Immigration Legislation
While Congress Recesses, Activists Organize for Immigration Reform
While Congress is on recess and members travel home to their districts to hear from their constituents on the issues that matter to them, immigration advocates are turning up the heat through a series of grassroots and netroots organizing events. Today, the Alliance for Citizenship is organizing… Read More
Broken H-1B Visa Program is Costing American Jobs
Compete America, an association of high-tech companies advocating for reform of immigration policies affecting higher-skilled workers, launched a job loss calculator today estimating the numbers of American jobs lost due to the lack of H-1B visas, the primary work visa for higher-skilled… Read More
House Limits Administrative Action Instead of Acting on Immigration Reform
Work on existing bills that lay out legislative options to fix the nation’s immigration system is languishing in the House while its members focus on legislation that rolls back the president’s power to help immigrants caught in the broken system. Following up on Wednesday’s vote to approve the… Read More
House Passes ENFORCE Act
The House of Representatives today passed HR 4138, the ENFORCE Act, by a vote of 233 to 181. This bill would give either chamber of Congress standing to bring a civil action in U.S. district court alleging that “President, the head of any department or agency of… Read More
How Immigration Is Good for Science Research in U.S.
Research and knowledge are becoming key to economic growth worldwide, increasing the importance of intellectual work. And for the United States in particular, immigrants play an important role in science and engineering (S&E) research. Indeed, a February report from the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation… Read More
Customs and Border Protection Conceals Scathing Audit of Border Patrol’s Use of Force Policy
In response to mounting allegations of unwarranted violence by U.S. Border Patrol agents, including culpability in over 40 border-related deaths, Congress ordered an investigation of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) use of force policies and practices. This investigation included an internal assessment by CBP, a review… Read More
More Than 600 Businesses Urge Congress to Act on Immigration Reform
Immigrants are helping to grow the economy all across the nation. Take Charlotte, North Carolina for example, where immigrant restaurant owners have opened businesses across the city catering to increasingly eclectic tastes. Tacos El Nevado is one example. Heriberto Mali and Vianey Juarez, immigrants from the state… Read More
Fremont’s Anti-Immigrant Ordinance Out of Step with Other Cities in Nebraska
Last week, the residents of Fremont, Nebraska voted to keep a 2010 anti-immigrant housing ordinance on the books. While the small town, with a seven percent foreign born population, has chosen to continue down its current path of exclusion, other places in Nebraska are pursuing inclusive strategies… Read More
Immigrant Victims Left Waiting After U.S. Reaches U Visa Cap
The federal government has already reached its limit on the number of U visas—a special category for crime victims—available for the 2014 fiscal year. After only two months, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials have already filled the 10,000 visas available this year. Every year since the visa program began in 2008, USCIS has hit the maximum number of visas available, but this year is the fastest the limit has been reached. Reaching the visa cap so soon after the year started is a sign that lawmakers need to increase the number of visas available to help the victims. Read More
House Bi-Partisan Budget Deal Gives Hope to Immigration Activists
One day before Congress left town for the holiday recess, the House of Representatives approved a two-year budget deal by a wide margin. Despite some GOP opposition to the plan, House Speaker John Boehner allowed a vote on the plan, which passed with a majority of Democratic and Republican votes. The budget outline now heads to the Senate for a vote. Before the vote on Thursday, Boehner attacked extremely conservative factions within his party who he said were standing in the way of progress. He told reporters these groups were “misleading” and added, “I think they’re pushing our members in places where they don’t want to be. And frankly, I just think that they’ve lost all credibility.” Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
