Thread: US Immigration Reform

Barack Obama welcomes Supreme Court ruling on Arizona immgration

Barack Obama's campaign to woo the Hispanic vote received a boost as his administration emerged largely victorious in its bid to get the Supreme Court to strike down an immigration law introduced by Arizona.

A section of the US-Mexico border fence near Yuma, Arizona Photo: GETTY

By Peter Foster, Jon Swaine in Washington

6:25PM BST 25 Jun 2012

The US Supreme Court ruled in favour of three out of four of the President's arguments that the southwestern state was not entitled to set its own immigration policy and make it a crime for immigrants to not carry registration documents, or to seek employment without a work permit.

The favourable ruling came a week after President Obama seized the initiative on the immigration debate by announcing a partial amnesty for young illegal immigrants who will now not be deported if they came to the US with their parents.

However, it partially upheld the most notorious measure of Arizona's SB1070 law, which allows police in the state to force people suspected of being illegal immigrants to produce their ID papers, giving conservatives hope that they could rebuild a tough anti-immigrant policy around it.

While politicians on the Republican right claimed 'victory', legal analysts said that the eight Justices had in large part sided with the government's view that Arizona could not introduce measures that far out-stripped existing national immigration rules.

"On net, the SB1070 decision is a significant win for the Obama Administration. It got almost everything it wanted," wrote Tom Goldstein, a Harvard law professor at the influential SCOTUS blog who has argued 25 cases before the Supreme Court.

The ruling was welcomed by Mr Obama who said he was "pleased" that the government had won on most points, but raised concerns that the Court's decision had still left the door open to immigrants being stopped on sight.
"No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like. Going forward, we must ensure that Arizona law enforcement officials do not enforce this law in a manner that undermines the civil rights of Americans," he said.
Republican proponents of the law said the decision to allow police officers to check the immigration status of arrested persons was a victory.
Jan Brewer, the Governor of Arizona who has become the face of the Arizona immigration controversy claimed the decision to uphold the police's right to check immigration status of arrested persons as a victory for proponents of the law.
"After more than two years of legal challenges, the heart of SB 1070 [the law] can now be implemented in accordance with the U.S. Constitution. I am confident our officers are prepared to carry out this law responsibly and lawfully. Nothing less is acceptable." However independent legal analysts were much more cautious, arguing that the Court appeared to have pulled the teeth from the so-called "let me see your papers" decision by ruling that police could only carry out immigration checks as part of their routine enquiries into a suspect.
"The Court said you can't be stopped to have your papers checked," Michel Paradis, Georgetown University law professor told The Telegraph, "all it does is require local police to check the immigration status of anyone they take into custody, in the same way they could check on where you live, what your age is, etc." The Court's ruling immediately put pressure on Mitt Romney, who was campaigning in Arizona yesterday [MON], to clearly state his position on the contents of the law, which he has consistently said Arizona has the right to enforce.
His campaign released a carefully-worded statement attacking Mr Obama for failing to "provide any leadership" on immigration but declining to specify exactly which of the measures stuck down by the court he supported.
Mr Romney has walked a tightrope in courting Republican Right-wingers who back the law's measures, while not wholeheartedly endorsing them, apparently for fear of alienating Hispanics and moderate voters.
At a primary debate in Arizona in February, Mr Romney praised Arizona's immigration law as "a model" for the US, yet aides later stressed he was only referring to the state's "e-verify" policy, which forces employers to check the legal status of job applicants on an electronic government database.
To his embarrassment, Russell Pearce, an Arizona state senator who co-authored the law and was linked to far-Right extremists, declared Mr Romney's immigration policy "identical to mine". Mr Pearce was ejected from office in a recall election in November.
After enthusiastically courting another co-author of the law - Kris Kobach, the Republican secretary of state of Kansas - during the primary campaign, Mr Romney has since tried to distance himself from Mr Kobach and his strident anti-immigration rhetoric.
Mr Obama victory at the Conservative-leaning court came as the much-anticipated decision on his healthcare reforms – or "Obamacare" as critics call it – failed to materialize. The judgment is now expected on Thursday.


Barack Obama welcomes Supreme Court ruling on Arizona immgration - Telegraph

America's best bet is to annex Mexico, and put the US border police on the borders of the neighbouring Mexican states. Maybe create some kind of hispanic Shenzhens on each coast?

How easy is it to immigrate to america anyway? (not that I'd want to - just curious)

Originally Posted by CaptainNemo

How easy is it to immigrate to america anyway? (not that I'd want to - just curious)

I wasn’t sure and still not sure. I never had to worry about it. But the girlfriend who has a 10 year visa was interested and she found her easiest legal way might be to enter the Lottery,……..

For over 2 decades, the U.S. government has been running the Green Card Lottery. When the Green Card Lottery first began, it only granted 30,000 visas. In 1995, the government increased the amount of visas to 50,000. Winning the Green Card Lottery means you can legally live and work in the United States and eventually become an American citizen.: Guaranteed Green Card Lottery Entry | USAFIS

I did find this article but don’t know how accurate it is,…….

How to Legally Immigrate To America

IMMIGRATION THROUGH RELATIONSHIP TO US CITIZEN -

If you have a family in the United States then you have found the easiest way to become an American. If your relative (your parent, child or spouse) is a US Citizen then you can get a Green Card very easily as soon as your filed petition is approved by the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). You can become an American citizen after holding the Green Card status for 5 years ( 3 years in case of Spouse of US Citizen). You will just need to pass the language and civics test. So the total time to become a US Citizen is 6 to 7 years in this case. Congratulations!!! But wait... If you are NOT a Minor child of US Citizen (below 21 years of age) then it will take you 12 to 28 years to become a US Citizen depending on your country's wait time. Check the USCIS website from the resources link to get more accurate information about the wait time.


IMMIGRATION THROUGH RELATIONSHIP TO PERMANENT RESIDENT (GREEN CARD HOLDER) -

Spouse and Children of a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) can immigrate to USA. However, the wait time depends on your home country. Total time to immigrate and become an American citizen is about 13 years for Spouse and Minor children of a LPR. But if you are NOT a minor child of a LPR then it can take up to 20 years for you to become an American citizen. Also if your petition is pending in the US Consulate then you cannot apply for any other non immigrant US Visa.


IMMIGRATION FOR SKILLED LABOR AND PROFESSIONALS -

If you have a College degree with some specialization either from USA or outside country, then you might have a shot. Find a good job. In this case, if you have a job offer and if your employer is willing to pay about $8000 to $10000 of legal fee to prove that you have special skills, then you can live and work in USA on a non immigrant US Visa (H1-B visa). It will take 5 to 6 years to get a Green Card and another 5 years more to get a US Citizenship. So you can legally immigrate to USA and become a citizen in 12 to 16 years. However, if your employer does not file for a H1-B US Visa for you in the first place then you are out of luck


BUSINESSMEN AND ENTREPRENEUR -

If you have about $1 million to invest in the USA, then you can get a Green Card and have a permanent resident status in about 18 months. You can apply for a US Citizenship in 5 to 6 years. So in this case, total time required to immigrate to USA legally and become a US Citizen is up to 7 years. (I think, as I understand with this option you have to show proof that you created 5 US jobs)


GOVERNMENT APPROVED DEFENSE SCIENTIST -

If you are a Scientist working on an extremely intelligent project in a country outside USA and if the US Government finds you useful then you may get an exception from this long line which takes decades for someone to become a legal resident of the Unites States. You can even become a US citizen the next day! Congratulations!!!

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

The Supreme Court upheld a key part of Arizona’s tough immigration law …

The “show me your papers” provision of Arizona’s immigration law that was left standing by the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to wind up in a familiar place – back in the courtroom.

The nation’s top justices on Monday struck down three sections of SB 1070 but unanimously upheld the most-discussed provision: Section 2(B) requires police to check the immigration status of people they stop, detain or arrest for other legitimate reasons “if there’s reasonable suspicion” the person is in the country illegally

But exactly how local police will go about enforcing that provision is raising more questions than answers. Enforcement had been put on hold pending the Supreme Court decision; lower courts must lift the injunction before it can take effect.

Even the Supreme Court justices hinted that they expect the provision to be legally challenged again.

“There is a basic uncertainty about what the law means and how it will be enforced. At this stage, without the benefit of a definitive interpretation from the state courts, it would be inappropriate to assume 2(B) will be construed in a way that creates a conflict with federal law,” the high court said.

“This opinion does not foreclose other preemption and constitutional challenges to the law as interpreted and applied after it goes into effect.”

The American Civil Liberties Union says it is exploring legal challenges to keep “show me your papers” from ever taking effect.

“The Supreme Court vacated the injunction against it but took pains to point out the potential constitutional problems that are inherent in Section 2(B) and drew a firm line in the sand that the state cannot cross,” said Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. “We are going to be in court bringing new claims and evidence to stop 2(B) again.”

Among the possible claims are that the provision violates the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures and that it invites racial profiling, ACLU officials say.

link: Next stop for Arizona immigration law: Back to the courts? - U.S. News

Obama urges immigration reform at July 4 citizen ceremony

President Barack Obama used an Independence Day ceremony in which immigrants serving in the U.S. military became citizens on Wednesday to renew his election-year call for new immigration laws popular with an important part of his political base.

Wearing a red tie to celebrate the July 4th holiday at the White House, Obama addressed about two dozen foreign-born military personnel who were taking advantage of a program that offers them citizenship in return for their service.

Obama, who is running for re-election in November, seized the opportunity to talk up his recent order lifting the threat of deportation for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children.

The move appealed to Hispanic voters, a major voting bloc that could swing the election to the Democratic incumbent in battleground states such as Nevada and Colorado.

"What a perfect way to celebrate America's birthday - the world's oldest democracy - with some of our newest citizens," Obama told the group of military members and their families, who came from countries including Mexico, Ghana, the Philippines, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Russia.

"You put on the uniform of a country that was not yet fully your own. In a time of war, some of you deployed into harm's way. You displayed the values that we celebrate every Fourth of July - duty, responsibility, and patriotism," Obama said.

In the swing state of Florida, most people polled like Obama’s new immigration policies,……..

Florida voters favor President Barack Obama's immigration policies - MiamiHerald.com

A poll shows President Barack Obama's recent decision to let some young undocumented immigrants to remain in the country is favored by most Floridians.

Florida voters, particularly in immigrant-rich pockets of South and Central Florida, overwhelmingly say they support comprehensive immigration reform that would give people living in the state illegally a pathway to citizenship, according to a new Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9 poll.

Across the state, 66 percent of voters support immigration reform that allows people living in the U.S. without legal status to stay and apply for citizenship. Another 28 percent oppose it, and 6 percent are undecided.

"Most voters here support some sort of way to solve the problem," said Brad Coker of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, the nonpartisan, Jacksonville-based company that conducted the poll for the Florida media organizations.

Florida voters also favor President Barack Obama's recent move to protect some younger illegal immigrants — the so-called DREAM Act kids — from being deported. They back the plan 53 to 42 percent, with 5 percent of potential voters undecided. In South Florida, that number jumps to 63 percent support, with just 34 percent opposing it.

Young undocumented immigrants must apply for "deferred action" -MiamiHerald.com

Undocumented immigrants who came to the United Stated as children will be able to apply for a “deferred action” status that temporarily protects them from deportation. The application will be available online beginning August 15.

Beginning this month, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children will have an application process for the deportation exemption that President Obama announced in June.

The surprise policy shift that was celebrated by many young immigrants provides temporary protection from deportation for undocumented immigrants who are between the ages of 16 and 30, have graduated from high school or served in the military, and have not committed any felonies or serious misdemeanors.

Beginning on August 15, those who are eligible will be able to download the application form from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website to apply for a two year “deferred action” status. The application must be mailed along with a separate application for work authorization.

The logic behind Obama’s policy of “prosecutorial discretion” is that it will allow immigration enforcement officials to focus resources on finding those who have committed a crime, rather than deporting young people who actively participate in society and in many cases were brought to this country as very young children.

With an estimated 800,000 people potentially eligible, USCIS director Alejandro Mayorkas said the wait time for approval will depend on the volume of applications they receive, although he warned that it “could take months.”

There application costs $465, which will allow the program to function on the fees it collects without drawing on taxpayer money. There will be no option for waiving the fee, and exemptions will be granted only in rare circumstances.

The application will be available at USCIS Home Page

Advice on avoiding immigration scams can be found here: USCIS - Avoid Scams

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Florida voters, particularly in immigrant-rich pockets of South and Central Florida, overwhelmingly say they support comprehensive immigration reform that would give people living in the state illegally a pathway to citizenship

I believe this has been done 3 times before.

It's just a cyclical of political elections and not addressing the problem.


Same as usual.

The City of Dallas, Texas, has passed an ordinance stating that if a driver is pulled over by law enforcement and is not able to provide proof of insurance, the car is towed. To retrieve the car after being impounded, they must show proof of insurance to have the car released. This has made it easy for the City of Dallasto remove uninsured cars. Shortly after the "No Insurance" ordinance was passed, the Dallas impound lots began to fill up and were full after nine days. Over 80% of the impounded cars were driven by illegal's. Not only must they provide proof of insurance to have their car released, they have to pay for the cost of the tow, a $350 fine, and $20 for every day their car is kept in the lot. Accident rates have gone down 47%, and Dallas' solution gets uninsured drivers off the road without making them show proof of nationality.

Wonder how the ACLU and the Justice Department will get around this one. GO DALLAS!

Illegals Gotta Go

^ Govt requiring people to have insurance?????

That sounds communisty!

Anyway, Politifact rated the story as false: PolitiFact Texas | Chain email says Dallas ordinance led to towing of many cars belonging to illegal U.S. residents





PS: You are aware that the site you linked to is a collection center for BS right-wing Fwd:fwd:FWD emails right?

California law will allow undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses - MiamiHerald.com

Hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants in California will be eligible for driver's licenses under legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown late Sunday.

The measure, Assembly Bill 2189, was among the final bills acted upon as Brown decided the fate of 108 proposals on the last day for him to sign or veto measures passed by the Legislature this year.

AB 2189 affects an estimated 400,000 undocumented immigrants expected to meet the requirements of President Barack Obama's new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The bill was the latest proposal in a decade-long campaign by Democratic Assemblyman Gil Cedillo to give undocumented immigrants the right to drive legally in California.

Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, contended that issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants would enhance public safety by ensuring that they are trained and tested, and making it more likely that they will buy insurance.

Some more good news with last nights election

Dream Act approved by Maryland voters

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland voters have approved allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public colleges.

It is the state's version of the Dream Act. Maryland is the first state in the nation to approve it by popular vote.

Illegal immigrants can pay in-state rates if they attend a Maryland high school for three years and they or their parents can show they filed state income taxes during that time.

On a separate ballot question, Maryland voters also approved the state's congressional redistricting map. It had been petitioned to the ballot by opponents who said it had been gerrymandered to favor Democrats.

On the Dream Act, students would also have to state their intention to apply for permanent residency and register with the selective service, if they are required to do so.

_____________________________

and then there is this story: Todd: GOP will run toward immigration reform next year « Hot Air

from a Right Wing site (waking up, but a little late/slow),..........

ED MORRISSEY: I think Chuck Todd has this right, and not just because of last night’s poor showing for Republicans among Hispanics. In looking at the daunting issues facing the lame-duck 112th Congress and the incoming 113th, comprehensive immigration reform might be a comparative slam-dunk.

Chuck Todd: After Tuesday night’s re-election victory for President Barack Obama, MSNBC’s Chuck Todd predicted that one of the president’s agenda items — one promise he never managed to fulfill in his first term — would breeze into law. ”Immigration reform,” he said, will get “80 to 90 votes in the Senate.” Since the election night results showed Republicans unable to attract Latino voters, he said, “Republicans will run, not walk, in trying to support that now.”

And will these illegals stay in the US long-term, or return to their home-nation?

Serious question?

Funny how attitudes change, when they see they have been left behind.

Perhaps Mitt Romney lost the 2012 election on Sept. 22, 2011, when, alarmed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s entry into the Republican nomination race, he rushed to Perry’s right regarding immigration, attacking the Dream Act. He would go on to talk about forcing illegal immigrants into “self-deportation.” It is surprising that only about 70 percent of Hispanics opposed Romney.: George Will

The only part of this that is even partially true regards Hispanics. They should be a natural Republican constituency: striving immigrant community, religious, Catholic, family-oriented and socially conservative (on abortion, for example).

The principal reason they go Democratic is the issue of illegal immigrants. In securing the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney made the strategic error of (unnecessarily) going to the right of Rick Perry. Romney could never successfully tack back.

For the party in general, however, the problem is hardly structural. It requires but a single policy change: Border fence plus amnesty. Yes, amnesty. Use the word.: Charles Krauthammer

Radio and television hotspur Sean Hannity — who for years has spit the word “amnesty” like an epithet — declared Thursday that he has “evolved” and now supports creating a “pathway” to citizenship for those already in the country illegally.

“It’s simple to me to fix it,” Hannity said. “I think you control the border first. You create a pathway for those people that are here — you don’t say you’ve got to go home. And that is a position that I’ve evolved on.: Sean Hannity

Only one problem with the statements above, it’s pandering and most Hispanics understand that and if they don’t the Dems will be there to remind them.


There will be some hardcore right wing nuts who will want to stay the course (attitudes about Hispanics) and sink that ship/party. I was listening to Limbaugh and he seems to have that “Let’s sink this ship” view.

Asked,....

Originally Posted by barbaro

And will these illegals stay in the US long-term, or return to their home-nation?

Serious question?

And answered,.....

On the Dream Act, students would also have to state their intention to apply for permanent residency and register with the selective service, if they are required to do so.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

“It’s simple to me to fix it,” Hannity said. “I think you control the border first. You create a pathway for those people that are here — you don’t say you’ve got to go home. And that is a position that I’ve evolved on.

Shocking that he came to this deeply personal epiphany at exactly the same time as the offical party line shifted. I mean, what are the odds? Especially when everyone knows that Hannity's "opinions" do not evolve. They are "intelligently designed" by Roger Ailes.

Still, evolving in three days is impressive. At this rate he'll be an unrecognizable new species before Thanksgiving. Perhaps he has Romnesia..

The freeper reaction is pretty good reading though

an update,...........

One-quarter of eligible undocumented youth have already applied for deferred deportation

About one-quarter of the young undocumented immigrants eligible for the two-year deportation deferral established by President Obama have applied since the program started Aug. 15

Statistics released last week by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) gave the fullest portrait yet of who is applying, and they suggested that enthusiasm for the program was not dampened by the uncertainty caused by presidential election.

Republican nominee Mitt Romney had waffled on how he would handle the program, leading some immigration advocates to wonder if applicants might be wary of starting the process until the election was decided. But the data show the election had little effect on the process.

After the first month of the program, 82,000 applications had been filed with USCIS. By Nov. 15 – the program's three-month mark – 300,000 applications had been filed, marking steady growth. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that 1.2 million undocumented immigrants nationwide are eligible for the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

“I am elated that so many applications are coming in and now that the fear of Romney winning is out of the way,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D) of Illinois, a leading immigration-reform advocate who pushed the Obama administration to set up DACA, in a statement. “I think a half-million applications by New Year's should be our goal.”

To qualify for the DACA program, applicants must have been under age 31 on June 15, have lived in the United States for five or more years consecutively, meet military-service or educational requirements, have come to America before age 16, and have no significant criminal record. Applicants must pay $465 in fees and submit to a biometric scan and background investigation.

The data released last Friday offer more insight on the applicants:

*Some 17 percent of all applicants (about 50,000) have been accepted, bestowing a two-year deferral from deportation proceedings and the opportunity to receive a work permit but no path to US citizenship.
*About 3 percent of applications have been rejected so far. Some rejections could be for simple reasons like mistakes on forms, which could be resubmitted. USCIS has not published the number of applications that have been vetted and denied, for which there is no appeals process. [Editor's note: The rejection process was not fully explained in the original.]
*Two in 3 applicants are of Mexican origin, with the next largest national group being from El Salvador. Citizens of that country make up slightly less than 1 in 20 applicants.
*South Koreans make up the largest non-Spanish speaking group, at 1.6 percent of all applicants. Overall, they are the sixth-largest national applicant group.
*California (with 81,500) and Texas (47,700) had the most applicants by state, with New York, Florida, and Illinois rounding out the top five with between 19,000 and 13,000 applicants apiece.

The program is a sort of miniature version of the DREAM Act, legislation that would put on a path to US citizenship young people who are in a similar situation to those eligible for DACA. With the DREAM Act (and broader immigration reform) stalled in Congress, Mr. Obama announced the DACA policy on June 15 as a stopgap measure to help stop deportation of young illegal immigrants brought to the US while minors.

Representative Gutierrez, who will eat a Thanksgiving meal with 21 DACA recipients and their families on Wednesday evening, hopes that the popularity of DACA – combined with the November election, where 70 percent of Latinos voted for Obama – will help compel Washington to make permanent immigration reform a priority in 2013.

“The American people rejected the politics of division at the ballot box, and now we are poised to move immigration reform when the Congress convenes in January,” he said.

With the US un-employment (and under-employed) at better than 10% (probably higher if you include those that are no longer looking), the US does not need any more people. Period.

What the US needs is to round up all the illegals, confiscate all their property and send them back to their native lands.

The US should then bill the governments for the cost of repatriating their citizens back to where they belong.

Second offenders should be jailed and forced to do hard labor for at least 6 months. Repeat offenders should be punished more severely (chopping off a foot or two?).

Eventually they will get the idea.

(Could follow Thailand's method and just haul them out to sea and set them adrift.)

Rewarding criminals is counter productive.

RickThai

Originally Posted by Norton

Since the beginning, immigrants have been accused of taking away jobs from folks already citizens. The US is a land of immigrants. Was built and prospered from the infusion of diverse cultures and the entrepreneur spirit they brought. In the past immigration waves occurred mostly from Europe because of war, famine and religious/racial intolerance. Those early immigrants took jobs very few existing US citizens would consider taking. Hence had little effect on displacing American jobs.

So now there are millions of "illegals" aka "undocumented" immigrants in US. They too, as immigrants in the past take jobs most citizens refuse to take. I don't see the threat US citizens are losing jobs. All just an excuse to blame immigrants, legal or illegal for the plight of the economy. A flawed assumption given the decline in jobs and the economy was without question perpetrated by long time US citizens who in their greed created an unsustainable economy destined to fail.

The path to legal citizenship is broken. Trust me, I know. I went through the process. The process needs to completely overhauled.

The fact is the US is falling behind global economies in graduating engineers and other specialties sorely needed in the US. Ironic given US Uni's attract by far the most foreign students than any other country. They come, get educated and go back to home countries because the path to citizenship is just too frigging hard.

Why not keep them in US where most would like to stay anyway? If a foreign student graduates from an accredited Uni with a degree in science or engineering, offer them citizenship if they want to stay in US.

Immigration reform is long overdue. Fix the current process, encourage immigrants with badly needed skills and provide a path to citizenship for those here "illegally" but are contributing value to the country.

Do this and "illegal" immigration will decrease to insignificant numbers. Those who chose to come in "illegally" should be arrested and prosecuted. Also, absolutely no welfare or free rides allowed without proof of citizenship or legal residency.

Chances of a comprehensive immigration reform law are low but no doubt it's broke and in need of major change.

Unfortunately the illegals that are swamping the US are not the cream of the crop of the countries from whence they come. They are actually lowering the average IQ of the US.

Ever read the "The Bell Curve"? Engineering requires intelligence, committment, and hard work. Legal immigrant from countries like India and China are not the problem, it;s the illegals from Mexico and Africa, etc.

Call me racist.l

I suppose it is valid to blame the US malaise on immigrants- ask any apache, or arapahoe. But the current GFC and it's lingering aftermath had absolutely zero to do with II's- they weren't the ones making risky bets on behalf of supposedly solid banks, or selling collateralised baskets of shit as shinola. Neither were they taking out dumb mortgages and running up credit card debt, and neither are they eligible for social welfare. The unemployment crisis in the US has caused a number to go home, actually-
The global financial crisis has had a large impact on America. The construction sector and other areas illegal immigrants traditionally seek employment in have shrunk. The recession has also led to a surplus of American labor driving down the benefit of hiring illegal immigrants. It is estimated that over a million illegal immigrants have returned to Mexico since the beginning of the crisis
Illegal immigrant population of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To say that the US is 'swamped' by illegals is pure hyperbole. It is the Republican party that is most opposed to placing punitive measures on employers who hire illegals actually (no surprises there)- because the low cost, and lax hire 'em & fire 'em attributes of illegal (ie undocumented) labor are quite beneficial in certain industries, and are openly exploited. If you didn't employ them, they wouldn't come- and actually now that you can't, they don't.

Obama seems to be taking a commonsensical approach to the 'problem' of illegal immigration. Several II's are long term in the US, holding down decent jobs and with kids attending high school or college. Summarily kicking them out would only harm the US. Many others are transient- they come and go according to employment opportunities. If you want to crack down on this element, it is simple- crack down on the people that employ them. But it is your beloved Republican party that adamantly opposes this, Rick.

I would be all in favor of an immigration reform package that grants a road to citizenship to established and law abiding II's, plus enforces sanctions against employers that illegally employ labor. I doubt you will be seeing the latter frankly- the people want this, but the politicians (or those that pay for them) absolutely don't.

Originally Posted by sabang

I would be all in favor of an immigration reform package that grants a road to citizenship to established and law abiding II's, plus enforces sanctions against employers that illegally employ labor. I doubt you will be seeing the latter frankly- the people want this, but the politicians (or those that pay for them) absolutely don't.

Absolutely.

Unfortunately, all the politicians are "paid". But not all of them are bought entirely.

Next big project,...........

Good news. Hope Obama is able to get it done and should be able to with some Republicans on the same side now knowing they have been so wrong about immigration reform in the past and that they now have had a change of heart (albeit a bit late).

Time to see if they are all talk but no action. If they choose the no action path, the 2014 elections could wreak havoc on the Rethugs.: Obama To 'Begin An All Out Drive For Comprehensive Immigration Reform' In January

President Obama will “begin an all-out drive for comprehensive immigration reform, including seeking a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants,” after Congress addresses the fiscal cliff, the Los Angeles Times reports. The revelation comes just as a top Hispanic Democrat, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), is calling on Obama to step-up his involvement on the issue and engage in discussions with lawmakers.

The Obama administration’s “social media blitz” will start in January and is expected “to tap the same organizations and unions that helped get a record number of Latino voters to reelect the president.” Cabinet secretaries and lawmakers from both parties are already holding initial meetings to iron out the details of the proposal:

Cabinet secretaries are preparing to make the case for how changes in immigration laws could benefit businesses, education, healthcare and public safety. Congressional committees could hold hearings on immigration legislation as soon as late January or early February. [...]

In conversations with congressional offices, White House officials have said the president would be “all in” on the issue and would want to push for a broad bill. But officials have not been specific about exactly how the president will use the bully pulpit or whether immigration will be a showpiece of the inaugural speech on Jan. 21 or the State of the Union address in early February. [...]

A bipartisan group of six senators met behind closed doors in the Capitol for 30 minutes on Tuesday night for what is expected to be the first of many meetings on how to get a version of the immigration bill through Congress. On the Republican side, the newly elected junior senator from Arizona, Jeff Flake, joined longtime immigration reform advocates Graham and John McCain of Arizona for the talks. The Democrats were Schumer, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois.

Nice to hear there's a push to get it done (by June of 2013?),....

Immigration reform is waiting quietly in the wings.

President Barack Obama promised top Latino leaders on a conference call Tuesday afternoon that once a deal is reached on the fiscal cliff, the focus of the call, he’ll throw the full force of the White House behind overhauling the country’s immigration laws.

Top Obama aides are already laying the groundwork for a campaign-style operation to broaden the base of support for a mega-bill.

The White House will not only target Latino voters but also religious leaders, law enforcement and others, according to sources familiar with the administration’s thinking. Officials have met in recent weeks with prominent Hispanic activists like Henry Muñoz on the issue of immigration reform.

Latino leaders say the activity is a clear sign that Obama plans to keep his word and make immigration a signature policy of his second term — an unsurprising move after the Hispanic vote turned out in record numbers to propel the president to victory this fall.

Rethugs, time to get in line: Immigration waits in the wings