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Nine Democrats and two Republicans are running in the CO-3 primary, hoping to challenge first-term Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has been a lightning rod for national controversy since her first days in office.

From supporting objections to the certification of President Bidens election, to Islamophobic comments about Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, to heckling the president during the State of the Union, Boebert has raised her media profile, but not necessarily her legislative one. Thats helped her fundraising she now has a lot of campaign money on hand but none of the 26 bills she has introduced thus far have made much progress in the House.

While CO-3 has been represented by Republicans for the past decade, redistricting appears to have given the seat an even stronger GOP lean. The new map of CO-3 subtracts some bluer counties in the north and adds redder areas in southeastern Colorado.

As the incumbent, Boebert will be tough to beat. But given that she herself beat an incumbent to get to Congress, tough does not mean impossible.

Here are the candidates running for the seat.

Lauren Boebert: The owner of a gun-themed restaurant in Rifle, Boebert parlayed her support of the 2nd amendment, opposition to COVID-restrictions and a Trump-like social media presence into a successful run for Congress. A staunch Trump supporter, Boebert has made inroads with that wing of the Republican party. She co-chairs the 2nd amendment caucus and is communications chair for the House Freedom Caucus. Boebert announced her plans to seek reelection in December, saying, We dont just need to take the House back in 2022, but we need to take the House back with fearless conservatives, strong Republicans, just like me.

Don Coram: Coram currently serves as a state Senator, representing the southwestern corner of Colorado. He previously spent five years in the state House. Coram is considered a relative moderate, who has worked on bipartisan legislation from expanding rural broadband to increasing access to contraception. When announcing his run, the Montrose resident said he wants to go to D.C. to bring back funds for Colorado and work with people on both sides of the aisle: Why can't we just go (to Congress) and do the people's business, rather than promote sound bites and hate and division?

Marina Zimmerman: A crane operator from the small town of Arboles in Archuleta County, Zimmerman says she is running to advocate for the working class and to restore sensibility, civility and ethics in Congress. Zimmerman told Colorado Politics she voted for Biden in 2020, as a protest against Trump. The issues she highlights on her campaign website are sustainable housing, water issues, and wildfires and forest health.

Debby Burnett: Burnett is a veterinarian and has also worked as a licensed hospital physical therapist. She and her family recently moved to Gunnison from Jackson County. She says she will advocate for agriculture, environmental stewardship and an economy that works for everyone as the country transitions to renewable energy.

Adam Frisch: Frisch joined the race in February. He served two terms on the Aspen City Council and describes himself as a mainstream Democrat who supports small businesses, the environment, public education and affordable health care. Frisch says he will work to bring the people of the district together to make progress on rural issues in a bipartisan manner.

Kellie Rhodes: The Crested Butte resident comes from a farming and ranching family. She has worked in human services, including as a child protection caseworker. Rhodes says shes running because shes watched many policy solutions fail because they ignored the actual needs and experiences of the people they were intended to help.

Root Routledge: The Durango resident ran a short-lived campaign for CO-3 in 2020. He pitches himself as a staunch progressive, buts running again, but has said on Facebook that he plans to support fellow candidate Burnett in the primary.

Sol Sandoval: The daughter of immigrants from Mexico, Sandoval is a social worker and community organizer. In announcing her run last year, the Pueblo-based candidate said she is concerned about what she sees as Boeberts lack of concern for the district. She says her goal is to increase opportunities for Coloradans, support water rights and public lands, work on immigration reform and reduce health care costs.

Donald Valdez: Valdez is a 5th generation farmer and rancher who hails from the San Luis Valley. Since 2017, Valdez has served in the Colorado state House. Hes a conservative Democrat who has been known to buck the party on issues, like 2nd amendment rights. Valdez says he has a record of delivering results for rural America, and will focus on constituents, not conspiracy theories or mudslinging.

Alex Walker: Walker also announced his entrance in the race in February with an intensely scatological viral video attacking Boebert. He describes himself as a politically moderate, queer, engineering nerd. He says he would work for nonpartisan solutions that make sense. He lives in Eagle County, but not within the new boundaries for CO-3. He has already qualified for the ballot via the signature process.

Colin Wilhelm: Wilhelm is an attorney working out of Glenwood Springs. He previously ran unsuccessfully for the Colorado Legislature. He said the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and Boeberts actions leading up to that day prompted him to run. He describes himself as someone who can unite people across party lines.

Scott Yates: Yates is a businessman and former writer; he has contributed to papers across Colorado and worked for former Gov. Bill Owens. The Pueblo resident says hes running to improve peoples lives one hour at a time. His main issue is to end Daylight Saving Time.

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Colorado District 3: Who's running to challenge Lauren Boebert in the 2022 elections? - Colorado Public Radio

An overhaul of the U.S. immigration system could be key to aiding Afghan women find a new life, advocates said during an event Tuesday to mark International Womens Day.

The war for Afghan women is not over, said Ambassador Roya Rahmani, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United States, adding that she worried the international communitys attention span for the plight of Afghan women has expired as the limelight from Afghanistan moves to the rest of the world.

After the U.S. withdrew its last troops from Afghanistan last summer, women living under the Taliban takeover were told to stay home from work, fueling concerns that the regime would reverse progress on womens rights.

In situations like this and around the world, women and children take the brunt of what happens. And once again, women are being forced back into the shadows and back into a life from time gone by, said Cindy McCain, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.

Sen. Jeanne ShaheenCynthia (Jeanne) Jeanne ShaheenAdvocates call for US immigration reform to help support Afghan women Putin's attacks on civilians raise pressure on US, NATO Biden imposes Nord Stream 2 sanctions MORE (D-N.H.) called for comprehensive reform to the U.S. immigration system that would address gaps in current law and provide for refugees from Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Its unfortunate that it has been such a partisan divide for such a long time, Shaheen said.

Critics have said that visas are difficult for Afghan women to qualify for and come by and that the processing time is backlogged and dangerously slow.

Its a bit haphazard right now with certain agencies and certain nonprofits, et cetera. I just think we need to reform the whole idea of this and make sure it works, McCain said.

Rahmani, Afghanistans first female ambassador to the U.S., said that the U.S. in particular has an ethical responsibility to Afghan women because of how the country wielded promises to liberate Afghan women as a justification for the intervention of American troops.

The U.S. should not be either looking at Afghanistan as a security issue, as a place you can experiment containment of terrorism, or a charity basket, Rahmani said.

Hawa Haidari, a member of Afghanistans Female Tactical Platoon, outlined the difficulties for refugees navigating the complex immigration system and applying for asylum in the U.S. without ready access to legal help.

Now living in Washington state, Haidari said that she and her four sisters are struggling to navigate that process in a new country and new language taking English classes and working in restaurants and cafes.

It is not the kind of job that we want, Haidari said. It is still helping us to move forward and live in peace here. I hope we can pursue our education, build our career and do our dream job here in the next few year[s].

Shaheen, the only woman serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, assured the audience that senators on both sides of the aisle are continuing to talk about what we can do to support Afghan women.

We really need a hand to help us, not a handout, Rahmani said, because one-time aid efforts create an insecure culture of reliance and dont empower lasting structural change. Rights cannot be also a handout like a bag of wheat. It is something that has to grow and brew from within.

The women spoke as part of Politicos Women Rule series.

Read more here:
Advocates call for US immigration reform to help support Afghan women | TheHill - The Hill

Bidens First State of the Union Address Touches on Immigration

President Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union Address on Tuesday, addressing the full houses of Congress in the midst of the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and public concerns about inflation and the economy.

Biden touched on immigration during his address, framing immigration reform as both an economic and liberty issue. He called for a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers. He also urged Congress to revise the nations immigration laws so businesses have the workers they need and families dont wait decades to reunite.

White House Grants Temporary Protected Status to Ukrainians in the U.S.

The Biden administration on Thursday offered temporary protection from deportation to Ukrainians in the U.S. amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The White House announced Ukrainians who had been in the U.S. since March 1, 2022 would receive Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months. People who are granted TPS are protected from deportation and granted work visas.

In addition to announcements about Ukraine, the Department of Homeland Security also added Sudan to the list of countries currently eligible for TPS and extended South Sudans designation by 18 months.

Koch Groups Launch Campaign For Immigration Reform

The Hill reported this week that mega-donor Charles Kochs political network has released a campaign to encourage Congress to take action on immigration reform. According to the report, Americans for Prosperity and the Libre Initiative are spending millions on digital ads, mailers, and events to encourage senators to push forth immigration reform as well as additional border security.

USCIS Expands Credit Card Payment Program

USCIS announced this week that it will begin accepting credit card payments for almost all form filing fees using Form G-1450. One exception from the program Form I-129. USCIS says it will evaluate the results at the end of the pilot program and work toward next steps to expand it further.

USCIS Updates Income Requirements for 2022

USCIS also updated the green card sponsor income requirements for 2022. The minimum annual income now needed for a household size of 2 is $22,887, up from $21,770 for a family of 2. Income requirements go up based on the size of the family and the amounts are also higher for residents of Alaska and Hawaii. To learn more about green card sponsor income requirements, hit the link in our description.

Original post:
Boundless Immigration Weekly News Archive: March 4, 2022 - Boundless - Boundless

Build Back Better, the top priority in the Biden Administrations agenda, is likely to fall through after receiving opposition from across the political spectrum. Nevertheless, there are certain provisions that deserve to be reviewed once again. In particular, Build Back Better offers the first broadly applying immigrant amnesty program since President Reagans administration in 1986.

Immigration remains one of the most fiercely debated topics in the nation and, as such, has avoided major legislation addressing it. Despite the polemics surrounding the issue, the case for amnesty may be clearer than expected. Amnesty for illegal immigrants would solve numerous contemporary political issues for native-born Americans and undocumented residents alike.

First, much to ones surprise, illegal immigrants in our current system are the beneficiaries of de facto unequal legal treatment, relative to legal immigrants and native-born Americans alike. Say, for example, an illegal immigrant were to commit a crime in addition to coming here illegally in the first place. They would have no reason to go to court for their secondary crime. If they did go to court, they would be quickly deported, as their entry to America was a crime in itself. There would be no point in even going before a court to argue any other crimes they had committed, no matter how petty. Furthermore, the government and/or police would have a difficult time tracking them down if they committed a secondary offense, as the illegal immigrant would have no legal documents or registered address.

Not only do these circumstances disincentivize illegal immigrants from appearing before a court, they also create extraordinarily perverse incentives to not report crimes committed against illegal immigrants. For example, a study from The Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University finds that sanctuary policies contribute to a reduced domestic homicide rate among Hispanic women by between 52 and 62 percent and, more generally, increases cooperation between local law enforcement and immigrant communities which helps improve public safety by lowering rates of domestic violence. Amnesty provides even greater legal protections for illegal immigrants and can be reasonably presumed to produce similarly positive effects in crime-reporting as sanctuary policies.

The outlined scenario shows how illegal immigrants are given both unintended advantages and disadvantages in our criminal justice system. This can quickly be remedied by providing documentation for illegal immigrants so they can be held accountable and hold others to account just like legal residents.

On top of bringing about a fairer society in the eyes of the law, providing documentation for illegal immigrants also makes contributing to the American economy much less complicated. While many illegal immigrants still manage to pay taxes one way or the other, a simplified tax filing process, brought about by not having to find loopholes or obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, is bound to have favorable effects on the number of taxpayers. Thus, providing proper documentation for illegal immigrants would increase the benefactors paying into Social Security and other entitlements.

As per the Board of Trustees most recent annual estimate, an increase of 100,000 immigrants would improve the long-range actuarial balance of Social Security by 0.9 percent of taxable payroll. This is especially beneficial when considering the state of Americas aging population, as the United States has a relatively low fertility rate, at 1.7.

When examining the aggregates, similar positive growth is shown following an immigration amnesty program. In a study of a possible 2013 immigration amnesty initiative, GDP was expected to rise by an additional $830 billion over the next decade, with national income rising nearly $500 billion extra in that same span. Such figures do not come as a surprise when one considers that immigrant workers, entrepreneurs, and investors account for about 11 percent of all economic output, as noted by Catos Alex Nowrasteh. Considering more amnesty would be given out today compared to 2013, it can be assumed that these numbers will only rise going forward.

Not only would legalization be a boon to native-born Americans and the macroeconomy, it would behoove illegal immigrants as well. Providing illegal immigrants access to proper documentation and a Social Security number has improved their economic prospects in the past: following President Reagans Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), legalized immigrants saw wage growth of up to 15%, likely due to increased job opportunities in both number and quality. Enhanced wage growth among newly authorized immigrants was also seen proceeding President Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).

Moreover, such enhanced wage growth for immigrants does not come at the expense of native wages. As Alex Nowrasteh summarizes here: the most negative estimate in the peerreviewed academic literature, immigrants increased native wages by 0.6 percent overall Such prosperity would hold especially true today, as more jobs than ever require E-Verify, leaving even fewer jobs for illegal immigrants.

To go even further, Yale University Professor Zachary Liscow conducted a study in 2017 finding that unauthorized teenagers were about 2.6 percent less likely to be enrolled in school compared to those with a legal immigration status but still born to the same immigrant families. When fewer young immigrants receive an education, we all lose from the entrepreneurship and innovation they would have otherwise produced. As Professors Scheve and Slaughter note in their 2018 article in Foreign Affairs, immigrants comprise 39% of US-resident Nobel prize winners in chemistry, medicine and physics over the past 20 years and have founded 43% of fortune 500 companies.

Build Back Betters amnesty plan would authorize about 8 million illegal immigrants to legally reside in the United States. While Build Back Better is unlikely to pass at this stage, this provision of the bill neednt die. It can and should be brought up as its own separate bill, and each member of congress should be made to vote on it in order for their views to be made public. Such a policy would not only ease many of the stressors dealt with by illegal immigrants, but would lead to quality of life improvements for legal immigrants and American citizens as well.

Read the original:
The Case for Amnesty: Why It's Time to Explore a Path to Citizenship for Illegal Immigrants | Jack Nicastro, Siddharth Gundapaneni - Foundation for...

Beto O'Rourke said Saturday that his campaign for Texas governor is about the people, not "about the person, the candidate, the party," a lesson he said he learned from his 2020 presidential run.

Driving the news: "This campaign is the volunteers and the people who've signed up to join it. That's what it is," the Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate told Evan Smith, the CEO of The Texas Tribune, at South by Southwest.

The big picture: The former presidential candidate advocated for stronger voting rights, gun control and immigration reform and bashed Abbott's call for abuse investigations into the use of gender-affirming care for transgender children.

One other issue that has room for common ground, according to O'Rourke, is the question over legalizing marijuana.

The bottom line: O'Rourke said the "power is right now" with the people of Texas his campaign volunteers and the voters.

Go deeper: Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke to face off for Texas governor

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"This one is on us, the people of Texas": Beto makes his case for governor - Axios