Recently in Immigration Category
The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote quite strongly about the need for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) and not just a border fence, which had 3,363 breaches, costing $1,300/repair.
We can build all the fences we want. But we will not stop illegal immigration until there are comprehensive reforms that include a secure worker identification system, tougher sanctions against employers who hire the undocumented, tougher enforcement against legal immigrants who overstay their visa, a system to allow substantially more temporary workers into the country legally, and a path to legalization for the 12 million undocumented immigrants who now call the United States home.
- September 22, 2009
There are a few other good snippets in there as well: the fence cost $3.6 billion to build, but will cost $6.5 billion to maintain for 20 years; the 2010 virtual fence for San Diego will actually be rolled out in 2014/15 (the 5-year plan turned into a 10-year plan).
If you are a reader of myworkvisa.us, you will know we believe in immigration resolution and not CIR. 'Comprehensive' is a misnomer attempting to wrap all proposals into one large bill--a feat that is impossible. In order to express our thoughts thoroughly, we plan to post more regularly on our blog and publish our plan in a forthcoming book. Stay tune.
Over the weekend, I spent 20 hours reading articles and 6 hours watching Congressional testimony. I must say the Congressional testimonies are conducted in such a civilized manner that I am disgusted how bits and pieces are blown out of proportion. I encourage everyone to watch what Congress is already doing on immigration reform. Reform is already happening. As suggested, over and over again, what many are seeking is actually immigration resolution. Folks, this will likely occur in 2010, as 2009 is almost over.
I recommend a few key links:
U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary - Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Citizenship
30 April 2009 - Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2009, Can We Do It and How?
20 May 2009 - Securing the Borders and America's Points of Entry, What Remains to Be Done
24 June 2009 - Schumer Announces Principles for Comprehensive Immigration Bill in Works in Senate
25 June 2009 - Press conference after the White House meeting
21 July 2009 - Ensuring a Legal Workforce: What Changes Should be Made to Our Current Employment Verification System?
This should be enough material for now. Will post more as time allows.
President Obama still indicating immigration resolution is still set for 2010. A few weeks ago, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) indicated a preview of the bill will be available this fall - perhaps by Labor Day. See "Principles for Comprehensive Immigration Reform." Schumer later expressed the limitations of E-Verify for new hires, which is mandatory in 12 states, and reproposed the need for biometrics.
The industry is already preparing the groundwork.
Industry sources say individuals would need to register their fingerprints with a government agency. The encrypted digital fingerprints would be stored on a database or possibly on a microchip embedded on a card or token. Employers would scan job applicants' fingerprints and verify them against the database, card or token.
- Washington Technology, August 6, 2009
We are still anticipating the government to seek immigration resolution in 2010. Despite what Senator Reid is overpromising in 2009, the Washington Post reports 2010 is more likely for immigration resolution. From his busy schedule, President Obama has even postponed the closed door meeting on the immigration subject twice this month. We encourage Obama not to launch more debate, but immigration resolution.
From the election year 2000 presidential campaigns of Vincente Fox and George Bush, one would have thought the United States-Mexico relationship would have been better and closer 4 years later. After repeated attempts, the relationship started and stopped, and eventually went silent.
President Obama heads to
The United States has spent the last 3 years building fences and/or barriers on the border, staffing up on Border Patrol agents, building several high capacity H2A/H2B processing centers (the Backlog Elimination Centers were closed at the end of Dec. 2007), boosting staff levels at USCIS (with new IT resources and applications), processing citizenship applications faster than ever, and implementing e-verify for employers.
These were the key components that many of the Congressional opponents requested to have in place before any further discussion on immigration matters; they have now almost all been accomplished.
We now have the appropriate infrastructure in place to resolve a lot of unfinished business between the two countries, and both countries are seeking resolution to these matters in the very near future.
On Friday, incoming DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano released her list of priorities for immigration and border security. Implementing these programs may allow for a successful immigration bill in 2010.
The issue for most of the 1990s/2000s is immigrant applications flooded government agencies, and we didn't have the proper policies and procedures in place to manage the demand. Though many Americans said we had an immigration system that should be followed, it wasn't entirely functional and many immigrants who applied waited years for a response from our government. Furthermore, we had government officials and businesses announcing a guest worker program that hadn't been officially approved. All in all, the immigration reform enthusiasm died when Congress couldn't reach an agreement with the president in June 2006.
Nonetheless, the most affected state was
Meanwhile, the U.S./Mexico border fence authorized by Congress in 2005 is now almost complete. Though it cost about $3.9 million a mile, most of the future cost will be maintaining, repairing blow torched holes, and patrolling it. This will prevent drug and human smuggling into the
Finally, more than 201,00 criminals illegally in the
