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Wednesday, May 02, 2007
MATT.org recently previewed a series of rallies and events in May that were intended to bring the nation’s attention back to the issue of immigration. Even though the rallies were much smaller than the historic ones just one year ago, they still largely succeeded at bringing the issue back into the national news.
Posted ByAdam J. Segalat 02:47 PM| Leave a Comment
Monday, May 07, 2007
CNN news anchor Lou Dobbs, a favorite for discussions in the MATT Forums (message boards), brought his message on immigration and other hot news topics to CBS's 60 Minutes program last night.
Posted ByAdam J. Segalat 04:41 PM| Leave a Comment
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
One of the greatest shames of the recent round of immigration rallies was not the lower turnout compared to a year before, but rather the unacceptable police brutality that occured during one major event in Los Angeles a week ago. But the city, through its police chief and maor, appears to be handling the situation. The chief has publicly apologized and has punished some of the officers involved with the incident.
The Los Angeles Times reports today: "The action comes as officials attempt to quell outrage over videotaped images of LAPD officers swinging batons and firing nearly 150 'less-than-lethal' rounds at reporters and largely peaceful protesters last Tuesday." Posted ByAdam J. Segalat 03:31 PM| Leave a Comment
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
CAN SENATE DEMOCRATS JUMPSTART IMMIGRATION REFORM?
Senate Democrats held a press conference this afternoon that doubled as their own rally for immigration reform. At the event, where it was announced that action on the issue was near, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said, "We need bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens border security, reunites families, creates tough and smart workplace enforcement, and brings 12 million people out of the shadows of our society." www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/09/immigration.debate/ Rounding out the overall message, Reid said, "We believe that our immigration laws should be realistic and reflect our nation’s values. Our immigration system should make us safer while recognizing the enormous contributions that immigrants make to our nation. Posted ByAdam J. Segalat 04:19 PM| Leave a Comment
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Gloom and doom... The Chicago Tribune reports: "After months of debate, the door to a possible deal to reform the nation's immigration system seems poised to slam shut, and a top Democrat is appealing to President Bush to step in if he wants to salvage his best chance at a major second-term accomplishment."
Posted ByAdam J. Segalat 07:19 PM| Leave a Comment
Thursday, May 10, 2007
In what might be the definitive piece on the immigration debate this morning, The Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman reports, "With bipartisan talks on immigration near a standstill, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) moved yesterday to bring last year's broad overhaul of immigration laws back to the floor of the Senate next week, appealing to President Bush to save what could be his last hope for a major second-term domestic achievement."
Posted ByAdam J. Segalat 06:34 AM| Leave a Comment
Saturday, May 12, 2007
The Associated Press has a detailed report today on the latest moves in the immigration debate at the White House and on Capitol Hill. The AP’s Julie Hirschfeld Davis writes:
President Bush, promoting bipartisan immigration talks as they reach a critical stage, said Saturday that Republicans and Democrats are building consensus that could produce a bill this year. "I am optimistic we can pass a comprehensive immigration bill and get this problem solved for the American people this year," Bush said in his weekly radio address. Nicole Gaouette looks ahead in a report for the Los Angeles Times. In case you missed it, last week she wrote a report on talk radio's roll in opposing immigration reform. Here is a noteworthy article by Associated Press reporter Suzanne Gamboa about the potential for family separation as a result of proposals that might find there way into a new immigration law. Posted ByAdam J. Segalat 08:27 PM| Leave a Comment
Saturday, May 12, 2007
A two-page spread in this week's BusinessWeek magazine reports on "How Spain's open-border policy is driving an economic and social revival."
The article, by staff writer Carol Matlack, compares Spain's numbers with those for the U.S. "Over the past decade, the traditionally homogeneous country has become a sort of open-door laboratory on immigration. Spain has absorbed more than 3 million foreigners from places as diverse as Romania, Morocco, and South America. More than 11% of the country's 44 million residents are now foreign-born, one of the highest proportions in Europe. With hundreds of thousands more arriving each year, Spain could soon reach the U.S. rate of 12.9%. And it doesn't seem to have hurt much. Spain is Europe's best-performing major economy, with growth averaging 3.1% over the past five years." Economics are important issues on both sides of the U.S. immigration debate, but this article certainly helps support the argument that immigrants are good for the national economy. Posted ByAdam J. Segalat 08:34 PM| Leave a Comment
Saturday, May 12, 2007
In his Cinco de Mayo message to MATT members last week, MATT Foundation Executive Director Lionel Sosa offered the outline of MATT's approach to solving the immigration challenge and sought feedback from MATT members and the public. The message is easily summarized this way: "We are the immigration problem. We are also the solution."
As the national immigration debate heats up next week, MATT will speak out about the recommendations for solutions that have come from its members. Sosa has asked MATT members and the general public to respond to any of the points in his outline and either post comments to the MATT website or send him an e-mail directly to lsosa@matt.org. Posted ByAdam J. Segalat 09:13 PM| Leave a Comment
Monday, May 14, 2007
The big question around Capitol Hill this week is whether the Senate can bring about a bipartisan compromise on immigration reform.
The office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) tells us this evening that he postponed a vote to begin debate on an immigration bill until this Wednesday to give negotiators additional time to reach a deal. Reid wants to start the debate whether or not another alternative is available, though any compromise bill would likely become the focal point for the debate. Reid remains hopeful that the Senate can pass a bill and that it can be brought to conference with a bill he hopes the House will pass. He hopes to have final legislation to the White House so the President can sign a final bill into law before the August recess. Negotiators have been working all day to try to hammer out a deal. One sticking point: permanent residency. Posted ByAdam J. Segalat 05:50 PM| Leave a Comment |
