“This is how liberty dies — with thunderous applause.”
~Padme Amidala,
‘Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith’
W. James Antle, III
The American Spectator
8/29/2011
Speaking to the National Council of La Raza in July, President Obama told his restive audience that he was bound to enforce the country’s immigration laws and couldn’t change them without congressional approval. In response, the crowd chanted, “Yes you can, yes you can!”
La Raza apparently changed the president’s mind, because according to an August 18 letter from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, yes he did. Napolitano informed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and 21 other senators that DHS was focused on removing only illegal immigrants who were violent criminals, convicted felons, or repeat violators.
Additionally, the administration will individually review the cases of over 300,000 illegal immigrants already in deportation proceedings to make sure that they are in line with the new enforcement priorities. That means some will not only be let go but also be given work permits.
Many of those getting a pass would have been amnestied by the DREAM Act, which Congress has repeatedly defeated under both Democratic and Republican majorities. “The President has said on numerous occasions that it makes no sense to expend our enforcement resources on low-priority cases,” Napolitano wrote, such as the DREAM Act’s more sympathetic poster children.
Yes, he can…
The article continues at The American Spectator.
Update: In Email To Campaign Supporters Obama Says He Is “Frustrated” With Congress, at Business Insider.
