Immigration Reform: Who Could Be Left Out?
Mee Moua’s family came to the United States in 1978 after fleeing Laos four years earlier and relocating to a refugee camp in Thailand. Her father planned to bring his brother and father over as soon as he was economically secure, but he had trouble finding a steady job as a new immigrant. When he finally did get work, it was too late — his brother and father had already passed away. Now the president and executive director of Asian American Justice Center, Moua sees her family experience as similar to that of many Asian families today who are separated…
Leaked draft bill: Obama immigration plan calls for 8 year path to permanent residency
WASHINGTON — A draft of a White House immigration proposal obtained by USA TODAY would allow illegal immigrants to become legal permanent residents within eight years. The plan also would provide for more security funding and require business owners to check the immigration status of new hires within four years. In addition, the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants could apply for a newly created “Lawful Prospective Immigrant” visa, under the draft bill being written by the White House. If approved, they could then apply for the same provisional legal status for their spouse or children living outside the country, according to…
The difference between Obama’s immigration plan and the Senate plan
President Barack Obama laid out his plan for comprehensive immigration reform Tuesday that largely mirrored an immigration proposal unveiled by a bipartisan group of senators a day earlier – with some important differences. Both plans agree on the same four core principles for comprehensive immigration reform: strengthening border security, create an employee verification system, a pathway to citizenship, and fixing the legal immigration system. But here is how they differ: Pathway to Citizenship The most striking difference between them is how to get an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the United States on the pathway to citizenship. The…
Obama unveils his own proposal for immigration reform
LAS VEGAS — Declaring that America’s immigration system is broken, President Obama on Tuesday called for a process to allow millions of illegal immigrants in the country to apply for citizenship, and he warned that he would send his own bill to Congress if lawmakers deadlock on a new Senate proposal. In his first trip outside Washington since beginning his second term, Obama added to momentum on Capitol Hill in favor of an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, setting forth the principles for a top second-term priority — and perhaps the one most likely to be accomplished. “We need…
Obama To Make Major Immigration Moves Next Week
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama announced after a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday that he will lay out some of his plans for immigration reform on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Members of the caucus who were present at the meeting said Obama assured them that he shares the group’s basic beliefs about immigration reform, most notably that making a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants — which some Republicans oppose — is an absolute must as they push for legislation. “The President was pleased to hear from CHC members and noted that they share the same vision,…
Possible major announcement on Immigration on Friday as Senators nearing agreement on reform
A working group of senators from both parties is nearing agreement on broad principles for overhauling the nation’s immigration laws, representing the most substantive bipartisan effort toward comprehensive legislation in years. The six members have met quietly since the November election, most recently on Wednesday. Congressional aides stressed there is not yet final agreement, but they have eyed next Friday as a target date for a possible public announcement. The talks mark the most in-depth negotiations involving members of both parties since a similar effort broke down in 2010 without producing a bill. “We have basic agreement on many of…
Canada launches new visa program to woo start-up businesses
TORONTO – A new program designed to lure start-up companies and entrepreneurs to Canada will launch in April. The start-up visa will be limited to those who already have the backing of a venture capital firm in Canada. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says it’s aimed at enticing the best and brightest minds around the world to start new businesses in Canada. The government will grant a maximum of 2,750 visas a year for each of the five years of the pilot program. But Kenney says he only expects to see a few hundred people come through the program in the…
Obama Will Seek Citizenship Path For Illegal Immigrants in One Fast Push
¶WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to push Congress to move quickly in the coming months on an ambitious overhaul of the immigration system that would include a path to citizenship for most of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country, senior administration officials and lawmakers said last week. ¶Mr. Obama and Senate Democrats will propose the changes in one comprehensive bill, the officials said, resisting efforts by some Republicans to break the overhaul into smaller pieces — separately addressing young illegal immigrants, migrant farmworkers or highly skilled foreigners — which might be easier for reluctant members of their party to accept. ¶The president…
Little known jail where immigrants in US with no criminal history get lengthy stays
DEERFIELD BEACH — Hundreds of men and women who have committed minor offenses, such as driving without a license, or no apparent crime at all, are locked up for weeks and months in a little-known central Broward County facility run by a private company. They are immigrants, accused of entering the country without legal authorization or staying longer than permitted. Their treatment — at the hands of the federal government and the Boca Raton-based firm hired to keep them at the 700-bed Broward Transitional Center — has become a growing controversy since July, when a detainee went on hunger strike…
