01/15/09 Just last week, Senator Ensign stated: "We have to reach out to Hispanics. " Rather than lend a helping hand to children in need, however, Senator Ensign had scathing remarks for immigrants in today's SCHIP debate. Via the AP: "We are giving more incentives to folks to come to the United States [...] to get on the government dole." Here's a tip for Sen. Ensign when he goes on his Hispanic outreach tour: you might want to start with not demonizing their children.
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01/15/09 Governor Napolitano knows that ending illegal immigration will only be possible if Congress enacts common-sense comprehensive immigration reform, but at today's confirmation hearing she missed a golden opportunity to make the case. This is disappointing because, for years, she has been a vocal leader pressuring Washington to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill. As DHS Secretary, she has the opportunity-and the obligation-to use her new position to help lead that effort. But until she does, she loses BFF status.
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01/15/09 As a border-state Governor, Janet Napolitano knows that ending illegal immigration will only be possible by enacting common-sense, comprehensive immigration reform. She gets that the best way to replace the chaos of illegal immigration with an orderly, legal system is to combine: 1) effective border enforcement; 2) a smart and tough crackdown on bad actor employers; 3) earned legalization and citizenship for those here without papers; and 4) a modernized family and employment-based legal immigration system.
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01/14/09 The swift, decisive re-authorization of a health care bill aimed at America's poorest kids, including lawfully present immigrant children, was a clear victory today in the U.S. House. The Senate would be wise to follow the House's lead- especially that of Speaker of the House Pelosi (D-CA), Congressman Becerra (D-CA), and Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R - FL)- in moving forward similar legislation that includes immigrant children.
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01/13/09 This week the House is will vote on reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and the Senate Finance Committee will take up much-needed companion legislation to help more Latino and immigrant children access health care. Besides being the right thing to do, and even the fiscally responsible thing to do, this legislation will be a watershed moment for the GOP. The Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) bill would eliminate the five year wait legal immigrant children must currently endure before qualifying for health coverage. Republicans now face a unique opportunity to challenge the perception that they are anti-immigrant by passing it.
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01/12/09 Bush's concession at a final press conference today that Republicans came off as anti-immigrant follows comments last week where he cited not fighting for immigration reform earlier as his biggest regret in office (Not ongoing war in Iraq, not his response to Katrina...). When even George gets that his party must change course or be relegated to (ahem) minority status forever, that "Republicans don't like immigrants" is a death wish for the GOP, you have to wonder how the immigration hardliners forge on.
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01/09/09 We at America's Voice have to confess, we're a little giddy when we look around. Why? The signs of the times point decisively to comprehensive immigration reform getting ready to move, and soon. Just what are they? In addition to the growing power of the Latino vote and swing voters' demonstrated desire to see real solutions on immigrations, we've compiled the top seven signs that reform is almost here.
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01/07/09 In "Bush legacy: 'At least we tried doesn't cut it, " Gebe Martinez argues, "Like Bush, Obama is committed to an immigration measure that combines enforcement with earned legalization for illegal immigrants in the country. But as his predecessor proved, Obama cannot wait and turn to immigration after his political capital has run out. And he has to maintain the tone, not react to the rhetoric." We will need to remind the administration again and again that for key swing voters and Latino citizens concerned about immigration, 'almost' just ain't gonna cut it come 2012.
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12/26/08 For many, hope is the word this holiday. On the topic of immigration reform, the New York Times chimes in: It's way too early to tell whether the United States under President-elect Barack Obama will restore realism, sanity and lawfulness to its immigration system. But it's never too early to hope, and the stars seem to be lining up, at least among his cabinet nominees.On that note, happy and hopeful holidays to all!
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12/22/08 What’s more absurd than not blaming the GOP for killing immigration reform? Putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop, as it were: giving employers free reign to treat their workers as they will. Immigration reform that’s got a chance must be good for US workers, immigrant workers, and the economy. We needn’t choose between worker protections and real immigration reform, but we do need to separate fantasy from reality.
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12/19/08 Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL) is the grandson of Lebanese immigrants and has been a co-sponsor of several immigration reform measures. Originally set to retire after his seventh term representing Illinois' 18th District, Ray LaHood has a firm history of bipartisanship. The Congressman co-sponsored comprehensive immigration reform legislation, and his pick is just another appointment that bodes well for getting a real reform passed in the new administration.
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12/19/08 He has long railed against the Constitution, which holds that all babies born in America are U.S. citizens. Borrowing a line from the Minutemen’s playbook, he calls these children “anchor babies,” not Americans, and seeks to get their citizenship�along with the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution�revoked. But trying to anchor an election in bashing undocumented immigrants? That’s one boat that didn’t float this election.
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12/18/08 Today's Associated Press announcement that Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) is the President-elect's pick to head the Department of Labor is an exciting development for all workers in our country. Not only has Solis been a long-time labor advocate, she has stood firm for immigration policy that makes our nation stronger. She has also been a leader on the issue of immigrant detentions and the ill-conceived Bush administration raids.
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12/18/08 As the Washington Post reported yesterday, citizenship delays likely prohibited thousands of immigrants from voting in this historic election. Immigrants already have to struggle with enough obstacles in the citizenship process: high fees, long waits, tougher tests among them. Now it turns out they have to deal with federal courts that won't swear them in on a timely basis. It's time for the courts to make naturalization a real priority.
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12/15/08 On Election Day, the American people hired leaders they believe will tackle and solve tough problems. They fired politicians who cover up inaction and ineffectiveness with slick sound bites and punchy slogans. The public wants action �- and results � on a range of tough issues. Of course, economic recovery is job number one, but the public demand for action on illegal immigration has been underestimated for too long.
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12/11/08 No not really, but the Washington Post is reporting that Department of Homeland Security Head Michael Chertoff has had undocumented workers cleaning his home for over four years. Coupled with last week's announcement that a high-ranking New England Border Patrol official had undocumented workers cleaning her home, hypocrisy at DHS now seems to be the rule, rather than the exception.
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12/09/08 So, as Tancredo touts his accomplishments during his 10-year career in the House of Representatives, let's not forget the damage that his demagoguery has done to the Republican Party. Not to mention immigrant workers and families, Hispanics, and all attempts to pass sensible immigration reform in the last decade. It's a relief to know that, even for the Republican Party, his immigration views were too extreme.
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12/08/08 Latino, Asian, and New American voter turnout was at an all-time high in 2008. The power of these voters is now undeniable, and immigrant-bashing has become a losing campaign strategy. All signs indicate that the incoming administration and Congress will tackle immigration reform, and that the leadership of the Republican Party is rethinking its position on the issue.
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12/05/08 Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, had a thorough piece in today's Chicago Tribune on just what derailed the GOP this election. "As the Republican Party surveys its post-election train wreck, the pain must be even greater knowing that, with Hispanic voters, the GOP drove itself off the track." The GOP immigration wedge strategy became a serious liability for the Republican Party at every level of the electoral contest this year. With the addition of latest anti-immigrant campaigner, Virgil Goode, our post-election analysis now shows 20 of 22 battleground races we tracked favoring candidates who took a more comprehensive approach on immigration. How many did hardliners win? Two.
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12/03/08 Did Dan Stein, president of the recognized hate group FAIR, miss the fact that 15 of his anti-immigrant allies in the House of Representatives just got booted out? Well yesterday Kevin Appleby, of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, stepped in to expose his shoddy analysis in a letter to the editor. He conjures a striking visual of the Stein op-ed: If I had to draw it, his article would look like an ostrich with its head in the sand.
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12/02/08 Today's Wall Street Journal blog featured our Immigration08.com election analysis in a post entitled, "More Immigration Losers." The byline? GOP hardliners need to face reality. "Virginia Republican Congressman Virgil Goode's narrow loss to Democrat Tom Perriello became official last week, and it caps another bad showing for immigration restrictionists. For the second straight election, incumbent Republicans who attempted to turn illegal immigration into a wedge issue fared poorly."
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12/02/08 Sen. Martinez has been one of the courageous Republican leaders speaking out on the divisive immigration rhetoric employed by his party. Will Sen. Martinez feel more freedom to speak up on immigration, now that a looming re-election is out of the picture? Nothing's certain, but it is safe to say that the GOP's moderate base on immigration is an endangered species worth preserving.
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12/01/08 Today, President-Elect Barack Obama appointed Governor Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) to Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security is charged with protecting the U.S. from terrorism and responding to natural disasters, among other duties. Last week, America's Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry wrote about some of the problems that have plagued the Department's immigration agency.
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11/24/08 Today Media Matters has a post slamming political commentator Dick Morris for failure disclose major contributions that could have led him to provide the National Republican Trust PAC with free publicity during the election. Last month, one of their ads was designated, "one of the sleaziest false TV ads of the campaign," according to Factcheck.org, a site that combs through ads to determine their validity. It conflated the 9/11 terrorists with undocumented men and women working in this country.
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11/24/08 In an interview published in Gannet News Service over the weekend, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke candidly of plans to both address and pass immigration reform legislation in the 111th Congress. Reid told Gannett News, "On immigration, there's been an agreement between (President-elect Barack) Obama and (Arizona Republican Sen. John) McCain to move forward on that. ... We'll do that."
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11/21/08 First things first, kudos to the President-elect on his likely pick for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). If Napolitano's likely appointment to Secretary of Homeland Security is anything, it is a welcome departure from business as usual at DHS. It is a chance for a courageous leader to restore dignity to a highly politicized agency that has spiraled out of control.
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11/18/08 On yesterday's NPR Morning Edition, reporter Jennifer Ludden took a few moments to turn conventional wisdom on immigration on its head. She cut to America's Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry: "What the election showed is that the conventional wisdom on why immigration reform is too hot to handle is wrong." Ludden went on to analyze how the economic downturn could affect prospects of passing immigration reform...
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