05/08/13 As the mark-up of the Senate immigration begins in the Judiciary Committee tomorrow, advocates for reform got some very significant news today on the economic benefits of the bill. Via the WSJ’s Washington Wire: The Senate immigration bill will help improve Social Security’s long-term solvency and reduce the number of immigrants entering the U.S. illegally, [...]
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05/06/13 As the Senate’s bipartisan Gang of 8 immigration bill moves toward markup later this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee, immigration reform opponents are increasingly public and vocal. Current Heritage Foundation president and former Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), whose reputation as a researcher is, um, questionable, is claiming reform will cost zillions and zillions over decades and decades. [...]
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04/19/13 During the 2006-2007 immigration reform debates, the Heritage Foundation and its senior research fellow, Robert Rector, famously released a report claiming that the legislation being considered would cost the US economy $2.6 trillion.  The study then helped sink immigration reform, and the Heritage Foundation this month tried to reprise that strategy by releasing a similar [...]
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03/20/13 Following recent debates on immigration, legalization, and citizenship sparked by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Jeb Bush, the Center for American Progress today held a panel and released a report on the economic benefits of immigration reform that creates a pathway to citizenship. Entitled “The Economic Effects of Granting Legal Status and Citizenship to Undocumented [...]
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02/26/13 Labor unions, business leaders, faith denominations, law enforcement, and conservative pundits and lawmakers have all joined a coalition of voices pushing for immigration reform this year.  The tech industry–with its particular interest in more H-1B visas for high-skilled tech workers–is coming onboard too, this week announcing a “virtual march for immigration reform” designed to pressure lawmakers [...]
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02/21/13 A major development on immigration reform today between labor and business: Today, US Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka released this joint statement of shared principles today.  Their joint statement reads: The United States will always be a nation of immigrants who have contributed greatly to the vitality, diversity, and creativity [...]
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02/07/13 Today, leaders from the AFL-CIO hosted a press call to announce their campaign for immigration reform. From the press release: Comprehensive immigration reform with a road map to citizenship is essential to all of America’s workers, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a telephone press conference today, as he an Maria Elena Durazo, chair of [...]
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01/17/13 Earlier this month, the US Chamber of Commerce announced that it was making immigration reform—with a roadmap to citizenship—a top priority this year, and today, Chamber president Tom Donohue joined faith, law enforcement, immigrant rights, and other business leaders to call on Congress to speedily pass immigration legislation. Donohue opened the press conference today by [...]
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01/10/13 Immigration reform is the #1 (non-fiscal) legislative priority this year, and everyone’s getting onboard–including business interests and the Chamber of Commerce.  From the Associated Press today: The president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the organization is joining forces with labor, faith organizations, law enforcement and ethnic groups to push for comprehensive immigration reform. [...]
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11/14/12 Over the past week, there’s been an avalanche of punditry and discussion about the new, post-election politics of immigration reform. Much of the focus has been on the Republican Party’s serious problems on the issue, caused by chronic catering to its anti-immigrant nativist wing, led by the likes of Rep. Steve King (R-IA), Rep. Lamar [...]
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10/02/12 What would happen if the United States were to grant a pathway to legal status to an estimated 2.1 million eligible youth in our country by pass­ing the DREAM Act? That’s the  focus of a new report released by the Center for American Progress and Partnership for a New American Economy. The report reveals that [...]
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07/24/12 Yesterday’s webinar revealed the results from polling national latino voters, which included negative sentiments toward Arizona’s SB 1070, unenthusiastic feelings about Mitt Romney regarding his views about SB 1070, and more trust in the democratic party when it comes to immigration. Here’s what others in the media had to say about it. According to Elise [...]
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05/22/12 Alabama and its anti-immigrant legislative vendetta have been in the news for the past few weeks. And we’re awaiting a Supreme Court decision on Arizona’s SB 1070. But we can’t forget about the other states that have passed these ugly laws — like Georgia. Writing at Huffington Post on the anniversary of the passage of Georgia’s [...]
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05/14/12 Since the early stages of the GOP primary, Mitt Romney has championed extremist immigration policies like “self-deportation,” a radical right-wing strategy that aims to purge America of the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in our country.  This policy, developed by Romney advisor Kris Kobach, has been passed into law by a handful of states.  Although [...]
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05/09/12 Yesterday, four members of the “Southern 32” appeared in New Orleans immigration court, where a judge granted them temporary relief from deportation while ICE considers their requests for prosecutorial discretion.  The judge refused to move forward with their deportation cases even though the ICE lawyer arrived in court determined to press the cases forward, despite [...]
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04/05/12 Yesterday, I had the privilege of representing America's Voice Education Fund, alongside Renata Soto of National Council of La Raza and Fred Redmond of the United Steel Workers and the AFL-CIO, at the Daimler AG shareholder meeting with more than 6,000 attendees in Berlin, Germany.
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03/14/12 Hyundai's corporate headquarters may be in Seoul, but the company has enormous influence over Alabama politicians. And, Alabama's elected officials have been more than willing to open the state's coffers to Hyundai.
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03/13/12 I'm about to board a 14 hour flight to Seoul, South Korea, where a delegation of national civil and labor rights leaders will tell Hyundai shareholders that their company's decision to brush aside requests to help repeal Alabama's anti-immigrant law is unacceptable. A few weeks ago, civil, human rights, and labor organizations sent a letter to these auto giants, and asked them to take a stand against H.B. 56. None of them have.
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03/13/12 I'm about to board a 14 hour flight to Seoul, South Korea, where a delegation of national civil and labor rights leaders will tell Hyundai shareholders that their company's decision to brush aside requests to help repeal Alabama's anti-immigrant law is unacceptable. A few weeks ago, civil, human rights, and labor organizations sent a letter to these auto giants, and asked them to take a stand against H.B. 56. None of them have.
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03/13/12 Several weeks ago we posted an update to our "Boycott Hate" campaign: how we'd asked car companies like Honda and Hyundai to join us in the fight to repeal Alabama's anti-immigrant law HB 56, and how they basically told us it wasn't their problem. As a CNN report wrote after speaking to a Hyundai spokesman, "the company does not take a position on the immigration law one way or the other."
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03/09/12 Earlier this week, we wrote about the Silicon Valley "Tech Titans" who were supporting DREAMers through E4FC.org. Today, there's another major player from the business world weighing in on the immigration issue: Howard Buffett.
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03/07/12 Some of Silicon Valley's big names are lending support to Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC.org). Via The Wall Street Journal, we get details on this major development involving a plan by some significant players from tech world to aid DREAMers.
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02/29/12 Alabama made recruiting auto manufacturers a top economic priority for the state. And, it's worked. Mercedes, Honda and Hyundai have plants in the state. Now, those car industry companies that Alabama prizes are facing pressure to join the fight against HB 56
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02/17/12 A new report released today by the Commission to Study the Impact of Immigrants in Maryland details the many ways in which immigrants of all stripes lift up Maryland's economy, and recommends steps the state should take to preserve a healthy relationship with all of its residents.
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02/13/12 The Republican Party's embrace of anti-immigrant extremism was on full display this past weekend in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Among the loudest voices was none other than that of Kris Kobach, who is an endorser and advisor to Romney on immigration issues
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02/08/12 Does anyone (besides Mitt Romney) listen to the chair of the House Judiciary Committee anymore?
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02/07/12 As the Alabama state legislature begins its new legislative session today, the costs and consequences of the state's "papers, please" anti-immigration law is the hottest political topic in the state.
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