Neither the threat of arrest nor punishment may significantly deter Mexicans from trying to enter the United States illegally, according to a new study in the August issue of the American Sociological Review. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging President Obama’s policy of stopping the deportation of some young immigrants in the country illegally. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor dismissed the lawsuit Wednesday for “lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.”
Congress will begin its summer break this week without any plan for high-skill immigration. Here’s what to watch for when lawmakers return in September. …read more
Evangelical support for immigration reform is a top-down, “grasstops,” elite-led movement with little support among the “grassroots,” or the evangelicals in the pews, Jonathan Merritt and Mark Tooley have recently argued. Their arguments, though, are based upon an assumption that the views of all evangelicals are represented by the views of white evangelicals. …read more
Source: The Christian Post
President Obama sought Wednesday to reassure Democrats nervous about the impact of his health care law and the prospects for immigration legislation, telling them “You’re on the right side of history.” In the first of two closed-door meetings on Capitol Hill, Obama focused on financial gains as the economy emerges from the worst downturn since the Depression. He was warned about nominating former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers as chairman of the Federal Reserve and faced questions about his health care law. Some lawmakers complained that three years after its passage, the law still baffles many Americans.
House Republicans head home for the August break having done little to pass immigration reform, falling well short of Speaker John Boehner’s goal of voting on legislation before next week’s monthlong recess begins. But far from a failure of leadership, top House Republicans are casting the inaction as a tactical play designed to boost reform’s chances.
Keeping immigration on the back-burner helps avoid a recess filled with angry town-hall meetings reminiscent of the heated August 2009 protests where the backlash against health care reform coalesced. Doing nothing also starves Democrats of a target, Republicans argue.
“August was a central part of our discussions. People don’t want to go home and get screamed at,” a House GOP leadership aide said.
Instead, they’ll go home and talk about the need to stop government overreach, trying to draw voters’ attention back to the now largely dormant IRS controversy and the dismantling of Obamacare, a message that plays well with the Republican base.
But more than that, Republicans say, the delay in dealing with immigration helps them internally.
Read More at National Journal . By Chris Frates.
Photo Credit: Medill DC (Creative Commons)
By <a href="/author-detail/3699933">Megan Slack</a>
Today President Obama traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee today to talk about the first and most important cornerstone of middle class security: a good job in a durable, growing industry.
“We should be doing everything we can as a country to create more good jobs that pay good wages,” President Obama said. And plenty of independent economists, business owners, and people from both parties are already in agreement on some of the ingredients that we need for creating good jobs, he explained:
Putting people back to work rebuilding America’s infrastructure. Equipping our kids and our workers with the best skills. Leading the world in scientific research that helps to pave the way for new jobs in new industries. Accelerating our clean energy and natural gas revolutions. Fixing a broken immigration system so that American workers aren’t undercut, undermined because some businesses are unscrupulous and hiring folks and not paying them decent wages.
“We're not lacking for ideas, we're just lacking action, especially out of Washington,” he said.
“So I’m going to try offering something that serious people in both parties should be able to support: a deal that simplifies the tax code for our businesses and creates good jobs with good wages for middle-class folks who work at those businesses.”
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House
Defying protests, the British government said Monday it will go ahead with a pilot plan to curb illegal immigration by demanding visitors from six of its ex-colonies post a cash bond to obtain visas. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
New Report Released by the White House
“So if we’re truly committed to strengthening our middle class and providing more ladders of opportunity to those who are willing to work hard to make it into the middle class, we’ve got to fix the system. We have to make sure that every business and every worker in America is playing by the same set of rules. We have to bring this shadow economy into the light so that everybody is held accountable — businesses for who they hire, and immigrants for getting on the right side of the law. That’s common sense. And that’s why we need comprehensive immigration reform.”
– President Barack Obama, January 29, 2013
Today, the White House released a report, Fixing Our Broken Immigration System: The Economic Benefits to Agriculture and Rural Communities, detailing the important benefits provided by the bipartisan Senate immigration reform bill for the domestic agriculture sector, its workforce, and rural American communities.
As the report states, in recent years, the agriculture sector has seen strong growth, with farm income and agriculture exports both reaching historic highs. In 2013, net farm income is forecast to total $128.2 billion, which would be the highest level since 1973 after adjusting for inflation. Much of this growth is due to the demand for American agricultural exports: the value of agricultural exports has steadily risen in recent years and is projected to reach $135.8 billion in Fiscal Year 2013, which would also establish a new record.
But there’s more work to do, and currently the agriculture industry is hampered by a broken immigration system that fails to support a predictable and stable workforce. Among all economic sectors, the U.S. agriculture sector is particularly reliant on foreign-born workers. Agricultural producers cite difficulty in locating qualified available authorized workers—both foreign and domestic—as one reason for the high rate of undocumented labor. Moreover, there continue to be insufficient U.S. workers to fill labor needs: of those crop workers surveyed between 2007 and 2009, 71 percent were foreign born. By providing a path to earned citizenship for currently unauthorized farmworkers, the bipartisan Senate bill gives unauthorized workers and their families the security they need to invest in their own skills and education and pursue higher-paying employment.
In June, the Senate passed historic legislation that is largely consistent with the President’s principles for commonsense immigration reform with a strong bipartisan vote. This bill would strengthen border security while providing an earned path to citizenship for undocumented farmworkers who are vital to our nation’s agriculture industry, and a new temporary worker program negotiated by major grower associations and farmworker groups. If enacted, the Senate bill would provide a path to earned citizenship for undocumented farmworkers that includes paying a fine, their full share of taxes and is estimated to allow an estimated 1.5 million agricultural workers and their dependents to earn a legal status, and eventually citizenship.
Strength in agricultural production supports …read more
By <a href="/author-detail/3336903">Matt Compton</a>
Today, the White House released a new report detailing the important benefits provided by the bipartisan Senate immigration reform bill for the domestic agriculture sector, its workforce, and rural American communities. As the report states, in recent years, the agriculture sector has seen strong growth, with farm income and agriculture exports both reaching historic highs. But there’s more work to do, and currently the agriculture industry is hampered by a broken immigration system that fails to support a predictable and stable workforce. Among all economic sectors, the U.S. agriculture sector is particularly reliant on foreign-born workers. Agricultural producers cite difficulty in locating qualified available authorized workers—both foreign and domestic—as one reason for the high rate of undocumented labor. Moreover, there continues to be insufficient U.S. workers to fill labor needs: of those crop workers surveyed between 2007 and 2009, 71 percent were foreign born.
As President Obama said in his State of the Union address, “If we’re truly committed to strengthening our middle class and providing more ladders of opportunity to those who are willing to work hard to make it into the middle class, we’ve got to fix the system. We have to bring this shadow economy into the light so that everybody is held accountable — businesses for who they hire, and immigrants for getting on the right side of the law. That’s common sense. And that’s why we need comprehensive immigration reform.”
In June, the Senate passed historic legislation that is largely consistent with the President’s principles for commonsense immigration reform with a strong bipartisan vote. This bill would strengthen border security while providing an earned path to citizenship for undocumented farmworkers who are vital to our nation’s agriculture industry, and a new temporary worker program negotiated by major grower associations and farmworker groups. If enacted, the Senate bill would result in undocumented workers paying a fine, their full share of taxes and is estimated to allow an estimated 1.5 million agricultural workers and their dependents to earn legal status.
To learn more about how the Senate-passed bill and bipartisan commonsense immigration reform would benefit the agriculture sector and rural communities, check out this fact sheet or read the full report released today by the White House.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Latino voters disapprove of potential House GOP plans to address immigration issues without creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, according to a Latino Decisions poll released Wednesday.
The survey, from Latino Decisions and the advocacy group America’s Voice, found stronger support for the immigration reform principles put forward by the bipartisan “gang of eight” in the Senate and Democrats in the House: a path to citizenship along with enhanced border security, employment verification and requirements that undocumented immigrants study English, pass a background check and pay a fine before becoming legal residents. Seventy-seven percent of Latino voters supported such a plan.
About two-thirds of Latino voters also said they approve of the Democratic Party’s insistence that reform include a path to citizenship.
Read More…
More on Immigration
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
Republican leaders are sharply criticizing Iowa Rep. Steve King after controversial comments he made about illegal immigrants in America to an online publication were read aloud during a congressional hearing Tuesday.
The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, a group representing much of the Latino evangelical Christian community, is Leaders of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, America’s largest Hispanic Christian organization with over 40,000 member churches, is traveling to Washington, D.C., today to meet with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other top House Republicans in an effort to revive stalled immigration legislation. …read more
Source: The Christian Post
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Steve King thinks most young undocumented immigrants haul “75 pounds of marijuana across the desert,” though he might be confusing them with Coachella attendees. Anthony Weiner sexted through 2012, begging the question: What the hell has to happen for someone to finally switch to Snapchat? And if the last two days have taught us anything about media strategy, it’s that Syria’s rebels need to start giving birth to royals and/or snapping photos of their man parts ASAP. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013:
HOUSE REPUBLICANS COALESCING AROUND DREAMER REFORMS – Elise Foley: “House Republicans made clear on Tuesday that some are open to allowing Dreamers, the young undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children, to become citizens. Their parents, though, may be left out in the cold. ‘I do not believe that parents who made the decision to illegally enter the U.S. while forcing their children to join them should be afforded the same treatment as these kids,’ Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said at an immigration subcommittee hearing. ‘Because let’s be clear — parents bringing their young children to the U.S. illegally is not something we want to encourage.’ The hearing comes after Goodlatte and Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) announced they are working on a bill, tentatively named the KIDS Act, to offer Dreamers a path to citizenship. The legislators haven’t yet released any details of their bill, including the cutoff age for Dreamers and what would be required for children to secure citizenship. While the bill is still just a concept, it’s already receiving praise and criticism from both sides — particularly from Democrats who say the piecemeal approach is unfair and calling it a smokescreen for Republicans’ refusal to address the broader undocumented population.” [HuffPost]
John Boehner says no one has worked as hard on immigration reform as he has. Chris Frates asked whether the speaker would continue his “hands off” approach this fall. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop. Let’s get back to the premise of the question. Nobody spent more time trying to fix a broken immigration system than I have,” Boehner said. “I talked about it the day after the election, and I’ve talked about it a hundred times since. And while some may disagree about how we’re going about fixing the broken immigration system, it’s been a big goal of mine.” [National Journal]
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
By David Agnew
As commonsense immigration reform moves from the Senate to the House, a growing coalition of elected officials from across the country is urging Congress to fix our broken system. Last month, we heard from bipartisan state and local officials from the South, Southwest, Northeast, West, and Midwest on why they support immigration reform and how it will help their communities. In the past few weeks, state and local elected officials have further intensified their efforts to urge Congressional action.
State and local elected officials understand that commonsense immigration reform is the right policy for our country and makes good economic sense for middle class families. Earlier this month, the White House released a report highlighting the numerous and varied economic benefits of fixing our broken immigration system, including helping to grow our economy by creating new business and jobs.
Yesterday, White House Domestic Policy Council Director Cecilia Muñoz spoke about the local economic costs of inaction on the federal level:
“Because the crux of the matter is that, while Congress and the federal government have the authority to set immigration law and enforce it, local governments live with the results of what Congress does and fails to do.”
Below are some of the elected officials who recently added their voices in support for commonsense immigration reform:
On July 17th, Governors from 15 states sent a letter to Congress urging them to pass commonsense immigration reform and highlighting the economic benefits to their states.
“We all recognize that immigrants contribute a great deal to our economy and our culture. We should make sure they are fully integrated into the social, civic and economic fabric of American life and have access to the same opportunities to succeed as everyone else. As Governors, we encourage you to adopt bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform legislation that reflects the values of our nation and contributes to the growth of our economies.”
After the U.S. Senate approved a comprehensive immigration bill on June 27th, the U.S. Conference of Mayors issued the following statement:
“The nation’s mayors applaud the Senate’s decisive passage of bipartisan legislation that will repair our broken immigration system…We urge the House of Representatives to follow the Senate’s strong lead and adopt comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform legislation this year. This is the right thing to do for our families, our cities, our economy, and our country.”
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House
Earnest M. Morial Convention Center
New Orleans, Louisiana
11:59 A.M. CDT
MRS. OBAMA: Buenos dias! Oh, my goodness. You all rest yourselves. You've been busy. I understand you are having a phenomenal conference. And it is such a pleasure to be here with all of you today for this 2013 Annual Conference.
Of course, I want to start by thanking Janet not just for that very kind introduction, but I want to thank her, as well as Jorge Plasencia, for their leadership, for this outstanding organization. I also very much want to thank all of you who are part of this great American organization.
As you know, for more than four decades, NCLR has served as a powerful voice on the most important issues of our time — from voting rights to health care, from education to immigration. Because of all of you, your steadfast work, we have seen such great progress for the Latino community and for our country.
And please know that whether it’s implementing health reform or passing common-sense immigration reform, your President and his administration are going to keep working with you and fighting with you every step of the way. (Applause.) Know that. And I know these debates are hard — particularly on immigration. But do not give up, because I promise you that my husband won’t give up until a good bill gets on his desk. (Applause.)
That's because in the end, these issues are all about one simple thing: They’re about achieving the American Dream. They’re about building a country where no matter who you are, or where you’re from, or what you look like, or who you love, you can build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids.
But, of course, as you all know, keeping that dream alive isn’t just about changing our laws out in Washington. It’s also about changing people’s lives on the ground. It’s about the grassroots, community-based work that so many of you have been doing for so long. And that's especially true of the issue that I want to discuss with you today — as Janet mentioned, an issue that affects the lives of children and families across this country — and that is the epidemic of childhood obesity in America today.
Now, we often talk about this issue as a policy issue, which it is, since our laws certainly affect our children’s health. And we often say that it is a public health issue, which is true, since we now spend $190 billion a year treating obesity-related illnesses like diabetes, cancer and heart disease. But more than anything else, how we raise and nourish our children is very much a family issue. It’s very much a community issue.
And see, that’s where it gets complicated, because that's where it gets personal and emotional. Because the truth is, for so …read more
James S. Brady Briefing Room
12:01 P.M. EDT
MR. CARNEY: Welcome to your White House briefing. I'm glad you're all here, and I'm here to take your questions and to provide candid and succinct answers. (Laughter.) Josh.
Q Thanks, Jay. To start with immigration, Republicans are taking issue with that tweet this morning from Dan Pfeiffer, saying that a Spanish language newspaper had nailed the cruel hypocrisy, the GOP plan, to allow legalization just for the DREAMers. I'm wondering if you can clarify, does the White House oppose that piece of legislation?
MR. CARNEY: What Dan was pointing out is that La Opinion opposes the approach being taken by some Republicans, which would avoid the essential responsibility to address immigration reform in a comprehensive way. And what La Opinion makes clear is that a bill that would allow some so-called DREAMers to stay in this country and become the Americans that they've long felt they were, because of their status and the fact that they came here when they were so young, but then deport their parents is hardly a workable solution.
The President believes that we have to address this in a comprehensive way. That is the right thing to do. And the idea that you can, oh, I don't know, declare yourself to have been more committed than anyone to improve our immigration system and then have nothing to show for it is a little laughable.
Q But are you concerned that by throwing cold water on that notion that they're looking at, that you're essentially closing the door to having something emerge through the House that you could have a conference committee with the signed bill that you do like? I mean, isn't that ultimately what the goal is here?
MR. CARNEY: Well, let's just be realistic about what we're saying here. Republicans opposed the DREAM Act when it was presented as a possibility, just like they opposed comprehensive immigration reform previously. The President has taken action to make sure that there is prosecutorial discretion, if you will, in the enforcement of our immigration laws that has provided relief to some DREAMers, DREAM Act kids. And, meanwhile, he has pressed for comprehensive immigration reform, and that effort has enjoyed substantial bipartisan support in the Senate and around the country. Businesses, labor, law enforcement communities, faith communities support this effort.
It's good for the economy. It reduces the deficit. It extends the solvency and viability of Social Security. Some of the goals that conservatives say they most cherish are addressed in comprehensive immigration reform.
And what I think the editorial in La Opinion reflects is the need for all of us, but perhaps mostly Republican leaders, to pay some attention to the Spanish-language media in this country, because that media are making clear that they expect action from Congress and that they hold those who oppose common-sense solutions to this …read more
This morning, President Obama met with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) at the White House to discuss a range of important issues facing the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. The President thanked CAPAC for their work to expand the middle class within AAPI communities and among all Americans, and said that he looks forward to continuing to work with them.
The President stressed that the Administration continues to urge the House to take action to pass commonsense immigration reform that would secure our borders, crack down on illegal employment, offer a path to earned citizenship for undocumented persons, and modernize our legal immigration system so that it once again addresses our needs and reflects our values as a nation. He thanked CAPAC for their ongoing efforts on this important issue and both sides agreed on the need to pass immigration reform now to help grow the economy, create jobs and reduce the deficit. The President urged CAPAC to continue to reach out to their colleagues in the House to find consensus and complete work on this important issue at the earliest possible opportunity. In the coming weeks, members of the Cabinet and Senior Administration officials will stress the economic need for commonsense immigration reform, including highlighting the economic benefits of reform and the high costs of inaction.
The President also said that he was proud of his efforts to make the Executive Branch and the federal judiciary more diverse. CAPAC thanked the President for more than doubling the number of AAPI federal judges currently serving. The President reiterated his commitment to ensuring that his Administration is composed of highly qualified public servants who reflect the diversity of America. CAPAC also thanked the President for the ongoing work of the White House Initiative on AAPIs to better connect AAPI communities to the federal government.
The President also thanked CAPAC for their strong support in passing the Affordable Care Act and discussed the robust ongoing efforts to successfully implement the law. Starting in 2014 nearly 2 million uninsured AAPIs will have new opportunities for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. And, increased funding to community health centers is enabling more AAPIs to receive culturally and linguistically appropriate and accessible care. The President and CAPAC pledged to work together to ensure that all qualified individuals are able to sign up for the Health Insurance Marketplace.
The President was joined at the meeting by Office of Legislative Affairs Director Miguel Rodriguez, Director of Presidential Personnel Jonathan McBride, and Executive Director of the White House Initiative on AAPIs Kiran Ahuja.
A photo of the meeting is available here.
Source: White House Press Office
Flipboard magazines have arrived on the Web. You can now publicly share with the entire online world any content you’ve turned into a digital magazine, even if the reader doesn’t have a Flipboard account.
The new feature is a continuation of the popular reading app’s revamp that began in March when Flipboard 2.0 first introduced user-curated magazines to the service.
Flipboard magazines are exactly what they sound like. Users organize articles based on a theme such as surfing, sharks, Sherlock Holmes, or immigration reform into a single collection.
Articles are added individually from around the Web using an applet installed in your browser’s toolbar, or from articles found using Flipboard’s mobile apps.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld
By Richard Finger, Contributor
In this final segment, I continue my discussion with Texas Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar and Laredo businessman Gary Jacobs. We will debate perhaps the most contentious aspect of immigration reform; namely the path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million undocumented aliens. Rather than being deliberated dispassionately, the strident from the extreme of both spectrums reverberate a cacophony that mistranslates all debate……wanting border security devolves to accusations of xenophobia while the carp of fairness, inclusion, and multiculturalism are equally distorted. I think it is important to examine this issue from different angles, especially some history, to gain some understanding which will hopefully lead to sensible compromise on this charged issue. What were results of past immigration legislation? Since we don’t exist in a cocoon, we’ll look at NAFTA, past, present, and maybe a future role as a solution to immigration reform. Exogenous factors like China’s admission into WTO (World Trade Organization) were an unexpected tsunami that crashed hard on the Mexican shores. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
