Victory! Ninth Circuit Rejects Lawless Reentry

December 16, 2021

Holds illegal entry is determined by law, not border patrol oversight

 

WASHINGTON—In a case with clear relevance to the current crisis at the border, the full Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting en banc, handed down a decision Tuesday making abundantly clear that whether a foreign national has unlawfully entered the United States is determined by the law, not the actions or inaction of the border patrol. The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) had filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the en banc proceeding urging the Court to reach that result.

 

The case involved an illegal alien from Canada who, having been deported previously for a drug offense, was "waved through" a checkpoint back into the United States by a border patrol agent. The alien claimed that this action by the border patrol agent made his reentry lawful, and a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit agreed.

 

The full Ninth Circuit ordered rehearing en banc, vacated this judgment, and issued a diametrically opposite ruling. The Court held that whether a given entry by an alien is lawful or unlawful is determined by the law, not mistakes, oversights, or supposed "waivers" by the border patrol. And the law was clear that this alien had entered illegally, due to his prior deportation based on his drug conviction.

 

"Coming now, this ruling is especially important," said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. "It makes clear that the administration's laxity at the border by no means legalizes the current flood of illegal entries. If strong enforcement comes back, that fact—and this ruling—will foreclose any claim of lawful presence by illegal aliens now being let in en masse. We applaud the full Ninth Circuit for this strong, timely decision."

Here is Your Best Last-minute Christmas Gift: White House Ornament only $20

CHRISTMAS CLOSEOUT SALE!

2021 Official White House Christmas Ornament

The Official 2021 White House Ornament captures Robert H. Laessig's lovely painting of the 1967 Blue Room Christmas tree.

Laessig was a talented designer with American Greetings. On the other side of the ornament is a patriotic quote.

All Ornaments are Reduced to

$20 each

while supplies last!

To order the ornament, please contact

Anne Farmer (540) 923-4109 or Deb Hunter (540) 923-4810, wildberry62@yahoo.com

Thank you for your continued support of our club.

Sen. Suetterlein Files Tax Relief Legislation for Working Families

Would provide up to $517 in state income tax relief and allow local car tax refunds
 

RICHMOND - Virginia's outgoing Governor Ralph Northam is spending his final days in office announcing new spending proposals he did not pursue during his party's two-year monopoly on state government and record tax payments. At the same time, tax relief legislation aligned with Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin's campaign pledges to lower the cost of living for working Virginians is being filed in the General Assembly. 

Senator David Suetterlein (R-Roanoke County) has filed bills that would double Virginia's standard deduction and allow localities to provide refunds on personal property taxes paid on cars and trucks. 

Raising the Standard Deduction - Giving up to $517 back to Working Families 
Sen. Suetterlein's Senate Bill 11 would double Virginia's standard deduction to $9,000 for single tax filers and $18,000 for married taxpayers filing joining. This would provide tax relief of up to $258 for individual filers and $517 for couples that file using the standard deduction - something that 85% of Virginia taxpayers do. 

Virginia's recent record personal income tax collections have played a significant role in generating the $13.6 billion more over three years than the $23.6 billion general fund budget in the last fiscal year.

"These chronic, multi-billion surpluses in Richmond are systemic over-taxation. Virginia has taxed all taxable personal earnings over $17,000 at the highest rate since the 1980s while also not raising the standard deduction enough. This coupled with inflation results in a series of regular, unlegislated tax increases on Virginians that needs to be reversed," said Sen. Suetterlein. 

Providing Car Tax Relief
Sen. Suetterlein's SB12 would authorize local governments to return surplus personal property tax revenue to taxpayers.

The tightening supply of motor vehicles available for purchase in the last year has shot up market prices and the resulting local tax assessments. Many Virginians will soon find themselves paying higher personal property taxes on their vehicles than they did when they were newer.

"It is unclear how long this unusual car market will continue, but in the mean time its important that counties have the ability to provide targeted relief," said Sen. Suetterlein. 

Additional 2022 Legislation
In advance of the 2022 General Assembly, Senator Suetterlein has also filed SB3 requiring absentee votes to be counted by precinct instead of murky, central absentee pools; SB4 limiting the duration of emergency executive actions; and SB5 that would make Parole Board votes public. 

All 19 bills already filed by legislators for the 2022 General Assembly may be viewed on Virginia's Legislative Information System website. The website is continuously updated as more bills are filed. 

Senator Suetterlein also plans to introduce additional bills including those related to K-12 education, healthcare, energy, and campaign finance between now and the start of the 2022 General Assembly on January 12. 

"It is going to be a new day with new opportunities in the Commonwealth when Governor Youngkin is inaugurated. We need to aggressively pursue the bipartisan opportunities to improve the lives of Virginians," said Sen. Suetterlein. 

Virginia Senator David Suetterlein was elected in November 2019 to a second term representing Salem and Bedford, Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, Roanoke and Wythe counties in the Virginia Senate.

Should Aliens who Seriously Injure their Victims Stay?

IRLI shows why Michigan's crime of aggravated assault involves moral turpitude

 

WASHINGTON—Today, the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Board of Immigration Appeals, the nation's immigration appellate court, on the legal issue of whether an alien who has been convicted of aggravated assault in Michigan has committed a "crime involving moral turpitude" under federal immigration law, and thus should be deported.

 

To be convicted of aggravated assault in Michigan, one must intentionally assault another person (by, at the minimum, making that person fear immediate physical attack), and also cause serious bodily injury to that person. IRLI points out in its brief that this requirement of actual serious injury makes the crime one involving moral turpitude; as one court cited by IRLI noted, serious injury to the victim shows that the attacker used a high level of force. IRLI also shows that the crime of aggravated assault in Michigan historically has been charged against perpetrators who engage in depraved, highly violent conduct, and never in the hypothetical situation of a perpetrator who assaults his victim intentionally, and in so doing somehow causes the victim serious injury inadvertently.

 

"Violent criminals are certainly not who we want among our legal immigrants," noted Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. "Public safety, and the moral character of lawful permanent resident aliens, is crucial both to the nation and to those aliens themselves, who are eligible to adjust to American citizenship. Accordingly, Congress provided that legal aliens who commit crimes involving moral turpitude should be deported. As we hope the Board sees, this law should be interpreted straightforwardly, not riddled with loopholes that further endanger Americans."

 

The case is Amicus Invitation No. 21-17-11 (BIA).

Why Consumerism Isn't As Bad As You Think It Is

"Consumerism" is a favorite punching bag of the media, academics, and political pundits alike.

 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

WATCH: Why Consumerism Isn't As Bad As You Think It Is "Consumerism" is a favorite punching bag of the media, academics, and political pundits alike. But despite all the criticism, consumerism isn't nearly as bad as you might think. Here's why.

 

APR , 1739 University Avenue , Oxford, MS 38655, United States