Senate says no to biometrics

16. May 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Immigration Reform · Tags: , , ,

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard a potential amendment to the immigration reform bill which would’ve required additional biometric tracking for people coming in and going out of the country on temporary visas. The bill was supported by Republican senator Jeff Sessions. It would have imposed requirements to use biometric information such as fingerprints and photos, etc. to manage the entry and exit of these types of temporary visitors and students.

The amendment didn’t last long as it failed six to twelve. Not only Democrats downed it, there were also two Republicans that decided to switch sides and shoot down the proposal. The naysayers supposedly cited the potential for overwhelming costs and the desire to avoid the unnecessary expansion of the government bureaucracy. Kind of weird if you think about it because those are usually two areas that the Democrats excel in exploiting.

Overall, I think this would’ve been a good area to add legislation. It would certainly put a little teeth in the immigration bill which would satisfy those in society who feel that the government is not serious about regulating immigration. Also, it seems kind of necessary to have some physical data to track people who come in and out of the country. It would certainly help track visa overstays and ensure that people don’t try to abuse the system. It could also help promote public safety because anti-American groups could easily abuse the lack of control to carry out attacks like we’ve seen in N.Y. and recently in Boston.

I guess the government really isn’t that serious about keeping the immigration problem in check once reform passes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for reform, but we need to correct the problems that happened in the past to prevent it from getting out of control again. This reminds me of the e-verify program and other attempts to keep illegal immigration in check. None of those problems were taken very seriously. Even today there are people without documents working under false social security numbers and no one really does anything about it except for the occasional ICE raid. At some point we have to get serious about enforcing who can come in and out of the country and when.

I think the lesson to be learned here is that no reform effort is ever going to be perfect. We are always going to have loopholes and they will always be exploited to the max. I kind of had hopes that this would be the “end all” immigration bill that would cure the problem for generations to come. However, it seems that something that effective is just not possible. We as a nation will have to stop expecting so much from our government. Let’s face it, they’ve failed several times before in a plethora of different issues. BTW, what happened to gun control anyways?

The Congressional Battle for Immigration Reform Begins

10. May 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Immigration Reform · Tags: , ,

Things are heating up on the hill. Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary committee begin considering amendments to the immigration reform proposal. The amendments pushed by senate Republicans are mainly focused on strengthening the borders. If you watched this play out on t.v., you saw that at times the conversation got a little heavy and ended up in some angry exchanges. However, they were able to make a place both for border security and a path to citizenship.

The work isn’t done yet! They still have literally hundreds of proposed amendments to discuss and vote on. One major amendment which is likely to ignite some fires is the proposal to address the issue of gay and lesbian immigration rights. Republicans have already stated that they plan to attack this subject full on and have cautioned that pushing them too far on this issue will make the entire bill “no-go.” Stay tuned for updates as we watch what happens next!

Do we still need another immigration reform rally?

09. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: grassroots reform, Immigration Reform · Tags: ,
Immigration Reform rally april 10, 2013

Photo Courtesy of z2amiller

As you may have seen in the news, pro-immigrant groups will be staging another immigration reform this Wednesday in front of the U.S.capital. Some are criticizing this as an unnecessary step in since immigration reform seems imminent at this point. Critics state that the point has already been made, and appears to have been taken to heart by Congress (and specifically the gang of eight) who is working steadfast towards an immigration deal.

On one hand I can see why these groups are doing another rally. They want to keep the movement fresh, and want to let the politicians know that they are not going away until this thing is resolved. They could also be trying to garner last minute support from legislators or the public at large who remain on the border, or on the fence (pun intended!) about the issue. Some of the organizers have been quoted in the media outlets as intending to strengthen the immigration reform activist community by bringing together organizers from all over the country. There also seems to be an additional motive of solidifying the immigrant voter base by tying in voter registration activities in “sister” events throughout the country.

In my opinion, this event basically embodies the concept of “preaching to the choir.” It seems that most Americans, including many congress members and the President himself are already on board with reform. Holding additional rallies will not have the same effect as the initial ones because the issue has already been brought to the table. Furthermore, a rally is unlikely to speed up the process anymore, because it is already rushing through the legislative process. Although there are some good things that could come out of the rally, I think the overall problem is the timing.

I think a rally of this size would have more effect if it was set after we’ve had a chance to look at the proposed bill. Immigration groups would likely have specific points in the that they could protest, thus putting strategic pressure on members of Congress to alter the proposed legislation to fit the will of the people. There would be more of a cause and effect logic to the rally instead of it being just another drop of water in an overflowing bucket. Sometimes I wonder who comes up with these plans.

Not to beat a dead horse, but there are several other reasons why I would plan a rally subsequent to the presentation of a potential bill. First, a lot of people (especially Latinos) will presumably have to miss work to attend this event. Most Latino people don’t have jobs that give them the leisure of taking time off whenever they want. Additionally, there may be an economic loss in taking a day off for a rally. Thus, people who attend this rally may be unable to attend a future event in the near future if it becomes necessary. This potential future rally or event (which could be more critical) could suffer in attendance numbers because people already used up whatever free time they had.

Additionally, I think that having a rally now could have the unintended negative effect of dissuading those who otherwise would be supporters. Some people in the general public may tire of the issue being pounded over their heads again and again. Some people may think it is unreasonable to keep pushing demands when the government has already responded to this faster than other equally or more important issues, such as the economy. Others may think the subject is moving away from being a human rights issue, and more into the realm of tired, old, party line politics.

Finally, another reason the rally may be a bad idea is that it is unlikely to have the numbers in attendance as the original one. A lot of people assume the process is going to take care of itself, and that it is no longer necessary to attend another rally. If there is a significantly smaller showing at this event, it could signal wavering support for the issue. This would give the impression that less and less people care about the issue at this point in time, or that they are all content in allowing Congress to push out a reform however they see fit. Faltering attendance wouldn’t occur if the rally occurred after some sort of unacceptable provisions in the bill were publicized because people would make more of an effort to attend (possibly just like the original rally) to contest a palpable, potential injustice

 

N.C. issues drivers license for undocumented residents

02. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: State Action on Immigration Reform · Tags: , , , , ,

Deferred Action recipients are now able to get a license to drive in North Carolina. These licenses began being issued today. The actual license document appears as a regular license would, but contains red, bold text above the name and address area that indicates the person has “legal presence” but no “lawful status.” Many immigration groups have criticized the design because it immediately gives law enforcement, or others that the holder is undocumented.

I’ve viewed the license online, and I think that the verbiage isn’t too overbearing. I believe that where one person intends to discriminate against another, it is going to happen regardless of what their license says. Undocumented people in N.C. should be satisfied that at least the state took a step in helping them live their daily lives (by driving to destinations legally) without fear that a simple traffic stop could result in huge fines, possible jail time, and tow fees that are akin to extortion.

North Carolina’s decision puts it in the ranks of several other states (about 38 total) who favor giving licenses to undocumented people to promote safe streets and to bring undocumented residents out of the shadows. The state of Illinois recently signed a bill granting driving privileges to undocumented persons as well. It seem New Mexico is currently working on getting something done in this area. However, states like Arizona and Nebraska are at a complete 180 as they try to block such initiatives.

U.S. Immigration Reform – Senator Rubio states the “Gang of Eight” isn’t finished yet

01. April 2013 · 8 comments · Categories: Immigration Reform · Tags: , , ,

Today, Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio forewarned that information that a bipartisan team in the Senate was close to a deal on shaping up the country’s immigration legislations was “premature.”.

“I’m encouraged by reports of an agreement between business groups and unions on the issue of guest workers,” expressed Rubio in a statement released Sunday. “However, reports that the bipartisan group of eight senators have agreed on a legislative proposal are premature.”.

Rubio’s announcement came after reports Saturday said business and labor groups had reached a deal on the topic of a program to grant visas to low-skilled guest laborers, a key stumbling block in congressional efforts to put together immigration remodel. The news led to speculation that the “Gang of Eight” senators who are working on an immigration reform deal were nearing a final agreement.

Rubio’s associates in the group were actually much more positive regarding swiftly finalizing a deal.On the Sunday early tv shows, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) claimed the group had recently reached an accord “conceptually” and could present a bill as promptly as “upcoming week.” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who helped broker the business-labor arrangement, said a floor vote might come as early as May.

Rubio, however, explained the group had indeed effected “substantial progress” nevertheless cautioned that unveiling the legislation would “only be a starting point.”. “But arriving at a final product will require it to be properly submitted for the American people’s consideration, through the other 92 senators from 43 states that weren’t part of this initial drafting process. In order to succeed, this process can not be rushed or done in secret,” expressed Rubio.

On Saturday, in a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Rubio warned against a “rush to legislate” on immigration reform. He warned that moving too quickly could cost public support for immigration reform. “A rush to legislate, without fully considering all views and input from all senators, would be fatal to the effort of earning the public’s confidence,” pointed out Rubio.

Rubio who is revered by the Tea Party and other conservatives, would play a key role in winning backing for any immigration agenda among conservative legislators.

The Senate proposition being wrapped up shall include a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the nation, increased border security obligations and efforts to boost both low-skilled and high-skilled labor.

Obama is the Man With the Plan for Immigration Reform in the U.S.

30. January 2013 · 2 comments · Categories: Immigration Reform · Tags: ,

We got the initial look at the  White House’s immigration framework, which resembles the Senate’s “Gang of 8″ structure, and to the White House’s May 2011 strategy. If everything, their May 2011 strategy was a lot more detailed.

In his speech in Las Vegas this afternoon, Head of state Obama alerted that “If Congress is incapable to progress in a quick fashion, I will send them a costs based on my proposal and insist they elect on it without delay.” The content of White House’s proposal follows:.

America’s immigration system is cracked. Way too many employers competition the system by tapping the services of undocumented employees and there are 11 thousand individuals staying in the darkness. Neither is good for the economic situation or the nation.It is time to act to take care of the busted immigration system in a way that requires duty from everybody– both from the employees listed here illegally and those who hire them– and assurances that everybody is playing by the exact same regulations.

President Obama’s commonsensical immigration reform proposal has 4 parts. First, remain to strengthen our borders. Moment, crack down on companies that hire undocumented laborers. Third, hold undocumented immigrants answerable before they can earn their citizenship; this suggests calling for undocumented employees to pay their income taxes and a fine, transfer to the back of the line, know English, and pass background checks. 4th, streamline the legal immigration unit for workers, companies, and households.

With each other we can create a reasonable, commonsense and effective immigration system that meets our heritage as a country of regulations and a nation of immigrants.

The essential principles the President thinks must be consisted of in commonsense immigration reform are:.

Continuing to Strengthen Border Protection: President Obama has actually increased the variety of Border Patrol agents given that 2004 and today border security is stronger compared to it has actually ever before been. But there is additional job to do. The President’s proposition offers law enforcement the tools they should make our areas safer from criminal activity. And by enhancing our facilities and modern technology, the President’s proposition continuouslies reinforce our capability to eliminate criminals and apprehend and put on trial nationwide safety threats.

Cracking Down on Employers Employing Undocumented Employees: Our companies need to only utilize people lawfully authorized to work in the United States. Companies that intentionally use undocumented employees are exploiting the system to acquire an advantage over businesses that play by the policies. The President’s proposal is made to stop these unjust hiring practices and hold these business accountable. At the same time, this proposal offers employers that wish to play by the guidelines a reputable means to validate that their staff members are below legitimately.

The President’s proposal supplies undocumented immigrants a lawful method to make citizenship that will promote them to come out of the shadows so they can pay their tax obligations and play by the same guidelines as everybody else. The proposition will additionally quit punishing upright youthful people brought to the nation with no mistake of their own by their moms and dads and give them an opportunity to gain their citizenship much more rapidly if they serve in the army or go after greater education.

Streamlining Legal Immigration: Our immigration system must reward any person who wants to strive and play by the rules. For our economic climate and our security, lawful immigration needs to be effective and simple. The Head of state’s proposition entices the most effective minds to America by giving visas to foreign entrepreneurs looking to begin companies here and helping the most promising foreign college student in science and mathematics remain in this nation after graduation, instead of take their skills to various other countries. The President’s proposition will additionally reunify family members in a gentle and timely way.

Continuously Strengthen Border Safety.

Strengthen border security and facilities. The President’s proposition builds up and enhances infrastructure at harbors of entry, facilitates public-private collaborations aspired at increasing investment in foreign site visitor handling, and proceeds assisting using technologies that assist to secure the land and maritime borders of the Usa.

Combat transnational criminal offense. The President’s proposition makes new criminal fines dedicated to combating transnational criminal organizations that traffic in medicines, tools, and your hard earned cash, and that smuggle people around the borders. It additionally expands the range of existing rule to allow for the forfeiture of these organizations’ criminal tools and earnings. Through this method, we will certainly bolster our initiatives to deny criminal companies, featuring those operating along the Southwest border, of their infrastructure and earnings.

Enhance partnerships with border neighborhoods and regulation enforcement. The Head of state’s proposition broadens our ability to function with our cross-border regulation enforcement partners.

Crack down on criminal networks participating in travel permit and visa fraudulence and human smuggling. The President’s proposal develops hard criminal fines for trafficking in passports and immigration documents and systems to defraud, consisting of those who take advantage of vulnerable migrants via notario fraudulence. It likewise reinforces penalties to fight human smuggling rings.

Deporting Criminals. The President’s proposition expands brilliant enforcement initiatives that target sentenced criminals in federal or condition correctional facilities, permitting us to eliminate them from the Usa at the end of their sentences without re-entering our communities. At the same time, it secures those along with a reliable concern of returning to their estate countries.

Streamline elimination of nonimmigrant national protection and public security hazards. The Head of state’s proposition creates a streamlined administrative removal procedure for people who overstay their visas and have actually been determined to be risks to nationwide protection and public security.

Enhance our nation’s immigration courts. The President’s proposition spends in our immigration courts.

Cracking Down on Companies Who Employ Undocumented Laborers. Obligatory, phased-in electronic employment verification. The President’s proposition offers tools for companies to guarantee a lawful labor force by using federal government databases to verify that the individuals they hire are qualified to function in the United States.

Battle scams and identity theft. The proposal likewise mandates a fraudâ??resistant, tamperâ??resistant Social Security card and calls for employees to make use of fraudâ??and tamperâ??resistant documents to show authorization to function in the United States. The proposal likewise looks for to set up a voluntary aviator program to assess brand-new approaches to authenticate identification and fight identification burglary.

Protections for all employees. The President’s proposal safeguards employees against retaliation for exercising their effort civil liberties.

Path to a Deserved Citizenship.

Develop a provisional lawful condition. Undocumented immigrants have to come forward and sign up, submit biometric data, pass criminal background and national protection checks, and pay charges and charges before they will be qualified for a provisional legal condition. Agricultural workers and those who entered the Usa as kids would certainly be eligible for the very same program. Individuals need to hang around until the existing legal immigration backlogs are unblocked before getting in line to secure lawful final residency (i.e. a “permit”), and eventually United States citizenship. Steady with existing legislation, people with provisional lawful condition will certainly not be eligible for well being or other federal advantages, featuring subsidies or tax credits under the new healthcare law.

Develop meticulous requirements to apply for authorized long-term citizen status. Those making an application for permits should pay their taxes, pass added criminal background and nationwide protection checks, register for Selective Service (where suitable), pay additional charges and charges, and know English and USA civics. As under existing regulation, 5 years after receiving a green card, individuals will be eligible to secure UNITED STATE citizenship like intermittent lawful long-lasting citizen.Gained citizenship for Daydreamers. The President’s proposition delivers these undocumented immigrants out of the shadows.

Develop judicial and administrative testimonial. A specific whose provisional lawful condition has been revoked or refuted, or whose application for change has been rejected, will have the opportunity to look for administrative and judicial evaluation of those decisions.

Give brand-new sources to fight fraudulence. The Head of state’s proposition authorizes funding to enable DHS, the Department of United state, and various other pertinent federal agencies to establish scams avoidance programs that will provide training for arbitrators, enable routine analysis of applications to recognize designs of fraud and abuse, and include other proven scams prevention procedures.

Streamlining Lawful Immigration.

The proposition seeks to do away with existing backlogs in the family-sponsored immigration system by recapturing extra visas and briefly raising yearly visa figures. The proposal additionally increases existing annual nation caps from 7 percent to 15 percent for the family-sponsored immigration unit.

Cut Red Tape for Employers. The proposition likewise does away with the excess for employment-sponsored immigration by removing annual nation caps and including additional visas to the system. Old lawful immigration programs are reformed to satisfy future and existing demands by exempting specific groups from yearly visa limitations.

Enhance traveling and tourist. The Administration is committed to enhancing USA travel and tourist by helping with reputable traveling while maintaining our country’s security. Constant along with the President’s Manager Order on travel and tourist, the Head of state’s proposition firmly develops visa and foreign visitor processing. It additionally reinforces law enforcement cooperation while keeping the program’s sturdy counterterrorism and criminal information discussing projects. It assists in a lot more reliable travel by enabling greater versatility to designate nations for participation in the Visa Waiver Program, which permits residents of marked countries to check out the United States without getting a visa. It allows the State Division to waive interview requirements for certain very low-risk visa candidates, permitting resources to be focused on higher threat candidates and makes an aviator for premium visa handling.

“Staple” permits to sophisticated STEM diploma or degrees. The proposition urges foreign graduate students enlightened in the United States to stay below and contribute to our economic situation by “stapling” a permit to the diploma or degrees of science, mathematics, engineering and innovation (STEM) PhD and Master’s Degree finishes from qualified USA colleges that have actually discovered work in the Usa. It additionally calls for employers to pay a fee that will assist education and training to grow the future generation of American workers in STEM professions.

Produce a “fledgling visa” for job-creating entrepreneurs. The proposal enables foreign business owners that draw in funding from U.S. investors or profits from UNITED STATE customers to start and grow their companies in the United States, and to stay permanently if their companies expand further, create jobs for American employees, and strengthen our economic situation.

Increase opportunities for investor visas and USA financial advancement. The proposal completely authorizes immigrant visa chances for local facility (pooled investment) programs; supplies incentives for visa requestors to invest in programs that support national concerns, including economic advancement in fiscally disheartened and rural regions; includes brand-new measures to fight fraud and nationwide security hazards; includes information collection on financial effect; and develops an aviator program for condition and city government officials to market financial development.

Produce a new visa group for staff members of federal nationwide security science and technology laboratories. The proposition produces a brand-new visa group for a restricted variety of highly-skilled and customized migrants to work in government science and innovation labs on crucial national safety needs after joining the Usa. for two years and passing rigorous nationwide protection and criminal background checks.

Better addresses altruistic issues. The proposal enhances immigration rule to better shield at risk migrants, consisting of those who are victims of criminal activity and residential violence. It also better protects those running away persecution by doing away with the existing restrictions that protect against qualified people from getting insane asylum.

Motivate combination. The proposition advertises made citizenship and initiatives to integrate immigrants into their brand-new American neighborhoods socially, linguistically, and fiscally.

Head of state Obama’s commonsense immigration reform proposal has four parts. The President’s proposition produces hard criminal charges for trafficking in travel permits and immigration documents and plans to defraud, featuring those who prey on vulnerable immigrants through notario scams. The Head of state’s proposition spends in our immigration courts. The proposal looks for to remove existing stockpiles in the family-sponsored immigration unit by regaining unused visas and temporarily boosting annual visa varieties. The proposition likewise eliminates the stockpile for employment-sponsored immigration by removing yearly nation caps and including added visas to the system.