U.S. House passes largest immigration amnesty in history - battleground is now the Senate

The below is from our friends at NumbersUSA.com

House passes giant Build Back Better amnesty. Legislation now heads to the Senate.

FRI, NOV. 19^th

After several failed attempts, House Democrats finally completed the first step to passing what could be the largest illegal alien amnesty in U.S. history this morning by approving H.R. 5376, Pres. Biden’s Build Back Better legislation.

Click here to read all the details in the House version of H.R. 5376. In summary, the bill would:

Grant work permits and legal status, called “parole,” to an estimated 8 million illegal aliens
“Recapture” and issue an estimated 630,000 so-called “unused” green cards dating all the way back to 1992 above and beyond current annual numerical limits
“Recapture” and issue Visa Lottery green cards that went unused because of the COVID-19 pandemic
Allow hundreds of thousands of aliens with approved green card petitions to adjust their status above and beyond numerical limits

In addition to the mass amnesty, our Capitol Hill Team conservatively estimates that the bill would result in about 1 million additional green cards over the next 10 years.

Despite about a dozen moderates expressing concerns over the immigration provisions, among other things, the amnesty bill passed with support from all House Democrats except Rep. Jared Golden of Maine.

As expected, no House Republicans supported the legislation. Notably, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy forced Speaker Nancy Pelosi to delay the vote after delivering an 8-hour floor speech last night and into this morning, highlighting some of the immigration provisions.

WHAT NOW?

Senate leaders have signaled that they expect to make significant changes to the House-passed legislation, and if it passes, would require the House to vote on the Senate version.

Senate Democratic Leaders will also have to ensure that their version of the legislation complies with Senate rules since they’re using the budget reconciliation process to avoid a filibuster from Senate Republicans.

The Senate may not be able to take up the Build Back Better bill immediately since it faces a few deadlines following next week’s Thanksgiving recess. First, it must pass a spending bill by Dec. 3 to avoid a government shutdown. Second, it must consider raising the debt ceiling as soon as Dec. 15. But today’s House action will apply some pressure on the Senate to move forward on the budget reconciliation bill after tabling it for the last week or so.

We’ll be posting customized actions on your Action Board today, reflecting how your U.S. Representative voted on the Build Back Better amnesty bill. Please visit your Board to send these actions.

Finally, all of us at NumbersUSA wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

CHRIS CHMIELENSKI
NUMBERSUSA DEPUTY DIRECTORU.S. House passes

The below column was written and sent as a submission to NRO but politely declined with an explanation from the submission editor who told me he was “satisfied” with their coverage of the Georgia GOP gubernatorial primary race. I wrote and submitted on Friday, May 13. Turns out the same editor had written and posted his own column on Georgia’s GOP race the same day. His take (and I think information level) was different than mine.

Update 10:20 AM: National Review endorsed Brian Kemp for reelection the next Friday, today, May 20 without any mention Kemp’s betrayal on his 2018 campaign promises on “criminal illegals.”

As of about 10 minutes ago I am no longer a National Review subscriber. We have the liberal AJC here to ignore Kemp’s defiance on illegal immigration in Georgia, we don’t need NR.

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Submission:

The GOP Gubernatorial Primary and Illegal Immigration in “Georgiafornia”

A pro-enforcement report from the now purple Peach State

D.A. King

According to latest estimates from DHS, Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than Arizona. In the partially successful effort to end 287(g) agreements in the state, the corporate-funded Georgia Budget and Policy Institute used a pie chart to point out that “the Peach State” is also home to more illegal aliens than green card holders. We have taken to referring to our home state as “Georgiafornia”

With the May 24^th state Republican primary looming, conservative observers around the country may assume that a very large part of the gubernatorial candidate debate between incumbent Gov Brian Kemp and Trump-endorsed challenger, former Senator David Perdue, has been on illegal immigration in Georgia. They may also logically assume that Perdue would be laser-focused and effusive on Kemp’s dismal record on illegal immigration as governor and his 2018 campaign promises on that matter. Not exactly.

Kemp has the well-deserved Georgia Chamber of Commerce endorsement. To get an idea of the politics of immigration here, readers should know that the Georgia Chamber fought the passage of the 2011 law that implemented E-Verify for some private employers and is pushing to allow illegal aliens with DACA status to pay instate tuition as part of a “Global Talent Initiative.”

The afore-mentioned E-Verify law was weakened after it was put in place and enforcement is all but nonexistent. Kemp’s endless reelection mantra is that “Georgia is number one for business” and that he has kept all his 2018 campaign promises. Apparently, it is. He hasn’t.

As one may expect and as Mark Krikorian at the Center for Immigration Studies noted on NRO near the end of the primary runoff race here four years ago, Kemp did not make promises on attacking the root cause of illegal immigration (spoiler: it’s illegal employment). Back then Kemp largely hung his hat on a repeated pledge to go after what he called “criminal illegals.”

He promised to create a public registry of criminal illegal aliens and put out a detailed outline of legislation he pledged to send to the state legislature entitled “Brian Kemp’s Track and Deport Plan.”

In his not-to-be missed first 2018 TV campaign ad Kemp expanded on the theme by assuring voters that he would “…enforce the ban on sanctuary cities and track and deport all criminal illegal aliens so our kids don’t become the next victims.” Never mind the fact that governors have zero authority or ability to deport anyone. He was on a roll.

“I got a big truck just on case I need to round up criminal illegals and take ‘em home myself” was the line delivered by candidate Brian Kemp in another memorable 2018 TV ad.

None of it ever happened. Kemp has not mentioned any of it since 2018.

Now, all questions about Kemp’s promises about “criminal illegals” in Georgia are met with a diversionary reference to “the border.” The response to the glaring obfuscation from loyal and obedient Republican voters is often that “we don’t’ want Stacey!” in reference to Stacy Abrams’ candidacy for governor of formerly ruby red Georgia.

At the pro-enforcement Dustin Inman Society, of which this writer is founder and president, we collectively refer to Kemp’s silent defiance as the “big truck trick” and have installed a counter on our website to track the period of his silence.

For his part, Perdue has nothing on his campaign website “issues” page concerning illegal immigration and to our knowledge he hasn’t brought up the absence of any promised Kemp registry of “criminal illegals” or ending the openly illegal sanctuary polices in the state. He did take some shots at Kemp in the recent series of three TV debates.

“On the governor’s watch, we have more illegal immigrants in Georgia than when he took office. We actually have more illegal immigrants here than the state of Arizona” said Perdue. “As a matter of fact, if you look at Florida, 70% of their counties have a contract with ICE to find and deport illegal criminals. In Georgia, only 3% of our counties” in reference to the important federal Warrant Service Officer (WSO) program – essentially 287(g) light.

“On his watch, we have grown (the) illegal community here, and I think the Hispanic community here that’s hardworking, small business and all that, really want that cleaned up too.”

“I remember the governor, when he ran in ’18, told us that, you know, “I’m gonna round them up, put them in my pickup truck, and get them out of here.” Governor, what happened? Your pickup break down? Perdue asked.

In an apparent “because Covid” response, Kemp replied “No. Still running. Still running, still working, still creating jobs, still doing something about stopping folks coming across the border…I don’t know how going around picking up people that might have COVID when our law enforcement was sending, um, ventilators and PPE supplies to hospitals would’ve been a good strategy.” Transcript.

The Republican Party in metro-Atlanta’s Cobb County censured Kemp in October 2021 for his failure to honor his immigration related promises.

An eight-page January “Georgians First” campaign mailer from Kemp did not touch illegal immigration.

A May 10 Perdue campaign internal memo did not mention Kemp’s immigration, broken promises weakness.

An April 25 poll from the liberal Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper revealed that more than 90% of Republican respondents answered that immigration and border security was “extremely important” or “very important” in deciding how to vote in the Republican primary. (Editor: Q8 here)

Trump’s former Acting ICE Director, Tom Homan, came out in support of Perdue late last week with harsh words for Kemp. “When it comes to dealing with illegal immigration, Kemp has failed the people of Georgia and this nation.”

So far, Georgia media has treated Homan’s expert observation a well kept secret.

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D.A. King of Marietta, GA is president of the Georgia-based Dustin Inman Society and proprietor of ImmigrationPoliticsGA.com. An independent voter, he has assisted Georgia lawmakers with illegal immigration-related legislation since 2005. @DAKDIS 404-***-****

dak