Immigration News & Updates

Emanuel's Political Pragmatism on Immigration Reform

Obama's selection of Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff signals that political pragmatism, not campaign promises to Latinos, may determine immigration policy in the new administration.

It's not that Congressman Emanuel (D-IL) is a foe of immigration, but rather that he seems to have concluded that comprehensive immigration reform is not a winning political proposition for Democrats.

As Illinois congressional representative since 2003, Emanuel has repeatedly held the line against the immigration restricionists and border security hardliners. For the restrictionists, he has a failing record.

For Full Article Visit:
http://americas.irc-online.org/am/5656

Feds Preparing For “Comprehensive Immigration Reform”

By Eunice Moscoso |

Friday, November 7, 2008

The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS), said this week that the agency has made great strides in clearing backlogs of citizenship applications.

The improvements will help the agency show that it can handle new legalization efforts if Congress and the upcoming Obama administration tackle the issue next year, federal officials said.

“Comprehensive immigration reform is obviously a goal that we believe is unfinished business,” said Jonathan “Jock” Scharfen, acting director of USCIS.

Scharfen was referring to a sweeping immigration bill that failed last year which would have given illegal immigrants a path to citizenship and created a guest worker program.

President-elect Barack Obama favors such a measure.

USCIS reported that it has completed more than 1.1 million naturalization applications this year, a 50 percent increase from 2007.

The agency has also interviewed more than 100,000 refugee applicants and completed more than 47,000 asylum applications this year.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/immigration/entries/2008/11/07/feds_preparing_for_comprehensi.html

Bush Admin. Makes Immigration Strides in 2008

The U.S. government arrested and deported record numbers of illegal immigrants nearly 350,000 in the past year, authorities say. It has also naturalized a record number of new Americans during the same time period, more than 1 million.

Bush administration officials consider these to be great accomplishments within a system that President-elect Obama calls "broken and overwhelmed" on his transition Web site.

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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gEfnRmHVHzKk8Wxjs-d1t-xgY9VAD949NDE80

McCain and Obama Tout Their Support For Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama pressed anew their support for comprehensive immigration reform in separate speeches to the League of United Latin American Citizens. But each candidate was primarily focused on making the case that he — not his opponent — could best lead the country out of economic straits and help the middle class achieve prosperity.

For full article please see:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i_NxbDHD1WStzVfTazDU_yduIPzQD91Q0N780

Post-Election Congress Will Pass DREAM Act and AgJobs But "Broader Reform" Seen As Years Away

Per a recent article in the NY Daily News, it is believed that "the post-election Congress will pass the DREAM Act for undocumented students and the AgJobs agricultural worker bills passing no matter who wins the presidency, though immigrants will likely do better under Obama." However, "broader reform with a path to citizenship for our 12 million undocumented workers is years away."

For full article please see: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/06/11/2008-06-11_dream_act_forecast_for_immigration_refor.html

Obama Must Commit to Helping Illegal Immigrants Or Risks Losing Latino Vote

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) must commit to helping illegal immigrants achieve citizenship or else risk losing the vital Latino vote in the general election, Hispanic Democratic lawmakers are warning.

If he does not promise so-called comprehensive immigration reform, the lawmakers say, the only other way to win over Hispanic supporters of his erstwhile rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), may be to pick her as his running mate.

For full article please see:

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/hispanic-dems-warn-obama-he-risks-losing-latino-voters-2008-06-11.html

Hispanic Cleric Accuses Romney Of Fueling Anti-Hispanic Sentiment In Remarks On Comprehensive Immigration Reform

The president of Esperanza USA, the Rev. Luis Cortes, a member of the multi-denominational Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, said that U.S. citizen Hispanics see an increasingly heated rhetoric among presidential candidates against illegal immigration.

Rev. Cortes specifically singled out Mitt Romney as fueling the fire stating: "He attacks other candidates as being soft", and believes that this is going to be the key reason he's going to lose the Hispanic vote if he becomes the Republican candidate.

Homeland Security Chertoff Calls Again For A Comprehensive Immigration Reform Program in 2008

In a Dec. 12, 2007 speech in Washington, D.C., Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff stressed the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) priorities in the 2008 calendar year which include immigration and border security, secure identification, cyber security and institutionalization of the functions within the department,

Chertoff again called for a comprehensive program that would provide options for the estimated 12 million immigrants currently living in the United States illegally.

Moreover, he recognized that "the government needs to make a down payment on credibility with the American people by showing we have the willingness to enforce the laws the way they are, and that we're prepared to use all the tools at our disposal to get the job done," Chertoff continued. "And that's a good deal of what we've done over the last year and what we intend to do over the year to come, although I am not prepared to give up on some kind of comprehensive reform, or at least some progress toward comprehensive reform, during 2008."

Romney Ad Attacks Huckabee And Giuliani As Soft On Illegal Immigration

Iowa stations will begin broadcasting a Romney spot which attacks Huckabee by name. The Romney ad titled "The Record," states the following: "Mitt Romney stood up and vetoed in-state tuition for illegal aliens ... opposed driver's licenses for illegals," the ad's announcer says. "Mike Huckabee? Supported in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants. Huckabee even supported taxpayer-funded scholarships for illegal aliens. "On immigration, the choice matters," the announcer says.

Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said the ad was intended to highlight the difference between the ex-Massachusetts governor's "pro-enforcement record" and Huckabee's stance on immigration in the past.

Also, during last month's CNN/YouTube debate, Romney criticized Rudy Giuliani for allowing New York to become a 'sanctuary city' for illegal immigrants while he was mayor, an allegation the rival candidate has denied. In response, Giuliani attacked Romney for living in a "sanctuary mansion," where illegal immigrants were allowed to work.

For Full Text Please See- http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/11/romney.huckabee.immigration/

2008 Presidential Candidates And Their Position On Immigration

Sen. Joe Biden (D)

Wants to be sure that we enforce our existing laws already on the books and secure our borders.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D)

Wants to strengthen U.S. borders, enforce our laws and allow a path to earned legal status.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D)

"My plan offers comprehensive reform that secures our borders, reduces incentives for illegal immigration, while strengthening our economy ..."

Sen. John Edwards (D)

Supports strong enforcement. People already here should earn citizenship by paying a fine and learning English.

Rudy Giuliani (R)

Has made a commitment to end illegal immigration, secure America's borders, and identify every noncitizen in the country.

Mike Gravel (D)

"The senator favors protecting our borders and monitoring the flow of immigrants into our country."

Mike Huckabee (R)

"My number one priority is to secure America's border. I opposed the amnesty bill that was defeated by the Senate."

Duncan Hunter (R)

Has a 27-year record of fighting illegal immigration and promoting border security.

Dennis Kucinich (D)

"The United States will not be able to resolve its immigration issues until it resolves its trade policies."

Sen. John McCain (R)

Will restore trust in government and as president will secure the nation's borders.

Sen. Barack Obama (D)

Supports comprehensive reform that secures the border, fixes the broken immigration bureaucracy and creates a responsible path to citizenship.

Ron Paul (R)

"The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all."

Bill Richardson (D)

"Gov. Bill Richardson has a record of accomplishment for protecting our nation's borders and striving for immigration reform."

Mitt Romney (R)

Believes we must secure our borders, enforce current immigration laws, implement an effective employment verification system for noncitizens.

Tom Tancredo (R)

Believes we must secure the border, enforce the law, and prosecute employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens.

Fred Thompson (R)

The government must secure its borders and determine who may enter and who may not to fulfill a fundamental responsibility.