Alabama Senators Jeff Sessions, Richard Shelby slam Obama proposal to house illegal minors in Baldwin County
A flood of 38,566 illegal alien juveniles who have entered into the United States from Mexico have been apprehended through May — a 69 percent increase from 2015, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The stat was quoted Wednesday by Alabama’s U.S. Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby in a joint letter to three senior federal officials, stating “only a small fraction have been removed from the United States.” The letter, sent to Secretary Jeh Johnson of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Sylvia Burwell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Attorney General Loretta Lynch of the U.S. Justice Department, states the Senators’ opposition to the Obama administration’s proposal to use two outlying airfields at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Baldwin County as a potential location to house purportedly unaccompanied illegal alien juveniles. It also expresses their concerns about the administration’s handling of the increasing number of illegal juveniles crossing our southern border. “Transporting some of these juveniles more than 900 miles away from our southern border to the state of Alabama, instead of expeditiously and humanely sending them back to their homes, will only make the situation worse,” the letter reads. “It rewards illegal conduct, and arguably renders the United States complicit in criminal conspiracies to violate our immigration laws.” To make matters worse, they said roughly 91 percent of the illegal youths are released to their family members, many of whom are also in the United States illegally. “According to the Government Accountability Office, between January 7, 2014, and April 17, 2015, ORR released illegal alien juveniles from its custody to a parent in 60 percent of all cases, an aunt or uncle in 13 percent, a sibling in 12 percent, an ‘other relative’ in 3 percent, a first cousin in 2 percent, and a grandparent in 1 percent of all cases. Thus, in roughly 91 percent of all cases, these juveniles are eventually released to the custody of a family member located in the United States,” said the letter. They continued, “However, this administration has failed to take any enforcement action against these family members — most of whom had some role to play in the juveniles’ illegal entry into the United States. And many of those family members are present in the United States unlawfully.” Both senators have been longtime critics of President Barack Obama‘s immigration policies “Strong leadership and a commitment to the faithful execution of the laws on the books would convey a clear message to the world that if you come to the United States illegally, you will be removed. Rather than improve the current situation, administration policies have only made the situation worse,” they added. Read the full text of their letter below: Dear Secretary Johnson, Secretary Burwell, and Attorney General Lynch: We write to express our opposition to the evaluation by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) of two outlying airfields at Naval Air Station Whiting Field as a potential location to house purportedly unaccompanied illegal alien juveniles, and to express our concerns about this Administration’s handling of the increasing number crossing our southern border. Just two years ago, President Obama sent a letter to Congress outlining his plans to handle the surge at our southern border. Two years later, it is clear that President Obama’s plans for handling the situation have failed. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 38,566 illegal alien juveniles have been apprehended through May – a 69 percent increase over last year, and a number surpassed only by the record number apprehended in FY 2014. Since the beginning of FY 2014, 147,077 have been apprehended, yet only a small fraction have been removed from the United States. Transporting some of these juveniles more than 900 miles away from our southern border to the State of Alabama, instead of expeditiously and humanely sending them back to their homes, will only make the situation worse. It rewards illegal conduct, and arguably renders the United States complicit in criminal conspiracies to violate our immigration laws. According to the Government Accountability Office, between January 7, 2014, and April 17, 2015, ORR released illegal alien juveniles from its custody to a parent in 60 percent of all cases, an aunt or uncle in 13 percent, a sibling in 12 percent, an “other relative” in 3 percent, a first cousin in 2 percent, and a grandparent in 1 percent of all cases. Thus, in roughly 91 percent of all cases, these juveniles are eventually released to the custody of a family member located in the United States. However, this Administration has failed to take any enforcement action against these family members – most of whom had some role to play in the juveniles’ illegal entry into the United States. And many of those family members are present in the United States unlawfully. The Administration continues to prevent the use of any of a number of commonsense tools to protect the integrity of our immigration system and the sovereignty of this nation. Moreover, the need for additional housing facilities is far from clear. Indeed, there seems to be some confusion on the part of the Administration as to whom the special processing procedures in the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA) apply. Indeed, under a plain reading of the Act, many of the illegal alien juveniles apprehended could be expeditiously and humanely sent back to their homes – because they do not meet the definition of an “unaccompanied alien child.” Pursuant to the TVPRA, an “unaccompanied alien child” who is apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security must be transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is then responsible for their care and custody. However, the TVPRA defines an “unaccompanied alien child” by cross-referencing section 462(g) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. § 279(g)), which defines an “unaccompanied alien child” as an individual who has no lawful immigration status in the United States, who is under 18, and with respect to whom “there is no parent or legal guardian in the
Alabama AG Luther Strange wants court to stop Obama transgender bathroom order before school begins
Alabama and a dozen other states are seeking an immediate stop to the Barack Obama Administration’s recent transgender bathrooms directive — that schools must allow students access to restrooms and locker rooms of their gender “identity,” rather than their sex, or lose federal funding — asking a federal judge to stall its implementation before the school year begins next month. Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange announced Tuesday Alabama joined in filing a preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court against the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Justice Department, the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, for promoting a federal directive that local schools must allow transgender access to campus restrooms or face a loss of federal funds. In May, the Obama Administration issued the formal guidance in the form an eight-page joint U.S. Justice Department–U.S Department of Education directive telling every public school in the nation they must allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity and not their biological sex. The directive read: “A school may provide separate facilities on the basis of sex, but must allow transgender students access to such facilities consistent with their gender identity. A school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual-user facilities when other students are not required to do so.” “On May 25, I joined a legal challenge to the Obama administration’s restroom mandate,” said AG Strange. “With schools nearing the beginning of a new year, time is short and school administrators need clarity about the impact of this controversial new order on their school systems. Alabama and the other states are asking the federal court to grant a preliminary injunction of the transgender restroom edict until the court has reached a decision on its legality.” Tuesday’s request, if approved, would affect not only Alabama and the 12 other states who filed, but all public schools across the country. Strange continued, “I believe Alabama and the other states will ultimately prevail in federal court against the new restroom order because federal law allows schools to have separate facilities based on the ‘sex’ of the individual, not their gender preference.” Alabama joined Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin in filing the motion for a preliminary injunction Tuesday.
Federal government seeks to dismiss Alabama’s Syrian refugee lawsuit
On the heels of a Texas losing its fight against the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state, the federal government is seeking to dismiss a similar lawsuit brought by the state of Alabama. Both Texas and Alabama sued the federal government in January over unwanted Syrian refugee placement in their respective states, seeking to block the arrival of people fleeing the war-torn country. On behalf of the federal government, a lawyer filed notice of the Texas court decision on June 16, asking once again that the case be dismissed. The following day, lawyers for the state of Alabama argued the differences in their case and asked that it be continued. In January, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley filed a lawsuit on behalf of the state of Alabama, stating federal officials are in violation of the Refugee Act of 1980, which he contends requires a consultation with states regarding the placement of refugees before those refugees are placed within its borders. This, despite the fact that U.S. Supreme Court precedent has held repeatedly that matters of immigration and asylum are the responsibility of the federal government. “As governor, the Alabama Constitution gives me the sovereign authority and solemn duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of all citizens of Alabama. The process and manner in which the Obama Administration and the federal government are executing the Refugee Reception Program is blatantly excluding the states,” Bentley said in January when he filed the suit. Bentley made national headlines when he was among the first of several Republican governors to declare they would not accept refugees from war-torn Syria within their states’ borders. Watch Gov. Bentley’s lawsuit announcement from January below:
8 Reasons Rick Scott is the perfect veep for Donald Trump
Rick Scott is basically as awful as Donald Trump in so many ways. But before Floridians start petitioning Trump to introduce Scott to a presidential election turnout and an embarrassing loss before Scott runs for U.S. Senate in 2018, read all eight reasons. 8) Cons. Scott didn’t build his $300-some million fortune with a fraudulent university, but he did help build a company that defrauded Medicare and Medicaid by way more, paying a record $1.7 billion fine. 7) Muslims. Scott was offending Muslims and Hispanics long before Trump descended down the escalator at Trump Tower. Scott put some of his first campaign dollars into fear mongering about Muslims in “Obama’s Mosque” near Ground Zero in 2010. Also, mic cut. 6) Hispanics. Similar to Trump, and despite all evidence, Hispanics love Scott, according to…only Rick Scott. Scott claims he “won” the Hispanic vote in 2014, despite actually losing it by 20 percent. 5) Little Marco. While Trump’s insults are infamous, Scott is doing his part in Florida. He backed Trump over Rubio (and Jeb!) and is now working against Rubio in his US Senate race, supporting mini-Trump Carlos Beruff, best known for unapologetically calling President Obama an “animal.” 4) Smarts. Trump could own Anderson Cooper‘s “RedicuList” segment, but Scott once got on it for insulting “everybody’s intelligence” trying to defend himself for using on-duty cops at campaign events. 3) Votes. Trump needs turnout to be as depressed as Jeb! after South Carolina. Scott has been hard at work, rolling back civil rights reforms that allowed nonviolent, ex-felons to vote. 2) Money. Scott won in 2014 by outspending his opponent on TV by $33,000,000. Romney lost Florida by less than 1 percent in 2012, but only outspent Obama by $17 million. An extra $16,000,000 million might have bought 29 electoral votes. 1) Florida. Trump can’t win without Florida, and Rick Scott knows how to win here. ___ Kevin Cate owns CATECOMM, a public relations, digital, and advertising firm based in Florida.
Judge: Ex-official lacks standing to proceed with lawsuit against Gulf State Park
A judge has ruled that the former commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources doesn’t have standing to continue his lawsuit against Gov. Robert Bentley and others over funding for a new hotel and upgrades at Gulf State Park. Montgomery County Circuit Judge Truman Hobbs issued the ruling Tuesday, saying Charles Grimsley lacks standing to proceed with the lawsuit because the funds came from BP, and not taxpayers. Grimsley’s lawsuit alleges that the BP funds for the project are not authorized to be used for the work under the 2013 legislation that initiated the project. Grimsley tells Al.com that he’s discussing his next move with his attorneys. Bentley says the 350-room lodge, trails and other improvements at Gulf State Park will be an asset for Alabama. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
State to pay lawyers up to $200,000 in lawsuit against Robert Bentley
The state will pay outside legal counsel up to $200,000 to represent Gov. Robert Bentley and his law enforcement chief in a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by the governor’s fired secretary of law enforcement. The legislative Contract Review Committee will review the contracts Thursday. The governor’s office has proposed to pay a private law firm up to $100,000 to represent Bentley. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency will pay up to $100,000 to represent Law Enforcement Secretary Stan Stabler. Former Secretary Spencer Collier in April filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against Bentley, Stabler and former Bentley adviser Rebekah Mason. Bentley has said Collier’s dismissal came after an internal investigation about the possible misuse of state funds. Collier accused Bentley and Mason of having an affair. Bentley denied having a “sexual affair.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall replica coming to Ala. July 6
In the wake of celebrating our nation’s 240th birthday, the city of Fultondale is bringing a special Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall replica to town, giving many Alabamians a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pay their respects to those lost during the Vietnam War. The 360-feet long wall, which is a three-fifths replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., will be available for the public to visit July 6 to 10 at 3321 Lowery Parkway in Fultondale, a northern suburb of Birmingham. The Vietnam Memorial Wall lists the names of 58,195 veterans — husbands, wives, sons, daughters, and friends — who never returned home from the war. This traveling memorial allows everyone to honor those veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of America. The American Veterans Traveling Tribute brings the wall to various communities across the country, providing an opportunity for people who otherwise cannot visit the nation’s capital to pay their respects. This is the first time the wall will be in Fultondale. The family-friendly event is free to the public and includes an kick-off parade, ceremonies to honor Vietnam veterans, as well as Cobra and Huey helicopter rides. Below is the full schedule of events: Wednesday, July 6 Welcoming ceremony 6 p.m.: Parade of the Wall escort (begins at Uptown/BJCC parking lot, north on Highway 31, turn on Walker Chapel Road and then on Lowery Parkway) Thursday, July 7 Noon: Viewing of the Wall begins 3 p.m.: Wreath-laying ceremony Friday, July 8 10 a.m.: Ceremony Huey ($65) and Cobra ($310) helicopter rides Free kids zone Saturday, July 9 10 a.m.: Vietnam flag dedication Entertainment all day Free kids zone Huey ($65) and Cobra ($310) helicopter rides 9 p.m.: Fireworks Sunday, July 10 10 a.m: Church service 1 p.m.: Ride of Honor 2 p.m.: Closing ceremony The city of Fultondale is also in need of volunteers for this four-day event. If you are interested, call Fultondale City Hall at (205) 841-4481 or fill out this online form.
