Big issue. Seems most folks want stronger laws and enforcement.
A group voted recently to declare that the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has "abandoned the agency's core mission of enforcing U.S. immigration laws and providing for public safety," and is instead "campaigning for programs and policies related to amnesty."
That's the good news.
The bad news is, the group that decided the federal government has given up on immigration enforcement is -- well, the agents themselves.
The National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents some 7,000 immigration officers and other ICE employees, voted 259-0 to condemn the agency's leaders in a no-confidence vote. It named Assistant Secretary John Morton and Phyllis Coven, assistant director for the agency's office of detention policy and planning.
Essentially, the rank and file immigration agents are saying your federal government has turned away from enforcing immigration laws.
What if air safety workers had said the Federal Aviation Authority had decided to stop regulating air safety? Or that any other federal agency's workers were on record -- unanimously and unambiguously -- saying their agency had stopped performing its core mission?
Number one, that's big news.
Number two, wouldn't it be illegal and unconstitutional? Isn't the executive branch charged with carrying out the laws of Congress?
Isn't immigration enforcement one of them? A fairly important one?
And wouldn't it be pretty cynical and ominous if the Obama administration were to use a federal agency for such sheer political ends? Oh, and illegal?
Mr. Obama has most unions in his back pocket. Apparently, this one fell out.
Good for them. And we owe them a debt of thanks for having the courage to stand up and tell a painful truth in a very public way.
Astoundingly, reports The Washington Times , the agents say:
- The majority of ICE's enforcement and removal officers are prohibited from making street arrests or enforcing U.S. immigration laws outside of the jail setting.
- Hundreds of ICE officers nationwide perform no law enforcement duties whatsoever because of resource mismanagement within the agency.
- ICE detention reforms have transformed into a detention system aimed at providing resortlike living conditions to criminal aliens based on recommendations not from ICE officers and field managers, but from "special-interest groups."
The union, reports the Times, says criminal aliens -- illegal immigrants who commit crimes in the U.S. -- "openly brag" that "they are taking advantage of a broken immigration system and will be back in the United States within days to commit crimes -- while U.S. citizens arrested for the same offenses serve prison sentences."
The federal immigration agency, the union says, now devotes "more time to campaigning for immigration reforms aimed at large-scale amnesty legislation than advising the American public and federal lawmakers on the severity of the illegal-immigration problems."
If any of this is true, it's an incredible scandal and an unforgivable and illegal breach of the trust Americans have put in the federal government to protect our safety and national security.
We doubt the Democratic Congress will have much interest in getting to the bottom of this. Perhaps a new Congress will next year.
Comments
Big issue. Seems most folks want stronger laws and enforcement.
hmmmm, wish i could get a job as an editorial staff member of the AC, as it takes much less education and humanity standards as I have. Pitiful
obama wants us to hate each other. He wants the whites to hate the blacks the poor to hate the rich etc... Dont buy into it. Lets declaw the messiah in november and rid ourselves of the hatred in 2012.
esmc has defined, declared a massiah? wow, r u the antichrist?
sociologyedu_one "hmmmm, wish i could get a job as an editorial staff member of the AC, as it takes much less education and humanity standards as I have." Unfortunatly it also takes some english and grammmer skills you don't have...
It's getting to be absurd when the federal agency responsible is told not to enforce the law. When a border state tries, it is taken to court. But Harry Reid says all Hispanics should vote Democratic. Why are we surprised?
About sociologyedu_one wishing he could find a job at the Chronicle, I suggest the Chronicle start a separate area for those who want to bash the paper and leave the editorial comments for those who wish to actually address the subject of the editorial.
I don't recall a union ever voting the country over the union, and a government union at that. This is huge news. Can you imagine the obama pushing his agenda so far to the left that the NICE union is unanimously against him? I wonder if the government choreographed media even noticed this vote?
I have noticed something reading comments for some time now. The AC Editorial staff could write an editorial saying the sunrise was beautiful this morning and the day was looking to be a great one and some people here would still criticize them for it. I want to read comments debating the merits of the editorial and the subject matter wherein, not snide comments doing nothing but flaming against the staff. It takes away from the enjoyment I get. Insulting the writer instead of debating the story is a typical liberal fallback when they cannot win the argument through debate and discussion.
Yesterday ACES ran an editorial titled "Price on his head, no one at his back: [Maricopa County, Arizona] Sheriff [Joe Arpaio] draws a million-dollar bounty, but no support from Obama. Today we are entreated with another reactionary diatribe on the subject of illegal immigration which the Tea Party thinks is their ace in the hole (pun intended) for a winning hand in November's midterm elections.
ACES is keeping the base stirred up because xenophobes are not only fearful but also forgetful. I suggest that tomorrow ACES run an editorial about how U.S. immigration enforcement is not targeting undocumented students for deportation, the day after tomorrow an editorial on illegal immigrants in Georgia, and so on until November because The Augusta Chronicle editorial board pretends this is THE existential issue of our time.
The bottom line is that the illegal immigration issue is entirely a political ploy by "conservatives". The agriculture industry is solidly Republican. Neither Republican nor their Tea Party clones will do anything to reduce the supply of cheap labor and profits for the hugely powerful ag industry.
I see a lot of hate, Cain. Have you had your morning java and other attitude adjusters?
At 5:49 AM johnston.cliff used the phrase "government choreographed media". The operative phrase is "corporate controlled media", but it is an accurate observation that our government is also controlled by corporations. The capitalist establishment is a power block that really is bipartisan. The little guy is left without power or locus of control which are the reasons the hoi polloi are both angry and easily manipulated by nefarious opinion shapers.
Gotta love it when the AC uses the Moonies as a source.
That's a true point, Cain, and I couldn't agree more. However, all corporations aren't financial, some are social. The coordinated assault by the socialist left can also be included in your loose definition of "corporate control".
The fact that money talks and big money talks loudest is common enough to be a given.
Techfan, they've got to be inclusive to make the left feel comfortable.
OnlyinAgs321, "We all know (insert race here) are the ones filled with HATE towards Obama, how dare he be president. I'm a firm believer, when Obama was elected president, that very thing cut assunder millions of white americans souls, it's evident here and nationally everyday.
Oh God help us."
You really have to be brain dead to think that way!
God knows the truth!
I.C.E.=Immigration and Customs Enforcement, i.e. illegal immigrants. There are plenty of deputies and police officers tracking down the escaped prisoners. Don't deflect away from the point that Prezbojangles and his obamazombies are responsible for thwarting their efforts to do their job.
"SELECTIVE hearing to see." LOL
On second thought, don't go away. You are way too amusing.
I am hoping Obama will be impeachable after the November elections and we have Republicans in control of Congress. He has already proven to be in contempt of justice and he is not protecting the United States as his oath of office demands. The US Government in place now in the White House and the US House and US Senate have basically drawn lines in the sand against the American people. It is the US Government against the people of the US instead of the US Government for the people of the US. How did we get to this point in our history?
Quote:
JohnRandolphHardisonCain
Neither Republican nor their Tea Party clones will do anything to reduce the supply of cheap labor and profits for the hugely powerful ag industry.
End Quote
I know I am a pain in "your" butt JRHC, but all we have to do is get a small portion of those 50% that are not paying taxes off "their" butt and put them in the onion fields down in Vidalia. That solves the problem you suggested.
Would you perhaps be in that 50% group?
We need facts and figures. I know that is really, really hard for progressive liberals but please try a little bit harder.
Quote:
curly123053
I am hoping Obama will be impeachable after the November elections and we have Republicans in control of Congress. He has already proven to be in contempt of justice and he is not protecting the United States as his oath of office demands. The US Government in place now in the White House and the US House and US Senate have basically drawn lines in the sand against the American people. It is the US Government against the people of the US instead of the US Government for the people of the US. How did we get to this point in our history?
End Quote
There is a movement underway and we all need to contact our Congressmen and Senators. I did!
Heck, Nixon bit the dust by telling a lie.
This guy does not have a clue.
Basically, the agencies of this administration are corrupt. You can argue this statement, and most likely will come down on which side of the asile you favor, but some facts speak for themselves, and a troubling pattern has emerged over the last 2 years that should have everyone concerned. It would seem to me, that this administration chooses which laws to enforce, and which laws to condemn, but even more sinister, is that the laws they condemn, they choose not to enforce either. Such seems to be the case with ICE, Justice, EPA, FEMA, etc..., as they all appear guilty, and some investigating needs to be done, but don't hold your breath. The only way that the harsh light of truth will ever shine on these agencies, is if the Democrats loose control of the House come November. Should that happen, they are in for a very bumpy ride, as only yesterday, Clinton said that he pretty much had nothing to do with the Sestak issue? Lot's of skullduggery methinks that needs some investigation, and I have just the man for the job, should the House go to the GOP. Darryl Issa. Be afraid Dems, be very afraid.
This really hits home.
More illegals have been deported under Obama than Bush.
No one is talkign about the issue brought up by the editorial, ICE agents vote of no confidence in their administrators. Democrats are complaining of the editor's bias (that is the definition of an editorial, if you want left leaning editorials, read the Atlanta paper) and calling Tea Party members and republican's racists. Republican's are accusing the Obama administraion of not enforcing the law and not protecting the border (note: Bush didn't protect the border either). It is the same with the comments of every editorial.
Just how painful was it for Mike Ryan print this ACES piece! I'd say about 250 words. That's how far readers have to go in this editorial to finally find the word UNION! Before that, MR's heros were a "group," the "agents" themselves," a "Federation of Government Employees," the "rank and file," and "the workers." Finally, half way through, these Knights in Shining Armor become, yes, a UNION! (MR biting his knuckles and grimacing as he word-processes the fatal syllables....). From then on, these paragons remain UNIONS. Yes, UNIONS! And not just any UNION, but a GOVERNMENT UNION. Get it? UNION workers, according to MR and ACES, are all that stand between us and the Hispanic hoards threatening to "take over America and destroy our great nation"! Since when in the editorial pages of the AC did UNION members become the good guys? I hope AC readers remember this piece the next time ACES reverts to form and lumps UNIONS with Obama and the Democrats as out to demolish the "good ole US of A."
This administration is arresting and deporting illegals at a faster rate than any in our nation's history. We have more National Guard at the border than any time in our nation's history. The only thing lacking is Obama and his administration aren't out giving the over the top rhetor against illegals. But if you all have a problem with Obama you should have went crazy during Reagan's amnesty and Bush's non enforcement. So you leave a person with no option but to question your motives.
Ah, the wingnut echo chamber at work again. Two weeks ago the ACES didn't know the "National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council of the American Federation of Government Employees" existed and if they did they would have been blasted as corrupt, lazy, etc. Now they are parroting-- almost verbatim-- what every wingnut blogger and the ridiculously pathetic Washington Times has been foaming at the mouth about-- a week ago.
ACES, can't you muster an original thought?
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