The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 03:50 PM

OUR VIEW: We're A Land of Laws First Then The Land Of Opportunity When It Comes To DACA.

That is already the cry today after President Trump, along with Attorney General Jeff Sessions elected to delay the formal dismantling of the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program Tuesday. This program protected immigrants brought into the country illegally as children.

The six-month delay was intended to give Congress time to decide whether it wants to address the status of the so-called Dreamers legislation even though it isn't clear how the six-month delay will work in practice and what would happen to people who currently have work permits under the program.

In an early morning press conference, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the DACA program basically "provided a legal status for recipients for a renewable two-year term, work authorization, and other benefits, including participation in the social security program, to 800,000 mostly-adult illegal aliens."

In 2012 former President Obama unilaterally implemented DACA causing great controversy and legal concern after Congress, on numerous occasions, rejected legislative proposals to extend similar benefits to this same group of illegal aliens.

Obama has already chimed in today saying "to target these young people is wrong." That's rich Mr. O, really rich. The only "targeting" I know of was under your watch and that was the targeting of your corrupt IRS department which went after conservatives and religious groups without punishment.

So, spare us your soap box. You created this mess by usurping Congress. This is merely making things RIGHT!

In other words, when the executive branch, through DACA, deliberately seeks to achieve what the legislative branch specifically refused to authorize on multiple occasions and then a judicial branch rightly sees this is wrong and ends the practice, that is targeting. Such is the world we lived in under President Obama. That is not the world any more under President Trump!
 

As Sessions rightly pointed out "such an open-ended circumvention of immigration laws was an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the Executive Branch."

Obama and the Democrats screaming about the Trump Administration's actions today fail to recognize d (omit) that the effect of this unilateral executive amnesty, among other things, contributed to a surge of unaccompanied minors on the southern border that yielded terrible humanitarian consequences.

It also denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing those same jobs to go to illegal aliens.

The Attorney General today rightly stated that as AG "it is my duty to ensure that the laws of the United States are enforced and that the Constitutional order is upheld. No greater good can be done for the overall health and well-being of our Republic, than preserving and strengthening the impartial rule of law. Societies where the rule of law is treasured are societies that tend to flourish and succeed. "

As Sessions added, societies where the rule of law is subject to political whims and personal biases tend to become societies afflicted by corruption, poverty, and human suffering.

The AG added, "To have a lawful system of immigration that serves the national interest, we cannot admit everyone who would like to come here. That is an open border policy and the American people have rightly rejected it." And rightly rejected it we did! Yes America is a land of opportunity, freedom, and immigrants, but we're only those things because we are a nation of laws first.

The legislative branch, not the executive branch, writes these laws and when Obama usurped that authority in 2012, he was the one who created this mess, not the Donald Trump administration. Further more, there can be no path to principled immigration reform if the executive branch is able to rewrite or nullify federal laws at will.

Sessions was not alone in his strong defense of the administration's actions. President Trump wasted little time speaking out on his own behalf as to why he supported this action:

"In June of 2012, President Obama bypassed Congress to give work permits, social security numbers, and federal benefits to approximately 800,000 illegal immigrants currently between the ages of 15 and 36. The typical recipients of this executive amnesty, known as DACA, are in their twenties.

Legislation offering these same benefits had been introduced in Congress on numerous occasions and rejected each time. In referencing the idea of creating new immigration rules unilaterally, President Obama admitted that 'I can’t just do these things by myself' – and yet that is exactly what he did, making an end-run around Congress and violating the core tenets that sustain our Republic."

Trump continued saying, "Officials from 10 States are suing over the program, requiring my Administration to make a decision regarding its legality. The Attorney General of the United States, the Attorneys General of many states, and virtually all other top legal experts have advised that the program is unlawful and unconstitutional and cannot be successfully defended in court."

"The temporary implementation of DACA by the Obama Administration, after Congress repeatedly rejected this amnesty-first approach, also helped spur a humanitarian crisis – the massive surge of unaccompanied minors from Central America including, in some cases, young people who would become members of violent gangs throughout our country, such as MS-13. Only by the reliable enforcement of immigration law can we produce safe communities, a robust middle class, and economic fairness for all Americans."

While Trump and Sessions will be labeled as hate mongers, let us not forget that Congress has failed miserably in reforming our federal immigration program and system that has led us to this crossroads. President Trump rightfully pointed this out as well in his statement:

"The decades-long failure of Washington, D.C. to enforce federal immigration law has had both predictable and tragic consequences: lower wages and higher unemployment for American workers, substantial burdens on local schools and hospitals, the illicit entry of dangerous drugs and criminal cartels, and many billions of dollars a year in costs paid for by U.S. taxpayers. Yet few in Washington expressed any compassion for the millions of Americans victimized by this unfair system. Before we ask what is fair to illegal immigrants, we must also ask what is fair to American families, students, taxpayers, and job seekers."

Attorney General Sessions and the Trump administration did right thing this morning on DACA.
We're a nation of laws and before we can have compassion we must have a legal system that remains free of political influence. Therefore, the nation must set and enforce a limit on how many immigrants we admit each year and that means all can not be accepted.

This does not mean those here illegally are all bad people or that our nation disrespects or demeans them in any way. It means we are properly enforcing our laws as Congress has passed them.
Furthermore, before we ask what is fair to illegal immigrants, we must first ask what is fair to American families, students, taxpayers, and job seekers.

Any reasonably minded individual will tell you allowing illegals to stay in our nation without confronting them and the situation disrespects every law-abiding citizen in this nation! It also disrespects the millions of LEGAL immigrants who came in the right way by going through the proper processes and becoming legitimate tax paying citizens.

While there is certainly room for discussion and compassion as to how best to handle those, who are here - what happened today was necessary to have a legitimate discussion about where we need to go.

Not to sound mean, but the illegals who brought their children here in the first place are the ones that need to be called on the carpet, NOT the ones seeking to uphold the law! Most knew 1000% exactly what they were doing yet act like someone stole their cookies when their law breaking is called into account.

If Congress was doing its job we wouldn't be here in the first place.
We either have a Constitution or we don't.

Reports are out already that those marching in defiance of this action were brought in today by trucks and vans to "protest." So, the outrage shown today is all a sham and nothing but politics folks, nothing more. Most of these here illegally are in love with the Democratic Party that seeks to protect them from law breaking. The truth is if these illegals were voting Republican during elections the Democrats would be rioting in the streets instead of railing against President Trump.

We can have compassion, but we must do the right thing first and today was a big step in making sure those here illegally are dealt with in a manner that upholds the rule of law upon which our nation's institutions rest. Without law, there is nothing but anarchy.

There's definitely a new sheriff in town and I happen to be very grateful he's cleaning house and taking names. It's long overdue.
 

Christopher McDonald, Publisher, Editor in Charge

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