Tag Archives: Asylum in the United States

Using The Law To Break The Law

Posted on by

John Hinderaker at Power Line posted an article today about a lawsuit a half dozen members of the Honduras caravan have filed against President Trump and various other federal officials. It is a class action lawsuit.

The article reports:

Trump’s professed and enacted policy towards thousands of caravanners seeking asylum in the United States is shockingly unconstitutional. President Trump continues to abuse the law, including constitutional rights, to deter Central Americans from exercising their lawful right to seek asylum in the United States, and the fact that innocent children are involved matters none to President Trump.

Remember that the majority of the caravan is comprised of military-age men. The women and children are put at the front of the line for photo ops (and will probably be put in the front during the attempt to break into the United States). It may be lawful for people to seek asylum, but I think it is rather cheeky to sue the leaders of the country where you are requesting asylum.

The article explains:

Asylum is supposed to be available to people who face persecution in their home countries on grounds of religion, race, etc. It was never intended to apply wholesale to entire populations on the ground that their country is poorly governed.

But the theory of the caravan (and the lawsuit) is that anyone who makes it to American soil has due process rights as an asylum seeker, meaning, as a practical matter, that he or she has plenty of time to disappear into sanctuary regions like California. Think of it as a kind of legal illegal immigration.

Canada is not impressed with the economic migrants either. Reuters posted the following headline on Wednesday, “Exclusive: Canada rushes to deport asylum seekers who walked from U.S.”

The article at Reuters reports:

Canada is prioritizing the deportation of asylum seekers who walked across the border from the United States illegally, federal agency statistics show, as the Liberal government tries to tackle a politically sensitive issue ahead of an election year.

…Toronto lawyer Lorne Waldman said there were good reasons for accelerating the processing and deportation of people who crossed the border: it deters people with weak claims from making refugee claims in the hopes of living in Canada for years while their case wends through the system.

“The best way of discouraging people from making frivolous claims is by having the claims processed quickly,” Waldman said.

Canada may have stumbled on the answer to the problem.

Extreme? Or needed?

Posted on by

Some of this article was received in my email from a friend. More information can be found at Act for America and Congress.gov.

Our refugee program is broken. Already, 42 terrorists who were part of a Somali community resettled in the U.S. are fighting in the Middle East, one of whom became a suicide bomber. We know President Obama is working to bring even more refugees into the U.S. without proper background checks.

Rep. Brian Babin, R-TX, recently introduced a bill on July 30 that would suspend the current system of refugee resettlement until the Government Accountability Office “completes a thorough examination of its costs on federal, state, and local governments.”

The bill states:

SEC. 2. Suspension of admission of refugees.

Beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security may not admit into the United States an alien under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) until such time as Congress passes a joint resolution giving the Secretary authority to resume admitting aliens under such section.

SEC. 3. GAO study.

Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report that includes, for the 10-year period preceding the date of the enactment of this Act, for aliens admitted into the United States under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157), the following information:

(1) The average duration for which such an alien received benefits under a program described in section 4.

2) The percentage of such aliens who received benefits under a program described in section 4.

(3) The cost, per year, to each program described in section 4 for such aliens.

(4) The number of such aliens who paid Federal income tax or Federal employment tax during the first year after being admitted to the United States.

5) The cost, per year, to the program described in paragraph (5) of section 4 for such aliens.

(6) The number and percentage of such aliens who received benefits under a program described in section 4—

(A) 2 years after being admitted to the United States;

(B) 5 years after being admitted to the United States; and

(C) 10 years after being admitted to the United States.

(7) The cost, per year, to the Federal Government, to State governments, and to units of local government of providing other benefits and services, directly or indirectly, to such aliens.

SEC. 4. Benefit programs described.

The programs described under this subsection are as follows:

(1) The Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.).

(2) The Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.).

(3) Disability insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402 et seq.).

(4) The supplemental nutrition assistance program under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).

(5) Rental assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f).

As you can see, the bill is relatively short and to the point. It would at least allow us to keep track of who is in the country and how we are supporting them. It is needed. Please call your Representative and ask him to support the bill. America has always been open to refugees, but in the past we have not agreed to support them indefinitely–refugees were encouraged to assimilate and be self-supporting as soon as possible. Somehow we have lost that concept. We need to be open to refugees who are willing to assimilate and become productive Americans.

 

If Congress Won’t Pass It, Do It Anyway

Posted on by

Yesterday’s Daily Caller is reporting that the Justice Department has found a new way to legalize the flood of illegal immigrants.

The article reports:

The Department of Justice’s board of immigration appeals has decided to let Guatemalan women win asylum in the United States if they claim to be victims of domestic violence.

The decision creates a huge new incentive for Guatemalan women to cross the U.S. border, because if their asylum claim is accepted, their children get U.S. citizenship, plus the use of federal health, education and retirement programs, regardless of their initial education and work skills.

The article points out that the immigration courts are under the Justice Department–not the judiciary. So the decision to allow illegals to stay is in the Executive Branch of the government. It is another power grab that ignores the wishes of Congress and the American people.

The article points out:

Since 2009, the Department of Homeland Security quietly reversed a prior policy that said victims of domestic violence don’t count as a “social group” for immigration purposes.

Note that this was done by the Department of Homeland Security–not by Congress.

It would be political suicide for the Republicans to impeach President Obama; however, that is exactly what he deserves. The only chance Americans have of keeping their representative republic is to elect congressmen who have read and support the Constitution. Please remember that in November.

America Used To Be A Beacon Of Freedom

Posted on by

The Blaze is reporting today that the German family seeking political asylum in the United States because they want to homeschool their children will take their case to the Supreme Court.

An immigration judge granted the Romeike family asylum in 2010, but the U.S. government appealed. An immigration appeals board sided with the government, and the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals last week denied the family’s request for a new hearing.

The Home School Legal Defense Association is representing the family and has stated that they will take the case to the Supreme Court.

The article reports:

“The German High Court is on record for saying that religious homeschoolers should be targeted and severely punished, yet our Justice Department sees nothing wrong with that,” Farris (Home School Legal Defense Association founder Michael Farris) said. “The attorney general and Sixth Circuit are ignoring critical evidence and are trying to send back this family who is trying to stay in our country legally. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will go the other way and see what the original immigration judge saw: that this family and other religious homeschoolers in Germany are being persecuted for what they believe is the right way to raise their children.”

These are exactly the kind of people who should be granted asylum in the United States. Hopefully the Supreme Court will take the case and grant the Romeike family the freedom they are seeking.

Enhanced by Zemanta

America Used To Be A Place Of Sanctuary For The Persecuted

Posted on by

Yesterday the Washington Free Beacon posted a story about Uwe and Hannelore Romeike, German parents who sought to home school their children in Germany. They felt that the curriculum in the public schools was in conflict with their Christian beliefs.

The article reports the challenges they faced in Germany:

German law mandates that children attend a public or state-approved school. The local mayor informed the family that they would face fines and could lose the custody of their children if they did not attend school. The parents also faced potential jail time.

The government fined the family heavily and at one point seized the children to force them to attend school.

In 2008 the Romeike family left Germany and moved to Tennessee. There they sought asylum in the United States. An immigration judge granted it to them, citing a well-founded fear of persecution if they returned to Germany.

Unfortunately, the happy ending did not last–the article reports:

However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), appealed the ruling to the Board of Immigration Appeals.

The board overturned the original judge’s ruling and ordered the Romeikes deported to Germany. The Romeikes appealed their case to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, where their case will be heard April 23.

At issue is whether the German law constitutes persecution against Christians for their faith, qualifying them for asylum under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

I am having a hard time understanding this. At the same time the Obama Administration seems to be willing to let anyone enter the country illegally and become a citizen, they are closing the door to a family genuinely seeking asylum. America used to be a beacon of freedom in the world.  I fear that we have forgotten our roots.

Enhanced by Zemanta