05/24/13 This Memorial Day, America’s Voice and America’s Voice Education Fund would like to take time to honor our men and women in uniform.  We’d also like to congratulate our military DREAMers, who won a big victory this week when the Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senator Blumenthal’s amendment 12, which would allow DREAMers to serve in the [...]
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05/24/13 Today, America’s Voice Education Fund and fellow immigration experts held the thirteenth in a series of weekly press briefings, or Immigration Reform “Office Hours.”  Each week, a different and diverse group of speakers shares the latest information on the players, politics, legislation and other developments in the debate in Washington and around the nation. Moderated [...]
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05/24/13 Now that the Senate Judiciary Committee has passed the Gang of 8 immigration bill out of markup, it is now in Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)’s hands, and Reid has said that he will bring the bill to a vote in June. And, Reid recently promised, “I will do everything in my power to help [...]
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05/24/13 Fox News Latino: House Republican Leaders Say They Will Not Rubber-Stamp Senate Immigration Bill Associated Press: House Immigration Group Resolves Dispute By Erica Werner CNN: House immigration plan’s near death experience By Deirdre Walsh Politico: Wild, wacky world of House immigration talks By: Jake Sherman and Seung Min Kim Reuters: U.S. House won’t follow Senate [...]
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05/23/13 More than 100 influential conservative economists today released an open letter to Congressional leadership calling for immigration reform and highlighting its economic benefits.  The letter’s signers comprised a who’s who of notable conservative economists, including Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Art Laffer, Glenn Hubbard, Ed Lazear, Larry Lindsey, June O’Neill, George Schultz and more (many of whom have served in the Bush [...]
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05/23/13 There has been a persistent myth in the immigration debate that the anti-reform side is large, powerful, and organized.  However, the 2013 immigration debate is revealing that assessment is profoundly untrue. According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice: The Senate Judiciary Committee markup confirms what we already knew – this year’s reform debate is [...]
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05/23/13 Update: He’s doing it! Tom Tancredo said that he will soon officially announce his bid for Colorado Governor. From the Denver Post: Tancredo last week indicated he is strongly considering a run for governor in 2014. As of Wednesday night, Tancredo had not filed the necessary paperwork with the secretary of state’s office. Tancredo did note, however, [...]
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05/23/13 Update: And then there’s this, from Steve King. Wow–referring to young immigrants who want to participate in their political process as “illegal aliens” to keep out. Keeping it classy, Rep. King: #Immigration: Illegal aliens in House Judiciary Committee room during hearing today. How can we secure border if we can’t secure our room? — Steve [...]
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05/23/13 Bloomberg: Reid Says Immigration Measure to Come to Senate Floor in June By Heidi Przybyla and Kathleen Hunter OUTLOOK New York Times: Allies of Immigration Bill Aim for Added Support By Ashley Parker and Julia Preston Bloomberg: Immigration Reform Brightens After Senate Vote By Elizabeth Dwoskin U.S. News and World Report: Immigration Reform Proponents Optimistic [...]
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05/22/13 Yesterday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) spent the last day of markup pushing changes to the immigration bill like his amendment 3, which would have barred all undocumented immigrants from ever being able to gain citizenship.  Today, immigration reform advocates and their allies swarmed Cruz’s office in DC to denounce his stand against citizenship—and his eventual [...]
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05/22/13 The following is a press release from the Alliance for Citizenship: Leaders from the Alliance for Citizenship, a national campaign working with hundreds of groups across the country to pass comprehensive immigration reform with a direct and inclusive path to citizenship, previewed the next steps to advance S. 744: Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration [...]
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05/22/13 Conservative commentator Bill Kristol was on Laura Ingraham’s radio show yesterday (and it does seem like Ingraham’s show has become the gathering spot for the dwindling anti-immigrant movement), where he implored Marco Rubio to walk way from immigration reform negotiations because “Jeff Sessions is winning the debate.”    Here’s a recap of what Kristol said: I [...]
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05/22/13 A coalition of technology’s brightest entrepreneurs is holding the March for Innovation today, a bipartisan virtual march calling for immigration reform that works for America’s future. As the #iMarch’s website states: The March for Innovation, together with thousands of supporters at every level, from grassroots supporters to tech leaders, companies and organizations, is a virtual [...]
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05/22/13 Last night, the immigration reform world cheered as the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Gang of 8 immigration reform bill out of markup on a 13-5 bipartisan vote.  As our own executive director Frank Sharry said: Today immigration reform took a giant step forward.  The Gang of Eight bill is a carefully balanced piece of [...]
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05/22/13 National Journal: First Hurdle Cleared in Immigration, but Bigger Ones Remain By Fawn Johnson Bloomberg: Senate Panel Advances U.S. Immigration Bill With Hatch’s Changes By Heidi Przybyla and Kathleen Hunter Reuters: Senate panel passes immigration bill; Obama praises move By Rachelle Younglai and Caren Bohan NBC Latino: Senate committee votes “yes” on comprehensive immigration reform, [...]
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05/21/13 Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the immigration legislation by a bipartisan vote (13-5).  The vote concludes the committee markup process in the Senate and signifies the clearing of the first official legislative hurdle for immigration reform’s passage in 2013 (see here for a list of “good and bad” amendments added to the Senate bill [...]
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05/21/13 Below is a press statement from the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, about President Obama’s meeting with DREAMers and their families today: Families part of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement Share Personal Stories of Broken Immigration System and the Impact on Their Lives (WASHINGTON) – This morning, President Obama and Vice President Biden met with seven [...]
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05/21/13 A cross-post by DREAMer Eric Balderas, initially posted at the Hill: I have much in common with my home state’s junior senator, Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Like Cruz, I was not born in the U.S. Like Cruz, I moved to Texas at the age of 4 and grew up pledging allegiance to the American flag. Like [...]
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05/21/13 Today is the last day of markup in the Senate Judiciary Committee–and advocates from around the country have been pumped up waiting for the Senators to pass the immigration bill out of committee.  Below is a picture of some of the advocates in the hearing room–DREAMers, moms, dads, union supporters, business interests, faith leaders, immigrants, [...]
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05/21/13 Update: Cruz 3 has just been rejected on a 5-13 vote. Senators supporting a permanent, second-class status: Sessions, Lee, Grassley, Cruz, Cornyn. Right now the Senate Judiciary Committee (#CIRmarkup) is considering Sen. Ted Cruz’s amendment 3, one of the worst amendments that has been proposed to the Senate Gang of 8 immigration bill.  Cruz seems [...]
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05/21/13 Having worked through a majority of its amendments, the Senate Judiciary Committee is in the final stages of marking up the bipartisan immigration reform bill.  According to Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who led the process thoughtfully and fairly, the markup is likely to finish today. The biggest takeaway?  Although some call the path [...]
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05/21/13 Watch live-stream here. Here’s what happened today in the Senate Judiciary Committee markup, from the Senate Judiciary Committee majority staff: Day Five Recap: Committee Concludes Consideration of Immigration Reform Bill The Senate Judiciary Committee today completed consideration of S.744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.  The immigration reform bill will make the [...]
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05/21/13 The rest of the world is learning something we’ve known for awhile: Alabama Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions is extremely and obsessively anti-immigrant. And his behavior being noticed.  During the mark-up of the Senate’s “Gang of 8″ bill, Sessions has stood out – often on his own. Dana Milbank at the Washington Post wrote: Not since [...]
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05/21/13 Last week, more than 140 civil and immigrant rights organizations signed a letter asking the Senate Judiciary Committee to PROTECT and EXTEND the path to citizenship they are currently debating in markup. As the letter states: Allowing the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country to become citizens after meeting appropriate requirements will make America stronger. It [...]
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05/21/13 The Hill: Senate Democrats work to woo Cornyn, Hatch on immigration reform By Alexander Bolton NBC Latino: Singular focus on scandals can doom both parties By Sandra Lilley PolicyMic: Immigration Reform 2013: Slowed Down By IRS, AP, Benghazi Scandals? By Taylor Hom SENATE MARKUP RECAP & PREVIEW OF TODAY Associated Press: Judiciary Committee nearing final [...]
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05/20/13 Watch live-stream here. And follow the conversation on Twitter at #CIRMarkup. 9:15 PM: the following is a press release from the Senate Judiciary Committee majority staff: Day Four Recap: More Than 165 Amendments Considered to Immigration Bill The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday continued consideration of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.  The [...]
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05/20/13 If you think the Senate Judiciary Committee’s markup of the Gang of 8 bill has been intense so far, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. As the SJC moves into Titles II and III of the bill—which cover everything from E-Verify to detention policy to family immigration to agricultural workers, not to mention the path to [...]
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