Thread: US Immigration Reform

Originally Posted by S Landreth

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.

Win or lose, it's clearly Obama's political investment in 2014. And well made; stripping the seats off those Rethugs in congressional and governorships is a good thing for the whole country.

The number of DREAMers approved for deferred action continued to rise in January, even as incoming applications dwindled.

To date, 154,404 young undocumented immigrants have been approved for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama administration program active since August. The program gives DREAMers permission to live and work legally in the U.S.

The latest figures, released today by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) show that even as more people are processed and approved for the deferred action, the rate of applications has slowed.

Because those children had no choice where their parents took them: Univision News, More Than 150,000 DREAMers Have Been Approved for Deferred Action

Tomorrow 8 senators will introduce their plan on immigration reform.

A bipartisan group of four Democratic senators and four Republican senators will announce the framework for a comprehensive immigration reform plan on Monday, seeking to jump out in front of President Obama's planned Tuesday speech on immigration.: A Start

Bipartisan Framework for Compressive Immigration Reform: Bipartisan immigration plan

1) Creating a Path to Citizenship
2) Improving our Legal Immigration System
3) Strong Employment Verification
4) Admitting New Workers

Obama spoke today about his plan on Immigration Reform: FACT SHEET: Fixing our Broken Immigration System so Everyone Plays by the Rules | The White House

More from Huffingtonpost: Obama Immigration Reform Speech: 'The Time Is Now'

His plans for reform broadly matched with the "gang of eight" framework, but included progressive elements such as a call not mentioned in the speech for same-sex couples to be given equal treatment to heterosexual ones in immigration law, an idea some Republicans have said would essentially kill any bipartisan legislation.

Like the Senate gang, Obama said there must be a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently living in the country. But his proposed pathway, though arduous, would not require certain metrics to be met on border security before green cards could be distributed, a central tenet of the Senate plan meant to stave off charges of "amnesty."

The Senate group's framework would enable undocumented immigrants to immediately gain provisional status that would allow them to remain in the United States, then apply for green cards once certain border enforcement requirements are met, before eventually being eligible to become citizens. The group has not yet determined the exact requirements for considering the border adequately secure to allow immigrants green cards --- "I'll know it when I see it," Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), one of the group's leaders, told reporters on Tuesday -- but most immigrants would remain without visas until then.

The president made no such requirements, although he also proposed enhanced border enforcement. Obama laid out his idea for a pathway as he often has before. He said he would require undocumented immigrants to receive a background check, pay taxes and a fine, learn English and go to the "back of the line" behind would-be immigrants who have applied for a visa from outside of the United States.

(snip)

Obama's immigration platform is based on the following principles, according to a fact sheet released by the White House:

- Continuing to Strengthen Border Security: President Obama has doubled the number of Border Patrol agents since 2004 and today border security is stronger than it has ever been. But there is more work to do. The President’s proposal gives law enforcement the tools they need to make our communities safer from crime. And by enhancing our infrastructure and technology, the President’s proposal continues to strengthen our ability to remove criminals and apprehend and prosecute national security threats.

- Cracking Down on Employers Hiring Undocumented Workers: Our businesses should only employ people legally authorized to work in the United States. Businesses that knowingly employ undocumented workers are exploiting the system to gain an advantage over businesses that play by the rules. The President’s proposal is designed to stop these unfair hiring practices and hold these companies accountable. At the same time, this proposal gives employers who want to play by the rules a reliable way to verify that their employees are here legally.

- Earned Citizenship: It is just not practical to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants living within our borders. The President’s proposal provides undocumented immigrants a legal way to earn citizenship that will encourage them to come out of the shadows so they can pay their taxes and play by the same rules as everyone else. Immigrants living here illegally must be held responsible for their actions by passing national security and criminal background checks, paying taxes and a penalty, going to the back of the line, and learning English before they can earn their citizenship. There will be no uncertainty about their ability to become U.S. citizens if they meet these eligibility criteria. The proposal will also stop punishing innocent young people brought to the country through no fault of their own by their parents and give them a chance to earn their citizenship more quickly if they serve in the military or pursue higher education.

- Streamlining Legal Immigration: Our immigration system should reward anyone who is willing to work hard and play by the rules. For the sake of our economy and our security, legal immigration should be simple and efficient. The President’s proposal attracts the best minds to America by providing visas to foreign entrepreneurs looking to start businesses here and helping the most promising foreign graduate students in science and math stay in this country after graduation, rather than take their skills to other countries. The President’s proposal will also reunify families in a timely and humane manner.

This "immigration reform" is just more pandering because of the election cycle.

There is an H1-B increase in the immigration bill with bi-partisan support.

Build a border fence and stop the invasion.

^Yes, and letting the crops rot in the fields in order to make a point is a great idea.

Immigration Reform might pass if you look at these numbers and the 40 Republican Representatives (listed below) want to keep their seats/positions. But Boehner and the Hastert rule could be a problem. If Boehner does get in the way, it will show the American people the Republicans are not serious about Immigration Reform. The Democrats win either way and the Rethugs will further alienate Hispanics.

from the article: Which G.O.P. House Members Might Support Immigration Reform?

But prospects for the latest effort are considered improved. Mitt Romney’s dismal performance with Hispanic voters in November gave Republican legislators “a new appreciation” for change, as Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona who is one of the eight senators in the bipartisan group, has said.

Again, there is no guarantee that Republicans with a greater share of Hispanic constituents will necessarily favor reform. But three of the four Republicans in the House already negotiating an immigration bill with Democrats — Representatives John Carter and Sam Johnson, both of Texas, and Mario Diaz-Balart, of Florida — come from districts that are more Hispanic than the average Republican-held Congressional district.

Obama's Plan (?)

White House immigration plan contains 8-year path to residency

The 11 million undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. could have a chance to earn U.S. residency status within eight years, according to an immigration bill being crafted by President Barack Obama’s administration.

USA Today reported on Saturday that a draft of the White House’s proposal calls for immigrants to be eligible to apply for a new “Lawful Prospective Immigrant” visa if they pass a criminal background check, pay a fee and submit biometric information. The program would also be open to immigrants currently in federal custody or awaiting deportation proceedings.

Visa recipients would then have eight years to earn a “green card” granting them permanent residency status if they pay back taxes and learn both the English language and “the history and government of the United States.”

Applicants would be disqualified from the program if convicted of a crime resulting in at least a 1-year jail sentence, or three or more crimes leading to 90 days in jail. According to the proposal, they would also be disqualified if they were found to commit an offense outside of the U.S. that would render them “inadmissible.

The bill would also establishes new guidelines for an expanded use of the “E-verify” system requiring employers to check their staff’s immigration statuses within four years.

The White House’s proposal also addresses the issue of border security — which the bipartisan “group of 8″ U.S. senators mentioned as a requirement to endorsing any kind of citizenship track in its own proposal last month — by calling for the addition of 140 immigration judges to process the country’s immigration caseload, as well as an unspecified increase for the U.S. Border Patrol.

In addition, the plan would require the department of Customs and Border Protection to track deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border and issue quarterly reports on them, and to investigate whether charging a fee to cross the border by land would offset security costs.

Immigrants’ rights advocates have been critical of both the president and the group of senators’ insistence on tighter border security, saying that both a record-setting number of deportations by the Obama administration and the country’s net-zero immigration rate from Mexico showed that the border is already secure.

USA Today: White House immigration bill offers path to residency

great news. more kids will be learning (more)

Colorado immigrant tuition rate passes through House, headed to Gov. John Hickenlooper | coloradoan.com

DENVER (AP) — A proposal allowing illegal immigrant students to pay lower college tuition rates has passed the Colorado House and is headed to Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is expected to sign it.

Three Republicans joined with all the Democrats in voting for the bill Friday.

The bill would allow students who graduate from Colorado high schools to attend college at the in-state rate, regardless of their immigration status. Currently, students in the country illegally must pay the nonresident tuition rate, which can be more than three times higher than the in-state rate.

Obama Administration Released Over 2,000 Criminal Aliens Including Drunk Drivers and Thieves.



Just like Barack Obama, Nicolae Ceausescu, Saddam Hussein, and Fidel Castro also released criminal prisoners. The director of ICE told reporters today that the Obama Administration released over 2,000 illegal aliens this month including drunk drivers and thieves."

And this is called Immigration Reform ?

Dreaming of Healthcare (30 sec) - YouTube

Thousands of young people throughout California can only dream about health care. They want to live healthy responsible lives. But that's hard to do when you can't see a doctor or you don't have health insurance.

Check out this 30 second video, "Dreaming of Healthcare." We made it in partnerships with a group of young Californians. They're all undocumented. Technically that means they're not US citizens. But we think they couldn't be more Californian."

That's what makes America great! Free health care for illegal aliens!

California: Illegal Immigrants Featured In New Commercial Demanding U.S. Citizens Pay For Their Healthcare…Paid For by California Endowment

This looks good, but is bound to raise ire in the business community.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Mandatory E-Verify for all employers: The bill requires businesses implement E-Verify and check the legal immigration status of workers they hire.

As for the rest of it, it looks fair, but I'm not that well versed in the particulars to speculate on what the implications are, either by the undocumented it will effect or the people who are against it and want everybody to just leave.

The Cost of Compassion: Amnestied Illegals Will Cost Taxpayers More Than Half a Million Per Household, in Average Lifetime Government Benefits.

"The comprehensive immigration overhaul being taken up in the Senate this week could cost taxpayers $6.3 trillion if 11 million illegal immigrants are granted legal status, according to a long-awaited estimate by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

The cost would arise from illegal immigrants tapping into the government's vast network of benefits and services, many of which are currently unavailable to them. This includes everything from standard benefits like Social Security and Medicare to dozens of welfare programs ranging from housing assistance to food stamps."


$6.3 trillion in full.


Let's hurry up and pass this bill before the opportunity goes away!
Just like the train-wreck that is Obamacare which had to be passed to find out what was in it!

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

The Cost of Compassion: Amnestied Illegals Will Cost Taxpayers More Than Half a Million Per Household, in Average Lifetime Government Benefits.

"The comprehensive immigration overhaul being taken up in the Senate this week could cost taxpayers $6.3 trillion if 11 million illegal immigrants are granted legal status, according to a long-awaited estimate by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

The cost would arise from illegal immigrants tapping into the government's vast network of benefits and services, many of which are currently unavailable to them. This includes everything from standard benefits like Social Security and Medicare to dozens of welfare programs ranging from housing assistance to food stamps."


$6.3 trillion in full.


Let's hurry up and pass this bill before the opportunity goes away!
Just like the train-wreck that is Obamacare which had to be passed to find out what was in it!

Oh but it is well worth it. Just think of how our "prisons" will become a growth industry as the Latino gangs are infused with millions of new legal "citizens/permanent residents".

The next big step for the democrats is to make it legal for all felons to vote in all elections. Setting up polling stations in the cell-blocks will certainly help the "progressives" accomplish their goals.

RickThai

Flooding the country with low-skilled workers doesn't worry the Democrats as they see this opportunity to register loyal voters for generations to come.

"It was one thing to do amnesty during the white hot Reagan economy of the mid to late 80s. It's quite another to do it in the midst of this Obama depression."

But fundamentally changing America is what Obama is all about.

it couldn't be that republicans are hyping those other manufactured controversies to keep immigration reform off the radar, could it?

nahh.

Originally Posted by raycarey

it couldn't be that republicans are hyping those other manufactured controversies to keep immigration reform off the radar, could it?

nahh.

Think of all those registered new voters. No wonder the Reps are kicking up such a stink, their days are numbered unless they start being nicer.

Originally Posted by raycarey

it couldn't be that republicans are hyping those other manufactured controversies to keep immigration reform off the radar, could it?

Probably...it's the only thing that gives a patina of sense to the sensless. Doesn't look like it's going to work.

the elites in the GOP are throwing out all this red meat to fire up the teabaggers to distract them from the fact that obama's immigration reform is likely going to pass with republican votes.

the problem is that there's no real meat in these manufactured scandals. it's like cheap dog food....animal by-products, artificial flavors & colorings and saw dust.

once all these phony controversies disappear in the next week or so, all the teabaggers will have is obama's passed immigration law.

rubes.

Open those borders! Let 'em all in!



ICE admits hundreds of illegal immigrants with criminal records released

But, But, Isn't That The Correct/Progressive Path To Take, Comrade? The Perps/Criminals Deserve A Second Chance!

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Open those borders! Let 'em all in!



ICE admits hundreds of illegal immigrants with criminal records released

But, But, Isn't That The Correct/Progressive Path To Take, Comrade? The Perps/Criminals Deserve A Second Chance!

Doesn't sound like you need to with 11,000,000 already there. Start making room for your new neighbours.