Tag: illegal immigration

Arizona Attorney General Brnovich Urges Gov. Ducey to Declare an Invasion on the ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ Border

Rachel Alexander

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich issued a legal opinion in February declaring that Arizona has the constitutional authority to declare an invasion on its border with Mexico, but since Gov. Doug Ducey has not done so, Brnovich is now urging him to. In a letter sent to Ducey on July 6, Brnovich, who is now running for U.S. Senate, laid out the reasons why.

“This horrible situation is a ticking time bomb,” Brnovich said. “It’s just a question of when, and not if, the unspeakable will occur.” He went on, “[W]e have every indication that the border crisis will continue to escalate. If there is more that we as a state can and should do, it can be pursued with your declaration of an ‘invasion’ at our southern border.”

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Texas Offers $30 Million More to Local Law Enforcement for Border Security Efforts

The Center Square

An additional $30 million in Operation Lone Star (OLS) grant money is available to Texas cities and counties to enhance border security operations, the governor’s Public Safety Office (PSO) announced.

The announcement came two days after six county judges and sheriffs asked the governor to declare an invasion at the southern border, and to do more to help them thwart illegal activity in their counties after experiencing a surge of drug and human smuggling and other criminal activity resulting from the Biden administration’s border policies.

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Commentary: Biden’s Border Policies Guarantee Death and Destruction

Admin

It’s no secret that President Biden has been dismantling the U.S. immigration system since he took office. Under his all-but-named open-border policies, an estimated 794,112 illegal immigrants have escaped into the United States. The crisis is accelerating as roughly 476,000 such crossings have been in the first six months of 2022.

The “successful” crossings at the U.S. border will continue to skyrocket, as more immigrants attempt to enter, with agents encountering a record 239,416 migrants in May alone.

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Kari Lake Unveils New Campaign Ad Saying She Will Tackle Border Crisis: ‘Arizona Is Our Home’

Neil Jones

Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake recently unveiled a new campaign ad showcasing her plans to combat the border crisis if elected governor.

“My border policy is the most aggressive effective border policy this country has ever seen,” Lake told the Arizona Sun Times via text. “A couple of the sheriffs in Texas are finally understanding it and pushing the remedy that is right there in the constitution. When the federal government fails us in their duty to protect us under article 4 section 4, we have the remedy in article 1 section 10 of the constitution to protect our own citizens and stop the invasion.”

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No Judge Has Ever Declared Invasion Before in U.S. History: Cuccinelli

Admin

U.S. judges declaring an invasion at the southern border hasn’t occurred before until this week, Ken Cuccinelli, former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director and deputy secretary of Department of Homeland Security, said.

On Tuesday, four county judges in Texas declared an invasion citing Article 4, Section 7 of the Texas Constitution and Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution. They called on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to “immediately prevent and/or remove all persons invading the sovereignty of Texas and that of the United States.”

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Commentary: No, They’re Not Sending Their Best

Admin

America is one of the most welcoming nations on the planet, but you would never know it listening to our mass media. An unceasing avalanche of contempt for Americans and their “racist” and “backward” ways flows from the mouths of liberal talking heads on cable news. It is particularly maddening to listen to this talk from recently arrived immigrants in positions of power and influence. The likes of U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ana Navarro on “The View,” and MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan have done very well for themselves in the United States, but they don’t do a very good job of showing their gratitude. 

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Border Enforcement Chief Celebrates Pride Month at DHS as Illegal Immigration Hits Record High

Admin

The Department of Homeland Security celebrated Pride Month on Wednesday with an LGBTQI+ flag-raising ceremony, while Border Patrol agents are encountering record numbers of illegal migrants.

“While initially a holiday to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in response to police harassment and persecution of LGBTQI+ citizens, today’s celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts,” Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Christopher Magnus wrote in an email to Border Patrol agents, obtained by Just the News.

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Commentary: Immigration Reform, America’s Holy Grail

Admin

Anyone who follows politics is accustomed to the overuse of the word “reform.” It is almost always depicted as a highly desirable goal that will sweep away bad precedents and usher in a new era of smarter government policy.

Reform is often a good and necessary thing. But there are few words left more open to interpretation. Reform, depending on who is suggesting the change, can mean entirely different things even when applied to the same issue. This is especially true when it comes to immigration.

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‘Shocking Discovery:’ Biden Knows Drug Cartels Control, Profit from Illegal Immigration, DHS Memo Shows

The Center Square
Crowd of immigrants

Border patrol agents are preparing for “a possible increase in migrant activity due to an increase in large group activity” as a result of Biden administration immigration policies, an internal Department of Homeland Security document released by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody says.

It specifically sites suspending the Migrant Protection Protocols, otherwise known as the Remain in Mexico Policy, and terminating the public health authority, Title 42, as contributing to an influx of people coming to the U.S. southern border from Central and South America through Mexico.

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Two Mexican Nationals in Arizona Charged with Host of Hostage-Taking, Firearm Offenses

Cooper Moran

Two Mexican nationals were indicted on eight charges stemming from a plot to hold undocumented immigrants hostage and for ransom until their families paid. 

A grand jury in Tucson charged Olegario Lares-De La Rosa and Ivan Heriberto Borboa-Ruiz with Conspiracy to Commit Hostage Taking, Hostage Taking, Conspiracy to Commit Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit, Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit, and Prohibited Possessors of Firearms and Ammunition.

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Florida U.S. Rep. Gaetz Blasts DHS Sec. Mayorkas at Congressional Hearing

The Center Square

Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz blasted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at a recent House Judiciary Committee hearing on border security.

In his line of questioning, Gaetz asked Mayorkas about the removal process of 1.2 million people who are in the U.S. illegally who’ve been given deportation orders by judges and haven’t been removed.

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U.S. Supreme Court Hears Arguments in ‘Remain in Mexico’ Lawsuit

The Center Square

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in a major immigration case, one of several key legal battles working their way through the federal judicial system as illegal immigration soars.

In Biden v. Texas, the attorneys general of Missouri and Texas sued after the Biden administration ended the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy.

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Mexican Governor Enhances Border Security Measures After Agreement with Texas Gov Abbott

Admin

The governor of the Mexican state Coahuila has enhanced security on his side of the border after an agreement with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, according to a video Coahuila Governor Miguel Ángel Riquelme Solís posted to Twitter Wednesday.

Riquelme Solís met April 14 with Abbott at the Texas Capitol to sign a joint memorandum of understanding (MOU) to combat illegal immigration and to clear up traffic on international bridges. In the memo, Riquelme Solis agreed to operate border checkpoints in Mexico and to deploy personnel and motor equipment to prevent certain immigrant crossings at ports.

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Arizona Leaders Disappointed at Ducey’s Plan with 25 Governors to Secure the Border

Rachel Alexander

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and 25 other governors launched the American Governors’ Border Strike Force on Tuesday to combat the expected surge in migrants and crime on the border when the Biden administration lifts the Title 42 restrictions in May. A statement from Ducey describes it as “a partnership to do what the federal government won’t: secure the southern border,” but some Arizona leaders are disappointed, believing it doesn’t go far enough.

Leading gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake expressed her skepticism of Ducey’s plan during an interview on The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, saying he’s only taken “little pieces” from her border security plan. “We already have an invasion at our border … It’s going to get worse … the floodgates are open,” she said. “The question is, do we have the elected officials who are willing to do the tough work. And that means finishing that wall on the border. The materials are right there. The federal government abandoned them at the border and we need to take those materials back and finish the wall and get troops on the border.” 

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States Launch ‘Border Strike Force’ to Challenge Biden on Lack of Enforcement

The Center Square

President Joe Biden has faced heavy criticism over the surge in illegal immigration since he took office, and now a coalition of states has formed to challenge the president on the issue.

So far, 26 governors have signed on to the creation of the “Border Strike Force,” a coalition of state leaders working together to fight Mexican cartels and to slow the massive spike in illegal immigration since early last year.

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Progressives Ask Connecticut Lawmakers to Expand Medicaid to Illegal Immigrant Minors

Bradley Vasoli

Progressives this week are pushing for Connecticut lawmakers to extend HUSKY Health, the state’s Medicaid program, to illegal-immigrant minors at an estimated cost of $1.9 million.

Last year, reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Constitution State enacted a measure to make illegal-alien children under the age of eight eligible for HUSKY, a policy that will take effect at the beginning of next year. But some say those between the ages of nine and 18 should not be left out of the program.

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Metro Nashville Council Again Defers Action on Sanctuary City License Plate Reader Bill That Legislative Staff Said Was Illegal

Aaron Gulbransen

Metro Nashville Council deferred action to the second meeting in July on a proposed ordinance that council legislative staff said was illegal. In its current form, the bill would ban License Plate Reader use for cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This is the second time that action on the bill was deferred.

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Poll: J.D. Vance Moves into Tie with Mandel, Gibbons in U.S. Senate Ohio Republican Primary

Cooper Moran

A new poll, conducted by Tony Fabrizio for a pro-Vance superPAC, showed Ohio U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance has surged into a three-way tie for first place with Josh Mandel and Mike Gibbons.

Fabrizio, who served as a pollster for former President Donald Trump, noted that “as voters learn more about J.D. Vance and what he stands for, his ballot support increases.”

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Arizona Officials Brace for Surge of Illegal Border-Crossers as Biden Administration Ends Title 42 Restrictions

Rachel Alexander

With the Biden administration’s decision to rescind Title 42 COVID-19 restrictions on the border by May 23, local officials near Arizona’s border with Mexico are bracing for a surge in migrants. The border situation was already dire, with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich issuing a legal opinion in February declaring that it had reached the level of an invasion under the U.S. Constitution due to the crime, violence, and drug smuggling.

Republicans and even some Democrat officials in Arizona denounced the move. Both of Arizona’s two U.S. Senators, Democrats Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, condemned the move. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, a Democrat, said she supported the move, but admitted to NPR that it will require federal assistance. “What we are asking the Biden administration is that they have the resources necessary to be able to have these local communities take over, because it costs money to be able to offer a safe place for asylum-seekers to come.”

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Border Patrol: Biden Policy Will Increase Already ‘High Levels’ of Illegal Immigration

The Center Square

President Joe Biden’s latest immigration policy change has taken heavy fire from a range of critics, but now even his own administration is raising concerns.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection released a statement Monday saying that Biden’s latest immigration policy change will lead to illegal immigration “above the current high levels.”

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Arizona Attorney General Brnovich Wins Preliminary Injunction Stopping Biden Administration from Halting Nearly All Deportations

Rachel Alexander

A federal district court judge agreed with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and two other attorneys general, granting their request for a preliminary injunction to stop a new DHS policy under the Biden administration which halted nearly all deportations. In Arizona v. Biden, Ohio District Court Judge Michael J. Newman stopped the implementation of the “Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Law” (Permanent Guidance) due to violating existing federal law. He also denied DHS’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

“This is a tremendous victory for the rule of law and the safety of our communities,” said Brnovich in a statement. “Since assuming office, the Biden administration has undermined our immigration laws and our law enforcement agencies, while empowering dangerous cartels and criminals on both sides of the border. I’m grateful for this ruling and for the partnership of Ohio and Montana as we work to reverse this catastrophic lawlessness.”

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Florida Legislature Passes Illegal Immigration Crackdown Bill

Grant Holcomb

The Florida Legislature has passed SB 1808, known as an immigration crackdown bill, and it will be sent to the desk of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill will keep ban the state from contracting with companies who transport illegal alien.

The bill was passed largely along party lines with two House Republicans joining Democrats and voting “No”: State Representatives Vance Aloupis (R-Miami) and Rene Plasencia (R-Orlando). The final House vote was 77-42 in the affirmative.

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Metro Nashville Council Defers Action on Sanctuary City License Plate Reader Bill That Legislative Staff Said Was Illegal

Aaron Gulbransen

Metro Nashville Council deferred action on a bill on second reading that council legislative staff said was illegal. In its current form, the bill bans License Plate Reader use for cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

When the issue came up at the meeting, Councilman Mendes asked for committee reports. The requisite committees recommended deferring the ordinance for two meeting. Councilman Mendes then moved to defer consideration of the ordinance for two meetings.

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Metro Nashville Council Agenda Analysis Says Ordinance Proposal Banning License Plate Reader Use for Cooperation with ICE Violates State Law

Aaron Gulbransen

Metro Nashville Council has published the March 1, 2022 meeting agenda and contains an ordinance that bans cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) using use of License Plate Scanner (LPR) technology.

The Metro Nashville Council legislative staff prepared agenda analysis, says that the proposed ordinance violates state law because it would create a sanctuary city policy, which is explicitly banned by state law.

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Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich Signs Letter to Demand Resignation from DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

Cooper Moran
Alejandro Mayorkas and Mark Brnovich

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich signed a letter, led by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, to urge Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign.

The letter, signed by 13 other states and sent directly to Mayorkas, accused him of abandoning his oath of office and putting Americans at risk.

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Congressman Chuck Fleischmann Continues to Investigate DHS for Transporting Migrants Within U.S.

Cooper Moran

Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), joining other members of the House Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The group demanded more information on reports that DHS has moved unaccompanied minors throughout the country – often, without permission from local leaders.

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Previously Deported Illegal Immigrant Arrested for $2 Million in Pandemic Unemployment Fraud

Admin

A woman arrested in New York along with an unnamed “coconspirator” for allegedly perpetrating $1.9 million of pandemic unemployment fraud was a previously deported illegal immigrant, Just the News has learned.

Yohauris Rodriguez Hernandez, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was convicted for running a tax fraud scheme in 2014. She was deported upon her release from prison in 2017. Together, Hernandez and Gerardo Enmanuel Luna Marmolejos stole more than 40,000 identities to file fraudulent income tax returns and collect refunds from the IRS.

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Eight States Sue Biden Administration over Reinstated Obama-Era Immigration Policy

The Center Square

Eight states are suing the Biden administration claiming it is abusing an Obama-era immigration program that allows minors who entered the U.S. illegally to seek to bring in family members from their home countries.

The lawsuit alleges President Joe Biden challenging the Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee and Parole Program was filed by the state of Texas and includes as plaintiffs the states of Arkansas, Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana and Oklahoma.

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Missouri Attorney General Asks Mayorkas to End Policy Allowing Migrants to Use Arrest Warrants as ID

Admin

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt asked Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to end certain immigration policies he believes have left the country less safe, suggesting the department should also consider a name change.

Schmitt urged Mayorkas to address the use of certain arrest warrants as identification for migrants going through airport security, according to a letter sent Tuesday and exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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Border Patrol Crews Flying Aircraft from Texas, Florida Seized 4.7 Tons of Cocaine in Two Months

The Center Square

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Air and Marine Operations crews operating P-3 aircraft from Texas and Florida participated in multi-agency counter narcotics operations that led to the seizure of 4.7 tons (9,475 pounds) of cocaine worth $179.2 million in a two-month timeframe, according to CBP.

Air and Marine Operations (AMO) agents operating along U.S. borders, coastlines and territorial waters are especially trained to combat maritime smuggling. They’re tasked with interdicting unlawful people and cargo approaching U.S. borders and investigating criminal networks, providing domain awareness in air and maritime environments and responding to a range of contingencies.

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Nine Months into Operation Lone Star, Texas DPS Reports Record Interdiction Numbers

The Center Square

Since March 2021, when Gov. Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star (OLS), Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) state troopers have been working around the clock to help defend the southern border. Nine months later, its chief reports a record for state interdiction efforts.

Since OLS began, state troopers have arrested more than 10,000 illegal immigrants, including smugglers and drug traffickers, Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw said Wednesday at a Texas Public Policy Foundation event in Austin. They’ve seized over 5 tons of methamphetamine, over $17 million in cash, and enough fentanyl to kill over 260 million people.

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Report: More than 50,000 Illegal Immigrants Released into U.S. Don’t Show for Court Hearings

The Center Square
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the McAllen station encounter large group after large group of family units in Los Ebanos, Texas, on Friday June 15. This group well in excess of 100 family units turned themselves into the U.S. Border Patrol, after crossing the border illegally and walking through the town of Los Ebanos.

More than 50,000 illegal immigrants released into the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement failed to report to their deportation proceedings during a five-month period analyzed last year, according to a report provided by the Department of Homeland Security to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin. The report also states that ICE doesn’t have court information on more than 40,000 individuals it’s supposed to prosecute.

“Between March and August 2021, as a result of the Biden Administration’s failed border policies, over 270,000 illegal aliens have been dispersed into the United States with little chance for removal,” Johnson said in an announcement accompanying the report, which didn’t include data from the other seven months of the year.

Over the same time period, “over 50,000 illegal aliens – more than half of the aliens released into the interior of the United States under a Notice to Report (NTR) – failed to appear to begin deportation proceedings,” the DHS report states.

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Arizona State Rep. Jake Hoffman Ken Cuccinelli, Russ Vought, and Other Prominent Officials Demand Gov. Ducey Follow Through with His Speech and Address Border Invasion

Rachel Alexander
Four illegal aliens apprehended in dense brush by members of the U.S. Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) team are led to awaiting vehicles near Eagle Pass, Texas, June 19, 2019. As Border Patrol agents are tasked to conduct intake and processing of the recent surge in migrant arrivals at the border, members of BORSTAR have been assisting in pursuing illegal aliens afield. CBP photo by Glenn Fawcett

Arizona State Capitol demanding that Gov. Doug Ducey do something about the “border invasion.” The officials were responding to Ducey’s final State of the State Address, which focused on the border crisis. The numbers of illegal immigrants coming across the southern border, especially into Arizona, has skyrocketed since the Biden administration took office, with migrant counters in the Yuma sector up 2,405%. 

Ken Cuccinelli, deputy secretary of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump and former Attorney General of Virginia, said, “It takes not just the governor, but a commitment of these legislative folks right here.” Due to all the dangerous drugs coming across the border, “Every town, in Arizona and across the country, is now a border town.” 

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Report: More Than 50,000 Illegal Immigrants Released into U.S. Don’t Show for Court Hearings

The Center Square

More than 50,000 illegal immigrants released into the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement failed to report to their deportation proceedings during a five-month period analyzed last year, according to a report provided by the Department of Homeland Security to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin. The report also states that ICE doesn’t have court information on more than 40,000 individuals it’s supposed to prosecute.

“Between March and August 2021, as a result of the Biden Administration’s failed border policies, over 270,000 illegal aliens have been dispersed into the United States with little chance for removal,” Johnson said in an announcement accompanying the report, which didn’t include data from the other seven months of the year.

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Florida Lawmakers File Immigration Enforcement Bill

Grant Holcomb

Florida Republican lawmakers Sen. Aaron Bean (R-FL-4) and Rep. John Snyder (R-FL-82) filed companion bills to enhance Florida’s illegal immigration enforcement. The bill would expand an already existent ban on sanctuary cities, municipalities that protect illegal immigrants from immigration enforcement.

The bill would also prohibit state and local government from contracting with transportation companies that have been transported illegal aliens across state lines into Florida.

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Arizona Gubernatorial Candidate Kari Lake Offers Groundbreaking Solution to Fix Border: Go Around Feds with an Interstate Compact

Rachel Alexander
Kari Lake

Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake unveiled a border security plan aimed at circumventing the federal government through the creation of an interstate compact.

Titled “Defend Arizona: We will do what Washington will not,” her plan will bring states together to use Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution to “declare their territories as under invasion and declare it their sovereign right to secure the borders of the United States.” Lake told The Arizona Sun Times, “The people of Arizona and the people of this country are dying to have real solutions to bring sanity and the security back to the border.”

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Senators Demand Answers on Afghan Evacuee Vetting, Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants

The Center Square

Republican U.S. senators are keeping the pressure on the Biden administration over its immigration policies, demanding answers from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on the number of Afghan evacuees in the U.S. and their vetting process, as well as information about foreign nationals in the country who have overstayed their visas.

They raise concerns about Mayorkas not providing information to Congress, suggesting his reason for not doing so is political and related to the Democrats’ plan to give amnesty to roughly 6.5 million illegal immigrants as the ongoing border crisis continues.

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Pennsylvania Congressional Candidate Jim Bognet Denounces Illegal-Immigrant Flights, Says Rep. Matt Cartwright ‘Asleep at the Switch’

Bradley Vasoli

Congressional candidate Jim Bognet this week denounced transport of illegal aliens into Pennsylvania and rebuked his prospective opponent Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08) for inattention to the issue.

The Republican attorney and small-business owner who challenged Cartwright in 2020 aims to do so again next year and is taking the Democrat to task for his pro-open-borders record and his general alignment with President Joe Biden on migration and border security. A Hazleton native, Bognet said illegal immigration has palpably burdened parts of the Keystone State’s northeast. He called for a return to the tighter security policies pursued by former President Donald Trump and for the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

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