04/11/11 Rep. Elton Gallegly is the most important California Member of Congress dealing with immigration that you've never heard of. But if his hard-line views become law, he could ruin the state's economy – and his party's prospects with Latino voters.
Read More »

04/05/11 A recent hearing on the H-1B work-visa program also made it clear that while Reps. Smith, Gallegly, and King have never met an undocumented dishwasher or field hand they liked, they recognize the vital role of high-skilled immigration to the United States.
Read More »

04/05/11 A group of 270 farmers and businessmen from Georgia's agricultural and landscaping industries delivered a letter to state lawmakers yesterday asking them to reconsider the economic consequences of a proposed immigration bill.
Read More »

03/28/11 Ahead of the one-year anniversary of SB 1070, the Center for American Progress released a new report entitled "A Rising Tide or a Shrinking Pie: The Economic Impact of Legalization Versus Deportation," analyzing what would happen if SB 1070 were carried out to its full intended effect and every single undocumented immigrant was purged from Arizona, and would happen if the state instead decided to legalize all of its undocumented.
Read More »

03/16/11 The claim by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA), the chair of the House Immigration Subcommittee, that he is focused on "illegal" immigration was disabused at his latest hearing. Instead, the Chairman pitted native-born workers against foreign-born workers (plenty of whom are citizens). We also learned something about the GOP's jobs agenda. After all of that time waiting to hear about something even slightly related to that subject from Republican leaders, we found out that it revolves around Elton Gallegly's (R-CA) grandchildren.
Read More »

02/09/11 For those of you who don't know, E-Verify is part of a Republicans' strategy of expelling 11 million undocumented immigrants and their families from the country. However, if the program worked as Reps. Smith, Gallegly, and King hope, the GOP would essentially be deporting the entire U.S. agriculture industry and send more of our nation's food supply—and jobs--overseas.
Read More »

01/27/11 Yesterday, the Immigration Subcommittee (of the House Judiciary Committee), which is led by notoriously anti-immigrant members of Congress -- Lamar Smith (R-TX), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), and Steve King (R-IA) -- held their first immigration hearing since Republicans took control of the House.
Read More »

01/27/11 The Spanish-language press reports today that Republicans' response to President Barack Obama's request to cooperate to pass immigration reform was a hearing during which they advocated enforcement-only policies with no solution but deportation for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
Read More »

01/12/11 The Immigration Policy Center has released a comprehensive new guide to responding to the controversial Arizona-style immigration laws already popping up in states like Florida and Texas.
Read More »

12/07/10 Today, a group of DREAM act youth and supporters arrived on Capitol Hill with giant checks to give out to lawmakers. Based on the Congressional Budget Office's report late last week, passing the DREAM Act would create $2.3 billion over the next 10 years in revenue and slash the deficit by $1.4 billion.
Read More »

12/02/10 This just in -- a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate of the DREAM Act shows that the legislation would increase revenues by $2.3 billion in the 2011-2020 period. After accounting for spending: CBO and JCT estimate that enacting the bill would reduce deficits by about $1.4 billion over the 2011-2010 period. More analysis soon, but here is the full CBO report:
Read More »

10/29/10 A new investigative journalism report from National Public Radio adds a shocking element to the already-disturbing story of Arizona's controversial "papers please" immigration law. It turns out the only ones truly profiting from SB 1070 are a vast network of prison contracting companies and the politicians they fund, whose concern for their bottom line and political careers trumps the U.S. Constitution as well as the economy and reputation of their state.
Read More »

09/27/10 Via Huffington Post's Amanda Terkel, Florida's Independent Senate candidate Charlie Crist says immigration reform is key to keeping social security solvent: "Studies show that 11-14 million people are in the country as non-citizens, and if we are willing to have a thoughtful, reasonable pathway to citizenship -- earning citizenship -- then those 11-14 million people can become productive, participating members of the American economy, paying the payroll taxes, helping Social Security going forward, and making America stronger financially..."
Read More »

09/24/10 You've gotta watch this. Via Huffington Post, updates from Stephen Colbert's appearance at a Subcommittee Hearing on Immigration today.
Read More »

09/03/10 A new study about the effects of immigration on U.S. employment supports the long-standing arguments of immigration advocates: Rather than displacing American workers, immigrant labor actually makes our economy stronger. Kevin Drum has the details at Mother Jones.
Read More »

07/16/10 What does Arizona law SB 1070 have to do with the lettuce crop in Yuma? At first glance, not a lot. But when the harvest season for lettuce and other vegetables comes around in November, that could change. If SB 1070 is implemented, many farmworkers without legal immigration status—or with it—could decide not to go to Arizona out of fear, causing growers to face a shortage of field hands. This, in turn, would affect the amount of vegetables that can be harvested, and ultimately their prices to consumers.
Read More »

07/13/10 Today in the Spanish-language press, actions in support of the DREAM Act heat up across the country, while Arizona business owners have more backbone than Democratic governors in standing up to Arizona's SB 1070. Meanwhile, hate crimes in Staten Island, NY have immigrants afraid to walk the streets, and the Mexican consulate is getting involved.
Read More »

07/09/10 That's right, you heard me. Stephen Colbert has accepted the United Farm Workers' creative challenge to Americans of all stripes to head out to the fields and try their hands at picking fruit, if they want their danged jobs back so badly.
Read More »

07/09/10 Various outlets in the Spanish-language press cover a new report from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) documenting how many students would be eligible for temporary legal status under the DREAM Act, and how many of those would be likely to fill the requirements for citizenship. Meanwhile, the United Farm Workers' "Take Our Jobs" campaign makes it on the Colbert Report, and Arizona is saving up for the legal battle over SB 1070.
Read More »

07/02/10 Governor Jan Brewers claim last week that immigrants in Arizona are cutting peoples heads off could cost the people of Arizona $250,000 in lost tourism. A report released Wednesday by the Governor's Tourism and Economic Development Task Force found that public funding was needed to convince tourists and convention-goers that, despite Governor Jan Brewer claims, it is safe to come to Arizona.
Read More »

06/24/10 That's right, the UFW has commenced what they are calling the "Take Our Jobs" campaign, an unprecedented effort to bring attention to the real issues of immigration in agriculture. If it turns out that Americans do take them up on the offer, kudos to them for helping jobless Americans find work and gain skills. If native-born Americans don't take them up on the offer, lawmakers will have a hard time opposing AgJobs legislation with the claim that immigrants are "stealing American jobs."
Read More »

06/17/10 Today, the Spanish-Language press reports on Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) priorities for 2010-2014. At the same time, ICE is looking to improve their immigration detention centers; Farmworker Justice and Oxfam release a report that shows farmworkers are still being exploited.
Read More »

06/14/10 "The immigration law creates a difficult situation for both legal and illegal residents," said Jay Butler, director of realty studies at Arizona State University. "Some illegal residents may have planned on leaving the Valley anyway because they can't find jobs. But I have talked to young Hispanics who are residents and so are their parents and grandparents. And those Hispanics plan on moving to other states because they don't want to be perceived as second-class citizens."
Read More »

06/08/10 The Spanish-language press reports on a Gallup poll showing that President Barack Obama is growing less popular with Hispanic voters. A study on immigration and the economy, a press conference on immigration and crime, and primary elections in California also grab headlines.
Read More »

04/27/10 The Spanish-language press continues to write editorials and op-ed columns attacking the newly-passed Arizona state law SB 1070, which criminalizes undocumented immigrants, joining the outcry of the international community. Other outlets explore the economic impact of the law on the state.
Read More »

04/26/10 Phoenix Mayor, Phil Gordon, and Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, are condemning Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's move on Friday to sign the controversial SB 1070 into law. Gordon's primary focus is on the adverse implications this bill will have on community safety. By diverting police attention from capturing dangerous criminals to rounding up immigrants (and Latinos who leave their wallets at home), this bill has the alarming ability to alienate a population that would otherwise be helpful in reporting and reducing real crime.
Read More »

04/16/10 As the Spanish-language press continues to express alarm at the possibility that Arizona will criminalize undocumented immigrants, an ICE raid in that state also makes a splash; and El Diario calls out New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for failing to put his money where his mouth is on immigration reform.
Read More »