Congress demands Obama act to stop illegal immigration

The House of Representatives has expressed outrage concerning the overwhelming influx of unaccompanied minors, some potentially tied to violent gangs, that have flooded across the southern border. Rep. J. Randy Forbes (VA-R) wrote to the President on June 16 stating:

“I join with a vast number of Americans in expressing outrage at your Administration’s inability and apparent lack of will to enforce he integrity of our borders. In recent days, your Administration stated that at least 60,000 illegal immigrant youth, unaccompanied by their parents, will arrive…in addition to the over 400,000 total individuals that arrived at the border last year.”

Forbes has demanded that Mr. Obama release intelligence reports from the Department of Homeland Security on the issue.

Observers have tied the start of the event to recent White House policies, especially the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

According to DHS:

Many patients are feeling better by visit number five buying cheap cialis https://pdxcommercial.com/willamette-fall-riverwalk/wflpfinal-concept-designmill-h-overlook-view-900/ or six. As a result of the advancements in technology, the viagra from uk find out description results of many of the diagnostic tests can be availed the same day. The person pdxcommercial.com generic cialis needs to contact a healthcare professional who will be able to select the right treatment plan and adjust it to your specific situation. These antioxidants play a vital cialis online from canada role in purifying blood. “DHS will exercise prosecutorial discretion as appropriate to ensure that enforcement resources are not expended on low priority cases, such as individuals who came to the United States as children and meet other key guidelines. Individuals who demonstrate that they meet the guidelines … may request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and may be eligible for employment authorization.”

The program, enacted without the required Congressional approval, was seen by many as an “invitation” to alien youth to come to the U.S., with the encouragement of parents who could use the youngsters’ presence as an “anchor” to eventually gain access to residency. Although the program’s guidelines aren’t applicable to the current influx, the President’s tone, and the refusal by the Administration to provide adequate border security, provides a different impression.

Questions have also been raised about how many of the illegals managed to first cross into Mexico from more southern nations, travel the length of that nation, and wind up in the U.S. Mexico is noted for its strict policy against unlawful entrance into its own territory. The unfortunate story of Sgt. Tahmooressi, the decorated U.S. Marine who mistakenly crossed into Mexico and has been imprisoned for the last 90 months is indicative of this.

Many Republicans have been reluctant to vigorously oppose the President’s unlawful policy for fear of alienating Latino voters. Some political analysts, however, say the GOP has ample reason to be concerned about allowing the surge to go forward. Unopposed by the hyper-partisan Justice Department of Eric Holder, illegal aliens could be encouraged to unlawfully cast votes. New residents from outside the U.S. vote for Democrat candidates in vastly greater numbers than they do for Republicans.

New York City is reviewing legislation that would allow illegals to vote after three years of paying taxes.

Quick Analysis

Ukraine’s Frozen Conflict

As we approach winter in the northern hemisphere, the war in Ukraine is beginning to resemble a “frozen conflict” from many perspectives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently told the media he hopes the war will end faster once President-elect Trump takes over in January. Opinions in Moscow, however, differ from that of the Ukrainian leader. Russian President Vladimir Putin argues that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) needs to exclude Ukraine from joining in “exchange” for peace. If it does not, he says, then no end to the war is in sight. So far there is no Christmas solution. Several NATO countries, according to Vladimir Socor of the Jamestown Foundation, are tentatively considering “coalitions-of-the-willing” to provide security for Ukraine outside of the formal NATO framework. There is, however, no collective mechanism today under which such an arrangement is viable. According to the NATO Charter, while Ukraine is a NATO partner country, it may not join as a full member since it has not fulfilled the requirements for membership. That has not stopped NATO and allies from continuing “to provide Ukraine with unprecedented levels of support, helping to uphold its fundamental right to self-defence,” according to the organization. Socor says that keeping Ukraine out of NATO will not advance peace with Russia. Waiting for a peace settlement, he suggests, would only serve to encourage Moscow to continue the war indefinitely. Although the Biden Administration officially withdrew its support for Ukrainian membership in 2021, NATO maintains an “open door” policy toward membership-seeking countries. The current White House position led the way for European states to oppose Ukraine’s membership saying that a decision should be delayed until “conditions are met.” Biden pushed for changing “open door” to a “bridge” metaphor. It is not intended as an across-the-board NATO policy and has been implemented in the past on a case-by-case basis, says Socor. “The alliance’s open-door policy was not fully insulated from Russia’s non-statutory blocking power, and NATO-aspirant countries’ path toward membership was not always irreversible.” Russia has successfully blocked states like Georgia from joining, first in 2008 and again after the war in Ukraine began in 2014. Russia recognizes the value add of Ukraine to NATO is enormous and that Kyiv has a better case than some other nations. Putin’s invasion was, in part, intended to foreclose that option. By 2021, Moscow was pushing hard to maximize its war objectives, which included further annexations of Ukrainian territory. A main goal for Putin was, and is, to ensure there is no Ukraine left to join NATO. As President-elect Trump prepares to assume office in January, he is faced with the historical challenges presented by the war. Post-conflict security guarantees were the center of several proposals made during the 2023 military stalemate. The incoming Trump Administration has yet to outline how it intends to handle the Russia-Ukraine war. Analysts in Washington believe that the new Administration will expect its European allies to guarantee the majority of Ukraine’s security needs. As we approach 2025, several European nations have acknowledged that they do not view Ukraine as eligible for NATO membership as it would draw the organization into the middle of the conflict. Others want to wait until the war is over or pending a “peace” settlement before considering Ukrainian membership. Socor reports that some “influential voices” are suggesting that “Kyiv should join NATO after “freezing” the war along a stable armistice line, de facto accepting Ukraine’s partition, with NATO security guarantees applying de jure to the government-controlled territory only.” This would mean starting accession talks soon with the actual talks to commence only after a ceasefire is in place. Trump arrives in Washington at a time when Putin’s hybrid strategies of war in Ukraine have eviscerated commonly-held differences between war and peace. “Absent a political consensus in NATO over Ukrainian membership, certain European allies, including France’s President Emmanuel Macron, are holding informal consultations about post-conflict security guarantees to Kyiv by NATO members outside of NATO’s framework,” according to the Jamestown Foundation. The Biden Administration downplayed the discussions on possible forms of military assistance and defense industry cooperation by sending only an Assistant Secretary of State. For a European peace to hold the Trump Administration would need to formally extend the United States’ nuclear deterrence to Ukraine. Options under discussion in Europe include a “coalition of the resolute” to deploy forces to Ukraine as part of a possible armistice package, deterring further Russian attacks, says Secor. European officials are also debating, without any agreement, whether its military forces could perform non-combat logistical roles to free Ukrainian forces to fight. None of the possible courses of action has moved forward as all eyes are waiting on the incoming Trump Administration for clues about its intended level of support for a NATO framework and other non-NATO proposals. Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept.