Despite Republican accusations that Obama does not want to secure the border, stronger enforcement isn’t off the table for Democrats. Yesterday’s ruling
“„One tack for Republicans may be to claim that the bill does not do enough, proving that Democrats are not serious about immigration. Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the conservative-leaning Center for Immigration Studies, provided a preview of this approach.
“„“In general, it’s not enough money for border security, and it could be allocated differently to get more bang for the buck,” she said.
“„Rightly or wrongly, the public’s patience with illegal immigration has run out. Barack Obama, like George W. Bush before him, has had no choice politically or legally but to enforce the law. The ballooning enforcement budget — about 10 times larger than in 1993 — is diminishing the flow of new immigrants.
“„But it is also forcing Obama to do what he and the other presidents have tried to avoid: deport those unauthorized people — many with families — who are honest and hardworking and integral to the U.S. economy. This year alone, the Obama administration is on track to deport about 400,000 illegal immigrants — only a small percentage of them real criminals — out of an estimated population of less than 11 million.