Immigration

Donald Trump is the perfect fit for the Mass Deportation Party

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Cartoon_18.14Donald Trump, no longer enjoying a commanding lead over his competitors (Dr. Ben “The Blade” Carson leads or is tied with Trump in some recent polls), has decided to go back to the well of nativist and racist anti-immigrant hatred once again that rocketed him to the top of the polls this summer.

A good showman always gives the audience what they came to see, and today’s GOP is the modern-day equivalent of the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing Party of the mid-19th Century. They are the Mass Deportation Party.

“The Donald” did not disappoint them at the FOX Business Network/WSJ debate this week. Trump doubled-down on his call to round up the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and to deport them all ASAP.

Trump was later asked how he intended to accomplish this herculean feat. Donald Trump calls for a ‘deportation force’ to remove undocumented immigrants:

Trump was initially asked about his immigration plan Wednesday morning and then pressed by MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski on whether the plan is truly practical.

“Okay, conceptually, I understand what you’re saying and what you’re describing. But still tell me the how. Are you going to have a massive deportation force?” Brzezinski asked.

Trump responded affirmatively: “You’re going to have a deportation force, and you’re going to do it humanely, and you’re going to bring the country — and, frankly, the people, because you have some excellent, wonderful people, some fantastic people that have been here for a long period of time.”

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Trump added that he will also build “a real wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border to keep undocumented immigrants from entering the country in the future.

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U.S. to appeal 5th Circuit Court of Appeals immigration executive orders decision to SCOTUS

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Back in July the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals hearD oral argument in Obama immigration executive orders appeals. I posted at the time:

ImmigrantsMost Court observers believe this three judge panel of the 5th Circuit, the most conservative activist court of the appellate courts, will side with the states against the Obama administration. The Hill reported prior to oral argument, Obama’s immigration orders face dim outlook at federal court .

The losing side will seek en banc review by the full Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and/or appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court — which means the immigration executive orders would be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in the middle of a presidential election year, emphasizing the GOP’s anti-immigration stance as the Mass Deportation Party with Latino voters.

As anticipated, this panel of the 5th Circuit ruled 2-1 against the Obama administration on Monday, after an extraordinary delay for an expedited case. Appeals Court Deals Blow to Obama’s Immigration Plans:

A federal appeals court said Monday that President Obama could not move forward with his plans to overhaul immigration rules by providing up to five million people with work permits and protection from deportation.
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A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, ruled 2 to 1 against an appeal by the Obama administration, saying a lawsuit brought by 26 states to block Mr. Obama’s actions was likely to succeed at trial.

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“It’s just a bunch of Mexican kids. Why should I pay for them?”

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Crossposted from DemocraticDiva.com

There’s something that feels very inevitable about the way this Arizona school funding “settlement” is playing out.

The plan ends a lawsuit filed by schools in 2010 after the Legislature stopped giving required yearly inflation increases to basic school funding. It would funnel $3.5 billion to K-12 schools over 10 years. About $2 billion comes from increasing land trust withdrawals, and the $1.4 billion from the state’s general fund. The deal also contained several triggers that would allow the Legislature to stop mandatory inflation boosts in tough economic times.

If passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor, voters would have to approve the changes in a May special election.

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Senate Democrats block sanctuary cities bill

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The Debt Limit, Highways Bill Wait as Republicans Tackle Sanctuary Cities, a pre-election gift from Mitch McConnell to Sen. David Vitter, who is running for governor of Louisiana. Your Tea-Publican Congress not at work again.

Senate Democrats were not going to play along with this GOP electioneering stunt. Senate Dems block ‘sanctuary cities’ bill:

Image: Latinos protest in favor of comprehensive immigration reform while on West side of Capitol Hill in WashingtonSenate Democrats on Tuesday blocked legislation to crack down on cities that don’t comply with federal immigration law.

Senators voted 54-45 on a measure to end debate on legislation from Sen. David Vitter. Sixty votes were needed to overcome the procedural hurdle and move toward a vote on the bill itself.

Two Democrats broke rank and sided with Republicans in the vote. [Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Joe Manchin (D-WV). Only one Republican, Mark Kirk (R-IL) voted against cloture.]

The Louisiana Republican’s legislation would have limited federal grants to so-called “sanctuary cities” and increased penalties for undocumented immigrants who reenter the United States illegally after being deported.

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Russell Pearce misuses county resources: gets “admonished”

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By Craig McDermott, crossposted from Random Musings From the Arizona Republic, written by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez – Russell Pearce, the former Republican state Senate president known for his hard-line stance on illegal immigration and controversial remarks about Latinos and women, appears to be violating the Maricopa County’s e-mail policy. On late Tuesday afternoon, he sent an e-mail from … Read more