New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Flips on In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrants

Posted on February 11, 2014 by US Border Security Council Admin

Color us surprised when New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) reversed his previous policy positions by endorsing in-state tuition rates for il¬legal immigrants. Pro-amnesty activists claim that he even said he will try to get the issue through the legislature in a lame-duck session. Continue reading →

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Survey Results Show Americans’ Overwhelming Support for Legislative Strategy

Posted on January 24, 2014 by US Border Security Council Admin

This fall, amid the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Border Security Council conducted a “Border Strategy Survey” and the results are clear: Americans are concerned about border security issues and are in favor of making Congress hear their concerns.

Previously, Representative John Boehner (R-OH), Speaker of the House, publicly discounted the possibility of a House vote on the contentious comprehensive immigration reform, but Fox News reported that the Speaker changed his tune. Now, the feeling on Capitol Hill is that the House may take action to overhaul immigration before the end of 2013.

“Our latest survey clearly shows that this decision is clearly not in step with the values of most Americans,” said U.S. Border Security Council National Spokesman Steve LeBlanc.

When the U.S. Border Security Council asked if we should continue to use petitions to show the politicians in Washington the nationwide opposition to Amnesty Plus, 96% of respondents agreed that it was a good idea.

Another 88% solidly stated that they feel it is a good idea for U.S. Border to generate a steady stream of phone calls and postcards to elected of­ficials (at both the federal and state levels) with their policy positions and concerns regarding our nation’s border security.

Ninety-two percent thought that it was worth­while to continue to reach out to the news media to spread the word about Amnesty Plus.

And, 96% feel that U.S. Border Security Council should continue in its efforts to recruit more sup­porters to fight Amnesty Plus.

The White House and its pro-amnesty allies con­tinue to beat the drum for their version of Amnesty Plus — like the legislation that passed in the Senate earlier this summer. In fact, many leading Repub­licans are leading the charge toward an immigration reform bill. (The lingo is different, but the end result is apt to be the same. We are no longer seeing the politically divisive term “pathway to citizen­ship” used. Instead, pro-amnesty forces are simply calling for “legalization” of aliens.)

“The charge from our supporters is clear. Take the fight directly to the halls of Congress,” said Fer­ritor. “Surveys and petitions — and personal letters from our supporters — tell a compelling story to our elected officials. We need each and every supporter to combat efforts to pass Amnesty Plus, expand fed­eral benefits for illegal aliens, and to ignore enforce­ment of current immigration laws already on the books.

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The Inside Track: Republican Study Committee Staffer Breaks Down the House’s Legislative Priorities for the Rest of 2013

Posted on October 23, 2013 by US Border Security Council Admin

The U.S. Border Security Council legislative team has developed a working relationship with Paul Teller, Executive Director of the Republican Study Committee (RSC).

The RSC is hearing from many of their members (who have just returned to Washington from the August recess) about the immigration reform bill. During the district meetings over recess, many Members of Congress report that their constituents are demanding that any immigration reform bill strengthen border security.

Although pro-alien forces are clamoring for an immigration reform bill in any form, a key staff member in the Speaker’s office confirms that Speaker Boehner remains adamant that there won’t be time during the fall to take up the bill. After a recent meeting, several representatives of Washington think tanks and nonprofits approached our legislative team to discuss immigration policy. We will follow up with these new contacts and cultivate them as allies in the battle against any form of amnesty for illegal aliens.

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The Inside Track: The Hidden Financial Cost of Statehood for Puerto Rico Begins to Emerge at a Hearing on Social Security

Posted on October 15, 2013 by US Border Security Council Admin

At a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Social Security fraud in Puerto Rico, our legislative team learned just how extensive (and costly to U.S. taxpayers) the problem already is. (As U.S. citizens, the residents of Puerto Rico are eligible for most federal benefits.)

We are going to take a hard look at the figures offered in testimony by two current Social Security Administration (SSA) staffers as well as a former SSA employee who defrauded the federal government by filing false Medicare disability claims with over 70 different names and cases.

There is a huge discrepancy between the national U.S. rates (for diagnosis, disability, etc.) and the same figures for Puerto Rico in several categories.

For example, the SSA supplied figures for “Initial Decision Allowance Rates” for 2005-2012. During that time the national allowance rate has hovered between 42-47%, but Puerto Rico figures show a skyrocketing from 34% to a high of 66% (FY 2011).

Representative Sam Johnson (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, admitted frustration during the hearing that no one could provide reasons as to why this huge increase and other discrepancies is in the reporting data.

Clearly, more investigation and data mining of the SSA’s own statistical reports are in order.

Copies of the data are available upon request. Call the office at (571) 425-4162.

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Sneak of the Month: Only One GOP Member Left on the House “Gang of Five” Pushing Amnesty

Posted on October 12, 2013 by US Border Security Council Admin

While it isn’t a traditional “Sneak of the Month,” we would strongly question the recent actions of Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) remaining as a member of the House working group rallying in favor of the President’s pro-amnesty immigration reform bill.

In June, Representative Raul Labrador (R-ID) quit the group. Now, two more of his GOP colleagues have decided to throw in the towel leaving Diaz-Balart the sole Republican. John Carter and Sam Johnson, both Texas Republicans, walked away saying they “reached a tipping point and can no longer continue working on a broad approach to immigration,” citing President Obama’s decision to delay parts of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, “with a single stroke of a pen.”

In a joint statement, Reps. Carter and Johnson said: “Instead of doing what’s right for America, President Obama time and again has unilaterally disregarded the U.S. Constitution, the letter of the law and bypassed the Congress — the body most representative of the people — in order to advance his political agenda.

“We will not tolerate it. Laws passed by Congress are not merely suggestions, regardless of the current atmosphere in Washington. Laws are to be respected and followed by all — particularly by the Commander-in-Chief.”

We couldn’t agree more.

The question remains whether or not Rep. Diaz-Balart will continue to bow to special interests — or if he will stand for the nation’s best interests.

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