News Article Thread - 1

[learning01]

3300. I request all those guests who are not members and have not contributed, to become members and contribute.
Now GCBy3000, the powers that be ( President, Senators and others) are testing the waters to form action and strategy in the immigration debate. I don't know how to explain, but what you read at NPR is NOT final, but only developing and unstable. Got it.

Originally Posted by GCBy3000

Learning01.
I did not understand what you meant by story. What do you say on CIR as of today?

What is meant by
"But in the end, the default is always in favor of no action. It's easier to stop something than to pass it, especially in the Senate. And many members would rather see no bill at all than a bill that offends their key constituents."

[GCBy3000]

One thing is very clear.

They are somehow passing 2bn budget for border control etc etc. This is what most of the republicans want. Once this is done no one will care what those 12 millions will do here. The businesses are happy, the politicians are happy, the illegals are happy with atleast they are not deported for now.

I can smell nothing will pass anytime soon. Our only hope is to get some different bill like TALENT / PACE into action now slowly.

Only the legal group will be unhappy forever. They undergo all the pains becos they are legal. Illegals can jump job anytime anywhere without paying any taxes and availing most of the tax benefits.

[learning01]

Yesterday I read in another thread here that CIR is coming up for review at SJC today, Apr 27th.

I didn't find anything on their agenda of this for today or Monday. Fri is not listed. Is the CIR likely to come up straight to the senate floor?

Senate committee agenda here:

[for_gc]

Originally Posted by learning01

Yesterday I read in another thread here that CIR is coming up for review at SJC today, Apr 27th.

I didn't find anything on their agenda of this for today or Monday. Fri is not listed. Is the CIR likely to come up straight to the senate floor?

Senate committee agenda here:

Somewhere in the message posted by BerkeleyBee y'day Spector said that there is no more need to bring the CIR to Judiciary committee and it should come directly to the senate floor.

[jjjun]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...0060327-1.html

Fact Sheet: Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Securing Our Border, Enforcing Our Laws, and Upholding Our Values



In Focus: Immigration



Today, President Bush Attended A Naturalization Ceremony And Discussed His Vision For Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The President supports comprehensive immigration reform to secure our border, improve enforcement of our laws, and uphold our values. The President also discussed his proposal for a temporary worker program that rejects amnesty, allows foreign workers to fill jobs no American is willing to do, and reduces smuggling and crime at the border.

America's Immigrant Heritage Continues To Shape Our Society. Our Nation is bound together by liberty and a conviction that all people are created with equal dignity and value. Through the generations, Americans have upheld that vision by welcoming new citizens from across the globe. Immigrants have helped shape our identity and sustain our economy.
The President Strongly Believes America Is Stronger And More Dynamic When New Citizens Are Welcomed. The President has called on Congress to increase the number of green cards that can lead to citizenship. He supports increasing the number of visas available for foreign-born workers in highly skilled fields. The President signed legislation creating a new Office of Citizenship at the Department of Homeland Security to promote knowledge of citizenship rights and procedures; the Office of Citizenship created a new official guide for immigrants, and the Administration is working with faith-based and community groups to offer civics and English-language courses. In July 2002, the President signed an Executive Order making foreign-born members of our military immediately eligible for citizenship. Over the past four years, more than 20,000 men and women in uniform have become citizens.
Every New Citizen Makes A Lifelong Pledge To Support The Values And Laws Of America. New citizens have an obligation to learn the customs and values that define our Nation - including liberty and civic responsibility, equality under God, tolerance for others, and the English language.
The President Welcomes A Civil And Dignified Debate On Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Congress is now considering immigration reform proposals. Immigration is an emotional topic, and we need to maintain our perspective as we conduct this debate.

To Keep The Promise Of America, We Must Enforce The Laws Of America

President Bush's Proposal For Comprehensive Immigration Reform Includes Three Critical Elements - Securing The Border, Strengthening Enforcement Inside The Country, And Creating A Temporary Worker Program. These elements depend on and reinforce one another. Together, they will give America an immigration system that meets 21st century demands.

The First Element Is Securing Our Border. Since President Bush took office, funding for border security has increased by 66 percent. The Border Patrol has been expanded to more than 12,000 agents, an increase of more than 2,700 agents, or nearly 30 percent. The President's FY07 budget funds another 1,500 new agents. Agents are being provided with cutting-edge technology like infrared cameras, advanced motion sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Protective infrastructure, such as vehicle barriers and fencing in urban areas, is being installed. Manpower, technology, and infrastructure are being integrated in more unified ways than ever before.

The Administration's Border Security Strategy Is Getting Results. Since President Bush took office, agents have apprehended and sent home more than 6 million people entering the country illegally - including more than 400,000 with criminal records. Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement are working together. More than 600,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended through the Arizona Border Control Initiative last year - an increase of more than 50 percent increase over the previous year. The men and women of our Border Patrol have made good progress - but we have much more work ahead, and we will not be satisfied until our agents have full control of our border.
The Administration Is Ending The Practice Of "Catch And Release." The President has set a goal to end "catch and release" over the next year. Most illegal immigrants from Mexico can be returned to Mexico within 24 hours. Non-Mexican illegal immigrants present a different challenge. For decades, government detention facilities did not have enough beds for the non-Mexican illegal immigrants caught at the border - so most were released back into society. They were each assigned a court date, but virtually no one showed up. The Administration is ending the practice of "catch and release" by increasing the number of beds in detention facilities by 12 percent this year; the President's FY07 budget proposes increasing that number by another 32 percent. The Administration is expanding the use of "expedited removal," which allows us to send non-Mexican illegal immigrants home more quickly.
We Are Making Progress In This Effort. Last year, it took an average of 66 days to process a non-Mexican illegal immigrant. Now, the process is taking only 21 days. This has helped us end "catch and release" for illegal immigrants from Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua caught crossing our Southwest border. Since last summer, the total number of non-Mexican illegal immigrants released into society has been cut by more than a third. There is more work ahead, and the Administration will work with Congress to close loopholes that make it difficult to process illegal immigrants from certain countries and will continue pressing foreign governments like China to take back their citizens who enter our country illegally.

The Second Element Is Strengthening Enforcement Of Our Laws In The Interior Of Our Country. Since President Bush took office, funding for immigration enforcement has increased by 42 percent. These resources have helped agents bring to justice smugglers, terrorists, gang members, and human traffickers. For example, through Operation Community Shield, Federal agents have arrested nearly 2,300 gang members who were in America illegally, including violent criminals like the members of the "MS-13" gang.

Better Interior Enforcement Requires Better Worksite Enforcement. Last year, President Bush signed legislation to more than double the resources dedicated to worksite enforcement. Next month, the Administration will launch new law enforcement task forces in 11 cities to dismantle document fraud rings.
The Third Element Is Creating A New Temporary Worker Program That Would Not Provide Amnesty. A temporary worker program would make the system more rational, orderly, and secure by providing a legal way to match willing foreign workers with willing American employers to fill jobs that no American is willing to do. Workers would be able to register for legal status on a temporary basis. If workers decided to apply for citizenship, they would have to get in line. This program would help meet the demands of our growing economy and allow honest workers to provide for their families while respecting the law.

A Temporary Worker Program Is Vital To Securing The Border. Creating a separate, legal channel for those entering America to do an honest day's labor would dramatically reduce the number of people attempting to sneak back and forth across the border. That would help take pressure off the border and free up law enforcement to focus on the greatest threats to our security - terrorists, drug dealers, and other criminals. The program would also improve security by creating tamper-proof identification cards that would allow authorities to keep track of every temporary worker who is in America on a legal basis and help authorities identify those who are here illegally.
A Temporary Worker Program Should Not Provide Amnesty. Granting amnesty unfairly allows those who break the law to jump ahead of people who play by the rules and wait in the citizenship line. Amnesty would also encourage future waves of illegal immigration, increase pressure on the border, and make it more difficult for law enforcement to focus on those who mean us harm. For the sake of justice and the sake of border security, the President firmly opposes amnesty.
# # #

[gcdedo]

This is very old story..nearly one month old Mar27, 2006

[Madhuri]

Here is the link

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...NGB1IF7UA1.DTL

[apnair2002]

http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/27/news...reut/index.htm

[learning01]

from various blogs, news reports. Do a search in Google about the May 1 rallies. You will come up with a ton of results. I think these articles are trying to stir up emotions and you know what the end result will be. Otherwise, how can you expect CNN Money (=Lou Dobbs) put such a headline:
Immigration rally aims to 'close' cities
One can also project it as:
Immigrations rally for rights on May 1
See what I mean.

Originally Posted by apnair2002

http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/27/news...reut/index.htm

[jkays94]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercu...s/14444699.htm

SACRAMENTO - State senators on Thursday endorsed Monday's boycott of schools, jobs and stores by illegal immigrants and their allies as supporters equated the protest with great social movements in American history.

By a 24-13 vote that split along party lines, the Senate approved a resolution that calls the one-day protest the Great American Boycott 2006 and describes it as an attempt to educate Americans "about the tremendous contribution immigrants make on a daily basis to our society and economy."

[learning01]

Skilled immigrants lobby
High-tech foreigners weigh in on legalization legislation

LINK

[learning01]

Voice for rights goes online
DNA Correspondent
Thursday, April 27, 2006 01:23

WASHINGTON: In December 2005, when the US Senate Budget Reconciliation Bill S.1932, which contained two sections with provisions that would have helped legal immigrants, was killed. Dozens of people got together online — and addressed one another.
Today the organisation they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.

The organisation says it acts as an interface between, highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.

According to The Washington Post, the group’s transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws. Most of the members of the group Immigration Voice hail from India.

Like most, Aman Kapoor, the co-founder of Immigration Voice, have been working in the US for a longtime. A large number usually, arrived on an international student visa or the H-1B visa.

Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.

According to the Post, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep F James Sensenbrenner Jr (Wisconsin) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted.

The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice. While hundreds of thousands have been taking to the streets all over the US for change, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach.

Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity’s Web site.

Although their numbers are far smaller — fewer than 2 million — they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power.

Mostly, through their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances.

While the immigrant marchers’ demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card.

LINK at Daily News & Analysis, is a joint venture between two industry majors – the Dainik Bhaskar Group and Zee TV.

[bkam]

The existence of the IV definitely will attract the attention of antiimmigrant groups. And I suspect that their reaction would be very sharp since they understand that with its actions and approach IV mean business.

This is inevitable and has to be properly handled. The only answer to it, as I see it, would be increased exposure of IV to the media. My gut filling is that until now IV did everything right - no spitting on the ilegals (poor guys, what is the bid differnce between them and us...), no rallies, courths and big waves - just quite, inteligent and persistent explanation of our problems to the law-makers. This would be always well accepted by the average Americans. Lou Dobbs and his buddies have no arguments to fight such approach.

So, go ahead guys, you do it right!

[bkarnik]

Friends:

I had the opportunity to attend the lecture given by Newt Gingrich on "American Strategies for Success in Competing With China and India in a Globalized World Market" today at Iowa State University.

http://www.lectures.iastate.edu/lecture/1995 for more information about Gingrich. Gingrich is also a potential 2008 GOP candidate for president. Anyways, the talk essentially focussed on what America needs to do to compete with India and China in the globalized world market. According to Newt, there are not enough Americans in STEM fields to compete with India and CHina whose education system encourages young people to pursue STEM related education. He mentioned that according to him, border control and immigration is a part of the globalization trend and should be treated accordingly. He is very pro-legal immigration He mentioned that what is the point of having a student come in, learn and then we tell him he has to go back!

During the question answer session, I had the opportunity to present a question to him. My question essentially was that in the current global economy, for the US to be competitive, it is necessary to retain the talent here and make it easier for high skilled immigrants to obtain their GCs and citizenship. The current CIR being debated in the Senate has provisions to this effect. Can Newt share his thoughts (thanks to Shrey, for the edit) on the issue and can he assure the student body that he will use his inluence and political capital to ensure that these provisions will not be changed significantly during the conference with the house.

His response (almost verbatim): I think it is a no brainer. Any graduate student, a long as he has not committed a felony, should be given a visa as soon as he gets a job. Because, these students have been trained by us. They have been here already for more than 2 years and we know their backgrounds and we should be able to easily clear them from the security perspective.

I will post the video or audio link as soon as I get it.

[nk2006]

There is this story in Detriot free press that refers to senate legislation next week. Not sure if its an "opinion" of the author or its backed by some other sources. Anyone saw related news?

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...604290399/1009

Congressional activity: Senate leaders edged closer to an agreement that could clear the way for passage of broad immigration legislation next week.