Thread: Immigration reform rests on a national worker ID

Senate to act on climate before immigration
By Matthew Daly, Associated Press Writer 1 hr 47 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he is willing to bring up climate change legislation ahead of an immigration bill, a possible first step toward resolving a dispute with Senate Republicans that threatens to derail a bipartisan effort months in the making.

But Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, still angry that Reid considered putting off the climate bill, said nothing has changed. The majority leader appears not to be serious about either the climate bill or the immigration measure, said Graham. He has threatened to withhold support for the climate bill if Reid pushes ahead first on immigration.

In remarks to reporters, Reid said the long-delayed climate bill "is much further down the road in terms of a product" than the immigration measure, which remains unwritten.

"The energy bill is ready. We will move to that more quickly than a bill we don't have," said Reid, D-Nev. "I don't have an immigration bill."

The fact that Reid won't take immigration off the table, said Graham, "tells me all I need to know about him and energy and climate."

Graham told The Associated Press, "If you cared about energy and climate and you really were committed to that issue, you would not put immigration on the table knowing it will never pass."

Last week the South Carolina Republican called Reid's idea — floated at a meeting of Democratic leaders — a "cynical political ploy" that would destroy bipartisan efforts to move forward on climate and immigration.

Graham's threat to withdraw support for the climate bill led Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, the measure's lead sponsor, to postpone a Monday news conference unveiling the climate bill. The legislation aims to cut emissions of pollution-causing greenhouse gases 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, while expanding domestic production of oil, natural gas and nuclear power.

Kerry said Tuesday he was working with Reid, Graham and others to revive the bill, which he, Graham and Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman have been developing for more than six months. The bill also has the support of the Obama administration and a variety of business and environmental groups.

"We're not stopping, not one moment. We're meeting, we're talking, we're continuing to work at certain issues," Kerry told reporters. "So we're full-speed ahead, folks, notwithstanding this moment of public stall, and we hope the issue can be resolved soon."

Legislation to overhaul immigration laws and grant legal status to millions of long-term immigrants unlawfully in the country could create problems for Republicans in the midterm elections. The bill is a top priority for Hispanic voters — and most Republicans are opposed.

Pushing immigration ahead of climate legislation would have risked angering environmentalists, who see the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill as their best chance in years to address global warming.

Hispanics voted heavily Democratic in 2008, and they've been disappointed with President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats for not following up on campaign promises to reform immigration laws.

Reid is up for re-election this year and trailing in polls in Nevada, where Latinos are an important constituency. With Democrats facing a tough political climate in the midterm elections, energized Hispanic voters could make a difference in several states.

"Immigration and energy are equally vital to our economic and national security and we've ignored both of them for far too long," Reid said Tuesday. "I'm committed to doing both this session of Congress."

White House spokesman Bill Burton said there is wide agreement that more progress has been made on energy and climate than immigration, although he would not specifically say whether the administration would hold off on an immigration bill until a climate bill was finished.

"We are closer to an energy bill than we've been in a very long time," Burton said.

Burton praised Graham for working with Senate Democrats and the White House on a range of bills, including energy immigration and the closing of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100428/...RzZW5hdGV0bw--

Obama pleads for bipartisan immigration reform
By Julie Pace, Associated Press Writer Tue Apr 27, 7:49 pm ET

OTTUMWA, Iowa – President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned of harassment against Hispanics under Arizona's tough new immigration law, saying such "poorly conceived" measures can be halted if the federal government fixes the nation's broken immigration system for good.

Obama pledged to bring his own party along, pleading with Republicans to join in as the only realistic hope to solve a politically volatile problem.

On a day dominated by his economic message, Obama offered a fresh, stern criticism of a new Arizona law that allows police to question anyone about their immigration status if they have reason to suspect they are in the country illegally. He said it targets people who look they like might be illegal immigrants.

"Now suddenly if you don't have your papers, and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you're going to get harassed — that's something that could potentially happen," Obama said of the Arizona measure. "That's not the right way to go."

Obama's comments came on the same day that Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano were critical of Arizona's new law, and Holder said the federal government may challenge it. The president sought to step up Washington's will to get an immigration deal done.

"I will bring the majority of Democrats to the table in getting this done," Obama said in response to a question at a town hall in south-central Iowa. "But I've got to have some help from the other side."

Obama said he hoped to get a deal done "sometime soon" — a politically vague timetable in an election year with a shrinking window for legislative action.

Starting a two-day, three-state Midwestern trip, Obama's broader message was about economic revival. Back in Iowa, the state that jump-started his White House bid, Obama sought to reassure wary Iowa voters with a message he hopes will resonate in the fall elections: The economic recovery hasn't reached everyone, but progress is being made. He's not on the ballot this year, but his party's control of Congress is at stake, along with dozens of governors' seats and state legislatures.

On immigration, Obama said he wants a federal law that would secure the borders and require illegal immigrants to register, pay a fine, learn English, take responsibility for having broken the law and get in the back of the line before others who are seeking U.S. citizenship.

He said if all of those challenges are handled in one comprehensive measure, then "we can once again be a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants."

He said Arizona's law is poorly conceived, but it is equally unfair for the state to have to deal with hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants.

The president sought to surround himself with rural Americans in his latest getaway from the White House confines. He focused on his economic and clean energy programs as job creators, even as he acknowledged the pain and skepticism of hard-hit areas.

Despite encouraging news about an expanding economy and markets, the president told an Iowa crowd, "times are still tough in towns like Fort Madison. And times are still tough for middle-class Americans, who had been swimming against the current for years before the economic tidal wave hit."

Obama outlined his administration's goals to "create conditions so that folks who work hard can finally get ahead." They include improving schools, making college more affordable, expanding health coverage and preventing Wall Street irresponsibility, he said.

Underscoring the challenge was agriculture secretary and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who told reporters traveling with Obama: "There's a silent crisis occurring in rural America that's been ongoing for several decades." He said the president is delivering a new framework for the "revival of the rural economy."

Obama also plans to stop in Illinois and Missouri before returning to the White House late Wednesday. Iowa and Missouri are sharply contested in virtually every election, and Republicans this year think they can snag the Illinois Senate seat that Obama held before becoming president.

After speaking first at a wind energy plant Obama made a surprise stop at a 140-acre organic farm in nearby Mount Pleasant. MogoOrganic Farm supplies food for local schools and businesses. The president then dropped by Jerry's Family Restaurant in Mount Pleasant for a cup of coffee and slice of rhubarb pie.

The president capped his day with the town hall at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa.

The latest economic forecasts show some signs of progress: The nation added jobs at the fastest pace in three years last month, the manufacturing industry is growing at a steady pace, and new claims for jobless benefits have declined.

But the unemployment rate, perhaps the most recognizable economic indicator, has held steady at 9.7 percent for three months, and 15 million Americans remain out of work. By the White House's own estimates, as well as those of many independent economists, that rate isn't expected to fluctuate more than a few tenths of a percentage point through the end of 2010.

Polls suggest the president and his party are increasingly vulnerable on the economy. Democrats and Republicans each have the confidence of 44 percent of people for handling the economy, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll conducted this month. The Democrats had a 9-point advantage just four months ago and have held an edge since AP polls began asking about the issue in 2006.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100427/...FtYXBsZWFkc2Y-

Originally Posted by boopster

Here are a few questions I have heard asked:

How can a person who is here illegally be able to buy a home especially when many Americans are losing their homes?

How can some states license drivers who are here illegally?

How can someone who does not live here legally buy a car and have no insurance?

Why have those who have been arrested and are here illegally, be allowed back into the streets and possibly commit the same crime or worse crimes?

Why must the American taxpayer pay for illegal's legal fees to try and remain in this country?

I would love Reid, Pelosi & anyone supporting this travesty answer your questions ...

Obama can’t stop talking about Arizona law that DOJ hasn’t reviewed yet
April 27, 2010 http://hotair.com/archives/2010/04/2...-reviewed-yet/


Oh, there’s no doubt that the DOJ will challenge the law — the politics demands it, which is one reason why Holder expressed his concern today http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/...n6437887.shtml — but wouldn’t it be keen if the country’s chief law enforcement officer held off on prejudicing public opinion about it until the review is done? In theory (albeit not in political reality), Holder could come back and say that the law is constitutional, which would leave The One … where? Shrugging it off after all but pronouncing it a tool for racial profiling today?

In fact, I don’t think this is even factually correct: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpu...are-haras.html

The president said, “you can try to make it really tough on people who look like they, quote, unquote look like illegal immigrants. One of the things that the law says is that local officials are allow to ask somebody who they have a suspicion might be an illegal immigrant for their papers — but you can imagine if you are a Hispanic American in Arizona, your great, great grandparents may have been there before Arizona was even a state. But now suddenly if you don’t have your papers and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re going to be harassed, that’s something that could potentially happen.”

whether it lets cops detain people solely because they’re suspected of being here illegally or whether some independent suspicion of criminal activity has to exist first, at which point the issue of illegal status can be raised. The lawyer who e-mailed me the other day thinks the “lawful contact” provision means that independent suspicion is required; Byron York reads the statute the same way. Assuming that reading is correct, then no, cops can’t pull you aside if you’re on your way to get ice cream with your kid just because they think you might be illegal. Or at least, they can’t do so lawfully: If they abuse their power then the state will pay, both literally and figuratively. And given the publicity this thing is getting, there’ll be no shortage of lawyers eager to make them do so.
I have no problem with lefties — or righties — noting the potential problems in the bill, but given the hysteria swirling around it and the size of Obama’s megaphone, a little bit of that “first-class temperament” we’ve heard so much about would have gone a long way here. Nothing fancy required; a simple “let me hold off on commenting until the Department of Justice weighs in” would have been dandy. But then, now that we’re in midterms mode, The One needs enemies to beat on. How nice that Arizona could help him out. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/36385.html

... the statute ...

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/04/2...igration-bill/

On immigration, Obama said he wants a federal law that would secure the borders and require illegal immigrants to register, pay a fine, learn English, take responsibility for having broken the law and get in the back of the line before others who are seeking U.S. citizenship.

He may have said it, but I don't believe it....:

BTW....which side of that border is that 'line' on and will they provide food, shelter and healthcare while on that line? (free of charge to them of course)

if they act like a politician, should I assume they are corrupt, illogical, egotists, etc? hmmmm maybe I should

Bwahahahahahahahaha ! :

Which U.S. State Has the Most Immigrants?
Stuart Fox - Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer LiveScience.com Wed Apr 28, 7:20 am ET

Immigration to America began around 1492, and hasn't let up much since then. Almost everyone in the U.S. is from somewhere else if you look far enough back, but most recent immigrants reside in California, New York, Texas, Illinois or Florida.


Here are the top five states, with the total number of foreign-born residents that each had in 2008, according to American Community Survey:

California (9,859,027)
New York (4,236,768)
Texas (3,887,224)
Florida (3,391,511)
Illinois (1,782,423)

Arizona, which sparked controversy when lawmakers passed new legislation aimed at identifying and prosecuting illegal immigrants, finished at number eight on the list with 932,518 immigrants.

The distribution of immigrants in America results from a combination of geographic proximity, economic opportunities and historic trends, Janne Batalova, an immigration policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, told Life's Little Mysteries. Immigrants looking for jobs usually enter the most accessible area of the U.S., and then establish communities that attract more immigrants from their former homes.

For example, Chinese immigrants headed to California in the 1800s to work in gold mines, while European immigrants headed to New York to work in the nation's growing industrial sector. Those communities put down roots that still exist today and continue to attract new immigrants from their countries of origin, Batalova said.

California and Texas used to be part of Mexico, and they both have populations of Mexican people who can trace their roots to that time. Florida, close to the Caribbean, has maintains a large Cuban population, Batalova said.

But physical proximity isn't always a requirement. Illinois has long been a hub of Eastern European immigration. In this case, initial settlement by a group led to increased future settlement by members of the same group. "Immigration is greatly facilitated by networks that connect immigrants with jobs, help them integrate, and move on with their lives in the United States. And of course, they come for jobs," Batalova said.

The economic attraction explains the traditional migration of immigrants to big cities like Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Miami and Dallas, Batalova said. In 2008, nearly 38 million Americans hailed from another country, and more than 8 million of those resided in either Los Angeles or New York City, according to the 2008 American Community Survey.

A more recent trend has been the wider dissemination of immigrants throughout the country. In fact, between 1990 and 2008, 14 states saw their rate of immigration increase by 200 percent or more, according to the 2008 American Community Survey.

As the economy has suffered, immigrants have blazed trails in states such as Georgia, Nevada and Washington where they found less competition for work, Batalova said. Those states have seen an increase in immigration recently, despite their lack of the traditional support structure of established immigrant enclaves.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/...ostimmigrants/

Which State has the most "Politically Correct" Science bloggers??

Please note: The rest of us are concerned over ILLEGAL immigration.

Are your statistics of legal or illegal immigrants, or both??? Come on, admit it.

Still working to manipulate the public . Try this, wich state has been flooded with the most illegal alins who will not follow us law and usurp all the people around the world that are tryin g to enter the country lawfully .

knowing how many there are in individual states should make it easier to round them all up and get them the hell out of here. ILLEGAL IS ILLEGAL. i cant understand what part of that people dont understand. aiding and abetting another in the commision of a crime is a crime itself. enforce laws allready on the books and we would not have had to come to this. and worse,, this years census wants to count them. this means they will be included in congressional redistricting proposals allocating more federal resources from our taxes to pay for services they take away from those who belong here. also this will only deepen their hold on this country as they take over our government.

have not spoken to one person that is concerned about legal immigrants, but everyone is upset about the illegal ones. we value our health, property, and right to be legal citizens. what part of that does our government not understand. go arizona hope the other 49 follow them to victory

Originally Posted by boopster

They should also abolish the 14th amendment that allows babies born to illegals to become US citizens and thus gives the illegals the chance to stay in this country that has become the country of their children.

and penilizing the child casue the parent is illeagel is wrong too , if your born here your american THATS THE AMERICAN STANDARD. to stop parents from useing this to become americans is easy , madatory eviction and the child is allowed to claim american statis after he or she turns 18 and parents then would be inelligable for american visa , that would make them less inclined to use this tactic,,,,,,,,, that amemdment to our laws would make it easier to deport idiots who try to get in that way. no one would want to be seperated from their kids if their kids couldnt get them in . and only they were allowed after adulthood.

Originally Posted by boopster

If I gave birth to a child in France (just an example) my child would be a US citizen and not French. This is how it is all over the world. So why should any child born here be given an automatic birthright as a US citizen? If this country would adopt this then there would be no question of separating the child from it's parents because that child would have the citizenship of their parents and not of the land where they were born.

its main one is the parents home ie ,,,,,,,american , they are americans first , but then when the child is 18 that child then can claim either one or keep their duel status thats the legal rules for almost all the countries.
so if illegels had kids here then they d automatical be mexicans first , then if the rules automatical deported them the kid couldnt claim till they were legal age ,,,,,,,,,,,, hence it makes sence to auto deport and make them inelligble for any legal status later on if they did try that .... only the child after adult could claim citizenship, after due process .