Archive for the ‘Immigration Reform’ Category

Hutchison, Kyl propose plan similar to DREAM Act — but without citizenship

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 by:kyle.campbell@chron.com (Kyle Campbell)
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Outgoing Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., introduced legislation Tuesday designed to provide legal standing — but never citizenship — for young illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. by their parents.

The “Achieve Act” creates a three tier system for illegal immigrants of “good moral character” under the age of 28 who were brought to the U.S. before the age of 14 to obtain legal standing while pursuing higher education or military service.

This bill comes after Republican candidates struggled mightily to garner votes from Latin Americans in the general election earlier this month, forcing the issue of bipartisanship in immigration reform.

Hutchison stressed the importance of changing this portion of immigration policy first as a way of “getting the ball rolling,” on comprehensive reform.

“We know that there are children in our country who have been brought here illegally by their parents,” she said. “We think the best step that we can take to address an issue that is very timely is to give a legal status that would be earned.”

The proposal by Hutchison and Kyl — both of whom are retiring Republicans from border states — resembles the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM, Act penned by Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Richard Durbin, D-Ill., in 2001.

A staple in immigration reform talks as of late, the DREAM Act also provided temporary legal standing for young immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors who are seeking education or enlisted in military service.

There are minor differences between the bills, such as the maximum age of arrival being lowered from 16 under the DREAM Act to 14 under the Achieve Act and the minimum military service requirement being increased from two years to four years.

The biggest difference is that the Achieve Act does not provide a direct path to full citizenship, as the DREAM Act does. That’s a distinction that Hutchison boasted about — but Democrats blasted.

“Ours is better than the Dream Act because it doesn’t allow them to cut in line,” Hutchison said.”It doesn’t keep them from applying under the rules today, but it doesn’t give them a special preference before those who have waited in line for years to get into the citizenship track.”

Democrats and DREAM Act supporters decried the act as political pandering and counter productive to the pursuit of immigration reform.

United We Dream, an advocacy group for immigrant youth education issued a statement calling the Achieve Act a “cynical political gesture” and rejected it out right for not providing a path to citizenship.

Texas Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, also was skeptical of the measure and described it as too little, too late.

“This could have been more timely and meaningfully had it been done in the spring when Sen. (Marco) Rubio was making every indication he was trying to get Republicans on board for DREAM Act,” Gonzalez said. “If this had been initiated and introduced at that time, it would have been a catalyst.

“At this point we’re all looking forward to a comprehensive approach bill that’s not just a DREAM Act for young people.”

Kyl said the Achieve Act clears up issues that both Democrats and Republicans had with the DREAM Act. He added that there are ways, such as marriage to a U.S. citizen, that could help Achieve Act beneficiaries reach full citizenship faster than those waiting for entry into the country.

“What we are basically saying is if you want to go to school — whatever kind of school will prepare you for a good job — and if you have a job and keep a job and don’t get into trouble in this country, you’re going to be here for the rest of your life with a legal status,” he said.

Instead of full citizenship, the final stage under the Achieve Act is a permanent nonimmigrant visa up for renewal every four years. The bill does not call for any changes to the green card system.

Beto Cardenas, a former Hutchison general counsel and current Houston lawyer, said immigration reform is crucial for the business community so employers can have a more reliable workforce, one that isn’t constantly threatened by deportation.

Through his work at a Houston-based law firm Vincent & Elkins, Cardenas acts as legal counsel to several businesses that are impacted by illegal immigration. He argues the Achieve Act is Congress’ best bet for getting immigration reform for young immigrants because of the repeatedly failed efforts to pass the DREAM Act.

“I wouldn’t say that one is better than the other for the business community, but one has failed to get the votes,” he said. ”You can continue to do the same thing over and over but some people would say that’s the definition of insanity when you’re expecting a different result.”

The bill could go to a vote during Congress’ lame duck session, but it is unlikely, Kyl admitted. Both Senators said they briefed the successors, Ted Cruz in Texas and Jeff Flake in Arizona, about the details of the bill. Kyl’s fellow Arizona Sen. John McCain and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio were major players in the drafting of the bill.

Hutchison said she does not want to speak for Cruz, whose father immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba, but she said she believed he will be a “major player” in immigration reform.

Gov. Bobby Jindal, Republicans turn attention to immigration reform

Friday, November 16, 2012 by:summer.ballentine@chron.com (Summer Ballentine)
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It’s immigration, stupid.

GOP members are turning to immigration reform to upgrade a party image tainted by negative rhetoric toward Latinos this election.

Mitt Romney reopened fresh wounds when he said President Barack Obama was reelected because he bribed minority groups with “extraordinary gifts from the government.”

Comments like Romney’s get in the way of the conservative message and turn Latinos off to the GOP, said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the new chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, during CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

“Republican candidates this year did a lot of damage to the brand,” Jindal said. ”As a party, we need to stop talking down to voters.”

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 08: Latinos and immigrants participate in a rally on immigration reform in front of the White House on November 8, 2012 in Washington, DC. Immigrant rights organizations called on President Barack Obama to fulfill his promise of passing comprehensive immigration reform. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

So Jindal and other Republicans are taking a new look at immigration, and it’s nothing like the “self-deportation” approach that might have cost Romney the presidency.

Texas, home to 1,254 miles of the 1,900-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border and a staunch Republican state, is shedding GOP stereotypes and moving toward  immigration reform in an attempt to ward off a potential Democratic takeover as the Latino population grows.

The movement is being spearheaded by Brad Bailey, a restaurant owner and political activist from Houston (who also uses E-Verify to check the citizenship status of his employees). His proposed immigration solution includes a temporary guest worker program, securing the border and reforming Social Security cards to prevent counterfeiting.

Bailey said a guest worker program would help employers find workers willing to take the jobs American won’t and help boost the economy. That’s something that gets Republicans to listen, and they did.

The Republican Party of Texas adopted the temporary worker program in its platform in June. The national party followed in August during the convention in Tampa.

Bailey said he’s watched as disbelieving Tea Partiers and GOP women’s groups come around to the reforms. Skeptics slowly uncross their arms when he talks them through the nuts and bolts.

“It’s resonated with people,” Bailey said. “A lot of people want to see solutions. They don’t want to see government gridlock.”

Bailey said it’s an issue that needs to be solved across the aisle but has divided the parties as they battle for the Latino vote. There’s also a chance it might loose momentum as Congress deals with the impeding fiscal cliff.

But especially now, there still might be a chance Republicans can work with Democrats to help fix the broken immigration system, said Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S.

“The time is ripe not only because of the lessons being…derived from what happened a week ago in the United States, but because this new lay of land and the political muscle of Latino vote,” Sarukhan said.

Poll shows majority of Americans support immigration reform

Wednesday, November 14, 2012 by:kyle.campbell@chron.com (Kyle Campbell)
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A majority of Americans support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants as well as a more lenient view on same-sex marriage and marijuana laws, results from a nationwide post election poll show.

According to the ABC News/Washington Post poll of 1,023 adults, 57 percent of Americans adults support a path to freedom for illegal immigrants currently working in the U.S. and 39 percent oppose it, well outside the 3.5 percent margin of error.

A majority of support came from the western and southern parts of the country with 64 and 56 percent support, respectively. A majority of self-described liberals and moderates expressed support for immigration reform as did 47 percent of self-described conservatives.

Latinos polled in the survey expressed the most favorability toward a path to citizenship with 82 percent supporting and 17 percent opposing. Hispanic voter turnout reached an all-time high of 10 percent this past election, with President Barack Obama winning more than 70 percent of the Latino vote.

In the wake of the large racial gap between Democrats and Republicans in the election, some GOP politicians and conservative pundits have called for more Latino outreach and reconsideration of immigration reform.

The poll also showed a majority of Americans support same-sex marriage, but by a significantly smaller margin than immigration reform. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they support same-sex marriage compared to 47 percent who oppose, putting it squarely within the margin of error.

This past election three states — Maine, Maryland and Oregon — legalized same-sex marriage through ballot measures and joined six other states and the District of Columbia as the only bodies recognizing marriages between two men or two women.

Minnesota voted down a ballot measure making same-sex marriage unconstitutional last week, however, a majority of states have such bans.

The poll showed 59 percent of respondents in the Northeast supported same-sex marriage, compared to 37 percent opposing. In the West 54 percent supported, with 43 percent in opposition.

According to the poll the Midwest supported same-sex marriage by the slimmest of margins — 50 percent to 49 percent. The South showed solid opposition, with 52 percent against and 45 percent for same-sex marriage.

Though support was down 2 percent since the last ABC News/Washington Post sponsored poll on May 20, overall, support for same-sex marriage has been on the rise since 2003 when it polled at 37 percent support.

Another major ballot movement, the legalization of marijuana, also was examined in the poll, revealing 48 percent support the measure and 50 percent oppose legalizing “small amounts of marijuana for personal use.”

Colorado and Washington both passed measures to legalize the drug for personal use. A similar measure in Oregon was voted down.

Legalized marijuana received more support from men than women, 52 percent against 45 percent, and more support from adults 18-29 compared to those 65 and older, 55 percent against 30 percent.

Like same-sex marriage, legalization of marijuana also has been on the rise, starting out at 39 percent in 2002.