McCain to Push for comprehensive immigration reform

[Kolken]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/21/mccain.hispanics/

[Ms.Valencia]

VOTE McCAIN 2008!!

[dnatej]

VOTE McCAIN 2008!!

:ditto:

[Brisa6]

I have to say that I am not happy with McCain's plan. These conservatives keep talking about securing the border and having lived in El Paso all my life I don't think they will ever have the border 100% secure. Meanwhile millions of people live in limbo regarding their status. He as spoken of fines up to $5,000 and paying back taxes. I agree with charging fines but I feel this is extreme, some of those undocumented people are young college age students, how are they supposed to come up with $5,000 if they can't even get a job? I don't know but I also feel that the Republican party will not allow for CIR to pass. If they do secure the border with fences guess what will happen next? There will be more corrupt officials getting paid by human smugglers, when will it end? Since the majority of illegal immigrants are Mexican, my guess is it will end when Mexico gets their s--t together and from the looks of things that is not going to happen any time soon.

[JennyM]

We shall see what the future holds.....politicians are all corrupt anyway....I'm just glad Hilary isn't running!!! WOO HOO!!!

[MARIPLAY]

JennyM why ..are you glad that Hilary isnt running ?

[Ms.Valencia]

I agree, I doubt anything is going to happen soon!!
Americans don’t want any type of reform.

[Immi899]

I have no idea what to expect with immigration reform, especially if McCain gets elected. Even though he was so pro-reform before I keep reading instances of him saying things like "I got the message" and "secure the border first." I would like to think that these are just ways to secure votes, and he'll go back to being pro reform if he is elected but who knows? And if he can't think for himself now, why will that change once he is president. Also even if "securing the border" is something he has to say for votes, it is still a big deal. There are already so many border patrol here, I can't imagine having more or what that would look like.

[Kolken]

JennyM why ..are you glad that Hilary isnt running ?

Because she is against due process.

http://www.nysun.com/national/clinton-irks-immigrants-advocates/70253/

[JennyM]

Because she is against due process.

http://www.nysun.com/national/clinton-irks-immigrants-advocates/70253/

:ditto:

I just can't stand her. She wants to open the flood gates to India, she is corrupt when she talks about how the camen island accounts should have heavier checks when her husband has 2! I just don't like her, never did, never will. If it was any other woman, I would be all for her running, but not her.

[Brisa6]

I agree, I doubt anything is going to happen soon!!
Americans don’t want any type of reform.

I don't believe that Americans don't want reform, what I think is that the anti-immigrants are very out-spoken. They don't hesitate to call their Senators in oppostion. That's why it is important to advocate.

[Kolken]

Clinton could care less about immigrants... they can't vote.

I have personal experience with her office. I had a fairly high profile case (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-01-missing-soldier-wife_n.htm), and she wouldn't even return my letters or calls. Meanwhile, both Senators Kennedy and Kerry contacted me without solicitation.

Trust me on this one, we are all lucky that there will not be another Clinton in the White House.

[Ms.Valencia]

Obviously MOST American’s don’t want any reform, that’s why nothing has happened or will happen.

[Kolken]

Most American will want reform when their grocery bills continue to skyrocket (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-carnes_23edi.ART.State.Edition1.4d6078c.html).

[Immi899]

I don't believe that Americans don't want reform, what I think is that the anti-immigrants are very out-spoken. They don't hesitate to call their Senators in oppostion. That's why it is important to advocate.

This is well stated. I agree!

[Laura]

Clinton could care less about immigrants... they can't vote.

I have personal experience with her office. I had a fairly high profile case (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-01-missing-soldier-wife_n.htm), and she wouldn't even return my letters or calls. Meanwhile, both Senators Kennedy and Kerry contacted me without solicitation.

Trust me on this one, we are all lucky that there will not be another Clinton in the White House.

And your thoughts on Obama?

[arcoiris]

So, John McCain wants to secure the border first before any immigration reform. How will we know when the border is secure? When he tells us it is, of course! Based on some government studies and data and all that good stuff. He'll hold a press conference out in the Rose Garden on a nice day. He'll make the big announcement and probably congratulate Chertoff for his efforts in securing the border. Snap some pics and we all go home feeling all confident and secure. Will anything be different? Probably not. It's not like anyone's going to get out of their comfy armchairs and walk the length of it to make sure it's secure. No one will stay up late reading the entire length of the government reports or pound away on the calculator back checking the numbers. They will sit right there looking all bug eyed at Katie Curic reporting live from a well-lit fortified area on the border and their eyes will glaze over with the secure-ness of it. Mission accomplished! Now we can have CIR.
I bet it takes John McCain about 2 months to have the border secure after taking office, should he win the presidency.

[Kolken]

And your thoughts on Obama?

My thoughts on Obama are that although he is a riveting speaker there is no substance to his rhetoric.

Obama's has not articulated a proposed solution to our immigration problem. He has merely stated that he wants to fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy.

It does not require a mechanic to know that your car won't run, but it does take one to fix it.

Although I do not fully endorse McCain, at least on the issue of immigration I have seen him roll up his sleeves, reach across the aisle, and get some grease under his fingers trying to get the car back on the road.

[Brisa6]

My thoughts on Obama are that although he is a riveting speaker there is no substance to his rhetoric.

Obama's has not articulated a proposed solution to our immigration problem. He has merely stated that he wants to fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy.

It does not require a mechanic to know that your car won't run, but it does take one to fix it.

Although I do not fully endorse McCain, at least on the issue of immigration I have seen him roll up his sleeves, reach across the aisle, and get some grease under his fingers trying to get the car back on the road.

That is how I feel about Obama and I have also seen McCain speak up about immigration but I don't like when they say people must get in back of the line. They always talk about legal immigration but people have no idea how hard it is to come here legally. For example: Someone I know owns a construction business and I asked him why he doesn't help some of the guys with their immigration issues and he then explained the process to me and frankly it's nearly impossible. If people only knew. (sigh)

[ujcdv]

Both Repubs and Dems have blood on their hands when it comes to Immigration.

Were all doomed!

[JennyM]

Both Repubs and Dems have blood on their hands when it comes to Immigration.

Were all doomed!

I think we're all doomed with politicians!

[blkbtterfly]

We shall see what the future holds.....politicians are all corrupt anyway....I'm just glad Hilary isn't running!!! WOO HOO!!!

:ditto: :ditto: :ditto:

[akiselyk]

I'm just happy everytime somebody in politics talks about immigration reform...too bad Kennedy probably won't be involved in politics.... he and McCain actually came up with a bipartisan plan.... of course... nobody liked it... go figure... and now... nothing... just hope something changes because it is just awful the way it is!
angie

[losguerra]

Yeah, I'd love to see a president be primarily responsible for changing something as big as immigration reform, but I just don't think that's ever going to happen.

Maybe I'm a pessimist. But I don't think history has seen a social activist US president that strong since maybe FDR or Lyndon B Johnson. Especially on something so controversial. History people? What do you think?

[ujcdv]

I'm just happy everytime somebody in politics talks about immigration reform...too bad Kennedy probably won't be involved in politics.... he and McCain actually came up with a bipartisan plan.... of course... nobody liked it... go figure... and now... nothing... just hope something changes because it is just awful the way it is!


None of you would have wanted that bill to pass and get signed into law. None any of it, because everybody here would be crying..."but dont we get a waiver?" because the grand bargin would have eliminated all the waivers. For everything!

Trust me, the whole CIR thing between McCain and Kennedy was terrible, actually worse that it is now if you can believe it. It gave everything to the restrictionists on both legal immigration and illegal immigration and in return the pro-immigrant groups got nothing.

Laurel Scott wrote something about it someplace on here or her web site at the time. Most of the immigration laywers seemed to want it killed off, the whole thing was just bad.

[MendozaQH]

My thoughts on Obama are that although he is a riveting speaker there is no substance to his rhetoric.

Obama's has not articulated a proposed solution to our immigration problem. He has merely stated that he wants to fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy.

It does not require a mechanic to know that your car won't run, but it does take one to fix it.

Although I do not fully endorse McCain, at least on the issue of immigration I have seen him roll up his sleeves, reach across the aisle, and get some grease under his fingers trying to get the car back on the road.

This is exactly my feeling for Obama! I couldn't have said it better!

The part that gets to me is that Obama is calling for this change and "uniting the nation" and yet from his voting positions as senator he has been considered one of the most liberal senators in congress today. I am sorry, but the only way to unite the country is by working with Demoncrats AND Republicans alike because like it or not, Republicans make up about 40-50% of the nation and there is no unity without working with them. Obama has no shown ANY desire to work with Republicans; I keep getting the feeling when he speaks out that it is "my way or no way." At least McCain has shown the desire to "reach across the aisle" to the "other side", and not just for show to become president since he did this back in 2006 with McCain/Kennedy.

I mean, you know he has shown the desire to do things not just for his party, but for the better good of the nation (IOW- work with Republicans and Democrats alike) when he has so many Republican pissed that he is their canidate!

Anyways, just my opinion....... :D

[Ruie203]

Don't think any kind of immigration will happen anytime soon..at least until the economy gets better... :(

[dnatej]

My thoughts on Obama are that although he is a riveting speaker there is no substance to his rhetoric.

Obama's has not articulated a proposed solution to our immigration problem. He has merely stated that he wants to fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy.

It does not require a mechanic to know that your car won't run, but it does take one to fix it.

Although I do not fully endorse McCain, at least on the issue of immigration I have seen him roll up his sleeves, reach across the aisle, and get some grease under his fingers trying to get the car back on the road.

Very Well Said!

To be honest, when I was looking into all of our candidates, I was not really paying attention to their proposals for immigrants, becuase deep down I think that NOTHING will get done, atleast not any time soon. So, my way of picking the candidate that I think is best, was by doing my own research (not listening to their debates), and looking for each ones voting trends in the past, what they approve and what they are against (all other issues, other than immigration), and when I looked at the history of what Hilary, and Obama support, and what they are against, well I COMPLETELY scratched them off my list, and FOR ME the BEST (not perfect) candidate is McCain!

McCain 2008

[blueblue]

The headline for this thread is a misnomer. The article linked to had a very different message and a different headline itself. McCain had been a major proponent for some kind of reform (even though CIR was more of the worst of both worlds) but when it almost derailed his primary campaign, he quickly threw that under the bus and has since been focusing on enforcement/border security first. No mention of family unity. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/06/title----mcca-1.html

Both parties have some problems when it comes to immigration, there is a group of democrats that want to block any incremental progress on immigration reform because they feel it will undermine efforts for paths to citizenship for current illegal immigrants. There are groups of republicans that want to cut off immigration at any avenue they can. The Republicans have controlled the House, the Senate and the Executive branch for quite some time. They did nothing, absolutely nothing to reform immigration. What they did do was implement policy that was very anti-immigrant.

For me, there are no perfect answers but the best answer is a significant shift from what we have had in the past. These last 8 years especially have been disgraceful on so many levels, from the control of government by big business, corruption, ignorance and negligence in keeping the country safe and then when something horrible happens when they aren't paying attention, those negligent then act with uncontrolled bravado at the expense of so much, mismanaged war, mismanaged peace, mismanaged occupation, mismanaged hunt for Bin Laden, mismanaged domestic policy, mismanaged economic policy, mismanaged fiscal policy, mismanaged disaster responses, mismanaged foreign policy, abuses of human rights, abuses of due process, etc., etc.

What I see in Obama is at least the REAL potential for major change and a clear statement rejecting those abuses and mismanagements of the recent past. It is a bold statement that our country has learned from its past and is looking forward to a renewed future.

For me, Obama is hope for a better future.

[wanaads]

I totally agree with you blueblue. However, my feeling is that no matter who wins the White House in November, immigration reform is too divisive a topic for either to champion - or even support - until a second term when there's nothing to lose. For now, I think we should all continue to advocate for family unity with BOTH parties and thank our lucky stars that CIR didn't pass last year.

[raquel]

Issues with immigration are just not stuck along traditional party line beliefs and that's why I think nothing significant will happen anytime soon no matter who is elected in November.

I personally think there needs to be a medium between the "kick out every single illegal immigrant" and "amnesty for everyone", but finding that medium seems impossible right now. And a fence does not count as a medium. That's equivalent to a mother kissing a child's bleeding skull fracture and saying it will all be OK.

[IBMMuseum]

My thoughts on Obama are that although he is a riveting speaker there is no substance to his rhetoric.

Obama's has not articulated a proposed solution to our immigration problem. He has merely stated that he wants to fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy.

It does not require a mechanic to know that your car won't run, but it does take one to fix it.

Although I do not fully endorse McCain, at least on the issue of immigration I have seen him roll up his sleeves, reach across the aisle, and get some grease under his fingers trying to get the car back on the road.

It's a very good analogy, but Presidents (I'll get to others, like Senators, in a moment) should also be motivators in addition to being mechanics. Maybe if it purely came down to just immigration (a primary factor with me, but not all) I would think that at least McCain tried a plan before. McCain scares me in other areas however, and that is from a Republican military man saying it.

The effectiveness of a leader (including Presidents and Senators) largely comes from their staff as well. I had a case where Senator Domenici's ("Son of Immigrants") staff totally fat-fingered the small part they had to play and really could have messed up the immigration of my family much worse had I not jumped back into matters with good luck along for the ride. They were distracted by the U.S. Attorney mess he had help create.

Maybe there was a distraction for Senator Clinton's staff at that time too (I fear probably not good news, but do you have an update on her husband?)?...

BTW, with her announcing that as policy disqualifies her in my mind too, as well as ruling out her being a running mate with Obama. I want to see a match up of Obama and Richardson. It's time for a Democrat in office, with Republicans like Bush eroding rights in the name of a phantom "security".

[JennyM]

Republicans like Bush eroding rights in the name of a phantom "security".

I would just like to say even though I do not agree with everything he has done, I do agree that we are making progress overseas, even though we are doing it for the wrong reasons we are still helping those in need, but you never see those pictures in the media. I know there are nuclear weapons in Iran/Iraq because once the sand storms hit the winds shows them. I can get you pictures if you like when the media said there "are no nuclear warfare" That is BS....Anyway and for some of you who don't know a LOT of people have died because of incompetent leaders when they were told not to go into areas and they still did. People got killed because of ****y stubborness.

Democrats want to spend too much money on everything which means higher taxes....I vote for the fair tax! I can't wait to see that!!!!

[Pinkpig]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080706/D91O8E100.html


AP Exclusive: US removes uranium from Iraq



Jul 6, 4:45 AM (ET)

By BRIAN MURPHY

The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program - a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium - reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.

The removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" - the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment - was a significant step toward closing the books on Saddam's nuclear legacy. It also brought relief to U.S. and Iraqi authorities who had worried the cache would reach insurgents or smugglers crossing to Iran to aid its nuclear ambitions.

What's now left is the final and complicated push to clean up the remaining radioactive debris at the former Tuwaitha nuclear complex about 12 miles south of Baghdad - using teams that include Iraqi experts recently trained in the Chernobyl fallout zone in Ukraine.

"Everyone is very happy to have this safely out of Iraq," said a senior U.S. official who outlined the nearly three-month operation to The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

While yellowcake alone is not considered potent enough for a so-called "dirty bomb" - a conventional explosive that disperses radioactive material - it could stir widespread panic if incorporated in a blast. Yellowcake also can be enriched for use in reactors and, at higher levels, nuclear weapons using sophisticated equipment.

The Iraqi government sold the yellowcake to a Canadian uranium producer, Cameco Corp. (CCJ), in a transaction the official described as worth "tens of millions of dollars." A Cameco spokesman, Lyle Krahn, declined to discuss the price, but said the yellowcake will be processed at facilities in Ontario for use in energy-producing reactors.

"We are pleased ... that we have taken (the yellowcake) from a volatile region into a stable area to produce clean electricity," he said.

The deal culminated more than a year of intense diplomatic and military initiatives - kept hushed in fear of ambushes or attacks once the convoys were under way: first carrying 3,500 barrels by road to Baghdad, then on 37 military flights to the Indian Ocean atoll of Diego Garcia and finally aboard a U.S.-flagged ship for a 8,500-mile trip to Montreal.

And, in a symbolic way, the mission linked the current attempts to stabilize Iraq with some of the high-profile claims about Saddam's weapons capabilities in the buildup to the 2003 invasion.

Accusations that Saddam had tried to purchase more yellowcake from the African nation of Niger - and an article by a former U.S. ambassador refuting the claims - led to a wide-ranging probe into Washington leaks that reached high into the Bush administration.

Tuwaitha and an adjacent research facility were well known for decades as the centerpiece of Saddam's nuclear efforts.

Israeli warplanes bombed a reactor project at the site in 1981. Later, U.N. inspectors documented and safeguarded the yellowcake, which had been stored in aging drums and containers since before the 1991 Gulf War. There was no evidence of any yellowcake dating from after 1991, the official said.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have guarded the 23,000-acre site - surrounded by huge sand berms - following a wave of looting after Saddam's fall that included villagers toting away yellowcake storage barrels for use as drinking water cisterns.

Yellowcake is obtained by using various solutions to leach out uranium from raw ore and can have a corn meal-like color and consistency. It poses no severe risk if stored and sealed properly. But exposure carries well-documented health concerns associated with heavy metals such as damage to internal organs, experts say.

"The big problem comes with any inhalation of any of the yellowcake dust," said Doug Brugge, a professor of public health issues at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

Moving the yellowcake faced numerous hurdles.

Diplomats and military leaders first weighed the idea of shipping the yellowcake overland to Kuwait's port on the Persian Gulf. Such a route, however, would pass through Iraq's Shiite heartland and within easy range of extremist factions, including some that Washington claims are aided by Iran. The ship also would need to clear the narrow Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf, where U.S. and Iranian ships often come in close contact.

Kuwaiti authorities, too, were reluctant to open their borders to the shipment despite top-level lobbying from Washington.

An alternative plan took shape: shipping out the yellowcake on cargo planes.

But the yellowcake still needed a final destination. Iraqi government officials sought buyers on the commercial market, where uranium prices spiked at about $120 per pound last year. It's currently selling for about half that. The Cameco deal was reached earlier this year, the official said.

At that point, U.S.-led crews began removing the yellowcake from the Saddam-era containers - some leaking or weakened by corrosion - and reloading the material into about 3,500 secure barrels.

In April, truck convoys started moving the yellowcake from Tuwaitha to Baghdad's international airport, the official said. Then, for two weeks in May, it was ferried in 37 flights to Diego Garcia, a speck of British territory in the Indian Ocean where the U.S. military maintains a base.

On June 3, an American ship left the island for Montreal, said the official, who declined to give further details about the operation.

The yellowcake wasn't the only dangerous item removed from Tuwaitha.

Earlier this year, the military withdrew four devices for controlled radiation exposure from the former nuclear complex. The lead-enclosed irradiation units, used to decontaminate food and other items, contain elements of high radioactivity that could potentially be used in a weapon, according to the official. Their Ottawa-based manufacturer, MDS Nordion, took them back for free, the official said.

The yellowcake was the last major stockpile from Saddam's nuclear efforts, but years of final cleanup is ahead for Tuwaitha and other smaller sites.

The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency plans to offer technical expertise.

Last month, a team of Iraqi nuclear experts completed training in the Ukrainian ghost town of Pripyat, which once housed the Chernobyl workers before the deadly meltdown in 1986, said an IAEA official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decontamination plan has not yet been publicly announced.

But the job ahead is enormous, complicated by digging out radioactive "hot zones" entombed in concrete during Saddam's rule, said the IAEA official. Last year, an IAEA safety expert, Dennis Reisenweaver, predicted the cleanup could take "many years."

The yellowcake issue also is one of the many troubling footnotes of the war for Washington.

A CIA officer, Valerie Plame, claimed her identity was leaked to journalists to retaliate against her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson, who wrote that he had found no evidence to support assertions that Iraq tried to buy additional yellowcake from Niger.

[IBMMuseum]

...Democrats want to spend too much money on everything which means higher taxes....I vote for the fair tax! I can't wait to see that!!!!

That's why I mention Richardson as a runningmate for Obama - He wants to have government balance their budgets...

There has been some very subtle things going into place *within* the U.S. in the name of security that are very troubling in nature to me...

[Laura]

GO OBAMA - RICHARDSON!!!

I love that pairing, for many of the reasons IBMMuseum said as well!

[Kolken]

"McCain has broadcast his intention, if elected, to press for comprehensive immigration reform. Still, he also tells Republican groups that he "got the message" that we must secure the borders first before we decide what to do with the 12 million illegal immigrants already here.

No wonder a lot of people think McCain is talking out of both sides of his mouth on immigration. He isn't. Anyone who says that this is a departure from McCain-Kennedy needs to go back and read that legislation as amended last year."

http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_9800275?nclick_check=1

[tropical88]

Speaking of advocacy, is there a letter or some bullet points out there of what we should address when we write to our congresspeople? I want to write to them but it seems like there are a lot of points that need to be covered and they need to be well articulated. If there is something floating around out there I wouldnt mind using it (adjusting it to my needs) so that I can send it to my congresspeople.

[Kolken]

From AILA:

DEPORTATION-ONLY PROPOSALS ARE NOT “REAL” SOLUTIONS

For the past twenty years, this country has been steadily increasing immigration enforcement at the border
and in the interior, and the effort has not only failed, but backfired. Throwing more money at the border
has not ended undocumented immigration but only increased it.

• Americans are pragmatic and overwhelmingly reject the notion that we can or should deport 12
million people- Americans know that immigrants contribute to our society and they want a longterm
solution.

• None of the deportation-only proposals currently being pushed forward in Congress would
address the reason that immigrants come here without documents or overstay their visas. The real
reason that people migrate illegally is the enormous disconnect between the broad availability of
jobs and the absence of legal channels enabling immigrants to come fill those jobs.

• On top of the fact that there are few legal channels available for migration, there is a lack of any
safety valve in our current law to allow employers and family members to petition for most
undocumented individuals impacted by raids, detention and deportation.

Congress is feeling intense pressure to just do something on immigration:

• Congress must refrain from acting just to act, especially when the measures on the table will do far
more harm than good and serve no purpose other than to score political points with vocal
immigration restrictionists who will never be satisfied.

• Currently, some Members are pushing Congressional leaders to take a vote on the SAVE Act (H.R.
4088/ S. 2368), introduced by Reps. Heath Shuler (D-NC), Brian Bilbray (R-CA), and Tom
Tancredo (R-CO) in the House. The “SAVE Act” is an immigration deportation-only package that
would mandate the use of the error-ridden Basic Pilot electronic employment verification system
for everyone- including U.S. citizens. The proposed systems are based on deeply flawed databases
containing erroneous or outdated information on individuals, resulting in an unacceptably high
number of false positive "hits.”

• Far from a silver bullet, mandates along the lines proposed will lead to erroneous firings,
discrimination by employers, and exploitation of millions of workers, including U.S. citizens and
legal immigrants ensnared by the system's errors and lack of safeguards.

• Layering mandatory electronic employment verification on our economy at this time will cause
more dislocation in our economy and our communities, not less.
We need long-term solutions and in the interim, we should do no harm:

• Only through a realistic, long-term solution for the undocumented population living in the U.S.,
and targeted, effective enforcement of realistic laws will we gain control over our immigration
system.

• In the interim, we should strenuously avoid half-baked measures that will do lasting damage to our
country such as the SAVE Act.

• We should enact a short-term package that provides immediate relief to businesses and
communities that currently have no safety valve to allow deserving immigrants to remain in our
country. Judges and agency officials should be given the discretion to evaluate the facts of each
individual case.

[Brisa6]

I just had to read up to the word Tancredo to realize it's not a good plan.

[Kolken]

From AILA

AMERICAN IMMIGRATION LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
1331 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 507-7600 Fax: (202) 783-7853

POSITION PAPER: IMMIGRATION REFORM

The Issue: Our current immigration system is badly broken and in dire need of a top-to-bottom overhaul. Immigration laws that are out of sync with 21st century economic realities and demographics have given rise to a vast underground economy characterized by criminal smugglers, fake documents, and millions of undocumented immigrants who are vulnerable to exploitation.

Our borders are unmanageable, and we are unable to focus our enforcement
resources on those who mean us harm. Moreover, our immigration system is plagued by backlogs, delays, and dysfunction: close family members are separated for years and even decades; businesses lack access to the workers they need to grow or remain open; U.S. and immigrant workers are exposed to mistreatment; and immigration raids and mass detention are now part of the landscape.

AILA’s Position: We believe that any cogent plan to realistically reform our immigration laws must consider the entirety of the system’s problems and must approach the issue through the lens of national self-interest. The failings of our current model run deep and long so we begin by articulating the necessary changes at the most general level.

Any plan to restore the integrity of our system must:

1) require the undocumented population to come out of the shadows and earn legal status;

2) provide fair and lawful ways for American businesses to hire much-needed immigrant workers who help grow our economy while protecting U.S. workers from unfair competition;

3) reduce the unreasonable and counterproductive backlogs in family-based and employment-based immigration by reforming the permanent immigration system; and

4) protect our national security and the rule of law while preserving and restoring fundamental principles of due process and equal protection.

Specifically, AILA believes that a practical solution to our immigration crisis must:

1. Address the Situation of People Living and Working Here: Most undocumented workers are law-abiding, hardworking individuals who pay their taxes and contribute to our society. They are essential to many sectors of our economy. By requiring these people to come out of the shadows, register with the government, pay a hefty fine, go through security checks, and earn the privilege of permanent legal status, we can restore the rule of law in our workplaces and communities.

2. Enhance Channels for Legal Workers: Current immigration laws do not meet the needs of our economy or workers. In the current regime, there is no visa category authorizing essential workers in low- or semi-skilled occupations to work in the U.S., except on a seasonal basis. That seasonal, employment-based visa—the H-2B program—is wholly inadequate to meet labor needs in a broad range of industries, from landscaping to hospitality to health care.

Moreover, even as a seasonal visa, the H-2B program is inadequate, flawed, and in need of reform. A “break-the-mold” program would provide visas, full labor rights, job portability, and a path to permanent residence over time for
those who would not displace U.S. workers. It would thereby significantly diminish illegal immigration by creating a legal avenue for people to enter the U.S. and return, as many wish, to their countries, communities, and families.
Comprehensive reform also must expand legal channels for temporary workers in highskilled professions.

Despite overwhelming evidence of the number of high-tech workers that American businesses require, and the shortage of U.S. workers available to fill these positions, Congress has maintained arbitrarily low caps on the number of visas available for high-skilled foreign workers. An expanded H-1B visa program would allow American businesses to hire the workers they need and enable the U.S. to maintain its competitive edge in the global economy.

3. Reform the Family-Based and Employment-Based Permanent-Residency Preference

Systems: U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents are regularly required to wait 7-10 years (and sometimes up to 20 years) to reunite with their close family members. Such long separations make no sense in our pro-family nation and undermine one of the central goals of our immigration system: family unity. Relatedly, backlogs for employment-based immigrant visas have increased dramatically for workers with certain high-demand skill sets from certain countries.

These backlogs make it difficult for employers to attract and retain the best and brightest talent from around the world, thus undermining our competitiveness in the global economy. Any workable comprehensive
immigration reform proposal must eliminate our family-based and employment-based immigrant visa backlogs and reform our preference systems to adjust to 21st century realities.

4. Restore the Rule of Law and Enhance Security: By encouraging those who are already here to come out of the shadows, and by creating legal channels to provide for the future flow of workers, we can restore the rule of law in our workplaces and communities and focus our enforcement resources on those who mean us harm. We need smart enforcement that includes effective inspections and screening practices, fair proceedings, efficient processing, and strategies that crack down on criminal smugglers and
lawbreaking employers.

At the same time, our border security practices must facilitate the
cross-border flow of goods and people that is essential to our economy. A vibrant economy is essential to fund our security needs.

Recent Legislation: The only bill in the 110th Congress that addresses the enormous challenges ahead of us in a realistic and comprehensive manner is H.R. 1645, the Security Through Regularized Immigration and Vibrant Economy (STRIVE) Act of 2007. Building a strong foundation for reform with a balanced approach and pragmatic policy specifics, the STRIVE Act provides the blueprint for a workable, humane, enforceable immigration system. Although it is highly unlikely that this bill will be enacted this Congress, it contains the component pieces for a lasting reform that must be revisited in the 111th Congress.

As the bar association for immigration attorneys and professors, we believe our collective expertise provides a unique vantage from which to assess the failures and successes of nearly every aspect of immigration policy. We have a multitude of detailed suggestions for reforming the myriad failings in our immigration system and stand ready to engage Congress and the Administration in pursuing reforms that will advance our national interest.

[matt74]

I don't think a new president alone will make a difference. We already have a president in place who supports immigration reform. Both candidates are for some type of reform, but they don't make the laws.

If we want reform, we need to concentrate on our congressman. We need to put pressure on the congressman who are in office, only support pro-comprehensive reform candidates and kick the ones out who are anti-immigrant.

[luvnmysenorita]

McSame is a liar! He says one thing to the conservative base and then goes to the latinos and says the opposite.

OBAMA has not backed down. He has said all along he was for reform. He has also never backed down on giving licenses to illegal aliens....even when it was an unpopular choice! He did not change his position.

Everyone should be paying close attention to who McSame picks as his VP! Mitt Romney would be as anti immigrant as Tom Tancredo! Mitt only wants illegals around when they work at his home!