Alexander Aleinikoff - dean of the Georgetown University law school - has accepted a position with the United Nations as the "deputy high commissioner in the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva". Per his statement (link): "As many of you know, refugee and asylum law has been a central focus of my scholarship and research... The first course I taught at the Law Center was Refugee Law. In taking up the position at UNHCR, I will be joining a UN organization that provides protection or assistance to 34 million people around the world." He served on Obama's immigration...

From this: Even though the Border Patrol now reports that almost 1,300 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border is not under effective control, and the Department of Justice says that vast stretches of the border are “easily breached,” and the Government Accountability Office has revealed that three persons “linked to terrorism” and 530 aliens from “special interest countries” were intercepted at Border Patrol checkpoints last year, the administration is nonetheless now planning to decrease the number of Border Patrol agents deployed on the U.S.-Mexico border... (Border Patrol Director of Media...

As previously discussed, Barack Obama has a magical, deceptive plan to avoid giving healthcare to illegal aliens: give them legal status first. Someone could cross the border illegally one day, obtain easily faked documentation showing they'd been living in the U.S. for years the next, and then get on the path to citizenship - and eligible to receive Obama's largess - the day after that. Most forms of buying votes are more subtle; give Obama credit for boldness. And, he's made his magical plan even more explicit in an interview with Maria Elena Salinas earlier today (video here, transcription...

One hand giveth, the other taketh away (link): The votes aren't there for the Obama administration to achieve its desired immigration reform, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday. "We know the votes aren't there right now," Gibbs said during his daily press briefing about the congressional appetite for a comprehensive immigration reform package that would give illegal residents in the U.S. a path to citizenship. "I think there's a seriousness in an effort, but in understanding that in 2005 and 2006 and even in 2007 there was not a majority yet to do this..." The above follows...

The Obama administration has released the final version of their "Citizen's Briefing Book", the culmination of them soliciting ideas from the citizenry. See the link for the backstory, and you can download a copy from whitehouse.gov/ope.

Change to Win and the AFL CIO recently joined forces to promote comprehensive immigration reform. Now. per this, John McCain says: "The current plan being developed by the administration and organized labor calls for immigration reform that does not adequately address either securing the border or a legal temporary worker program and is a plan I cannot support... We need to act on the pressing issue of border security now, and then seek comprehensive immigration legislation that includes a temporary worker program... Any legislation that does not address these two key components is not real...

In November, the American Civil Liberties Union released "Actions For Restoring America: Transition Recommendations for President‐Elect Barack Obama" (aclu.org/transition) listing things they wanted him to do the first day, within the first 100 days, and within the first year. Several of their proposals would halt immigration enforcement to a great extent, pending "review".