Analyst's note: Extremely troubling that such a document was actually drafted. We can be sure that gov't lawyers didn't just start out to prepare this shocking document on their own. Who was the source of their guidance? Now that "the cat is out of the bag" so to speak, this will not likely be let drop. Be sure and catch the embedded URLs in this document.
Over the last month, conservatives have speculated that President Obama might bypass Congress and grant blanket amnesty to millions of illegal aliens currently residing in the United States by way of executive fiat. According to a controversial new "draft" report crafted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), this lawless Obama administration scheme is more than mere rumor. It is a detailed and well-thought-out strategy.
According to FoxNews.com:
[....] The draft memo, first obtained by Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley's office from the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, outlines ways the administration was exploring to legalize swaths of illegal immigrants "in the absence of Comprehensive Immigration Reform." The memo describes how to, "reduce the threat of removal for certain individuals present in the United States without authorization."
Of course the Obama administration is trying to downplay the significance of the memo. But these denials ring hollow. And no one can deny the intent of the memo.
You don't even have to read past the subject header of the memo to get a clue as to what the USCIS is up to: "Administrative Alternatives to Comprehensive Illegal Immigration Reform." Is there any way to misread the objective here? Clearly the USCIS expended a considerable amount of effort trying to sneak this past Congress in order to implement the President's illegal alien amnesty plan.
But even if you're someone who believes you can't judge a memo by its title, let's take a look at some excerpts from the USCIS document so you can judge for yourself. (You can also read the entire memo for yourself by clicking here).
The following items - used alone or in combination - have the potential to result in meaningful immigration reform absent legislative action.
...Thus, USCIS should no longer adhere to the 1990 General Counsel opinions, and instead permit individuals in TPS to adjust or change status. Opening this pathway will help thousands of applicants obtain lawful permanent residence without having to leave the U.S.
USCIS has the discretionary authority under [federal law] to parole into the U.S. on a case-by-case basis for "urgent humanitarian reasons" or "significant public benefit" any applicant for admission...Granting parole to aliens in the U.S. who have not been admitted or paroled is commonly referred to as "parole-in-place" (PIP). By granting PIP, USCIS can eliminate the need for qualified recipients to return to their home country for consular processing, particularly when doing so might trigger a bar to returning.
...By statute, DHS has discretion to waive these grounds of inadmissibility for spouses, sons and daughters of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents if the refusal to admit these individuals would result in extreme hardship for their qualifying relatives. Generally the "extreme hardship" standard has been narrowly construed by USCIS. To increase the number of individuals applying for waivers, and improve their chances for receiving them, CIS could issue guidance or regulation specifying a lower evidentiary standard for "extreme hardship."
...USCIS has previously allowed the use of deferred action to provide relief to non-immigrants whose period of admission had expired, or otherwise had failed to maintain lawful immigrant status...While it is theoretically possible to grant deferred action to an unrestricted number of unlawfully present individuals, doing so would likely be controversial, not to mention expensive...Rather than making deferred action widely available to hundreds of thousands and as a non-legislative version of "amnesty," USCIS could tailor the use of this discretionary option for particular groups....
The memo goes on for about 11 pages with other recommendations that I cannot adequately cover in this space, so do consider taking the time to read the document for yourself. [.....]
