Obama Immigration Law: President Advised to Veto Anti-Immigration House Bill as Donald Trump Visits Border
The Obama administration revealed it will veto a House legislation affecting "sanctuary cities," which have received national attention following the death of a San Francisco woman by an undocumented immigrant and remarks by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
In a statement released on Thursday morning, the White House Office of Management and Budget stated the administration "strongly opposes" Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act (H.R. 3009), which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act and make state and local jurisdictions ineligible of federal funding if they refuse to comply on reporting detained immigrants sought by federal immigration agents.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., introduced the bill, but the Obama administration said the legislation does not fix U.S. "broken" immigration laws and undermines the administration's efforts to remove dangerous convicted criminals. In the statement from the Executive Office of the President, the White House claimed H.R. 3009 threatens the civil rights of all Americans because the bill would authorize state and local officials to gather information regarding any citizen's immigration status "at any time, for any reason, and without justification."
According to the Obama administration, the comprehensive immigration reform bill is necessary to "strengthen border security, cracks down on employers hiring undocumented workers, streamlines legal immigration, and offers an earned path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants to get right with the law if they pass background checks, contribute to the [U.S.] economy by paying taxes and go to the back of the line."
"If the President were presented with H.R. 3009, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill," the statement later added.
Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, criticized House Republicans for introducing "counterproductive proposals" in response to Kathryn Steinle's death. While recognizing Steinle's death was a tragedy, Becerra said the concept of denying resources to cities such as San Francisco is "not just ridiculous but counterproductive to local law enforcement and the protection of those communities" who have been trying to work with immigrant communities.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., also spoke about the bill, which has been referred to as the "Donald Trump Act." During a House speech, Lofgren said, H.R. 3009 would have prevented Steinle's death, and reiterated U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson's remarks that withholding such funds would be a "huge setback."
"Nothing in the bill would have required the Bureau of Prisons and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to consult with San Francisco to ascertain whether or not the 20 year old warrant would lead to a prosecution," said Lofgren. "Nothing in this bill would have required ICE to obtain a warrant as is necessary to hold people beyond the term of their criminal sentence. Nothing in the bill would even have affected the Sheriff of San Francisco's decision to release the individual charged with murdering Ms. Steinle. So that tragedy should not be used to advance a different agenda -- this bill.
Lofgren would then recall previous House votes that included bills to deport beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and their parents.
More than 40 groups have criticized H.R. 3009.
The latest criticism comes from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, stating, "We should not allow shameless, anti-immigrant politicians to frame our nation's policy debate. We reject this bill and any policies that further criminalize immigrants and communities of color. The labor movement will accept nothing less than real and comprehensive solutions to our nation's immigration crisis. We have endured enforcement-only strategies for decades, and we have yet to see one that protects workers. They're unjust, and they don't work. Enough already."
Arturo Carmona, executive director of Presente.org, said the Republican Party "appears to be waging all out attacks on Latino families" between Donald Trump's statements and legislation on sanctuary cities.
"A vote to attack sanctuary cities is a vote against Latino families and communities," added Carmona. "And now some Democrats appear to be joining in on these attacks. It's a shocking betrayal that threatens to legitimize Trump and his Republican allies' anti-immigrant fearmongering. We can't let it go unanswered."
Meanwhile, Trump visited Laredo, Texas, following an invitation by a union representing border patrol agents. The union, however, rescinded their invitation, but it did not affect Trump's travel.
"After careful consideration of all of the factors involved in this event ... it has been decided by Local 2455 to pull out of all events involving Donald Trump," the union said in a statement. "Make no mistake, our border with Mexico is not secure and there's no doubt that we need to have an honest discussion about that with the American people."
Trump's campaign said the union backed out because its leaders were "silenced" by "superiors in Washington."
"They are being silenced, and are very unhappy about it, as told directly to Mr. Trump," the campaign said, via CNN. "It can only be assumed that there are things the politicians in Washington do not want Americans to see or discuss. It shows that we are not even safe in our own country."
While in Texas, Trump said the Latino community loves him and will bring them jobs from overseas.
"I'll take jobs back from China, I'll take jobs back from Japan," Trump said. "The Hispanics are going to get those jobs, and they're going to love Trump."
Must Read: Nearly 40 National Latino Groups Denounce Anti-Sanctuary City House Bill
__
For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.