1. Obama still committed
2. DREAM Act added to bill
3. Reid fights back
4. Drop in VA illegal pop.
5. VA Co. chairman challenged

1.
Obama still committed to 'comprehensive immigration reform'
USA Today, September 17, 2010

President Obama has repeated his commitment to "comprehensive immigration reform," which combines tougher border protection with a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the United States.

"This reform must provide lasting and dedicated resources for border security, while also requiring accountability from both individuals in the U.S. illegally and unscrupulous employers who game the system for their own economic advantage," the White House said in a statement on Obama's meeting yesterday with Hispanic lawmakers.

The problem is that many Republicans and a few Democrats regard a path to citizenship as amnesty for lawbreakers, and there are congressional elections coming up in less than 50 days. Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he is hearing no talk about immigration legislation before the Nov. 2 elections.

The White House said that, in the meeting with Obama, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., "discussed the comprehensive immigration reform bill that he plans to introduce in the coming weeks. The President told Senator Menendez that he looks forward to reviewing the bill, noting that he strongly supported the proposal that Senate Democrats outlined earlier this year."

One item that is on the agenda: The DREAM Act, which would enable children of illegal immigrants to earn citizenship by completing higher education or military service.
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Attaching the DREAM Act to a defense bill "may cause even some supporters to vote against it," said Stewart, the McConnell spokesman. "This is a political vote, not a real attempt to move it."
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http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/09/obama-still...

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2.
McCain rips defense bill amendments
By Seth McLaughlin
The Washington Times, September 16, 2010

Sen. John McCain on Thursday sharply criticized Democratic leaders for trying to piggyback policies regarding gays in the military and illegal immigrants onto a defense bill that authorizes spending for national security programs.

The Arizona Republican called Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's push to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and to grant citizenship to some children of illegal immigrants "a transparent attempt to win an election" and to ram through the "social agenda of the liberal left."

"This is turning legislation related to our national defense and military preparedness into a vehicle to force a partisan agenda through the Senate," he said. "What's worse, the majority leader is pushing this controversial agenda under the cover of supporting our troops, knowing that the National Defense Authorization Act is a must-pass bill, and whatever else is in it will inevitably become law as a result."

Mr. Reid, Nevada Democrat, has come under fire from Republicans since he rolled out plans this week to add amendments to the defense authorization bill to end the military policy that bars openly gay men and women from serving in the military, and to embrace the so-called Dream Act, a plan that creates a path to citizenship for some children of illegal immigrants.

On Thursday, Mr. Reid defended his plan by saying, "Sen. McCain should know better than anyone that patriots who step up to serve our grateful nation should be offered a path to citizenship, and that anyone who volunteers to serve should be welcomed regardless of their sexual orientation."

Mr. Reid also indicated that the Senate will consider the bill next week and called on Mr. McCain and his fellow Republicans to drop threats to block the bill.

"I hope that he will do the right thing and support this bill that not only funds critical support for our troops like weapons upgrades and pay raises, but also ensures that our military reflects our nation's values," he said.

The battles over gays in the military and illegal immigrants have heated up since 2008 elections, when Democrats won control of the White House and Congress with promises to change the military law and enact comprehensive immigration reform.

The debate over the 16-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" law moved to the forefront in February after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for an end to the policy.

Illegal immigration started to dominate the political world again in April after Arizona enacted a law that aggressively targeted illegal immigrants living and working in the state.

A federal judge's ruling that blocked the most controversial parts of the law has done little to cool the debate over how to fix the immigration system.

Under Mr. Reid's Dream Act, those who migrate to the U.S. before age 16 and who have been in the country for five years would be able get their resident green cards after they go to college or serve in the military.

About 1 1/2 months before an election that will decide whether Democrats continue to control Capitol Hill, it is clear that Mr. Reid and other lawmakers are eager to move the conversation away from the economy and toward issues that could boost their electoral prospects and attract powerful voting blocs, including military families, "tea party" members and Hispanics.

"Unfortunately, the Democrats' whole game plan over the past year and a half and through today is to tick as many items as possible off their liberal wish list while they have a chance," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said Thursday. "Well, the American people think our friends on the other side should have spent a little more time worrying about 10 percent unemployment than on legislative sideshows."
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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/16/mccain-rips-defense-bill...

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3.
The Nevada dogfight: Reid blasts Angle as "crazy"
By Greg Sargent
The Washington Post, September 16, 2010

This new ad from Harry Reid, hitting back at an earlier spot from Sharron Angle blasting him over immigration, is the clearest indication yet of what a brutal dogfight the Nevada Senate race has become:

Reid's ad is a response to the Angle spot earlier this week that declared Reid "the best friend an illegal alien ever had."

Reid has come out in support of immigration reform, part of an effort to boost the Latino turnout that will be critical to his chances, but the Reid camp's swift response to the Angle spot illustrates how lethal the politics of illegal immigration remain.
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http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/09/the_nevada_dogfight_r...

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4.
Drop in Illegal Immigration in Va. Due in Part to County Law Against Illegal Immigration, Demographer Says
By Edwin Mora
CNS News, September 17, 2010

An ordinance against illegal immigration in Virginia’s Prince William County is partly responsible for the decline in that state’s illegal immigrant population, according to a senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center, as reported in The Washington Post.

Demographer Jeffrey Passel co-wrote the Sept. 1 Pew Hispanic Center report, U.S. Unauthorized Immigration Flows Are Down Sharply Since Mid-Decade. The report shows that in Virginia the number of “unauthorized immigrants” in Virginia declined substantially between March 2008 and March 2009.

Although the Pew report does not explain why the decline took place, on the day the study was released, The Washington Post reported the following: “The number [of illegals] in Virginia fell by 65,000 to 240,000, a decline that Jeffrey Passel, author of the report, attributed to the economy as well as to stricter legislation passed in Prince William County in 2007 and 2008.”

CNSNews.com made numerous attempts to interview Passel, but he did not respond before this story was posted.

The Prince William County ordinance, dated July 10, 2007, says the following: “Incident to any lawful detention for a violation of state law or county ordinance, Prince William County Police Officers shall inquire into the citizenship or immigration status of the detained person if there is probable cause to believe such a person is in violation of federal immigration law and when such inquiry will not expand the duration of the detention.”

Corey Stewart (R-At Large), chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, agreed with Passel that Prince William’s policy contributed to the decline in illegal immigrants in Virginia.

“There is no question in my mind that the policy that we adopted in 2007 cracking down on illegal immigration had a dramatic effect on reducing the number of illegal aliens, not just in Prince William County but the commonwealth of Virginia,” Stewart, who championed Prince William’s anti-illegal immigration law, told CNSNews.com.

Mark Krikorian, director at the Center for Immigration Studies, said, “It certainly seems plausible” that the plunge in Virginia’s illegal immigrant population was affected by Prince William’s policy because enforcement has played a role in reducing the nationwide numbers.

According to Stewart, Prince William’s standing policy served as a “model” for Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer’s anti-illegal immigration law, key parts of which were blocked by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton on July 28.

“In many ways, the Prince William County policy was the model for what Arizona did earlier this year,” Stewart told CNSNew.com. “It required police officers to check immigration status incident to a lawful arrest, and we know that the same persons who drafted the Prince William County policy drafted the Arizona law as well.”

Stewart thinks that because Prince William County’s policy passed judicial scrutiny in November 2007, the Arizona law will be upheld.

“There was a lawsuit filed by the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union] against Prince William County in 2007 that was dismissed by a federal district court judge in November of 2007 who found that our law was legal on its face,” said Stewart, “which leads me to believe that ultimately Arizona’s law will be upheld as well.”

Since the policy was enacted in 2007, Stewart said there have been no “substantiated” complaints against police officers who enforce his county’s anti-illegal immigration law.
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http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/75412

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5.
Corey Stewart has second challenger for Prince William board seat
By Jennifer Buske
The Washington Post, September 17, 2010

Another Prince William County resident has stepped up to challenge Board Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R) in the 2011 elections.

Gainesville resident Gary C. Friedman, chairman of the county planning commission, will contend for a spot on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors for the fourth time.

Friedman, 59, was defeated in the race for the Gainesville district seat in 1999 and 2003. In 2006, he lost to fellow Democrat Sharon Pandak, who then lost in a special election to Stewart.

"The county is ready for new political leadership and I think I can provide that," Friedman said.
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Friedman will face not only Stewart, but Independent John Gray who filed an application with the Virginia State Board of Elections in June to vie for the chairman's seat. Gray said he decided to run after Stewart announced his plan to lobby for new legislation that would crack down on illegal immigration in Virginia. Gray said Stewart was no longer focused on county issues.

Friedman somewhat echoed Gray's concern.

"I look at what I can do to make things work better in Prince William County," Friedman said. "I do not look at Prince William as a springboard for other offices. ... I think that makes me different."
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http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/09/prince_william...