If anyone from a backward and unstable country could be vetted for anti-American hostility, it would have been someone like Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national who allegedly shot two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., the day before Thanksgiving. He had been vetted by the CIA, worked with our military in Afghanistan, and was later approved for asylum alongside his wife and five children.

And still, he turned his gun on the very country that took him in.… Continue Reading

Let’s face it: Republicans are staring at a wipeout in the midterm elections. The economy is battered, GOP leadership looks unfocused, and swing voters show signs of fatigue with the endless drama surrounding Trump. The trend lines point in one direction.

But another truth sits alongside it: Republican voters still want a reason to show up. The base will not match the left’s turnout intensity unless the party gives them a fight worth having.… Continue Reading

How should we view immigration from a biblical perspective?

Dr. Shando Valdez, a political consultant, clergy organizer, and senior pastor at New Jerusalem Baptist church in Chicago, answers this very question in this week’s Spotlight episode.

“[Jesus] understood that countries have laws, that countries have borders.”

This is an episode you will not want to miss.

Listen to “A Biblical Perspective on Immigration” anywhere you find podcasts or click the link!… Continue Reading

The threat of non-citizens voting is real. It’s time to restore confidence in U.S. elections. Congress must pass the ‘SAVE’ Act which stands for the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility’ Act.

If 6.4 percent of all noncitizens were to vote in the 2024 general election (which is the same rate as noncitizen voting found in the 2014 study) more than two million noncitizens (2,028,800) would end up casting a ballot.

If that same percent of the 5.1 million noncitizens who arrived in the U.S.… Continue Reading

There is good reason for Americans to be concerned about individuals from Afghanistan coming across our southern border.

When Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, testified in the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on March 7 he issued a warning about ISIS-K, a terrorist group based in Afghanistan.

“[V]arious groups in the Central Region retain the capability and will to target U.S. interests abroad in under six months with little to no warning,” Kurilla said in a written statement to the committee.

The first segment of this episode of Spotlight features remarks made by IFI’s Executive Director David Smith at the annual banquet. The second segment features a Q & A time with Eric Metaxas. You will love how he answers some pressing questions from notable Illinois pastors.

Though our present situation in Illinois celebrates radical abortion policies, an “untenable” immigration crisis, foolish gender confusion and sex-education in our government schools, Dave has encouraging words for his audience:

“Be encouraged.

At a recent Three Headed Eagle Alliance event called “Pints and Politics,” Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur), a member of the Illinois Freedom Caucus stated: “No non-citizen American should ever be in a position to arrest an American citizen in America.”

This seems like an obvious statement, but Caulkins was responding to the recent passing of HB 3751, which amends the Illinois Municipal Code by adding the following:

An individual who is not a citizen but is legally authorized to work in the U.S.

Can the incompetence of the Biden Administration be any clearer than the alarming humanitarian situation we have on the southern border with Mexico?

Some estimates show thousands upon thousands of immigrants steaming across the border every day. Recent reports claim that those numbers are even higher than that.

A robust, well-regulated immigration policy is not only a benefit to our nation but a legacy we ought to continue into the future.… Continue Reading

I used to chalk up liberal policy failures to good intentions gone awry.

Having embraced liberalism in college, I thought it was the best way to help poor people. But as evidence mounted that it hurt them, I had to reassess. Many people also do that after taxes shred their paychecks, especially if they marry and have children.

This is one reason Democrats have been reflexively hostile to marriage, using the courts to redefine it.… Continue Reading

No matter how mentally diminished President Joe Biden is, you have to be horrified by who waits in the wings should he leave office before the expiration of his term.

Unfortunately, one of the many consequences of Biden’s mental decline is an impairment of judgment that manifests itself in such reckless decisions as putting Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of the border. It is like making a colicky infant the goalie of a professional hockey team.… Continue Reading

President Biden’s first formal press conference is in the books, and it was deeply embarrassing to anyone who thinks the media’s job is to hold presidents accountable.

Taxpayer-enabled PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor was the worst. She complimented the president, saying: “You’ve said over and over again that immigrants shouldn’t come to this country right now; this isn’t the time to come. That message is not being received. Instead, the perception of you that got you elected as a moral, decent man is the reason why a lot of immigrants are coming to this country and are trusting you with unaccompanied minors.”… Continue Reading

Bernie Sanders may have missed his chance to finally head the Democratic ticket, but he still holds considerable clout, which is why Joe Biden was busy wooing the Vermont socialist’s supporters this past week. “Senator Sanders and I may disagree on tactics,” he said. “But we share a common vision.”

That’s good to keep in mind as the media try to cover up Mr. Biden’s recent leftward lurches and convert him into a “moderate” to seem less scary in November.… Continue Reading

It’s not clear if President Donald Trump can win the legal battle to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census, but he’s already won in the court of public opinion.

A ScottRasmussen.com poll found that 73 percent of voters nationwide believe it is appropriate for the U.S. Census Bureau to ask residents whether they are citizens of the United States.

Just because a question might be considered appropriate doesn’t mean it should necessarily be asked.… Continue Reading

This is not our first partial government shutdown. Somehow, someway, from 1976 through 2017, the nation has survived 18 shutdowns, the longest lasting 21 days. In this case, President Donald Trump insists that the next budget deal contain $5 billion to construct a wall on part of our southern border with Mexico.

Trump, say the Democrats, is “unwilling to compromise.” But when he asks for only $5 billion for a project with a U.S.… Continue Reading

In just the week since Part I of this two-part series was published, we’ve learned from a new study that the number of foreigners illegally living in the United States is twice as high as the conventionally accepted level of 11.3 million (and could be as high as 29.1 million, as suggested earlier); that Democrats intend to pressure President Donald Trump to raise the refugee resettlement number to 110,000 refugees a year (five times the number of foreign refugees taken in 2018); and that the Border Patrol found nearly 200 illegal aliens from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador wandering in the Arizona desert—the third such finding in the last month.… Continue Reading

All things in life, even good things, have a limit to their utility and a point at which they become liabilities. Think of tasty spices in a dish or other ingredients in a melting pot. Quantities count, particularly over a specific period of time. Immigration is no different.

Recent Census data released from the 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) shows that immigration has grown to shocking, wholly unprecedented levels. Is it too much to ask that we engage in a mature policy discussion after five decades of record immigration with no end in sight?… Continue Reading

Republicans are bleeding their traditional suburban voters at a quick pace. They are without a narrative and nearly out of time to make a difference for this election. When they return from summer recess, they have one final opportunity to either make a big play on the top issue on voter’s minds. Or they could simply monkey it up by running out the clock while they are losing.

According to recent polls, immigration is the top concern of voters.… Continue Reading

In recent years we’ve seen Democrat-run states and cities move to protect illegal immigrants from federal immigration officials. Yes, you read that correctly.  It is a classic state law versus federal law conundrum costing the lives and quality of life of legal citizens.

California has declared itself a “sanctuary state” meaning that you can cross the American border illegally and be protected from consequences in their state. New York and other states have passed similar measures.… Continue Reading

It’s quite simple: Some political relatives are more equal than others.

Agenda-driven journalists love to exploit familial dysfunction when a prominent politician is conservative and his or her kinfolk espouse liberal views. When a vengeful offspring, sibling, cousin or distant relation wants to wreak havoc, instant fame and adoration are just a tweet or call away. The media schadenfreude over such bloody bloodline battles is thicker than California wildfire smoke.

By contrast, relatives who openly challenge powerful Democrats are dismissed as gadflies and publicity hounds.… Continue Reading

If you say you’re for open borders, you’re not.  Not completely.

Do you have locks on your doors?  How about on your car?  Got a fence so your kids can play safely?  Do you have passwords on your computers?  How about your bank accounts? Do you protect your credit card numbers?  Your social security number?  How about your medical records?  Do you think curbs, guardrails, and traffic lines are a good idea, or should people be able to drive anywhere and any way they want? … Continue Reading

Leftists have a long history of exploiting children to advance the left’s political agenda.  The most recent case is the left’s screeching about the fact that when illegals are arrested for trying to sneak into the country, their children are separated from them.

We know that leftists don’t really care about this because it happened under Barack Obama, and they said nothing.  It even happened under George W. Bush, and they didn’t complain about it then, either, even though they hated Bush.… Continue Reading

With the recent surge at the border, our national security is in grave danger. Because of judicial amnesty and catch-and-release, there is nothing to deter gang members, Middle Eastern terrorists, and drug runners from crossing the border, asserting a credible fear of persecution, and then disappearing indefinitely into our population as they “await” an asylum hearing. This was an egregious act of stolen sovereignty by the Obama administration, and despite the rhetoric to the contrary, Trump’s DHS has not fundamentally changed course.… Continue Reading

If one district judge demands that a president take a given course of action and another district judge prohibits the president from making such a move, what’s a president to do? He should ignore the judiciary, of course, and only take executive action pursuant to the law and the U.S. Constitution as he sees it.

When leftist organizations forum-shop their political issues to liberal judicial districts, seeking a phantom nationwide veto on a law or executive policy, they are not always guaranteed they will get a likeminded judge drawn by random selection.… Continue Reading

Written by Daniel Horowitz

Anyone who has worked in immigration policy or has spoken to ranchers and border agents over the years knows that Middle Eastern jihadists have been infiltrating our southern border for quite some time. It wasn’t until today, however, that an intelligence report vouching for this reality was leaked from the U.S. Military’s Southern Command.

The Washington Free Beacon’s Bill Gertz got wind of the intelligence report and solicited an on-the-record comment from a spokesperson for Southern Command:

Written by Billy Davis and Steve Jordahl

A variety of advocates for conservative causes are watching closely as the Republican Party completes a draft of its official party platform.

Platform committee members met Monday and Tuesday in Cleveland to finalize the party’s stance on immigration, military readiness, and other issues that will be put before convention delegates for a final vote.

Many of the debated topics were hot-button social issues, including abortion and traditional marriage.

“Emerging Republican platform goes far to the right,” a headline at the reliably liberal New York Times declared earlier this week.… Continue Reading

Written by Walter Williams

German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that multiculturalism has “utterly failed,” adding that it was an illusion to think Germans and foreign workers could “live happily side by side.” The failure of multiculturalism is also seen in Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and other European countries. Immigrants coming from Africa and the Middle East refuse to assimilate and instead seek to import the failed cultures they fled.

Leftist diversity advocates and multiculturalists are right to argue that people of all races, religions and cultures should be equal in the eyes of the law.… Continue Reading

Written by Michael Medved

Donald Trump supports the idea that immigration and customs officials should ask any migrants or visitors to our country whether they’re Muslim, and if they are Muslims, they should be denied entry.

Why would this make us safer against potential terrorists?

If an extremist plans to perpetrate violence against America and Americans, he (or she) would certainly be willing to lie about his religious affiliation. As former anti-terror prosecutor Andrew McCarthy makes clear, the only people who’d be hurt by asking Muslims to identify themselves, or to register with the government based on their religious faith, would be law-abiding Muslims.… Continue Reading

Written by William Sullivan

We all know the famous Republican Jeb! (as his campaign seems eager to avoid use of his last name and believes an exclamation point will get people excited about him, I’ll indulge that wish) who is now an immediate heavyweight in the Republican primary after his long-expected announcement for president.

But don’t let the R that often makes its way in front of his name fool you.  Jeb! loves lots of things that Democrats and big government progressives love.… Continue Reading

Written by Aaron Goldstein

Yesterday officially marked the entry of Jeb Bush into the 2016 Republican presidential race. Although the former Florida governor has instant name recognition and vast resources, they will not be enough for Republicans to pick him as their nominee for the White House. I believe this to be so for the following five reasons.

1. Illegal Immigration is Act of Love

At a town hall meeting in April 2014, Bush told Shannon Beam of the Fox News Channel the following about illegal immigration, “Yes, they broke the law, but it’s not a felony.… Continue Reading

What the president means when he says America is an idea, not a bloodline

Written by Ira Straus

President Obama told us this week that we must legalize millions of illegal aliens because America is “a creed, an idea” — and is not what he calls “a bloodline.” The latter is an ugly term, hinting at Nazi-style racism, but what it caricatures is a more accurate view: that America is a concrete country with a concrete citizenry that has concrete habits, institutions, and mutual relations and obligations.… Continue Reading