America's Voice Blog

Posted 03/08/10 at 10:15am By Jackie Mahendra

Obama to Meet With Schumer, Graham Amidst Calls for Concrete Action on Immigration

Note: updated and cross-posted at Daily Kos.

Over the weekend, news broke that the President intends to meet with Senators Schumer and Graham this evening at the White House:

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama plans to focus attention on immigration next week by meeting at the White House with two senators crafting a bill on the issue.

White House spokesman Nicholas Shapiro said Obama will meet with Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Monday.

The president is "looking forward to hearing more about their efforts toward producing a bipartisan bill," Shapiro said Friday.

So are a lot of people, it looks like. The news generated 9,026 comments on The Huffington Post (it was the front page story for a time on Saturday), and has come amidst growing pressure on the administration to show concrete progress on immigration reform in advance of the upcoming "March for America: Change Takes Courage" in Washington, D.C. on March 21st.

Momentum is building rapidly for the march. Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Reform, writes:

Today, a caravan of faith leaders, day laborers and others is leaving from Phoenix, Arizona. Greeted by crowds of up to a 1,000 in places like Houston and New Orleans, this caravan will grow to dozens of vehicles and hundreds of people to arrive in DC on March 21st.

In Michigan, Ohio, California, Wisconsin and states across the country, communities are raising money and organizing buses to bring African American workers, small business owners, immigrant families and others to Washington DC on March 21st.

These communities on the move will meet in Washington DC to joins tens of thousands of Americans to March FOR America on Sunday, March 21, 2010, and remind our elected leaders that Change Takes Courage.

Indeed, tens of thousands of people will be marching to Washington to stand up for that vision of change-- for crafting an immigration system that is once again rooted in America's most deeply-held values of fairness, dignity, and hard work. Clarissa Martinez, Director of Immigration and National Campaigns at the nation's leading Latino advocacy organization, NCLR, argues that the President must help move the process forward after tonight's meeting:

But let's be clear. If the meeting is just to "hear more," it's not going to cut it. The president had a meeting with Republican and Democratic members of both chambers in June 2009, and in August held a White House summit, hosted by Secretary Janet Napolitano, with a large number of representatives from faith, labor, business, law enforcement, immigrant, ethnic, and civil rights groups. Around that time, Schumer and Graham started working on a bipartisan proposal, and Schumer announced he would have the parameters of a proposal ready by Labor Day 2009.

With the Congressional legislative runway getting crowded and time running out before the November elections, it is time to land this plane. Monday's meeting must be followed by a clear, bipartisan proposal and a firm timeline for Senate action. Anything less will be regarded as more stalling by the tens of thousands coming to DC to march in two weeks.

In case you missed this new video from NCLR, a reminder of the President's own promise and stated vision to reform immigration:

"They're counting us to rise above fear, the demagoguery, the pettiness, the partisanship, and finally enact comprehensive immigration reform... In this country, change does not come from the top down. Change comes from the bottom up."

Click here to read more.
Posted 02/04/10 at 04:02pm By Mahwish Khan

Congressman Mike Honda: This Is the Year for Reform

Representative Mike Honda and Sonia Manzano, who most people know as Maria on Sesame Street, wrote an article, which was published today in the Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call, voicing their support for comprehensive immigration reform. They write:

The tide seems to be turning in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, despite populist trends that might suggest otherwise.

As the political dust settles, Rep. Honda kindly reminds his colleagues that voters expect their leaders to solve tough problems, not run away from them.  Polls show that the majority of Americans – including Republican and independent voters – support comprehensive immigration reform.

And it is the right thing to do for our economic recovery by generating billions in new tax revenues, helping American workers and honest employers, and replacing our current broken system with a functional approach that restores the rule of law.

It’s a little premature, we think, for anyone to be writing immigration reform’s obituary and we’re glad that the authors of the article are battling the rumor that immigration reform can’t happen this year. In fact, they clearly state otherwise: 

This is the year for comprehensive immigration reform. Left to future presidents or future Congresses, the number of undocumented immigrants will only increase and the visa waits will only get longer. Meanwhile, we lose an opportunity to do what’s right economically, politically and morally. On all accounts the case is clear: Reform now.

‘Nuff said? 

Posted 01/30/10 at 10:23am By Jackie Mahendra

Senator Graham: Deporting 12 Million Won’t Work, Need a Comprehensive Immigration Fix

Yesterday Lindsey Graham, Republican Senator from South Carolina, stood up for a comprehensive fix to our badly damaged immigration system. Graham has been crafting bipartisan legislation with Senator Schumer for some time now, and details of the bill are expected soon.

Senator Graham makes the case, in an interview with Brian Goldsmith, that the frenzied attempts to define comprehensive reform as "Amnesty" are as ludicrous as the enforcement-only alternative to real reform: the dangerous (and costly) notion that we can deport or jail twelve million people-- the number of unauthorized immigrants currently in the U.S.

Marc Ambinder reports for The Atlantic:

BRIAN GOLDSMITH: You're one of the few Republicans fighting for comprehensive immigration reform, which most Republicans have called amnesty. Where do you think that stands?

SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: Well I think the idea of border security as a confidence builder is the way to start. Most Americans are very practical and reasonable. They're upset about broken borders and our out-of-control immigration system. They will buy into a comprehensive solution if we can prove to them, and only if we can prove to them, we don't have twenty million more illegal immigrants, ten years, twenty years down the road.

And when it comes to the illegal alien population, if the definition of amnesty is you got to deport twelve million people, or put twelve million people in jail, then we'll never have a comprehensive solution, because that's just not workable, it's not practical.

To me, amnesty would be forgiving people, like Ronald Reagan did, with no consequence, and not repairing the system. Amnesty is what we have today. What I would like to see is the illegal immigrant population come out of the shadows, be biometrically identified, be required to learn English, pay the fines for their crime, and get right with the law. If they want to be a citizen, get in the back of the line, not break into line.

And to my Republican colleagues, I can understand the politics of this is difficult. Big things are hard to do. But I believe in 2008, we lost a lot of ground with the Hispanic community because of the rhetoric and the tone we set on immigration.

The cost of deporting these 12 million unauthorized immigrants has been pegged at anywhere from $100 billion (an estimate by ICE, Immigration Customs and Enforcement) to $230 billion dollars over 5 years (according to a Center for American Progress analysis cited in  the Washington Post), with a loss of 2.6 billion to our GDP. On the other hand, new studies show that immigration reform would bring about a $1.5 trillion boon to our economy.

Markos Moulitsas, founder of the progressive political blog Daily Kos, argues in "Immigration reform would be good for the economy:"

Anti-immigrant forces are hoping the bad economy gives them ammo to scuttle the common-sense legalization of 10-15 million undocumented workers in this country. The thinking goes, since so many Americans have no jobs, there would be little appetite to grant "illegals" the right to stay and work.

That may have some rhetorical power, even if few Americans are lining up to work in slaughterhouses or as day laborers. But fact is, normalizing their status would be a huge boost to the economy.

Bottom line is that the Senator is right: when it comes to immigration reform, we can't afford to wait. Or to take the simplistic "No Amnesty!" bait.

Posted 01/26/10 at 04:29pm By Jackie Mahendra

Gibbs: Immigration Likely to be Mentioned During Tomorrow’s State of the Union

According to the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, immigration is a topic likely to be mentioned during tomorrow's nationally-televised State of the Union address, the first of Obama's presidency. 

Via USA Today:

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed a few more subjects that may surface in the State of the Union tomorrow night, including immigration and gays in the military -- but he provided few details and noted that the address is still being edited.

"Let's wait for tomorrow's speech," Gibbs said at one point.

The same article notes that Gibbs had little new to say about specific details of reform. While he mentioned that work is already underway by the Administration, he placed most of the onus on Congress to get immigration reform moving.

From the White House transcript of Gibbs' comments:

MR. GIBBS:  "Well, I think one of the things the President will -- has talked about and one of the things you'll hear him mention tomorrow and in the coming days, similar to what I've said on cap and trade, and that is that if -- we've started a process on this and if Congress can put together the way forward, a coalition to get the way forward, then it's something we'll work through."

No matter what President Obama says during the State of the Union tomorrow, one thing is certain: it will take real leadership from both the President and from bipartisan members of Congress to tackle this pressing issue. Independent, Republican, and Democratic voters alike want it solved. A growing, major demographic in this country expects it solved. Moreover, a strong bipartisan effort is gearing up to do just that.

Posted 01/21/10 at 09:48am By Jackie Mahendra

Event Today: Comprehensive Immigration Reform- How We Will Make It Happen

Update: Check out video from the event here.

NN AV CAP

Today, the Center for American Progress, in collaboration with Netroots Nation and America’s Voice, will host a roundtable discussion about the policy and politics of immigration reform entitled, “Next Up, Comprehensive Immigration Reform: How We Will Make It Happen.”

Panelists include Nico Pitney, National Editor of Huffington Post; Markos Moulitsas Zúñiga (Kos), Founder and Editor, Daily Kos; María Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO; and Andrea Nill, Immigration Blogger and Researcher, Think Progress. Kicking off the event are Faiz Shakir, Editor-in-Chief of Think Progress, and Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL), who recently introduced comprehensive immigration reform legislation, H.R. 4321, into the U.S. House of Representatives.

For those of you can't make it in person (the event is already full), the discussion will be streamed live. Catch it here. 

Also, here's a short list of resources that document the various ways in which immigration reform will benefit America:

1. Fact Sheet: How Immigration Reform Would Help the Economy
by the Center for American Progress

A fact sheet summarizing recent research on the benefits of legalization.

2. “The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform”
By Raul Hinojosa for the Center for American Progress and the Immigration Policy Center

This report finds that comprehensive immigration reform that includes a legalization program for unauthorized immigrants and enables a future flow of legal workers would result in a large economic benefit—a cumulative $1.5 trillion in added U.S. gross domestic product over 10 years. In stark contrast, a deportation-only policy would result in a loss of $2.6 trillion in GDP over 10 years.

3. Restriction or Legalization? Measuring the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform
by Peter B. Dixon and Maureen T. Rimmer for the CATO Institute

A report which finds that legalization of low-skilled immigrant workers would yield significant income gains for American workers and households. It would also allow immigrants to have higher productivity and create more openings for Americans in higherskilled occupations. The positive impact for U.S. households of legalization under an optimal visa tax would be 1.27 percent of GDP or $180 billion. 

4. The Economics of Immigration Reform: Legalizing Undocumented Workers a Key to Economic Recovery
by the Immigration Policy Center

April 2009 analysis of how legalization would protect our workers, raise wages, and get our economy moving again.

5. Policy Brief: New Immigration Reform Bill Supports America’s Middle Class
Drum Major Institute for Public Policy

A Legislative Analysis of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (H.R. 4321) sponsored by Representative Solomon Ortiz (D-TX), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and 92other co-sponsors

6. The Labor Movement’s Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
AFL-CIO and Change to Win

Announced in April 2009, this is the labor movements unified framework for comprehensive immigration reform.  This framework is a critical sign of support for the Administration and Congress to address immigration reform -- and to ensure that it remains a priority on the legislative calendar. It is also an important sign that immigration reform is an important part of economic recovery.

7. Loving Thy Neighbor: Immigration Reform and Communities of Faith
by Sam Fulwood III for the Center for American Progress

This report documents how  a wide range of faith groups are showing a new, unexpected, and grassroots-led social activism that’s rooted in theological and moral ground. While loud and shrill anti-immigrant voices dominate much of the media attention regarding immigrants and especially the undocumented, faith community activists are caring and praying in the shadows of public attention.

8. The Role of Local Police: Striking a Balance Between Immigration Enforcement and Civil Liberties
By Anita Khashu for the Police Executive Research Foundation

While this report focuses on and provides critique of the role of local police and immigration enforcement, one of the major findings is the need for enactment of comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

Click here to read more.
Posted 01/15/10 at 12:22pm By Frank Sharry

Don’t Leave it to the Pundits, Even Palin Proves Them Wrong on Immigration

Inside-the-beltway conventional wisdom, which is usually wrong, is way off on immigration reform. 

Pundits and unnamed politicos have long been arguing that Congress won’t deal with reform in 2010. But, according to an article in today’s Politico, not only is immigration reform in the mix, it’s got a pretty fierce champion in the Senate:

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is heading for a collision with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) over whose pet issue will get top billing in the Senate later this year.

Schumer is taking a lead role in immigration — and is pushing Democrats to prioritize a potentially toxic issue leading up to the November elections. Kerry is a lead negotiator on climate change and is demanding that a climate bill get pushed to the front of the line.

Kerry and Schumer — who have a history of competitive tensions — are maneuvering behind the scenes to get White House and Senate leadership to promise to give their respective issues time this spring.

At America’s Voice, we don’t know if the premise of the article – a conflict between two leading Democrats on two crucial progressive priorities – is true. We do know that Chuck Schumer has taken the lead on pushing comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

And, that should capture the attention of pundits.

Schumer is well-known for his political acumen. He helped lead the Democrats from a caucus of 45 in 2006 to the majority of 60 they now have.  Last year, one of the geniuses at FOX News regurgitated the blatantly inaccurate, yet widely held, assessment of the issue:

This radioactive topic always lights the Republican fires as well, a dangerous political weapon against Democrats.

But, since that “fire” was lit back in 2006 Schumer led the Democrats into their majority, Democrats took control of the House and Barack Obama was elected with the help of a huge Latino turnout in formerly red states of Florida, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. Some fire. But, that’s what D.C. insiders – and Fox News -- think.

Click here to read more.
Posted 12/18/09 at 11:07am By Jackie Mahendra

CIR ASAP: Week in Review, First Reactions

On Wednesday, Rachel LaBruyere posted a great roundup of coverage of the introduction of CIR ASAP:

Yesterday, Representative Luis Gutierrez rang the opening bell on the fight for immigration reform in 2010. Below is a (non-exhaustive) round-up of both blog and media coverage.

To kick it off, we have Representative Luis Gutierrez’s own words about why the time is NOW:

“This is a crisis. It’s a crisis of human and civil rights, it’s a crisis of our economy and our workforce, and it’s a crisis of national security. This is why we cannot wait any longer.”

Here is the Reform Immigration For America slideshow from Tuesday's press coference, announcing the long-awaited legislation:

Well, since Wednesday, we've seen some furious blogging by Congressman Gutierrez over at the Huffington Post. In "Time to End the Immigrant Blame Game," he argues:

In the immigration debate, some things are constant. They never change. One is that opponents of immigration reform will use it as a wedge issue and will blame everything from unemployment to rising health care costs on immigrants.

Then, in "CIR ASAP Is the Bill America's Workforce Asked for and Deserves," he adds:

This is the bill puts an end to this kind of unchecked corruption. It is a bill that America's hardworking labor community wants. It's the bill that American employers need to operate effectively and ethically. And we owe it to them to reward the hard work they do to sustain us every day.

Also at the Huffington Post, America's Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry writes, in, "Yes We Can End this Crisis: Real Immigration Reform, A.S.A.P:"

We've seen it all before - and this time we're much better prepared, and much better organized. Nevertheless, anti-immigrant extremists like Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Minutemen, and the designated hate group FAIR are going to do everything they can to maintain the awful status quo. Broken borders, broken families, broken system - all in hopes of driving 12 million undocumented immigrants out of their jobs, out of their communities, and out of the country.

There's a better way. And the legislation crafted by Rep. Gutierrez points the way forward.

Clarissa Martinez de Castro (Director of National Campaigns at NCLR) took on the challenge and opportunity of debating immigration during an election year.

Past election cycles have shown that voters reject candidates who simply demagogue this issue or adopt extreme enforcement-only approaches. For far too long, those who support the harmful status quo have been allowed to lead on this issue, even though they do not represent the can-do will of the American public. And it is clear that the immigration debate has rallied Latinos, the fastest-growing segment of the electorate, who participated in record numbers in the 2008 election, in large part in response to the promise of change. Latinos are watching. The American people are watching. And we have the public support to arrive at a solution.

Last piece at Huffington Post, Eliseo Medina (Vice President of SEIU) and Joe Hansen (President of UFCW) make the case, in "Immigration Reform is Critical Part of the Road to Recovery for America's Workers:

Today, as comprehensive immigration reform legislation begins to move in Congress, we face an historic opportunity to pass smart, comprehensive reform that works. For the first time, the union movement is in broad agreement on the framework for reform, and we are committed to ensuring that all workers have an opportunity to work a job they can be proud of -- one with middle class wages, benefits they can raise their families on, safe working conditions, and secure employment they can count on.

This jives with a piercing analysis from progressive blogger Duke, at the Sanctuary, in "Whining starts about lack of guest worker program in Gutierrez bill:"

Rather than letting business interests, with their insatiable need for cheap, exploitable labor, dictate the flow of immigration through both legal and illegal channels, Gutierrez’s bill creates a new antonymous regulatory agency within the executive branch solely charged with setting both policy and specific levels for all future employment-based immigration.

Marisa Treviño at Latina Lista puts the fight in context:

Like healthcare, immigration reform will be challenged by conservatives and liberals alike who don't understand the day-to-day realities of over 12 million people -- some parents to American-born children -- who think our immigration problems can be fixed if people went back home and got in line and waited for their rightful turn.

Nezua, at The Unapologetic Mexican, had both a Weekly Diaspora feature on CIR ASAP and initial coverage of the bill's introduction (with a killer graphic of Gutierrez), saying, respectively:

The legislation is an encouraging first step forward on the path to immigration reform. But many hurdles must be overcome before an immigration bill from the House or Senate becomes law, especially in today’s tense political environment. Outright antagonism from the nativist lobby or the far Right will be no small part of the challenge, no matter how concessionary the legislation is to Republicans. [...]

Finally, there will be a link posted so you can add your voice to help support this bill. We need every voice, truly.

Maegan La Mamita Mala of Vivir Latino argued that the bill, while very progressive, should go further to protect all families:

CIR ASAP is without a doubt one of the most progressive pieces of legislation we have seen, especially when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform. But progressive reform is not radical and in negotiations around policy it is often those that need the most help, some of the most marginalized in our communities, who get left out in the cold in the name of the greater good.

Becca Sheff, at the of Peace and Politics blog, blogged about the launch:

I attended the press conference for the introduction of the bill and, let me tell you, the room was packed. Members of Congress, Congressional staff, members of the press, immigration advocates, faith leaders, and immigrants of all backgrounds crowded into the room, cheering “Yes we can!” The energy was fantastic. While a lot of work remains for us to achieve humane and fair comprehensive immigration reform, Rep. Gutierrez’s bill offers important elements of reform.

Angela Caputo at Progress Illinois uses a video we shot at the press conference:

"The opponents of immigration reform will use it as a wedge issue," Gutierrez said while unveiling the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP) (PDF). "The immigrant blame game is one of the most predictable [and] most deplorable of public debate in our nation ... The only way we're going to win this is if it's greater than the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, if we show our leadership to bring people together." Watch:

As evidence of the need for swift reform, USA Today covered the story of Rigo Padilla, a University of Illinois at Chicago student who has become a national poster child for the broken immigration system.

Click here to read more.
Posted 12/14/09 at 02:07pm By Web Team

Representative Luis Gutierrez: “Comprehensive Immigration Reform, A.S.A.P.”

Reform Immigration FOR America!

By Rachel LaBruyere, Reform Immigration FOR America.

In anticipation of the big day tomorrow, Representative Luis Gutierrez is takin’ it to the blogosphere to discuss introducing the “CIR ASAP act”.

Representative Gutierrez, who traveled the country this past year on the United Families tour, knows first-hand how our currently broken immigration system is harming families and communities. In his piece at the Huffington Post, he drives home the urgency of the need for reform and explains why this issue is at the crux of who we are as a nation.

In twenty-four cities across the country, we heard from families who were being ripped apart by the current system. We’ve heard stories from a father dying from cancer whose wife faced deportation. We’ve heard from American citizen children who are faced with choosing between their parents and a college education.

This is a crisis. It’s a crisis of human and civil rights, it’s a crisis of our economy and our workforce, and it’s a crisis of national security. This is why we cannot wait any longer. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity (CIR ASAP) Act of 2009 is a solution that we, as a nation of immigrants, can be proud of.

Click here to read more.
Posted 12/11/09 at 04:51pm By Jackie Mahendra

Sneak Peek of Next Week: Rep. Gutierrez Will Introduce Real Immigration Reform Bill Tuesday

After months of preparation and growing momentum, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) announced today that he will introduce real, comprehensive immigration legislation in Congress next Tuesday.

Here is a video of the Congressman, promising action to a pumped-up crowd in October:

Congressman Gutierrez is hardly flying it alone on immigration reform, however. He will be introducing the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (with the amazing acronym, CIR ASAP)," to the U.S. House of Representatives with major backing from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Black Caucus, Asian Pacific American Caucus and Progressive Caucus.

Rep. Gutierrez' office minced no words about the urgency of real reform, in a press statement today:

We have waited patiently for a workable solution to our immigration crisis to be taken up by this Congress and our President. The time for waiting is over. This bill will be presented before Congress recesses for the holidays so that there is no excuse for inaction in the New Year. It is the product of months of collaboration with civil rights advocates, labor organizations, and members of Congress. It is an answer to too many years of pain —mothers separated from their children, workers exploited and undermined security at the border— all caused at the hands of a broken immigration system. This bill says ‘enough,’ and presents a solution to our broken system that we as a nation of immigrants can be proud of.

Click here to read more.
Posted 11/19/09 at 05:11pm By Dara Lind

After Anti-Immigrant Tea Party Flop, 60,000 Join Push for Real Immigration Reform

This past weekend, ALIPAC organized anti-amnesty “tea parties” across the country -- although perhaps “organized” is too generous a term for what turned out to be pretty weak events.
 
It’s not surprising that ALIPAC’s tea parties -- 53 of them in total, according to the group—turned out to be what the media calls “sparsely attended.” After all, the anti-immigrant group’s “Unite Against Amnesty” Web site lists only 5,572 “against amnesty supporters.” (Here's the Raleigh tea party, pictured at right, from ALIPAC's website).

Compare that to the number of people who tuned into last night’s “Families, Freedom and Faith” national tele-town hall and house parties for immigration reform: over 60,000.

That’s over ten supporters of immigration reform for every anti-immigrant “tea partier.”

Nevertheless, William Gheen, president of ALIPAC, is convinced the silent majority is on his side:

The Obama administration and the US Congress need to cease and desist advocacy for any form of Amnesty legislation, since any path to citizenship for illegals is opposed by over 78% of Americans…

ALIPAC doesn’t provide a source for their statistic, but as we’ve noted, poll results that seem “anti-immigrant” at first glance are often the result of unclear or misleading questions. And when asked directly in a May poll, 68% of Americans said they did support a path to citizenship for undocumented workers.

Click here to read more.

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