end.
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Report from the front: The U.S. migration crisis in plain view at the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border: Part 1
From the Center for Immigration Studies
“It was a great problem for the town to have, hundreds of U.S.-bound immigrants a day: Haitians, Cubans, South Americans, Africans of all stripes, Russians, Uzbeks, Bangladeshis, and Arabs from Iraq and Syria. Everyone’s finally becoming financially whole again, Luis said. He thinks at least 10,000 have come through town since the American election and he’s quite the optimist.”
A United Nations of Mass Illegal Immigration, Part 1
Nicaraguan soldiers about to accept three Haitian immigrants brought by a human smuggler named “Felix”. The Haitians and many other nationalities from around the world similarly enter Nicaragua bound for the U.S. southern border. Photo by Todd Bensman.
NEAR LOS CHILES, COSTA RICA — Two Nicaraguan soldiers carrying AK-47s motored up on a single scooter and dismounted on their side of the border, a mud road and a downed barbed-wire fence. The sergeant eyed the three young Haitian men and their smuggler, a purple-shirted Nicaraguan named “Felix” who had brought them and a Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) analyst. The camouflage-uniformed soldiers were hardly interested in border security; the Haitians were going to pay them to enter, Felix explained just before their arrival.
“This is the entrance where we have the illegal crossings. Here in Nicaragua, the boys from the Army should be somewhere around here in hiding or in specific places such as this one waiting for the foreigners to cross so that they can get some coinear [money],” he said. “Don’t be scared because nobody’s going to fire on us or anything similar.”
The Nicaraguan soldiers were there as arranged to cash in on a vast new bonanza passing through along an underground railroad that runs from South America, through Panama, and now Costa Rica on up through Mexico. It’s congested now with Haitians and people from around the world — a United Nations of illegal immigration — all heading for the American southern border to enjoy its new openness under the administration of President Joe Biden, many immigrants and several smugglers around here say.
After polite introductions, the Nicaraguan army sergeant refused all comment, wagging a finger, and demanded that CIS put down the camera. The young private moved off to one side and readjusted his weapon. After exchanging quiet words with Felix, the smuggler announced that it was now time for everyone to leave. Except for the Haitian men, of course, and the money in their pockets.
For probably $150 each — a full month’s pay for privates — the soldiers would bring up motor bikes for them and then escort them five miles inside Nicaragua to the San Juan River, where civilian confederates of Felix’s would float them over to a highway and deliver them to confederate drivers who would get them up to Honduras, for yet more money.
As a waystation, the Los Chiles borderland region of far northern Costa Rica presents an illustrative microcosm of the wider development along the intercontinental trail connecting the world to the U.S. southern border. By all indications, the world route is more congested than at any time in recent memory, with people from Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Russia, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, and dozens of other countries. As will be explained below, this aspect of the U.S. mass migration crisis carries persistently ignored burdens and concerns for the American public, policy-makers, and homeland security agencies that are very distinct from those posed by Central Americans and Mexicans, who occupy center stage.
Escalating Numbers “Since Trump Was Not in Office”
Tallying exactly how many extra-continental immigrants are coming through presents a challenge. Governments at key bottlenecks along the way — Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, for instance — either ignore the traffic so long as it keeps moving to the next country north or miss much of it since smuggling is an often-successful art of evasion. Some countries may feel a need to undercount their statistics. But a good place to start is with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) immigrant encounter statistics.
CBP statistics kept for the last 12 years through 2019 (but apparently no longer reported at this level of detail) show that illegal immigrants in this category hail from more than 140 different countries. Migrants in the long-distance flow have always made up a relatively small piece of total illegal immigrant encounters at the southern border, which reached a 25-year apex in May of 180,000.
But that piece has suddenly sprouted high as Central American nations have started to lift pandemic border closure orders and Trump left office, releasing a pent-up wave. The latest CBP encounter statistics released in June show the agency’s encounters of non-Mexican, non-Central American immigrants skyrocketed from 1,308 in May 2020 to more than 40,000 in May 2021. That’s more than 30 times as many, albeit Trump had fully instituted deterring push-back policies in May 2020.
This May’s more than 40,000 non-Central American and non-Mexican illegal immigrants add to a tally of 137,000 for FY 2021 so far.
While the numbers tell much, so do the human smugglers, hoteliers, and business people in the Los Chiles area. They are perhaps as good a barometer of what is happening to the American border as any other measure of trail traffic because they are prospering from it. They also show no inclination toward discretion since international media has bypassed this area and Costa Rica immigration and law enforcement told CIS their interest and resources are limited to occasionally busting significant smugglers.
One not-so-big human smuggler/driver named Luis, who CIS found on a public street trying to sell passage to three Senegalese, said everyone in town had been suffering from the effects of Trump’s deterrence-based border policies, especially the pandemic-related ones where all immigrants were returned to Mexico. This, he said, heavily damaged the local economy. But everyone has been catching up on the money-making “since this president [Joe Biden], and since Trump was not in office,” he said.
“Since Trump left, we started seeing this large horde of people,” Luis explained. “They tell me they’re giving out papers to everyone … Venezuelans, Cubans — everyone! They say they’re going to the U.S. to work. The border was too tight before.”
“Once there was a time when they collapsed the whole town. There was not one single room here available,” Luis continued. “They were sleeping even at the bus stops, and they even had to take them to the churches.”
It was a great problem for the town to have, hundreds of U.S.-bound immigrants a day: Haitians, Cubans, South Americans, Africans of all stripes, Russians, Uzbeks, Bangladeshis, and Arabs from Iraq and Syria. Everyone’s finally becoming financially whole again, Luis said. He thinks at least 10,000 have come through town since the American election and he’s quite the optimist.
There is more to the report here.
Illegal immigration in Georgia: Former ICE Director Tom Homan Condemns Gov. Brian Kemp
Homan Re: Kemp: “Georgia’s the next California. You’ve got a governor over here that made promises to his constituents, whose been missing in action on that issue,” Homan told the room. “Keep your word and do the right thing.”
The below news piece is from February, 2020 and covered the Dustin Inman Society’s event “Honoring Immigrants: An Expert, Pro-enforcement Conversation on Immigration” in which Mr. Homan was the Keynote Speaker. We repost here as a reminder to all concerned.
FetchYourNews.com
–>February 12, 2020
ATLANTA, Ga – Gov. Brian Kemp received the proverbial earful from former ICE Director Tom Homan over his broken campaign promise to deal with illegal immigration in Georgia.
Homan was the keynote speaker at an event held by the Dustin Inman Society, titled “Honoring Immigrants: An Expert, Pro-Enforcement Conversation on Immigration.”
“Georgia’s the next California. You’ve got a governor over here that made promises to his constituents, whose been missing in action on that issue,” Homan told the room. “Keep your word and do the right thing. We’re not asking you to do anything out of the ordinary. We’re asking you to support the enforcement of the nation’s laws.”
Homan told the room he spoke with a special agent about Kemp, who agreed that Georgia’s governor isn’t following through with his promise to curb illegal immigration.
Kemp’s campaign platform took a tough stance on immigration. He even released a “Track and Deport Plan,” where he promised to “create a comprehensive database to track criminal aliens in Georgia. He will also update Georgia law to streamline deportations from our jails and prisons.”
In 2019, Kemp dissolved a controversial Immigration Enforcement Review Board, which civil rights groups viewed as a harassment tool for anti-immigration groups.
“They talk the talk during the campaign, but they won’t walk the walk,” claimed Homan about most politicians. The only exception being President Donald Trump, who has taken decisive action to prevent illegal immigration in the states.
Homan encouraged attendees to call the governor and hold him accountable for his campaign promises.
Border crossings by the numbers
Trump declared a national emergency at the Southern Border on Feb. 15, 2019, because close to 1 million illegal crossings were occurring.
“72 percent of the crossings were either family units or children by themselves. Children under the age of 18 because of that humanitarian crisis, 50 to 60 percent of border patrol agents were no longer on the lines. They were changing diapers, making formula, making hospital runs,” said Homan.
According to the former ICE Director, the lack of agents on the border contributed to the 68,000 opioid deaths of Americans.
“Border is unprotected; drugs are going to flow. Many investigations clearly show criminal cartels in Mexico manage the entire northern Mexican border…They will get 100 to 150 family units, push them through one sector at one time and tie up all the border patrol assets in that area. Meanwhile, they’re moving the bad guys. The guys that don’t want to turn themselves in and claim asylum. [The cartels are] moving MS13 members and drugs over here,” Homan stated.
Doctors Without Borders reported that 31 percent of women crossing the border experienced some form of sexual assault during their journey.
“Children are dying. The cartel is making millions of dollars a year,” asserted Homan.
He also mentioned the decrease in illegal crossings, which are down 72 percent from the high in May 2019. Homan attributes this reduction directly to Trump and the actions that he has taken, including forcing Mexico to enforce its laws.
14,00 children were in American government custody because a criminal organization haul smuggled them across the border. 2,500 families have been separated. Also, the border patrol has saved 4,000 immigrant lives.
Mexico has reportedly removed 86,000 Central Americans this year.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol published online records pertaining to illegal immigration.
“In Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 To Date (TD), during the month of January, a total of 29,200 individuals were apprehended between ports of entry on our Southwest Border, compared to 32,857 in December and 33,514 in November. In FY19, a total of 851,508 individuals were apprehended between ports of entry on [the] Southwest Border.”
Current numbers for 2020.
ICE Effectiveness
In an effort to clear up misunderstandings about ICE’s role in immigration and arrests, Homan said, “no one ripped a child out of their mother’s arms. It was zero tolerance, not family separation.”
ICE wanted to prosecute people who broke the law, and with zero tolerance, numbers dropped 26 percent in two weeks in the Rio Grande Valley. However, the president stopped the policy after receiving political push back.
Zero Tolerance did result in the separation of families because a child can’t go to the U.S. Marshall if the parent committed a crime.
Homan brought up sanctuary cities and how the policies put ICE agents in danger due to a false narrative that they arrest victims and witnesses.
“89.8 percent of ICE arrests were illegal in the United States and had a criminal conviction or pending criminal charges when arrested because they were locked up in a jail cell,” Homan asserted. “Victims and witnesses shouldn’t be afraid because we’re not looking for them, and we’re not arresting them. Criminal aliens are going to re-offend in the very community in which they live. The immigrant community.” Read the rest here.
Future Dem voters: Biden’s DHS Secretary Pushes Amnesty for Illegal Aliens At The Border
Breitbart News
John Binder
June 25, 2021
“Mayorkas also suggested that the role of DHS, under his and President Joe Biden’s direction, is “to build safe and legal pathways for people” to stay in the U.S. indefinitely.”
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas used his visit to the United States-Mexico border with Vice President Kamala Harris to tout amnesty for illegal aliens.
On Friday, during a press conference in El Paso, Texas, alongside Harris, Mayorkas said he was “hopeful” that an amnesty for illegal aliens would be approved by Congress.
“I am hopeful that Congress will pass immigration reform to fix a system that everyone recognizes is broke and I am thankful for [Sen. Dick Durbin’s] years-long effort and championing this effort,” Mayorkas said.
Mayorkas also suggested that the role of DHS, under his and President Joe Biden’s direction, is “to build safe and legal pathways for people” to stay in the U.S. indefinitely — a stark contrast to former President Trump’s DHS, which sought to stem illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
The amnesty push by Mayorkas comes as Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has said he is crafting amnesty legislation that would be sent off to Senate Democrats for negotiating.
In March, the Democrat-controlled House — with support from 30 House Republicans — passed H.R. 1603, known as the “Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021,” and H.R. 6, known as “American Dream and Promise Act of 2021.”
Together, the two plans would give amnesty to about 2.1 million illegal aliens working on U.S. farms and another 4.4 million Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)-enrolled and eligible illegal aliens and those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Already, many Senate Democrats are seeking to slip an amnesty past Congress through a little-known “reconciliation” maneuver. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is crafting a proposal that would include forcing American taxpayers to spend $150 billion on providing amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.
An amnesty would come as nearly 16 million remain jobless, all of whom want full-time jobs. Another 5.3 million Americans are underemployed but likewise, want full-time employment.
An analysis released this week by the Center for Immigration Studies revealed that amnesty for illegal aliens, which would immediately flood the U.S. labor market with millions of newly legalized foreign workers for whom employers can legally hire, would have a devastating impact on the nation’s ongoing unemployment problem…Read the rest here.
Billions of dollars sent to illegal aliens in Cash-Assistance Programs
Center for Immigration Studies podcasts
Evidence of how unserious we are about controlling immigration
Follow Parsing Immigration Policy on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts
Washington, D.C. (June 24, 2021) – The nation’s two largest cash assistance programs for low income workers redistribute taxpayer funds from legal workers to illegal immigrants. This week, Dr. Steven Camarota, the Center’s director of research, and Mark Krikorian, the Center’s executive director and host of Parsing Immigration Policy, discuss the Billions of dollars spent to who have no income tax liability and the impact the policies allowing this has on immigration law. Sending cash payments to illegal immigrants through the tax system shows just how unserious the government is about controlling immigration.
In his Concluding Commentary, Mark Krikorian highlighted the anachronistic nature of our immigration system, as “an artifact of post-World War II, early Cold-War politics”, that was incorporated into U.S. law in 1980 in the Refugee Act. He concludes that, in the 21st century, “it’s long past time to reassess the way we do refugee resettlement”, beginning with a withdrawal from the United Nations refugee treaty to permit
Bonus information you will not see in “the news.”
Estimating Illegal Immigrant Receipt of Cash Payments from the EITC and ACTC
Are Illegal Aliens Receiving COVID-19 Relief Checks? Yes
World Refugee Day Should Inspire Us to Reflect on a More Effective Refugee System, One That Fits the Twenty-First Century
CBO: Biden/Harris immigration amnesty would cost Americans more than $35 billion
From the Center for Immigration Studies
American Dream & Promise Act (H.R. 6) Would Cost Taxpayers Billion
The rising cost of H.R. 6 over time is an indication that the fiscal deficit created by the legislation will persist well after the 10-year budgetary window CBO uses to create its fiscal estimates. Moreover, the CBO estimates do not include any costs at the state and local level.
- The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the net fiscal drain (new revenue minus new costs) from H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, would be $35.3 billion in just the first 10 years.
- CBO found that spending would increase by $38.3 billion in the first 10 years after amnesty, while revenue would increase by only $5 billion, creating the $35.3 billion drain.
The net fiscal drain at the federal level — new revenues minus new expenses — created by H.R.6, was estimated at $35.3 billion by the CBO on March 18 of this year.1 Much of the costs come in the later part of CBO’s 10-year cost estimate window. For example, CBO estimates that the annual drain will be $6.3 billion in the tenth year of its cost estimate, compared to $1.6 billion in the second year. The rising cost of H.R. 6 over time is an indication that the fiscal deficit created by the legislation will persist well after the 10-year budgetary window CBO uses to create its fiscal estimates. Moreover, the CBO estimates do not include any costs at the state and local level. There is not much debate about the large size of the net fiscal drain that the bill would create. All of the CBO’s prior estimates of the Dream and Promise Acts separately also showed that the bills would add substantially to the federal deficit.
There are five main reasons why an amnesty creates significantly more new costs then new revenue. First, CBO, working with the Joint Center for Taxation, has previously found that taxes collected from illegal immigrants, whose income would now be reported, would increase with amnesty. However, the additional tax collection is offset by “increases in tax deductions by businesses for labor compensation.”2 In other words, amnesty would reduce the taxes businesses pay by allowing them to deduct the wages they had previously paid illegal immigrants off the books, thereby mostly erasing the higher tax contributions of illegal immigrants whose wages would now be subject to taxation.
A second reason for the fiscal drain is that the CBO estimates that cash payments from the EITC and ACTC, which the legalized would now receive, would increase significantly. Third, CBO estimates a larger share of the children of illegal immigrants (particularly the U.S.-born), who are already eligible for means-tested programs such as SSI and Medicaid, would now be enrolled because their parents would no longer fear deportation. Fourth, amnesty would allow those legalized immediate access to Obamacare subsidies. Fifth, a very large share of illegal immigrants have modest levels of education, resulting in modest incomes and relatively low tax payments, regardless of legal status.
Amnesty in the Middle of Massive Job Losses
While the employment situation has improved significantly since the height of the pandemic, the situation in May 2021 remained bleak. There were still 9.3 million people unemployed in May 2021, 3.4 million more than in May 2019, before Covid.3 In addition, another 55.1 million working-age (16-64) residents are not in the labor force — neither working nor looking for work. Excluding young people, there were still 38.3 million people ages 25 to 64 who were not in the labor force. A total of about 64 million working-age people (16 to 64) were not working in May 2021. Of those not working, about three-fourths don’t have a college degree.4
The current problems in the labor market must be understood in the context of a long-term decline in labor force participation for the less-educated, which pre-dates the Covid pandemic. Those not in the labor force do not show up in unemployment statistics because the official unemployment numbers only reflect those who have looked for a job in the prior four weeks. There is a significant body of research showing a link between non-work and negative social outcomes such as crime, drug use, and family breakup. Allowing all illegal immigrants who came at younger ages or have TPS status to stay and giving them all legal status so they compete with legal immigrants and the native-born throughout the labor market will likely make it increasingly difficult to draw more Americans back into the labor market. See original article here at CIS.org
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Biden/Harris admin closes Trump-era Victim Of Immigration Crime Engagement office (V.O.I.C.E.)
AP report taken from WSB-TV feed
“The Department of Homeland Security “is a law enforcement agency, not a legal help center for criminals and lawbreakers,” Miller said. The change of tone regarding immigration has been striking between the two administrations.”
SAN DIEGO — (AP) — The Biden administration said Friday it has dismantled a Trump-era government office to help victims of crimes committed by immigrants, a move that symbolizes President Joe Biden’s rejection of former President Donald Trump’s repeated efforts to link immigrants to crime.
Trump created the Victim Of Immigration Crime Engagement Office, known by its acronym VOICE, by executive order during his first week in office in January 2017.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it was replacing VOICE with a “more comprehensive and inclusive victim support system.”
VOICE will be replaced by The Victims Engagement and Services Line, which will combine longstanding existing services, such as methods for people to report abuse and mistreatment in immigration detention centers and a notification system for lawyers and others with a vested interest in immigration cases.
The new office will add a service for potential recipients of visas designated for victims of human trafficking or violent crimes in the United States.
“Providing assistance to society’s most vulnerable is a core American value. All people, regardless of their immigration status, should be able to access victim services without fear,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump’s immigration policies, called the decision to close VOICE a “moral stain on the conscience of our nation.”
He likened the new office to the Drug Enforcement Administration opening “a call center to help drug dealers get lawyers and amnesty for their crimes.”
The Department of Homeland Security “is a law enforcement agency, not a legal help center for criminals and lawbreakers,” Miller said.
The change of tone regarding immigration has been striking between the two administrations.
More here.
Fast Fact: Gary Black’s solution for keeping newly legalized illegal aliens down on the farm? Indentured servitude
Gary Black – Photo: Politico
State GOP official jumps into Georgia Senate race
With agriculture being Georgia’s biggest industry, it should be noted that many of the 1980’s illegal farm workers fled the fields after they obtained legal status in the “one time” Reagan amnesty. Taking a better paying job in construction or an air-conditioned warehouse instead of sweating in a 100-degree onion field seems a logical move.
Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture (and now announced candidate for U.S.senate) Gary Black, recommended a temporary solution for that scenario to a U.S. Senate subcommittee in 2011. Black told the senators:
“Regretfully, a large number of illegal immigrants are working in agriculture today. A penalty-based work authorization permit should be considered for offenders. Such a measure could require substantial monetary fines, an annually renewed biometric permit supported by fees that is restricted for agriculture and strict employer enforcement after implementation.” (italics mine).
Georgians can watch to see if any current Peach State legislator supports what is accurately being referred to as the “indentured servant” section of “immigration reform.” We’ll also see if anyone remembers that Black forgot to obey Georgia’s E-Verify laws when he took over the Ag Dept duties.
Before his election to Ag commissioner, Black was a career lobbysist for BigAg.
Bonus reading:
“The Georgia Agribusiness Council, where Gary Black served as President before becoming the state’s Agricultural Commissioner, estimated that (“The Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011”), HB87 would result in losses of $300 million for Georgia farmers. Commissioner Black testified before the Senate in October 2011 that losses would be “somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 million.” The survey actually found reported losses in 2011 to be $10 million. That works out to be three percent of the original figure released by agribusiness in order to scare lawmakers away from supporting HB87. Put into a broader context, $10 million represents 0.015 percent of the state’s total agricultural output in 2009, and 0.0013 percent of the total state economy. No wonder when Commissioner Black was asked to respond to the survey findings he said, “We have to look at solutions,” instead of getting “lost in this million versus that million.” Talking about the actual results would expose his previous claims about HB87 as unfounded.” Here – which is linked in here.
Updated 28 June 2021 with addition of link to Black’s former career with Big Ag lobby.
Another letter to the editor we didn’t see printed in the liberal AJC – Re: Brian Kemp
The below letter to the editor was sent more than two weeks ago. Seems a shame to not post it.
Dear editor,
For those who believed his 2018 promises on illegal immigration, a recent AJC story on Gov. Kemp and his reelection campaign strategy contains an amusing quote. “One of the things that happened in ’18 was I got defined as someone I wasn’t, and the way I was defined turned out to be false.” “That’s not going to happen this time because people know where I stand.”
So far it appears the Georgia media has chosen not to mention Kemp’s defiant betrayal of his detailed and clear 2018 pledge “as governor, conservative businessman Brian Kemp will create a comprehensive database to track criminal aliens in Georgia. He will also update Georgia law to streamline deportations from our jails and prisons.” And the now infamous “I’ve got a big truck in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take them home myself.”
Kemp has not mentioned any of this since he won the election. Pro-enforcement independent voters now know exactly where he stands. We call it the ‘Big Truck Trick.’
D.A. King
Marietta
King is president of the Dustin Inman Society
Prediction: Georgia Republicans will move to eliminate state E-Verify law in 2022 session
We predict the dollar-first Republicans will try to eliminate the state’s 2011 (HB 87 – see also 2013) E-Verify law that is now treated as optional anyway. We also predict the attempt will have the full approval and participation of the Georgia Chamber and FWD.us.
Update, October 14, 2021. Add removal of effective immigration status verification for occupational licenses to the agenda.
Would Gov Brian Kemp sign such legislation? We think so.
The below is from an Insider Advantage Georgia (subscription) report.
Ralston names new committees
“State Rep. Wes Cantrell (R-Woodstock) was appointed by Ralston to serve as chair of the House Study Committee on Innovative Ways to Maximize Global Talent.
“Georgia House Republicans are committed to keeping Georgia a great place where people of all walks of life can live, work and thrive,” said Rep. Cantrell. “Georgia has consistently outranked the rest of the nation as the best state to do business, and there is no doubt that foreign-born Georgians have contributed greatly to our state’s economic success.”
This study committee was established by House Resolution 11 during the 2021 legislative session and will look at ways to maximize global talent and “provide greater prosperity for all Georgians by identifying and removing barriers to full economic participation that no longer serve the state.” This study committee will report its findings by December 31, 2021.”
Entire report here.
