Cite as "AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 12120666 (posted May. 20, 2013)"
May 17, 2013
As the Senate continues to plug away, the House simply refuses to get left behind. Although reports earlier this week seemed to signal that the House bipartisan Gang of Eight was on the verge of collapse, The Hill reports today that the eight Representatives have reached an agreement. The eight members, Democrats Luis Gutierrez (IL), Zoe Lofgren (CA), John Yarmuth (KY) and Xavier Becerra (CA) and Republicans Raul Labrador (ID), John Carter (TX), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL) and Sam Johnson (TX), emerged from a late meeting last night and reported that they had reached an "agreement in principle."
Although the specifics of the deal haven't been made public, the bill will certainly be more conservative that the Senate bill currently being debated, including some reports of a 15 year road to citizenship.
In advance of Monday's Judiciary Committee markup, AILA has compiled our recommendations on a number of select amendments in Title II and Title III. (AILA Doc. No. 13051447, AILA Doc. No. 13051551.) The Washington Post has compiled a summary of all 48 amendments passed so far and a description of their impact.
The Center for American Progress has issued a brief calculating the economic benefits of legalization for the 24 states where 88% of the undocumented immigrant population resides. For example, they note that in "Arizona the 10-year cumulative increase in GSP will be $23.1 billion, the increase in the earnings of state residents will be $15.3 billion, and immigration reform will create an average of an additional 3,400 jobs annually."
May 16, 2013
Today marked Day 3 of the Senate Judiciary Committee markup on S. 744. (AILA Doc. No. 13051641.) Although Sen. Leahy (D-VT), chairman of the committee, had made a lot of threats earlier this week of extending markup days to tomorrow and Saturday, in reality the committee finished their work on Title IV and the E-Verify section of Title III in record time. This mean that the committee won't be reconvening until Monday, May 20th, at 10:00am to continue with the other sections of Title III (and then moving on to Title II, legalization and the legal immigration system, before the end of next week). The only exception will be a return to Title IV to vote on a potential deal between Sen. Hatch (R-UT) and members of the "Gang of Eight" on several of his amendments to the H-1B program.
In today's markup the committee passed 11 of the 15 amendments debated. Over half of the amendments on the E-Verify provisions were offered by Senator Grassley (R-IA), including delaying the preemption of State and local laws until E-Verify is nationally mandated, requiring an 18 month implementation deadline for businesses to implement E-Verify nationally, and protecting children from identity theft. However, one of the most contentious Grassley amendments came on the second to last vote of the day. Amendment Grassley 34, which would make document fraud (knowingly transferring, possessing, or using, without lawful authority, a means of identification that is not their own) a crime punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment if such offense is committed to facilitate or assist in harboring or hiring unauthorized workers, turned out to be the only party line vote of the day, failing 8-10. (AILA Doc. No. 13051641.)
AILA has compiled a chart listing all the amendments offered during the 3rd day of mark-up, the statement of purpose and the result of the vote in committee. (AILA Doc. No. 13051641.) Also, check out this AILA Immigration Quicktake featuring AILA President-Elect Doug Stump discussing today's events.
Sen. Rubio (R-FL) a member of the "Gang of Eight" that crafted the Senate immigration reform bill might not get a vote as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that's currently debating the bill, but he has been making his opinions heard loud and clear in other ways. Now he's getting some pushback, never more apparent than in his outspoken support for Sessions amendment #4, debated in committee last Tuesday. The amendment would require the use of a biometric entry and exit data system at ports of entry before the Secretary of Homeland Security may adjust the status of aliens who have been granted registered provisional immigrant status. (AILA Doc. No. 13051446.) The amendment was defeated on a 6-12 vote with the two Republican "Gang of Eight" members of the Committee joining all ten Democrats to defeat it as it went to a core provision of the bill. Politico reports that "two 'Gang of Eight' sources characterized Rubio's support for the Sessions amendment as a 'mistake.'"
Two House Republicans, John Carter (TX) and Raul Labrador (ID) from the beleaguered House "Gang of Eight" have officially announced that "the time for negotiations is over. 'Tomorrow night, as far as I'm concerned, is the last night I'm gonna meet,' Carter said. Labrador, a key conservative in the group, agreed. 'I think it's time for us to move ahead with a Republican plan if nothing happens tomorrow," Labrador said. He characterized such a plan as "conservative immigration reform.'"
Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) penned an Op-ed for Roll Call on "The Importance of Family Immigration." He states: "I am concerned, however, that eliminating the ability of U.S. citizens to sponsor their brothers, sisters and married adult children for legal permanent residence will be disproportionately detrimental to AAPI families."
May 15, 2013
Last night BuzzFeed hosted an Immigration Summit featuring Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Luis G. Fortuno, former Republican governor of Puerto Rico, Mario Lopez, President of the Hispanic Leadership Fund and Alex Nowrasteh, Immigration Policy Analyst and the Cato Insitute, among others.
The House, not wanting to be left behind, has scheduled hearing for the two individual pieces of legislation (H.R. 1772 and H.R. 1773) for tomorrow. (AILA Doc. No. 13050809, AILA Doc. No. 13042953.) This comes as Politico reports that the secret House Gang of Eight comprehensive, compromise bill, may never come into fruition. Some of the most ardent anti-immigration reform members of the House had a press conference yesterday to drive this point home. Rep. Steve King (R-IA) was joined by Reps. Mo Brooks (R-AL), John Fleming (R-LA), Louis Gohmert (R-TX), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and Steve Stockman (R-TX) in expressing their deep seated opposition to the Senate bipartisan bill.
Senator Leahy (D-VT), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released his recap of the 2nd day of markup on S. 744.
May 14, 2013
The second day of the Senate Judiciary Committee mark-up focused mainly on high-skilled immigration. 15 amendments were passed with majority support, out of the 25 total votes taken. (AILA Doc. No. 13051446.) All but one of the amendments that passed did so with broad bipartisan support on voice votes. AILA has compiled a chart listing all the amendments offered during the 2nd day of mark-up, the statement of purpose and the result of the vote in committee. (AILA Doc. No. 13051446.)
The "Gang of Eight" continued to stay committed to the core provisions of the bill, with the two Republican Committee members of the "Gang of Eight" (Senators Flake (AZ) and Graham (SC)) joining all ten Democrats to vote no on two amendments offered by Senator Sessions that tie certain provisions of the bill to the successful implementation of a biometric entry/exit system (#4 and #6). (AILA Doc. No. 13051446.) Not everyone is happy about the "Gang of Eight's" decision to "band together and defeat changes that could prove fatal to the overall bill."
Negotiations are still currently ongoing between Senator Hatch and the Gang of Eight to include some of his amendments (#10-17) in the final version of the bill. In other amendment news: three of Senator Grassley's eight offered amendments were passed (all with voice votes). These will: require additional information in internet job postings for nonimmigrant employees in connection with the issuance of H-1B visas (#58), strengthen provisions regarding student and exchange visitor visa programs (#69), and require the Secretary to implement the transmission of data from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to databases used by CBP (#77). Two amendments offered by Senator Schumer (#3 and #4) to allocate small numbers of visas to underrepresented countries passed as well as an amendment by Senator Klobuchar (#1) to provide protections for abused derivatives of temporary workers also passed.
Senator Lindsey Graham took to Twitter yesterday to comment on the inclusion of same-sex families in the immigration reform bill: "If the Judiciary Committee tries to redefine marriage in the immigration bill they will lose me and many others."
The Wall Street Journal has an infographic that looks at the foreign born population state-by-state and compares it to Senators' support for immigration reform. The Journal also tackles the complexity of the back tax issue for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who might be eligible to apply for legal status under this bill. "The Senate immigration bill essentially hands responsibility for the issue to the Internal Revenue Service, but it doesn't provide the agency specific instructions on how to collect taxes from people who have been working with false Social Security numbers or in the black-market economy. Nor does it say that the IRS, already struggling with its increased mandate stemming from the 2010 Affordable Care Act, will get any more resources to deal with millions of new taxpayers."
At first glance Raul Labrador (R-ID) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) don't have much in common, but as The Daily Beast points out, it's actually more than you'd think. Both are Puerto Ricans who are committed to seeing immigration reform happen this year (and are a part of the secretive House Gang of Eight) and they have nothing but compliments for each other.
Last week the Congressional Budget Office released an updated version of their June 2011 report, "A Description of the Immigrant Population: An Update," with 15 update exhibits included. These include information on the foreign born population in the U.S. from 1860 to 2010, the foreign born population broken down by state in 2012, the education attainment of people ages 25-64 by birthplace, and the unemployment rate from 1994 to 2012 by birthplace.
May 13, 2013
Tomorrow the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin day two of markup on S. 744, the bipartisan immigration reform bill. The committee will be focusing on Title IV of the bill, "Reforms to Nonimmigrant Visa Programs," with a heavy focus on the H-1B program and the W temporary worker program. AILA will be providing hourly live updates from the debate so stay tuned to our S.744 Senate bill page. (AILA Doc. No. 13041760.)
The Immigration Policy Center released two new factsheets making the case for high skilled immigration in the Senate reform bill. Fueling the Recovery makes the case that high-skilled immigrant workers create new jobs, supplement rather than displace native-born workers and improve the wages of native-born workers. >Rebuilding Local Economies makes the case that metropolitan area demand for high-skilled workers is high and that it leads to job creation and higher wages in those areas.
The Houston Chronicle had some scathing words for the two Senators from Texas on the Judiciary Committee in an Editorial released last Friday titled: "Seek immigration reform solutions, not excuses." "Many of these amendment IEDs are being offered by such ardent opponents of the legislation as the Lone Star State's Senate duo, tea-party true-believer Ted Cruz and his senior colleague John Cornyn, a tea-party target in 2014 if he doesn't toe the line. Despite protestations to the contrary, Cruz, Cornyn and other hard-liners would be happy to hobble immigration reform. That's why they have latched on to the border-security issue as a way to kill it."
Senator Dianne Feinstein was on NBC's Meet the Press this weekend breaking down the border security votes that happened in the Judiciary Committee markup. She also spoke of the opportunity that exists now to get immigration reform done: "If we fail this time, I think we're not going to have another chance in the next decade. I am very hopeful. The people in the Gang of Eight have held together, they understand the break points, their supporting one another, if that continues on the floor…I think we have a very good chance of success."
As the Senate pushes forward with their immigration reform bill, people are starting to wonder what the House of Representatives is up to on immigration. For the last few years a bipartisan group of House members have been working on a bill, but the public has yet to see any concrete language. The Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security of the House Judiciary committee has scheduled a hearing for Thursday, May 16th, on the two individual bills introduced, "The Legal Workforce Act" (mandatory E-Verify) and "The Agriculture Guestworker Act," but have not indicated who the witnesses will be. (AILA Doc. No. 13050809, AILA Doc. No. 13042953.) The New York Times is reporting that the House bipartisan group is struggling with the same business labor employment dispute the Senate struggled with, but with no compromise in sight.
May 10, 2013
Yesterday, Dana Leigh Marks, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges and an Immigration Judge in San Francisco since 1987, wrote an Op-ed for The Hill: Let Immigration Judges be Judges. In her piece she argues that "enhancing the courts' resources and allowing immigration judges to consider the individual circumstances unique to each case would create a fine-tuned tool, and a more accurate way to serve the public and private interests instead of the blunt instrument that now exists. Enhanced due process and a more efficient removal process are solutions that would satisfy all sides of the immigration debate.
AILA has compiled a full list of all of the amendments considered yesterday. (AILA Doc. No. 13050961.)
Brookings released a new report today, "H-1B Visa and the STEM Shortage," making the case that "there is compelling evidence that the H-1B visa program is helping to alleviate acute shortages in various occupations."
The Heritage Foundation is in full crisis mode after it was discovered that one of the authors of their controversial study outlining how immigration reform would cost the U.S. trillions of dollars had argued in his Harvard dissertation that there was a long-standing difference between the IQ of white Americans and immigrants. Today, The Heritage Foundation announced the resignation of that author, senior policy analyst Jason Richwine.
Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP, expressed his support for immigration reform in a blog for the Huffington Post. "As Dr. King said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. African Americans have spent much of our history fighting for fair treatment and equal opportunity. We must also offer support to our immigrant brothers and sisters. If we want to escape the sins of our past, we must ensure there are no second class families today."
May 9, 2013
Today's mark-up in the Senate Judiciary Committee demonstrated that the four Senators from the "Gang of Eight" on the committee (Senators Graham (R-SC), Flake (R-AZ), Schumer (D-NY) and Durbin (D-IL)) are committed to continuing the spirit of bipartisan compromise that produced the original bill. Many of the most extreme border security amendments, including ones that would double or triple spending on border security, tie legalization to unrealistic and arbitrary border security goals, and eliminate protections for civil rights, were defeated on bipartisan votes. In total 32 amendments were offered, and 21 were accepted (20 with bipartisan support). AILA has a full summary of today's mark-up, including the amendments considered and arguments for and against from Senators on the committee. (AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 13050961.)
At the end of the day Senator Leahy (D-VT) announced that Title I (border security) is now closed. Many believe that next Tuesday's mark-up will focus on the large Title II section that includes the legalization program and the legal immigration system.
The Senate Judiciary Committee Majority Staff issued a "Day One Recap: Bipartisan Progress on Immigration Reform Bill," summarizing the events of the day. "Among the amendments accepted included those offered by Republican Senators to strengthen border security, including an amendment by Senator Grassley to require the government to apply its comprehensive border strategy to the entire Southern border, not just high-risk areas. The Committee accepted amendments by Senators Flake and Grassley to increase oversight of DHS enforcement strategies, and amendments by Senators Sessions and Cornyn to protect border communities. The Committee adopted amendments to improve treatment of children and families in detention, and protect families affected by violence at the border. The Committee rejected amendments to triple the number of officers on the Southern Border to 60,000, and to spend billions of additional dollars building a "double fence" on top of the billions of dollars already authorized in this bill.
ABC/Univision News provides some analysis of why the Democrat controlled Judiciary committee allowed Senator Grassley's amendment to require the federal government to develop a plan to secure the entire border, instead of focusing only on three specific "high-risk areas," as originally outlined in the bill. They give two reasons: "First, the new standard probably won't be that much more difficult to achieve than the one in the original bill. The federal government is already being tasked with securing the high-risk parts of the border. So locking down the quieter parts is doable. More importantly, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), one of the bill's sponsors, has said that the border security provisions will need to be strengthened to get it through the House, where Republicans have a majority."
May 8, 2013
300 amendments were filed last night to S. 744 and all were posted online on the Senate Judiciary Committee website. AILA has compiled a comprehensive chart of all the amendments filed broken down by Senator and issue area. (AILA Doc. No. 13041760.)
AILA issued a press release highlighting the best and worst of the 300 amendments offered yesterday to S. 744, the bipartisan immigration reform bill. (AILA Doc. No. 13050809.) Some of the positive amendments noted: ensuring all families can reunite with their loved ones, including the siblings of U.S. citizens and LGBT/same-sex families; ensuring businesses of all sizes have access to the workers they need and that immigrant and U.S. workers are fairly paid and fully protected; and restoring due process so everyone who goes through the system is treated fairly.
And some of the bad: requiring additional ineffective and costly measures as "triggers" before anyone could apply for legalization; eliminating training for immigration agents on fundamental issues like racial profiling, the improper use of force, and privacy rights; barring people with minor convictions from access to the legalization program; preventing Registered Provisional Immigrants from being able to travel and visit their family; and eliminating vital protections such as access to legal counsel and the basic right of a detainee to have a custody hearing before detention.
Senator Leahy (D-VT), Chair of the Judiciary committee, announced that he would be tweeting out real time information during the mark-up tomorrow on what amendment the committee is considering, and other useful tidbits. The Judiciary committee staff will be using the hashtag #CIRmarkup
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May 7, 2013
As of 6:30pm almost 250 amendments have been filed to the Senate Bill 744 in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leading the list were Senators Sessions (R-AL) with 49 amendments, Hatch (R-UT) with 24 and Hirono (D-HI). At the imposed deadline set by Chairman Leahy, Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Cruz (R-TX) had not yet filed a single amendment.
The Immigration Policy Center just released a report: “ target="_blank">Adding it Up: Accurately Gauging the Economic Impact of Immigration Reform,” chronicling the positive impacts immigration reform will have for the American economy.
May 6, 2013
FIRST AMENDMENT FILED. Senator Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, filed the first amendment to Senate bill 744. The amendment is titled: "Prohibition on land border crossing fees."
Last Thursday Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) penned an Op-ed for The Wall Street Journal: "The Immigration Reform Opportunity." In it Sen. Rubio seems to be walking back many of the core provisions contained in the "Gang of Eight's" original senate bill introduced April 16th. He states: "for those who have suggested that the border security triggers outlined in the Senate bill aren't strong enough, we now have a chance to strengthen them. For those who expressed concerns about giving the federal government too much discretionary power through waivers and exceptions in applying different aspects of the law, we have a chance to make clear exactly how the executive branch must enforce this immigration law and what the consequences are if it doesn't. For those concerned about the cost of immigration to American taxpayers, we have a chance to make sure the bill lives up to its promise that today's illegal immigrants are not eligible for federal benefits."
Time magazine updates the four (new) major hurdles immigration reform faces in the Senate: stalling tactics from the right, pushback from the left, the cost for taxpayers, and the conservative media storyline.
Earlier today The Heritage Foundation released a new report arguing that immigration reform would cost the American taxpayer $6.3 trillion. The report and subsequent Heritage Foundation press conference garnered immediate reactions: Senator Flake (R-AZ) on Twitter, Doug Holtz-Eakin in the National Review Online, and the CATO Institute and ThinkProgress, to name just a few.
Last Wednesday was May Day and thousands of immigrants, allies and supporters took to the streets to show their support for immigration reform. Reform Immigration for America put together this great collection of pictures and stories from rallies around the country. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid addressed thousands of people gathered in downtown Las Vegas and told them: "(This country owes) ... the 11 million people a permanent solution. That's what comprehensive immigration reform is all about: a permanent solution. And we are going to do that. We are going to fix a system that is broken. We are going to continue to work on a program that is tough but fair,"
May 3, 2013
The Muskego Patch is reporting that Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) "says he is open to the idea of a pathway to citizenship, or some sort of legal status system, so the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country 'can come out of the shadows.' However, the Tea Party-backed Republican said Thursday that Congress should tackle immigration reform on a piecemeal basis - instead of passing a comprehensive plan." Sen. Johnson went on to say: "If you're asking people to pay a fine, it's not amnesty, you may disagree with the level of the fine for the illegal act. But, in the end, we are a compassionate society. We're a nation of immigrants, so we're going to treat them with humanity."
This month's cover of the National Review boasts a picture of a laughing Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), with the words underneath proclaiming: "Rubio's folly." The Senator is accompanied by Senators Schumer (D-NY) and McCain (R-AZ), in the picture, which was taken at the "Gang of Eight" press conference announcing the immigration reform bill. What the picture has left out, as CNN noted, are the people that were standing behind the three Senators, including conservative anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist (see the original picture). The cover lists Mark Krikorian, the Executive Director of the anti-immigration group Center for Immigration Studies, on the byline.
May 2, 2013
In a blog on the Congressional Budget Office website, CBO Director Doug Elmendorf states that CBO will use something called "dynamic scoring" to analyze the effects of proposals to make changes in America's immigration policy. This blog follows a public letter the agency sent to Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Chairman of the House budget committee, after he requested more information on the forthcoming process.
CBO Dir. Elmendorf explains that although CBO has a "long-standing convention of not incorporating macroeconomic effects in cost estimates, a practice that has been followed in the Congressional budget process since it was established in 1974," the agency anticipates using a similar approach as they did with the 2006 immigration reform bill. This dynamic scoring of bill will "reflect any significant changes in the size of the U.S. population and labor force in the cost estimate for the bill, and will describe any broader macroeconomic effects in supplemental material."
A new polling report conducted by Lake Research Partners found "solid support among African American voters for an immigration reform proposal that includes a roadmap to citizenship (66% favor, 16% oppose). This support holds up after hearing both anti- and pro-reform messages, including hot button issues of the potential for immigrants to take jobs away from African Americans (Final ballot: 69% favor, 14% oppose)."
President Obama left today for a three day trip to Mexico and Costa Rica. Although the President intends to focus the trip on national security and trade, the Washington Post reports that a discussion of U.S. immigration policy is inevitable with new Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. "Peña Nieto is facing pressure from some quarters to take more of a public stand in the immigration debate. He has been willing to be more confrontational with the United States, pulling back on the extraordinary access Mexico gave U.S. authorities in prosecuting the drug war and organized crime."
May 1, 2013
Many are asking if LGBT families will be included either in the immigration reform bill the Senate Judiciary committee sends to the Senate floor or in the final bill that passes the Senate. Buzzfeed looks at all the factors that may go into that decision, especially for Senate Democrats on the committee.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has been making waves over the past month by speaking out in favor of immigration reform, even doing an event with Rep. Gutierrez (D-IL) in Chicago. However, this week, while doing a town hall during the Congressional recess in his home state of Wisconsin, he professed his concerned about so called "anchor babies." Rep. Ryan: "That's what they call it, anchor babies. It's a person who comes and has a child here, if you're born here you're a naturalized citizen. You have to change the constitution. There's a little bit of legal debate about whether you have to or not. I think it comes down fairly clearly that you have to change the constitution to change the definition of citizenship to not being born here or being born with legal parents. That will take a long, long time, years [...] But it's really treating a symptom, right. People are coming across the border illegal or overstaying their visas. Therefore illegal immigration is fairly easy, and then people are having what's called anchor babies."
Polling guru and NY Times columnist Nate Silver just released this amazing interactive map that tracks what effects legalization and eventual citizenship will have on electoral politics. The results may not be what you expect. And as Nate Silver puts it: "The high-stakes question, in other words, is whether immigration reform would really allow Republicans to improve their vote share substantially among Hispanics and Asians, without costing them too many votes among white voters. If so, that is where the electoral "bonanza" might lie."
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) went on Mike Gallagher's radio show and had this to say about the Gang of Eight's bill's potential for passing in the House of Representatives: ""The bill that's in place right now probably can't pass the House. It will have to be adjusted, because people are very suspicious about the willingness of the government to enforce the laws now."
The Center for American Progress just released a chart that lays out "Current and Estimate Future Immigration Based on the Senate's Immigration Reform Bill."
Two Senate committees besides Senate Judiciary, the Commerce, Science and Technology committee and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, have scheduled hearings for early next week to debate S. 744, the immigration reform bill. (AILA Doc. No. 13050145, AILA Doc. No. 13043049.)
April 30, 2013
Last Thursday, Cesar Vargas, of the DREAM Act Coalition, published an Op-ed in the Houston Chronicle calling on Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to "take advantage of this last chance to prove to Texans a legacy of firmness in leadership to take on immigration reform that includes not only border security but a practical system that unites all families." The following day, April 26th, Senator Cornyn responded on his Twitter account: "@DRMAction complete bs."
Last Friday the U.S. Chamber of Commerce held a half day conference, "Reforming Immigration for a Better America." Speakers includes Senators McCain (R-AZ) and Graham (R-SC) and House members Lofgren (D-CA) and Poe (R-TX). Watch the day in its entirety on the Chamber's website.
The California Endowment recently released a video, "Dreaming of Health Care," featuring undocumented youth sharing their stories about lack of access to health care.
Yesterday The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hosted Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL.) and Rep. John Carter (R-TX.) in San Antonio for "Left. Right, Forward," a conversation on immigration reform. Rep. Carter said this about the road to citizenship in the House bipartisan bill: "It's not as easy as the Senate side, [but] it's not as bad as anybody might think it is. It has compassion. It allows people to be human beings, to live a normal life, to have a job, to take care of their family, to pay their taxes, to obey the law and go about their lives."
Speaking about the same secret House bipartisan bill, President Obama offered these remarks in a morning press briefing: "Now, I haven't seen what members of the House are yet proposing, and maybe they think that they can answer some of those questions differently or better, and I think we've got to be open-minded in seeing what they come up with. The bottom line, though, is that they've still got to meet those basic criteria. Does it make the border safer? Does it [deal] with employers and how they work with the governments to make sure that people are not being taken advantage of or taking advantage of the system? Are we improving our legal immigration system? And are we creating a pathway for citizenship for the 11 million or so who are undocumented in this country?"
Next Tuesday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee will hold a hearing titled "Border Security: Examining Provisions in the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act." (AILA Doc. No. 13043049.)
Buzzfeed chronicles the potential disaster looming ahead for the Republican party as Congress gears up to have the first substantial and lengthy debate on immigration reform since 2007. "As conservative criticism of the reform effort grows louder, many Republican operatives, donors, and consultants are bracing for an outcome that would be even worse, politically, than the demise of the bill: A fierce, national, right-wing backlash that drowns out the GOP's friendlier voices, dominates Telemundo and Univision, and dashes any hopes the party had of making inroads to the Hispanic electorate by 2016."
April 29, 2013
On Friday, Rep. Goodlatte (R-VA), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced H.R. 1773-"The Agricultural Guestworker Act." (AILA Doc. No. 1304295.) Rep. Goodlatte said this about the bill: "The new guestworker program created under the AG Act remedies this problem by removing red tape, streamlining access to a reliable workforce, and protecting farmers from abusive lawsuits. It also allows more participation in the guestworker program by opening it up to dairies and food processors, both of which often need access to foreign labor. In addition, the AG Act is good for those seeking a better life for their families by providing opportunities to earn a living while temporarily working in agricultural jobs U.S. citizens are not willing to do."
In what could be seen as a major breakthrough on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) "says now is the time to reform the immigration system for the economy, for his Mormon faith and for the people here illegally. Utah's senior GOP senator sees the bipartisan Senate proposal as a solid starting point, though he isn't ready to endorse the deal just yet. He's still reading its 844 pages and promises to suggest some tweaks."
This comes less than a month after the president of the Salt Lake Chamber, Lane Beattie, leveled some harsh criticism at both Utah senators after they sent a letter to Senate leaders urging them to move slower on immigration reform. Sen. Hatch was one of the original sponsors of the DREAM Act over ten years ago, but voted no on the bill in December 2010, when it was last up for a vote. Sen. Hatch has announced that he will not seek re-election.
It's the first real leak from the secret House of Representative "Gang of Eight" working on a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill-and it's about legalization. Roll Call reports: "the House immigration working group has tentatively settled on a plan that would require illegal immigrants to appear in federal court and plead guilty to breaking U.S. immigration law. Illegal immigrants would be required to complete this step before embarking on a conditional pathway to citizenship that would take at least a decade. In fact, illegal immigrants would essentially be granted legal status when a federal judge sentences them to "probation" for illegally crossing the border."
Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) released two new infographics to illustrate the border security improvements and the road to citizenship in S. 744.
Crystal Williams, AILA's Executive Director, describes what foreign travelers must obtain a visa; immigrant and temporary non-immigrant visas; and work visas for agricultural and high- and low-skilled workers on C-SPAN's Washington Journal.
April 26, 2013
Former Vice Presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has been making the rounds speaking on why he supports immigration reform. Last week, at an event in Chicago, he said this: "If you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead - that is what the American idea is. No matter what the condition of your birth, you can make yourself what you want to be. That is an incredible idea." The National Review chronicled how Rep. Ryan, before he came into the national spotlight, served an adviser (and later a speechwriter) to NY Congress member, and vice presidential nominee in 1996, to Rep. Jack Kemp. Rep. Ryan remembers how he and Rep. Kemp campaign together against an anti-immigrant proposition in California, prop 187, because "they [were] both worried that the proposal would burn Republicans within the immigrant community, and 'make it so that Latino voters would not hear the other messages of empowerment.'" The National Review speculates that perhaps Rep. Ryan, a leader in the House Republican caucus, will give other Republicans the courage and cover they need to support immigration reform.
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), chair of the House Judiciary Committee wrote this Op-Ed arguing that "before we hurry to overhaul our immigration laws, we must methodically look at each of the various components that need to be remedied. Immigration reform is too important and complex to not examine each piece in detail.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is asking the American public to weigh in on the Senate's "Gang of Eight" immigration reform bill. Visit his website to provide feedback on the bill.
Sonal Ambegaokar, an attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, discusses the impact excluding immigrants from anti-poverty programs and restricting access to health care will have for those communities in an Immigration Impact blog. "The Senate proposal requires aspiring citizens to wait 15 years before they can apply for anti-poverty programs such as Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps). They are denied eligibility for the length of their time in provisional status and must wait an arbitrary five years more after receiving a green card in order to apply for these programs. During these 15 years, these lawfully present immigrants will continue to contribute to our economy and help maintain the very programs that they are denied access to through their taxes. This exclusionary policy keeps immigrants in poverty and creates barriers to integration."
April 25, 2013
This morning House Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Immigration Subcommittee chair Trey Gowdy (R-SC) held a press conference to discuss the way forward for immigration reform in the House. (AILA Doc. No. 13042561.) Rep. Goodlatte said that the house must pass immigration reform through regular order (meaning through his committee) and that judiciary will take the first step by beginning to introduce individual bills related to individual issues in immigration reform. He stated that the first two bills the committee will be debating are mandatory E-verify and a temporary guest worker program. Read a full summary of the press conference.
Two members of the Senate Gang of Eight, Schumer (D-NY) and McCain (R-AZ) immediately fought back against the incremental approach, according to the Washington Post: "'We can't do individual bills. The problem is, people say, 'What about me?'" Schumer said. "What we found, and it might be counter-intuitive, is that the best way to pass immigration legislation is a comprehensive bill because that can achieve more [political] balance. Everyone gets much, but not all, of what they want. The idea of doing separate bills is just not going to work." McCain added, "It's got to be a comprehensive approach.'"
While the House was announcing their way forward on immigration reform, Senator Leahy (D-VT), chair of the Senate Judiciary committee, previewed how the mark-up (amendment and final vote process) was going to work in his committee. (AILA Doc. No. 13042640.) He states: "I have thought about ways we can make our proceedings more open to the public and easier to follow. For this important legislation, I intend to make all amendments available to the public in a timely fashion by posting them on our website. To do this and to ensure a more organized, easier to follow process, I am asking that all amendments to the bill, S.744, be filed by Tuesday, May 7, at 5 p.m. This will allow us to post the amendments on our website and to organize our proceedings around amendments relating to similar subject matters and aspects of the bill. That will mean that our first consideration of amendments will be at our mark up on May 9 and that the public will be better able to follow the discussion and votes."
April 24, 2013
FWD.us, the Mark Zuckerberg-backed organization pressing for immigration reform, is planning on releasing the its first wave of television ads next week. One features Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) defending the bill and the other is a defense of the conservative credentials of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The ads will be run through a subsidiary group, Americans for a Conservative Direction, who Politico reports, will spend seven figures to run ads in more than half a dozen states.
The Migration Policy Institute released a side-by-side comparison of the 2013 Senate immigration bill with the 2006 and 2007 senate legislation.
On Monday, Sen. Paul (R-KY) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) and Republican Leader McConnell (R-KY) urging them to "incorporate various national security concerns into the comprehensive immigration reform debate in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings."
In the Monday Senate Judiciary hearing, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said, "I don't think that there is any issue in this entire debate that is more divisive than a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally…In my view, any bill that insists upon that jeopardizes the likelihood of passing any immigration reform bill." (AILA Doc. No. 13041702.) Sen. Cruz also issued a press release expressing his dissatisfaction with the "border triggers" in the bill.
However, an array of recent polls demonstrate citizenship's popularity, a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that nearly two-thirds of the public backs citizenship on its own. However, "when told that the pathway to citizenship would require paying fines and back taxes, as well as passing a security-background check, support grows - with 76 percent of total respondents, and 73 percent of Republicans backing the path." These findings are further highlighted by a new CNN/ORC International poll which finds 84% overall support for citizenship and 78% support amongst Republicans.
The Wall Street Journal reports on a group of African American Leaders, the African American Leadership Council, hosting a press conference today opposing the bipartisan Senate immigration reform bill. Frank Morris, Council leader, offered this explanation: "The Senate Gang of Eight's immigration bill is not only impractical, but immoral. Increasing immigration levels through amnesty and new visa programs, particularly at the low-skilled level, will flood the labor market with millions more people, leading to higher unemployment, more poverty, and a lower standard of living for many in the black community.
Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, responded:
"Actual civil rights leaders view immigration reform as one of the defining civil and human rights issue of our time. The opinions expressed in today's press conference are not shared by most African Americans, civil rights leaders, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, or any other significant constituency in the African American community. African Americans are certainly not monolithic in their thinking on this or any other issue, but we know that the nation's immigration system is broken and that the status quo does not serve our economic or long-term interests. As a nation, we are stronger when we focus on real solutions that work and on the values that unite us. Divisive and baseless rhetoric has no place in a serious national conversation about immigration reform."
On April 18, 2013 Speaker Boehner (R-OH) held a press conference and answered a question on the Senate's immigration bill and answered this way: "Well, you know, I want to congratulate the Senate Gang of Eight for coming forward with their bill. I'm sure there's parts of it I would agree with, parts that I would disagree with. But the fact is that they've worked together in a bipartisan fashion to craft this bill. The House Gang of Eight that's been meeting for over four years continues to make significant progress. And in addition to that, Chairman Goodlatte is working diligently with his committee on -- on hearings about various parts of this problem. You have to remember, about three-fourths of the members of Congress have never dealt with the issue of immigration. So there's a big learning curve that the members are going to have to go through. It's why our whip, Kevin McCarthy, has been holding sessions, attended by members, being briefed by Chairman Goodlatte and Trey Gowdy, the Immigration Subcommittee chairman, to help familiarize members with the various issues within legal immigration and the problem of illegal immigration. So I'm overall very happy that this -- the process is continuing." (via Congressional Quarterly)
April 23, 2013
We need your case examples. Please consider submitting your case examples to AILA to potentially use with Senate Judiciary committee members and other elected officials to make the argument for the best immigration reform bill we can get. (AILA Doc. No. 13041707)
This morning DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on S. 744. This hearing was the last one on the bill before mark-up begins on Thursday. The Secretary spent over three hours with the committee answering questions on everything from her ability to implement an effective E-Verify system for agricultural companies, to the alleged moving target of successfully securing the Southern border, to the immigration status of the Boston bombers. AILA provides a live summary of today’s hearing on our Congressional Hearing Resources page. (AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 13042249.)
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), the Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee of the House Judiciary, was on Lou Dobbs Tonight and had this to say about the Senate Immigration Reform bill (S. 744) (starts at 4:33). “Well, it depends on what the process is. If we can meet all the characteristics you just laid out--effective--last time we had this conversation, engenders confidence in our fellow citizens in the process is every bit as important as the result. And as you noted, my colleagues in the House have been working, and they've been working hard on both sides of the aisle to produce a product in the House. I thought what the Senate came out with, frankly, was a very constructive opening bid, to use a bridge term…But I will say this. I want to be -- I want to be fair to the four Republicans. I mean, they're in the minority. Lindsey and Marco and Jeff Flake are in the minority, and they're doing as good as they can do. If the bill is going to be pushed towards law enforcement and border security and internal security, which is where I want to see it go, the House is going to have to do something, too, and we're going to start that process when we go back next week.”
In yesterday’s Senate Judiciary hearing, a few of the witnesses spoke on the impact immigration reform will have in driving down wages, especially for low skilled workers; Ezra Klein, of the Washington Post, disputes these claims and explains exactly how immigration reform will help low wage workers. (AILA Doc. No. 13041702.)
April 22, 2013
Today, the Senate held a marathon Judiciary Committee hearing on "The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, S.744" and AILA has a summary of the hearing on InfoNet. (AILA Doc. No. 13041702) AILA President Laura Lichter testified on the third panel and answered a few tough questions from Senators on both sides of the aisle. (AILA Doc. No. 13042240.) Senator Cornyn (R-TX) asked whether she believed the bill would actually secure the border and adequately deal with visa overstays, Sen. Franken (D-MN) was worried about implementing mandatory E-Verify, especially for small businesses and Senator Coons (D-CT) asked about the lack of discretion in immigration policy.
The Dream is Now is a new 30-minute documentary that's being made in real time, as this debate is unfolding, by Academy Award-winning director, Davis Guggenheim (Waiting for 'Superman', An Inconvenient Truth). Dream gives voice to and puts a human face on the undocumented children of immigrants who are desperate to earn their citizenship and give back to the only country they've ever called "home." You can watch the 30 minute film in its entirety on The Dream is Now website.
Quartz ("a digitally native news outlet, born in 2012, for business people in the new global economy") published this infographic on the three different roads to citizenship for aspiring citizens without papers.
CAMBIO, the Campaign for an Accountable, Moral and Balanced Immigration Overhaul, recently released their 2013 National Poll of 1,000 registered American voters on their attitudes on immigration reform, worker protections, due process, and border enforcement. "The BRS data show that Republicans, Democrats and independents alike overwhelmingly support stronger safeguards in the federal employment database and stricter enforcement of wage and safety standards, favor giving higher priority to stopping drugs and weapons from crossing the border than to stopping people, and support giving judges the opportunity to weigh the circumstances of an illegal immigrant's case before ordering deportation, even when the immigrant has a criminal record."
Last Friday night, on CNBC's "The Kudlow Report," conservative commentator and author Ann Coulter faced off against founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist on the issue of immigration reform.
Senators Menendez (D-NY) and Rubio (R-FL) both have resources pages on the immigration reform bill on their Senate websites.
The NY Times Editorial Board ran an Editorial on Saturday in responses to Sen. Grassley's, among others, efforts to link the tragic events in Boston and the immigration reform debates: "The immigration debate will test the resilience of the reform coalition in Congress. Changes so ambitious require calm, thoughtful deliberation, and a fair amount of courage. They cannot be allowed to come undone with irrelevant appeals to paranoia and fear."
Senator Grassley (R-IA), the Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, made these comments in the Friday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing: "How can individuals evade authorities and plan such attacks on our soil? How can we beef up security checks on people who wish to enter the U.S.? How do we ensure that people who wish to do us harm are not eligible for benefits under the immigration laws, including this new bill before us?" Grassley asked.
In response Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) released this comment: "In the wake of this week's terrorist attack in Boston, some have already suggested that the circumstances of this terrible tragedy are justification for delaying or stopping entirely the effort for comprehensive immigration reform. In fact the opposite is true: Immigration reform will strengthen our nation's security by helping us identify exactly who has entered our country and who has left - a basic function of government that our broken immigration system is incapable of accomplishing today. The status quo is unacceptable. We have 11 million people living in the shadows, which leaves this nation vulnerable to a myriad of threats. That is all the more reason why comprehensive immigration reform is so essential. By modernizing our system of legal immigration, identifying and conducting background checks on people here illegally, and finally securing our border, we will make America more secure."
Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) had this to say: "It is a horrible situation. It is heart-wrenching. And I'm not going to speculate on anything. Linking something like that to other legislation I think is probably no appropriate at this time. In the first place, we don't have the facts. And what is indisputable, is that we have an immigration system that is broken; that we have an immigration system that is not working. We don't know who gets here. We have millions of people who we don't know who they are, who are here - whether we like it or not."
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said this to a group in Chicago: "We have a broken immigration system, and if anything, what we see in Boston is that we have to fix and modernize our immigration system for lots of reasons. National security reasons, economic security reasons. For all those reasons we need to fix our broken immigration system."
April 19, 2013
AILA and AIC just released a 74 page draft section-by-section summary of S.744, the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act" introduced by the bipartisan Senate "Gang of Eight" late night Tuesday. (AILA Doc. No. 13041944.)
Earlier today the Senate Judiciary Committee held their first hearing on S. 744. Although DHS Secretary Napolitano was scheduled to testify, she was forced to reschedule due to the events unfolding in Boston. The Secretary did release a statement indicating that she was pleased by the work of the bipartisan group of Senators to reform and modernize U.S. immigration laws. (AILA Doc. No. 13041943.) Read a summary of the statements and question/answer session of the hearing on our Resources on Congressional Hearings page. (AILA Doc. No. 13041043.)
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a 2nd hearing on the "The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, S.744" Monday morning featuring a whopping 20 witnesses, including our very own AILA President Laura Lichter. (AILA Doc. No. 13041702.)
AILA President Laura Lichter discusses the introduction of an immigration reform proposal by the "Gang of Eight" on television. Her interview is followed with B-roll that was used by the station. (AILA Doc. No. 13041940.)
You could feel the love in the room yesterday as the Senate "Gang of Eight" came together to hold an official press conference announcing the introduction of their bill. AILA followed along and shared a summary of the substance and jokes shared in the conference. (AILA Doc. No. 13041844.) AILA also released a press release commending the "Gang of Eight's" work that lead up to this point. (AILA Doc. No. 13041849.)
April 18, 2013
At 2:30pm (ET) today the "Gang of Eight" Senators will host a press conference outlining the common-sense, immigration reform proposal they introduced in the Senate. AILA will be providing live updates from the press conference as well. (AILA Doc. No. 13041844.) The senators will be joined by prominent advocates for immigration reform. The event will occur on the eve of the first of multiple Senate hearings on the bill.
Yesterday, the Gang of Eight issued a joint statement on their immigration reform legislation. (AILA Doc. No. 13041703.) Not to be outdone, the bipartisan group of Representatives working in the House released a press statement applauding the Gang of Eight's efforts and stated that they "are also working on a good faith, bipartisan effort in the House." (AILA Doc. No. 13041705.)
So, how has House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) been reacting to all this attention on a potential Senate immigration reform bill? Mainly by remaining silent. Although The Huffington Post is reporting that he has indicated that he will "try to move immigration reform through the House in a few separate bills, rather than in one comprehensive piece of legislation" (as Chair of the House Judiciary committee would like); Fox News is reporting that the Speaker is being "pressed by the conservative wing of the Republican Party not to allow a vote on major pieces of legislation--from gun control to immigration--without majority Republican support."
Jon Stewart and Daily Show correspondent Al Madrigal discuss "the tough but fair conditions Latinos will impose on Republicans hoping to one day win back the White House." This is line with Latino Decisions polling that answers the questions: "Can Republicans really draw more Latino support if they back a path to citizenship? The answer is unequivocally 'Yes'."
Sen. Rubio (R-FL) has been busy. Yesterday he went on Laura Ingraham's radio show yesterday to dispel myths and rumors that have started to surround the Senate's immigration reform bill, he posted this YouTube video explaining the bill, and he recorded this video for the "Reclaim America PAC."
Immigration Equality pulled together statements from a number of organization that are expressing disappointment that same-sex families were not included in the Senate's immigration reform bill and calling for their inclusion in any final bill.
April 17, 2013
America's Voice has a round-up of the myriad of statements from national immigration advocacy groups, including the American Immigration Council and the National Immigration Law Council. Also, check out the AFL-CIO President's statement and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce President's statement on the bill's introduction.
So now that a bill has been introduced in the Senate, what are the anti-immigration voices saying? NumbersUSA, FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform and Rep. Steve King (R-IA) have all been riling up their bases, here are some choice excerpts:
NumberUSA: "Nearly every section of the Gang Amnesty bill seems to add more foreign workers to compete with unemployed and underemployed Americans. The Gang apparently believes that the way to help the 20 million Americans who can't find a full-time job is to give out another 20-30 million lifetime work permits to foreign citizens over the next decade." -Roy Beck
FAIR: "Nevertheless, the Senate Gang of Eight has finally announced a bill, one that will rob American workers and taxpayers - all to please special interests. This legislation is all about satisfying the demands of illegal aliens and their advocates for amnesty and providing business interests access to low-wage foreign labor." - Dan Stein
Rep. King on Twitter: "#Gof8Fact: Gang of 8 bill rewards those deported & here illegally with the objective of their crime #amnesty #immigration #slaponthehand"
Today the Immigration Policy Center launched "Think Immigration," a policy wiki. The site will serve as "a hub for sharing ideas and crafting practical policies that improve American's immigration system."
The Senate Judiciary Committee has two hearings scheduled to discuss the immigration reform bill introduced, both titled: "Hearing on Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation." The first hearing will be Friday, April 19th with DHS Secretary Napolitano testifying-the second hearing will be Monday, April 22nd (the witness have not yet been announced). (AILA Doc. No. 13041043, AILA Doc. No. 13041702.) AILA will have extensive coverage of both hearings.
TAKE ACTION! Use our simple and easy tool to send a Letter to the Editor on the Senate bill.
AILA just released this "Quicktake: Senate Immigration Reform Bill Introduced," featuring AILA President Laura Lichter. (AILA Doc. No. 13041764.)
Senators Rubio (R-FL) and McCain (R-AZ) have been touting a Wall Street Journal article highlighting the potential economic benefits of immigration reform as they prepared to release their bipartisan bill.
Senator Rubio (R-FL) has also created a resource page on his Senate website on the immigration reform bill, which include a myths vs. facts explanation of the security triggers.
AILA General Counsel David Leopold walks us though the "Five Reasons Why Congress Will Pass Immigration Reform."
Partnership for a New American Economy co-chairs Mayor Bloomberg, Rupert Murdoch and J.W. Bill Marriott, Jr. released a statement today on the Senate immigration reform bill: "Mayors and business leaders understand how vitally important it is to bring our broken immigration laws into the 21st Century," said Partnership for a New American Economy Co-Chair and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "I applaud the bipartisan Gang of Eight for tackling this issue, and we will do everything we can to help them win bipartisan majorities in both houses. One of the best things we can do for our economy is to pass sensible immigration reform that drives innovation and creates jobs - and the sooner Congress acts, the brighter our future will be."
WE HAVE A SENATE BILL. Late Tuesday/early Wednesday the Senate Gang of Eight introduced the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. (AILA Doc. No. 13041760.) Senator Schumer (D-NY) took to the floor of the Senate to officially introduce the bill and thank his colleagues and the staff that helped negotiate and draft the legislation. (AILA Doc. No. 13041765.) AILA Commended the Senate "Gang of Eight" for the Bipartisan Immigration Bill in a press statement. (AILA Doc. No. 13041761.)
Read the Washington Post and Politico articles on the bill's introduction and the gaming already happening on the bill's chances of passage and get the New York Times viewpoint in the editorial they ran today.
April 16, 2013
As much as Rep. Steve King (R-IA) would like to use the tragedy in Boston to derail the immigration conversation in Congress, the bi-partisan group of Senators working on common sense immigration reform are still planning on introducing the bill this week. In fact, today Senators Schumer (D-NY) and McCain (R-AZ) headed to the White House to brief the President on the bill. (AILA Doc. No. 13041663.) This comes as news reports indicate they are facing criticism from the left and the right on the leaked contents of the bill.
As everyone awaits the immigration bill's introduction into the Senate, CNN reports that "according to a CNN/ORC International survey, 84% of the public backs a program that would allow undocumented workers to stay in the United States and apply for citizenship if they have been in the country for several years, have a job, and pay back taxes."
AILA Secretary Annaluisa Padilla and Media-Advocacy Member Ally Bolour penned this piece for the AILA Leadership Blog on "Why the United American Families Act (UAFA) is an integral part of immigration reform."
The South Carolina Conservative Action Alliance (SCCAA) launched a statewide television, radio and internet ad campaign in support of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and bipartisan immigration reform.
Several news outlets have publicized this 17 page outline of the Senate’s Gang of Eight immigration bill titled: “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.” (AILA Doc. No. 13041603.)
Although the Senate Gang of Eight was expected to introduce their bill into the Senate today-and had scheduled a press conference to announce it-Senators Schumer and McCain announced that their "bipartisan work on immigration will wait at least a day out of respect for the victims."
The Washington Post and Politico have released bare outlines of the bill, but these should be taken with a grain of salt as no official legislative language has been released by the Gang of Eight. The Washington Post reports: "Millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States could earn a chance at citizenship under a sweeping Senate proposal to be released Tuesday that would represent the most ambitious overhaul of the nation's immigration system in three decades. The highly anticipated proposal from an eight-member bipartisan group also aims to stem the flow of undocumented immigrants into the country by creating tens of thousands of new visas for foreign workers in low-skilled jobs, according to a 17-page summary of the bill obtained by The Washington Post."
April 15, 2013
Yesterday, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) appeared on seven Sunday talk news shows (including two Spanish interviews)-breaking the record for the most shows in one day. Here's a round-up of his appearances:
On April 17th and 18th the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) will "Hold Their Feet to the Fire," an event bringing radio hosts and anti-immigration reform activists to D.C. to lobby for "secure borders, existing laws enforced, worksite verification to protect American jobs and most importantly - no amnesty."
April 12, 2013
Yesterday, 375+ AILA attorneys and their clients took to Capitol Hill to fight for immigration solutions. In over 380 lobby meetings with Representatives, Senators and even the White House AILA members made impassioned pleas for a common sense immigration process for their clients. Check out the AILA Facebook page for pictures from the day and a short video on why AILA members made the journey to Washington DC for the exciting event.
A new Gallup Poll released today indicates that "Americans Favor Giving Illegal Immigrants a Chance to Stay."
Asked of U.S. adults: "Next, suppose that on Election Day you could vote on key issues as well as candidates. Would you vote for or against a law that would allow illegal immigrants living in the United States that chance to become permanent legal residents if they meet certain requirements?" Vote for 69%; Vote against 29%
"Would you vote for or against a law that would allow illegal immigrants living in the United States the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements?" Vote for 65%; Vote against 32%
April 11, 2013
The New York Times reports that the immigration bill "will include a major new merit-based program for foreigners to become permanent legal residents based on their work skills, including both high-skilled and blue-collar workers, according to people familiar with a draft of the legislation. Over time the program, just one piece of the bill, would open up many new opportunities for foreigners to settle in the United States based on their skills, a shift from the focus on family ties that is the main foundation of the current immigration system."
BuzzFeed reports that "same-sex couples could be left out in the cold when the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill is introduced, but LGBT advocates are confident their issues will be addressed in committee."
The American Council on International Personnel has released a primer on "Navigating the U.S. Employment-based Immigration System" that focuses on how the U.S. economy can be strengthened and American jobs created through reform of the employment-based immigration system, as a part of comprehensive immigration reform.
April 10, 2013
Fair President Dan Stein outlined the "5 reasons GOP should say no to immigration plan" in an Op-Ed for Politico: 1. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) will not even allow hearings on a bill; 2. Democrats will not agree to border security and other enforcement requirements as a prerequisite to amnesty; 3. The legislation will create a new government bureaucracy that will set wages and working conditions; 4. The legislation would extend Davis-Bacon "prevailing wage" requirements to private-sector jobs; and 5. The bill would be a budget-buster.
Media Matters for America then broke down all the reasons Dan Stein's arguments are flawed.
ABC Univision breaks down the "Four Arguments Against a Long Wait for Citizenship:" 1. to avoid creating an underclass; 2. people have been here for a long time already; 3. family strife; 4. fear of shifting political winds.
The Center for American Progress issued a series of reports in a sharp rebuke against the Heritage Foundation Anti-Immigrant study finding that immigration reform would cost the United States trillions of dollars.
April 9th
The Washington Post reports that "A tentative deal has been reached to resolve a dispute between agriculture workers and growers that was standing in the way of a sweeping immigration overhaul bill, a key senator said Tuesday. The agreement could smooth the way for release of the landmark legislation within a week or so."
Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) visited the border recently and had this to say: "If there was a simple, easy answer I'm sure someone would have done it a long time ago…I really worry that there is no consequence of coming across the border illegally…There is no pain involved in that."
April 8, 2013
The Washington Post reports that the "bipartisan Senate group on immigration legislation is attempting to craft an agreement so secure that the eight members will oppose amendments to its core provisions, an arrangement that could delay the introduction of a bill, people familiar with the negotiations said."
On Sunday, April 7th, Senators Chuck Schumer, John McCain and Lindsey Graham went on the Sunday news shows to talk immigration reform. On "Face the Nation" Schumer and McCain said the staffs of the four Republican and four Democratic senators "are in a room working 12 hours a day, taking all the agreements that we've come to over the last three months, and turning them into legislative language, specific legislative language." Both claimed that the process was moving smoothly along and hoped to have a bill by the end of the week.
Meanwhile Sen. Graham appeared on "Meet the Press" expressing support for a temporary guest worker program and frustration with Democrat hesitation to the program.
NPR Reports on Sen. Rubio's (R-FL) role as a pivot point in the immigration reform negotiations: "As Graham and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., were appearing on Sunday talk shows to all but declare an immigration deal completed - after a hard-won agreement between business and labor on a new low-skilled worker program - Rubio was putting out a different message: Not so fast."
In the House members are expressing optimism of releasing a bill as well. "I am very, very optimistic that the House of Representatives is going to have a plan that is going to be able to go to a conference with the Senate in which we're going to be able to resolve differences," Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illiniois, said on CNN's "State of the Union."
April 5, 2013
The Alaskan Congressional delegation today announced their unanimous support for immigration reform: "Inspired by the words of our First Alaskans, and deeply committed to an inclusive state and nation, we join today to express our hope that the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill being drafted by our colleagues be brought to the floor of our respective bodies for consideration this session. Like our colleagues drafting the bill, we believe this legislation should secure our border, streamline our legal immigration system and provide a clear and responsible path to citizenship for those already here."
April 4, 2013
We haven't heard much about the House's plan for immigration reform, but Rep. John Carter (R-TX) recently spoke to a local Texas station and shared some of what's happening with the bi-partisan negotiations: "'We have been meeting on this issue for almost four years, it's miraculous that we kept it a secret.' Carter says the group - made up of 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans - kept things under the radar to avoid the pressure of outside influences while they worked deliberately toward a bipartisan plan. While details are scarce, the Congressman did hint that a full bill would be released, as opposed to the Senate's broader proposal. 'We have legislative language that we will be ready to go forward on. Not concepts, but actual language.'"
AILA just posted this "Quicktake" Video on the Business and Labor Agreement. (AILA Doc. No. 13040352.)
The Center for American Progress recently released a comprehensive report on the latest and most essential facts about immigrants and immigration reform. This includes sections on today's immigrant population, the demographics and political power of Latinos and Asian Americans, the economy, federal policy and public opinion polling.
April 3, 2013
The NY Times reports on the three paths to citizenship the secret bi-partisan House bill being negotiated will offer to the undocumented Americans currently in the United States. The three paths would include: a special path for DREAMers, a path for
immigrants who have either a family or an employment relationship that would allow them to apply for legal status while relaxing or waiving the three and ten year bans, and a provisional legal status for everyone else who would be eligible to apply through regular channels for a green card after 10 years and citizenship 5 years after that.
This comes on the heel of the Sunday NY Times Editorial, The Immigration Spring, celebrating the agreement reached between business and labor.
United We Dream released a 30 second Times Square Ad this week.
Wondering about what's happening with LGBT Families and the immigration reform movement? Check out this AILA Interview of the Month with AILA Chicago chapter member Michael Jarecki. (AILA Doc. No. 13040153.)
April 2, 2013
Six House Republicans, some of them hardline conservatives, wrote a letter last week to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) "offering [him their] support, encouragement and assistance as [they] work together to identify the principles that must guide [the] nation's thinking on immigration reform." The six members were: Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), Justin Amash (R-MI), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Trey Radel (R-FL), and Mark Meadows (R-NC).
AILA released their newest video yesterday, "Economic Growth Through Business Immigration Reform."
April 1, 2013
The Washington Post reports that a major hurdle towards immigration reform was cleared over the weekend as "Labor and business leaders have agreed in principle on the details of a new visa program for low-skilled foreign workers…The two sides agreed on how to overcome the final sticking points, including how much the foreign workers would be paid and which industries would be exempt from the guest-worker program."
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The Center for American Progress has launched a new website focusing on the stories of undocumented LGBT Americans: Out4Citizenship. The site includes stories of LGBT immigrant families and other resources.
March 29, 2013
Results of a Pew Research poll from March 13-17 should that most adults nationwide (71%) believe that there should be a way for undocumented immigrants "who meet certain requirements to stay in the country legally."
Speaker Boehner had some strong words of rebuke to Rep. Don Young's use of an offensive slur to describe Latino workers: "Congressman Young's remarks were offensive and beneath the dignity of the office he holds," Boehner said. "I don't care why he said it--there's no excuse and it warrants an immediate apology."
March 28, 2013
Today the conservative polling group Resurgent Republic released the results of focus group research they conducted with Republican primary voters in South Carolina and Iowa on the issue of immigration. Here are their top line conclusions:
1. These Republican base voters strongly support legal immigration. Regardless of their individual positions on immigration reform, Republicans should open any discussion on this issue highlighting the benefits legal immigration brings to America.
2. Immigration reform is not on the radar of the Republican base. They are following this issue from a distance, so Republicans seeking to pass broad based immigration policies need to make the case as to why this is necessary.
3. Participants agree that mass deportation of undocumented immigrants would create more problems than it solves and they cite logistical, economic, moral, and social concerns with doing so.
4. Securing the border is foundational before implementing an earned citizenship process.
5. In order to be acceptable for Republican primary voters, any potential pathway to citizenship should be defined as a lengthy, rigid, and workable process that results in an earned status. It does not absolve wrongdoing.
6. Solutions addressing undocumented immigrants should be presented in the context of alternatives. There are no easy fixes and Republican voters oppose giving President Obama carte blanche authority on this issue.
At the same that Politico is reporting that "talks on a new visa program for low-skilled workers are 'back on the right track' after a dispute over wages stalled progress on a Senate immigration reform bill, the lead union negotiator said Wednesday," the Washington Post is reporting that: "a bipartisan deal on immigration is at risk of stalling because of a worsening dispute over a new guest-worker program, exposing fault lines between crucial interest groups and threatening to delay the unveiling of a Senate bill early next month."
March 27, 2013
President Obama went on Univision and Telemundo today to speak on the importance of immigration reform. "I'm actually optimistic that when they get back they will introduce a bill," Obama said during an interview with Univision. "My sense is that they have come close and my expectation is that we'll actually see a bill on the floor of the Senate next month."
As the Supreme Court heard a case today on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (read about the immigration implications in this month's edition of Voice Magazine) Immigration Equality highlights this MSNBC clip profiling a U.S. citizen who was forced to move abroad in order to be with his same-sex partner.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle "the newest start-up to watch in Silicon Valley involves a crowd of top tech stars-led by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg-who are seriously exploring the formation of a new independent expenditure group focused on a range of issues, including education and immigration reform."
AILA National General Counsel David Leopold penned an Op-Ed for The Hill today predicting what the four Senators (Democrats Schumer (NY) and Bennet (CO) and Republicans McCain (AZ) and Flake (AZ)) heading to the Southern Border can be expected to see: "In El Paso, Texas, standing on the U.S. side of the border looking south into Mexico, senators will see the squalid neighborhoods of Ciudad Juarez, until recently considered the most dangerous city in the world outside a declared war zone. Along the U.S.-Mexico border, behind the fence, they'll see U.S. Border Patrol vehicles placed at strategic locations to ensure the apprehension of immigrants who do manage to make it past the motion detectors and other virtual barriers designed to keep them on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande."
March 26, 2013
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has launched a new ad advocating for a reform plan that includes a path to citizenship. The ad, called “America,” is part of a $300,000 buy that will run on national cable.
Today, the Sunshine Foundation released an interesting analysis (based on almost 8,000 lobbying reports) that offers a comprehensive and interactive guide to the web of interests with something at stake.
A Colorlines’ article on Nadine Roger’s (client of an AILA member) story: “Immigration Reform May Throw Siblings Under the Bus.”
The Dallas Morning News recently sat down with the new Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz (R). Here are a few choice excerpts from the Q & A.
Q. Immigration and path to citizenship – where are you on that and did Sen. Paul’s speech the other day change your views on that?
A. There is bipartisan agreement that we need to finally get serious about securing the borders…and that we need to increase the manpower and resources on the border to finally solve the problem...The reason I’m pessimistic is I do believe President Obama wants to pass an immigration bill. His behavior concerning immigration leads me to believe that what he wants is a political issue rather than actually to pass a bill. What he wants is for the bill to crater, so that he can use the issue as a political wedge in 2014 and 2016. That is why I believe the president is insisting on a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally. Because by insisting on that, he ensures that any immigration reform bill will be voted down in the House.
Q. Would you vote against anything that has path to citizenship?
A. I have deep, deep concerns about a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally. I think creating a path to citizenship is No. 1 inconsistent with the rule of law. But No. 2 it is profoundly unfair to the millions of legal immigrants who have waited years and sometimes decades in line to come here legally. And as a practical matter, if you want to see common sense immigration reform pass, insisting on a path to citizenship is the surest way to kill the bill. Today I think the greatest obstacle to passing common sense immigration reform is President Barack Obama.
March 25, 2013
Sunday's New York Times included a strong editorial from the paper's Editorial Board in support of strengthening family based categories in immigration reform legislation. They close the editorial with this thought: "Immigration is more than a business relationship America has with selected foreigners. It's a process that renews this country; it means going all-in on America, through binding ties of love and blood. Recruited workers enrich the country. Reunited families do, too."
In this month's edition of Time magazine they chronicle the "
Four Hurdles That Could Block Immigration Reform." These include: the Gang of Eight, lobbyists, House Republicans and Democrats.
Today, in a naturalization ceremony at the White House featuring President Barack Obama and DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, 28 immigrants became U.S. citizens.
The President had this to say on the importance of immigration reform: "Immigration makes us a stronger. It keeps us vibrant. It keeps us hungry. It keeps us prosperous. It is part of what makes this such a dynamic country. And if we want to keep attracting the best and the brightest that the world has to offer, then we need to do a better job of welcoming them. We've known for years that our immigration system is broken, that we're not doing enough to harness the talent and ingenuity of all those who want to work hard and find a place here in America. And after avoiding the problem for years, the time has come to fix it once and for all. The time has come for a comprehensive, sensible immigration reform." (AILA Doc. No. 13032543.)
The Washington Post singled out five Republicans who have made big shifts on their public (and perhaps private) policy stances on immigration. Those profiled include Senators Rand Paul (KY), Marco Rubio (FL) and Representatives Eric Cantor (VA), Bob Goodlatte (VA) and Jim Jordan (OH).
The LA Times profiles cinema's shifting perspective on immigration.
Democratic members of the Gang of Eight, Senators Schumer (NY) and Bennet (CO),
will head South this Easter recess to join their fellow Republican members of the Gang, Arizona Senators McCain (R) and Flake (R), to view conditions along the Arizona border.
Tomorrow, AILA, along with the ACLU, First Focus, The Leadership Conference, National Immigration Law Center, Rights Working Group and Women Refugees Commission will host a briefing entitled, "
Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Restoring Discretion and Fairness to the Immigration System." (AILA Doc. No. 13032547.) As Congress considers Comprehensive Immigration Reform, it is critical to restore much-needed discretion to immigration judges and immigration adjudicators, to ensure that the immigration system produces fair outcomes, preserves American families, and comports with our Constitution and nation's values.
For the first time in four years, late Friday night into early Saturday morning, the Senate approved a federal government budget in a 50-49 vote. Senators filed over 500 amendments in anticipation of the floor debate, but only a fraction of those were actually voted on during the all-night session. Two amendments were directly related to the anticipated upcoming immigration debate in the Senate-Senator Sessions (R-AL) introduced an amendment to "prohibit illegal immigrants or illegal immigrants granted legal status from qualifying for federally subsidized health care." That amendment failed on a 43-56 vote with Senators Collins (R-ME) and Murkowski (R-AK) joining all Senate Democrats in voting no. Senator Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a competing side-by-side amendment that passed on a voice vote that maintains current law with regards to immigrants' access to certain government benefits. The vote split the Gang of Eight down party lines.
March 22, 2013
Today, the Migration Policy Institute issued an Issue Brief on "Going to the Back of the Line: A Primer on Lines, Visa Categories and Wait times."
Although the self-imposed March 1st deadline for the Gang of Eight to release legislative language on immigration reform has come and gone, the bipartisan Senators in the group remain hopeful that a deal can be reached. Sen. Schumer (D-NY) told a group of protesters that: "The group remains on pace to complete a deal by the end of the month. In fact, we are very, very close to a final agreement."
Yesterday, the Oregon Senate voted 19-11 to approve a bill allowing in-state tuition for undocumented students, the bill now heads to the Governor's desk who has indicated he will sign it into law.
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) penned an Op-Ed for the Huffington Post, here is an excerpt: "While immigration reform is clearly an economic issue, it is first and foremost about people. People like me. I want to make sure other families like mine have the same opportunity to come to America, work hard, play by the rules, and find a better life."
March 21, 2013
At yesterday's House Judiciary Hearing with ICE Director John Morton on the release of 2200+ detainees from detention in the last month in response to sequestration, a Republican congressman from Alabama, Rep. Spencer Bachus, asked some surprising questions of ICE Director John Morton on the use of detention to enforce civil immigration laws. A blog by Lutheran Immigration Refugee Service notes that the Congressman asked the following questions of the ICE Director:
- Why don't you do a risk analysis on the detained population? Some of these people are relatives of U.S. citizens, people who came here as children."
- If they're not violent, if they're not repeat offenders, why detain them at all?"
- Why do we spend $164/day to detain these individuals?"
The congressman appeared to answer his own questions with this astute observation: "I would suggest there is an overuse of detention."
Tomorrow, Small Business Majority will be hosting a call with White House officials for small business leaders on immigration and the progress being made towards passage of reform.
On Monday Latino Decision released the next in a series of polls of Latino registered voters' views on potential immigration reform proposals coming out of the bipartisan Senate process. 70% of Latino voters questioned say they support a "clear pathway to citizenship" rather than a bill that waits until the "border is secure."
March 20, 2013
Today, six Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee (Senators Grassley (IA), Sessions (AL), Hatch (UT), Cornyn (TX), Lee (UT) and Cruz (TX)) sent a letter to Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Senator Leahy (D-VT) requesting adequate time to carefully consider any comprehensive immigration bill that might be proposed by the Gang of Eight. (AILA Doc. No. 13032145.)
AILA unveiled a new Resource Page on Family-Based Immigration this week that features case examples, videos and other resources to highlight the importance of family reunification in any immigration reform legislation. (AILA Doc. No. 13032048.) The page was unveiled on the same day that Democratic Senators Mazie K. Hirono (HI), Barbara Boxer (CA), Sherrod Brown (OH), Tom Harkin (IA), Brian Schatz (HI), Al Franken (MN), and Elizabeth Warren (MA) sent a letter to the Gang of Eight urging them to prioritize family reunification and clear the backlogs of family visas. (AILA Doc. No. 13032052.) Also this week, Sen. Hirono held a hearing on the impacts of immigration reform on women and families. (AILA Doc. No. 13031246.)
Today, Alan B. Krueger, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House, spoke to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on the "Economic Benefits of Commonsense Immigration Reform." (AILA Doc. No. 13032042.) The Center for American Progress also released a report detailing the "Economic Effects of Granting Legal Status and Citizenship to Undocumented Immigrants."
Yesterday, the Immigration Policy Center released a new report: "Two Systems of Justice: How the Immigration System Falls Short of American Ideals of Justice."
March 19, 2013
The Evangelical Immigration Table announced that they were launching a South Carolina ad campaign in favor of bipartisan immigration reform. The 30 second radio ad will run on 15 Christian radio stations for two weeks and features Rev. Jim Goodroe, Director of Missions at the Spartanburg County Baptist Network. He spoke on why he participated in this radio ad: "As I've gotten to know immigrants, their stories have been varied and shed light on two aspects of immigration. The first is that many of those who are here as undocumented immigrants came legally, but for various reasons it's been hard for them to go back to their home country. ...These are good people who have added so much to our churches, our communities, and our economy…"
Rand Paul has fully embraced the road to citizenship in excerpts from a speech to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: "The Republican Party has insisted for years that we stand for freedom and family values. I am most proud of my party when it stands for both … Republicans need to give birth to a new attitude toward immigrants, an attitude that sees immigrants as assets not liabilities…Hispanics should be a natural and sizable part of the Republican base. That they have steadily drifted away from the GOP in each election says more about Republicans than it does Hispanics."
ABC/Univision and USA Today ran two competing articles today demonstrating very different paths forward for the Republican Party and the Latino electorate. The Univision headline: "More Latinos Likely To Vote Republican If Immigration Reform Passes" and the USA Today headline: "Poll Shows Republican Involvement With Immigration Reform Won't Cause Latinos to Vote GOP." Yesterday's GOP Report and Rand Paul's speech today seem to suggest that the Republicans are banking on Univision's reading of the political tea leaves on their ability to court the Latino vote in future elections.
March 18, 2013
The Republican National Committee released their 97 page "Growth and Opportunity Report" today making recommendations for the future of the Republican Party. Page seven of the report includes the following: "We are not a policy committee, but among the steps Republicans take in the Hispanic community and beyond, we must embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform. If we do not, our Party's appeal will continue to shrink to its core constituencies only. We also believe that comprehensive immigration reform is consistent with Republican economic policies that promote job growth and opportunity for all."
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) took to Twitter to praise the report's recommendation on immigration.
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) chaired a Senate Judiciary hearing today on the importance of including women and families in comprehensive immigration reform. Read AILA's statement and updates from the hearing. (AILA Doc. No. 13031246.)
March 15, 2013
On the same day that AILA, along with other national organizations, hosted a family immigration briefing on the Hill that included AILA President Laura Lichter and an AILA member's client, Nadine Rogers, the Washington Post reports that "key senators are developing plans that would make it harder for the relatives of U.S. citizens to immigrate to this country, while easing the path for more high-skilled foreign workers, according to lawmakers and others negotiating an immigration deal." (AILA Doc. No. 13031153.)
Senator Durbin (D-IL) went on "Fox News Sunday" and had this to say about the two sides of the aisle coming together for immigration reform: "We're dealing with border enforcement, which is very important on the Republicans' side of the table. We're dealing with the question of the 11 million people paying their taxes having a path to legalization, then ultimately to citizenship - tough issues, but we're coming together and I think we can do it, I have a positive feeling."
March 14, 2013
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has launched a new website focusing on efforts to pass immigration reform. The site, called The American Opportunity, includes the Chamber's 4 point guide to immigration reform, including: securing our border, improving our global competitiveness, creating a reliable electronic employment verification system and creating a path to citizenship.
Today the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) kicked off with a panel entitled: "Respecting Families and the Rule of Law: A Lasting Immigration Policy." The panelists included Helen Krieble of the Vernon K. Krieble Foundation and Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID), a prominent Republican voice on immigration in the House of Representative (and a former AILA member). This is in sharp contrast to last year's conference that hosted Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach as a keynote speaker on immigration.
On Tuesday, the National Federation of Republican Women issued a press release "urging the federal government to expeditiously reform our nation's immigration system." According to the release the NFRW is one of the largest women's political organizations in the country.
The Immigration Policy Center released a fact sheet today refuting the "back of the line" terminology that has infused both the President's and the Senate's discussion on a road to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
March 13, 2013
On April 10th, the day before AILA’s National Day of Action Lobby Day, thousands of immigrants, supporters, AILA members and faith and community leaders will converge in Washington D.C. to call on Congress to create a commonsense immigration reform that includes a realistic path to citizenship. All are invited to attend this historic event that will begin at 3:30pm on Wednesday, April 10th, on the West Lawn of the Capitol (the same side where the Inauguration was held).
The Homeland Security bill contained in the Congressional continuing resolution would give the Homeland Security department $39.6 billion, slightly more than in fiscal 2012. Besides the funding for Immigration and Customs Service detention beds, the bill sustains 21,370 Border Patrol agents in the department’s Customs and Border Protection wing. (via Congressional Quarterly)
Republicans for Immigration Reform just released a $60,000 TV and cable 30 second ad featuring the president of the Charleston, SC Chamber of Commerce praising Senator Graham’s (R-SC) involvement to pass immigration reform. The ad, which ran statewide in South Carolina from March 13th through the 19th, insists that “a modern economy needs modern immigration laws.” Charlie Spies, co-founder and treasurer of Republicans for Immigration Reform had this to say “Senator Lindsey Graham understands that immigration plays an integral role in the way South Carolinians work, live and do business. With Sen. Graham’s support, Republicans can lead the way on a comprehensive immigration reform package that modernizes the laws and encourages economic expansion, competition, and job creation in South Carolina and across the country.”
March 12, 2013
Roll Call has compiled a number of opinion pieces from legislators important in the fight for immigration reform to give their take on what they could happen this year. Contributors include Reps. Gutierrez, Barletta and Sanchez, among others.
Univision has put together a Spanish language infographic to explain the bipartisan Gang of Eight’s set of immigration reform principles.
The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy at UCLA School of Law released a new report providing information about “LGBT Adult Immigrants in the United States.”
Over the past few days, ten individuals in states along both the northern and southern borders have come forward to lodge formal complaints against U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This effort, coordinated by the American Immigration Council, the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, attempts to bring greater oversight to an agency that has lacked transparency for far too long. Read USA Today’s coverage of his coordinated effort.
March 11, 2013
Michael Chertoff, who headed the Department of Homeland Security under George W. Bush, had this to say about security at the Southern border: “There’s a resistance sometimes to recognize that things have actually gotten better…To never acknowledge progress is really self-defeating…Now, I’m not going to tell you that we have a perfectly secure border or that you could have one, but if you look at a series of different metrics over a period of 10 years there has been a steady improvement in terms of operational security of the border and in terms of the net inflow and outflow. And we’ve invested an awful lot in that. But never to acknowledge progress is really self-defeating.”
President Obama has chosen Thomas E. Perez, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, as the new Secretary of Labor. If he is confirmed he will be the only Latino in the Cabinet at this point in Obama's second term. “Notably, Perez has filed civil rights lawsuits against law enforcement officials—including one last year against Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the brash Maricopa County, Ariz., lawman. The suit accuses Arpaio's department of a ‘pattern of unconstitutional conduct’ against Latinos in the state, which has led the nation in clamping down on illegal immigrants.”
March 8, 2013
Some say the negotiations of a temporary, guest-worker program for low skilled foreign laborers is what ultimately killed the 2007 comprehensive immigration bill in the Senate, so everyone’s looking at the U.S. Chamber of commerce and labor unions to see how those discussions will influence the current debate on reform. Well Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President, had this to say to Univision News today: "I'll be honest with you. I can't guarantee we'll get an agreement with the Chamber. But one thing I can guarantee you is that we won't stop fighting for immigrant workers until they get citizenship."
March 7, 2013
Today President Obama, joined by Vice President Biden and many members of Congress, signed S. 47, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, into law in a signing ceremony at the Department of the Interior. (AILA Doc. No. 13030752.)
The Center for Comparative Immigration Studies released the first entry for the new CIR 2013 Blog entitled: “Will Comprehensive Immigration Reform Pass in the Senate? 60 Filibuster-Proof Votes Within Reach.”
Latino Decision recently released a poll that indicated that nationwide, 44% of Latino voters say they would be more likely to vote Republican if the Party takes a leadership role in passing immigration reform with a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. This includes 43% of Latinos who voted for Obama in 2012, and 49% of Latinos who identify as Independents. In addition, fully 52% of Latino voters have supported a Republican candidate at one point or another.
March 6, 2013
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) penned an Op-Ed “Amnesty is not the answer, but enforcing the laws we already have on the books.”
March 5, 2013
Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) joins AILA Advocacy Director Greg Chen for a free AILA podcast and a frank discussion on the status of immigration reform in the 113th Congress. Rep. Gutierrez talks about what’s happening now behind the scenes in Congress and what the prospects are for real reform this year. Rep. Gutierrez covers a range of topics from the urgent need to stop deportations, to the importance of a just and humane approach to border security and interior enforcement, and the need to keep families together here. He also urges all AILA members to get involved and come to the National Day of Action on April 11th in Washington, D.C.
Former governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) took the opportunity last night in an interview with Chuck Todd to walk back his comments opposing a pathway to citizenship made on the Today Show yesterday. He said: “I think we need comprehensive reform, and if there is a path to citizenship that has enough of a realization that we have to respect the rule of law, then so be it.”
The Cato Institute released a new report yesterday, “Poor Immigrants Use Public Benefits at a Lower Rate than Poor Native Born Citizens.”
A Fox News Poll conducted Feb. 25-27, 2013 found that 72% of registered voters “favor allowing illegal immigrants to remain in the country and eventually qualify for U.S. citizenship, as long as they meet certain requirements like paying back taxes, learning English, and passing a background check?" This included 82% of Democrats, 63% of Republicans and 70% of Independents.
March 4, 2013
Jeb Bush was on the Today Show this morning to explain his support for immigration reform without a pathway to citizenship. “There has to be some difference between people who come here legally and illegally. It’s just a matter of common sense and a matter of the rule of law,” he said. This comes on the heels of reports that a bipartisan group of House members are ready to unveil an immigration reform bill that does not include a road to citizenship, but instead will include "built in consequences for breaking the law, and an indirect path to citizenship," said Rep. John Carter (R-TX) to the Christian Post.
Sequestration and budget cuts have been the focus attention in Washington, D.C. for the past weeks, but according to the Washington Post President Obama is ready to refocus his attention on immigration reform efforts (and gun control). “‘There are plenty of issues Congress needs to be getting to,’ said David Leopold, an executive committee member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. ‘Manufactured crises like the ‘fiscal cliff’ or sequester do not advance anyone’s agenda, least of all the American people’s agenda.’”
Tomorrow morning the Border and Immigration Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee will hold a “Hearing on Enhancing American Competitiveness through Skilled Immigration.” American Immigration’s Council’s own Executive Director Ben Johnson will be a witness on the panel. Read his and the other witnesses’ testimony. (AILA Doc. No. 13030456.)
March 1, 2013
The Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization, passed by the house yesterday, represents only the third time that the Republican majority, under the leadership of Speaker Boehner (R-OH), has allowed a bill to come up for a vote without a majority of the Republican Congress member in support. If this unofficial rule (coined the Hastert rule after the former Republican speaker of the same name in 2004) is no longer Speaker Boehner's official precedent it could pave the way forward for how immigration reform could be passed in a deeply divided House of Representatives.
Also in the House, Roll Call is reporting that a bipartisan group of Congress members are "discussing a proposal that would allow illegal immigrants to eventually earn citizenship without creating a special process…[but instead allow them to] get visas under a modified version of the rules that exist today." House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), who is the past has expressed his opposition to a road to citizenship, also recently said he would be in support of such a measure.
Sequestration! If Congress fails to reach a compromise on the automatic federal budget cuts (known as the sequestration) today they will go into effect for almost every agency, including the Department of Homeland Security. Sec. Napolitano discusses the impact the cuts will have on her agency.
Both the Heritage Foundation and the Center for Immigration Studies have released reports in the past critiquing the heavy burden immigration reform would place on the United States economy. This week the Center for American Progress details the many ways that immigrants and immigration reform will be a boon to the U.S. economy, including:
- Large GDP gains and tax revenue from legalization
- Big economic boost from the DREAM Act
- Naturalized citizens earn even more
This week Numbers USA released a radio and television ad in South Carolina attacking Senator Graham (R-SC) for his support for immigration reform.
The President worked to heal rifts caused by the leak of a White House draft immigration bill by inviting two Republican members of the Gang of Eight, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Graham (R-SC) to a private meeting with him at the White House. After the meeting Sen. McCain told reporters: "I believe that the president is very committed to comprehensive immigration reform, now does that mean he's committed to anything we do? No, he has his positions on the issue as well, but I believe he is sincerely desirous of comprehensive immigration reform."
Outside groups are starting to gear up to spend serious money on the campaign for immigration reform. One such group to recently jump into the ring is the American Action Network, a center-right think tank, that recently released an ad featuring George W. Bush's Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez urging voters to support fixing a "broken system."
February 28, 2013
VAWA victory! Earlier today the House of Representatives passed, with broad bipartisan support, Senate bill 47, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. (AILA Doc. No. 13012342.) First, the House had to vote down the bad House substitute bill, which they did on a vote of 257 ayes to 166 nays before moving onto the original Senate bill.
The bipartisan nature of support for the Senate version of the bill, which includes important protections for immigrants that the House bill lacked, may be a good sign for any potential upcoming votes on immigration reform. Buzzfeed reports that “in a House led by a Republican conference at odds with itself, which includes a sizable ideologically motivated bloc inclined to oppose almost any major legislation, this dynamic might be the new normal.” That still remains to be seen, but today we saw an important step forward in protecting all victims of violence.
February 27, 2013
Yesterday, during the House Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security hearing, "What Does a Secure Border Look Like?", here are a few excerpts from the Questions and Answer portion. (AILA Doc. No. 13022540.)
Representative Miller: Chief Fisher, perhaps we should use other than apprehension rate to measure border security. You mentioned a 90% effectiveness rate which would be an optimal goal, which I think is an admirable goal. Would you look at a 90% goal across all of our borders?
Witness Fisher: First of all, 90% wouldn't make sense everywhere. You can pick a particular spot. If on average, if there were only 4 people coming across, and we catch 3 out of 4, it wouldn't make sense to put more and resources there to get to 90%. Differentiate between more activity or less activity. Put the resources in the high activity, optimize the capability for agents to close the last 50 feet, detection capability. When you look at the smuggling business, they are there to make money. When we impact their profit margin, when we are apprehending what they are smuggling, there is a business decision that will be made. We've been able to sustain 90% effectiveness at certain sectors in the border, so we see it as achievable. It doesn't make sense everywhere. Where it makes sense, we want to start parsing it out.
Representative O'Rourk: With so much riding on our ability to speak intelligently on this, it is important for the country to know that the border is more secure than it has ever been. One of the things that are a threat to El Paso and other cities is the slow cross-border traffic. We hear about shipping companies in 9 hour delays. We hear from constituents who wait in 3-4 hours in pedestrian or auto lines. If we can get me across in 10 minutes, why can't we get everyone across in 10 minutes.
Witness McAleenan: We have made significant improvements, delay times reduced 14% in El Paso. We are using our technologies. We are staffing our peak time more efficiently, but it is a continuing focus for us.
Representative Jackson Lee: Chief Fisher, I would like to know why operational control might not be the best terminology. Mr. Rosenblum, please match CIR and border security.
Witness Fisher: In terms of operational control, as we look at its organization and as a tactical term, I didn't think it was synonymous with security, given the way it was being used in context outside of the agency. Security should be measured in outcomes not outputs.
Witness Rosenblum: How important it is to think about border security in a systematic context. The tools we have in place are one of several tools in context of worksite enforcement, admissions, etc.
Over the last few days much has been made of the recent release of hundreds of detainees from ICE detention due to the looming sequester budget cuts, even allegations that ICE Director Gary Mead offered his resignation over the releases (something the department denies). Rep. Roybal-Allard (D-CA) had this to say on the issue:
"The sequester is forcing ICE to do what it should have been doing already - placing people who don't pose a threat to their communities or our country into the proven Alternatives to Detention Program," said Rep. Roybal-Allard. "Whereas locking up an immigrant costs the American taxpayer more than $150 a day, these proven supervision programs cost about $10 a day. More importantly, with success rates above 90 percent, they deliver strong results. If Republicans were really serious about fiscal responsibility and about fixing our broken immigration system, they would join me in applauding ICE's decision."
As we ramp up the immigration debate in Congress (with the House scheduling and holding multiple hearings this and next week) The Hill reports that over half of Congress has never debated immigration before.
"Only 54 current senators were in the Senate in June of 2007, when the upper chamber last voted on comprehensive immigration and border-security legislation. And just five of the 23 GOP senators who voted in favor of the 2006 immigration reform bill are still serving: Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), John McCain (Ariz.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Mitch McConnell (Ky.). In the House, the turnover has been higher since the lower chamber last cast a major vote on immigration at the end of 2005. Fifty-eight percent of new House members have taken office since then, meaning less than half of the lower chamber took part in the last significant legislative battle over tightening the border and granting legal status to the nation's illegal immigrants."
February 26, 2013
Today the House Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee of the Judiciary held a hearing on "Agricultural Labor: From H-2A to a Workable Agricultural Guestworker Program." (AILA Doc. No. 13022558.) Some select quotes from the question and answer section of the hearing:
Representative Goodlatte (R-VA): If we're going to do CIR, we need to have a component that will work for this industry here. Designing something for agriculture is critical for designing something that works for everyone.
Witness Giev Kashkooli A:The people who are harvesting our food everyday- it's a euphemism to call them guestworkers. They are the new Americans…
Representative Lofgren: You're not objecting to a temporary worker program provided it is truly portable, and that there aren't incentives for employers to employ over American workers.
Witness Kashkooli A:Yes, in addition, quality of treatment and path of citizenship to someone who are no longer temporary. Some are genuinely temporary. If you're here year after year, you're no longer temporary.
Representative Smith: Mr. Brown, my third concern is this. If individuals stay for any substantial length of time, one they're not temporary, they're permanent, they are not going to go home. That's why a true guestworker program will be a short guestworker program
Witness Brown A: I would respond in two ways, one there are ways to track these people currently, and to improve e-verify. When we bring guestworkers in to this country, we can set up through E-verify for a period of validation limited amount of time. [In response to Rep. Smith asking if the workers should go home] I think there should be a path to legalization.
AILA joins the White House in urging the House of Representative to reject the current House substitute to S. 47 as currently drafted and to instead pass the bipartisan Senate version of VAWA. (AILA Doc. No. 13022753.)
The House is scheduled to debate and vote on the substitute on Thursday the 28th.
The National Employment Law Project released a report on "Workers' Rights on ICE, How Immigration Reform Can Stop Retaliation and Advance Labor Rights."
February 25, 2013
The House will host three hearings this week on immigration reform. The Immigration and Border Security subcommittee of the Judiciary will host a hearing on E-Verify and the agricultural H-2A visa system and the Border and Maritime Security subcommittee of the Homeland Security committee will host a hearing on border security. (AILA Doc. No. 13022541, AILA Doc. No. 13022540.)
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) released this statement on the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce's joint statement on immigration reform released last week:
"I applaud the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO for coming together to find common ground in an effort to reform our broken immigration system," said Cantor in a statement. "Their goal of protecting American workers and ensuring we have the workforce we need to grow the economy and remain globally competitive is one I share. While we may not agree on every aspect, it is encouraging that two groups often on opposite sides of the aisle are serious about putting politics aside and finding solutions. Let's hope we can follow that lead in the months ahead."
The Partnership for a New Economy just launched "the March for Innovation," a virtual march to pass immigration reform that includes provisions to boost innovation and entrepreneurship. From their site: "innovation and technology are the engines of the American economy, but we need more of the best and brightest to power it. It's simple: the more innovators, entrepreneurs, and hardworking individuals we have in America, the better our economy preforms and the more jobs we create for all Americans. We're bridging party lines to streamline, modernize, and rationalize our broken immigration system."
February 22, 2013
Rep. Goodlatte (R-VA), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, went on NPR yesterday and voiced his strong opposition to a pathway to citizenship for those currently in the country without status. He did say he supports a strong guest worker program: "You're going to have to have a program that assures those farms and those processing plants that there will be workers. Because if you give them legal status, they can work anywhere in the United States-they're not going to necessarily work at the hardest, toughest, dirtiest jobs."
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has been facing some tough crowds in his home state of Arizona, specifically on his involvement in the bipartisan group of senators working towards immigration reform. NBC reports that "McCain told the crowd that Americans would not support a move to arrest all illegal immigrants in the United States and deport them. He also said he wouldn't support an effort to make people who had been in the United States illegally for decades to become guest workers because 'we're a Judeo-Christian principled nation,' drawing an angry response from some in the crowd."
AILA Media-Advocacy Committee member Ally Bolour writes on the importance of a "Realistic Pathway to Citizenship."
February 21, 2013
Today AILA released a working draft section-by-section summary of the leaked White House draft bill sections including: Title I: Enforcement, Title II: Legalization of Undocumented Individuals and Subtitle X-XI: Employment Verification System & Protecting American Workers. (AILA Doc. No. 13022142.)
Earlier today the U.S Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue & the AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka released a "Joint Statement of Shared Principles." (AILA Doc. No. 13022152.) They outline the following three principles they believe "should guide legislation in the complicated and important area of addressing lesser-skilled immigration to our country:"
- American workers should have a first crack at available jobs.
- In instances - even during tough economic times - when employers are not able to fill job openings with American workers it is important that our laws permit businesses to hire foreign workers without having to go through a cumbersome and inefficient process.
- Fix the system so that it is much more transparent, which requires that we build a base of knowledge using real-world data about labor markets and demographics.
More information is available in the Washington Post.
Recent polling data on Americans' views on immigration and reform:
February 20, 2013
Yesterday, the Alliance for Citizenship, a campaign working with labor, immigration, community, and faith-based organizations (including AILA), to pass major immigration legislation in Congress in 2013, formally announced their plans "to throw their weight into the immigration debate."
Last night the President sought to ease tensions with Senate Republicans over the leaked White House immigration reform bill. President Obama specifically reached out to three of the four Republicans who are members of the bi-partisan Gang of Eight working on the Senate immigration reform bill to reaffirm his "shared commitment to bipartisan, common-sense immigration reform."
Both the President's and the Senate's plans include a reference requiring undocumented immigrants to "go to the back of the line" when applying for legal permanent status (green cards). Mother Jones has put together this handy interactive tool to demonstrate that the reality is no single line exists, and the multiple different lines that do are incredibly backed up.
Senator Durbin (D-IL) had this to say about the plan included in the Senate's principles that would prevent undocumented immigrants from applying for legal permanent residency until certain border security triggers were met: "Let me -- let me clarify this. What we -- we haven't written the section, but what we envision is -- is to create metrics, measurements, in terms of progress on border security that could be certified or at least attested to by local officials. But the ultimate decision will be by the Department of Homeland Security. So it isn't going to be something as generic as safe and secure borders. We'd never agree on that. But metrics, in terms of resources on the border and the impact it has on illegal immigration."
February 19, 2013
Over the weekend three separate section of a draft White House immigration bill were released by the Miami Herald. The sections that were released--including legalization, border security, interior enforcement, and worksite enforcement--take a moderate approach and are consistent with the broad principles the President issued a few weeks ago. The overall approach is also in line with the package released by the bi-partisan group of eight Senators who are currently working on their own immigration reform bill. (AILA Doc. No. 13021945.)
Since the leak of the White House bill the administration and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) have been in a "war of words" over how much Republicans were or were not consulted about the draft language and whether the President should be involved in the drafting of language at all.
Sen. Rubio issued a press release immediately following the release of the legislative language, including this statement: "Much like the President's self-described 'stop gap' Deferred Action measure last year, this legislation is half-baked and seriously flawed…If actually proposed, the President's bill would be dead on arrival in Congress, leaving us with unsecured borders and a broken legal immigration system for years to come." But as the Miami Herald pointed out yesterday, the President's bill and the bill Sen. Rubio supports are remarkably similar.
February 15, 2013
This week the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) announced the creation of a high-level bipartisan task force on immigration. The task force will be co-chaired by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, and former Governors Haley Barbour and Ed Rendell and will work to develop a politically viable package of policy recommendations and work with Congress to help pass immigration reform.
February 14, 2013
The Immigration Policy Center released a primer that provides a snapshot of the current immigration system, a short summary of the key events and issues that have shaped the laws, offers context for the current debate, and discusses the key principles guiding immigration reform.
"5 reasons GOP should avoid immigration trap," an Op-Ed written by former House Immigration Subcommittee Chair Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX). He cautions that "before deciding what to do about immigration, Republicans should first decide what not to do. They should not buy in to the Obama/liberal Democrats' plan to legalize every person who is in the country illegally."
In the Senate Judiciary Committee's first hearing on immigration reform in the 113th Congress Senator Maize Hirono (D-HI) argued passionately for prioritizing family reunification in immigration reform. In her opening remarks she stated: "Immigration reform should be rooted in a set of guiding principles to ensure that our immigration system addresses the critical needs of our economy, while maintaining the nearly 50-year tradition of bringing families together."
February 13, 2013
Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and undocumented immigrant, gave powerful testimony today at the Senate Judiciary Hearing on "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" along with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, among others. Read AILA's live summary of the hearing, our submitted testimony, and all of the witnesses' testimony on our Hearing page. (AILA Doc. No. 13020747.)
Last night the President gave a State of the Union address that touched on a variety of issues-here's what he had to say about immigration:
"Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, faith communities -- they all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Now is the time to do it. Now is the time to get it done. Now is the time to get it done.
Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my administration has already made -- putting more boots on the Southern border than at any time in our history and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years.
Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship -- a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English, and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here legally.
And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.
In other words, we know what needs to be done. And as we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. So let's get this done. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away. And America will be better for it. Let's get it done. Let's get it done."
Today, President Obama met with the four Democratic members of the Senate's Gang of Eight (Durbin (IL), Menendez (NJ), Schumer (NY) and Bennet (CO)) to further discuss the plans to overhaul the immigration system.
Michael Mandel, a member of the AILA Media Advocacy Committee member, wrote this guest blog for the AILA Leadership Blog laying out the 306 reasons why we need immigration reform in 2013.
Jessica Vaughn, director of policy studies at the Center for immigration Studies, testified at both today's Senate and last week's House hearings on immigration reform, advocating against non-enforcement only proposals (including clearing the backlogs and providing a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented Americans). (AILA Doc. No. 13020747, AILA Doc. No. 13020147.) However, in an article in the Huffington Post she had this to say about the less than citizenship legal status being championed by Rep. Raul Labrador for the 11 million (R-ID):
"'In my view we shouldn't be accepting immigrants that we are not willing to allow to become citizens. It's the kind of policy that makes us more like Saudi Arabia and Japan. It creates classes of residency and treats people like facets of production."
Creating a second-class legal status "sails into uncharted waters," and will put millions of American-born workers with limited education at a deep disadvantage in the labor market, Vaughn said. Unemployment among undocumented immigrants already is high."
February 12, 2013
VAWA passed out of the Senate on a vote of 78-22 with a strong bipartisan show of support (and without the bad immigration amendments). All eyes are turning to the House of Representatives now, where VAWA stalled last year. More information and updates are available on the Senate VAWA proposed legislation page. (AILA Doc. No. 13012342.)
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) released this excerpt from the Tea Party response to tonight’s State of the Union on his Facebook page: "We are the party that embraces hard work and ingenuity, therefore we must be the party that embraces the immigrant who wants to come to America for a better future. We must be the party who sees immigrants as assets, not liabilities. We must be the party that says, 'If you want to work, if you want to become an American, we welcome you."
February 11, 2013
AILA launches the “Ask a Lawmaker” series. AILA is rolling out the five questions that Congress and the President must answer as we move forward on immigration reform. Here’s a look at our first two in the series, click through for more information:
Border Security: How will the President and Congress ensure that any enforcement goals are clear and reasonable and that people are not kept waiting an indefinite period of years in limbo status? (AILA Doc. No. 13021151.)
Family and Employment Based Visas: How will the President and Congress ensure that any legislation continues America's historic commitment to bringing families together and ensures that Americans do not have to choose between their country and taking care of their elderly parents or building a life with their children and siblings? (AILA Doc. No. 13021152.)
Want to learn more about exactly who are the 11 million undocumented immigrants that Congress is fiercely debating about now? Check out the Immigration Policy Center Legalization Resource Page for infographics, analysis and demographic information to better understand the impacts of a legalization program in the United States.
First Lady Michelle Obama will be joined by DACA recipient Alan Alamen tomorrow night to hear firsthand the President deliver the State of the Union address.
February 8, 2013
VICTORY! Senator Grassley’s bad VAWA amendments (to make a third DUI conviction an aggravated felony for immigration removal purposes, to amend the crime of violence definition for immigration purposes, and to expand aggravated felonies to include all domestic violence convictions) included in his VAWA substitute package were all defeated yesterday on a vote of 65-34. (AILA Doc. No. 13020752, AILA Doc. No. 13020753, AILA Doc. No. 13020751.) The Senate will reconvene on Monday, 02/11/13, at 2:30pm ET to continue debate and vote on the final bill. Thank you to all of our members who called their Senators in support of a clean VAWA bill!
February 7, 2013
Major roadblock in Republican controlled House? Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID), a Republican seen as a leader and moderating force on immigration reform in the House of Representatives, came right out on NPR and said: "The people that came here illegally knowingly --- I don't think they should have a path to citizenship." What does this mean for either the President’s or the Gang of Eight’s Immigration Reform proposals, both of which include a roadmap to citizenship? That remains to be seen.
February 6, 2013
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sat down with Buzzfeed editor-in-chief to have a candid conversation about a range of issues, from the Senator’s music playlist (plenty of Tupac) to the big issue of this session, immigration. Fast forward to minute 8:00 to hear Senator Rubio discuss the Senate’s plan, protections (or lack thereof) for bi-national same sex couples and the importance of “defining border security and who is going to certify that it’s happening.”
Even more Rubio news! He has been tapped by Republican leadership to deliver the Republican response to the State of the Union speech next Tuesday, February 12th. According to sources he will deliver the rebuttal in both English and Spanish.
February 5, 2013
The House Judiciary Committee kicked off today the first (of many to come) immigration focused hearing in the 113th Congress. The hearing had some highlights (like San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and MPI Director Muzaffar Chishti) and quite a few lowlights (like ICE Union President Chris Crane). Check out AILA’s hearing page for a live summary of the 5+ hour hearing and links to AILA’s and other witnesses’ testimony. (AILA Doc. No. 13020147.)
We had some good news from the Hill today on the need to inject some rational debate into the conversation on enforcement and immigration reform today when four Senators released their "Dear Colleague Letter." The letter, signed by Senators Leahy (D-VT), Coons (D-DE), Blumenthal (D-CT) and Hirono (D-HI), calls for reforms to immigration enforcement laws that are grounded in civil and human rights, and that ensure due process, equal treatment and fairness. (AILA Doc. No. 13020557.)
February 4, 2013
AILA released their testimony for the House Judiciary Committee hearing on “America’s Immigration System” which in part reaffirms the importance of family unification as a cornerstone of the U.S. legal immigration system and points out that immigration enforcement efforts of the past decade have been aggressive, have reached a historic high-point, and that our borders and the interior have never been more secure. (AILA Doc. No. 13020446.) (AILA Doc. No. 13020147.)
Some of you might have seen the “Aspiring Americans” ad run during the Super Bowl yesterday, but here it is for those of you who missed it.
February 2, 2013
Scott Brown (R) announced he won’t run in a special election to fill John Kerry’s (D) Massachusetts senate seat. This leaves a thin field of Republican candidates who could run against the two Democrats identified as potential contenders: Reps. Edward J. Markey and Stephen F. Lynch.
Next Tuesday at 10:00am Eastern, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on “America’s Immigration System: Opportunities for Legal Immigration and Enforcement of Laws against Illegal Immigration.” .” (AILA Doc. No. 13020147.) Many fear this hearing may veer into an attack of the Obama administration’s record on enforcement, but hope that instead the House can begin a serious discussion on immigration reform.
January 31, 2013
Is the honeymoon over? Yesterday, on Laura Ingraham’s radio show, Senator David Vitter (R-LA) had some harsh words for fellow Republican Senator Marco Rubio (FL): “I love and respect Marco. I just think he’s amazingly naïve on this issue.”
January 30, 2013
On January 30, 2013 AILA released their report, Border Security: Moving Beyond Past Benchmarks, that urges lawmakers to move beyond massive expenditure on resource buildup at the border. (AILA Doc. No. 13013051.) This report examines past immigration reform proposals, specifically the 2006, 2007, and 2010 Senate bills (S. 2611, S.1639, and S.3932), and evaluates the proposals in these four areas: operational control, border personnel, border infrastructure and technology, and detention.
Read the Washington Post’s article on the report.
VAWA! VAWA! VAWA! Senate Bill 47, a bill introduced by Senators Leahy (D-VT) and Crapo (R-ID) to Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, looks poised to hit the floor of the Senate within the next few days. (AILA Doc. No. 13012342.) The bill currently has 55 co-sponsors in the Senate and will bypass the Judiciary committee and head directly to the floor where it will be opened for amendments before a final vote. For more information check out the factsheet from the National Taskforce to End Sexual and Domestic Violence on the bill. (AILA Doc. No. 13013046.)
The bill is similar to last year’s bill, except that as of now it does not include Senator Grassley’s (R-IA) amendment to include a third drunk driving offense as an Aggravated Felony for removal purposes. AILA will be monitoring the debate closely and may call on AILA members to take action if bad amendments are offered on the floor during debate.
The spin has begun. Now that both the bi-partisan Senate “Gang of Eight” and the President have laid out their basic principles for immigration reform both sides, and Republicans and Democrats in the House are getting in on the action as well. Senator Marco Rubio appeared on Rush Limbaugh and stated that he would not support any bill with a road to citizenship that didn’t address border security first. While in the other House on the other side of the aisle, House Democrats are digging in their own heels on the importance of including equity for same sex couples in immigration legislation moving forward.
January 29, 2013
President Obama spoke in Las Vegas today on his proposal for comprehensive immigration reform and while his speech did not offer specific policy proposals different from what the Gang of Eight in the Senate offered yesterday, his factsheet on “Fixing the Broken Immigration System So Everyone Plays by the Same Rules” offers some additional insight. (Jan. 29, 2013) (AILA Doc. No. 13012946.) Most notably the President’s plan does not tie the road to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented Americans to any border security triggers as the Senate plan does, although he does lay out plans to increase enforcement both at the border and at worksites.
The LA Times is reporting that a secret group of House members is racing to finish their version of a bipartisan immigration overhaul bill before the President’s State of the Union Speech in two weeks. While some say it tracks closely to the bipartisan set of principles released yesterday by the Gang of Eight in the Senate, this would be actual legislative language, rather than just a set of principles.
Buzzfeed obtained a one page set of talking points on immigration for Republican members of Congress issued by the Hispanic Leadership Network outlining the language they recommend lawmakers use in the upcoming immigration debate. The talking points include recommendations such as: don’t use the work ‘illegals’ or ‘aliens’ or the term ‘anchor baby.’
Gang of Eight press conference on the release of their bipartisan immigration principles.
Marco Rubio appeared on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News defending the “Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” Sean Hannity stated that it was the most well thought out plan he had seen.
January 28, 2013
The bi-partisan powerful "Gang of Eight" Senators today released their "Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform" outlining a set of principles to guide the overhaul of the country's immigration system.
Democratic Senators Schumer (D-NY), Durbin (D-IL), Menendez(D-NJ), Bennet (D-CO) and Republican Senators Graham (R-SC), Rubio (R-FL), Flake (R-AZ) and McCain (R-AZ) have all committed to the plan and a roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the country, but only when strict border enforcement measures have been met.
The four basic legislative proposals included in the framework:
Create a tough but fair path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants currently living in the United States that is contingent upon securing our borders and tracking whether legal immigrants have left the country when required;
Reform our legal immigration system to better recognize the importance of characteristics that will help build the American economy and strengthen American families;
Create an effective employment verification system that will prevent identity theft and end the hiring of future unauthorized workers; and,
Establish an improved process for admitting future workers to serve our nation's workforce needs, while simultaneously protecting all workers.
Read the NY Times article.
Read the Politico coverage.
January 25, 2013
January 23, 2013 marked the one year anniversary since then Republican Presidential nominee candidate Mitt Romney injected his “self-deportation” plan into the debate. The most recent analysis from Latino Decisions shows the impact the Latino vote had on the 2012 elections and provides a strategy for both parties to make gains within the Latino community by pursuing common sense immigration policy.
Senator Marco Rubio stopped by "The Mark Levin Show" on Wednesday and had this to say about any potential immigration reform package: “President Barack Obama must confront labor unions and accept a guest worker program as part of a broad immigration reform package if he intends to sign a bill this year.”
Filibuster reform good news for immigration reform? Not so much according to most experts. Although much attention has been paid to the so called filibuster reform agreement agreed to by Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) the reality is that the rule changes will have little to no effect on the need to have 60 secured Senate votes to overcome a Senate filibuster on any major piece of legislation, including any immigration reform package.
President Obama met with leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and stated that immigration reform would be his top legislative priority. After the meeting the White House announced that the President would be unveiling his immigration reform proposals during his scheduled trip to Las Vegas next Tuesday.
January 24, 2013
Senators Leahy (D-VT) and Crapo (R-ID) reintroduced the bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act Tuesday. The bill, reauthorizes the landmark Violence Against Women Act law that was enacted more than 20 years ago, strengthens and improves existing programs that assist victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The same bill was also introduced in the House by Rep. Moore (D-WI). (Jan. 23, 2013) (AILA Doc. No. 13012342.)
On January 14, 2013 Rep. Ross (R-FL) introduced the Legal Agricultural Workforce Act (H.R. 242) that would provide for a temporary agricultural worker program by creating a new “W” nonimmigrant Visa. Farmworker Justice released a statement opposing the bill.
January 23, 2013
House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Goodlatte (R-VA) announced the members of the Immigration Subcommittee today. The subcommittee will be Chaired by Rep. Gowdy (R-SC) and Vice-Chaired by Rep. Poe (R-TX). The other Republican members of the committee include: Lamar Smith (R-TX), Steve King (R-IA), Jim Jordan(R-OH), Mark Amodei (R-NV), Raul Labrador (R-ID), and George Holding (R-NC). The Ranking member of the committee is Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) with fellow Democrats: Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Joe Garcia (D-FL) and Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR).
First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to Rep. Steve King (R-IA) today declaring their opposition to a bill he recently introduced denying birthright citizenship. Rep. King's Birthright Citizenship Act (H.R. 140) would deny citizenship to children born in the United States without a parent with legal status.
January 22, 2013
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) continues to make his case for his vision of immigration reform to conservative news outlets and pundits. Although the reception hasn't been all positive, he's mainly gaining traction with everyone from Sean Hannity ( who said the plan was "probably the most thoughtful bill that I have heard heretofore"), to Bill O'Reilly, to Grover Norquist, to Ralph Reed and David Brody.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced today the first ten measures of the 113th Congress and immigration reform is number one on the list.
January 21, 2013
President Obama said this about immigration in his Inauguration Day Speech:
"Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country."
Senator Leahy (D-VT) made a surprising move when he announced that he wants President Obama to send a draft immigration bill to the U.S. Senate. While the President has been outspoken in his support for Congress to tackle immigration reform, the exact method of his involvement was still in the air as some were worried that a draft bill put forward by the President makes a bi-partisan effort that much more difficult to achieve.
January 18, 2013
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is laying down a hard line in the sand in any immigration reform fight: citizenship for the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. He told a roomful of reporters that "there will be nothing done in my Senate (on immigration reform) without a pathway to citizenship."
Mayor Bloomberg has long been a
proponent of immigration reform, and the Partnership for a New American economy, launched by Bloomberg and News Corporation head Rupert Murdoch in 2010, is not shying away from this fight. The coalition of over 500 businesses and mayors in whispering into the ears of Republican elected officials, and they say it's working.
January 17, 2013
Some might remember Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) running mate's extreme position on immigration during the 2012 Presidential campaign. Well it looks like now the Republican Party leader from Wisconsin is doing everything he can to distance himself from those stances and place himself in the center of any debate around immigration reform in the 113th Congress. Rep. Ryan strongly endorsed Sen. Rubio's immigration proposal and has been rumored to be in conversations with Rep. Gutierrez (D-IL) around potential immigration bills.
January 16, 2013
On November 7th, 2012 AILA began compiling quotes in support of immigration reform from the most unlikely of sources and the surprises keep coming. During his Fox News show Bill O'Reilly gave public support for Sen. Rubio's (R-FL) immigration plan that involves deporting immigrants with criminal backgrounds and putting others on a path to legalization.
Senator Leahy (D-VT), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, outlined the agenda for his committee in the 113th Congress. This is what he included on immigration:
"I expect that the Judiciary Committee will devote most of our time this Spring working to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Few topics are more fundamental to who and what we are as a nation than immigration. Immigration throughout our history has been an ongoing source of renewal of our spirit, our creativity and vitality. From the young students brought to this country by their parents seeking a better life for them, to the hardworking men and women who play vital roles supporting our farmers, innovating for our technology companies, or creating businesses of their own, our nation relies on immigrants. We must find a way through the partisan gridlock to enact meaningful change, which should include a path for citizenship. Tackling this complex issue should inspire us to uphold the fundamental values of family and of hard work and of fairness. Next month we will begin this national discussion in the full Senate Judiciary Committee with public hearings. Although I expect there will be different views on many pieces of the reform effort, I hope that in the end we can honor those who came before us from distant lands in search of freedom and opportunity."
January 14, 2013
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will remain on as Secretary into the President's second term.
January 10, 2013
The Chamber of Commerce has thrown their hat into the immigration reform ring. Tom Donohue, the Chamber's president, announced in a press conference that the "door to the American dream must always remain open" and signaled that the Chamber will begin working on bringing a coalition of groups together to work on overhauling the American immigration system. Most notably Mr. Donohue mentioned that he had been working with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
January 4, 2013
The Senate Republicans have announced their 113th Congress committee assignments. The all-important Senate Judiciary committee will include two new freshman Senators: Ted Cruz (TX) and Jeff Flake (AZ), joining veteran Republican committee members: Chuck Grassley (IA), Orrin Hatch (UT), Jeff Sessions (AL), Lindsey Graham (SC), John Cornyn (TX), and Mike Lee (UT).
December 21, 2012
CNN is reporting that President Obama will nominate Senator John Kerry (D-MA) to be the next Secretary of State. Senator Kerry currently chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is “noted for his experience, gravitas and relationship-building skills.”
If Sen. Kerry is confirmed Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D) would appoint a temporary replacement until a special election can be held, no longer than 160 days after the vacancy. Many in Washington believe that former Sen. Scott Brown (R), who lost a close race to Elizabeth Warren (D) in November, is the most likely Republican candidate, but speculations still abound on potential Democratic candidates for the position.
December 19, 2012
Senator Leahy (D-VT) announced today that he would stay on as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee rather than moving to head to powerful Appropriations committee, a position that we left vacant with the death of Senator Inouye (D-HI). CNN is reporting that Sen. Mikulski (D-MD) will instead chair that committee, becoming the first women to do so.
Senator Leahy’s full statement: “Chairing the Judiciary Committee and maintaining my seniority on the Appropriations Committee will allow me to protect both the Constitution and Vermont.”
A group of bi-partisan community leaders, religious groups, businesses and others have come together under the leadership of Senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat, and former Senator Hank Brown, a Republican, to craft a comprehensive approach to immigration policy entitled “The Colorado Compact.” This Compact is even more significant as Senator Bennet (D-CO) will play an important role in immigration reform negotiations as a member of the “Gang of Eight” bi-partisan group of Senators working on the issue.
The results from the most recent CBS Poll from Dec. 12-16 mirror those from other major national polling outlets signaling that most Americans want to put aspiring citizens without legal status on the road to citizenship.
The CBS polls asked adults nationwide: "Which comes closest to your view about illegal immigrants who are currently working in the U.S.? They should be allowed to stay in their jobs and to eventually apply for U.S. citizenship. OR, They should be allowed to stay in their jobs only as guest workers, but not to apply for U.S. citizenship. OR, They should be required to leave their jobs and leave the U.S."
47% Allowed to stay and apply for citizenship
24% Stay, but only as guest workers
27% Forced to leave the U.S.
3% Unsure/No answer
December 18, 2012
Representative Goodlatte (R-VA), the incoming Chair of the House Judiciary Committee announced today Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) as his selection to head the Sub Committee on Immigration and Border Security. Rep. Gowdy came into Congress in the “Tea Party” wave of 2010 ousting the incumbent Republican from the South Carolina 4th district in the primary before going on to handily beat his Democratic opponent. Currently Rep. Gowdy does not include immigration as a priority issue on his official Congressional website.
Judiciary Chair Rep. Goodlatte is a member of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus and states on his official Congressional website: “Legal immigration has blessed our nation with talent, diversity, and a commitment to freedom and the rule of law. However, illegal immigration mocks that law and our system of justice.”
December 18, 2012
On Monday, December 17, 2012 Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, the longest serving Senator in the Senate, died at the age of 88. Senator Inouye was the Chair of the Senate Appropriations committee, a position which Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, now the most senior member of the Senate, looks poised to take over. This would mean that Sen. Leahy would give up his position as chair of the Senate Judiciary committee, potentially paving the way for California Senator Dianne Feinstein to take the gavel of that committee.
December 17, 2012
NPR kicks of a multi-day focus on immigration reform with guest Senator-elect Jeff Flake (R-AZ), a member of the bi-partisan group of Senators working on an immigration deal.
An excerpt:
DAVID GREENE (NPR Host): The nation's Hispanics voted overwhelmingly for President Obama and pushed immigration to near the top of the legislative agenda.
SENATOR-ELECT JEFF FLAKE: Well, there's nothing like a big election loss to focus the mind.
December 16, 2012
Although many expect Senator Rubio (R-FL) to play an important and on-going role in any debate on immigration reform next year, so far he has been largely quiet on the issue except in calling for a step by step approach rather than a comprehensive bill. According to a Tampa Bay Times article this is in direct contrast to his Republican colleague in the House, also from Florida, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) who is quietly working with Democratic Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Xavier Becerra (D-CA) on a comprehensive approach.
December 12, 2012
Today Senator Reid announced the Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The only new Democrat to join the committee will be Senator-elect Mazie Hirono (D-HI). Mazie Hirono, the first female Senator from Hawaii and a Japan-born immigrant, currently serves in the House of Representatives and joined AILA members last year as a luncheon speaker at the National Day of Action.
Senator Tom Carper of Delaware was Harry Reid’s choice to lead the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee replacing retiring Independent Senator Joe Lieberman (CT). Sen. Carper will be joined by two new members Senators Tammy Baldwin (WI) and Heidi Heitkamp (ND). This committee is responsible for border security and terrorist and cyber-attacks.
The Republican Senate appointments have not yet been made public.
December 7, 2012
A bi-partisan group of Senators, four Republicans and four Democrats, have begun holding private discussions on immigration reform proposals for the 113th Congress. The Republicans include Senators Lindsey Graham (SC) John McCain (AZ), Mike Lee (UT) and Senator-elect Jeff Flake (AZ). The Democrats are represented by Senators Chuck Schumer (NY), Dick Durbin (IL), Bob Menendez (NJ) and Michael Bennet (CO).
December 6, 2012
On 11/28/12 the Congressional Hispanic Caucus released a statement entitled: "One Nation: Principles on Immigration Reform and Our Commitment to the American Dream" outlining their priorities for any comprehensive immigration reform package. (AILA Doc. No. 12112842)
A couple of key things to note are the importance placed on attracting and retaining foreign students in the STEM fields and the inclusion of bi-national, same sex couples as critical when addressing the family backlogs.
December 6, 2012
On 11/30/12 The House of Representatives debated and voted on a modified version of H.R. 6429, the STEM Jobs Act (AILA Doc. No. 12092053). H.R. 6429 passed by a vote of 245 - 139. The measure then moved to Senate for possible consideration where it is not expected to come up for a vote.
The White House issued a "Statement of Administration Policy" opposing H.R. 6429 because: "the Administration does not support narrowly tailored proposals that do not meet the President's long-term objectives with respect to comprehensive immigration reform," reaffirming the President's commitment to working with Congress to create a common sense immigration process.
