The Patriot Post® · Democrats Run Immigration Squeeze Play

Barack Obama recently asked Congress for $3.7 billion for the “humanitarian crisis” he created as Central American aliens flood our southern border. He laughably proposes to provide additional resources for border security in addition to adding immigration judges to process aliens. He exhorted Congress to act on his bill. We’ve seen what border security means to Obama, and it’s likelier that Obama plans to dramatically increase the number of facilities and “social workers” for the next wave of soon-to-be-Democrats.

Last week House Republicans responded with a less grandiose plan for $659 million, two-thirds of which would go to border security with the other third to humanitarian aid. One notable part of the bill allows Customs and Border Patrol agents to travel on federally protected land, but Democrats claim Republicans only want to loosen environmental regulations. Is it only in America that the Border Patrol needs special permission to patrol the border?

Many conservatives fed up with Obama’s illegal executive orders are disappointed the bill won’t include any attempt to dismember his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a “memorandum” (i.e., diktat) from 2012 that ostensibly gives “qualified” 15-year-old aliens a period of two years to earn employment authorization to prevent their deportation. Clearly, DACA is little more than a grant of amnesty. It also is an open invitation for alien children from everywhere to come to the America where you’ll get a free pass and free goodies. In fact, one Border Patrol agent reports that children arriving at detention centers in Texas say as a mantra, “Obama will take care of us.” To date over half a million people have been granted permits to stay under DACA. That number will explode as the invasion continues. Nevertheless, the bill is likely to pass the House.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) called the House bill a “surrender to a lawless president,” adding, “This unlawful amnesty … is taking jobs … from millions of struggling American citizens.”

A separate proposal defunding DACA might get a stand-alone vote. “There’s broad-based support,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) said, for items left out of the border bill, including defunding the executive action.

In the Senate, Harry Reid (D-NV) is reportedly considering tacking on the Gang of Eight’s “comprehensive” reform to the House’s border crisis bill, though House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) says, “[L]et me be as clear as I can be with Senator Reid: The House of Representatives will not take up the Senate immigration reform bill or accept it back from the Senate in any fashion.”

Meanwhile, CBS News reports, “White House officials are laying the groundwork for a large-scale expansion of immigrant rights that would come by executive action within weeks.”

Last month Obama whined that due to Congress’ inaction he would use executive actions to “fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own” – some time by the end of the summer, according to White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer. Part of that action seems to be dumping migrant children in various states without letting those states know in advance. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam have both complained they’ve learned of such drop-offs from the media, not the administration. Both governors happen to be Republican.

Clearly, Democrats want to put a squeeze play on Republicans. Obama’s lawless behavior has several conservatives calling for his impeachment. An electorate angry over the continuing invasion of aliens, ObamaCare and the long-lasting recession could hand the GOP a Senate majority in November, but an impeachment before the elections would rally know-nothing Democrats whose loyalty to BO might ruin the chance of regaining the Senate. Republicans have to find a way to force lawful action on immigration while steering clear of the impeachment pitfall.