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Democrats believe immigration is not just a problem to be solved, it is a defining aspect of the American character and our shared history.

-Democratic Party Platform

Democrats are fighting for every immigrant who feels threatened by Donald Trumps election. We will not stand by and watch families be torn apart Democrats in Congress and in states and cities across the country are already standing up to Trumps hatred and bigotry to defend their immigrant neighbors.

Thanks to President Obama, hundreds of thousands of DREAMers have been able to receive a temporary status that allows them to study, work, pay taxes, and contribute to the communities they grew up in. His administration has made a tremendous difference by prioritizing immigration enforcement so that it is focused on those with criminal records and doesnt arbitrarily separate families, and Democrats are fighting to protect that progress.

Democrats will continue to work toward comprehensive immigration reform that fixes our nations broken immigration system, improves border security, prioritizes enforcement so we are targeting criminals not families, keeps families together, and strengthens our economy.

Democrats know the importance of our countrys history as a nation of immigrants. We honor our fundamental values by treating all people who come to the United States with dignity and respect, and we always seek to embrace not to to attack immigrants.

Read more here:
Democrats.org: Change that Matters

Farmers and ranchers need a reliable, skilled workforce. Farm work is challenging, often seasonal and transitory, and with fewer and fewer Americans growing up on the farm, its increasingly difficult to find American workers attracted to these kinds of jobs. Farm labor cant all be replaced by machines either. There are certain farm jobs, like tending livestock and pruning or picking fresh produce, that require a human touch. Where American workers are unwilling or unavailable, workers from other countries have provided crucial support to American agriculture.

Congress needs to pass responsible immigration reform that addresses agricultures current experienced workforce and creates a new flexible guest worker program. Instability in the agricultural workforce places domestic food production at risk--increasing immigration enforcement without also reforming our worker visa program could cost America $60 billion in agricultural production.

Farm Bureau supports legislative reform that provides access to a legal and stable agricultural workforce in the short- and long-term.

Stability will be provided through:

Read the rest here:
Agriculture Labor Reform - The Voice of Agriculture

This article needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (November 2010)

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (CIRA, S. 2611) was a United States Senate bill introduced in the 109th Congress (20052006) by Sen. Arlen Specter [PA] on April 7, 2006. Co-sponsors, who signed on the same day, were Sen. Chuck Hagel [NE], Sen. Mel Martnez [FL], Sen. John McCain [AZ], Sen. Ted Kennedy [MA], Sen. Lindsey Graham [SC], and Sen. Sam Brownback [KS].

The bill dealt with immigration reform. It proposed to increase some security along the southern United States border with Mexico, allow long-term illegal immigrants to gain legal status, and to increase the number of guest workers over and above those already present in the U.S. through a new "blue card" visa program. The sponsor of the Bill, Senator Arlen Specter, introduced it on April 7, 2006. It was passed on May 25, 2006, by a vote of 62-36. Cloture was invoked, which limited debate to a 30-hour period. The parallel House Bill H.R. 4437 would have dealt with immigration differently. Neither bill became law because the two Houses were not able to reach an agreement to go to a conference committee. The end of the 109th Congress (January 3, 2007) marked the defeat of both bills.

In 2006 there were estimated to be between 8 and 20 million illegal immigrants living within the United States, with the most common estimates being around 11 to 12 million.[1] Further complicating the issue is the extreme poverty present in Mexico and other Latin American countries, the high demand for unskilled labor in the United States, the alleged inadequacy of current legal immigration routes, and the presence of drug and human smuggling on the border. On December 16, 2005, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4437, which solely focused on US-Mexican border security and penalties for employers, smugglers, and those, such as churches and charity workers, providing assistance to illegal immigrants. One of the most controversial aspects of the house bill aimed to change illegal presence in the United States from a civil offense to a felony.

The major difference between H.R. 4437 and S. 2611 was the proposed legalization for illegal immigrants in S. 2611. The Senate legislation allowed illegal immigrants who have been in the country for more than five years, estimated to be 7 million in number, to apply for citizenship by paying fines and back taxes. Illegal immigrants who have been in the country for 2 to 5 years, numbering around 3 million, would be allowed to stay in the country without fear of deportation, but after 3 years would have to leave the U.S. and could apply for citizenship abroad. Those in the country for under 2 years would be required to return to their original nations. Thus, with some waiting, 10 million illegal immigrants could be eligible to become citizens. The fine is around $2000, but some sources say it might be higher.

The Bill also introduces a H-2C visa, or "blue card." This visa allows employers to bring in outside workers for up to 6 years, after which the employee must spend one year in their original country. The Bill proposes 370 miles (600km) of fencing along highly populated areas near the border; H.R. 4437 proposes 700 miles (1,100km) of fencing. The Bill does not mention any expanded role for local law enforcement for border enforcement tasks (primarily for interior enforcement) the way that H.R. 4437 does. There is an added clause, the Inhofe Amendment, an English-only proposal that makes English the "national language" of the United States aiming at discouraging services in any other language than English.

The bill would also increase the annual cap for H-1B work visas from 65,000 to 115,000, with an automatic 20% increase year on year, thus increasing the number of information technology and other professionals from foreign countries eligible to work in the U.S. It also would lower the standard by which judges determine who is eligible for refugee status from "clear and convincing evidence" to "substantial evidence."

It would allow illegal immigrants who later become legal to collect Social Security benefits based on social security credits earned while they were illegal. Also, the United States federal government would have to consult with Mexican officials before commencement of any fence construction on the U.S. side of the border.

This bill has been compared to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

The Bill set forth border security and enforcement provisions, including provisions respecting:[1]

(1) personnel and asset increases and enhancements; (2) a National Strategy for Border Security; (3) border security initiatives, including biometric data enhancements and a biometric entry-exit system, document integrity, and mandatory detention of aliens apprehended at or between ports of entry; and (4) Central American gangs.

Sets forth provisions respecting: (1) noncitizen Armed Forces membership; (2) non-immigrant status for athletes; (3) extension of returning worker exemption; (4) surveillance programs, including aerial and unmanned aerial surveillance; (5) a Northern Border Prosecution Initiative; (6) reimbursement of Southern Border State and county prosecutors for prosecuting federally initiated drug cases; (7) conditional nonimmigrant worker-related grants; (8) border security on federal land; and (9) parole and status adjustment relief for qualifying widows and orphans.

See more here:
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 - Wikipedia

The National Restaurant Association supports sensible, meaningful steps to reform Americas immigration system. Our principles for reform include:

An efficient, reliable federal employment verification system. Many states and localities have passed their own employment verification laws. This patchwork of laws creates an untenable system by forcing restaurants and other employers to comply with different laws across jurisdictions. The Association supports a consistent national standard that helps employers hire in a timely, efficient and respectful manner. Employers should not be held liable or face penalties if they use and rely on a national verification system in good faith, and should be given adequate opportunity to rectify errors. The Association has supported the Legal Workforce Act in recent years. We hope this measure will be used as the benchmark for any future effort.

Improved border security that still promotes travel and tourism. The United States needs stronger security at its borders. However, any steps to increase security should also facilitate legitimate travel and tourism to the United States. Travel and tourism drives about a fifth of all restaurant sales and boosts economic activity across all sectors.

A new program to legally match willing workers with willing employers. Immigrants play a key role in the restaurant industrys growth and diversity. We need a viable temporary-worker visa program for non-agricultural employers, including hospitality businesses. Such a program would play a key role in addressing the needs of restaurant and other hospitality employers for legal, year-round, temporary workers. It is time to create a visa program that allows legal foreign-born workers to come into the United States under a controlled process to work year-round in the service economy.

Todays immigration system is broken. It makes economic sense to fix it.

Restaurants embody the American Dream like no other industry. Theyre often the employer of choice for immigrants who come to America in search of new opportunities. The relationship benefits both sides: Immigrants gain valuable job experience and immediate access to opportunities, and restaurateurs can fill positions at every level.

Over the next decade, restaurants will likely create more jobs than the U.S.-born workforce can fill. The industry is expected to add 1.8 million positions over the next decade, a 14 percent increase in the industrys workforce. But the U.S.-born workforce is expected to grow by just 10 percent over the same period. And the population of 16- to 24-year olds, a major source of restaurant employees, isnt expected to grow at all

View post:
Immigration Reform | National Restaurant Association

'The strong bipartisan vote we took is going to send a message,' Chuck Schumer said. | REUTERS

By SEUNG MIN KIM

06/27/2013 04:25 PM EDT

Updated 06/28/2013 12:19 AM EDT

The Senate on Thursday passed the most monumental overhaul of U.S. immigration laws in a generation, which would clear the way for millions of undocumented residents to have a chance at citizenship, attract workers from all over the world and devote unprecedented resources for security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The vote was 68-32. Fourteen Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with all Democrats in favor. Thursdays vote now puts the onus of immigration reform on the Republican-led House, where leaders have been resistant to the Senate legislation.

Story Continued Below

The strong bipartisan vote we took is going to send a message across the country, its going to send a message to the other end of the Capitol as well, said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the leader of the so-called Gang of Eight. The bill has generated a level of support that we believe will be impossible for the House to ignore.

( Also on POLITICO: Republicans who voted for the bill)

The bill was a product of not only weeks of floor debate and committee rewrites, but months of private negotiations by the Gang of Eight the group of four Democrats and four Republicans to produce legislation that would give the Senate a shot at passing immigration reform, something it was unable to do just six years ago.

Republicans, shellacked by Mitt Romneys 44-point loss among Latinos in the 2012 presidential election, almost immediately coalesced behind immigration reform as a top priority. The Gang of Eight got together last fall and recruited veterans of the 2007 immigration battle such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), long-time champions of reform such as Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and high-wattage Senate newcomers, like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

If Congress passes immigration reform, it would make good on a promise from President Barack Obama and likely become his most significant policy achievement in his second term. In a statement, Obama emphasized that the bill was collaborative effort.

( PHOTOS: Pols react to immigration deal)

The bipartisan bill that passed today was a compromise, Obama said. By definition, nobody got everything they wanted. Not Democrats. Not Republicans. Not me. But the Senate bill is consistent with the key principles for commonsense reform that I and many others have repeatedly laid out.

He called on the House to act and emphasized to supporters that the fight is not over. Now is the time when opponents will try their hardest to pull this bipartisan effort apart so they can stop commonsense reform from becoming a reality. We cannot let that happen, Obama said.

The Gang of Eight bill would essentially revamp every corner of U.S. immigration law, establishing a 13-year pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, with several security benchmarks that have to be met before they can obtain a green card. The measure would not only increases security along the border, but requires a mandatory workplace verification system for employers, trying to ensure no jobs are given to immigrants who are not authorized to work in the United States.

( PHOTOS: 10 wild immigration quotes)

It also includes a new visa program for lesser-skilled workers the product of negotiations between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and labor unions. And it shifts the countrys immigration policies away from a family-based system to one that is focused on more on work skills.

In another marked change from the failed 2007 effort, no Democrats voted against the immigration bill on Thursday. Six years ago, 15 Senate Democrats did.

This year, all five Senate Republican leaders rejected the bill, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) saying he didnt believe there was sufficient border-security measures to stem future illegal immigration.

The late afternoon vote in the Senate had much pomp and circumstance. Senators voted from their desks, a practice usually saved for historic pieces of legislation. Vice President Joe Biden arrived from the White House to preside. And dozens of young activists wearing shirts that said 11 Million Dreams filled the Senate gallery, watching the last hours of floor debate.

( PHOTOS: 20 quotes on immigration reform)

They broke out in chants of Yes we can, after the final vote count was announced, despite being warned by Biden in advance to stay quiet.

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Immigration reform bill 2013: Senate passes legislation 68 ...