Anti-Immigration and Anti-Immigrant Actions of Republican Party
“I thought the campaign promise to bar Muslims from traveling here was a campaign promise that would never be realized unless your leader won the campaign.”
Washington, DC –(ENEWSPF)–May 26, 2016. On Wednesday, Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) spoke about the latest anti-immigration and anti-immigrant actions of the Republican Party. He focused on a mark-up hearing today in the Judiciary Committee on a bill to severely restrict and slow down legal immigration – including special screening for Muslims – as well as the “onerous” dictates of Judge Andrew S. Hanen, a federal Judge in Texas. Rep. Gutiérrez said “deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants and banning Muslims from entering the country might not be the most radical anti-immigration ideas that the Republicans have come up with.” He spoke on the House Floor during the morning hour (approximately 10 am ET) in front of a picture of both Judge Hanen and Donald Trump.
He went on to explain that Judge Hanen, the controversial George W. Bush appointee whose opinion on Obama immigration administrative actions is now before the Supreme Court (United States v. Texas), has ordered remedial ethics classes for every single Department of Justice lawyer in the 26 states that are suing the United States in the case, regardless of whether they have anything to do with the case. He said sarcastically:
You’re not in any way associated with the case before the judge? Too bad! Never practiced law that is remotely related to immigrants or immigration? Sorry, the judge is ordering your punishment. Never been to the state of Texas in your life? Tough cookies,
And the judge ordered the collection of 100,000 names and addresses of people who for and received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) – the Obama Administration executive action in 2012 to make DREAMers the lowest priority for deportation – and possibly received a three-year (and not a two-year) work authorization document. He has indicated he wants to publish those names and addresses, sparking the Congressman to reply:
Though you have made no mistake and have zero responsibility for the controversy, you–the applicant – could have your name and address published for every two-bit vigilante and Twitter troll to read. I thought Republicans were the ones who didn’t like activist judges? I thought they wanted as little government as possible and to leave the legislating – and I suppose the intimidating – to the politicians.
The Congressman noted that the House of Representatives did not want to be left behind in this match of upping the ante on anti-immigration proposals. He pointed to the bill under consideration in the House Judiciary Committee today to require multiple evidentiary and administrative steps and interviews be added to the issuance of virtually every visa. Furthermore, it requires that certain Muslims and visa applicants from certain Muslim countries would get an extra layer of security screening. Rep. Gutiérrez argues that this is aimed at “shutting down LEGAL immigration as much as possible.” He went on to say:
“I thought the campaign promise to bar Muslims from traveling here was a campaign promise that would never be realized unless your leader won the campaign.”
Finally, Rep. Gutiérrez questioned the premise of the new bill:
Don’t get me wrong. If I thought Republicans were proposing a process to make things more secure or give the U.S. a better immigration system, I would support it and I think we could pass something like that on a bipartisan basis in Congress today. But come on, guys? Do you really believe that House Republicans are trying to craft a sensible bill related to immigration in an election year? Do they think Americans are really that gullible?
The text of the speech (as prepared for delivery) is below.
A video of his speech is here: https://youtu.be/0dtka43sD10
Rep. Gutiérrez represents the Fourth District of Illinois, is a Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, and is the Co-Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Floor Remarks — May 25, 2016
Mr. Speaker, as it turns out, deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants and banning Muslims from entering the country might not be the most radical anti-immigration ideas that the Republicans have come up with.
There seems to be a sinister, anti-immigration arms race breaking out in the Party of Trump.
Last week, a federal judge – Judge Andrew Hanen of Texas, pictured here – the same one whose judgment on immigration executive actions is being deliberated by the Supreme Court, ordered the punishment of every single lawyer in the Justice Department in 26 states.
His claim is that some DOJ lawyers misrepresented to him whether they were complying with his injunction suspending the immigration executive actions announced by President Obama in November 2014.
After his injunction, they were only supposed to issue two-year work permits under the old rules to immigrants who applied for and received – after an extensive criminal background check – the ability to be treated as the lowest priority for deportation.
But the remedial ethics classes are for every single Department of Justice lawyer in 26 states.
Um, what’s that you say? You’re not in any way associated with the case before the judge? Too bad!
Never practiced law that is remotely related to immigrants or immigration? Sorry, the judge is ordering your punishment.
Never been to the state of Texas in your life? Tough cookies, the Texas Judge knows best and is ordering you around as if you had argued cases yourself before his court.
Overreach much?
The newspaper La Opinion called Judge Hanen’s plan “onerous and absurd.” That’s an understatement.
Judge Hanen is also using some good old-fashioned scare tactics to see if he can compete with Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the GOP presidential nominee for the title of who is most shamelessly anti-immigrant.
Judge Hanen has called for the Department of Justice to turn over the names of 100,000 people who were possibly granted the three-year–not the two-year–work permits.
So you come forward, pay hundreds of dollars and submit your paperwork and fingerprints, then 2 years later, a judge says – though you have made no mistake and have zero responsibility for the controversy, you–the applicant – could have your name and address published for every two-bit vigilante and Twitter troll to read.
I thought Republicans were the ones who didn’t like activist judges? I thought they wanted as little government as possible and to leave the legislating – and I suppose the intimidating – to the politicians.
So when the Republicans up the ante in one area, they have to up the ante in another. Nowhere is this crass political opportunism more apparent than right here in the House of Representatives.
This morning we have a little hearing in the Judiciary Committee aimed at—get this – shutting down LEGAL immigration as much as possible.
Your son’s fiancée, your mom’s doctor, your neighbor’s nanny, your grocery store’s janitorial crew – if they are coming legally, Republicans want to stop it, slow it down, and make it cost a lot more.
The party obsessed with illegal immigration now has legal immigration firmly in its sight.
And if you are from certain countries or are of a certain religion, you must have a special security review.
You know, I thought the campaign promise to bar Muslims from traveling here was a campaign promise that would never be realized unless your leader won the campaign.
Don’t get me wrong. If I thought Republicans were proposing a process to make things more secure or give the U.S. a better immigration system, I would support it and I think we could pass something like that on a bipartisan basis in Congress today.
But come on, guys? Do you really believe that House Republicans are trying to craft a sensible bill related to immigration in an election year? Do they think Americans are really that gullible?
No, the Party of Trump has launched an all-out radical assault on LEGAL immigration and hopes everyone is so scared of “rapey” Mexicans, sex-crazed Italians, and Vietnamese immigrants with Ebola in one hand and “Zeekee-Flies” in the other.
Lock down the whole system.
Lady Liberty, lower your lamp, cover up your poem and take a seat because terrorists got in once, which is enough reason to keep everyone out…from the computer programmer to the ski instructor to the refugee fleeing systematic violence.
If you ask me, maybe it is not the hundreds of Justice Department lawyers who have nothing to do with Judge Hanen’s courtroom who need the “onerous” remedial ethics training classes. Maybe it is Judge Hanen’s allies here in the House and throughout the Republican Party who could use a mandatory lesson on right and wrong.
Source: http://www.gutierrez.house.gov
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