Immigration

People's Budget

Majority of Democrats Vote for Progressive Caucus People’s Budget (video)

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People's BudgetEach year, during the Congressional budgeting process, multiple budgets are proposed in the US House of Representatives. If you’re lucky, you might hear about the Republican budget from the mainstream media (since they hold the majority of seats in the House and since that budget usually contains some weird shit like converting Medicare to a voucher program). The Democrats and the Progressives also put forth budgets for consideration and voting. (Representatives can vote for any or all of the plans; they are not mutually exclusive.)

This year– for the first time — the majority of Democrats (96 out of 188) actually voted for the Congressional Progressive Caucus People’s Budget. Of Arizona Democrats in the House, Representatives Raul Grijalva and Ruben Gallego voted for it; Representatives Ann Kirkpatrick and Kyrsten Sinema voted “no” with the majority of Republicans.

From the Congressional Progressive Caucus…

The People’s Budget: A Raise for America

8.4 million good paying jobs by 2018

$1.9 trillion investment in America’s future

$820 billion infrastructure and transportation improvements

The People’s Budget fixes an economy that, for too long, has failed to provide the opportunities American families need to get ahead. Despite their skills and work ethic, most American workers and families are so financially strapped from increasing income inequality that their paychecks barely cover basic necessities. They earn less and less as corporations and the wealthy continue amassing record profits. It has become clear to American workers that the system is rigged.

The People’s Budget levels the playing field and creates economic opportunity by increasing the pay of middle- and low-income Americans. More customers and higher consumer spending advance American businesses, not tax cuts and relaxed regulations. The People’s Budget drives a full economic recovery by creating high-quality jobs and reducing family expenses, restoring the buying power of working Americans.

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Judge to Crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio: No deal

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Babeu-ArpaioKudos to the Arizona Civil Liberties Union for objecting to the half-ass settlement offer from Crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio and his lawyers that would have let him avoid prosecution, and saddle the taxpayers of Maricopa County — the damn fools who keep reelecting him — with the cost of the settlement agreement, once again. Crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio has already cost county taxpayers multi-millions of dollars in settlements for his unlawful conduct. When will Maricopans finally say “enough!”

And kudos to U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow for not rolling over like other judges have done in the past by accepting this half-ass settlement offer. Judge Snow told Crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio and his lawyers, “No deal” — see you boys in court at the hearing set for April 21-24. Justice may finally be coming for “America’s most corrupt sheriff.”

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The GOP reaffirms it is ‘the party of maximum deportations’

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It seems like a lifetime ago when the 2012 post-election GOP Autopsy report declared:

We are not a policy committee, but among the steps Republicans take in the Hispanic community and beyond, we must embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform. If we do not, our Party’s appeal will continue to shrink to its core constituencies only. We also believe that comprehensive immigration reform is consistent with Republican economic policies that promote job growth and opportunity for all.

Image: Latinos protest in favor of comprehensive immigration reform while on West side of Capitol Hill in WashingtonThe U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill in July 2013. It then died in the TanMan’s House, where he allowed the nativist and racist Deportation Republicans, led by Reps. Steve King (R-IA) and Michele Bachman (R-MN), to hijack the legislative process with their own “no compromise” Border Security bill in August 2014.

Tea-Publicans no longer make any pretense of supporting immigration reform. Deportation Republicans are fully in control of the party as Tea-Publicans devolve into the modern-day reincarnation of the nativist Know-Nothing party of the 19th Century.

Think Progress reports, The House’s Newest Immigration Plan Is Mass Deportation:

The House Judiciary Committee is taking up a bill this week that would make felons out of the vast majority of undocumented immigrants overnight.

The bill would repeal the president’s November 20 immigration directives, which would give 5 million parents and DREAMers temporary legal protection and work authorization; make illegal presence a crime rather than a civil offense; and overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in Arizona v. United States, which rightfully struck down much of S.B.1070, Arizona’s law that put state and local enforcement of immigration on steroids. Taken together, all the bill’s provisions amount to a strategy for comprehensive mass deportation.

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The GOP plots the next round of hostage takings and ransom demands

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Greg Sargent noted in his column on Friday, Chaos in Congress is about to get a lot crazier:

The quote of the week, one that will likely reverberate through the halls of Congress for many months to come, is this one from GOP Rep. Charlie Dent, lamenting the inability of the House GOP caucus to unite behind, well, anything at all:

“We really don’t have 218 votes to determine a bathroom break over here on our side. So how are we going to get 218 votes on transportation, or trade, or whatever the issue?”

If you thought that the GOP clusterfuck over the Department of Homeland Security funding fiasco was fun, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

The GOP is plotting the next round of hostage takings and is sending more ransom demands to the White House. This week, McConnell will delay Lynch unless Dems cooperate on trafficking bill:

hostageSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Sunday said Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s nominee to succeed Eric Holder as attorney general, will not move until Democrats cooperate surrender on a human trafficking bill.

Democrats have threatened to [filibuster] the bipartisan trafficking measure because Republicans included a provision that would prohibit restitution funds from paying for abortions.

McConnell told Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Lynch’s nomination will remain in a holding pattern until Democrats allow the trafficking bill to move forward.

“This will have an impact on the timing of considering the new attorney general. Now, I had hoped to turn to her next week, but if we can’t finish the trafficking bill, she will be put off again,” he said.

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Obama Administration appeals stay of immigration orders to 5th Circuit Court of Appeals

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Prior to President Obama issuing his executive orders to expand the deferral of immigration proceedings to a broader class of undocumented immigrants, I posted this piece by Greg Sargent of the Washington Post, Lawyers agree: Obama has broad authority to act on deportations:

Image: Latinos protest in favor of comprehensive immigration reform while on West side of Capitol Hill in WashingtonWith Obama administration officials debating how aggressively to use unilateral action to shield people from deportations, more than 100 immigration law professors have signed a letter to the President (.pdf) arguing that he has expansive legal authority to act to temporarily protect additional groups from removal — and that this authority is rooted in statute, court opinion, regulations, and precedent.

The letter (.pdf), which was shared with this blog before its release, is designed to make the case to media and opinion-makers that Obama has maximum legal room to maneuver — which could shape how much political space the administration thinks it has on this difficult and explosive decision.

The letter — which was distributed by the American Immigration Council and the National Immigration Law Center — was signed by over 130 professors, attorneys and experts, some from the major Ivy League law schools, and others from border and red states that are relevant to the politics of this decision.

Since President Obama issued his executive orders on immigration, a hand-picked Republican judge in South Texas with a reputation for being highly critical of the administration’s immigration policies issued a ruling staying implementation of those executive orders. (This is known as venue shopping, and it is unethical). The court has not ruled on the substantive issues in the case, despite the rhetoric being used by Tea-Publicans in the media.

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