Yet again, the Republican candidates can’t get their rhetoric to match reality. They attacked President Obama’s record on border security, but his record is clear. President Obama is committed to fixing our broken immigration system and working to pass comprehensive immigration reform. He has dedicated unprecedented resources to securing our Southwest border as well as implemented a smart and effective approach to enforcing immigration laws in the interior of our country.

REALITY: PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS MADE BORDER SECURITY A PRIORITY

The Number Of Agents On The U.S.-Mexico Border Has Increased By 14% Since September 2008, Four Months Before President Obama Took Office. [PolitiFact.com, 5/10/11]

The Obama Administration Has Increased Seizures Of Illegal Currency, Firearms, And Drugs Crossing The U.S.-Mexico Border Compared To 2008. [The White House, 8/13/10]

REALITY: PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ADMINISTRATION POLICY REVIEWS DEPORTATIONS ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS IN AN EFFORT TO PRIORITIZE THE DEPORTATION OF IMMIGRANTS WHO POSE A DANGER TO SOCIETY

Secretary Napolitano: New Administration Policy “Will Not Provide Categorical Relief For Any Group” Or Substitute Immigration Reform Efforts. “The new policy ‘will not provide categorical relief for any group’ and ‘will not alleviate the need for passage of the Dream Act or for larger reforms to our immigration laws,’ Ms. Napolitano said.” [New York Times, 8/19/11]

The Obama Administration’s Policy Focuses Deportation Efforts On Serious Criminals And Flagrant Immigration Law Violators, Rather Than On Those Who Pose No Threat To National Security Or Public Safety. “The Obama administration announced Thursday that it would suspend deportation proceedings against many illegal immigrants who pose no threat to national security or public safety… White House and immigration officials said they would exercise ‘prosecutorial discretion’ to focus enforcement efforts on cases involving criminals and people who have flagrantly violated immigration laws.” [New York Times, 8/19/11]

Administration Policy Would Benefit Immigrants Stopped For Traffic Violations Or Those Who Have Overstayed Their Visas. “Stephen W. Yale-Loehr, who teaches immigration law at Cornell, said the new policy could also benefit ‘illegal immigrants who were stopped for traffic violations and thrown into deportation proceedings, as well as people whose only violation of immigration law is that they stayed beyond the expiration of their visas or worked here illegally.’ Ms. Napolitano said her agency and the Justice Department would do the case-by-case review of all people in deportation proceedings.” [New York Times, 8/19/11]

Adam Serwer: President Obama’s Immigration Plan “Is Not Amnesty.” “Nevertheless, Republicans have ignored this reality, instead accusing the administration for months of implementing a ‘stealth DREAM Act’ through its enforcement priorities. Republicans are likely to revive these accusations given that the administration now says it will allow some ‘low-priority’ undocumented immigrants in the system to apply for work permits. But make no mistake: No matter what conservatives say to the contrary, this is a temporary solution. It is not ‘amnesty’ in that it does not grant a path to citizenship — it merely offers temporary relief to a select few.” [Washington Post’s The Plum Line, 8/19/11]

President Of The National Hispanic Leadership Conference: “This Is Not, As Some Have Labeled It, Backdoor Amnesty.” “Tea party members have called the new Obama administration directive amnesty. [President of the National Hispanic Leadership Conference, Rev. Sam] Rodriguez, who said he does not support the idea of amnesty, disagrees. ‘This is not, as some have labeled it, backdoor amnesty," he said.” [Deseret News, 8/23/11]

REALITY: PRESIDENT OBAMA’S IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT POLICIES PRIORITIZE REMOVAL OF CRIMINALS, CRACKS DOWN ON EMPLOYERS OF UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS

Under The Obama Administration, Deportations Of Immigrants With Criminal Records Are Up 70%. [DHS, 10/6/10]

The Obama Administration Deported A Record Number Of Undocumented Immigrants Between October 2009 And September 2010. “The Obama administration deported a record number of illegal immigrants in the 2010 fiscal year, according to figures released Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Of the 392,862 deportations from October 2009 through September of this year, about half were illegal immigrants with criminal records. The total was about 3,000 more deportations than the record set in the previous year.” [Los Angeles Times, 10/6/10]

The Obama Administration Has Emphasized Employer Audits Over Workplace Raids. “The Obama administration has made cracking down on employers a key part of its immigration enforcement policy, emphasizing employer audits more than the high-profile workplace raids done during the Bush administration.” [Associated Press, 6/15/11]

• The Obama Administration Conducted Employer Audits Of More Than 2,300 Companies In Fiscal Year 2011. [Associated Press, 6/15/11]

• In 2010, The Obama Administration Conducted Employer Audits Of 2,196 Businesses. [New York Times, 7/14/11]

REALITY: PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS REPEATEDLY AFFIRMED HIS COMMITMENT TO ACHIEVING COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM AND EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE MEMBERS AND ENTREPRENEURS

President Obama Is Committed To Working With Congress To Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform.  President Obama said, “What we really need to do is to keep up the fight to pass genuine, comprehensive reform.  That is the ultimate solution to this problem.  That's what I’m committed to doing… So we’re going to keep fighting for the DREAM Act. We’re going to keep up the fight for reform.”  [Remarks by the President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform in El Paso, Texas, 5/10/11]

President Obama Has Reaffirmed His Commitment To Providing A Pathway To Citizenship For Undocumented Immigrants. [Miami Herald, 7/25/11]

The Obama Administration Launched An Online Service That Allows Workers To Check Their Eligibility Status And Correct Inaccuracies. [UPI, 3/21/11]

In 2010, The Obama Administration Naturalized 11,146 Members Of The Armed Forces, The Largest Number Since 1955. [Testimony of Secretary Janet Napolitano Before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 3/9/11]

The Obama Administration’s Proposed Changes To H1-B Visas Would Establish Advanced Registration For Employers And Save Businesses $23 Million Over Ten Years. [USCIS, 3/2/11]

• USCIS Is Providing $8.5 Million In Grants For Citizenship Preparation Services And Immigrant Integration Initiatives. [USCIS, 1/20/11]

The Obama Administration Launched A Series Of Roundtables Aimed At Engaging Community Leaders And Elevating The Immigration Debate; As Of May 10, Thirty Meetings Had Taken Place. [The White House, 5/10/11]

REALITY: THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION HAS WORKED TO REDUCE THE IMMIGRATION CASE BACKLOG BY HIRING A RECORD NUMBER Of IMMIGRATION LAWYERS

The Obama Administration Has Hired Immigration Judges At “A Record-Breaking Pace.” [TRAC Syracuse, 6/7/11]

• The Immigration Judge Corps Reached Its Record High Of 272 Judges In December 2010 Thanks To A Hiring Initiative By The Obama Administration. [Testimony of Juan P. Osuna, Acting Director Executive Office for Immigration Review before the Committee on the Judiciary, 5/18/11]