Photo by Callie Shell from Time magazine.
After boosting border enforcement, the Obama Administration recently announced that it will also increase funding for a troublesome program started by George W. Bush. The controversial program gives Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unregulated access to the immigration information of every person in local prisons across the United States. Although Obama may be sending mixed signals as he paves a road to immigration reform—signals that frustrates many of his most steadfast supporters—he also understands that he must smooth the way for immigration reform by restoring the confidence of the American public and prove that the government is capable of upholding the rule of law.
Immigration enforcement is fundamentally a federal responsibility, but state and local governments can and should play a role in helping the federal government remove violent criminals from American society. Obama’s focus on catching hardened criminals represents the right prioritization of resources that are being funneled in the wrong direction. Rather than addressing the serious problems associated with the Bush Administration’s “Secure Communities” program, Obama’s 2010 budget, which allots $200 million for the program, seeks to expand rather than mend the deeply flawed initiative.
In an ideal world, Secure Communities would catch and deport undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes, rather than those who otherwise abide by the law. However, the terminal imperfections of the program are outlined by The National Immigration Law Center (NILC):
“Secure Communities has a deceptively benign appearance because of its name and purported focus on criminals. But the program applies to immigrants regardless of guilt or innocence, how or why they were arrested, and whether or not their arrests were based on racial or ethnic profiling or were just a pretext for checking immigration status.”
Without comprehensive immigration reform, the expansion of the Secure Communities program is essentially a slower and a more potentially devastating manifestation of “attrition through enforcement.” Effective and meaningful oversight, resources, and implementation of the program are necessary to ensure that harmless immigrants don’t languish in jail. Until comprehensive immigration reform is passed, it’s unlikely that the needed infrastructure for Secure Communities will be in place.
Yet, Obama’s pro-migrant critics shouldn’t lose hope. While some may see his decisions as moving two steps forward and one or more steps back, the Obama administration sees its actions as necessary when it comes to making a strong case for comprehensive immigration legislation in the near future. The White House agenda is on track with what Obama announced last month:
“If the American people don’t feel like you can secure the borders, then it’s hard to strike a deal that would get people out of the shadows and on a pathway to citizenship who are already here…The attitude of the average American is going to be, well, you’re just going to have hundreds of thousands of more coming in each year.”
The media has started equating Obama’s actions with back-tracking, progressives are questioning the integrity of his agenda, and hard-line immigration activists are questioning his loyalty. Yet, for once, it might make sense to take heed to anti-immigrant advocates who are approaching Obama with deep suspicion. Mark Krikorian, an avid restrictionist, crudely proclaims that the move is “obviously intended to strengthen the administration’s hand in making the political case” for a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants, something that anti-immigrant advocates persistently misrepresent as mere “amnesty.” Restrictionists are counting on the failure of the Administration’s tactics. Obama’s political calculations concerning comprehensive immigration reform may be costly and controversial, but to abandon a President who has repeatedly stated his commitment to fixing our immigration system could doom the prospects of reform altogether.
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Horace
May 21, 2009 at 7:03 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
“Immigration enforcement is fundamentally a federal responsibility, but state and local governments can and should play a role in helping the federal government remove violent criminals from American society.”
Actually, immigration enforcement should be a community enforcement responsibility, to the level that makes our immigration laws effective, and not a reserve of the federal government. Only those who would maintain the status quo of inefficacy on the part of the federal government and maintain the corrupt “look-the-other-way” policy favorable to the advocacy groups like to partition responsibility from the states. There is no fundamental prohibition, i.e. constitutional prohibition against states and local governments from assisting the federal government in enforcing the laws equally, across-the-board to all illegal aliens. The constitution has no provision making immigration the sole province of the federal government, only naturalization rules. Before the federal government usurped the power of the states to do so, the states operated their own immigration bureaus. The assertion that such a fundamental principle exists attempt to make our immigration laws, scoff laws.
Peter Loughlin
May 21, 2009 at 7:04 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Great article. Too many people in the immigration reform movement falsely believe they will achieve comprehensive legislation without compromise. Not only will, compromise be necessary but, more importantly, it is our best hope for a realistic change that will have some desirable safeguards.
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[...] Republished with permission from Immigration Impact. [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Savage Blames Immigrant ‘Gang-Bangers’ For ‘Destroying [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Anti-Immigrant Group Mistakenly Bashes Cornyn’s ‘Pro-Amnesty’ [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Joe The Plumber Says Immigrants Should Get ‘The Hell Out Of Our Damn [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “USC Professor Roberto Suro Wants Statue of Liberty Message Erased”, [...]
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[...] Republished with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress [...]
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[...] Republished with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress [...]
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[...] Republished with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress [...]
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[...] Republished with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress [...]
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[...] Republished with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress [...]
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July 24, 2009 at 12:41 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] Republished with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress [...]
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July 25, 2009 at 9:02 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] Republished with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress [...]
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July 28, 2009 at 7:23 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] Republished with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Rep. Michele Bachmann Distorts Immigration To Block Health Care Bill”, [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Lou Dobbs Show Promotes Myth That ‘Gaping Loophole’ Will Provide [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Lou Dobbs Show Cites Fear Mongering Anti-Immigrant Astronomist As [...]
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August 12, 2009 at 9:38 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Why Counting Undocumented Immigrants in the 2010 Census Counts for a [...]
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August 13, 2009 at 9:46 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Dobbs Can’t Help Himself from Breaking Promise to Forbid Use of [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “CNN Airs Anti-Immigrant Front Group’s ‘Pro-Labor’ Incendiary Ad”, [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Anti-Immigrant Hate Group Director Dan Stein Thinks ‘Illegal [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Minuteman Civil Defense Corps President Named in Property Tax Scam [...]
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August 22, 2009 at 12:45 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “CIS Event Exploits ‘Mind Boggling’ Health Care Reform To Promote [...]
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August 25, 2009 at 6:08 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Why Democrats Should Not Submit To Nativists’ Health Care Demands”, [...]
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August 27, 2009 at 11:42 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “What Happens to Immigration Reform Now That the ‘Stalwart of the [...]
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August 30, 2009 at 2:49 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “What The Congressional Research Service Report Really Says About [...]
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September 3, 2009 at 8:06 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “American Retirees Move To Mexico For Health Care”, url: [...]
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September 7, 2009 at 5:56 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress Share This [...]
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September 11, 2009 at 8:09 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress Share This [...]
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September 15, 2009 at 1:01 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Conrad And Baucus Appease Joe Wilson’s Lie”, url: [...]
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September 16, 2009 at 11:45 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Rep. Steve King Defends Joe Wilson And The Confederate Flag”, url: [...]
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September 17, 2009 at 10:08 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “The Practical Case For Extending Benefits To ‘Really, Really Poor’ [...]
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September 22, 2009 at 9:21 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Grassley Still Not Satisified With Baucus Bill’s ‘Illegal Alien’ [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Sen. John Barrasso Compares Undocumented Emergency Care Patients To [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “17303,”;Popularity: unranked [?]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Anti-Immigrant Group Says [...]
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October 1, 2009 at 11:31 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “17488,”;Popularity: unranked [?]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Right Wing Radio Host [...]
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October 2, 2009 at 2:41 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “17542,”;Popularity: unranked [?]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Anti-Immigrant [...]
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October 7, 2009 at 11:56 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] Republished with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress [...]
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October 17, 2009 at 12:29 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “18182,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “GOP Recruiter Disassociates From GOP to [...]
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October 22, 2009 at 8:55 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “18321,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Anti-Immigrant Front Group Launches Ad [...]
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October 24, 2009 at 2:01 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “18460,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “NumbersUSA Director Says Comprehensive [...]
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October 28, 2009 at 2:01 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “18574,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Report Says Immigration Enforcement Creates [...]
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November 2, 2009 at 12:13 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “18760,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Sessions Lies About Unemployment Benefits [...]
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November 4, 2009 at 2:20 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “18908,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “GOP Health Care Bill Excludes All Immigrants [...]
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November 7, 2009 at 9:01 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “19003,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Four Lessons That Should Stop Vulnerable [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “19389,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Napolitano Says ‘Our Hands Are Tied’ When [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “19479,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “5 Things Napolitano Says Will Provide a Path [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress AKPC_IDS += “19545,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Bill O’Reilly, Pay $10,000 Bet, Says SPLC [...]
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[...] with permission from the Wonk Room/Think Progress Share AKPC_IDS += “12584,”;SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Immigration Report Highlights Bush [...]
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[...] President Obama’s 2010 budget expands the Secure Communities program. [...]