U.S. Embassy Releases Video Taking Tough Immigration Stance…On Jews!

Illegal immigration is a hot topic in this country. And even though there are many in the Obama administration who refuse to recognize the need for a tough stance on it, there are those who see a need to address it. Officials at one U.S. embassy abroad seem to be catching on and joining the latter crowd.

NRO's Mark Krikorian explains:

One of our embassies has released a well-produced video warning the locals not to try to work illegally in the United States. It includes testimonials from people who got burned by unscrupulous employers and by their own greed and stupidity. It also features an agent from the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security warning, in a friendly but unequivocal way, of the dire consequences facing those who try to game immigration and visa laws, including a lifetime bar from visiting the U.S.

That's right, the administration is finally cracking down and warning violators of the consequences (while also trying to protect them). Where's this embassy, you wonder. Get ready for it: Israel.

Yes, the U.S. embassy in Israel released a video just three weeks ago warning Jewish residents to mind their immigration manners before they try anything shady regarding work and business visas:

Krikorian asks some important questions in his response to the video:

Now, don’t get me wrong — the consular staff who made this video deserve an award for their imagination and zeal in defending our country’s interests. All those violating our immigration laws must be punished. But why isn’t this kind of campaign being mounted systematically at all consulates where the locals may consider coming here illegally? (Though it also would be nice to actually, you know, enforce the law, so our warnings aren’t dismissed.) Do you think the nonimmigrant visa section in Juarez would be allowed to produce something this threatening to warn against abuse of Border Crossing Card visas? Of course not — but since Israelis are white and have Zionist cooties, the Obama administration’s appointees apparently decided to permit our consular professionals to actually do their jobs in this instance.

As long as Krikorian brought it up, let's look at how the U.S. embassy in Mexico is dealing with illegal immigration.

How about a press release from Monday detailing the United States' annual (and voluntary) deportation program aimed at protecting illegal immigrants from the heat:

MEXICO CITY, July 11, 2011— As part of their ongoing commitment to safeguarding the health, dignity, and well-being of undocumented migrants during the repatriation process, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Government of Mexico today reinitiated the seasonal Mexican Interior Repatriation Program (MIRP).  The first flight departed Tucson, AZ this morning en route to Mexico City, with undocumented returnees on board. Once in Mexico City, the passengers are met by representatives of Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM), who will assist them in returning to their homes in the interior of Mexico.  Participation in interior repatriation is voluntary, and is intended to protect Mexican nationals from high temperatures and dangerous conditions near the border during the height of the summer season.

The program is costly, says U.S. embassy representative John Feeley, but that shouldn't matter: "[W]e are committed to providing these undocumented migrants with a safe and humane return to Mexico, even at significant cost to the U.S. taxpayer.  The simple fact is, this humanitarian program saves Mexican lives.”

Looking for tough immigration talk? You likely won't find it on the front page of the website for the American embassy in Mexico. It's riddled with posts about kids taking English classes, a border-crossing partnership, and even a congratulations-to-Mexico story.

A video on its YouTube channel even shows young Mexicans dressing up as founding fathers:

Isn't that nice.

So one could probably expect a lot of cooperative language to permeate the front page of the American embassy page located in Tel Aviv, right? Yes. And there is such language. But there's also this curious post located just four stories down under "embassy news:"

Click on that and it leads you to a link to a story detailing the "2010 Human Rights Report: Israel and the occupied territories." What does that report find?

Principal human rights problems were institutional, legal, and societal discrimination against Arab citizens, Palestinian residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (see annex), non-Orthodox Jews, and other religious groups; societal discrimination against persons with disabilities; and societal discrimination and domestic violence against women, particularly in Bedouin society. While trafficking in persons for the purpose of prostitution decreased in recent years, trafficking for the purpose of labor remained a serious problem, as did abuse of foreign workers and societal discrimination and incitement against asylum seekers.

Ouch.

For years, the Obama administration has refused to recognize illegal immigration from Mexico as a problem (even despite evidence that jihadists are using America's porous southern border). Now it's talking tough on Jewish immigrants. Makes you wonder who the administration thinks is the real problem.

(You can read all of Krikorian's thoughts here.)