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Eli Kantor is a labor, employment and immigration law attorney. He has been practicing labor, employment and immigration law for more than 36 years. He has been featured in articles about labor, employment and immigration law in the L.A. Times, Business Week.com and Daily Variety. He is a regular columnist for the Daily Journal. Telephone (310)274-8216; eli@elikantorlaw.com. For more information, visit beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com and and beverlyhillsemploymentlaw.com

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Thursday, November 20, 2014

Washington Holds Its Breath Over Immigration Speech

New York Times (First Draft)
By Carl Hulse
November 20, 2014

Mr. Obama’s speech on immigration policy tonight will be praised by most Democrats and lambasted by most Republicans, who contend that Mr. Obama is abusing his authority to provide work permits to millions of undocumented immigrants.
 
But congressional opponents who believe the best way to block the president’s new initiative is to cut off government funds for it could be in for a severe disappointment.
 
Officials of the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee have concluded that the government agency most responsible for implementing any new executive order — the Citizenship and Immigration Services — would not be hindered if government funds are cut off; it operates entirely on revenue it generates through immigration applications.
 
In short, lawmakers have no fiscal leverage over the agency, which could keep operating even if the rest of the government was shut down.
 
“Congress does not appropriate funds for any of its operations, including the issuance of immigration status or work permits, with the exception of the E-verify program,” the committee said in a statement. “Therefore the appropriations process cannot be used to ‘de-fund’ the agency.”
 
Republican congressional leaders acknowledge it could be politically disastrous for Republicans to engineer a shutdown just as they are about to take control of Congress.
 
Leaders of the Appropriations Committee say the best course is to act responsibility, pass a legislative package financing the government for the 2015 fiscal year and then find other ways to squeeze the administration when Republicans control the House and Senate, beginning in January.
 
The warning that a shutdown wouldn’t shut down the agency handling the new policy was meant to underscore that point.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com

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