News : Michael Bloomberg Plans Big Immigration Push

[swissgear]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...Tabs%3Darticle
Date : June 23 2010
By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL
Mayor Michael Bloomberg will launch Thursday a coalition of mayors and business leaders to advocate for an overhaul of the nation's immigration policy, including legalizing undocumented immigrants and more strictly fining businesses that hire illegal workers.

"Our immigration policy is national suicide," Mr. Bloomberg said at a forum in Midtown Wednesday. "We educate the best and the brightest and then we don't give them a green card—we want people to create jobs but we won't let entrepreneurs from around the world come here."

During his latest inaugural address, Mr. Bloomberg vowed to push to rework the nation's immigration laws in the same way that he waged battle against illegal guns. This effort will be a cornerstone of the mayor's third-term agenda, aides said.

The coalition, the Partnership for a New American Economy, supports developing a secure system for employers to verify employment eligibility and strict penalties for businesses that fail to comply. The group wants to increase opportunities for immigrants to enter the workforce and for foreign students to stay in the country.

The group will advocate for securing the nation's borders and beefing up enforcement to prevent illegal immigration. The coalition supports establishing a legal path for the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the country now.

To effect decision-making in Washington, the group will issue research reports on the economic impact of immigration, poll public opinion, sponsor forums and potentially launch a media campaign. Mr. Bloomberg, a multibillionaire, is expected to provide financial support for the group's activities, as he has with his gun group.

One City Hall official said the coalition will try to focus on immigration as a "dollar and cent issue," advocating that open borders help keep the U.S. more competitive.

President Obama has pledged to champion changes to federal immigration policy, but this spring said lawmakers "may not have an appetite" for a grueling debate on immigration this year.

In addition to Mr. Bloomberg, the co-chairs include Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix; Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles; Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia; Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio; Mark Hurd, CEO of Hewlett-Packard; Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Co.; J.W. Marriott Jr., CEO of Marriott International; Jim McNerney Jr., CEO of Boeing; and Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corp., which owns The Wall Street Journal.

[swissgear]

NYC mayor, major CEOs lobby for immigration reform

NYC mayor, major CEOs lobby for immigration reform
By SARA KUGLER FRAZIER, Associated Press Writer

Associated Press June 24, 2010 04:56 AM Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thursday, June 24, 2010

06-24) 04:56 PDT New York (AP) --

Chief executives of several major corporations, including Hewlett-Packard, Boeing, Disney and News Corp., are joining Mayor Michael Bloomberg to form a coalition advocating for immigration reform — including a path to legal status for all undocumented immigrants now in the United States.

The group includes several other big-city mayors and calls itself the Partnership for a New American Economy. It seeks to reframe immigration reform as the solution to repairing and stimulating the economy.

Bloomberg and Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corp., appeared together Thursday on Fox News to discuss the effort.

"We're just going to keep the pressure on the congressmen," Murdoch said. "I think we can show to the public the benefits of having migrants and the jobs that go with them."

Bloomberg added, "Somebody has to lead and explain to the country why this is in our interest."

The CEOs said Thursday in statements that their companies — and the nation — depend on immigrants.

"It's our great strength as a nation, and it's also critical for continued economic growth," Walt Disney Co. Chairman and CEO Robert Iger said in a statement. "To remain competitive in the 21st century, we need effective immigration reform that invites people to contribute to our shared success by building their own American dream."

The group says it intends to make its point to policymakers by "publishing studies, conducting polls, convening forums and paying for public education campaigns."

The tactics are similar to those used by Bloomberg's coalition of mayors who support gun control.

Bloomberg has for years criticized the federal government for its immigration laws, proposing in 2006 a plan that would have established a DNA or fingerprint database to track and verify all legal U.S. workers.

The billionaire mayor, a former CEO of the financial information company Bloomberg LP, also said at the time that all 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States should be given the opportunity for citizenship, saying that deporting them is impossible and would devastate the economy.

Lawmakers who wanted to deport all illegal immigrants were "living in a fantasy world," he said.

He has recently taken up the fight again, declaring this week that U.S. immigration policy "is national suicide."

"I can't think of any ways to destroy this country quite as direct and impactful as our immigration policy," he said Wednesday. "We educate the best and the brightest, and then we don't give them a green card."

The group's main immigration goals are to secure the borders, develop an easy system for employers to verify work eligibility, hold companies accountable for breaking the laws and improve the use of technology to prevent illegal immigration.

The group also wants more opportunities for immigrants to join the U.S. work force and a path to legal status for all undocumented immigrants.

Bloomberg spokesman Jason Post said no money has been spent on the effort yet, and he could not say whether the group will be a standard nonprofit, a political action committee or a group known as a 501(c)4 nonprofit, which can operate outside the more strict limits governing political action committees.

The business leaders in the coalition employ more than 650,000 people and make more than $220 billion in annual sales, combined.

The effort marks Bloomberg's return to national issues after he spent 2009 campaigning for a third term, focusing mostly on New York City's municipal concerns.

The Republican-turned-independent spent about two years testing the waters for an independent 2008 presidential run, but ultimately he gave up the idea.

By recruiting business leaders and mayors into a national-issue coalition, he is highlighting both of his backgrounds in running a city and running a business, which could be seen as an early move to dust off his presidential aspirations.



Read more: NYC mayor, major CEOs lobby for immigration reform

[amitga]

Rupert Murdoch, Mayor Bloomberg Lobby For Immigration Reform, Path To 'Legal Status' For Illegal Immigrants

[WAIT_FOR_EVER_GC]

Originally Posted by amitga

Rupert Murdoch, Mayor Bloomberg Lobby For Immigration Reform, Path To 'Legal Status' For Illegal Immigrants

Excellent.

Let them lobby.
Agriculture sector and Tech firms, Construction, Latinos have been lobbying for years now but nothing happened.
Immigration will be taken up during the next year. The Top Agenda is energy bill for this year. No Matter who lobbyies nothing gonna matter.
Next year if Reps gain majority in the Senate then It will be tough battle.
Amnesty will not come easy.
If the fight between reps and dems become too intense. No CIR next year either.
Adjobs,dream act,some EB relief, tough border, Fine employers may pass piece meal
which will calm down most of the Immigration lobbyist next year.

If God forbid the market does not pickup next year, jobs, housings, finance .. CIR will be nearly impossible.

Bernanke
http://www.usatoday.com/money/econom...bernanke_N.htm
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6523SN20100609

[rsdang1]

I understand where you are coming from but more awareness and publicity will only help and hopefully drive action...

Go Mayor Go... get us CIR...

[aa_ke_phas_gaya]

Remember you are bonded labor if you are on H1B or Work Permit. They will use you & your illegal brothers every election year and this is one of those years ..... everything is chatter until something heppens.

Don't get your hopes high.... just get your head down and work for them.

[aa_ke_phas_gaya]

Remember you are bonded labor if you are on H1B or Work Permit. They will use you & your illegal brothers every election year and this is one of those years ..... everything is chatter until something heppens.

Don't get your hopes high.... just get your head down and work for them.

[sdeshpan]

Originally Posted by aa_ke_phas_gaya

Remember you are bonded labor if you are on H1B or Work Permit. They will use you & your illegal brothers every election year and this is one of those years ..... everything is chatter until something heppens.

Don't get your hopes high.... just get your head down and work for them.

and what's the point of posting this twice...10 minutes apart? Those who will, will take your point!