Federation for American Immigration Reform

November 13, 2009

Napolitano Remarks Show an Administration Committed to Amnesty Despite the Facts

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by FAIR staff

The Center for American Progress, a liberal organization with close ties to the Obama Administration recently hosted DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. The Secretary took this opportunity to spin the Administration’s three new arguments for why they believe amnesty is now urgently needed for all that ails America. While we must complement Napolitano for creatively trying to make lemonade out of a lemon, her arguments are patently absurd.

We Fixed Enforcement – Now Give Us Amnesty! One thing this administration has is a good memory. They remember that the amnesty bill of 2007 was rejected because Americans were not convinced that the borders were secure or that meaningful interior enforcement was taking place. Hoping to convince her audience that things have changed, Napolitano focused on the “serious and strategic” strides she has made on enforcement saying “we have replaced old policies that merely looked tough with policies that are designed to actually be effective.” What she fails to mention, however, is that the new “effective” policies she has put into place are systematically dismantling all existing immigration enforcement including, but not limited to, E-Verify, REAL ID, 287(g) and worksite enforcement. Even if enforcement had been improved, using that to justify amnesty is a flawed argument because legalizing 12 million illegal aliens would simply create more incentive for another round of illegal aliens, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of chaos.

Amnesty Will Make Us Prosperous! Egged on by the amnesty-obsessed administration, Napolitano has been slowly shifting the argument for amnesty to conveniently fit the current economic turmoil. She is now making the ridiculous claim that providing a “path to citizenship” for 12 million illegal aliens will actually improve the economy and increase wages. As she stated, “this reform will be part of the new foundation for growth, prosperity, and security that this Administration is working to create.” Huh? She must know something we don’t and that is; how does waiving a magic wand and administratively converting 12 million illegal aliens who are overwhelmingly poorly skilled, under-educated and heavily government dependent improve the American economy? While this administration is peddling Comprehensive Immigration Reform as the new Economic Stimulus Package, true immigration reformers understand that anything this administration does on immigration must be evaluated for its effect on the growing number of American workers out of work. Flooding the market with more wage suppressing labor is not the answer.

The System is Outdated and Broken! There is also a new effort to paint our current immigration laws as “outdated.” Napolitano has begun repeating the phrase “we need 21st century laws,” and “we must fix a broken immigration system.” The only thing broken about our immigration system is this administration’s broken will to enforce the laws.

Beware of attempts to manufacture these deceptive arguments into conventional wisdom. They are hoping to turn the tide in their favor. In Napolitano’s own words, “I’ve been dealing hands-on with immigration issues since 1993, so trust me: I know a major shift when I see one, and what I have seen makes reform far more attainable this time around.”

Sorry Secretary Napolitano, but we’ve watched and reviewed your progress and we don’t trust you.

Securing the country is the Department of Homeland Security’s mission and the Secretary’s responsible. Based on her recent comments, it is clear that Janet Napolitano has become a political pawn for this administration’s amnesty agenda rather than the Guardian of the Gate the public has a right to expect her to be.