Immigration law hurts economy, lacks fairness
The Senate approved a comprehensive bill, which includes a 13-year path to citizenship for most of the nation's 11 million unauthorized immigrants. But House Republican leaders have said they will not hold a vote on that legislation; rather, they have pursued a series of smaller-scale bills focused on border control and temporary work visas. Lawmakers face a tight timeframe to potentially consider immigration bills, with deliberations on Syria, the budget and the debt ceiling taking up most of the late summer and fall. Advocates have said they hope the House GOP will devote time to immigration in October, but some lawmakers have said the issue could be put off until next year. "October is a very, very critical month, which is the reason we made this decision to keep the pressure on," said Gustavo Torres, president of Casa de Maryland. Los Tigres del Norte, which was formed in the late 1960s, has achieved popularity and success while singing about topics such as illegal immigration and the drug trade on the U.S.-Mexico border. Organizers said the group's popularity will draw people to the concert who might not normally take part in a political rally, extending the reach of the pro-immigration movement. Other musical groups also expected to be added to the schedule. Jaime Contreras, a vice president at the Service Employees International Union, said: "A handful of extremists in the House of Representatives wants to stop anything progressive, anything that means something to working people, including a path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants.
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Immigration probes Helen Liu marriage
"But apparently, Republican leaders didnt read the part that says they have to actually 'embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform,' not just smile for the camera." On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in the daily briefing that passing an immigration reform bill this year remains on President Barack Obamas radar. Many on different sides of the immigration debate have become increasingly doubtful that a bill that would both tighten security at the borders and provide a pathway to legal status for many of the countrys estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants could still pass, especially now that Syria has commanded so much attention. Our absolute focus on getting immigration reform passed by both houses and signed into law has not changed at all, Carney said, according to published reports. The Senate passed a bipartisan-crafted comprehensive immigration reform bill in June, but work on immigration legislation has stalled in the House, where many Republicans object to giving undocumented immigrants a chance to legalize. Some Democrats believe Republicans may be trying to let immigration reform die through inaction. Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat who was a member of the bipartisan Gang of Eight in the Senate that drafted that chambers bill, expressed optimism. Many traditionally conservative groups including the Catholic church, Evangelicals, business leaders and the Chamber of Commerce, high-tech and agriculture growers have worked very hard over August and during recent weeks, and a significant number of Republicans who had previously been negative or neutral have come out for immigration reform, he said, according to The Hill.
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Republicans Begin Latino Outreach, But Sidestep Immigration Reform
Trying to make an economically rational case is difficult enough against the background we have, he added. Within the Coalition, Mr Cable has pushed for a more relaxed approach to immigration rules, arguing that allowing more foreign workers into the UK would boost the economy. His arguments have been resisted by Conservative ministers ,who have promised to reduce net migration to the UK to tens of thousands. Related Articles Cheer up elderly and ease pressure on NHS, says Norman Lamb 17 Sep 2013 Opinion polls suggest that many voters regard immigration as one of the most pressing issues facing Britain today, and want fewer foreign workers to enter the UK. Mr Cables apparent criticism of voters are his most outspoken yet over immigration. He has previously described it as a toxic issue but stopped short of criticising voters views on the subject. Speaking to Lib Dem activists, he also attacked Tory proposals to charge immigrants for using the NHS and accused his Conservative colleagues of wanting to have no foreign students at UK universities. Conservative ministers earlier this year announced controversial plans to crack down on health tourism by making foreigners pay a 200 levy for NHS care. Under the plans, foreigners from outside the European Union applying for visas lasting more than six months will have to pay the new health care levy. They are currently entitled to free treatment. Mr Cable criticised the plans and warned that it would mean imposing a significant additional cost on foreigners who do not use the NHS. The Government has also announced plans to toughen up visa restriction for foreign students.
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Immigration reform vital to Wisconsin bioscience
The Australian couple later wed. In April, Ms Clague described her teenage actions as a mistake. ''They [Ms Liu and Mr Xu] seemed honest, caring people and I believed their lives were at stake,'' she said. Grace Clague, Humphrey Xu and Helen Liu. Before publication of the April report, the Immigration Department had shelved a probe into alleged migration fraud involving the Chinese pair after then opposition immigration spokesman and now incoming minister Scott Morrison asked for an investigation. The department made this decision without interviewing any involved party. However, after the emergence of new evidence, including Ms Clague's admissions, an Immigration spokesman told Fairfax Media last month that ''investigation into this matter is ongoing''.
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With Syria tensions easing, will immigration reform pass this year?
Bay Area women leaders, undocumented immigrants, and LGBT activists -- who have taken positions at the forefront of immigration reform protests -- said at a recent strategy meeting that they were turning their attention to state and local bills to push for the rights of their communities. "The movement is not the people in D.C. behind closed doors making decisions -- it's us, it's the sisters getting arrested," said De Guzman, referring to more than 100 women who were arrested Thursday outside the House of Representatives to protest the House's inaction on comprehensive immigration reform. In July, Alex Aldana of the East Bay Immigrant Youth Coalition helped stage a sit-in by undocumented immigrants at Gov. Jerry Brown's office to demand that he sign the TRUST Act, a bill that would limit who state and local authorities can hold for deportation at the request of immigration agents. "Undocuqueer are putting their identity at risk to create social change," explained Aldana, who came to the United States from Guadalajara, Mexico when he was 16 and identifies as both queer and undocumented.
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Helen Liu with John Howard and Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon. Photo: Supplied A participant in the 1989 sham marriages, Grace Clague, admitted in April that she and her Australian partner at the time agreed to the proposal after being told that Ms Liu and her Chinese boyfriend would be persecuted upon return to their homeland. She also swore in a Federal Court affidavit in 1997 that her father was a ''ranking official'' in the Chinese government and many other of her relatives occupied ''high-level positions in the Chinese government''. The bogus marriages mean statutory declarations sworn by the Chinese pair for the purposes of obtaining residency through marriage to an Australian were false, an offence which can result in imprisonment or revocation of citizenship. Grace Clague (left), Humphrey Xu (centre) and Helen Liu. Photo: Supplied Guided by migration agents later deregistered for misconduct, Ms Clague married Ms Liu's then boyfriend and business partner, Harry Xu. Ms Clague's boyfriend at the time, David Shultz, married Ms Liu. The supposed couples never spent a night together and Ms Clague had two of her three children with Mr Shultz while she was supposed to be married to Mr Xu. The Australian couple later wed. Liu with former husband David Schultz.. Photo: Supplied In April, Ms Clague, described her teenage actions as a ''mistake''. ''They [Liu and Xu] seemed honest, caring people and I believed their lives were at stake,'' she said.
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Immigration reopens case on Labor donor
Current immigration policies essentially ignore this simple reality of modern business. H-1B visas for high-skill employees are not allocated in sufficient numbers to meet the labor force demands of U.S. companies. In addition, foreign-born entrepreneurs who are very prominently involved in high-tech start-ups also face insufficient visa availability. Immigrants have always been a major entrepreneurial force in the U.S. economy; they are even more important today, when advances in technology are opening up more opportunities for new businesses than ever before. It is hard to find someone in the Wisconsin bioscience industry who does not support immigration reform. It is frustrating to watch competent graduates of Wisconsin schools be turned down for visas while jobs go unfilled and business opportunities go untried. Foreign-born high-skilled workers do not take jobs away from Americans. It makes no sense to turn them away when their work here could trigger the creation of more employment opportunities for workers in a wide variety of directly and indirectly connected industries. Of course, the expansion of visa allocations is not the only strategy that comprehensive immigration reform should embrace. It is essential that we implement a rational method of dealing with the 11 million undocumented workers who now live in the U.S.
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Vince Cable attacks Britain's 'toxic' views on immigration
Of course, the U.S. visa system for entrepreneurs is hardly the only area where our immigration system falls short of rationality and even morality. Matters of life and liberty are decided in our system of immigration justice without the most basic protections that we expect in American courts. Immigrants have no right to appointed legal counsel. In fact, children, the mentally incompetent and the disabled in our immigration system are not guaranteed access to a lawyer. As a result, a 6-year-old can be brought before a judge, asked legal questions and face deportation to a possibly dangerous country, all without a lawyer or a guardian present. Half of those in immigration proceedings lack legal counsel, despite the efforts of many lawyers to provide free legal advice. A significantly higher percentage of detainees do not have a lawyer, despite programs to connect them with pro bono counsel. There are simply too many individuals in immigration proceedings the Department of Homeland Securitys Immigration and Customs Enforcement annually detains more than 400,000 foreign nationals to meet the need with volunteers.
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Sacramento, Not Washington, Sets Pace for Immigration Reform
In June, the Democrat-led Senate approved a bill that sets a path to citizenship for some 11 million unauthorized immigrants while boosting border security. But in the House, Republicans in control criticize the bill as costly and ineffective. Sarah Trumble, legislative counsel for the center-left think tank Third Way in Washington, said Syria may have sidelined immigration reform, "but that's not actually, necessarily a bad thing." Trumble said the delay has bought time for some Republicans who may support reform but are worried about re-election. Filing deadlines for potential challengers to enter primaries are fast approaching, and "for the Republicans, if they know that they're not going to have a challenge on the right, it'll make it a lot easier for them to support reform," Trumble said. But Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, said that activists shouldn't get their hopes up that immigration reform will pass this year. "I'm not sure how likely it was even before Syria came up," Krikorian said. Krikorian, who favors tighter restrictions on immigration, said Congress also has to deal with the federal budget and debt ceiling. He added the immigration effort is not helped by President Obama, who Krikorian maintains has lost political capital in his handling of the Syrian crisis. But activists say they are confident that their work through the August recess will pay off. Reyes said activists have helped organize town-hall style meetings on immigration, and called up their legislators, even as the debate over Syria heated up.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.scpr.org/blogs/multiamerican/2013/09/17/14754/with-syria-tensions-easing-will-immigration-reform/
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