By Pat Hamsa | Daily Roll Call
You really can’t make this stuff up. Powers’ resolution HJR840 is a waste of time and paper. Legislators’ efforts would, without question, be better spent repealing the gratuitous Shane Reeves law which incentivizes Biden’s migrants and Obama’s DACAs – all of whom do not have any lawful immigration status, from settling in Tennessee.
Among the most inane parts of Powers’ resolution is recommending to Congress that to “combat illegal immigration”, they should pass a law that works like this:
(1) An illegal alien should be given a one-year grace period in which to order his or her affairs, leave the United States, and return to his or her country of lawful residence.
and then,
(2) If an illegal alien complies with these provisions, that person should be allowed to apply for legal readmission into the United States.
The first and most important question for Rep. Powers specifically is, who does he consider to be an “illegal alien”?
Last year Powers had his bill HB1247 in committee. The bill was intended to prohibit illegal aliens from living on state-owned property. During the March 29, 2023, committee hearing, a DACA recipient who, under federal immigration law has no lawful immigration status, complained to the committee that the bill would prohibit her from living in a state college dorm.
Rep. Rebecca Alexander who showed that she has swallowed the TIRRC kool-aid and knows nothing about DACA, asked, “so if you have DACA, then you are not considered illegal, is that correct?”
The TIRRC advocate responded that “DACA students currently have a legal status”. Except they don’t.
In fact, the U.S. Citizens & Immigration Services (USCIS) states clearly about DACA that, “deferred action does not confer lawful immigration status”.
Powers then made it clear that he wants to protect DACA recipients and any other illegal aliens who are “documented” and are here “legally”. Huh?
The rules and criteria required to be approved for the DACA two-year temporary deferral from deportation requires that they prove that they were in the U.S. with no lawful immigration status when Obama put the legally invalid DACA program in place.
DACA grantees are removable at any time and do not have any lawful immigration status under federal immigration law and Congress has not decided to give them any. They are by definition, illegal aliens.
This year Rep. Jake McCalmon has the House companion bill, HB2774, to Ferrell Haile’s bill on illegal immigration. That bill has a comprehensive and accurate definition of “illegal alien” based on immigration status and which specifically includes anyone granted deferred deportation which includes DACA.
Rebecca Alexander has signed on as a co-sponsor to McCalmon’s bill. Does she see herself coming and going?
The bumbling and fumbling that goes on with legislators when it comes to illegal immigration is simply pathetic.
So, regarding Powers’ HJR840, inquiring minds want to know, how are you finding these illegal aliens that you think should self-deport? Is there any time limit for living here in violation of the law, say like five years, ten years or more, that would disqualify them from legally re-entering the U.S.? Are you planning to create an exception for DACA?
Are you, Rep. Powers going to support Rep. McCalmon’s bill on illegal immigration even though it outs your protected DACA recipients as illegal aliens?