Archive for the ‘Immigration Reform’ Category

Immigration Reform 2014: Obama Immigrant Policy Will Result In More Crime, Border Crossings, Claims Arizona Lawsuit

President Barack Obama's immigration overhaul will allow more immigrants to illegally cross the border and commit crimes in the United States, overwhelming law enforcement agencies, according to a lawsuit filed byMaricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona. The lawsuit will be heard in federal district court in Washington D.C. Monday in the first major courtroom battle over the president's plan to allow nearly 5 million illegal immigrants to avoid deportation and obtain legal rights.

Arpaio's lawsuit claims Obama violated the Constitution by changing the nation's immigration policies without approval from Congress. "President Obama and others recite that the immigration system of the United States is broken," Arpaio's lawyer, conservative activistLarry Klayman,wrote in a court filing. "It is unmistakable that the only thing that is broken about the nation's immigration laws is that the defendants are determined to break those laws."

Arpaio said more than 35 percent of immigrants living in Maricopa County in central Arizona who served time in his jails in 2014 were repeat offenders. It's the latest case for legal activist Klayman, known for previously claiming President Obama was not a U.S. citizen and petitioning the Homeland Security Department to start deportation proceedings against him, according to the Associated Press.

The Arpaio lawsuit will be heard by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, who was appointed by Obama. The Justice Department slammed the lawsuit, calling Arpaio's theory that more legal immigrants will result in greater crime "speculative and unsubstantiated" in its own court filing.

Arpaio, 82, calls himself "America's toughest sheriff." He is often celebrated by anti-immigration advocates and reviled by immigration proponents. A federal judge in 2013 ruledthat his law enforcement tactics had violated the civil rights of Latinos, according to Bloomberg.

Obama announced in November his immigration policy aimed at halting illegal border crossings and allowing high-skilled and educated illegal immigrants to stay."Why would we prefer a system in which they're in the shadows, potentially taking advantage of living here but not contributing?" Obama hassaidof his policy.

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Immigration Reform 2014: Obama Immigrant Policy Will Result In More Crime, Border Crossings, Claims Arizona Lawsuit

Local builders future tied to immigration reform

Walk onto any home construction site in the state of New Mexico, and its likely more than half the workers are immigrants, largely Spanish-speaking laborers from Mexico. For some trades, such as roofing, stucco, concrete and plastering, the percentage of immigrant workers is even higher, between 90 percent and 100 percent of the local construction workforce, according to builders.

As President Barack Obama seeks to implement new immigration reforms, few industries in the state have as much as stake as construction.

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Local builders future tied to immigration reform

Meeting to help Central Indiana immigrants prepare for immigration reform

INDIANAPOLIS -

President Barack Obama announced executive actions last month that will allow immigration reform in the U.S. to take some important steps forward in the new year.

But, who's affected and what will this mean for their residency in the U.S.?

The actions announced on Nov. 20 seek to crack down on illegal immigration at the border; prioritize deporting felons, not families; and require certain undocumented immigrants to pass criminal background checks and pay taxes in order to temporarily stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation.

The last part could affect thousands of undocumented immigrants Central Indiana.

For several years, many people in in Indianapolis have been pushing for immigration reform through groups like IndyCan, holding rallies and prayer services.

The new actions will help, but are still months away from implementation. Some of the details also are still being worked out.

That's why local organizations, like the Immigration Welcome Center, are teaming up with the Indianapolis Chapter of American Immigration Lawyers Association to help immigrants understand the changes through a series of meetings.

"The most important thing to note is there is no application process yet," said Angela Adams, an immigration attorney. "So, we're all waiting. So, we want to caution people to be careful of scams and anyone who says they can help you, you can apply now, you are eligible, do not pay them. Don't do anything and make sure to seek assistance from a qualified immigration attorney."

In the meantime, there are ways immigrants can prepare, which will be discussed at a meeting at 5 p.m. Monday at Southeast Community Services, 901 Shelby St.

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Meeting to help Central Indiana immigrants prepare for immigration reform

States, localities big part of immigration reform

Immigration is again front and center in the domestic political debate. Congress may or may not pass legislation to reform the nations immigration system, but in the meantime President Barack Obama has taken executive action to make as many as 5 million unauthorized immigrants eligible to avoid deportation. What happens next is open for debate but, however Washington acts, state and local governments will have important roles to play because any changes in national immigration policy will inevitably affect them.

And its not just the border states that need to pay attention to federal changes in immigration policy. According to the Pew Research Center, about 3.5 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the United States in 1990, with 80 percent of them in six states: California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas. By 2012, only 60 percent of these immigrants were in those six states, with faster growth in new gateway states, primarily in the South and West. Today, the countrys 11.2 million unauthorized immigrants are spread across 50 states and the District of Columbia. And there are now 32 states in which the unauthorized proportion of their immigrant population is at least 25 percent, with the highest in Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Idaho and Oklahoma.

Previous federal reform efforts illustrate how all levels of government interact on immigration policy. In 2012, the Obama administration created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process, which allows unauthorized young immigrants to live and work in the United States for a limited period but does not provide them with legal status or a pathway to citizenship. The 600,000 (and counting) people currently in the program are required to meet certain criteria, including proving that they came to the United States as children and have lived in the country for a specified time. As part of his executive action, the president announced an expansion to DACA and a new program for unauthorized immigrant parents of U.S. citizen or permanent resident children.

Although the federal government, which is in charge of admitting immigrants to the country and providing work authorization, administers such programs, many aspects of implementation fall to states, cities and other entities.

For example, after the DACA program, increased demand for services required New York City to provide $18 million for additional adult education classes and legal services for applicants. A backlog of transcript requests in Los Angeles had school district employees logging hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime. In response to fraudulent activity and price gauging, California state lawmakers passed a consumer protection law limiting who can charge individuals for DACA services.

Whether responding to the presidents latest executive action, or further congressional legislation, state and local governments may be called on to contribute in four key ways:

1)Documentation. State and local governments may be the source of the paperwork applicants need to meet eligibility requirements for new programs, including documents proving they have been in the United States for a defined period and, depending on the program, have met any educational requirements, or have U.S.-born children.

2)Education. State and local institutions may face increased demand for public education or other specified classes that applicants may need to qualify.

3)Protection from fraudulent or predatory providers of immigration legal services. Historically, states have also played a prominent role in protecting immigrants from scams targeting them.

4)Outreach and public education. States and localities may be called on to inform potential applicants about new programs, including eligibility and application requirements.

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States, localities big part of immigration reform

President Obama Speech on Immigration Reform Obama Speech Executive Order 11 20 2014 – Video


President Obama Speech on Immigration Reform Obama Speech Executive Order 11 20 2014
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President Obama Speech on Immigration Reform Obama Speech Executive Order 11 20 2014 - Video