Immigration reform debate takes spotlight
February 05, 2013 | 05:51 PM
The immigration debate seemed to take off today, with a House Judiciary Committee hearing, meetings at the White House about immigration reform, and two news conferences held by immigrant advocates.
The House Judiciary hearing focused on border security, the history of immigration law and the issue of allowing highly educated people to enter or remain in the country.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.
But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said in his opening statement that U.S. laws “erect unnecessary hurdles for farmers who put food on America’s tables. Our agriculture guestworker program is simply unworkable and needs to be reformed.”
On a larger scale, Goodlatte said, “The United States has the most generous legal immigrant system in the world—providing permanent residence to over a million immigrants a year. And yet, all is not well. Prospective immigrant workers with approved petitions often have to waivers for green cards to become available. So do their employers.”
Goodlatte also noted that the United States places more of an emphasis on family reunification than some countries. While the United States selects about 12 percent of legal immigrants on the basis of their education and skills, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada — the other main immigrant-receiving countries — each select more than 60 percent of their immigrants on education and skills.
Goodlatte said “the question of the day” was “Are there options we should consider between mass deportation and a pathway to citizenship for those not lawfully in the United States?,” the New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, ABC News reported that House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he would not rush immigration reform.
CNN reported that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said any plan on reforming the system must include increased border security and a guest worker program before any discussion can take place on a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the United States.
House Judiciary ranking member John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., said that the immigration debate could be summed up in three phrases — “comprehensive, a path to citizenship and border security more than ever.”
Conyers called on Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who said he had given up his seniority on the Financial Services Committee to rejoin the Judiciary Committee because he is so determined to write a comprehensive bill.
Gutierrez did not bring up farm workers specifically, but noted that his parents did not have college degrees when they came to the United States and that he does not hold a high level degree either.
Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., the chairman of the House Judiciary Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, said that the 1986 comprehensive immigration law that granted legal status to millions of people was supposed to deal with border security. But he said the law had not been strongly enforced, and asked whether Congress would be “serious” this time about enacting permanent immigration law that works.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., the ranking member on the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, said “We need to reform our employment visa system so that tech companies, farmers and other U.S. businesses have access to needed workers while reforming the family system to help keep families together.”
Lofgren said Congress should “not fall into the trap of those calling for ‘piece meal’ reform.” She also said that, while the country should make it easier to keep critical workers, Congress “should not do so by closing the door on family-based immigrants. Family unity has been the bedrock of our immigration system since the Immigration and Nationality Act was first enacted in 1952.”
While the hearing was still going on at 3 p.m. a group of Asian and Latino immigrant advocates held a news conference to discuss the issue and react to the hearing.
Clarissa Martinez de Castro
Clarissa Martinez de Castro, director of immigration and national campaigns for the National Council of La Raza, said that the Latino turnout in the 2012 election had provided the political imperative for Congress to move forward on immigration reform.
But aside from this political incentive, she said, there are also economic and moral imperatives. Arizona and other states that have instituted tough policies on immigrants have suffered economically, she said, while the moral imperative of dealing fairly with immigrants has been “intensifying.”
“Legalization and a road map to citizenship are essential routes” for immigration reform, Martinez de Castro said. Noting the discussion in the hearing, she said. “We are frankly sad there are some members still focused on seeding division.”
But she added that other members of Congress want to pass immigration reform with “great urgency.” Another advocate noted that it was members of Congress, not the expert witnesses, who talked the most today about border control.
The International Labor Working Group, an effort of labor unions and nongovernmental groups, also held a news conference today urge that international labor recruitment abuse be handled in immigration reform.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama was scheduled to host two meetings today with national leaders to discuss immigration reform “and how it fits into his broader economic agenda, and his efforts to achieve balanced deficit reduction,” the White House said in a news release.
Among the “progressive and labor leaders” invited to the White House was Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers. Among the “business leaders” were Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca Cola Company, and Greg Page, chairman and CEO of Cargill.
The House Judiciary hearing focused on border security, the history of immigration law and the issue of allowing highly educated people to enter or remain in the country.
But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said in his opening statement that U.S. laws “erect unnecessary hurdles for farmers who put food on America’s tables. Our agriculture guestworker program is simply unworkable and needs to be reformed.”
On a larger scale, Goodlatte said, “The United States has the most generous legal immigrant system in the world—providing permanent residence to over a million immigrants a year. And yet, all is not well. Prospective immigrant workers with approved petitions often have to waivers for green cards to become available. So do their employers.”
Goodlatte also noted that the United States places more of an emphasis on family reunification than some countries. While the United States selects about 12 percent of legal immigrants on the basis of their education and skills, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada — the other main immigrant-receiving countries — each select more than 60 percent of their immigrants on education and skills.
Goodlatte said “the question of the day” was “Are there options we should consider between mass deportation and a pathway to citizenship for those not lawfully in the United States?,” the New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, ABC News reported that House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he would not rush immigration reform.
CNN reported that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said any plan on reforming the system must include increased border security and a guest worker program before any discussion can take place on a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the United States.
House Judiciary ranking member John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., said that the immigration debate could be summed up in three phrases — “comprehensive, a path to citizenship and border security more than ever.”
Conyers called on Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who said he had given up his seniority on the Financial Services Committee to rejoin the Judiciary Committee because he is so determined to write a comprehensive bill.
Gutierrez did not bring up farm workers specifically, but noted that his parents did not have college degrees when they came to the United States and that he does not hold a high level degree either.
Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., the chairman of the House Judiciary Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, said that the 1986 comprehensive immigration law that granted legal status to millions of people was supposed to deal with border security. But he said the law had not been strongly enforced, and asked whether Congress would be “serious” this time about enacting permanent immigration law that works.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., the ranking member on the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, said “We need to reform our employment visa system so that tech companies, farmers and other U.S. businesses have access to needed workers while reforming the family system to help keep families together.”
Lofgren said Congress should “not fall into the trap of those calling for ‘piece meal’ reform.” She also said that, while the country should make it easier to keep critical workers, Congress “should not do so by closing the door on family-based immigrants. Family unity has been the bedrock of our immigration system since the Immigration and Nationality Act was first enacted in 1952.”
While the hearing was still going on at 3 p.m. a group of Asian and Latino immigrant advocates held a news conference to discuss the issue and react to the hearing.
Clarissa Martinez de Castro, director of immigration and national campaigns for the National Council of La Raza, said that the Latino turnout in the 2012 election had provided the political imperative for Congress to move forward on immigration reform.
But aside from this political incentive, she said, there are also economic and moral imperatives. Arizona and other states that have instituted tough policies on immigrants have suffered economically, she said, while the moral imperative of dealing fairly with immigrants has been “intensifying.”
“Legalization and a road map to citizenship are essential routes” for immigration reform, Martinez de Castro said. Noting the discussion in the hearing, she said. “We are frankly sad there are some members still focused on seeding division.”
But she added that other members of Congress want to pass immigration reform with “great urgency.” Another advocate noted that it was members of Congress, not the expert witnesses, who talked the most today about border control.
The International Labor Working Group, an effort of labor unions and nongovernmental groups, also held a news conference today urge that international labor recruitment abuse be handled in immigration reform.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama was scheduled to host two meetings today with national leaders to discuss immigration reform “and how it fits into his broader economic agenda, and his efforts to achieve balanced deficit reduction,” the White House said in a news release.
Among the “progressive and labor leaders” invited to the White House was Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers. Among the “business leaders” were Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca Cola Company, and Greg Page, chairman and CEO of Cargill.
