Reform
Administration Uses Executive Authority to Keep Educated Grads in U.S. Longer
By H. BOB SAKANIWA, AMERICAN IMMIGRATION LAWYER'S ASSOCIATION As President Obama indicated in an immigration speech in El Paso, Texas, earlier this month, in a global marketplace, the United States needs the best and brightest to stay in our country to work, innovate and help create jobs for the benefit of all Americans. Well-educated, foreign-born professionals have made enormous contributions to our country, and we should do all we can to retain the next generation of these types of contributors. Just two days after President Obama put the topic of immigration reform back into the national debate, the administration exercised its executive authority to expand the number of science, technology, engineering, and math degree (STEM) programs that can be used to qualify foreign graduates to extend their post-graduate training. Read More
White House Immigration Blueprint a Starting Point
Speeches, even those delivered by the President of the United States, can be forgotten fairly quickly. Following the El Paso immigration speech from two weeks ago, the White House is attempting to sustain a buzz by sending other members of the President’s cabinet and White House officials out to give speeches and hold roundtables across the country to discuss immigration. The most lasting piece of this effort, however, is likely to be the immigration blueprint which was released along with the speech. The title, “Building a 21st Century Immigration System” recognizes that the system we have now does not work—and a new one must be built from scratch to meet the needs of our country today. Without comprehensive reform, pieces of the immigration system will remain unfixed, resulting in a system which still does not function Read More
Immigrant Community Needs White House Muscle to Move Immigration, Politics and All
Plenty of people are calling this week's events—especially the President’s speech on immigration in El Paso—pure politics. And some are rightly criticizing Administration policies—such as record levels of deportations—as inconsistent with the broader vision of immigration and economic prosperity the President outlined in El Paso. But placed in a broader strategic context, the El Paso speech moves the President’s strategy for immigration reform forward by utilizing the messages and tools that carried Barack Obama into the White House and helped him win his signature healthcare reforms. Read More
President Obama’s Speech on Immigration: Campaign Politics or a Call to Action?
Today in El Paso, President Obama delivered his second major speech dedicated to fixing our broken immigration system. The President addressed some of the major obstacles to passing comprehensive reform—namely the “border-first” crowd’s repeated claim that the Administration hasn’t done enough to secure the border—by touting the record level of resources invested along the border. The President also framed the need for reform as an economic imperative, highlighting the benefits of reform for America's middle class and for America’s ability to compete in the global economy. But the major takeaway from the President’s speech today was the President’s call to action. Read More
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Asks President to Untie Hands and Help Immigrant Groups
In his latest effort to drum up bipartisan support for immigration reform in Congress, President Obama met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) yesterday at the White House. Similar to other meetings in recent weeks (with national and state leaders, Latino celebrities and an immigration-themed commencement speech at Miami-Dade College), the President reiterated that his hands are tied on reform without Congressional action. But in yesterday’s meeting, the CHC asked the President to untie his hands and “use the administrative powers he has under existing law to provide relief to certain groups of immigrants facing deportation.” Read More
House Subcommittee Hearing Highlights U.S. Need for Foreign Scientists and Engineers
Today, a House Immigration Subcommittee hearing underscored the U.S. economy’s reliance on scientists and engineers from abroad. The hearing, entitled “H-1B Visas: Designing a Program to Meet the Needs of the U.S. Economy and U.S. Workers,” was characterized by considerable disagreement among witnesses and subcommittee members as to how the H-1B program for highly skilled foreign professionals should best be structured in terms of wage protections and job portability. But virtually everyone, including Subcommittee Chairman Elton Gallegly (R-24th/CA) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-21st/TX), agreed that foreign-born scientists and engineers, including many who come to the United States on H-1B visas, make critical contributions to the U.S. economy. Read More
Republicans Attempt to Change Outgoing Message on Immigration, Again
This week, the conflicting messaging on immigration from Republican politicians is particularly hard to follow. Voters can “press one” for Senator Lindsay Graham’s message that immigration reform is reality if we just pass a border bill; “press two” for Senator Orrin Hatch’s message that Utah voters want to welcome immigrants by stopping them from coming; or “press three” for House Republicans’ message that DHS shouldn’t spend any money on immigrant integration. While the first option at least acknowledges the importance of the growing immigrant voting bloc, the other two options do not. Read More
Will Senators Graham and Schumer Commit to Immigration Reform this Time Around?
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Photo by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This week, Politico reported on the on-again off-again relationship between Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on immigration. Apparently, it’s on-again, with both Schumer and Graham telling reporters and contacts that they are back at the negotiating table. Lest we get too excited, we shouldn’t forget that we’ve been down this path before. Read More
The Emperor (and the Anti-Fourteenth Amendment Crowd) Have No Clothes
What a difference a few weeks can make. Just last month, the papers were filled with stories about the amazing feats of DREAM Act students, whose commitment and love for this country is boundless, even as they risk deportation in order to tell their stories. This week, the papers are filled with stories of vicious state legislators who want to turn back the clock on civil rights by stopping “an invasion of illegal aliens” through an end to birthright citizenship. Where the DREAM Act movement is about hope and opportunity, this ugly new attempt to change the Fourteenth Amendment is about hate and deprivation. Read More
President Obama Affirms Desire to Reform Immigration Next Session
Disappointed by Congress's failure to pass the DREAM Act during lame duck, President Obama made remarks today regarding the need to reform immigration in the next Congress. While the President acknowledged that border security is part of that conversation, he also acknowledged that "changing the politics" of how Congress and his administration engage the public on immigration is equally important—as is "doing right" by the many DREAM students who deserve a fair shot at the American dream. Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar up to $75,000
No one should face the immigration system alone
