Immigration

Kate’s Law Petition: Demagogues Running Wild

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Demagoguery is frightening. It underlies all of the ugliest chapters in human history. It’s always out there, but it tends to wax and wane.

We may be experiencing one of those waxing moments.

Two of the nation’s leading demagogues, Bill O’Reilly and Donald Trump, are leading a charge to adopt what they’ve named “Kate’s Law”, a law that would impose automatic 5-year prison sentences on all those non-citizens who enter illegally after being deported previously for illegal entry. Why? Because Kate Steinle was tragically murdered by an undocumented immigrant who previously had been deported.

What alarmed me about this was seeing a Facebook post a former Democratic legislative candidate, Paula Pennypacker, appealed to her Facebook friends to support Kate’s law:

This is the issue that is a game changer for many Americans. As a Democrat, I will be supporting Kate’s law. A law now being considered in Congress whereby undocumented aliens who are deported and return to the United States would receive a mandatory five year sentence in a federal penitentiary upon conviction. Until Donald Trump spoke about Kate’s murder — I considered him a fringe candidate — not anymore. He totally got my attention when he spoke about the senseless murder of the woman who was in the prime of her life. Democrats, and Hillary in particular, had better get out front of this issue. Please join me in signing the pledge. 

Is there any rationality behind Kate’s law?

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5th Circuit Court of Appeals hears oral argument in Obama immigration executive orders appeals

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The Times-Picayune of New Orleans reports, 5th Circuit in New Orleans hears arguments on Obama immigration action:

5thCircuitWith hundreds of immigration activists rallying outside, a federal appeals court panel heard arguments on whether it should revive President Barack Obama’s plan that could protect 5 million people living in the United States illegally from deportation.

Republicans criticized the plan as an illegal executive overreach when Obama announced it in November. And 26 states challenged the plan in court.

A federal judge in Texas sided with those states and issued an injunction, which the Obama administration appealed.

The three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Friday. The panel isn’t expected to rule immediately.

Either side could appeal a loss to the full 5th Circuit or the Supreme Court — a process that would eat up time with only about a year and a half left in Obama’s second term.

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GOP Latino Outreach in Arizona: ‘The Donald’ and Crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio Show on Saturday (Updated)

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Less than a month after he surprised Beltway media villagers by actually declaring that he will run for president, Donald Trump has ripened into a full-blown panic within the GOP establishment.  Here are today’s headlines:

TrumpFingerThe New York Times, Republican Party Leaders Struggle to Rein In Donald Trump: With Mr. Trump rising in opinion polls, officially neutral officials are reluctant to publicly criticize him despite his recent controversial statements.

The reliably Republican Washington Post gives Trump the full treatment:

GOP leaders fear damage to party’s image as Donald Trump doubles down: The head of the Republican National Committee spent nearly an hour on the phone, urging Trump to tone down his inflammatory immigration comments that have infuriated a key constituency. . .

. . . A report that the Post had to walk back, Trump denies GOP chair asked him to tone down immigration comments: The Post had reported Wednesday that RNC Chairman Reince Priebus had asked Trump to reconsider his hard-edged approach. [UPDATE: The New York Times also reports Donald Trump insists that his phone call with Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, was brief and he described it as “congratulatory” instead of condemnatory, in contrast to news accounts of the talk. Donald Trump Says R.N.C. Chairman Called to Congratulate Him.]

And the Post concedes that since Trumps’ entry into the race, this showman and charlatan is sucking up all the oxygen in the room, depriving his rivals of oxygen media attention because, let’s be honest, Beltway media villagers just love associating with celebrities, even “C List” celebrities (see the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.) The Donald: Almost half of all conversation last week on social and regular media was about him.

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5th Circuit Court of Appeals oral argument in Obama Immigration Executive Orders appeals on Friday

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5thCircuitThis Friday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in State of Texas, et al. v. USA, et al. (No. 15-40333), and State of Texas, et al. v. USA, et al. (No. 15-40238), aka the Obama Immigration Executive Orders appeals.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a Notice Regarding Oral Argument in Case No. 15-40333 and 15-40238 (.pdf) advisory:

On Friday, July 10, 2015, the court will hear oral argument in these cases in the East Courtroom, Room 223, of the John Minor Wisdom United States Court of Appeals Building, 600 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA. The arguments will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. The Court is allowing each side twenty minutes for argument in No. 15-40333 and one hour per side for argument in No. 15-40238.

We will reserve a number of seats for credentialed members of the press. Press should contact Geralyn Maher (geralyn_maher@ca5.uscourts.gov or 504-310-7630) before 11:00 a.m. CST on Wednesday, July 8, 2015, to request reserved seating.

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Republicans run away from the Council of Conservative Citizens (again)

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Oh noes! The “big story” today in the media is that a White Supremacist Donated to 2016 G.O.P. Campaigns. I’m not sure exactly how this is news. White supremacists have been donating to Republican candidates for decades. The organization in question used to be a big effin’ deal back in the day, and conservative candidates openly sought its endorsement. Reporters act surprised, like a baby when it first discovers its navel. Doesn’t anyone know their American history?

From the New York Times:

dylann-roof1-1The leader of a white supremacist group [Earl Holt III, president of the Council of Conservative Citizens] that apparently influenced Dylann Roof, the suspect in the killing of nine African-Americans in a Charleston, S.C., church last week, has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Republican campaigns, including those of 2016 presidential contenders such as Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum and Rand Paul, records show.

Mr. Cruz, a Texas senator, said Sunday night that he would be returning about $8,500 in donations that he had received from the Texas donor, Earl Holt III, who lists himself as president of the Council of Conservative Citizens.

Mr. Paul’s campaign said it planned to send $2,250 received from Mr. Holt to a victims’ fund set up in the wake of the shooting.

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