|
lunes, mayo 14, 2007
Ok, ok, maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves, but one issue that has come up repeatedly in meetings we have been having the past two weeks in Washington and elsewhere is this: Republicans in the U.S. Senate who supported "comprehensive" immigration reform last year may not cast their vote the same way this year.
After President Bush, Arizona Senator John McCain was the biggest name Republican senator pushing for comprehensive reform last year, but this year he's a presidential candidate and that has caused him to re-shape his contribution to the effort to resolve this controversial issue. At best Senator McCain is disengaged from the back-room politics of this issue now that he's busy campaigning, but at worst some suggest he may be avoiding the very issue he championed. Immigration reform -- at least if it means helping immigrants stay here longer or apply for citizenship -- does not appear to be a popular topic in the Republican presidential primary process. At least that's what an article due out tomorrow will suggest. Washington Post reporter Michael D. Shear pounces on this fact in a story that will run in tomorrow's paper but is online already. Shear writes: "Now, a renewed effort is underway, but this time without McCain as Kennedy's co-star. As he stumps in Iowa and New Hampshire, McCain has handed off day-to-day negotiations on immigration to his staff and to fellow Senate Republicans John Kyl (Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.). In his formal presidential announcement speech in New Hampshire last month, he made no mention of the issue." And the latest chatter is that Sen. Kyl, who ran an Hispanic outreach effort (Viva Kyl) in his re-election campaign in 2006, has his own views on immigration and uses different bargaining chips. That's not surprising but it is another indication that this year's possible debate on the issue may not end the same way it did last time. Sure it may be premature to predict the demise of reform before a floor debate has occured, but with the '08 presidential campaigning approaching presidential ambitions may impact this week's events. Escrito PorAdam J. Segala las 07:38 PM| Comentar
martes, mayo 15, 2007
The Washington Post reports Wednesday on the role Hispanic organizations are having on the immigration debate in Congress. The story is reported by Krissah Williams and Jonathan Weisman.
This might be overstated, but this is a remarkable editorial statement: "After laboring in obscurity for decades, groups such as the National Council of La Raza, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the National Immigration Forum are virtually being granted veto power over perhaps the biggest domestic issue coming before Congress this year. Organizations that represent what is now the nation’s largest minority group are beginning to achieve power commensurate with their numbers." The Post provides some of the latest news on the behind-the-scenes discussions Tuesday on Capitol Hill: "Negotiators agreed yesterday that illegal immigrants would be granted a new Z Visa, allowing legal residency for eight years. During that time, the head of an undocumented household would have to temporarily go back to the home country to apply for permanent U.S. legal status for his or her family. Holders of Z Visas would then have to pay a fine and back taxes, undergo a criminal background check, and begin to work toward citizenship. "But Republicans and Democrats were still trying to bridge a deep divide over two remaining issues: Whether 400,000 foreigners entering the country as temporary workers would have to leave the country after three years or be granted a chance to stay permanently, and how extended family ties should be weighed in granting visas to those seeking to enter the country." The Associated Press reported "compromise in sight" in this Tuesday-night report: "Senators and White House officials negotiating through the afternoon and into the evening said an elusive compromise was in sight. With details changing rapidly, it was unclear whether the talks would result in a breakthrough or a meltdown." And The Hill reports tomorrow on the latest as well; including some caution for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who is pushing hard for a debate and a vote. Los Angeles Times reports on bipartisan compromise: "With a deadline looming to craft an accord on immigration reform, a bipartisan group of senators has agreed that their final compromise should immediately grant legal status to all illegal immigrants currently in the U.S." The Washington Post published an editorial in support of fast action on immigration reform. And Rep. Luis Gutierrez called for action in an op-ed in Politico today. In an online article this afternoon, CQ quotes Sen. Ted Kennedy saying Wednesday is D-Day for immigration reform. Escrito PorAdam J. Segala las 07:15 PM| Comentar
martes, mayo 15, 2007
Robert Pear reports in Wednesday's edition of The New York Times that progress continues to be made in the effort, by 10 senators, to forge a bipartisan proposal on immigration reform.
Pear reports the following: Angela M. Kelley, deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, a pro-immigrant advocacy group, said the proposed legalization program was “very good, much better than the one in the bill passed by the Senate last year.” USA Today reports on the Bush-Kennedy connection in the immigration debate. Escrito PorAdam J. Segala las 09:39 PM| Comentar
miércoles, mayo 16, 2007 Agence France-Presse is reporting this morning that the Senate immigration will be postponed until next week: The US Senate postponed a crunch vote on a reform drive to deal with 12 million illegal immigrants, a legacy-building issue for President George W. Bush, a top senator’s spokesman said on Tuesday. The leader of the Senate’s Democratic majority Harry Reid "postponed the vote until Monday to give more time for the negotiations and dedicate the next week to immigration reform," said Federico de Jesus, a spokesman for Reid. A vote had been expected to take place Wednesday morning on a reform bill which could then be debated in the Senate, but no agreement had been reached on the reform program after talks ran on late Tuesday. Escrito PorAdam J. Segala las 05:11 AM| Comentar
miércoles, mayo 16, 2007
Much of the MATT Foundation team from across the nation spent today in San Antonio preparing for the roll-out of a series of immigration policy proposals and practical solutions.
As we emerged from our meeting it was clear the U.S. Senate is closer to announcing a new package of immigration proposals that would become the central focus of a looming floor debate. Yet some of the latest reports indicate that many Members of Congress and powerful interest groups are raising concerns about the compromise plan that is taking shape. Wall Street Journal congressional staff writer David Rogers reports tonight on significant progress among Senate negotiators on immigration reform: "The White House and Senate negotiators have narrowed their differences on immigration overhaul to a point where they hope to announce a final deal Thursday on legislation that can be brought to the Senate floor next week." And The Washington Post’s Jonathan Weisman reports tonight that the National Council of La Raza is "wildly uncomfortable" with the reported compromise. Weisman has many of the details: "Senate negotiators reached a tentative agreement yesterday on a broad overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws that would offer virtually all of the nation’s 12 million undocumented workers a route to legal status while shifting migration preferences away from the extended families of citizens toward more skilled and educated workers. "Under the tentative deal, undocumented workers who crossed into the country before Jan. 1 would be offered a temporary-residency permit, while they await a new "Z Visa" that would allow them to live and work lawfully here. The head of an illegal-immigrant household would have eight years to return to his or her home country to apply for permanent legal residence for members of the household, but each Z Visa itself would be renewable indefinitely, as long as the holder passes a criminal background check, remains fully employed and pays a $5,000 fine, plus a paperwork-processing fee." The New York Times has a similar report. Escrito PorAdam J. Segala las 07:01 PM| Comentar
jueves, mayo 17, 2007 Breaking News on Immigration The New York Times: "...out of the shadows and into the sunshine of American life." The Washington Post: "...has the support of the Bush Administration." Escrito PorAdam J. Segala las 04:21 PM| Comentar
lunes, mayo 21, 2007
In a lengthy house editorial Sunday, The New York Times ed. board summarizes the "good," the "bad" and the "awful" aspects of the compromise immigration bill that made national news last Thursday. The Times calls for the bill to be rejected in its current form:
"It is the nation’s duty to welcome immigrants, to treat them decently and give them the opportunity to assimilate. But if it does so according to the outlines of the deal being debated this week, the change will come at too high a price: The radical repudiation of generations of immigration policy, the weakening of families and the creation of a system of modern peonage within our borders." Escrito PorAdam J. Segala las 06:49 AM| Comentar
lunes, mayo 21, 2007
In the days since a bipartisan group of Senators and the White House announced a compromise on immigration reform one major theme has emerged in the news media's coverage of the proposal: nobody is happy. Whether it's anger over the border fence, the issue of family reunification, visas, new requirements for employers, there are hundreds of details that could have sweeping implications.
Certainly it took weeks and months (building on years of work) to reach this compromise, and certainly most of the important options were considered by the bipartsan group, but it is clear that there was little "outside the box" thinking, the kind of thinking MATT Foundation is hoping to bring to this difficult debate. One of the MATT proposals, the "Wall of Wealth," will be featured on MATT.org starting this morning. Back to the news coverage... Today The New York Times has a front-page story this morning on business leaders who fear this comprehensive immigration reform legislation will end up hurting business. Some of the most influential voices in support of immigration reform the past two years have come from major business organizations and corporations who believe the American economy depends upon a steady flow of immigration workers whether they are highly skilled or low-skilled. The article quotes a former staffer at the American Immigration Lawyers Association saying: “This bill does not give employers what they need, and some are pretty upset about it.” The Washington Post reports today on "Discord on the Immigration Accord." Darryl Fears reports that even though some major Hispanic groups have significant concerns, there are some, including Cecilia Muñoz of La Raza, who think there is hope for success, even though they could see it crashing: "There is a legalization path that benefits the people we've been talking about for all these years, so that's not a small thing. We have to measure the entirety of the proposal, but several things are clear: If this bill goes down now like this, then the debate is over. It's unworkable," she said. On Sunday The Post reported one concerns about the process for implementing the proposed changes in immigration law: "...many aspects of the proposal pose enormous implementation challenges, whose consequences would be felt not just by an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants but by every U.S. employer, worker and new legal immigrant in coming years." And as we've reported before, the presidential candidates in both parties are staking out positions on this issue that could affect the outcome of the Senate debate. Escrito PorAdam J. Segala las 07:23 AM| Comentar
lunes, mayo 21, 2007
The U.S. Senate delayed action on immigration until after the Memorial Day recess. The Associated Press just reported the following: "Senate leaders agreed Monday that they would wait until June to take final action on a bipartisan plan to give millions of unlawful immigrants legal status.
Escrito PorAdam J. Segala las 04:30 PM| Comentar
martes, mayo 22, 2007
Will business leaders support new comprehensive immigration reform legislation? Why are Republican presidential candidates bashing each other over amnesty for illegal immigrants and guest worker visas?
The Wall Street Journal has a cover page article this morning, by Miriam Jordan and other Journal staff, on a split among business organizations lobbying for immigration reform; "a divide over the measure among the nation's employers could undermine its chances of becoming law." A separate article today, by WSJ's June Kronholz and Sarah Lueck, reports on the potential liability businesses would face under to new proposed system. There is no doubt this is a complicated issue full of potential roadblocks, yet the media coverage has begun to reflect high uncertainty over this new proposal on immigration reform and border security. The Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman ponders the concern that the plan could be torpedoed from opponents on the right and left in an article this morning. He reports, "The Senate voted last night to move forward on an overhaul of immigration laws, but even proponents of the delicate compromise proposal conceded that the furor over the deal was surpassing their expectations and endangering the plan." His report continues with this gloomy update: "The 69 to 23 vote masked deep troubles from the right flank of the Senate, as well as from the left. Opponents of even conducting a debate on the measure included some unexpected voices, such as freshman Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Bernard Sanders, an independent liberal from Vermont. Several conservatives -- and some liberals -- made it clear that they cast a vote to proceed only in order to fundamentally change the proposed legislation in the coming days. With dozens of amendments planned, traps being laid by opponents could upset the fragile coalition that drafted the measure. What's more, Senate leaders gave up hope last night that they could pass the bill this week, ensuring it will be left hanging over a week-long Memorial Day recess. That will allow the opposition to gather strength before a final vote can be scheduled next month." Senator John McCain told reporters, quite optimistically, he believes immigration legislation could become law this year. In related news, Associated Press reporter Liz Sidoti wrote yesterday on the divide on immigration among Republican presidential candidates. She reports on Senator John McCain's attack on former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's position on the issue -- both are considered front-runners for the GOP nomination. Sidoti writes: "In a conference call with bloggers Monday, McCain took Romney to task for being against the Senate's immigration measure. Romney's campaign dismissed McCain's remarks, saying they showed a candidate on the ropes over a politically volatile issue. McCain, long a backer of a comprehensive immigration overhaul, is a co-sponsor of the measure that would meld stronger border security with a guest-worker program and an eventual path to citizenship for many of the 12 million immigrants in the country illegally. Neither the measure nor McCain's backing of it sits well with hard-line conservatives." Escrito PorAdam J. Segala las 04:51 AM| Comentar |
