They’re not listening to the people closest to the problem

The greatest irony of the immigration reform debate has been the exclusion of the law enforcement officers most responsible for border security and the detention of illegal immigrants.

When the Gang of Eight in the Senate unveiled its reform bill last month in a major Capitol Hill news conference, no law enforcement officials or officers were invited to speak. Instead, the event featured speakers from a wide array of special intere...

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Proponents of the Senate immigration reform bill repeat their talking points so often that by now they are almost as familiar as popular advertising slogans.

But like all slogans, the talking points used to advance immigration reform don’t stand up to scrutiny. Jon Feere of the Center for Immigration Studies throws cold water on all of them.

“On close inspection, however, the hoops illegal immigrants are required to jump through do not amount to much,” Feere writes in a critique of the tal...

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As the Gang of Eight and their cohorts on the Senate Judiciary Committee railroad the immigration reform bill through the Senate panel, one senator stands out as the guardian of the rule of law and the sovereignty of the United States: Jeff Sessions of Alabama.

Other Republicans on the committee have stood firm, including Senators Grassley, Hatch, Cornyn, Lee, and Cruz. But Sessions has been the strongest advocate of measures to make the bill tougher.

Sessions and his like-minded colleagues fail...

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844 page amnesty bill: “Being stampeded without enough scrutiny”

Plain spoken conservative Congressman Steve King is, without a doubt, the man many Arizonans would eagerly take in trade for our two double-talking, Democrat-colluding ‘Gang of 8‘ U.S. Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake.

No waffler, the Iowa Republican even posts his voting record on his website for all to see.

On the issue of “immigration” McCain’s site has a pull-down linking to Homeland Security, with no...

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From Heritage:

Heritage Foundation Puts the Tab at $6.3 Trillion

Just in time for Senate consideration of the immigration reform bill, the Heritage Foundation added fuel to the debate with an astonishing estimate of the cost of amnesty: $6.3 trillion.

The cost estimate was released as the Senate Judiciary Committee prepared for consideration of the bill in a session set for Thursday. Tuesday marked the deadline for committee members to submit amendments.

Robert Rector, the lead author of the Heritage estimate,...

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The Hot Spot is Western Free Press’s forum for letters to the editor and opinion pieces submitted by readers. If you would like to submit a piece for consideration, email us at hotspot@westernfreepress.com. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of Western Free Press.

by Glenn Hamer

And so it begins. After six years since the last substantive debates over immigration reform, the Senate Judiciary Committee last week began hearings on the Border Security, Econo...

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Valley Interfaith again shows its true liberal colors with this Medicaid expansion community propaganda fest.  Check out the confirmed guests here.

As examples, Rep. Heather Carter (LD15) is one of only two GOP House members earning the Arizona Conservative Coalition’s infamous RINO designation. The Pres. and CEO of the socialist leaning AZ Chamber of Commerce, Glenn Hamer, is perhaps best known for his extreme leftwing views, and overseeing the group’s endorsement of liberal Democrat Jane...

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Arrest data manipulated. Laws ignored. Dangerous criminals released into communities.

Law enforcement warnings and concerns entirely unheeded.

America’s immigration policy is off the rails, and the Gang of Eight doesn’t look likely to get it back on track.

Measure Fails to Live Up to Promises

After a full week of consideration in the Senate Judiciary Committee, the so-called comprehensive immigration reform bill is in trouble.

It is not living up to its billing; it is wilting under scrutiny.

Proponents of the bill conducted a full-scale media blitz to promote the measure; opponents countered with questions about the full impact of the bill.

While the sparring in the Committee was only the opening round, proponents of the bill are determined to mov...

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Since the 2012 re-election of Democrats to the Senate and White House, comprehensive immigration reform (or any other governmental “reform” acceptable to conservatives) is probably an impossible dream. But that doesn’t mean Republicans shouldn’t support any and all legislation that is not “comprehensive” and craved by the Schumers of the world:

RUSH (Limbaugh): …I must tell you: I just don’t understand this, Senator (Rubio).  I don’t underst...

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I’ve been holding off writing anything about the horrific events at the Boston Marathon until the suspect or suspects had been arrested because until then, I couldn’t see any point in discussing it.  Then it occurred to me that what I was overlooking was the way that every other media outlet has covered the story.

That first night, even Fox devoted every single second to repeating the few facts anyone knew and showing the same ten seconds of video.  I’m not suggesting that the catastroph...

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The bombings in Boston already have spilled over into the Senate debate on immigration reform, with the line drawn between those who think reform will help and those who think it will impede the ongoing war on terror. The conflict could delay or even derail the push for immigration reform.

The battle line was drawn as early as last Friday morning when the Senate Judiciary Committee convened the first hearing on the Gang of Eight’s immigration reform bill.

Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the ra...

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Whenever we see the word comprehensive attached to a huge piece of legislation designed to tackle a major issue, we should take cover and hold onto our wallets.

The so-called comprehensive approach to solving vexing national problems is now standard operating procedure in the United States Congress. It is a misguided and deeply flawed approach that leads to bureaucratic bloat, runaway costs, and a host of unintended consequences.

The Congressional debate on so-called comprehensive immigration re...

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Can Schumer’s legalization first, border security later approach actually fly?

As the Gang of Eight unveiled the long-awaited immigration reform bill, the contentious issue of legal status for illegal immigrants vs. verifiable border security remains the crux of the issue.

Presentation of the reform bill Thursday was a major Senate production. The Gang of Eight appeared en masse to hail the wisdom of their work and congratulate each other for the bipartisan effort that started in January.

New...

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Legislation Is Rushed to Judgment Behind Closed Doors

The United States Senate once moved at a slow and deliberative pace, careful to conduct its work in contrast to the fast-moving schedule in the House of Representatives.

Those days are long gone. Today the Senate is a legislative freight train moving down the track at a breakneck pace with little regard for the details of sound legislating.

Totally abandoned is the legislative process known as “regular order.” In plain English, regular or...

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AFL-CIO Plans Major Effort to Pass Gang of Eight Bill

Big labor was quick to endorse the Gang of Eight immigration bill Wednesday, but cautioned that the bill needs changes to avoid what it called “unintended but serious harm” to workers.

Pledging that there will be a roadmap to citizenship in 2013, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said, “Our cause is unstoppable.”

“As to be expected in an 844-page first response to an issue as complex as immigration, there are several details in the ...

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In a week now dominated by the horror of the bombings in Boston, legislative maneuvering in Washington seems trivial. The loss of life and serious injuries are grim reminders that Americans are not immune from determined enemies.

Nevertheless, the business of the House and Senate goes on. Both houses of Congress face serious decisions that will determine the relationship between citizen and government for generations to come. Immigration reform is at the top of the list.

A Senate Judiciary Commi...

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More good people coming to do the work Americans refuse to do

In his revealing, must-read 2-page report, The Daily Caller’s Neil Munro details the “Many loopholes hidden in the immigration bill” being shepherded by Arizonans John McCain and Jeff Flake, doing Obama’s work in collusion with the Gang of 8 gangsters. McCain admits it’s “not that much different from what we tried to do in 2007.”

Munro’s exposé comes as the reality of the ongoing criminality of those who will...

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As the Obama regime continues to advance restrictive gun-control legislation, average Americans are attempting to stock up on ammunition, which is in short supply. Ammo was the big seller this past weekend at the two-day Crossroads of the West Gun Show at the Ontario Convention Center in southern California.  ”The line to purchase ammunition snaked around the exhibit hall,” said Bob Templeton, gun show owner. “It was taking nearly three hours for shoppers to make their way to...

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