For
the past two weeks politicians, the media, pundits and others have
attempted to provide their perspectives on the travesty that President
Obama foisted on us on Friday, June 15^th when he announced
that he would, in essence, provide employment authorization to, in his
estimate, 800,000 illegal aliens he said were sometimes referred to as
“DREAMERs.” in an obvious reference to the DREAM Act.  It must be
remembered that while the President claimed that he was taking the
unusual step of issuing executive orders to provide “young kids” with
employment authorization because Congress had failed to act, he was
compelled to take these actions.  However, Congress DID act. They acted
decisively to defeat the DREAM Act and Comprehensive
Immigration Reform.  In fact, a majority voted “Nay” on the DREAM Act
because they properly determined that the legislation was not worthy of
passing.

It is a sad day when the President of the United States misuses his
office to mislead Americans by falsely characterizing Congressional
actions as a “failure to act.” He then uses these false assertions to do
an end-run around the legislative process and, in so doing, the
Constitution.

In an Op-Ed on Fox News Latino from June 17^th, I focused
on the many misleading and false statements contained in the President’s
remarks and in his proposed executive orders.  I mentioned that what he
referred to as the use of ‘Prosecutorial Discretion” should really be
referred to as “Prosecutorial Deception!”

The unintended consequences of this action are numerous. First, we
are often told that illegal aliens do the work Americans won’t do.  In
reality it is not that Americans won’t do most of those jobs, it is that
American and lawful immigrant workers would not be willing to work
under the substandard conditions for wages that won’t enable them to
support themselves and their families.  This is about exploitation of a
desperate and vulnerable workforce: illegal aliens.

Back in 1986 when the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was
enacted and nearly 4 million illegal aliens were provided with lawful
status, they often lost their jobs that they had been doing when they
demanded, of their employers, that they be paid “on the books” and that
they be paid prevailing wages.  This is not conjecture on my part, I was
an INS Special Agent back then and my colleagues and I took the phone
calls made by innumerable aliens who were irate over their loss of their
jobs to illegal aliens.  The employers did not do without workers
however; they simply hired newly arrived illegal aliens, thus starting
the cycle over again.

What has not been made clear is whether or not aliens who have been
granted employment authorization under Obama’s executive action would be
immediately eligible for unemployment benefits.  This is an important
matter because if huge numbers of these aliens were to lose the jobs
that they had been doing when they demand prevailing wages and proper
working conditions, they would then be able to apply for and receive
unemployment benefits.  Where would the money to pay for this come from?

Next, you should consider that at the moment an alien is granted
employment authorization, that alien would immediately be eligible to
apply for a Social Security card and a driver’s license from the state
where that alien has been residing.  The driver’s license is the de
facto national identity document for the United States.  These licenses
enable those to whom they are issued to have access to airplanes and
both corporate and government office buildings.

Illegal aliens who are attempting to hide criminal histories or links
to terrorist organizations in their home countries or other countries
would seek to obtain employment authorization and consequently driver’s
licenses and other identity documents in false names.  Again, this is
not conjecture but something that I observed innumerable times during my
thirty-year career with the INS and something that the 9/11 Commission,
to which I provided testimony, noted in the final report.

Finally, the aliens who will have been issued employment
authorization will be able to take jobs that have potential national
security implications.  Again, if the huge numbers of aliens who are
processed are able to game the beleaguered bureaucracy of USCIS and
acquire official identity documents under false names, the potential
exists that those affiliated with criminal or terrorist organizations
would be able to acquire jobs in such critical venues.

First and foremost, our immigration laws are intended to protect
American lives and American jobs.  If the administration follows through
on the ill-conceived plans articulated by the President, both will be
put in grave jeopardy because of his use of “Prosecutorial Deception!”