Name-calling marks immigration hearing

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: My San Antonio

Republicans pushed forward with a bill to strip the Obama administration of discretion in deporting illegal immigrants during a raucous hearing Tuesday at which Democrats cited a senator's embarrassing involvement with a District of Columbia madam.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, said he filed the “Hinder the Administration's Legalization Temptation” Act, or Halt, to stop the government from granting a “backdoor amnesty” through prosecutorial discretion.

“The Obama administration should not pick and choose which laws it will enforce,” said Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

During a House hearing, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., accused Smith and Republicans of indulging in political hyperbole to remove a power long employed by previous administrations.

Lofgren also attacked the Senate author of the bill, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., accusing him of trying to deny the benefits of prosecutorial discretion to immigrants even though he did not face trial following his exposure in the “D.C. Madam” scandal.




Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/article/Name-calling-marks-immigration-hearing-1601334.php

[Bette Noir]

1. Sounds like an exciting hearing.

[EFerrari]

2. Good for Zoe. n/t

[MADem]

3. Zing! Pity Lofgren didn't pound the desk with an adult diaper to make the point! nt

[No Elephants]

4. Heaven help us. We're being "governed" by a bunch of 8 year olds--none too smart or mature for 8, .

either.

[Cool Logic]

5. It sounds like this was a very productive meeting...

It's amazing how much can be accomplished when everyone is committed to conducting themselves in a highly professional manner.

[pampango]

6. Record numbers are being deported and he's worried about "prosecutorial discretion"?

Anything will do for "illegal-hunting" repubs who will do just about anything for one more chance to throw the term "amnesty" at a Democrat.

From the article:

"Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, have lined up against the HALT Act. Some 75 of them sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging a veto if the legislation were to pass the Senate, which both sides said was unlikely.

The HALT bill was filed after John Morton, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, issued memos this year ordering agency officials to exercise discretion to prioritize the deportation of violent criminals and terrorists, and not illegal immigrant students or parents of U.S.-born children.

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said the bill would apply only to the Obama administration, and would sunset in Jan. 2013.

“This is not an attack on the presidency, but an attack on the president himself,” Conyers said. “This is not an attack on the office of the president, this is an attack on Barack Obama himself.”

It's all repub "gotta-hate-somebody" politics to fire up the nativist base. It has no chance to pass the Senate and even less to escape a presidential veto.

Apparently repubs think it makes for good political theater.

[SpiralHawk]

7. Vitter (R) is not only a Diaper Sex Deviant, he is a rank hypocrite (R)

as any one with discretion figured out a long time ago...