Rand Paul on Minority Outreach, Immigration Reform and Gun Control Hannity Radio 4 9 2013 YouTube
News in World http://lin.kim/2BKxw.
By: News in World
The conventional wisdom in the Republican Party is changing.
Less than two years ago, party leaders solemnly declared after an exhaustive study that the GOP "must embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform.'' It was critical for the party's survival, they said, to address an issue that was paramount to the nation's surging Hispanic population. But as President Obama issued a sweeping immigration order last week, some of the Republican Party's most prominent governors, likely presidential candidates among them, described immigration reform as little more than an afterthought.
"This issue is probably not in the top 10 of most voters in America,'' Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is considering a 2016 White House bid, said alongside nodding colleagues at the Republican Governors Association annual conference in Florida. Walker dismissed the Democratic president's order that shields as many as five million immigrants from deportation as a trap designed to divert attention "from the real issues in this country.''
The comments reflect a dramatic shift among some GOP leaders emboldened by this month's midterm success just as the next presidential contest gets underway. Having claimed the Senate majority in the low-turnout November campaign, the sense of urgency that dominated Republican leadership after losing the White House in 2012 has all but disappeared.
The evolution presents risks, however, for Republicans competing in a 2016 election that will draw a much larger and more diverse electorate, especially in a handful of swing states where the Hispanic population is quickly growing.
The contrast between the parties has never been clearer.
Prospective Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton praised Obama's order as an "historic step.''
"Now,'' she said in a tweet, "let's turn to permanent bipartisan reform.''
And as Hispanic leaders cheered the order, potential Republican presidential candidates threatened lawsuits and perhaps a government shutdown but no immigration policy of their own.
The Republican criticism has focused on the president's decision to act unilaterally, although political strategists acknowledged the distinction may matter little to Hispanic voters come 2016.
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Republicans downplay importance of immigration reform - NY ...
President Barack Obama tries to quiet one of three hecklers as he addresses the crowd after meeting with community leaders about the executive actions he is taking to fix the immigration system Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
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President Barack Obamas executive actions on immigration reform have Republicans upset by the presidents unilateral approach and Democrats defensively pointing to similarly far-reaching immigration legislation that was passed by former Republican president Ronald Reagan.
Whats missing from the current, back-and-forth debate is a look at the policys substance and its economic impacts.
Economists and politicians have widely different views on what impact Mr. Obamas executive order will have on the labor market and the economy, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Supporters of an immigration overhaul estimate that granting legal status will bring more workers into the tax system and boost government revenue, but many critics have said that it will overwhelm social-welfare programs and displace numerous workers, the WSJ continued.
Analysis by the Presidents Council of Economic Advisors says that the presidents immigration reform will amplify economic output and increase GDP by $90 million to $210 million in 2024, stated a White House press release. The CEA also predicts annual wage increases for all workers and a reduction to the federal deficit.
John Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has long been pushing for immigration reform because of the positive effects it would have on business.
It would help revitalize our economy by raising the gross domestic product, boosting productivity and attracting investment from around the world," he wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Times. "It would spur innovation and entrepreneurship. It would create jobs for immigrant and native-born workers alike. And it would help us address our challenging demographic realities.
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Immigration reform will boost the economy, hopefully
SAN FRANCISCO Any time immigration reform is in the news, advocates warn, immigrant families are vulnerable to scam artists and unscrupulous individuals who promise to help them for a fee.
President Obamas executive action on immigration revises enforcement priorities to focus on recent arrivals and those who had committed serious crimes.
It would expand the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and create a new deferred action program for parents of U.S.-citizen or legal-permanent-resident children who have lived in the country for more than five years. I
t would also revise the legal immigration system, with a special focus on science, technology and entrepreneurs.
However, there is no new application available yet, and advocates are warning immigrants to stay tuned to trusted media sources and community groups to get accurate information.
Spike in scams
Earlier this year,NAM reportedthat the San Francisco District Attorneys office had seen a spike in immigration fraud cases in 2013, prompting it to launch a multilingual campaign to educate immigrant families about how to avoid scams.
NAM found that some people were seeking immigration advice from unqualified individuals, and that translation issues were contributing to the confusion.
For example, in most Latin American countries the term notario means lawyer. But in the United States, a notary just means someone who is licensed by the state to witness and sign documents.
Notaries cant represent a person in court, they cant assist them in a formal legal process; they can only fill out forms. But anyone can fill out a form, said Diana Otero, coordinator of the immigration program at Catholic Charities of San Mateo.
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In wake of Obama executive action, beware of immigration scams
As a US immigrant and entrepreneur who came to this country in search of opportunity I have always paid close attention to US immigration policy. As you might imagine I also have a particularly strong and loving relationship with my immigration attorney, Philip Curtis. Phil is managing partner of Boston-based Chin & Curtis and,aftermy wife and daughter, is the person most responsible for keeping mein these United States of America.
I asked Phil to help me (and you) make sense of what the Presidents recent Executive Action might mean for highly skilled and entrepreneurial immigrants.
PHIL:
Last week, President Obama announced a comprehensive plan to bypass Congress and improve a broken immigration system through Executive Action. Most of the attention has understandably focused on provisions to help upwards of five million undocumented immigrants, but some of the Presidents boldest proposals are to enhance opportunities for entrepreneurs wishing to conduct research and development and create jobs in the U.S.
The President has directed USCIS to take action in two areas: first, to clarify the standards for granting permanent residence to people whose work is in the national interest, with the aim of promoting greater use of this green card avenue for the benefit of the U.S. economy; and second, by creating a program for the temporary admission of inventors, researchers, and founders of start-up enterprises who might not yet qualify for national interest green cards but who have been awarded substantial U.S. investor financing or otherwise hold the promise of innovation and job creation through the development of new technologies or the pursuit of cutting-edge research.
This is potentially great news for entrepreneurs the Council of Economic Advisors estimates that these initiatives could result in 100,000 new entrepreneurial visas over ten years as well as a long-awaited statement of sensible national immigration policy. But will it come to pass? As of yet, there is no detail. Regulations must be drafted and authoritative memos written. Will politics and agency paralysis intervene to continue the unsatisfactory status quo?
I believe that entrepreneurs will benefit from the Presidents Executive Action. Unlike proposals to improve the lives of millions of undocumented immigrants, there is and always has been bipartisan support for reforms that promote job creation, entrepreneurship, business development and innovation. Legislative reform of business immigration has failed recently because it has been combined with much broader and politically more difficult proposals for comprehensive immigration reform, but the Presidents Executive Action effectively unbundles them. Congress is unlikely to legislate against regulations designed to enhance entrepreneurship and create American jobs.
Whether USCIS can draft workable regulations and then implement them in a useful manner is another question, and skepticism is appropriate. Most immigration lawyers would say that for several years, agency adjudications have displayed a decidedly harsh attitude toward small businesses and entrepreneurs. However, there is reason for optimism on this front as well. The President has made immigration reform a major piece of his domestic political legacy, and half-measures will not serve him well. USCIS has been instructed to develop new policies and regulations that will be good for both U.S. businesses and workers, will support our countrys high-skilled businesses and workers, and will be published in a timely manner. In addition, the entrepreneur piece of the Presidents Executive Action is a creative and even legally aggressive approach that bespeaks a strong commitment to action. The temporary admission proposed for foreign entrepreneurs utilizes existing statutory authority to parole people into the United States when there is a significant public benefit for doing so. This provision has historically been used for humanitarian purposes, and creating a special parole for entrepreneurs is both a break from the past and a vision for the future. We eagerly await the regulations.
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The President's Immigration Reform: Good for Entrepreneurs?