Below is a fact sheet prepared by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), discussing the benefits of the DREAM Act and the Student Adjustment Act. More information is available at the Dream Activist website (http://www.dreamactivist.org/)
NATIONAL IMMIGRATION LAW CENTER
The Economic Benefits of the DREAM Act and the Student Adjustment Act
February 2005
■ Introduction
The DREAM Act (Student Adjustment Act in the House) is bipartisan legislation pending in
Congress to clear up the immigration status of and address federal barriers to education and workconfronted by the U.S.-raised children of undocumented immigrants.
Under current law, about 65,000 students graduate from American high schools each year
who have been in the United States more than 5 years but who face limited prospects for
completing their education or working legally in the U.S. because they were originally brought
here by parents lacking immigration status. Among those prevented from working legally or
completing their education are valedictorians, honors students, award winners, homecoming
queens, class presidents, and other student leaders.
These young people deserve a fresh start, both in fairness to them and in our own selfinterest.
The pending legislation would address the issue in two ways:
• by providing a mechanism for certain long-term resident immigrant students with good
moral character to apply for legal residency so that they can work and otherwise fully
participate in their communities; and
• by deleting a federal provision that interferes with a state’s right to determine whether these
students qualify as “residents” for purposes of in-state tuition or other state education
benefits.
■ Impact on the Economy
REDUCED DROPOUT RATES
The DREAM Act would reduce the dropout rate of immigrant students. Foreign-born
students represent a significant and growing percentage of the current student population. The
proportion of foreign-born students in grades 6-12 increased from 1.7 to 5.7 percent from 1970
to 1995.
The children of undocumented immigrants are far more likely to drop out of high school than
are students who were born in the U.S. Immigration status and the associated barriers to higher
education contribute to this high dropout rate, which costs taxpayers and the economy billions of
dollars each year. The DREAM Act would eliminate these barriers for thousands of students.
Beyond eliminating barriers, the DREAM Act’s high school graduation requirement would
provide a powerful incentive for students who have not yet achieved legal residency to remain in
school until graduation. The impact of such a requirement for legal residency is impossible to
quantify, but would likely be huge.
INCREASED INCOME AND POSITIVE FISCAL IMPACT
Because the DREAM Act would lead more immigrants to graduate from high school and
college, it would also increase tax revenues and reduce government expenses. This positive fiscal
impact is likely to be quite large. For example, based on estimates in a 1999 RAND study, an
average 30-year-old Mexican immigrant woman who has graduated from college will pay $5,300 more in taxes and cost $3,900 less in criminal justice and welfare expenses each year than if she had dropped out of high school. This amounts to a total annual increased fiscal contribution of more than $9,000 per person.
The increased fiscal contribution would repay the required educational investment within a
few years and thereafter would provide a profit to taxpayers for several decades.
Some of those helped by the DREAM Act would be encouraged to graduate from high school
but would not go on to college. These, too, would greatly increase their fiscal contribution in the
years and decades to come. Almost half, or about $4,200, of the annual increased contribution of
the average 30-year-old Mexican immigrant woman discussed above is due to high school
graduation. The rest is attributable to the effects of college attendance and graduation.
Beyond fiscal impact, the DREAM Act would benefit the economy by significantly
increasing the income of affected immigrants, thereby stimulating spending and investment.
Again using numbers from the RAND study cited above, the average Mexican immigrant woman
who graduates from college as a result of the DREAM Act instead of dropping out would likely
increase her pretax income at age 30 by more than $13,500 per year.
All of these calculations are based solely on the educational advancements that the DREAM
Act would make possible. The income and fiscal contribution of DREAM Act students would
increase an additional amount due to their newly legalized immigration status and consequent
ability to work legally. Studies of the 1986 Reagan-era legalization program showed a dramatic
improvement in income for the newly legalized population. The cumulative impact of the
DREAM Act on the economy could amount to hundreds of billions of dollars.
A LEGAL WORKFORCE
The impact of the DREAM Act would not be limited to increased earnings, tax revenues, and
social services savings. Freeing thousands of young immigrants to join the legal workforce
would also help business and the economy fill crucial needs.
Under current law, most children of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S.
by their parents are unable to complete their education and are forced to work illegally in the cash economy. Many settle for work as domestic servants, day laborers, ambulatory sellers, and
sweatshop factory workers.
The DREAM Act would make tens of thousands of these young people eligible for work
authorization and Social Security numbers, allowing them to participate above-board in the
regular workforce. Once legalized, DREAM Act beneficiaries would be in a position to help fill
some chronic long-term labor needs that economists predict will threaten our economy if not
addressed in coming decades, including those for teachers, nurses, and service employees.
REWARD CHARACTER
Finally, the DREAM Act is good for the economy because it rewards character. These young
people had no say in the decision that resulted in their coming to the U.S., and it is inefficient as
well as wrong for the government to keep them from the achievements that they can earn by their own talent and hard work in the land where they were raised.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
New Council on Foreign Relations Report on Immigration Reform: US Immigration Policy
The Council on Foreign Relations has just issued a new report on immigration reform. The study, "US Immigration Policy", was developed by an independent task force chaired by Jeb Bush and Thomas F. McLarty III.
Below is an overview of the study:
Overview
“The continued failure to devise and implement a sound and sustainable immigration policy threatens to weaken America’s economy, to jeopardize its diplomacy, and to imperil its national security,” concludes a new Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Independent Task Force co-chaired by former Florida governor Jeb Bush and former White House chief of staff Thomas “Mack” McLarty.
“The stakes are too high to fail,” says the report. “If the United States continues to mishandle its immigration policy, it will damage one of the vital underpinnings of American prosperity and security, and could condemn the country to a long, slow decline in its status in the world.” For this reason, the report urges: “The United States needs a fundamental overhaul of its immigration laws.”
U.S. Immigration Policy contends that America has reaped tremendous benefits from opening its doors to immigrants, as well as to students, skilled employees and others who may only live in the country for shorter periods of time. But it warns that “the continued inability of the United States to develop and enforce a workable system of immigration laws threatens to undermine these achievements.”
Directed by CFR Senior Fellow Edward Alden, the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. Immigration Policy reflects the consensus of a bipartisan group of eminent leaders in the fields of immigration policy, homeland security, education, labor, business, academia and human rights. The group urges Congress and the Obama administration to move ahead with immigration reform legislation that achieves three critical goals:
- Reforms the legal immigration system so that it operates more efficiently, responds more accurately to labor market needs, and enhances U.S. competitiveness;
- Restores the integrity of immigration laws through an enforcement regime that strongly discourages employers and employees from operating outside that legal system, secures America’s borders, and levies significant penalties against those who violate the rules;
- Offers a fair, humane, and orderly way to allow many of the roughly twelve million migrants currently living illegally in the United States to earn the right to remain legally.
According to the report, the high level of illegal immigration in the country is increasingly damaging to U.S. national interests—“[it] diminishes respect for the law, creates potential security risks, weakens labor rights, strains U.S. relations with its Mexican neighbor, and unfairly burdens public education and social services in many states.”
But it contends that “no enforcement effort will succeed properly unless the legal channels for coming to the United States can be made to work better.” Therefore, “the U.S. government must invest in creating a working immigration system that alleviates long and counterproductive backlogs and delays, and ensures that whatever laws are enacted by Congress are enforced thoroughly and effectively.”
The Task Force lays out a series of concrete, realistic recommendations for legislation and administrative reforms that would be part of an immigration policy that better serves America’s national interests:
- Comprehensive immigration reform: A new effort to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill should be a first-tier priority for the Obama administration and Congress, and should be started without delay.
- Attracting skilled immigrants: The United States must tackle head-on the growing competition for skilled immigrants from other countries, and make the goal of attracting such immigrants a central component of its immigration policy. The report urges an end to the hard caps on employment-based immigrant visas and skilled work visas in favor of a more flexible system, the elimination of strict nationality quotas, and new opportunities for foreign students earning advanced degrees to remain in the United States after they graduate.
- National security: The Task Force calls for minimizing visa restrictions that impede scientific collaboration, noting that America’s long-term security depends on maintaining its place as a world leader in science and technology. The administration should also permit a broader effort by the U.S. military to recruit recent immigrants who are not yet citizens or green card holders, so as to bolster U.S. military capabilities.
- Employer enforcement: The Task Force supports a mandatory system for verifying those who are authorized to work in the United States, including a workable and reliable biometric verification system with secure documents. Tougher penalties should be levied against those who refuse to comply. It calls employer enforcement “the single most effective and humane enforcement tool available to discourage illegal migration.
- Simplifying, streamlining, and investing in the immigration system: Congress and the Obama administration should establish a high-level independent commission to make recommendations for simplifying the administration and improving the transparency of U.S. immigration laws. The government must redouble its efforts to reduce backlogs and other unnecessary delays by investing in the personnel and technology necessary for handling visa and immigration applications efficiently.
- Improving America’s image abroad: The administration and Congress should launch a comprehensive review of the current security-related restrictions on travel to the United States, with an eye toward lifting restrictions that do not significantly reduce the risk of terrorists or criminals entering the country.
- Border enforcement: The report favors the full implementation of the Secure Border Initiative to gain greater operational control of the country’s borders. It also calls for the expansion of “smart border” initiatives that use information technologies and targeting tools to help distinguish individuals who may pose a security risk to the United States while facilitating easier entry by the vast majority of legitimate visitors and immigrants.
- State and local enforcement: State and local police forces can and should be used to augment federal immigration enforcement capabilities, as long as this does not interfere with their core mission of maintaining safety and security in the communities they serve.
- Earned legalization: The Task Force favors a policy of earned legalization, not amnesty, for many of the illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. The DREAM Act, reintroduced in the 111th Congress, provides the right model by requiring that young people without status who wish to remain in the United States must attend college or perform military service and demonstrate good moral character in order to earn their eligibility for permanent residence.
- Upholding American values: The report identifies three areas that need immediate and serious review—incarceration policies, the severe penalties for minor immigration and criminal violations, and policies on refugees and asylees—and offers steps to address them, including:
o Expand the use of alternatives to detention, such as ankle bracelets or monitoring parolees.
o Allow greater discretion in implementing some of the penalties that were previously passed by Congress, such as the mandatory three, five, and ten year bars for many returning deportees.
o Create an office within the Department of Homeland Security that is responsible for refugee protection, and give greater priority for refugee issues throughout the Department of Homeland Security and in the White House.
The consensus on the bipartisan Task Force around these issues demonstrates that progress on immigration can be achieved. The report concludes that “the United States has the understanding, the capabilities, and the incentives to move forward and create a more intelligent, better functioning immigration system that will serve the country’s interests. It is time to get on with the job.”
The document can be accessed by clicking here.
Below is an overview of the study:
Overview
“The continued failure to devise and implement a sound and sustainable immigration policy threatens to weaken America’s economy, to jeopardize its diplomacy, and to imperil its national security,” concludes a new Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Independent Task Force co-chaired by former Florida governor Jeb Bush and former White House chief of staff Thomas “Mack” McLarty.
“The stakes are too high to fail,” says the report. “If the United States continues to mishandle its immigration policy, it will damage one of the vital underpinnings of American prosperity and security, and could condemn the country to a long, slow decline in its status in the world.” For this reason, the report urges: “The United States needs a fundamental overhaul of its immigration laws.”
U.S. Immigration Policy contends that America has reaped tremendous benefits from opening its doors to immigrants, as well as to students, skilled employees and others who may only live in the country for shorter periods of time. But it warns that “the continued inability of the United States to develop and enforce a workable system of immigration laws threatens to undermine these achievements.”
Directed by CFR Senior Fellow Edward Alden, the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. Immigration Policy reflects the consensus of a bipartisan group of eminent leaders in the fields of immigration policy, homeland security, education, labor, business, academia and human rights. The group urges Congress and the Obama administration to move ahead with immigration reform legislation that achieves three critical goals:
- Reforms the legal immigration system so that it operates more efficiently, responds more accurately to labor market needs, and enhances U.S. competitiveness;
- Restores the integrity of immigration laws through an enforcement regime that strongly discourages employers and employees from operating outside that legal system, secures America’s borders, and levies significant penalties against those who violate the rules;
- Offers a fair, humane, and orderly way to allow many of the roughly twelve million migrants currently living illegally in the United States to earn the right to remain legally.
According to the report, the high level of illegal immigration in the country is increasingly damaging to U.S. national interests—“[it] diminishes respect for the law, creates potential security risks, weakens labor rights, strains U.S. relations with its Mexican neighbor, and unfairly burdens public education and social services in many states.”
But it contends that “no enforcement effort will succeed properly unless the legal channels for coming to the United States can be made to work better.” Therefore, “the U.S. government must invest in creating a working immigration system that alleviates long and counterproductive backlogs and delays, and ensures that whatever laws are enacted by Congress are enforced thoroughly and effectively.”
The Task Force lays out a series of concrete, realistic recommendations for legislation and administrative reforms that would be part of an immigration policy that better serves America’s national interests:
- Comprehensive immigration reform: A new effort to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill should be a first-tier priority for the Obama administration and Congress, and should be started without delay.
- Attracting skilled immigrants: The United States must tackle head-on the growing competition for skilled immigrants from other countries, and make the goal of attracting such immigrants a central component of its immigration policy. The report urges an end to the hard caps on employment-based immigrant visas and skilled work visas in favor of a more flexible system, the elimination of strict nationality quotas, and new opportunities for foreign students earning advanced degrees to remain in the United States after they graduate.
- National security: The Task Force calls for minimizing visa restrictions that impede scientific collaboration, noting that America’s long-term security depends on maintaining its place as a world leader in science and technology. The administration should also permit a broader effort by the U.S. military to recruit recent immigrants who are not yet citizens or green card holders, so as to bolster U.S. military capabilities.
- Employer enforcement: The Task Force supports a mandatory system for verifying those who are authorized to work in the United States, including a workable and reliable biometric verification system with secure documents. Tougher penalties should be levied against those who refuse to comply. It calls employer enforcement “the single most effective and humane enforcement tool available to discourage illegal migration.
- Simplifying, streamlining, and investing in the immigration system: Congress and the Obama administration should establish a high-level independent commission to make recommendations for simplifying the administration and improving the transparency of U.S. immigration laws. The government must redouble its efforts to reduce backlogs and other unnecessary delays by investing in the personnel and technology necessary for handling visa and immigration applications efficiently.
- Improving America’s image abroad: The administration and Congress should launch a comprehensive review of the current security-related restrictions on travel to the United States, with an eye toward lifting restrictions that do not significantly reduce the risk of terrorists or criminals entering the country.
- Border enforcement: The report favors the full implementation of the Secure Border Initiative to gain greater operational control of the country’s borders. It also calls for the expansion of “smart border” initiatives that use information technologies and targeting tools to help distinguish individuals who may pose a security risk to the United States while facilitating easier entry by the vast majority of legitimate visitors and immigrants.
- State and local enforcement: State and local police forces can and should be used to augment federal immigration enforcement capabilities, as long as this does not interfere with their core mission of maintaining safety and security in the communities they serve.
- Earned legalization: The Task Force favors a policy of earned legalization, not amnesty, for many of the illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. The DREAM Act, reintroduced in the 111th Congress, provides the right model by requiring that young people without status who wish to remain in the United States must attend college or perform military service and demonstrate good moral character in order to earn their eligibility for permanent residence.
- Upholding American values: The report identifies three areas that need immediate and serious review—incarceration policies, the severe penalties for minor immigration and criminal violations, and policies on refugees and asylees—and offers steps to address them, including:
o Expand the use of alternatives to detention, such as ankle bracelets or monitoring parolees.
o Allow greater discretion in implementing some of the penalties that were previously passed by Congress, such as the mandatory three, five, and ten year bars for many returning deportees.
o Create an office within the Department of Homeland Security that is responsible for refugee protection, and give greater priority for refugee issues throughout the Department of Homeland Security and in the White House.
The consensus on the bipartisan Task Force around these issues demonstrates that progress on immigration can be achieved. The report concludes that “the United States has the understanding, the capabilities, and the incentives to move forward and create a more intelligent, better functioning immigration system that will serve the country’s interests. It is time to get on with the job.”
The document can be accessed by clicking here.
Monday, July 6, 2009
E-Verify Frequently Asked Questions
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has developed a very useful and informative section with answers to the most commny asked questions about E-Verify (originally knows as the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program).
The information is available by clicking here.
A Sample Question and Answer:
How Does E-Verify Work?
All employers must first complete an I-9 form for every new hire, within 3 business days of the date the employee starts work. The employer and newly-hired employee jointly complete the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form. The form asks for employee’s name and date of birth; social security number; citizenship status; an A number or I-94 number if applicable; documentation to establish work authorization; and proof of identity and expiration date, if applicable. Employees may choose from several documents to prove identity and authorization to work, such as a U.S. passport or unexpired employment authorization card, or a combination of a driver’s license and social security card. Documents must appear genuine. http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/m-274.pdf
An employer then enters information from the I-9 form into the E-Verify system, where it is compared against 425 million records in the Social Security Administration (SSA) database and 60 million records in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) immigration databases. Most inquiries are resolved within 72 hours. Some inquiries can’t be confirmed instantly by DHS (“tentative nonconfirmation notices”) due to changes in citizenship status, name changes (e.g., marriage/divorce), or typographical errors.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 96% of verification inquiries are “instantly” verified. Tentative nonconfirmation notices (information mismatch) account for 2.96% and DHS verification “in process” accounts for 0.95%.
To resolve a nonconfirmation notice, the employee must visit an SSA office or call DHS toll-free. The employee has 8 federal workdays to start resolving the case. About one-half of those who receive a nonconfirmation notice contest the notice. Of these, about half of the employees will follow up.
The information is available by clicking here.
A Sample Question and Answer:
How Does E-Verify Work?
All employers must first complete an I-9 form for every new hire, within 3 business days of the date the employee starts work. The employer and newly-hired employee jointly complete the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form. The form asks for employee’s name and date of birth; social security number; citizenship status; an A number or I-94 number if applicable; documentation to establish work authorization; and proof of identity and expiration date, if applicable. Employees may choose from several documents to prove identity and authorization to work, such as a U.S. passport or unexpired employment authorization card, or a combination of a driver’s license and social security card. Documents must appear genuine. http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/m-274.pdf
An employer then enters information from the I-9 form into the E-Verify system, where it is compared against 425 million records in the Social Security Administration (SSA) database and 60 million records in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) immigration databases. Most inquiries are resolved within 72 hours. Some inquiries can’t be confirmed instantly by DHS (“tentative nonconfirmation notices”) due to changes in citizenship status, name changes (e.g., marriage/divorce), or typographical errors.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 96% of verification inquiries are “instantly” verified. Tentative nonconfirmation notices (information mismatch) account for 2.96% and DHS verification “in process” accounts for 0.95%.
To resolve a nonconfirmation notice, the employee must visit an SSA office or call DHS toll-free. The employee has 8 federal workdays to start resolving the case. About one-half of those who receive a nonconfirmation notice contest the notice. Of these, about half of the employees will follow up.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
NYT: Obama-Legislators Meeting A Step in the Right Direction
In an editorial, the New York Times argues that the meeting held on Thursday between President Barack Obama and the bipartisan group of legislators was encouraging and is a step in the right direction.
Among the achievements of the meeting:
1. A bipartisan working group is created, showing some form of unity to address a difficult and controversial issue that, nevertheless, requires action and innovative policies.
2. Key principles to guide an evental reform are considered.
3. Obama takes the initiative and expresses commitment to achieve a reform.
4. There is time to move forward before next year's electoral processes complicate matters more.
The editorial is available here.
Among the achievements of the meeting:
1. A bipartisan working group is created, showing some form of unity to address a difficult and controversial issue that, nevertheless, requires action and innovative policies.
2. Key principles to guide an evental reform are considered.
3. Obama takes the initiative and expresses commitment to achieve a reform.
4. There is time to move forward before next year's electoral processes complicate matters more.
The editorial is available here.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Video and Transcript of President Obama's Meeting with Legislators to Discuss Immigration Reform
The following is the video and the official transcript of President Obama's meeting with a bipartisan group of legislators to discuss immigration reform.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
____________________________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 25, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AFTER MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION
State Dining Room
3:17 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. We have just finished what I consider to be a very productive meeting on one of the most critical issues that I think this nation faces, and that is an immigration system that is broken and needs fixing.
We have members of Congress from both chambers, from parties, who have participated in the meeting and shared a range of ideas. I think the consensus is that despite our inability to get this passed over the last several years, the American people still want to see a solution in which we are tightening up our borders, or cracking down on employers who are using illegal workers in order to drive down wages -- and oftentimes mistreat those workers. And we need a effective way to recognize and legalize the status of undocumented workers who are here.
Now, this is -- there is not by any means consensus across the table. As you can see, we've got a pretty diverse spectrum of folks here. But what I'm encouraged by is that after all the overheated rhetoric and the occasional demagoguery on all sides around this issue, we've got a responsible set of leaders sitting around the table who want to actively get something done and not put it off until a year, two years, three years, five years from now, but to start working on this thing right now.
My administration is fully behind an effort to achieve comprehensive immigration reform. I have asked my Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Janet Napolitano, to lead up a group that is going to be working with a leadership group from both the House and the Senate to start systematically working through these issues from the congressional leaders and those with the relevant jurisdiction. What we've heard is through a process of regular order, they would like to work through these issues both in the House and in the Senate.
In the meantime, administratively there are a couple of things that our administration has already begun to do. The FBI has cleared much of the backlog of immigration background checks that was really holding up the legal immigration process. DHS is already in the process of cracking down on unscrupulous employers, and, in collaboration with the Department of Labor, working to protect those workers from exploitation.
The Department of Homeland Security has also been making good progress in speeding up the processing of citizenship petitions, which has been far too slow for far too long -- and that, by the way, is an area of great consensus, cuts across Democratic and Republican parties, the notion that we've got to make our legal system of immigration much more efficient and effective and customer-friendly than it currently is.
Today I'm pleased to announce a new collaboration between my Chief Information Officer, my Chief Performance Officer, my Chief Technologies Officer and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office to make the agency much more efficient, much more transparent, much more user-friendly than it has been in the past.
In the next 90 days, USCIS will launch a vastly improved Web site that will, for the first time ever, allow applicants to get updates on their status of their applications via e-mail and text message and online. And anybody who's dealt with families who are trying to deal with -- navigate the immigration system, this is going to save them huge amounts of time standing in line, waiting around, making phone calls, being put on hold. It's an example of some things that we can do administratively even as we're working through difficult issues surrounding comprehensive immigration.
And the idea is very simple here: We're going to leverage cutting-edge technology to reduce the unnecessary paperwork, backlogs, and the lack of transparency that's caused so many people so much heartache.
Now, we all know that comprehensive immigration reform is difficult. We know it's a sensitive and politically volatile issue. One of the things that was said around the table is the American people still don't have enough confidence that Congress and any administration is going to get serious about border security, and so they're concerned that any immigration reform simply will be a short-term legalization of undocumented workers with no long-term solution with respect to future flows of illegal immigration.
What's also been acknowledged is that the 12 million or so undocumented workers are here -- who are not paying taxes in the ways that we'd like them to be paying taxes, who are living in the shadows, that that is a group that we have to deal with in a practical, common-sense way. And I think the American people are ready for us to do so. But it's going to require some heavy lifting, it's going to require a victory of practicality and common sense and good policymaking over short-term politics. That's what I'm committed to doing as President.
I want to especially commend John McCain, who's with me today, because along with folks like Lindsey Graham, he has already paid a significant political cost for doing the right thing. I stand with him, I stand with Nydia Velázquez and others who have taken leadership on this issue. I am confident that if we enter into this with the notion that this is a nation of laws that have to be observed and this is a nation of immigrants, then we're going to create a stronger nation for our children and our grandchildren.
So thank you all for participating. I'm looking forward to us getting busy and getting to work. All right? Thank you.
Oh, and by the way, I hope everybody has got their Hawaiian shirts -- (laughter) -- and their mumus for our luau tonight.
END
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
____________________________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 25, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AFTER MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION
State Dining Room
3:17 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. We have just finished what I consider to be a very productive meeting on one of the most critical issues that I think this nation faces, and that is an immigration system that is broken and needs fixing.
We have members of Congress from both chambers, from parties, who have participated in the meeting and shared a range of ideas. I think the consensus is that despite our inability to get this passed over the last several years, the American people still want to see a solution in which we are tightening up our borders, or cracking down on employers who are using illegal workers in order to drive down wages -- and oftentimes mistreat those workers. And we need a effective way to recognize and legalize the status of undocumented workers who are here.
Now, this is -- there is not by any means consensus across the table. As you can see, we've got a pretty diverse spectrum of folks here. But what I'm encouraged by is that after all the overheated rhetoric and the occasional demagoguery on all sides around this issue, we've got a responsible set of leaders sitting around the table who want to actively get something done and not put it off until a year, two years, three years, five years from now, but to start working on this thing right now.
My administration is fully behind an effort to achieve comprehensive immigration reform. I have asked my Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Janet Napolitano, to lead up a group that is going to be working with a leadership group from both the House and the Senate to start systematically working through these issues from the congressional leaders and those with the relevant jurisdiction. What we've heard is through a process of regular order, they would like to work through these issues both in the House and in the Senate.
In the meantime, administratively there are a couple of things that our administration has already begun to do. The FBI has cleared much of the backlog of immigration background checks that was really holding up the legal immigration process. DHS is already in the process of cracking down on unscrupulous employers, and, in collaboration with the Department of Labor, working to protect those workers from exploitation.
The Department of Homeland Security has also been making good progress in speeding up the processing of citizenship petitions, which has been far too slow for far too long -- and that, by the way, is an area of great consensus, cuts across Democratic and Republican parties, the notion that we've got to make our legal system of immigration much more efficient and effective and customer-friendly than it currently is.
Today I'm pleased to announce a new collaboration between my Chief Information Officer, my Chief Performance Officer, my Chief Technologies Officer and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office to make the agency much more efficient, much more transparent, much more user-friendly than it has been in the past.
In the next 90 days, USCIS will launch a vastly improved Web site that will, for the first time ever, allow applicants to get updates on their status of their applications via e-mail and text message and online. And anybody who's dealt with families who are trying to deal with -- navigate the immigration system, this is going to save them huge amounts of time standing in line, waiting around, making phone calls, being put on hold. It's an example of some things that we can do administratively even as we're working through difficult issues surrounding comprehensive immigration.
And the idea is very simple here: We're going to leverage cutting-edge technology to reduce the unnecessary paperwork, backlogs, and the lack of transparency that's caused so many people so much heartache.
Now, we all know that comprehensive immigration reform is difficult. We know it's a sensitive and politically volatile issue. One of the things that was said around the table is the American people still don't have enough confidence that Congress and any administration is going to get serious about border security, and so they're concerned that any immigration reform simply will be a short-term legalization of undocumented workers with no long-term solution with respect to future flows of illegal immigration.
What's also been acknowledged is that the 12 million or so undocumented workers are here -- who are not paying taxes in the ways that we'd like them to be paying taxes, who are living in the shadows, that that is a group that we have to deal with in a practical, common-sense way. And I think the American people are ready for us to do so. But it's going to require some heavy lifting, it's going to require a victory of practicality and common sense and good policymaking over short-term politics. That's what I'm committed to doing as President.
I want to especially commend John McCain, who's with me today, because along with folks like Lindsey Graham, he has already paid a significant political cost for doing the right thing. I stand with him, I stand with Nydia Velázquez and others who have taken leadership on this issue. I am confident that if we enter into this with the notion that this is a nation of laws that have to be observed and this is a nation of immigrants, then we're going to create a stronger nation for our children and our grandchildren.
So thank you all for participating. I'm looking forward to us getting busy and getting to work. All right? Thank you.
Oh, and by the way, I hope everybody has got their Hawaiian shirts -- (laughter) -- and their mumus for our luau tonight.
END
Monday, June 1, 2009
Reform Immigration for America: June 1 Kick Off Campaign
Reform Immigration for America (RIFA) is a nation-wide effort that involves hundreds of community based organizations and other groups who believe that the time has come for a humane and rational comprehensive immigration reform.
Today, on June 1, RIFA participants and their supporters will be kicking off the national campaign in order to generate the necessary public awareness and legislative support to fix America's broken immigration system.
Information about the activities and the goals of RIFA can be found in their website. A map of the activities being held today throughout the nations, as well as a list of organizations holding such events, is found here.
Today, on June 1, RIFA participants and their supporters will be kicking off the national campaign in order to generate the necessary public awareness and legislative support to fix America's broken immigration system.
Information about the activities and the goals of RIFA can be found in their website. A map of the activities being held today throughout the nations, as well as a list of organizations holding such events, is found here.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Immigration Works USA Summit in Washington, DC
Immigration Works USA, a national organization of employers, is organizing a summit in Washington, DC on June 15, in an attempt to lobby Congress to pass an immigration reform.
Below is the information pertaining to the conference that is posted on their website:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ImmigrationWorks USA invites you to a day-long strategy session and lobby day
STORMING THE HILL
Join the business grassroots campaign for immigration reform
WHEN June 15, 2009, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
WHERE Marriott Washington, 1221 22nd Street, NW
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Employers for immigration reformBusiness owners who rely on immigrant workersTrade association executives who represent themCitizens who believe immigrants are good for America
Mounting evidence suggests that the administration and Congress will make a push to pass immigration reform in 2009, despite the recession. But even with large Democratic majorities in Congress, there can be no hope of enacting new law without Republicans and centrist Democrats. And there can be no hope of mobilizing these lawmakers without vocal support from employers who hire immigrants.
Business owners from across America are gathering in Washington to launch a national advocacy campaign. We’ll discuss our must-haves – what do employers need in a bill? We’ll coordinate strategy – grasstops tactics in the states and a national grassroots mobilization, using the new media to build an army of engaged, informed employers ready to make their views known to Congress.
It’s time to launch a national campaign – business owners standing up for what we need in an immigration bill.
Come to Washington to plan. Come to Washington to build. Come to Washington to make your voice heard with like-minded others from across America.
If you are INTERESTED IN ATTENDING, please email sreagan@ImmigrationWorksUSA.org.
We encourage you to STAY OVER in Washington and meet with your representatives on June 16.
To RESERVE A ROOM at the Marriott Washington, call 800 393-3053.
Below is the information pertaining to the conference that is posted on their website:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ImmigrationWorks USA invites you to a day-long strategy session and lobby day
STORMING THE HILL
Join the business grassroots campaign for immigration reform
WHEN June 15, 2009, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
WHERE Marriott Washington, 1221 22nd Street, NW
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Employers for immigration reformBusiness owners who rely on immigrant workersTrade association executives who represent themCitizens who believe immigrants are good for America
Mounting evidence suggests that the administration and Congress will make a push to pass immigration reform in 2009, despite the recession. But even with large Democratic majorities in Congress, there can be no hope of enacting new law without Republicans and centrist Democrats. And there can be no hope of mobilizing these lawmakers without vocal support from employers who hire immigrants.
Business owners from across America are gathering in Washington to launch a national advocacy campaign. We’ll discuss our must-haves – what do employers need in a bill? We’ll coordinate strategy – grasstops tactics in the states and a national grassroots mobilization, using the new media to build an army of engaged, informed employers ready to make their views known to Congress.
It’s time to launch a national campaign – business owners standing up for what we need in an immigration bill.
Come to Washington to plan. Come to Washington to build. Come to Washington to make your voice heard with like-minded others from across America.
If you are INTERESTED IN ATTENDING, please email sreagan@ImmigrationWorksUSA.org.
We encourage you to STAY OVER in Washington and meet with your representatives on June 16.
To RESERVE A ROOM at the Marriott Washington, call 800 393-3053.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Welcome!
Welcome to the Immigration Reform Center.
During the next few days we will begin to provide an on-going coverage of the process to achieve an immigration reform in the United States.
There are numerous dimensions to this process, as well as an equal number of opinions and proposals floating around in Washington and throughout the nation. At the same time, the political and legislative scenario has shown an improvement over the situation that has predominated for nearly two decades, and that was described by many, including former president George W. Bush and current president Barack Obama, as a "broken system".
We will follow the developments that take place in the months that follow and offer high quality information and analysis to those concerned with this most significant issue.
During the next few days we will begin to provide an on-going coverage of the process to achieve an immigration reform in the United States.
There are numerous dimensions to this process, as well as an equal number of opinions and proposals floating around in Washington and throughout the nation. At the same time, the political and legislative scenario has shown an improvement over the situation that has predominated for nearly two decades, and that was described by many, including former president George W. Bush and current president Barack Obama, as a "broken system".
We will follow the developments that take place in the months that follow and offer high quality information and analysis to those concerned with this most significant issue.
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