The Luz Robles' campaign has an illegal immigrant as a member of its team.
Angelica Rodriguez is an illegal immigrant who, as a child, was either brought into the U.S. illegally or overstayed a visa and has been granted a temporary amnesty under the Obama administration's dubious Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.
She is also a member of the Luz Robles congressional campaign team.
I am sure that the campaign will claim that the status conferred through DACA and its accompanying work authorization mean that everything is on the up and up regarding this individual working for the campaign.
In the world of the Obama administration, this will be seen as accurate.
But, there are two strong negative messages that the Robles campaign is sending by their actions.
Let me begin by saying that I am not criticizing or attacking Ms. Rodriguez on a personal level.
The focus of this post is on the two main implicit negative messages created by the Luz Robles campaign by having Ms. Rodriguez as part of their team.
Angelica Rodriguez, an illegal immigrant, is a paid member of the Luz Robles campaign team.
On the campaign financing and expenditure reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission, the Robles campaign has made a number of disbursements to Ms. Rodriguez. These disbursements are:
$1000.00 on 10/17/13 (wages)
$1000.00 on 12/17/13 (wages)
$1000.00 on 5/22/14 (wages)
$1000.00 on 6/18/14 (wages)
$1000.00 on 7/11/14 (salary expense)
$1000.00 on 8/12/14 (salary expense)
$500.00 on 9/2/14 (salary expense)
$500.00 on 9/16/14 (salary expense)
$84.55 on 9/17/14 (reimbursement)
$1000.00 on 10/2/14 (salary expense)
$92.02 on 10/2/02 (salary expense/staff salary)
As you can see, the Luz Robles campaign has paid Ms. Rodriguez $8092.02 (through October 15, 2014) for her work for the campaign. [1]
What role does Ms. Rodriguez have in the campaign?
On Ms. Rodriguez' public LinkedIn profile, she tells us that she is a "Campaign Manager/Personal Assistant" for the Robles campaign and that she has worked for the campaign from September 2013 to the present. [2]
Another interesting item on the profile is that she mentions her affiliation with the Salt Lake Dream Team.
She also gives us a very significant bit of information by telling us that she was a volunteer for the Utah State Senator Luz Robles reelection campaign in 2012. The dates she lists, June 2012 - October 2012, are very significant in terms of the DACA program. As far as I can tell, the DACA program was announced on June 15, 2012 and began accepting applications on August 15, 2012. If these dates are accurate, that means that Ms. Rodriguez was active as a volunteer for the 2012 Robles for Utah Senate campaign prior to having even the veneer of legality through the DACA program.
Who is Angelica Rodriguez?
Angelica Rodriguez is a Dreamer (see Note 1) - a person who, as a child, was either brought to the U.S. illegally or overstayed a visa.
A sympathetic 2013 KUER article tells us:
"Angelica Rodriguez came to Utah just before her sixth birthday from the Mexican state of Veracruz. By the time she was a teenager, her dream was to serve in the US armed forces. She says she wanted to help and protect people, especially during natural disasters." [3]
Ms. Rodriguez is also a graduate of the University of Utah.
She is a dedicated, hard-working, intelligent, and probably a very pleasant individual.
She is also the kind of person the amnesty movement has been lurking behind as they use emotional appeals to sell us amnesty.
Ms. Rodriguez has herself been an activist - most notably in conjunction with the Salt Lake Dream Team for whom she served as president until recently.
For example, in 2013, the group sought to influence Senator Hatch to intervene on behalf of the Canenguez family:
“Senator Hatch is our main target, “ said Angie Rodriguez, another member of the Salt Lake Dream Team. To win a private bill for the Canenguez family, the group must persuade a member of Congress to present it on the floor. He’s the only representative in Utah with an even mildly pro-immigration platform, and he’s known for having a soft spot for families.
“We are first asking the ‘proper way,’ setting up meetings and such,” Rodriguez continued. “But knowing politicians, it will take a little persuading before any decisions are made,” she added, as the rest of the group giggled." [4]
I am not sure what she meant by "a little persuading" - but I assume it means something different in Salt Lake City than it does in, say, Chicago.
Ms. Rodriguez could be the poster child for the Dreamer movement.
A big part of the problem in the debates about illegal immigration, however, is precisely the use of such sympathetic individuals and families as fronts for the amnesty movement to hide behind. Such use tends to mislead the public by too narrowly focusing the range of issues to be considered as we seek good public policy.
Even so, it is hard to hide the negative messages lurking in the DACA project of the Obama administration. .
The Robles campaign implicitly exemplifies at least two of these negative messages through its hiring of a DACA Dreamer.
The first of these negative messages relates to the illegality of Obama's DACA program.
Wrong message #1: The Robles campaign's actions implicitly give a stamp of approval to President Obama's abuse of power in creating the DACA temporary amnesty for Dreamers.
The DACA project is an unconstitutional one.
In his commentary on a lawsuit filed against the Obama administration's DACA policy by a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, W.D. Reasoner, stated:
"Many people (myself among them) believe that the program is both unconstitutional, because it infringes on the lawmaking prerogative unique to Congress under the separation of powers, and illegal, because it is not an act of prosecutorial discretion, but rather an abuse of discretion." [5]
Apparently, President Obama agreed with this perspective - at least prior to his "discovery" of a newfound presidential power to ignore Congress and our laws.
In an article about the DACA policy, Mark Krikorian tells us:
"The president knows what he’s doing is unconstitutional. We don’t have to read his mind to know this — he’s said it repeatedly. In July of last year, he told the National Council of La Raza, “The idea of doing things on my own is very tempting, I promise you, not just on immigration reform. But that’s not how our system works. That’s not how our democracy functions.” In September he told some journalists:
"I just have to continue to say this notion that somehow I can just change the laws unilaterally is just not true. We are doing everything we can administratively. But the fact of the matter is there are laws on the books that I have to enforce. And I think there’s been a great disservice done to the cause of getting the DREAM Act passed and getting comprehensive immigration passed by perpetrating the notion that somehow, by myself, I can go and do these things. It’s just not true." [6]
The judge hearing the lawsuit by the ICE officers dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds. However, he also had this to say about the challenge to the DACA policy:
"On July 31, 2013, Judge O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas dismissed the case of Crane v. Napolitano on a jurisdictional issue. In doing so, the Court for the second time found that the challenged Obama Administration policies are unconstitutional. “[T]he Court finds that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim challenging the Directive and Morton Memorandum as contrary to the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act…” [7]
The implicit message being sent by the Luz Robles campaign, in having a DACA beneficiary work for them, is one of tacit approval of the actions of President Obama in usurping the legislative powers of the Congress in creating the DACA policy.
This is a rather odd thing to be doing by someone who wants to be a member of the very legislative body that Obama so readily casts aside when it suits his political agenda.
One would think that a candidate for Congress would very strongly and clearly resist presidential encroachments that diminish the constitutional role and power of the Congress.
But, that's not the only wrong message being sent by the Robles campaign.
Wrong message #2: The Robles campaign sends the wrong message to those contemplating entering or remaining in the U.S. illegally - especially to those thinking of sending their children.
During the spring and summer of this year, the southern border was scene to thousands of young people from Central America arriving and turning themselves in to Border Patrol agents. This became known as the "border surge." This surge had its beginnings with the Obama administration's public statements about backing off immigration enforcement for most illegal immigrants - particularly children.
John Sexton, for example, tells us:
"President Obama's executive actions on immigration did not begin with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in mid-2012. It began in 2011 with his announcement of "prosecutorial discretion" on deportations. A few months later the border patrol noted the first uptick in unaccompanied children at the border." [8]
An Investor's Business Daily editorial concluded:
"...The border surge is mainly a rational response to a U.S. government that refuses to enforce its own border, offering a variety of incentives to lawbreakers — and a huge business opportunity for Central American smuggling gangs, which are drumming up new markets well beyond the traditional Mexican one." [9]
DACA itself seems to be a strong motivator of the recent border surge. Sexton again:
"There has been an ongoing argument in the public sphere over whether or not President Obama's executive action known as DACA is responsible for the current surge of unaccompanied children at the border. GOP members have claimed it is a contributing factor and some note that the June 15, 2012 announcement seems to coincide with the sharpest uptick in children arriving from Central America."
A number of other commentators and politicians have also linked DACA to the recent surge.
Even the Obama administration links the surge to the DACA policy. Mr. Sexton, in a follow-up to his earlier article:
"Contrary to denials by many in the media, the Obama administration had repeatedly connected the current crisis of unaccompanied children on the border to the President's executive actions on immigration, in particular Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)." [10]
By hiring an illegal immigrant beneficiary of the questionable DACA policy, the Luz Robles campaign is implicitly incentivizing those who wish to come here illegally.
Many children have been sent illegally into the United States believing that they will be permitted to stay. The DACA policy is one major reason for this belief.
Hiring a DACA recipient affirms the idea that the violation of immigration laws will be set aside when children are involved.
This is the wrong message to send to those who are contemplating illegal entry into the United States or overstaying a visa.
George Soros, the Ford Foundation, and United We Dream.
Going back to Ms. Rodriguez' LinkedIn profile we find another curious item. She lists herself as an "Affiliate Lead" for United We Dream. Her information may or may not be current, so I will focus on the group itself rather than on her affiliation with it. What is the United We Dream group?
From the United We Dream website:
"United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation. Our powerful nonpartisan network is made up of over 100,000 immigrant youth and allies and 55 affiliate organizations in 26 states. We organize and advocate for the dignity and fair treatment of immigrant youth and families, regardless of immigration status." [11]
One of those affiliated organizations is the Salt Lake Dream Team. [12]
United We Dream describes their mission, in part, as:
"We believe we can build power by organizing at the local, regional, and national levels and aim to provide tools and resources to support our leaders and member organizations, as well as create meaningful alliances with other advocacy organizations." [11]
What do they mean by building "power"? What will it be used for?
Perhaps they have in mind something like this:
"With the midterm elections less than a week away, immigration activists are reminding President Obama that they still expect him to enact unilateral executive amnesty before the end of the year.
“We won’t take anymore excuses” Cristina Jimenez, the managing director of the pro-amnesty group United We Dream told reporters on a Wednesday conference call." [13]
Ms. Jimenez goes on to propose this:
"We expect [Obama] to be unapologetic and bold abut his actions on any administrative package. He must be inclusive and he must be broad to protect as many people as possible from our community. It is his legal authority and any package of administrative reform must include our parents,” Jimenez said, adding there there is “there is no excuse.”
Or perhaps they mean pressuring politicians by agitating at campaign events - like some Dreamers did recently at an event for North Carolina Senator Hagan:
"Viridiana Martinez, with the North Carolina DREAM Team, an organization of undocumented youth, was part of the group who showed up at the event and caused the disruption. She said before the event someone with the campaign asked to see their shirts and signs. Some activists were let in to the baseball field where the event was being held but those with the signs were not allowed in.
But once the event started, those outside the fence began chanting and interrupting Hagan. Eventually, the activists inside walked over, grabbed the signs, and went up on stage where aides halfheartedly tried to stop them." [14]
The United We Dream organization has had good success - so developing "power" must be working for them. From an article posted on their website:
"The organization lobbied the White House and played a key role in getting deferred action put in place. Over 420,000 children brought illegally to the United States have so far gotten temporary work permits. Their work didn’t go unnoticed. One of the biggest national immigration funders, the Open Society Foundations has given them $800,000 in grants to date." [15]
Money from the Open Society Foundations? That would be George Soros money. [16]
Soros isn't the only one in on promoting United We Dream. A 2011 discussion in New York City for interested funders titled, "How DREAM Leaders Are Building a New Immigration Movement," was co-sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations along with Philanthropy Unbound. According to a notice for the event:
"Join us for an interactive discussion with DREAM leaders about how they successfully built a new movement for change and succeeded in affecting local and national policy, changing the discourse on immigration, and empowering a new generation of youth leaders." [17]
The meeting was held at the Ford Foundation in New York City. The Ford Foundation has also put its money where its mouth is and approved a grant to United We Dream in 2013 for $2,350,000. The grant is:
"For the Own the Dream Campaign to implement the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, for the 11 Million Dreams Campaign for immigration reform, and to build capacity and strengthen advocacy" [18]
Interesting, isn't it?
George Soros and Ford Foundation money pouring into an amnesty front group pushing for President Obama to massively expand his abuse of power and create an "executive" amnesty for millions. .
If they succeed, what will have been accomplished?
Conclusion: The Robles Campaign and the Dreamer Nightmare.
President Obama, and those who see nothing wrong with him pushing Congress aside in order to accomplish his political goals, will be emboldened in the abuse of power and the attack on our constitutional separation of powers.
Additionally, millions in foreign nations we be given the implicit message that we are not serious, and may never be, about enforcing our immigration laws and should immigrate at will into our nation - regardless of our laws.
These two tacit negative messages are being promoted by the Dreamers and by those groups promoting Obama's executive amnesty.
They are the same two implicit messages that are being sent by the Robles campaign through their hiring of a DACA Dreamer to work for their campaign.
What is really being promoted for our nation is not a dream, i.e., a pleasant goal that is as yet unrealized, but a nightmare.
The presidential abuse of power, constituting an attack on our constitutional order, coupled with essentially telling the world we will look the other way regardless of who enters or remains illegally is a prescription for greatly multiplying all problems currently stemming from illegal immigration.
What we need, before any discussion of any exceptions for anyone who is here illegally, is effective enforcement.
No immigration law will control illegal immigration unless it is accompanied by effective enforcement.
The government needs to establish effective enforcement in order to restore respect for our laws and allow for reasoned immigration policies now and in the future.
Sources:
Notes:
[Note 1] - The term "Dreamer" occurs in articles as either "DREAMer" or as "Dreamer." I will primarily use the "Dreamer" form in this post. A Dreamer is someone who would have been granted amnesty had the DREAM Act passed and been signed into law.
