U.S. Immigration & Refugee Policy Inconsistent?
PILGRIM: Special interest groups and lobbyists play a powerful role in our politics and society. Now some liberal charities are now being accused of acting against the national interest.</s>DOBBS: The author of a provocative new book says wealthy liberal elites are destroying this country through their power -- their control of powerful tax-exempt foundations. Phil Kent, author of the book, "Foundations of Betrayal: How the Liberal Super-Rich Undermine America." Phil Kent joins me now. Phil, good to have you here.</s>PHIL KENT, AUTHOR, "FOUNDATIONS OF BETRAYAL": Thanks, Lou. Good to be here.</s>DOBBS: This is a subject that I find fascinating and most people are not aware of, the role of foundations, the tax-exempts, in influencing policy and the government.</s>KENT: Absolutely. You've got about 16,000 of these private tax- exempt foundations. You've got $500 billion in assets. And a lot of this, Lou, they're not just benign liberal think tanks that are for big taxes and big government. They are out there actively with an agenda, under the guise of charity, to change America.</s>DOBBS: Under the guise of charity, set up under the tax code 503, 504.</s>KENT: Right.</s>DOBBS: I mean, we've got a number of them. But the idea that these foundations can -- who are the worst offenders, in your opinion?</s>KENT: In my book, I say the Ford Foundation is the most radical, un-American foundation. I'll explain that in a minute. And number two and trying harder is George Soros and his Open Society Institute, absolutely trying to undermine America at every turn.</s>DOBBS: How so? How so?</s>KENT: A couple of quick examples. Both of them give to these radical Islamic charities. Ford Foundation, the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, which supports suicide bombers over in Palestine. That's a recipient of Ford largesse. The same with Soros, funding radical Muslims.</s>DOBBS: Well, the idea that this is going on -- there are also a lot of conservative foundations out there and a lot of super-rich conservatives. Why didn't you mess with them?</s>KENT: You know, it's a good question, but they're not undermining America. They're out there doing their policy discussions, as are a lot of the liberal foundations. These are the most radical, and as the subtitle of my new book indicates, these are the ones that are undermining America, whether it's through a radical open borders agenda, whether it's through a radical green Al Gore type agenda or...</s>DOBBS: How about the ACLU? We've been having a lot of fun here lately with them on a number of issues. What -- how about them? They're supported by a lot of these foundations.</s>KENT: They absolutely are. They're a favorite of all of these foundations, Ford, Rockefeller, Tides.</s>DOBBS: Right. We appreciate you being with us, Phil Kent. The book is "The Foundations of Betrayal." Good luck with it, Phil. Thank you. Fascinating reading, a fascinating subject. Come back. We'll talk more.</s>KENT: Appreciate you.</s>PILGRIM: Special interest groups in this country came together to influence the Senate on its so-called grand compromise on immigration legislation. That legislation would have given amnesty to most of the 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens in this country. But as Christine Romans now reports, the United States currently has no clear policy on who receives amnesty.</s>ROMANS: American asylum, refugee and immigration policy is a patchwork of different rules for different nationalities. This court ruling upholds special exceptions for illegal aliens from El Salvador. A California judge ruling the government violated immigration detention standards and found protections given Salvadorans in 1988 during its civil war still stand. Special conditions for different nationalities is a hallmark of American policy.</s>JAIME SUCHLICKI, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: The immigration policy is fragmented and is inconsistent. It depends on which administration and it depends on which constituency in the United States has a lot of power and a lot of voting power.</s>ROMANS: Migrants from Cuba are allowed to stay in the country under the so-called "wet foot, dry foot" policy, so long as they set foot on dry ground. Caught by the Coast Guard on a boat, and they are sent back. It's one reason why some Cubans are crossing the border with Mexico to gain immediate lawful enjoy. Yet other Central Americans caught crossing the border are repatriated.</s>GARY GERSTLE, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: Complexity is inevitable. I think there are certain crises and disasters in the world that the United States is obligated to respond to more than others.</s>ROMANS: For some nationalities, there is temporary protected status. It means they can work in the U.S. temporarily until conditions improve in their home country. Temporary status for 78,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans who have been here for years has been extended another 18 months. Two hundred thirty-five thousand people from El Salvador are protected from deportation under the same program. Christine Romans, CNN, New York.</s>PILGRIM: Still ahead, the cost of the war in Iraq is soaring. Some estimate it could eventually cost as much as $2 trillion. And presidential adviser Karl Rove is at the center of the battle over executive privilege between the White House and Congress. Three of the best political minds join me for those stories and more.