OVERVIEW FROM THE CEO (JAMES MASSA)
WELCOME TO THE "INSIDE IMMIGRATION" NEWSLETTER OF NUMBERSUSA
SPEAKER JOHNSON AND A MAGIC BUS
The last time the U.S. Congress made any significant changes to immigration policy was in 1996 when immigration policy was part of an effort to pass all aspects of federal government appropriations in one fell swoop, referred to as an "omnibus."

long bus
This week was the beginning of the use of what is termed a "minibus" to move things along.

minibus However, the real fight involving immigration is on the next bus scheduled to arrive March 22nd. The best opportunity to achieve true immigration reform policy is for the House to amend must pass legislation, either DHS funding and the bus it is on or Supplemental funding for Ukraine. The challenge is for Speaker Johnson to get such passed with the tightest margin ever and to hold onto his speakership. What is best for the American citizen is H.R.2 the Secure the Border Act making its way onto must pass legislation via an amendment.
FEDERAL (GRANT NEWMAN)
HOUSE PASSES LAKEN RILEY ACT

The House passed a rare bipartisan and substantive immigration bill on Thursday afternoon, the Laken Riley Act.

Laken Riley's recent murder at the hands of an illegal alien shocked and horrified the nation, and Congress took note. That alien had been caught, released, and had come in contact with law enforcement several times without being removed from the country or detained. While the House has already passed H.R. 2, the gold standard border security bill which would have ended catch and release, House Republicans wanted to do more.

The Laken Riley Act requires the detention of illegal aliens who have committed burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. Importantly, it also gives States tools to fight back against administrations unwilling to faithfully execute the law as written by Congress. It empowers States directly by giving them standing to sue in Federal court, along with expedited consideration, for catch and release, mass parole, not complying with mandatory detention of aliens ordered removed, and for failing to discontinue visas to recalcitrant nations. Read more about the bill here.

All of the Republicans that voted yesterday voted in favor of the bill along with 37 Democrats. Check the Action Board to respond to your own Member of Congress's vote.
PRESIDENT'S STATE OF THE UNION CONTINUES GASLIGHTING ROUTINE
Pres. Biden at State of the Union Address
During the State of the Union last night, President Biden claimed he actually wants to secure the border, but has (apparently) been stopped by Republicans. Never mind the border surge directly resulting from countless executive actions that his own Administration has taken over the past three years.

Rather than push for H.R. 2, which would actually secure the border, President Biden demanded that Congress send him the Lankford-Schumer deal which would effectively codify the border crisis. That bill failed on the Senate floor just a few weeks ago.

There's still time for Congress to act and fix the border crisis. Call your Member of Congress and Senators and ask them to get H.R. 2 signed into law.

STATE (ANDREW GOOD)
E-Verify map(Idaho capitol building in Boise; Idaho state Representative Jordan Redman (R-03))

WEST VIRGINIA E-VERIFY
A full update on the E-Verify effort is coming soon, with the bill (HB 4759) still sitting on the doorstep of the finish line as West Virginia's legislative session comes to an end on Saturday.

IOWA E-VERIFY
Last week, the Iowa state Senate passed a mandatory E-Verify bill (Senate File 108) by a vote of 30-17. Sen. Julian Garrett (R-Indianola) is the sponsor of the legislation, and he has been an E-Verify champion for years. "It's very unfair for law-abiding, legitimate business and employees to have to compete with people that are coming across the border… This is something we can do, and I think it'll make a difference," he said. The last time it passed was five years ago, but it has never received a vote in the full House of Representatives.

ARIZONA E-VERIFY
Arizona is again leading with a novel approach to immigration enforcement legislation, seeking to bypass Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs and placing their bill directly on the ballot for voters to consider later this year. House Concurrent Resolution 2060, sponsored by House Speaker Ben Toma, would expand their existing E-Verify requirement to subcontractors and independent contractors, as well as tightening access to public benefit programs to ensure they are not available to illegal aliens. It has passed the House (31-28, on a party line vote), and awaits action in the state Senate.

TEXAS E-VERIFY
Political parties in Texas have the opportunity to add non-binding propositions to their primary ballots, and this year there was a mandatory E-Verify proposition. Proposition 3 on Republican ballots read "The Texas legislature should require the use of E-Verify by all employers in Texas to protect jobs for legal workers by preventing the hiring of illegal aliens." More than two million Republican voters responded YES, carrying the measure with 90% of the vote. Will their legislature listen to their voters next year when they convene?
SUSTAINABILITY (ROB HARDING)
U.S. SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE CONCERNED ABOUT SPRAWL
Utah Farm Bureau entrance
At last month's 2024 American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Salt Lake City, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack voiced his dissatisfaction with the impacts of sprawl on America's farming communities while staying silent on the causes of sprawl. I recapped my AFBF Convention experience and shared what Secretary Vilsack wouldn't regarding immigration's contribution to America's sprawl problem here.
MORE PEOPLE, FEWER BIRDS
In honor of this year's World Wildlife Day (March 3), Henry Barbaro issued a challenge to connect the dots between federal immigration policy, habitat loss, and increasingly endangered wildlife populations. Visit our Conservation Challenges page to consider what's needed to create a sensible immigration policy that's compatible with conservation.
SAYING THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD ABOUT SPRAWL IN IDAHO
Idado prairie
Idahoans don't want to lose their natural beauty and traditional way of life to sprawl. In fact, 93 percent of Idaho voters want to either slow down, stop, or reverse population growth, while 77 percent think keeping current levels of growth will make the state worse, and 81 percent consider it "very important" to protect farmland from development to feed America. Check out my prescription for preventing the Californication of Idaho.
HIRING LINE (ANDRE BARNES)
European emigrants... no longer go to the soil for their daily bread but flock to the already overcrowded cities and immediately proceed to deprive native [U.S.-born] Americans of employment by offering themselves at cheap prices.
Written word is one of the things that stands the test of time. A skilled writer can create images in the mind of a reader that preserves their lives like a time capsule. NumbersUSA highlighted one of those skilled writers during Black History Month, Mr. John Waller, Jr. He is more than just a Black Leader with insight about mass immigration but a timekeeper. His quote illustrates that the more things change the more they stay the same.

John Waller's words still resonate. At the root of what he experienced and what we are experiencing now are the policies. John Waller spoke about the nostalgia Americans have about immigration and identified that the time for an influx of new Americans had passed. He explains how these increased numbers hurt Americans as they try to climb the economic ladder. As we review his quote, we can look in the mirror at our policies and see that not much has changed. Read more.

NUMBERSUSA IN THE NEWS
NumbersUSA representatives are frequently featured in the media – on radio, TV, podcasts, and in print – providing commentary in support of sensible immigration policies. Check out a few recent highlights.
SoundCloud - John Rush - February 28th - HR3 Don't Want to Pay for Health Care or Groceries? Pretend to Be an Illegal Alien.
Fox News - Gabriel Hays - February 28th - 'Lone Star' filmmaker John Sayles claims he urinated on Trump's border wall in protest
BBC News - Anthony Zurcher - February 28th - What's at stake for Biden and Trump as both visit border
West Virginia Daily News - Lisa Abshire - February 28th - Andrew Good of NumbersUSA Discusses E-Verify in WV
Tony Katz Today - Andrew Langer - February 29th - Tony Katz Today Full Show
Rasmussen Reports - Staff Writer - February 29th - 67% of N.C. Voters Favor Immigration Reduction
US Political Daily - Staff Writer - March 1st - Even the "experts" couldn't believe their eyes when this bombshell report exposed the true extent of the Biden border crisis
KMVT/KSVT News - Layne Rabe - March 1st - House Bill 510 looks to require companies to verify employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S
Tuzara Post Newsletter [Substack] - Ava Grace - March 5th - ACTIVE INVASION: At least 7.3 million illegal immigrants have crossed the southwest border under Dementia Biden
NUMBERS THAT MATTER
ILLEGAL ENTRIES SINCE 2021 GREATER THAN 36 STATES
Biden Administration officials have said that they hope the American people know how serious President Biden is (and was) about fixing this issue (immigration). Watch here.

Yet the numbers suggest a different story.

36 states whose populate is less than the number of illegal entries since 2021
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported that nearly 7.3 million (7,298,486) illegal immigrants have crossed into the U.S. along the southern border since President Biden took office in 2021. (This figure does not even include known "gotaways.") As Fox News reported late last month, that is a population greater than the population of 36 U.S. states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

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