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Even as the U.S. moves to tighten border controls and regulate immigration in a way that provides greater benefits and fewer costs to current American citizens, lawmakers should look to address ways that the current system is too arbitrary and draconian. This is one: Children who came here legally and were formally adopted by American citizens should automatically become American citizens. The New York Times reportson the tragic saga of a Korean adoptee who committed suicide after being deported from the U.S.:

Phillip Clay was adopted at 8 into an American family in Philadelphia.

Twenty-nine years later, in 2012, after numerous arrests and a struggle with drug addiction, he was deported back to his birth country,South Korea. He could not speak the local language, did not know a single person and did not receive appropriate care for mental health problems, which included bipolar disorder and alcohol and substance abuse.

On May 21, Mr. Clay ended his life, jumping from the 14th floor of an apartment building north of Seoul. He was 42.

As theTimesnotes, a 2000 law grants automatic citizenship to youngsters adopted into American families after its passage. That law should be amended to apply retroactively.

Liberals and conservatives hold a range of positions on the way the U.S. immigration system should handle so-called Dreamerspeople whose parents brought them to the U.S. illegally as children. But while opponents of citizenship for Dreamers can point to the perverse incentives involved in legalizing children of illegal immigrants, there is no such case here. Parents who adopt children into their homes have done nothing wrong; their selflessness should be encouraged.

There are many thorny questions in immigration policy. This is not one of them. Congress should address it soon.

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Immigration Reform Should Fix This - The American Interest

Many supporters of installing true immigration reform have faulted the Trump administration for not ending the DAPA amnesty that was created illegally by the Obama administration. But there are other reforms that also have not been acted on.

While Trump has indicated he intends to take back some of Obamas actions normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba, there has been no mention of the administration undoing special immigration provisions for Cubans put in place by the Clinton administration at the same time that the wet-foot dry-foot policy was put in place by executive action. Clinton, at that time, agreed by executive action to accept a floor of 20,000 immigrant admissions of Cubans each year. This floor on the admission level does not exist for any other country and is a distortion of the overall immigration law.

Also with regard to Cubans, the United States has been allowing Cubans to apply for refugee status and permanent residence in the United States without ever leaving Cuba. That flies in the face of the international standard that a refugee is a person who has fled his country because of persecution or other factor. In part, this exceptional treatment for Cubans was adopted as a way to help meet the 20,000 floor on annual admissions.

Probably due to the in-country refugee processing for Cubans, The Obama administration instituted a similar program for Central Americans. Rather than having to get to the United States to make a claim for asylum, they could try for a refugee visa while still in their home country. That too was done by executive action.

The processing of refugees in their home country dates back well before the Clinton action for Cubans. A similar policy was already in place for Jews and other religious minorities attempting to leave the erstwhile USSR. That was different, however, because it was done by Congress, and has been perpetuated up to the present day despite evidence of significant fraud such as its use by members of the Russian mafia to enter the United States

While Congress should undo the refugee exception applied in Russia, the Trump administration should take action to terminate the exceptions for Cubans and Central Americans. The need to enact these reforms is not new, but the Obama administration turned a deaf ear to this need.

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Loose Ends in President Trump's Immigration Reforms - ImmigrationReform.com (blog)

This was a very significant and exciting week in the fight for immigration reform. I was named chairman of the House subcommittee with jurisdiction over immigration and border security issues; the House Judiciary Committee approved my bill to reform Americas refugee program; and I voted for, and the House passed two immigration enforcement bills.

As you know, immigration reform is an issue close to my heart and one Ive worked on for a long time. Thats why I am honored to be the new Chairman of the House Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee.

I was tapped for the position on Tuesday, and I will have the responsibility for the rest of the 115th Congress. As chairman, I will prioritize legislation that enforces our laws, secures our borders, and modernizes our immigration system for the 21st century.

Thats what the people of Idaho want, and thats what they deserve. I will do everything I can to deliver.

The very next day, the House Judiciary Committee approved my bill to reform Americas refugee program: The Refugee Program Integrity Restoration Act. As Americans, we have a long tradition of helping refugees who, through no fault of their own, are fleeing war and persecution and wish to become contributing members of our society.

However, our first priority when it comes to Americas refugee program is ensuring the safety and security of the American people. There are already documented cases of terrorists infiltrating the program, and with ISIS vowing to exploit it further, the time for congressional action is now.

My bill modernizes Americas refugee program to keep pace with todays security challenges. It enacts stronger vetting of refugees, gives states and communities the power to decline resettlement, and lowers the annual refugee ceiling and shifts to Congress the authority to make changes in that figure.

Overall, my bill will protect the integrity of the refugee program, reduce fraud, and improve national security. To learn more about my bill, please read my op-ed with House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte in the Washington Times here.

Then, on Thursday, I voted for and the House passed two immigration enforcement bills: Kates Law and The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act. Kates Law increases penalties for deported felons who return to the U.S., like the illegal alien who killed Kate Steinle in San Francisco two years ago. The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act combats dangerous sanctuary policies that shield illegal aliens from federal immigration enforcement. These bills include provisions from my immigration enforcement bill, H.R. 2431, the Davis-Oliver Act.

With Speaker Paul Ryan and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, I spoke at a press conference in support of these bills. I emphasized that governments at all levels have a basic responsibility to protect our citizens from those who are here illegally and especially from those who commit crimes. For too long, the federal government has looked the other way while sanctuary cities violate the law and undermine public safety. The bills I voted for this week bring common sense to an issue where common sense is desperately needed. To watch me speaking at the press conference, please click here.

This is just the beginning. I look forward to having a House vote on the Davis-Oliver Act and additional legislation that the House Judiciary Committee is working on, including mandatory E-Verify.

Fixing our broken immigration system starts, first and foremost, with enforcing the law. By completing that vital first step, we will be positioned to modernize our immigration system and bring it into the 21st century.

This column was submitted by U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle.

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Steps forward on immigration reform | Columns | idahostatejournal ... - Idaho State Journal

Guillermo Leal, left, of Mexico, and Mohinder Singh, of India, take the oath of citizenship at a naturalization ceremony in Austin, Texas, on June 29, 2017.(Photo: Jay Janner, AP)

The Fourth of July has long been a day when foreigners swear their oath of allegiance to the United States to become citizens. It is an annual reminder that the U.S. has been a nation of immigrants since its founding 241 years ago.

That tradition will continue this holiday period, when nearly 15,000 people will be sworn in as U.S. citizens atdozens of naturalization ceremonies, from George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in Virginia to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans to the ship deck of the USS Hornet off the coast of California.

What's changed dramatically over the decades is where those immigrants come from, what roles they play in the U.S.,how they're treated by nativecitizens and the debate over the millions who have entered the United States illegally over past decades.

Today, immigrants make up 13.5% of the U.S. population 32million here legally and an estimated 11 million illegally. The percentage islower than the massive influx during the late 1800s but far morethan the immigration slowdown that followed World War II.

Read more: Immigrant entrepreneurs add jobs, revenue as debate rages on

Read more: 'Slums into gold': Asian immigrants bring new economic life to Phoenix area

Read more: Dream catchers: Immigrants make mark on U.S. economy, labor force

While Mexico has provided the largest flow of immigrants during the past generation, an increasing number of people are now arriving from Asia, Africa and other Latin American countries. They are changing the makeup of U.S. cities and stretching into small towns unaccustomed to all the new faces.

The flow of foreign-born people into the U.S. as legal visitors and undocumented immigrants continues to shape the nation's economy in profound, and highly contested,ways.A landmark study from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicinelast year found that first-generation immigrants cost U.S. taxpayers $57.4 billion a year.

President Trump cited that figure during his first address to a joint session of Congress in February as a reason to restrict immigration a key theme of his 2016 campaign. But he omitted the second half of thereport's sentence: that second- and third-generation immigrants createa net benefit of $30.5 billion and $223.8 billion respectively.

The report's bottom line is that immigrants are a big plus for the U.S. over time. Yet Trump continues to focus on the negative aspects of immigration.His administration has increased arrests of undocumented immigrants, implemented a temporary travel ban on people from majority-Muslim countries and all refugees as an anti-terrorism move and pushes for a border wall with Mexico.

And in the days leading up to the holidayweekend, Trump voicedsupport for bills passed bythe House of Representatives on Thursday to increase jail terms for undocumented immigrants and withhold federal money fromso-called "sanctuary cities" that protect them.

"Trump's radicalism on immigration is unprecedented in modern times," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a Washington, D.C.-based immigrationadvocacy group. "There's a historic challenge to our nation's tradition of welcoming refugees and immigrants. It's up to us whether we are going to survive this era and emerge with a stronger sense of inclusive patriotism that makes us proud."

Trump's supporters disagree with that assessment, arguing that the president is simply following through on his campaign promises to stop the flow of illegal immigration and support acontrolled level of legal immigration that serves U.S. economic interests.

Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that advocates for lower levels of immigration, said Trump won in part by promising to reform the immigration system to help, not hinder, the plight of struggling American workers. Mehlman said there is "no evidence" that the Trump administration has discriminated against legal immigrants, or that it's conducting mass roundups of undocumented immigrants.

"Some of this hysteria is being hyped and whipped up by the advocates, telling people, 'You're under siege,'" he said. "If you tell them that enough, they start to believe it. All Trump is doing is recognizing that laws are meant to protect American workers."

The battle over the proper role of immigration in the U.S. won't let up anytime soon. Trump's temporary travel ban is in effect, his administration will continue pushing for a border wall and immigration supporters continue mobilizing to fight back on all fronts.

Only one thing remains certain: As we celebrate our nation's birthday, thousands of people will raise their right hand, swear their oath and become the latest members of the United States of America.

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Immigrants facing new reality this Independence Day - USA TODAY

Kate's Law is named after a San Francisco woman who was killed by a man with a long record and multiple deportations. Huber cited the case of Millard County Deputy Josie Greathouse Fox, who was killed in 2012 by Roberto Miramontes Roman, who was deported three times before killing Fox.

"Stiffer penalties for re-entry offenders make sense," Huber said. "The status quo is just not deterring the criminals from returning."

The "No Sanctuary for Criminals Act" limits federal funding to cities who declare themselves "sanctuaries" for illegal immigrants. On that bill, Huber said, "removing unnatural impediments between local and federal law enforcement will enable the coordination we need in this country to keep our neighborhoods safe."

Huber doesn't have any sanctuary cities in his state, but Utah does have police agencies, including some of the largest, that have resisted enforcing federal immigration laws in the course of doing their jobs. That is because it interferes with the course of doing their jobs. Residents without documents won't call the police, even when they need them, if they think it will get them deported.

And Huber seems to understand that.

In a 2014 Tribune story about prosecuting a crime involving immigrant victims, Huber, then a prosecutor in the office he now runs, talked about catching the offenders, not the victims. "What motivates a prosecutor is when you have a vulnerable community with predators amongst them taking advantage of them."

So 2014 Huber hit it straight on the nail. We all want violent criminals caught, but extending immigration enforcement to every person without documentation ends up making communities less safe, not more.

Versions of the two House bills have been kicking around for a while, and they are just two bills of many that show Congress' lack of resolve to truly tackle immigration at scale. Enforcement and local police roles could be better defined in a comprehensive approach that includes border security, visa reform and a path to legality for law-abiding immigrants. Pulling at one or two strings won't unwind the knot. It will take a patient, productive legislative body and a president who wants it to happen.

In the meantime, the White House sticks to its xenophobia, and Utah's U.S. Attorney is one of the few Obama appointees to squeeze through the sieve to work for the Trump administration.

John Huber is in a delicate position.

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Tribune Editorial: Don't piecemeal immigration reform - Salt Lake Tribune