Jeh & Trey Practice Oral Arguments

Jeh Johnson & Trey Gowdy Practice Oral Arguments.

Now, the only question is, "For which jurisdiction?"

Do, praytell.

This is sooooooooooo romantic....

#maytheheavensfall

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CONYERS joins round table discussion with Syrian and Iraqi refugees that have resettled in Southeast Michigan

Today, I joined Department of Homeland SecuritySecretary Jeh Johnson & Rep. Debbie Dingell for a round table discussion with Syrian and Iraqi refugees that have resettled in Southeast Michigan.

Dearborn, Michigan is home to the largest proportion of Arab Americans in the United States. I greatly welcome the opportunity to learn firsthand how we can better address the concerns of newly resettled #refugees.  #DHSinDearborn #RefugeesWelcome

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Border Children Crisis Complicated By Parents Here Illegally

I bet Child Protective Services is writhing its hands.  These children bring in more than $1,000 a day for care, not counting services and legal.

These children are job creators (i.e. foster care, education, medical, transportation, courts)

Border Children Crisis Complicated By Parents Here Illegally

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson left unclear Thursday what happens to parents illegally in the country when they show up to claim their children who have arrived alone.

Johnson's response demonstrated the delicacy of the issue the administration has on its hands. While officials have openly discussed its response to vulnerable children, talking about how many of those children ultimately get to stay here and how it deals with parents here illegally that are reunited with their children is more difficult.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson (2nd L) speaks as (L-R) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Executive Associate Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations Tom Homan, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske listen during a media availability June 12, 2014 in Washington, DC on the "ongoing government-wide response to the increased influx of unaccompanied children at the Southwest border.

ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES
“I am not encouraging in any way shape or form illegal migration. That’s the message,” Johnson said. The Department of Health and Human Services is required under the law to act in the best interest of the child, Johnson said.

The law that Johnson is referring to is a sweeping anti-trafficking law that aims to prevent children who arrive alone from being returned to serious danger, such as being targeted by drug cartels or to an abusive home. The U.S. also is party to international agreements aimed at protecting children.

About 47,000 children have arrived so far this year and most are from Mexico so they are immediately returned. But those from noncontiguous countries, in this case El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, must be sent to a shelter and attempts made to unite them with a relative or sponsor while they await hearings on whether they should be deported or allowed to stay.

“Our duty is to get the child to a sponsor. While they are with the sponsor they are still subject to removal,” said Mark Greenberg, acting assistant secretary for HHS.

Parents are required to get children to deportation proceedings and cooperate with the removal proceedings, he said.

But a reporter from Telemundo, which is part of NBC, said parents who are not legally in the U.S. don’t know if they are qualified to pick up their children who have followed them to the U.S. and what happens to them if they do.

Some critics have said the crisis of the childrens’ arrivals is “administration made” because Obama granted the deferred deportations to DREAMers and because of the push for immigration reform.

Johnson emphasized that the newly arriving children do not qualify for deferral of deportation as do some young immigrants here illegally, also known as DREAMers, because that only applies to youth who have been living in U.S. continuously since June 15, 2007. Johnson also said the path to citizenship in the Senate-approved immigration reform bill applies to people who have lived here before Dec. 31, 2011.

He reiterated the Obama immigration enforcement policy of focusing deportations on those who have recently crossed the border illegally and those who are caught re-entering after being previously deported. The children would fit in the former category.

Although he learned about the escalating numbers of children arriving at the border before his confirmation hearing, Johnson was it was made more vivid when he visited the McAllen, Texas, processing center on Mother’s Day and asked a 10-year-old girl, ‘Where is your mother.’ ”

“She responded, ‘I don’t have a mother. I’m looking for my father in the United States.’ I returned to Washington the next day determined to do something about this situation,” Johnson said.

In addition to creating the shelter and beefing up processing centers, as reported by NBC Thursday, Johnson listed other efforts to respond to the crisis:

• The American Red Cross is providing blankets and hygiene kits.
• Children are receiving health screenings at the Border Patrol centers, before they are released to shelters.
• Faith-based groups are assisting, for example, Texas Baptist Men provided shower trailers.
• Johnson has met with ambassadors of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador about border security to stem the flow and plans a trip to Guatemala.
• DHS restarted a public affairs campaign to warn of the dangers of sending kids over the border and particularly with smugglers.
• Johnson said he called for a southwest border security plan to address security and fill the gaps.

Johnson said the crisis brings home the need for comprehensive immigration reform, not only provide resources for border security but also “stability” to immigration laws.

He said his review of immigration enforcement policies requested by President Barack Obama is ongoing and he does see need for improvements.

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Ranking Member Conyers Statement at DHS Oversight Hearing

(WASHINGTON) – Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a full committee hearing entitled, “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” The sole witness at the hearing, appearing before the Judiciary Committee for the first time since his confirmation to the post, was Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. During his opening remarks, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) delivered the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“I want to begin by welcoming Secretary Johnson to this Committee.  The Secretary has had a long and distinguished career, both in public service and the private sector. But what I like most is that he is a graduate of Morehouse College which has a special significance for myself and other Members of this body. Before his appointment to DHS, Secretary Johnson served as General Counsel of the Department of Defense, where he oversaw many critical reforms, including ending the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. Given this background, I can think of no person better equipped to lead DHS and carry out the President’s directive to review our immigration policies to ensure that we are carrying them out ‘in the most humane way possible.’

“Yesterday, the President announced a delay to this review to provide my House colleagues the room they need to pass legislative reforms.  Whether through the Senate bill or several House bills, I am committed to work with them to achieve needed reforms of our system. We all agree that our immigration system is broken, and that only Congress can permanently fix it.  So we should get started on that process right away, before the window for reform closes. Every day that passes without a vote in the House is a day that thousands of families are torn apart; that businesses are deprived of critical skills; and that brilliant entrepreneurs and investors are forced to take their resources and talents elsewhere. Every day that passes is also a day in which we fail to jump-start our economy.  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has concluded that the House and Senate immigration reform bills - S. 744 and H.R. 15 - would decrease the budget deficit by $900 billion over 20 years.

“I stand committed to work with my colleagues for legislative reform.  But if my colleagues won’t act to fix a system we all agree is broken, then I fully support the President doing what he can under current law to improve that system.

“I agree with the President’s call to make our immigration system reflect American values. People who commit serious crimes and pose a danger to the public should be our highest priorities for removal.  Those with strong ties to this country - the spouses of citizens and permanent residents, the parents of citizens and Dreamers, and those who have worked productively in the U.S. for many years - should not be.

“We know the Administration has the authority to set enforcement priorities.  It also has the authority to set detailed guidelines to ensure that those priorities are carried out by deportation officers, trial attorneys, and other enforcement personnel. This authority has been specifically recognized by my Republican colleagues on this Committee, including in a letter sent by current Members to the Clinton Administration urging it to issue guidelines on prosecutorial discretion.

“So far we have heard nothing but excuses for not doing immigration reform.  The Senate bill has too many pages.  The House wants to take its time and do reform step-by-step.  We must secure the border before we can discuss anything else. These are all excuses in my book.

“The newest excuse for not working to reform the system is that Republicans cannot trust the President to enforce the law. Put aside the fact that this administration has set records with respect to enforcement spending, detentions, prosecutions, and removals.  The ‘can’t trust the President’ excuse strikes me as a very odd complaint from a legislative body. If this President is so lawless and Congress is so helpless to stop him, then what’s the point of passing any bill?  How many other issues of national importance do my colleagues think Congress should ignore until they have someone they prefer in the White House?

“It’s time to cut out the excuses and get to work doing the people’s business.  Americans agree that the system is broken and they strongly support comprehensive immigration reform. As the people’s House, it is our duty to stop passing the buck and get to work.”

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Conyers Applauds Nomination of Jeh Johnson to Become Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security

(WASHINGTON) – Today, President Obama announced the nomination of Jeh Johnson to become the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security following the retirement of Janet Napolitano. Mr. Johnson most recently served as the General Counsel for the Department of Defense.  After the nomination was announced, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“I congratulate Jeh Johnson on his nomination to become the next secretary, and the first African-American secretary, of the Department of Homeland Security, and I applaud President Obama for this outstanding nomination,” said Conyers.

“Mr. Johnson has had a brilliant legal career in private practice, working as a civil and criminal trial lawyer on notable commercial cases, and was elected to be his firm’s first African American partner.  Following this work, Mr. Johnson went into public service, including working as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York prosecuting public corruption cases, serving as General Counsel of the Air Force during the Clinton Administration, and serving as General Counsel for the Department of Defense from 2009 through 2012.

“As a dedicated public servant, and a brilliant legal mind, I commend Jeh Johnson’s nomination, and I hope that the Senate promptly confirms him.”

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