Cecilia Muñoz, President Obama’s domestic policy advisor and White House point person on immigration policy, publicly apologized for even the minimal immigration enforcement being carried out by the administration. Responding to a question posed to her by illegal alien journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, Muñoz insisted that to the extent that immigration laws are being enforced at all by the Obama administration it is being done under protest.
“The government’s job is to do what Congress tells it to do,” Muñoz told Vargas during an event billed by the White House as a virtual fireside chat. “Congress, under the immigration laws that we’ve got now, Congress requires us to remove people who are removable and gives DHS, frankly, a whole lot of resources to do that job. DHS’s job is to make sure they make the best possible decisions on how they use those resources.”
Muñoz’s admission seemingly undermines the White House’s effort to portray itself as vigorous and enthusiastic enforcer of immigration laws. This claim is an essential part of the administration’s effort to convince the American public that it is time to move forward with amnesty for illegal aliens. It also undermines the claim that a lack of resources is the reason why immigration enforcement is being “prioritized,” i.e., all illegal aliens who have not been convicted of a serious crime are given a free pass. Mr. Vargas, who has bragged about committing felonies, is a prime example of the administration’s priorities.
In reality, making the “best possible decisions” on resource utilization has meant simply disregarding countless immigration law provisions enacted by Congress. Recently, a court cleared the way for a legal challenge to the administration’s non-enforcement policies brought by the National ICE Council, the union representing career employees.
Ironically, while the administration continues to seek input on immigration reform from the people who have broken our immigration laws, or who advocate on their behalf, the people who are paid to enforce our immigration laws remain excluded from the discussion. “Cecilia Muñoz refuses to correspond with us,” complains Chris Crane, president of the National ICE Council.