Jose Antonio Vargas, an illegal immigrant and former reporter, scolded a congressional panel on Wednesday, saying that he should not be called illegal, and saying it is an insult to his family who brought him here,” the Washington Times<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n “‘When you inaccurately call me illegal, you not only dehumanize me, you\u2019re offending them,’ he said. ‘No human being is illegal.’ “Before deciding what to do about immigration, Republicans should first decide what not to do. They should not buy in to the Obama\/liberal Democrats\u2019 plan to legalize every person who is in the country illegally. Republicans do need to make progress with Hispanic voters. But immigration is exactly the wrong subject to use to attract Hispanic support,” says Rep. Lamar Smith<\/a> (R-TX) in an op-ed.<\/p>\n “Some argue that how Republicans talk about immigration scares away Hispanic voters. Regrettably, they are right. But the answer is to discuss immigration in a different way, not give amnesty to millions of people in the country illegally. Republicans should emphasize that America already admits 1 million legal immigrants every year, more than all other countries combined. That generosity should continue. Immigrants strengthen our nation, contribute to our economy and set a daily example for how to achieve the American dream.”<\/p>\n “An immigration overhaul \u2014 the most significant plank in President Barack Obama\u2019s agenda that could see congressional action \u2014 faces its most perilous hurdle in the House. Though many of the GOP\u2019s power brokers in Washington, D.C., are on board, thinking that it could help Republicans make electoral inroads with Hispanic voters, the issue has proved volatile at the grass-roots level in the past,” says Roll Call<\/a>.<\/p>\n “President Barack Obama told a group of Senate Democrats Wednesday that Congress must move forward with comprehensive immigration reform, or else he will propose his own legislation on the hot-button topic,” CNN reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Obama met with Sens. Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, Robert Menendez and Michael Bennet, the four Democrats in the bipartisan group of eight senators who introduced a framework for immigration reform last month. A bipartisan group of House members is also working in secret to craft immigration reform measures.”<\/p>\n “During his State of the Union address last night, President Obama touted the lowest illegal border crossings in 40 years, but with amnesty looming and border enforcement most likely coming after citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, law enforcement officials in Arizona are seeing an uptick in activity,” says Katie Pavlich at Townhall<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We are seeing an uptick in bodies as of the last couple of weeks. We are starting to see large groups again in our AOR [Area of Responsibility]. The groups are up into the 20 to 40 range,” Pinal County Sheriff Department Lieutenant and SWAT team member Matthew Thomas tells Townhall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Illegal Alien Testifies Before Congress, Says Don’t Call Me Illegal Jose Antonio Vargas, an illegal immigrant and former reporter, scolded a congressional panel on Wednesday, saying that he should not be called illegal, and saying it is an insult to his family who brought him here,” the Washington Times reports. “‘When you inaccurately call me<\/p>\n
\nMr. Vargas testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee alongside Chris Crane \u2014 a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and president of the ICE agents\u2019 union \u2014 who is unable to arrest him under the administration\u2019s new non-deportation policies.”<\/p>\nRep. Lamar Smith – 5 reasons GOP Should Avoid Immigration Trap<\/h3>\n
5 House Republicans at the Center of the Immigration Debate<\/h3>\n
Obama Tells Senators He Has His Own Bill Ready<\/h3>\n
As Expected, Amnesty Discussion Boosts Border Crossings<\/h3>\n