Immigration Works USA has released its Talking Points today on the essentials that must be in an immigration reform bill for US employers.
Here’s a list of other talking points as well.
What are your thoughts?
As the House begins its August recess today (the Senate goes home next week), Members of Congress are returning home to kiss babies and meet with constituents on a host of issues. We are betting that some of those visits will be about this country’s broken immigration system.
Nothing moves members of Congress more than face-to-face meetings with constituents letting them know what they care about. So in honor of summer recess, the IPC is reminding you of our top resources that can be used when paying a visit to your local legislator.
We link to Immigration Impact
The self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff in America” has never gotten so much resistance from the federal government.
The Homeland Security Department wants Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., to stop arresting illegal immigrants whose only crime was crossing the U.S.-Mexico border without documents.
The thing is, Arpaio doesn’t much care.
“I’m not going to bend to the federal government, I’m going to do my job,” he said. “I don’t report to the federal government, I report to the people.”
Shifting winds in Washington have led the Homeland Security Department to rework a federal program that has allowed Arpaio’s deputies to make federal immigration arrests since February 2007.
We link to Associated Press Article
SAN DIEGO — President Obama recently reignited the immigration debate when he told reporters that congressional leaders of both parties were ready to “actively get something done and not put it off until a year, two years, three years, five years from now, but to start working on this thing right now.”
In the months ahead, keep an eye on two things: the calendar and the issue of guest workers.
The calendar: “Right now” might not be soon enough. The conventional wisdom is that the longer Obama waits, the harder it will be to pass any immigration reform legislation. One immigration activist I spoke with even had a deadline in mind: March 2010. Congress has to discuss the bill this fall, he said, and pass it no later than next spring. His thinking — and that of many others — is that the 2010 midterm elections might cut into the Democratic majority in Congress, and then the chance for immigration reform could slip away.
We link to The Washington Post article.
At a recent conference, Bill Gates shared his ideas about US immigration policy, noting that there should be more “exceptions for smart people.” While not the most eloquently phrased statement, it does pose an interesting question in the immigration reform debate. Are we turning away skilled workers? Or are they leaving on their own, thanks to a complicated and unfriendly system of paperwork and jumping through hoops that are never ending? We link to the article
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched the DHS YouTube Channel last week and announced the redesign of DHS.gov—steps to enhance the Department’s web presence, increase transparency and provide accurate, up-to-date information to the public.
The YouTube Channel, found at www.youtube.com/ushomelandsecurity, will allow DHS to use video to highlight events, speeches, public service announcements and other related content. DHS’s emphasis on web 2.0 tools such as YouTube allows the Department to provide greater transparency and access to the public and our state, local, territorial, tribal, private sector, and international partners.
Chairman Bill Gates criticized U.S. policies on data privacy and immigration Friday in a speech to the Transforming India through Technology conference in New Delhi, India.
Microsoft will work with India on a national computer identity-card project, he said. He plans to meet with minister Nandan Nilekani, who helped build technology company Infosys.
Gates said the U.S. should have a national identity card or at least let some businesses, like health care, centralize information on individuals. “It has always come back to the idea that ‘The computer knows too much about you,'” he said.
He noted that doctors cannot share records about patients and said a U.S. ban on virtual doctor visits “wastes a lot of money.”
Gates also urged U.S. immigration exceptions for “smart people.” He said Microsoft has created “a lot of jobs” in Canada because immigrants are allowed to work if offered a high-paying job.
We link to a list of immigration-related legislation introduced into the House of Representatives and the Senate during June 2009 for your reference. Each Bill has a link for you to follow for more information.
News on Canadian Immigration, I-9s, Employer Compliance, H-1Bs and more. Subscribe to our free newsletter and stay informed concerning the immigration issues of the day.
We link to our July news.
July 1,2009 CBP (Customs and Border Protection) notifies that all Visa Waiver Program emergency or temporary passports must be electronic passports. Only travelers holding these E-Passports will be able to travel to the USA under the VWP. Passports that do not comply with this regulation (with the exception of those that are traveling for emergency reasons and have been given discretionary approval) may be detained for processing and may potentially be denied admission to the USA.
We link to the CBP website for more information.