News Digests
Citizens For Immigration Reform regular news digests that are sent to
those on the email list.
03-03-2009
From: Roy Beck, President, NumbersUSA
Date: Monday 2MAR09 7:30 p.m. EST
ANOTHER CHANCE TO PUSH E-VERIFY -- Phone to Get
Long-Term Extension in Spending Bill
DEAR FRIENDS,
Your anti-illegal- immigration allies in the U.S. House
have asked us to get your help Tuesday and Wednesday in
obtaining signatures on a crucial letter
(see text below).
They need you to support their last-ditch effort to put a long-term
extension of the E-Verify program in the giant spending bill before
Congress this week.
When we are asked directly by Members of Congress for help, we have to
be willing to back them up. They know that the only way to succeed is if
they have your help in phoning their colleagues and asking them to sign
a crucial letter to House Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Leader
Boehner (R-Ohio).
The key point sentence of the letter is this:
"Please do everything within your
power to protect legal workers by ensuring that the E-Verify program is
reauthorized long-term in the Omnibus Appropriations Act."
Pelosi and Boehner have the power to make that happen when the bill
comes to the House/Senate negotiating committee if they would just
resolve to do it.
Your assignment -- if you
choose to accept it -- is to phone
your own U.S. Representative and
ask him/her to sign the letter.
- Step 1: Just phone your Rep at
202-224-3121.
- Step 2: Tell the staffers that their boss has
already received a letter about E-Verify from Rep. Bilbray's office.
- Step 3: Read the key sentence that I quoted
above.
- Step 4: Ask that your Rep contact Congressman
Bilbray's office at 225-0508 and pledge to sign the letter -- or at
least to get another copy of it to read. (YOU should NOT call Mr.
Bilbray's office because that will tie up his phone.)
- Step 5: Note that Mr. Bilbray has to receive
the pledge by the close of business Wednesday.
- Step 6: Emphasize that the American people are
growing tired of the delaying tactics of Congress over the last six
months. It is time to stop treating E-Verify as a political football
and to give it the long-term authorization that states and
businesses need to be able to rely on the program.
Thanks for taking quick action on this.
If your own Representative is Pelosi or Boehner, they obviously won't be
signing the letter. Just phone them and tell them that you agree with
the letter that is being sent to them from other Members.
If your Rep is Bilbray or Shuler (original signers), give their staffs a
break and call a neighboring Member of Congress.
Here is the letter you are asking your Congress(wo) man to sign:
Dear Madam Speaker and Republican Leader Boehner:
As Members of the House of Representatives, we appeal to you on behalf
of American workers. Nationwide, 7.6 percent of the labor force–11.6
million workers–is unemployed, and millions more are involuntarily
working part-time or have given up hope of finding a job. Estimates of
the number of jobs that might be created by the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (the Recovery Act) vary widely. While no one can
predict exactly how many jobs will be created, we believe that the
American people deserve to know that their tax dollars are being used to
create jobs for legal workers.
While the House version of the Recovery Act included two
E-Verify-related measures to ensure American jobs would be protected,
the Senate failed to include similar language. Because of the Senate’s
oversight, we, the undersigned Members of the House of Representatives,
urge you to protect taxpayers and legal workers by including these
critical jobs protection provisions in any future economic recovery
legislation. The House version of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of
2009, H.R. 1105, included a short-term extension of the E-Verify program
through the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2009). While a
short-term extension is a step in the right direction, it is difficult
for business to plan and effectively utilize the program without its
secure future
According to recent analysis, as many as 300,000 illegal aliens could
receive jobs funded by the recovery program because these provisions
were not included in the final version of the Recovery Act. If these
provisions do not become law, not only will the important E-Verify
program be in danger of expiring on March 6, 2009, but it may mean that
hundreds of thousands of potential jobs for American workers will be
compromised.
The E-Verify program enjoys a success rate of 99.6%, meaning that 99.6%
of those legal workers checked by the program are verified through
E-Verify without receiving a tentative non-confirmation (TNC) or having
to take any type of corrective action. Testifying in June, Rep. Heath
Shuler said, “E-Verify is handling at least one in eight new hires
already Based on recent load testing, the system has the capacity to
handle 240 million queries a year – that’s four times the number of
people in the United States who are usually hired in a given year.” The
E-Verify program is reliable, easy to use and, most importantly,
expedient.
Employers who break the law by hiring illegal immigrants create unfair
competition in the labor market and depress wages for all workers. The
Center for Immigration Studies has found that the current level of
immigration has reduced the wages of the average native-born worker in a
low-skilled occupation by 12% a year, or almost $2,000. Alexander
Aleinikoff, a former Clinton Administration INS official, Dean of
Georgetown Law School and co-chair of the Immigration Policy Review Team
for the Presidential Transition of Barack Obama, calls it a “myth” that
“there is little or no competition between undocumented workers and
American workers . . .. ”
According to estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center, roughly 7.7 million
illegal immigrants are employed in the United States in 2008. These are
all jobs that currently unemployed United States workers–both citizens
and legal immigrants–could and should have a chance to fill. If the
E-Verify program is not reauthorized, this Congress and our President
will spend more than $1 trillion of taxpayer money to possibly provide
jobs for illegal workers. Please do everything within your power to
protect legal workers by ensuring that the E-Verify program is
reauthorized long-term in the Omnibus Appropriations Act.
03-05-2009
E-Verify Set to Expire Tomorrow!
Tell Harry Reid to stop
objecting to full reauthorization!
Take Action!
March 5, 2009
The Senate is currently debating the Omnibus
Appropriations Act of 2009 (H.R.
1105), which the House passed last week. As
our prior action alert highlighted, H.R. 1105 is a
consolidated version of the nine unfinished
appropriations bills from the previous session of
congress. Aside from its gargantuan price tag---$410
billion---which represents the largest annual
spending increase since the Carter Administration,
the omnibus bill does contain one good thing: a
temporary, six-month extension of the E-Verify
program.
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has been working for
months to pass a full, five-year reauthorization of
this important workplace tool that allows employers
to verify the legal status and work eligibility of
their potential new hires, but Senate liberals have
objected to his motion to offer his amendment every
single time.
This morning, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
(R-KY) attempted to call up Sen. Sessions' amendment
(#604) to reauthorize E-Verify for the next five
years, but Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) objected. This
marks the 4th objection to full reauthorization by
the Majority party in the last month, which should
be taken as a signal of Democrat opposition to
immigration enforcement measures that actually work
and those that protect jobs for lawful Americans.
Here are some quick facts about E-Verify:
-
E-Verify is a real-time, web-based verification
system run by the Department of Homeland
Security and the Social Security Administration.
-
E-Verify can determine with great accuracy the
authenticity of the personal information and
credentials offered by employees and new hires.
In most cases, verification occurs almost
instantly.
-
Approximately 99.4 percent of lawful workers
receive immediate positive verification, while
the other 0.6 percent of lawful workers receive
positive verification after a brief visit to
their local Social Security office.
-
E-Verify is inexpensive for employers to use,
costing between $4 and $20 for each employee
screened.
-
E-Verify is in wide use. Currently, 1 in 10 new
hires in the U.S. economy are screened through
the E-Verify system.
Because E-Verify has been proven to successfully
verify employees queried through the system within
five seconds, opponents of this program, to date,
have been unable to find a single instance in which
legal, U.S. citizens have lost their jobs due to an
E-Verify error.
Take Action!
1. Senator Sessions' office is working to offer
this amendment again later this afternoon. Even if
you are not a Nevada resident, please call (phone
calls only)
Majority Leader Reid's (D-NV) office and
tell him to stop objecting to this highly valuable,
non-controversial workplace verification program!
2. After you contact Sen. Reid, please proceed to
contact your own Senators so they know you want them
to support Sen. Sessions' amendment to fully
reauthorize E-Verify for the next five years!
Watch Lou Dobbs highlight how effective
E-Verify is, how it was stripped from the stimulus
bill, and that unless action is taken, it will
expire on March 6, 2009!
03-06-2009
Hearings scheduled next week in Austin:
SB Photo Voter ID Hearing on
March 10th in the Senate -
Senate convenes at 9:00 am and
scheduled to go all day. It is to be held in Senate Chambers.
2nd Floor, East Wing. If you can attend or if you know of someone in
the Austin area or within 75 miles of the Capitol, please notify them of
this hearing. The opposition will be there for sure!
HB 128
Scheduled for public hearing on
3/11/2009 Committee: Licensing & Administrative Procedures, 8:00 a.m.
Place: E2.-016 Relating to the requirement that applicants
for certain licenses be eligible for employment in the United States.
. . . Committee telephone # Phone: (512) 463-0798
You can sign up to testify, sign up in
support, submit written testimony or note your presence.
Tour to be in Dallas, Saturday, March 14,
2009, 1 pm, Jesucristo Es Mi Refugio, 2929 Westmoreland DT 75223 -
Rep. Gutierrez Launches Nationwide Illegal
Alien Amnesty Tour
On Friday, February 27, Rep. Luis Gutierrez
(D-IL) began visiting 16 American cities in an effort to promote blanket
amnesty for millions of illegal aliens currently in the United States
and so-called comprehensive immigration reform.
Gutierrez promoted the tour as the "'Family
Unity' Immigration Outreach Tour" and in a press release called it an
effort to "document the harm caused to citizens across our nation in the
absence of comprehensive immigration reform." He has already had events
in Providence, Rhode Island, Atlanta, Georgia, and Albuquerque, New
Mexico. The tour is expected to hit fourteen other cities including
Phoenix, Arizona; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Gutierrez
Press Release, U.S. House of Representatives, February 18, 2009)
House panel scrutinizes immigration program
By SUZANNE GAMBOA -
Associated Press Writer – 03 04 09 -
http://www.newsobserver.com/1573/story/1429098.html
WASHINGTON -- The federal government will
rewrite its agreements with local and state law agencies that enforce
immigration laws to provide greater guidance and control, an
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official told a House panel
Wednesday .
William Riley said a draft of the document that
will more clearly explain the purpose of a controversial program known
as 287(g) is circulating within the agency.
ICE, which is part of the Homeland Security
Department, currently has 67 agreements with local and state police
agencies to enforce federal immigration laws.
http://www.bibdaily.com
(an immigration lawyer's site)
Another
terrifying ICE raid, but this time, a different response
"In a terrifying early morning raid Feb. 24 here
28 workers, believed to be undocumented, were arrested at Yamato Engine
Specialists by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
But in a complete turn-around from the former Bush administration
policies, less than 24 hours after the incident, Homeland Security
Secretary Janet Napolitano ordered a full review, making clear she did
not know the raid was happening. She also made clear that the Obama
administration plans to administer immigration laws by regulating
unscrupulous employers and developing immigration reform, not through
harsh worksite raids.
"The
U.S. Defense Department thinks Mexico's two most deadly drug cartels
together have fielded more
than 100,000 foot soldiers -- an army that rivals Mexico's armed forces
and threatens to turn the country into a narco-state," the
Washington Times reports.
Dominos Keep Falling in
H1-B Visa Fraud Schemes
By Roy
Mark
2009-02-25
Federal, state and local authorities are
tightening the noose on H1-B fraud schemes in the United States, where
the Customs and Immigration Service claims 1 in 5 H1-B visas are
obtained under false pretenses. New Jersey and Massachusetts are the
most recent focus of H1-B fraud scams.
-snip-
U.S. Attorney Matthew Whitaker said at a Feb.
12 press conference that the indictments were "just the tip of the
iceberg" when it comes to U.S. visa fraud. "This is an enforcement
effort that points to a significant vulnerability in our visa process,
and we're trying to close these loopholes and to take away the incentive
to conduct these fraudulent schemes," Whitaker said.
The 15 now charged with visa fraud follows an
October 2008 USCIS (U.S. Customs and Immigration Service) report
found that the H1-B program has more than a 20 percent violation rate.
The fraud identified in the report included jobs not located where
employers claimed, H1-B visa holders not being paid the prevailing wage,
forged documents, fraudulent degrees and "shell
businesses."
Both Vision Systems Group and VenturiSoft used mail drops in Coon Rapids
and Clive, Iowa, as part of their scam.
Two members of local
Gulf cartel cell convicted for roles in multimillion-dollar cocaine
network
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/
stories/DN-zetas_04met.ART.State.Edition1.4abac60.html
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas
Morning News
jtrahan@dallasnews.com
Two members of a local Gulf cartel cell have
been convicted in a Dallas federal court of money laundering and
conspiracy for their role in what authorities say was a
multimillion-dollar Mexican cocaine network.
SPEAK OUT NOW TO PRESERVE
VOTER/ELECTION INTEGRITY IN TEXAS!
THIS IS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE
Senate Bill 362 (requiring photo identification to vote) will be
heard before the Committee of the Whole Senate on Tuesday, March
10 at the Capitol in Austin, TX.
This is one of the best chances we will have to let our voices
be heard concerning the issue of voter identification AND THE
PRESERVATION OF VOTER/ELECTION INTEGRITY.
What can you do?
1.
REVIEW THE ATTACHED PUBLIC
HEARING NOTICE -- HEARING STARTS AT 9:00 A.M.
2 - IF POSSIBLE, Show up on the south side of the Capitol at
7:45am on Tuesday. We have to show up early in order to go
through security for the gallery in the Senate chamber.
3 - Be prepared to testify in favor of SB 362. If you are
willing to testify in front of the committee, you may contact
Eric Opiela at
eopiela@texasgop.org OR FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE
ATTACHED HEARING NOTICE.
Just as important -- you can also sign in at the committee
hearing as "in favor" of SB 362 without having to actually
testify.
4 - If you cannot attend on Tuesday, you can submit written
testimony that will be handed in to the committee. Please
forward it to Eric Opiela at
eopiela@texasgop.org OR FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE
ATTACHED HEARING NOTICE.
5 - Call your state senator and urge him or her to support SB
362. Contact information
can be found here:
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/Members.htm.
Note: Please sign the
Petition in support of Texas Voter ID Legislation. Use
the following link to access the Voter ID Petition:
https://www.formspring.com/forms/?316126-XEBoX4lx1M - OR go
to our website at
www.wilcora.org and click on the immigration button.
Even if you have never testified before a legislative committee,
we urge you to come out and support voter ID by joining us at
the Capitol on Tuesday, March 10 at 7:45am OR be a warm body in
support of this bill at the senate hearing.
There will be more alerts relating to this legislation soon as
it moves through the process in the Legislature.
NOTE: The Capitol Visitor's Parking Garage is located
between 12th & 13th Streets on San Jacinto.
NEXT....Please contact the following committee Chairs &
Vice-Chairs and request (in a firm but polite tone) that they,
"Please schedule the referenced bill* for a hearing VERY early
on in session." (* NOTE: Please refer to bill number(s)
listed for each committee.)
HOUSE BILL ASSIGNMENTS (*Indicates bill of
major importance)
HOUSE - CRIMINAL JURISPRUDENCE:
Rep. Pete Gallego, Chair (D)
Phone (512) 463-0566; Fax (512) 236-9408
Pete.Gallego@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Wayne Christian, Vice-Chair (R)
Phone (512) 463-0556; Fax 877-839-2709
Wayne.Christian@house.state.tx.us
HB 49 - RIDDLE, DEBBIE (R) -
creation of "criminal trespass" offense by illegal aliens
HOUSE - ELECTIONS:
Smith, Todd, Chair (R)
Phone (512) 463-0522; Fax (512) 463-9529
Todd.Smith@house.state.tx.us
Pena, Aaron Vice-Chair (D)
Phone (512) 463-0426; Fax (512) 463-0043
Aaron.Pena@house.state.tx.us
*HB 125 - Brown, Betty (R) - Voter
ID Bill
HOUSE - LICENSING & ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES:
Rep. Edmund Kuempel, Chair (R)
Phone (512) 463-0602; Fax (512) 480-0391
Edmund.Kuempel@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D)
Phone (512) 463-0720; Fax (512) 463-6306
Senfronia.Thompson@house.state.tx.us
HB 128 - SOLOMONS, BURT (R) -
requiring applicants for certain licences be eligible to work in
U.S. -- SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING 3/11/09
HOUSE - STATE AFFAIRS:
Rep. Burt Solomons, Chair (R)
Phone (512) 463-0478; Fax (512) 463-2089
Burt.Solomons@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Jose Mendez, Vice-Chair (D)
Phone (512) 463-0634; Fax (512) 463-7668
Jose.Mendez@house.state.tx.us
*HB 266 - BERMAN, LEO (R) -
regulating the provision of benefits & services to, and
verification of employment status of, immigrants and to
enforcing laws relating to immigrants; providing civil &
criminal penalties
*HB 276 - ZERWAS, JOHN (R) - requiring that state agencies
report the cost of services and benefits provided to unlawful
immigrants
*HB 404 - HARLESS, PATRICIA (R) - relating to the enforcement of
state & federal laws governing immigration by certain
governmental entities (i.e., "sanctuary city" policies)
(Companion SB 358 - PATRICK, DAN)
*HB 622 - HARLESS, PATRICIA (R) - relating to the suspension of
certain licenses held by employers for the knowing employment of
persons not lawfully present in the U.S.
(Companion SB 357 - PATRICK, DAN)
*HB 648 - JACKSON, JIM (R) - relating to requiring governmental
entities to participate in the federal E-Verify work
authorization program
*HB 256 - BERMAN, LEO (R) - relating to children born to illegal
aliens in TX & their birth records
SENATE BILL ASSIGNMENTS
SENATE - CRIMINAL JUSTICE:
Sen. John Whitmire, Chair (D)
Phone (512) 463-0115; Fax- 475-3737
John.Whitmire@senate.state.tx.us
Sen. Kel Seliger, Vice-Chair (R)
Phone (512) 463-0131; Fax (512) 475-3733
Kel.Seliger@senate.state.tx.us
SB 89 - VAN DE PUTTE, LETICIA (D) - relating to punishment &
prevention of offences involving trafficking of persons or
certain forced or sex-based labor
SENATE - STATE AFFAIRS:
Sen. Robert Duncan, Chair (R)
Phone (512) 463-0128; Fax (512) 463-2424
Robert.Duncan@senate.state.tx.us
Sen. Bob Deuell, Vice-Chair (R)
Phone (512) 463-0102; Fax (512) 463-7202
Bob.Deuell@senate.state.tx.us
SB 268 - HARRIS, CHRIS (R) - relating to the cancellation of
voter registrations of person who are not U.S. citizens
SENATE - TRANSPORTATION & HOMELAND SECURITY:
Carona, John, Chair (R)
Phone (512) 463-0116; Fax (512) 463-3135
John.Carona@senate.state.tx.us
Watson, Kirk, Vice-Chair (D)
Phone (512) 463-0114; Fax 463-5949
Kirk.Watson@senate.state.tx.us
SB 357 - PATRICK, DAN (R) - relating to the suspension of
certain licenses held by employers for the knowing employment of
persons not lawfully present in the U.S.
SB 358 - PATRICK, DAN (R) - relating to the enforcement of state
& federal laws governing immigration by certain governmental
entities (i.e., "sanctuary city" policies)
SB 367 - CARONA, JOHN (R) - relating to the
prosecution/punishment for certain criminal offenses involving
the use of a false or fictitious identity or identifying
documents
SB 379 - CARONA, JOHN (R) - relating to an annual report by the
Border Security Council regarding criminal street gangs &
gang-related crime.
03-11-2009
The Voter ID proposal (SB
362) was approved by the Senate Committee of the Whole on a 20-12 vote.
It came down on party line vote. The opposition showed disregard
for the CITIZENS who were there to testify, grandstanding throughout the
time.
This shows each Senator's vote.
03-19-2009
On March 19, 2009, Attorney General Gregg
Abbott, responded to
a formal inquiry by the Honorable Frank Corte, Jr., Chair of the
Committee on Defense and Veterans Affairs, Texas House of
Representatives, regarding the legality of local government policies
that hinder the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
The response was comprehensive and summarized as follows:
“The Texas Legislature is not prohibited from adopting some form of
legislation designed to compel local governments to comply with any
duties they may have under federal immigration laws, so long as such
legislation is not inconsistent with federal law.”
Not only are local governments prohibited from hindering enforcement of
immigration laws, but the state as well.
This decision by the Attorney General invalidates the
idea of a “sanctuary city”, “don’t ask policies” and other directives or
policies directed at police, sheriffs, constables, housing officials,
welfare assistance and hospital officials regarding the legal status of
anyone with whom they interact.
03-23-2009
Action call from IRCOT:
http://www.ircot.com
Now that we have both AG's favorable opinions (see links below) in re:
to SB 357 & SB 358 it is VERY IMPORTANT that Sen. Carona receive TONS
of calls, faxes & e-mails requesting QUICK HEARINGS on the
following bills:
SB 358 - Patrick re: suspension of licenses for employers hiring
illegals;
SB 357 - Patrick re: relating to enforcement of state and federal laws
governing immigration certain government entities ("sanctuary cities");
Also:
SB 379 - Carona re: annual report from Border Security Council re: gang
related crime
CONTACT INFO:
Senator John Carona, Chair
Senate Transportation & Homeland Security Committee
Phone: 512-463-0067
Fax: 512-463-0097
Email:
john.carona@senate.state.tx.us
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/opinions/opinions/50abbott/op/2009/pdf/ga0695.pdf
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/opinions/opinions/50abbott/op/2009/htm/ga-0699.htm
Republican seeks to delay on new voter ID rules
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6346475.html
Austin, Texas - Seeking compromise where none has seemed possible, a top
Republican leader is pushing for a delay of up to four years before
enacting new voter identification requirements, giving Texas time to
educate the public and conduct a massive statewide voter registration
campaign.
"It's not something that's going to take effect immediately," said Rep.
Todd Smith, the Republican chairman of the House Elections Committee,
which is set to take up the volatile issue April 6.
The following references are from this story.
"My preferred period of transition would be two full election cycles,"
Smith told The Associated Press. "It's my intent that there be a period
of time where people are literally educated as they vote."
But the Euless lawyer also said valid concerns had been expressed about
lowered voter participation under the new security procedures."
Comment:
Rep. Todd Smith is mistaken about the voter participation. Please read
the Wall Street Journal report
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123327839569631609.html#printMode
Contact Rep. Smith and
say you are in favor of Photo Voter ID.
512-463-0522 Austin
817-283-3131 Euless office
todd.smith@house.state.tx.us
Sign a
petition at
http://www.SAFETexas.org
VOTER ID
RALLY:
There will be a Voter
ID Rally Tuesday, April 7 at 11:30 am at the south steps of the Capitol.
The hearing will be in the Reagan Building, Room 120. You may sign up to
testify or sign a card in favor of Voter ID.
Gordon: Sheriff Arpaio giving state bad reputation
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon told about 100 people
attending an immigration reform conference today that
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's workplace raids
and immigration sweeps have given people the impression that the state
is becoming a breeding ground for racial discrimination.
Gordon said while he was in Washington, D.C., this week that "several
people told me that, due to profiling and other civil rights abuses by
the Maricopa County sheriff, Arizona is getting the same reputation as
Alabama had in the 1950s."
mayor.gordon@phoenix.gov
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/27/hezbollah-uses-mexican-drug-routes-into-us/
EXCLUSIVE: Hezbollah uses Mexican drug routes into U.S.
Works beside smuggler cartels to fund operations
Mexican
Journalist Says Drug Cartel Violence Forced Him to Seek Asylum in U.S.
Washington
(CNSNews.com)
-
A Mexican
journalist from Ciudad Juarez told CNSNews.com that he is in exile in El
Paso, Texas, due to threats on his life from the drug cartels. Jorge
Luis Aguirre came to Washington last week to testify before a U.S.
Senate panel looking into drug crime in Mexico. He said the United
States needs to do whatever it can to help end the violence caused by
drug trafficking in Mexico.
From Bender's Immigration Bulletin
http://www.bibdaily.com
.
Obama Flinches on Immigration
"Immigrant advocates are stuck with the sinking feeling that Mr.
Obama’s supposed enthusiasm for immigration reform will wilt under
pressure and heat. Representative Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois, a member
of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, found it sadly unsurprising that a
lawyer could be rejected for the nation’s top civil-rights job because
he had stood up for civil rights. “In what other position do you find
that your life experience, your educational knowledge and commitment to
an issue actually hurts you?” he asked." New York Times Editorial, Mar.
24, 2009.
House Democrats ready to give immigration bill another shot
"House Democrats are laying the groundwork for another major
immigration debate later this year, despite the risk that it could prove
politically destructive for their party. Moving broad legislation that
would put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship seemed
politically impossible until fairly recently and may still end up too
hot for Congress to touch." The Hill, Mar. 24, 2009.
http://www.cis.org
Immigration
Enforcement in Meatpacking
New report finds
wage and employment growth for legal workers after Swift plant raids
We are supporting HB 125,
Betty Brown's Photo Voter ID legislation. This legislation does not
allow the two alternate forms of ID and it also includes exceptions for
65 years or older. This legislation is the only true Photo ID. This is
the closest bill to the Indiana Voter ID bill that was upheld by the
Supreme Court.
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