorant he is on one of the more important
economic issues of our day:
“The administration has carried out a dramatic nullification
of federal law. Under the guise of setting ‘priorities’, the administration has
determined that almost anyone in the world who can enter the United States is
free to illegally live, work and claim benefits here as long as they are not
caught committing a felony or other serious crime.” - Senator Jeff Sessions
What is wrong with this guy? First, nullifying federal law…what!
I know he went to law school a few decades back, but I don’t think he is fully
familiar with the definition of nullification. There is nothing about setting
enforcement priorities that violates the law, much less nullifies it. Under the
Immigration and Nationality Act the executive branch has wide discretion in how
it enforces the law. If Mr. Sessions doesn't like the way the executive branch
is exercising its discretion then maybe he and his colleagues should change the
law. Disagreement with a policy decision is one thing, but to label it
nullification is a bit of a stretch. Second, when are people going
to get it through their heads that undocumented people cannot avail themselves
of the benefits of the welfare state? As I have mentioned in previous posts,
there are some negative externalities associated with the social welfare system
when it comes to the issue of immigration, but the proper forum for those
issues is a debate about the social welfare system, not the immigration system.
I hope that he doesn't actually believe this nonsense and it’s just political
pandering…at least that wouldn't be as embarrassing.
Next one is from a White House domestic policy adviser:
“The president is concerned about the human cost of
separating families, but it’s also true that you can’t just flip a switch and
make it stop.” - Cecilia Muñoz
Actually Ms. Munoz, the president could flip a switch and
make it stop. He has the discretionary authority to defer enforcement action on
cases for humanitarian reasons, whether he has the moral and political courage
to actually do it has yet to be seen. There
is nothing humane about the removal of a person from the United States,
especially when that person has lived most of their life here or has kids who
were born here. If the president really wanted to stop all this madness he could simply
tell ICE to stop placing people in removal proceedings that meet certain
criteria. It is that simple and the switch can be flipped…all it takes is a bit
of character and courage.
I am still optimistic that we will see some sort of change
in the law in the near future, but is it any wonder that we don’t have
something yet when the very people who should be the most informed are this
ignorant?
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