Chicago under Fire, but Leaders Want Costly Amnesty, Refugee Resettlement, Not Neighborhood Safety

Refugees, asylees and illegal immigrants crossing the border know that if they claim “credible fear of persecution” they have an excellent chance of gaining U.S. permanent residency. Whether their claims are fraudulent matters little.

Sky-rocketing murder rate in Chicago doesn’t deter city leaders from illegal immigrant, refugee advocacy.

In a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Chair Bob Goodlatte noted that credible fear claims soared 587 percent between 2007 and 2013, proof that the word is out around the world that the U.S. takes little care to enforce its immigration laws.

Unfortunately Chicago residents can’t count on the federal government to bail them out from their hometown’s violence that inarguably generates credible fear among the law abiding. The New York Times reported that during the first months of 2016, 131 people had been murdered, an 84 percent increase over the same period in 2015. The 605 shootings, which presumably included felony attempted murder, were nearly twice as many as last year through the same date.

What’s particularly disturbing about Chicago’s murder rate is that while the city desperately needs to take immediate measures to protect its citizens, its leadership is more intent on amnesty, and bringing more refugees to the Windy City.

• Start with the most famous Chicagoan of all, President Barack Obama, a ceaseless advocate for amnesty, and more refugee resettlement. Based on Obama’s few public statements on the issue, safety in Chicago is a low priority.
• When he was White House Chief of Staff, now-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was considered by some in Congress as a comprehensive immigration reform moderate. Emanuel had called immigration the “third rail of American politics.” But in 2013, Emanuel announced that his goal is to make Chicago the “most immigrant-friendly city in the world.”
• U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, whose 4^th Illinois District includes Chicago, said on the House floor that refusing refugees allegedly fleeing violence is “despicable and cowardly.” But his speech and others like it didn’t mention vulnerable Chicagoans.
• U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the second highest ranking Democrat in the Upper Chamber, is the most passionate advocate for amnesty and more refugees. Durbin co-sponsored the destructive Gang of Eight amnesty. Earlier this year, Durbin met in Chicago with Syrian and Iraqi refugees and pledged to resettle as many as 100,000 more.

If Chicago’s political elite could have its way, billions of dollars would be spent on illegal immigrant entitlements and billions more on refugees. But by comparison, only pennies will be directed toward making Chicago neighborhoods safe. The obvious, to all but the politically driven, is to take care of business at home before inviting more immigrants and refugees into an exploding Chicago.

Recently CAPS announced its new campaign against the misguided compassion that congressional representatives like Durbin and Gutierrez promote when they lobby for more refugees in the U.S. and ignore the better course of resettling them closer to their native countries. Read the CAPS press release here.

Then, watch the brief CAPS video and sign the petition here that urges President Obama to adopt the best solution to refugee resettlement.