Will Syria Crisis Stifle Immigration Reform?

Frontera NorteSur
Immigration News
September 7, 2013

As the political crisis and debate intensify over Syria, immigrant advocates fear the issue of possible U.S. military action will delay comprehensive immigration reform in Washington.

At a Labor Day march this past week, Eric Garcetti, the new mayor of Los Angeles, said Syria could become a “distraction” for immigration reform. The leader of the nation’s second largest city contended that action on immigration legislation should be the top national priority at the moment.

On Capitol Hill, the looming vote on President Obama’s push for U.S. military action could make Republicans in particular even more skittish about tackling the controversial issue of immigration reform, according to a Republican political consultant.

“(Syria) is going to be a difficult vote, and I really doubt that they would want to take two difficult votes, especially if the second one is about immigration,” said consultant David Johnson. Although a comprehensive immigration reform bill passed the Senate earlier this year, corresponding action failed to gain traction in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.

If a legislative delay on immigration reform emerges as one effect of the Syria crisis, it will be the third time in a dozen years that pending action was put on the political back-burner. In 2001, a movement in such a direction by U.S. President George W. Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox was derailed by the 9-11 attacks. Eight years later, as the Great Recession deepened, campaign promises of immigration reform by newly-elected President Barack Obama  took a back seat to health insurance reform and other issues.

Besides Syria, the politically thorny matter of the debt ceiling could complicate prospects for an immigration overhaul in the weeks and months ahead. Beltway talk is growing of a postponement of immigration reform until 2015 or even 2017, well after the next congressional and presidential elections.

Despite the sudden appearance of a new round of adverse political circumstances, immigrant rights activists in California, New Mexico and elsewhere are stepping up their mobilizations for a national legislative reform.

Building on an intense summer of activities at both the national and grassroots levels, immigrant advocacy and labor organizations have announced plans for demonstrationsOctober 5 in at least 60 U.S. cities.
Dubbed the “National Day of Dignity and Respect,” the protests are being organized to demand the passage of comprehensive immigration reform,  a halt to deportations, and an end to the militarization of the border with Mexico. Activists then plan to congregate for a mass demonstration in Washington, D.C. on October 8.

“We are not going to do this like in other years, and say, well, other things take priority,” said Jorge Mario Cabrera,  spokesman for the Los Angeles Immigrant Rights Coalition. “No, this time a lot has been given to bleeding, marching and voting, to not allow (immigration reform) happen.”

Sources: Noticiero Latino, September 6, 2013. Story  by Jose Lopez Zambrano. Nortedigital.com/El Universal, September 6, 2013. La Opinion, September 5, 2013. Article by Pilar Marrero.  Univision, September 2, 2013.


Frontera NorteSur: on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news
Center for Latin American and Border Studies
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico

Obama Will Seek Citizenship Path in One Fast Push

The NY Times: Julia Preston
January 12, 2013

WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to push Congress to move quickly in the coming months on an ambitious overhaul of the immigration system that would include a path to citizenship for most of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country, senior administration officials and lawmakers said last week.

Mr. Obama and Senate Democrats will propose the changes in one comprehensive bill, the officials said, resisting efforts by some Republicans to break the overhaul into smaller pieces — separately addressing young illegal immigrants, migrant farmworkers or highly skilled foreigners — which might be easier for reluctant members of their party to accept.

The president and Democrats will also oppose measures that do not allow immigrants who gain legal status to become American citizens one day, the officials said.

Even while Mr. Obama has been focused on fiscal negotiations and gun control, overhauling immigration remains a priority for him this year, White House officials said. Top officials there have been quietly working on a broad proposal. Mr. Obama and lawmakers from both parties believe that the early months of his second term offer the best prospects for passing substantial legislation on the issue. Read more. 

Supreme Court Allows Immigration Checks

WSJ: WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court struck down much of Arizona's effort to crack down on illegal immigrants but left one key part intact in a ruling that gave both sides of the debate something to cheer.

In a 5-3 ruling, the court said Arizona in effect had tried to set up a parallel enforcement system that punished illegal immigrants more harshly and interfered with congressional authority over the nation's borders. The court rejected parts of the state law known as SB1070 that made it a crime for illegal immigrants to seek work and that authorized warrantless arrests of people suspected by state and local police of committing deportable offenses.

But the court upheld for now the law's directive that state and local police check the immigration status of people they stop when they suspect them of lacking authorization to be in the U.S. The justices observed that federal law already requires immigration officials to respond to status checks from local authorities. Read more.

6-year-old illegal-migrant suspect arrested

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, currently being sued by the Department of Justice for racially profiling Latinos, continues to challenge the Obama administration after its announcement of a somewhat softer policy towards undocumented young adults.

AZcentral.com - Maricopa County Sheriff Office deputies arrested a 6-year-old suspected illegal immigrant Friday, the day President Barack Obama softened the country's deportation policy toward young illegal immigrants.

The girl was with 15 other people believed to be in the country illegally who were traveling to the Midwest and northeast United States, said Chris Hegstrom, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. Read more.

Immigration Crackdown: Justice Department reviews Georgia immigration law

policeone.com: "The Justice Department is reviewing Georgia's tough new immigration law and is discussing it with businessmen and law enforcement officials here, but it has not decided to sue to block the statute like it has in four other states, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Tony West said Tuesday.

West pointed out that the Obama administration is suing to block a similar law in Alabama and that both its law and Georgia's statute are scheduled to come under review by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta at the end of this month." read more

Immigration Politics: 'Anonymous' hacks state of Alabama

WTOL.com: Toledo, Ohio: "The so-called "hacktivist" group Anonymous claimed responsibility for the attack on government and law enforcement computers in Alabama on Friday in response to what it called the state's "racist" immigration law. ... It claimed to have stolen sensitive information belonging to more than 46,000 Alabama residents.

The information – obtained "because of your police being lazy when it comes to data security" – allegedly included social security numbers, license plate numbers, dates of birth and addresses. "This was not our desire, or our goal," the person wrote. "Your police administrators have made a terrible mistake and put the lives of tens of thousands of people in jeopardy."" read more

Immigration Crackdown: Gingrich "joke" about tracking immigrants using mail services gets played out in reality

CNN.com: "In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, two Guatemalans allege that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were guilty of unreasonable search and seizure, and racial profiling when they arrested Guatemalan nationals picking up a package at a FedEx facility in Florida. The package contained a passport mailed to one of them by the Guatemalan government in the type of sting Gingrich was jokingly suggesting.

... John De Leon, an attorney representing the two Guatemalans, said the lawsuit "challenges the interaction of private industry and the government in their attack on Latino immigrants in this country. ... There's nothing amusing about the idea of government using corporate efficiency in order to violate people's rights." De Leon,  has filed a suit against ICE and FedEx in U.S. District Court in Florida. "This is a rank operation against a Latino group of people. These passports were lawful passports. There was nothing illegal about them." He accused ICE of conducting warrantless searches of the packages." read more

Immigration Politics: Farmers still fighting for immigrant guest-worker program

MiamiHerald.com: "California and Southern farmers renewed their case Thursday for some kind of an agricultural guest-worker program, but they're sailing against the wind. ... the farmers this year face excruciatingly long odds as they seek a guest-worker goal that's eluded them since at least 1995. Still, they lobby on.

"You have to be optimistic, don't you?" said Modesto, Calif.-area farmer Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation. "Stranger things have happened." Wenger joined H. Lee Wicker, deputy director of the North Carolina Growers Association, and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black in urging a House panel to overhaul an existing worker visa program and boost farmers' access to foreign labor. Without the fix, they say, growers' problems will proliferate.

"Experience shows us there is no realistic prospect of a domestic work force for agriculture," Wenger told the House subcommittee on immigration policy and enforcement. "We in California have learned the hard way that few Americans seek agricultural jobs."" read more

Immigration Politics: Immigrant military bill ‘a cruel joke'

San Antonio Express-News: "...the day after Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney introduced the idea of a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants only if they serve in the military, Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., submitted the Adjusted Residency for Military Service (ARMS) Act to the House.

Immigrant advocates across the country have rejected as unfair the premise that illegal immigrant youth should have no alternative other than to put their life on the line to gain citizenship. What's really unfair is that such a program would not provide a legitimate pathway for a large proportion of the young immigrants who want the opportunity — and it could have a negative impact on our armed forces." read more

Immigration Crackdown: Discrediting “Self Deportation” as Immigration Policy

Immigration Policy Center: "Alabama provides a sterling example of the devastating impact of a strategic and systematic plan being promoted by anti-immigrant groups and lawmakers who have jumped on the bandwagon. The plan is called “attrition through enforcement” (sometimes called “self deportation”) and the groups behind it have created a web of federal and state legislative proposals that seek to reduce illegal immigration by making it difficult, if not impossible, for unauthorized immigrants to live in American society. (These proposals) are part of a larger systematic plan that undermines basic human rights, devastates local economies, and places unnecessary burdens on U.S. citizens and lawful immigrants." read more

Immigration Crackdown: Arizona Immigration Law's Supreme Court Oral Argument Set For April

Huffington Post: "The Supreme Court announced Friday that it will hear oral arguments over Arizona's controversial immigration law on April 25, the Court's final day of hearings for the term." read more

Immigration Politics: Arizona candidate says English challenge an abuse of power

Reuters: "An Arizona city council candidate struck from the ballot over her limited English skills concedes she isn't fluent in the language but called the legal challenge an abuse of power that could keep her from serving a poor border community where most residents speak only Spanish.

A Yuma County Superior Court judge touched off a furor last week when he disqualified Alejandrina Cabrera, a candidate for city council in San Luis, Arizona, from running for office over what he called a "large gap" between her English proficiency and that required to serve as a public official.

Cabrera's lawyers have appealed the decision, made in response to a lawsuit by the town's mayor, and the Arizona Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case on Monday -- in time for the city to print ballots the next morning." read more

Immigration Politics: Romney Immigration Position at Odds With Mormon Church

NYTimes.com: "While Mitt Romney is taking a hard line on immigration even as the Republican primaries head toward the heavily Hispanic states of Nevada, Colorado and Arizona, the Mormon Church to which he belongs has become a decisive player in promoting policies that are decidedly more friendly toward immigrants.

The church was instrumental last year in passing controversial legislation in Utah that would provide “guest worker” permits to allow illegal immigrants with jobs to remain in the United States. The church also threw its weight behind the Utah Compact, a declaration calling for humane treatment of immigrants and condemning deportation policies that separate families, which has been adopted by several other states." read more

Immigration Politics: Kansas prepares for clash of wills over future of its unauthorised immigrants

This should prove interesting--a battle in Kansas over immigration. 

guardian.co.uk: "A coalition of 20 of the most prominent businesses and trade groups in Kansas is seeking to introduce legislation that would help undocumented immigrant workers find jobs with the blessing of the federal government. ... the Kansas proposal would provide a safe and above-board route for illegal immigrants to obtain work.

The coalition is led by groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau and various building and manufacturing firms, many of whom are traditionally conservative-leaning. The conviction of these groups is that a ready supply of Hispanic labour is critical to the continuing economic prosperity of the state's 3 million people, of whom around 45,000 are undocumented.

...The coalition's move sets up an almighty clash of wills in Kansas over the future of its immigration policy. .. the state legislature will debate two entirely conflicting approaches. The first is the proposal by the business coalition ... The second is an Arizona-style clampdown that would punish any business in Kansas that employs workers who are undocumented and penalise any individual or concern that "harbours" illegal immigrants.

The hardline option is being put before the assembly by the secretary of state of Kansas, Kris Kobach. A Republican politician and former law professor, Kobach is credited as having been the architect of many of the toughest new immigration laws, including those in Arizona and Alabama and a plethora of other states." read more

Immigration Politics: Mitt Romney on Immigration: Four New Takeaways and Gutierrez’ Reaction

Fox News Latino: "On Friday, Romney spoke about immigration to an audience of over 600 Hispanic leaders at the Hispanic Leadership Network, a center-right advocacy group, conference in Miami. The conference was co-chaired by former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

Here are three takeaways from Governor Romney's remarks followed by Secretary Gutierrez' reaction.

#1To protect legal immigration, stop illegal immigration.
• Build a better fence.
• Have enough personnel to protect the border.
• Put a card and verification system in place that works, allowing employers to know immediately whether or not a job applicant is authorized to work.
• Crack down aggressively on employers that hire people who are not authorized to work.

#2: Implement constructive solutions for people waiting to immigrate legally and for people who immigrated illegally and live in the U.S.
• For the 4.5 million people waiting to immigrate legally, make legal immigration easier and more transparent.
• For the 11+ million people who immigrated illegally and live in the U.S., they’d need to get a temporary work permit, return to their home country to apply for residency (“self-deportation”), and get in line with those waiting to immigrate legally.

#3: Substantially expand legal immigration, including implementation of a program that matches visas to employers’ needs in all sectors..”" read more

Immigration Politics - Washington State: Farmers, immigrants unite against E-Verify

Seattle Times: "In Olympia (Washington state capital), it's not too often immigrant-advocacy groups and farmers are on the same side of a proposed bill. But the unlikely allies have teamed up in this session of the Legislature to push a measure aimed at stopping more cities and counties from adopting a federal program that checks an individual's eligibility to work in the U.S." read more

Immmigration Politics: California's Catholic hierarchy takes stand against illegal-immigration dragnet

San Jose Mercury News: "The Bay Area's biggest religious institution, the Catholic Church, is throwing its weight against a federal immigration dragnet that in the past two years deported more than 6,500 people from the region.

As Republican presidential contenders clash ... over the harshness or softness of their stands on illegal immigration, Catholic priests here and across the country are championing a humanitarian approach and condemning what they describe as "selfish" demagoguery.

"It is heartbreaking to hear the painful stories of unjust deportations pouring in from our congregations. California can do better," San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer said " read more

Immigration Politics: 'Inexcusable' language on immigration alienating Latino voters, Republicans told

guardian.co.uk: "Senior Republicans including the brother of the former president George Bush have warned the party to avoid using "harsh, intolerable and inexcusable" language about illegal immigration or risk alienating Latino voters. The Florida senator, Marco Rubio, and the state's former governor Jeb Bush made their appeal before Tuesday's primary, being contested by Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

The Republican frontrunners clashed over illegal immigration in a debate earlier this week. The issue is emotive in Florida, which has the third largest Latino population in America." read more

Immigration Politics: Debating Amnesty and Immigration Policy

From the blog of Shannon O'Neil of the Council on Foreign Relations

Latin America's Moment: " Mexican migrants--given the combination of absolute number caps on legal visas combined with the large number of Mexican family members here, parents, kids, and siblings--have to make the choice of growing up (for years potentially) apart, waiting for a legal family visas, or coming illegally. So do you want to wait and do the paper work and hope you get to see your 4 year old when he/she is 8-9 years old? Or do you bring them illegally? That is an inhumane law, and should be changed." read more

Immigration Politics: Romney, Gingrich fireworks over immigration

CBS News: "With Florida's Republican presidential primary just days away ... the campaign took an ugly turn Wednesday, as sparks flew between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich over the issue of immigration.

Gingrich started the day's slug-fest --- sounding incredulous that Romney would say illegal immigrants should -- in Romney's words -- self-deport. In other words, leave on their own. "I think," Gingrich said, "you have to live in worlds of Swiss bank accounts and Cayman Island accounts and automatic $20 million a year income with no work to have some fantasy this far from reality."

Romney fired back -- saying Gingrich is also on the record for supporting the idea that illegal immigrants will leave the country if they're denied work. Said Romney, "I recognize that it's very tempting to come out to an audience like this and pander to the audience. ... I think that's unbecoming of a presidential candidate."" read more