US House lawmakers reach deal on immigration bill
A bipartisan group of House negotiators said Thursday it has reached an “agreement in principle” on comprehensive immigration reform legislation. “We have an agreement in principle,” Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.) said as he and five other members of the group emerged from a two-hour meeting late Thursday afternoon. Democrats confirmed the deal, and lawmakers said they would meet again next week to put the finishing touches on the legislative text. “The big hurdles are taken care of, so now it’s an issue of finalizing the draft,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said. The agreement represents a major development for one of…
Texas town becomes the tomb where unknown immigrants are buried
(Reuters) – Mounds of dirt decorated with fake flowers sit at the northern edge of the cemetery in this town about 80 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Small metal placards mark the graves of the unknown, generally by gender, while others simply say “bones” or “skull case.” It is here that more than 50 unidentified immigrants were buried after dying in heat and punishing terrain while they tried to seek new lives in the United States. As legislators in Washington debate bipartisan proposals for an immigration overhaul, Texas officials say this small town, the seat of Brooks County and…
Undocumented immigrant barred from meeting Obama fights…and wins!
As soon as he entered Manor New Tech High School on Thursday, Francisco Martinez said, the principal spotted him and took him to the last place he expected to go that day: the classroom President Barack Obama planned to visit. Martinez, an 18-year-old senior at Manor New Tech, said he was selected on Monday to be one of a few students to present their school projects to the president. However, when he told his teacher he did not have a passport and had come into the country illegally, Martinez said, he was told he could not be present. Officials would…
Video: US based lawyer Regina Njogu discusses immigration on Citizen TV
A US based Kenyan lawyer Regina Njogu sat down with the Power Breakfast crew to discuss US immigration reforms. Ms Njogu who is a resident of the Washingtonn DC area is also the founder of RNW Law Firm Regina, who received her law degree in the U.S., is a role model for many young African immigrants because of her substantial professional achievements and her support for the African community in the greater Washington, DC area. During the constitution review process, she worked closely with the Task Force on Citizenship and Related Provisions.
Senators to offer changes to immigration bill including recognizing gays
Foes and friends of reform are set to offer a slew of amendments to the mammoth immigration bill this week as the Senate Judiciary Committee begins to mark it up. But observers believe that between Democrats, who hold the majority on the committee, and the two Gang of Eight Republicans who wrote the bill, it will emerge from committee largely unscathed. “I suspect it’ll come back [from committee] with a 13-5 margin, and that’ll be a tremendous momentum going to the Senate floor,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-reform group America’s Voice. “I think it’s clear based on…
Four Additional Hurdles for Immigration Reform {with video}
Back when the Senate’s Gang of Eight was haggling over the details of its immigration-reform bill, TIME dug into four major hurdles the bill would have to clear. But now the dynamics have changed. The gang has published its proposal, and the details are now being debated in public. With the legislation now headed for mark up in the Judiciary Committee on May 9, here are four new obstacles around which supporters will have to navigate: Problem #1: Stalling tactics from the right In the Senate, conservatives opposed to the Gang of Eight’s bill have settled on a simple strategy: stall. The…
US Green Card lottery: Around 100,000 chosen from millions
WASHINGTON: Around 100,000 people were chosen from several million on Wednesday to get a head-start on a US Green Card, in what could be the last such annual lottery, slated to vanish under proposed reforms. (Read:Green Card (DV-2014) Lottery Results Check Begins May 1) Created in 1995, the lottery system leads to the awarding of 50,000 permanent residency permits each year to people from countries that send relatively few emigrants to the United States. But it has long been in the crosshairs of US Republican lawmakers, who control the House of Representatives and have included a plan to scrap it…
Green Card (DV-2014) Lottery Results Check Begins May 1
Beginning Wednesday May 1, entrants from the 2012 diversity visa (green card) lottery can check on-line at the U.S. State Department’s “Electronic Diversity Visa” Entrant Status Check (ESC) web site to see if they won. Applicants need three pieces of information from their green card lottery application: CONFIRMATION NUMBER, (Format: 2013xxxxxxxxxxxx or 2014xxxxxxxxxxxx) FAMILY NAME (Last Name), and BIRTH YEAR. Entrant Status Checking will be available from May 1, 2013 until April 30, 2014. The confirmation number was provided if you successfully entered the lottery (“DV-2014”) last fall. It is the 16-character number, similar to this: 2014lO0DZWY1DOV9. When checking…
Non-Citizens could serve on jury duty in California
SACRAMENTO, California — The California Assembly passed a bill on Thursday that would make the state the first in the nation to allow non-citizens who are in the country legally to serve on jury duty. Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, said his bill, AB1401, would help California widen the pool of prospective jurors and help integrate immigrants into the community. It does not change other criteria for being eligible to serve on a jury, such as being at least 18, living in the county that is making the summons, and being proficient in English. The bill passed 45-25 largely on a…
House GOP immigration plan conflicts with Senate measure
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee plans to introduce the first of several immigration proposals this week and says he prefers holding votes on several standalone proposals instead of one comprehensive package — a strategy that senators have warned will kill any chance of a deal this year. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who is responsible for steering immigration legislation through his chamber, plans to introduce two bills: one on a temporary agricultural guest worker program and another requiring employers to verify the status of workers by using the government’s E-Verify system. Unlike the targeted approach preferred…
