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U.S. Rep. Tony Crdenas, D-Calif., and Rep. Luis Gutirrez. D-Ill., will host a forum this weekend to discuss President Barack Obama's immigration executive actions despite the temporary injunction blocking the deferred action programs' implementation.

The workshop, emanating from Crdenas' San Fernando Valley district in California, is expected to notify immigrants and families if they are eligible for the imminent immigration policy changes created by Obama. Specifically, the undocumented immigrants attending the forum will have the opportunity to understand the requirements for the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) programs, which were announced by Obama last Nov. 20.

Obama's executive actions could temporarily defer deportation for nearly 4.9 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S., specifically before Jan. 1, 2010, and pending a criminal background check and payment of fines and taxes. Obama's executive action expanded DACA for applicants to receive a renewable three-year stay instead of two years. Parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who have been in the country since Jan. 1, 2010, can request deferred action and employment authorization for three years as part of the DAPA program.

"Thanks to President Obama, millions of the people who work so hard as we rebuild this nation's economy will have a chance to stay and continue to do exactly that," said Crdenas in a statement. "It is important that everyone who wants to stay here understands exactly what will be required of them. I am so pleased that my colleague, Luis Gutirrez, will be helping me with this timely and important task."

Must Read: Study: Trillion Dollar GDP Loss If All Undocumented Immigrants Removed from U.S.

Gutirrez has been on a national tour promoting Obama's immigration executive actions. During a previous tour stop in New Jersey, Gutirrez said the immigration debate "is the civil rights movement of our time." He said in January, "This is our Selma and we will walk, we will march, we will be arrested, we will do anything and everything it takes to make sure families are protected in this nation."

An ongoing lawsuit, however, has temporarily blocked DAPA and the extended DACA program from going into effect. Twenty-six U.S. states, led by Texas, have sued to block DACA and DAPA. U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen of the Southern District Of Texas' Brownsville Division ruled in favor of the 26 states pending further hearings with the U.S. Department of Justice. On March 12, the Obama administration has filed an appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to lift the temporary injunction, but the appeals court denied the administration's request for an immediate lift of the ban. A hearing is scheduled about the immigration executive action lawsuit in Texas on Thursday.

Despite the lawsuit, Crdenas and Gutirrez noted they are confident the court will rule in Obama's favor and future applicants should still use the time to prepare their documents once the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency launch the programs.

The Crdenas and Gutirrez immigration forum is scheduled for March 21 from Panorama High School in Panorama City, California.

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Go here to see the original:
Immigration Reform News 2015: Congressional Lawmakers to ...

By Maria Cervantes and Greg Smith

Special to the Mercury News

Immigration is about families -- children and parents, workers and worshipers, neighbors and friends.

The PACT: People Acting in Community Together immigration team feels like family. We work together for immigration reform, and over the years we have developed strong bonds.

This debate is often centered on economics and politics, but the consequences of this broken system fall on families. Immigration reform is good for the economy. According to the North American Integration and Development Center, Administrative Relief -- President Obama's executive action -- will bring in new federal tax revenue of over $2.6 billion in two years, not counting what will go to individual states. It will increase the GDP, decrease the federal deficit and increase average wages.

The two of us represent different perspectives on immigration: one, a mother eligible for Administrative Relief and the other, an African-American engineer born in the United States. Our stories may seem different, but our conclusion is the same: People need a pathway to citizenship so families can live with dignity.

Last week, San Jose City Council joined the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in filing an amicus brief to support the executive orders, underscoring how important this is to us locally. We're proud of Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren's defense of the president's action because, although it's not permanent protection, it is relief families deserve.

I am Maria, a mother of four who has lived in San Jose for 13 years. Nothing is more important to me than family.

I came to the United States as a young mother because where I lived in Mexico was so very dangerous that I could not see a future for my children. My husband, the oldest of his siblings, is the only one who did not get documents when his father immigrated. If I could have immigrated formally I would have done so, but no opportunity existed. Instead, we work hard, contribute through taxes and in our community and take no government benefits.

I am proud to see my children thriving. The two oldest are in college, benefiting from the Dream Act, and the younger ones, who were born here, are working toward that goal. I teach religious classes in my church, volunteer in my children's schools and work part time. My husband has worked for the same construction company since we've lived in San Jose. I am among the 118,000 people in Santa Clara County without documents or certainty of our future.

Continue reading here:
Immigration reform: What hurts one, hurts us all - San ...

Noorani said the red state's compact also surfaces in "liberal circles as a ray of hope that there is a constructive approach from a conservative perspective."

He noted his Washington, D.C.-based group "really started with the Utah Compact" as its model as the forum aims to engage faith, law enforcement and business leaders in an approach "that has come to be known as Bibles, badges and business for immigration reform."

Noorani added that the compact even has affected debate in Congress.

What the compact did there, he said, "was lay the foundation for a different way to have a conversation. Once you had that foundation, it was a lot easier to get to a policy debate."

Noorani does not foresee immigration reform clearing Congress anytime soon because of "hyper-polarization" on the issue. He is in Utah to talk to leaders and send a message to politicians that reform is still sought by many in the state and the need is urgent.

He said reform may come as more people get to know immigrant neighbors "and see they are good people."

He added that ongoing litigation over President Barack Obama's orders not to deport many adults and the upcoming 2016 presidential campaign could put more focus on immigration reform.

"The 2016 election will remind Republicans that the world is a changing," he said, "and they have a real chance to take credit for fixing the system."

Utah leaders have a range of other views on the compact. Anti-illegal-immigration activists see it as a sort of disaster for their cause, while Latino activists credit it for cooling the surging hate they had seen.

Ron Mortensen, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and an activist against illegal immigration, on Wednesday called the compact "a business- driven effort to help businesses benefit from illegal immigration and avoid their responsibilities for hiring illegal immigrants."

Continue reading here:
How the path of the Utah immigration debate turned a corner

Noorani said the red state's compact also surfaces in "liberal circles as a ray of hope that there is a constructive approach from a conservative perspective."

He noted his Washington, D.C.-based group "really started with the Utah Compact" as its model as the forum aims to engage faith, law enforcement and business leaders in an approach "that has come to be known as Bibles, badges and business for immigration reform."

Noorani added that the compact even has affected debate in Congress.

What the compact did there, he said, "was lay the foundation for a different way to have a conversation. Once you had that foundation, it was a lot easier to get to a policy debate."

Noorani does not foresee immigration reform clearing Congress anytime soon because of "hyper-polarization" on the issue. He is in Utah to talk to leaders and send a message to politicians that reform is still sought by many in the state and the need is urgent.

He said reform may come as more people get to know immigrant neighbors "and see they are good people."

He added that ongoing litigation over President Barack Obama's orders not to deport many adults and the upcoming 2016 presidential campaign could put more focus on immigration reform.

"The 2016 election will remind Republicans that the world is a changing," he said, "and they have a real chance to take credit for fixing the system."

Utah leaders have a range of other views on the compact. Anti-illegal-immigration activists see it as a sort of disaster for their cause, while Latino activists credit it for cooling the surging hate they had seen.

Ron Mortensen, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and an activist against illegal immigration, on Wednesday called the compact "a business- driven effort to help businesses benefit from illegal immigration and avoid their responsibilities for hiring illegal immigrants."

Originally posted here:
How the path of the immigration debate in Utah turned a corner

BROWNSVILLE, Texas, March 19 (UPI) -- A federal court is set to hold a hearing on Thursday as part of the Texas-led lawsuit over President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration reform.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen issued a preliminary injunction in February that blocked the implementation of Obama's immigration reform. In the hearing in the city of Brownsville, Texas Hanen expects the government to "fully explain" the circumstances surrounding implementation of the immigration action.

Texas and 25 other states filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration in hopes to block the executive order, which seeks to give renewable work permits and deportation exemption to millions of undocumented people in the United States who met certain criteria.

Government attorney Kyle Freeny told Hanen that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approved the orders for people who registered between Nov. 24 and Hanen's injunction. The hearing hopes to determine the circumstances surrounding the implementation of the order during that time.

Texas Republican Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz support the lawsuit and joined San Antonio Republican Lamar Smith and the American Center for Law and Justice in filing an amicus brief supporting the federal judge's decision.

"As I have said all along and a federal court affirmed, President Obama exceeded his authority when he went around Congress to unilaterally change our nation's immigration laws," Cornyn said.

Obama previously criticized the opposition to his executive order during a funding dispute for the Department of Homeland Security.

"This is just one federal judge. We have appealed it very aggressively. We're going to be as aggressive as we can," Obama said. "We said to Republicans... 'Instead of trying to hold hostage funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which is so important for our national security, fund that and let's get on with passing comprehensive immigration reform.'"

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Texas-led battle over Obama's executive order on immigration continues