How bad is Obama's mini-amnesty that would cover up to (and maybe more than) 300,000 illegal aliens? Bad enough to win the support of Rep. Luis Gutierrez (see the link).

At a press conference yesterday at the Mexican government-linked Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (see that link too), Gutierrez said (link):

"The President recognizes that too many families and innocent bystanders were getting caught up in his effort to deport serious criminals and he has acted to address that, at least in part... The new policies move us in the right direction by targeting scarce law enforcement resources at criminals and gang-bangers and making our communities safer... Now we have to take the positive actions of the Obama Administration and make sure it translates into actually protecting DREAM Act students and making sure families are not split apart."

He also said (apparently at the same press conference, link):

"All I can tell you is this, that he's made the right decision. Is it everything we asked for? No. Is there more that we believe he can do? Absolutely... This is the Barack Obama that we've been waiting for. And you want to know something, maybe it took him 30 months to show up, but he has shown up, and we're with him."

Millions of Americans are unemployed, and hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens are doing jobs that those unemployed Americans could be doing and with a net financial gain to the U.S. Obama doesn't care: he wants to give work permits to illegal aliens and keep them here in order to increase his political power base. And, of course, Gutierrez doesn't care either, and for the same reason.

But, rest assured, Gutierrez is always thinking of those he actually represents:

"To the community we are saying, 'Be patient and be careful,'" the Congressman said at a press conference in Chicago. "We do not want you to fall victim to false promises and those who would exploit your hopes and fears for profit. We will work hard in the coming days to clarify these new policies and get you correct information."... Next week in Washington, the Congressman is convening senior officials at ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to discuss how the new policy will work and how Congressional offices that work with constituents whose families are facing deportation can ensure that cases are reviewed.

A flyer for a forum Gutierrez will be holding on September 10 to discuss the changes is at gutierrez.house.gov/images/stories/DHS_FORUM_FLYER_EngSpan.pdf

Oddly enough, the English page of the flyer says the forum is for "advocates, attorneys, immigrants, & interested members of the public". The Spanish page just says it's for "community leaders, immigration lawyers, and the immigrant community." Make of that what you will.