Rep. Blunt mischaracterized illegal immigration lawyer funding
Yesterday, I linked to a CNS article quoting House GOP Whip Roy Blunt criticizing a provision of the appropriations bill that reportedly set aside $10 million in “emergency” funding for illegal alien attorneys.
Here’s what Blunt said:
House Republican Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri said the bill is full of “misguided” policy decisions: “On one page, for instance, you will find a set of new restrictions on the construction of our security fence along the border; on another, $10 million in ‘emergency’ funding for attorneys of illegal immigrants.
“Along with those, you’ll even find language gutting a Senate-passed provision encouraging English in the workplace. And as we continue to cull through the text, that may prove to be just the tip of the iceberg,” Blunt complained.
Here’s what I wrote:
Update 10:20am Eastern. The fence gets robbed, but the spending bill gives $10 million in “emergency” funding for attorneys of illegal immigrants?!!?!
A reader e-mailed me tonight to report that Blunt mischaracterized the provision. He provides this link for the provision at the Omnibusting site:
The amended bill includes $10,000,000 in emergency funds for the Civil Division Office Immigration Litigation to provide 86 additional attorneys to address appeals resulting from immigration enforcement actions.
What is the Civil Division Office [of] Immigration Litigation and why do they need more funding? Here:
The Office of Immigration Litigation (“OIL”) defends the Government’s immigration laws and policies and handles challenges to immigration enforcement actions. At no time in history has this mission been so important, and never before has it consumed as many of the Department’s resources as it does today.
Immigration attorneys defend the Government’s efforts to detain and remove foreign-born terrorists and criminal aliens. Since 9/11, OIL has handled and assisted in hundreds of cases involving aliens of national security interest. On average, OIL defends the detention and removal of approximately 1,500 criminal aliens each year. Vigorous defense of these cases is critical to our national security and the safety of our communities. OIL also provides liaison and training to all of the Government’s immigration agencies, enabling enforcement efforts at and within our borders to enjoy dependable support before the courts.
Immigration litigation has been the fastest growing component of the Civil Division’s docket. The Division is responsible for handling or overseeing all Federal court challenges to decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”), and the number of these challenges has grown significantly in recent years. OIL’s docket of pending cases has nearly tripled in the past four years, growing from 6,200 cases in FY 2002 to over 17,000 cases in FY 2005.
This growth stems from several factors. In 2003, much of the growth was attributed to the Department’s streamlining reforms, which increased the productivity of the BIA and thus helped clear a sizable backlog of cases. The backlog has since been cleared. Now, the growth stems primarily from heightened immigration enforcement activities pursued by the Department of Homeland Security and the rapid increase in the rate at which aliens appeal BIA decisions to the Federal courts, which has increased from 6 percent to 29 percent over the past four years. There is no reason to expect this rate to subside. Aliens now must turn to the courts to get the delay in removal that was once reliably provided simply by an administrative appeal to the BIA.
This enormous growth has driven OIL’s caseload per attorney to over 155 in FY 2005, more than doubling the historic caseload of 60 cases per attorney. Favorable congressional action on the Division’s FY 2007 request would play a large part in addressing OIL’s rising caseload. Without additional resources in FY 2007, the attorney caseload is expected to remain at the untenable level of 155 cases per attorney. The Division and the Department have responded to this crisis, assigning immigration cases to other attorneys throughout the Department. These stopgap measures, which task attorneys who lack experience and efficiency in handling immigration matters, are not a permanent solution.
The Office of Immigration Litigation will continue to face an overwhelming workload in FY 2007. Therefore, the President requests in his FY 2007 budget a program increase of 114 positions (86 attorneys), 57 FTEs, and $9,566,000 for immigration litigation.
In other words: These lawyers are the lawyers who work to defend and enforce deportation and removal orders. And the money included in the spending measure was at the President’s request.
My tipster e-mails: “Can Blunt be this clueless?!?!!!”
Apparently so. I hope his office makes the correction, as I have here. This is money worth spending.
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Trackbacks
- Ace of Spades HQ
- Correction: $10 Million in Omnibus Not For Defending Illegals : The American Pundit
- Blount got it wrong « Crush Liberalism
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Build the fence and spend the money for the immigration law defense.
Good call Michelle.
Thanks for the additional information, Michelle. This is why I admire you so much. I have to say I was “Spitting” mad yesterday when I read that they cut the fence and then were going to give 10 million to illegals for attny. fees. I’m happy it’s not so. (P.S. Sorry again for that tasteless joke)
And, if they’d build the danged fence we’d not have the need to spend the $10 million. Should the number of illegals continue at the rate they are coming into our country we’ll need to budget $10 billion in the next 20 years (with the same results). Enjoyed your written article on JWR and your latest appearance on FOX News. MM, you have mastered the skills of multi-tasking! Thanks for setting the record straight on this subject as well.
Yes, he, along with legions of other worthless elected fools, are totally clueless. And, seemingly, so are many of the constituency who mindlessly pull the levers and expect the government to take care of them. That’s the problem in a nut shell.
Thanks for the correction Michelle. Reading that yesterday was the low point of the day. Now I feel much better.
Not much better, though. The fence is still a fantasy.
Nice save - and the thorough educational efforts you make, Michelle, are always appreciated.
Thanks for the update and correction Michelle … was beginning to think there was no one in the legal system fighting for the law …
We need more tough employer laws like the ones in Arizona and Oklahoma to help offset the fact they are determined not to build the fence …
No housing, no jobs, no exceptions = fewer illegal aliens …
I’d say that’s a rather huge difference. Good work Michelle.
For now the fence may be a fantasy. But its the Dems fantasy if they think we will all go away and not keep the fight for the fence going. Our voices are not yet as loud as they will be and they are only beginning to be heard.
Give us a challenge and we will rise to it.
Look at all the things that Nancy and Harry thought they would get to do and well…Harry’s having a tantrum because hes now a child who hasn’t gotten his own way.
The fence is next. Taking back our country follows.
“The fence is next. Taking back our country follows.”
If only someone would take back Harry Reid…
Philosophical question. If MM prints a correction, and no nutroot is around to read it, does it make a screenshot?
Serious question.
Do we currently pay for attorneys for illegals at all? It’s good to know this emergency 10 mill isn’t for that, but I hate to think we provide any legal council.
Bush/Chertoff have attempted to destroy our culture and country by turning us into another Latin American country regardless of cost or consequence. Cheap labor, the depression of wages and the Latinization of America have been Bush policy since election. Too bad he did not tell us. He will subvert these funds also. Just like his prevarication on the fence(s).
Not sure, but you may want to try the ACLU.
The clowns don’t read what they’re voting for half the time and then can’t figure out what it’s saying after it passes.
Which all means we’ve voted pathetically because we didn’t check their backgrounds just as the current leading candidates don’t have the first clue…Liberals leading in the republican nomination, how fast we’ve slid into the manure.
Lets do our homework before attempting to blame clods we put in there.
My 8th grade American History teacher had served as a Marine rifleman from Guadalcanal through the end of WWII. In a pre-PC time, he announced his fix for the border was to “let the machine guns chatter all night long.” I can’t remember much else from that class almost 27 years ago, but I do recall that one line!
Just for fun, I fed this into the Liberal-Speak Translator and out came:
Sound the alarm: It’s all about OIL! Everything Bush does is for OIL! And now the House just granted the President’s request for 10 million dollars to make Big OIL even bigger!
When the Nutroots hear about this, Nancy’s going to have some splainin to do.
That’s why I like Michelle…someone you can trust with the news. Others would ignore the correction.
LOL-you beat me to it!
Heh…too bad Blunt isn’t more sharp.
Absolutely. And the fact that FNC hasn’t presented her excellent journalism skills to their advantage on prime time regularly is disappointing.
This is the reply or none reply I get from Blunt’s office requesting a correction. I do live in the state of Missouri he does reprsent my interest’s I think I deserve a little more from this numbskull.
I should clarify that was an email message I will be calling his office this morning I’ll let you know what was said.
The prompt and prominent correction is a testament to your class and integrity, Michelle. Much of the MSM would do well to learn from your example.
Good correction, well done.
I would give Blunt a break on this…they can’t all be Durbin speed readers.
I am just grateful that the issue is cleared up and that 10M of our tax dollars out of 1/2 trillion will go towards defending our country…(snark off)
Michelle,
Thank you for the correction. One of the main reasons I have a lot of faith in what is presented to us by this site is you do not hesitate to provide additional information on a subject vastly changing the perception of the original information. Too bad the MSM has trouble doing this, but that is why they are in a death spiral as they continue to lose credibility.
Thank you for the correction, Michelle. You have pegged my Integrity Meter again.
I think Blunt needs to resign his leadership post if he can’t get stuff like this right. How about we give the Whip, or better yet minority leadership post to Tancredo, now that he’s going to bail from the POTUS election.
OT: Taylork, if you are out there. I got a call last night for Duncan Hunter’s camp. It was more like a teleconference. Duncan, a moderator named Jeff or John (I forget these things in my old age.
) and Duncan’s son who served in Iraq and Afghanistan (a former Marine) seeking to turned Congress incumbent were on the tc. Basically, it was an opportunity to ask Hunter questions, donate money or your services. I don’t know if you got the call but just wanted to let you know that they are looking for people to call voters in New Hampshire.
taylork, I hadn’t seen your post before I began writing mine…
My phone call to Blunt’s office was uneventful. I told Eric one of his staff that he needs to retract and correct his statement that this reminded me of the Dim’s twisting words and fact’s and he need’s to get his fact’s straight before he makes statement’s that get peoples feather’s ruffled, that it doesn’t make him or the Republican’s look very good especially when he sit’s in a leadership position. I read him MM’s correction (didn’t mention the blog I was reading from) but he must have been writing some of it down because he asked me to repeat some of it a couple of times. We will see if he actually takes the time to make a correction.
30, I wish I could have gotten in on that call. How many people were on it?
I didn’t get to listen in to the whole call. So, I’m not sure how many people exactly were on the call. They didn’t take a census, at least not while I was on.
At any rate, I got to listen to someone from Florida, she really didn’t have a question it was more of a compliment for Hunter. His son talked about Iraq and Afghanistan and his upcoming election for Congress in San Diego. Hunter touched on his usual talking points.
That’s a load off my over-burdened mind.
But from a different perspective:
I’m sure I already pay for illegals to have court-appointed attorneys. Would this $10 million be a sort of illegal funding OFF-SET?
Is this another Al Gore & company scam?