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WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) on the 21st anniversary of the attacks of 9/11:

"On this September 11, it is important to note that the Biden administration has forgotten nearly every lesson learned on that tragic day. By loosening immigration inspections, border controls, document security, interior enforcement, and screening standards, America is no longer secure.

"The threat of state-sponsored radical Islamic terrorism is still a very clear and present danger, as we have been reminded in just the last few months. The stabbing of Salman Rushdie, the plot to kidnap former National Security Adviser John Bolton, and the attempted assassination of an Iranian dissident in Brooklyn remind us that our enemies understand our vulnerabilities and are prepared exploit them.

"As we remember the lives of the 2,977 people who were slaughtered 21 years ago, in part due to lax immigration enforcement policies, we must also recognize the even more massive loss of life going on right now as a result of the Biden administration's deliberate sabotage of border enforcement. Last year, under President Biden's watch, 36 times as many Americans, 107,622, died of drug overdoses including 71,238 from the fentanyl that is pouring across a wide-open border.

"If we owe anything to those who died on this day 21 years ago, their families, first responders who rushed to the scenes of devastation at the Pentagon and World Trade Center, as well as the men and women who fought and died in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is to make sure that such events are never repeated on U.S. soil. Sadly, on September 11, 2022, it seems that many of the lessons of 9/11 are being forgotten."

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

Contact: Ron Kovach, Email: [emailprotected]

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

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As We Commemorate the 21st Anniversary of 9/11, Important Lessons are Being Forgotten, Warns FAIR - PR Newswire

Midterm elections will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8. In Pennsylvania, voters will elect a new governor, senator, 17 seats in the House of Representatives and various state-specific and local positions.

The candidates to replace Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who can not seek re-election due to his term ending, are Josh Shapiro (D) and Doug Mastriano (R).

A group of recent poll results organized by Ballotpedia has Shapiro with a couple-point lead over Mastriano, both of them mostly in the 40-percent range.

The candidates to replace Sen. Pat Toomey (R), who is not seeking re-election, are John Fetterman (D) and Mehmet Oz (R).

Fetterman currently serves as Lt. Gov. of Pennsylvania. His platform covers criminal justice reform, marijuana legalization, manufacturing in America, immigration reform and LGBTQIA+ rights.

Ozs platform includes energy independence, Second Amendment rights, health care, immigration and anti-abortion advocacy.

According to FiveThirtyEight, using a model that simulates the election 40,000 times, they generated a sample of 100 possible outcomes which has Fetterman favored to win 80 out of every 100 outcomes.

In the 7th Congressional District, which includes Northampton and Lehigh Counties, as well as parts of Monroe County, Rep. Susan Wild (D) is running for re-election against Lisa Scheller (R).

A campain sign promoting Doug Mastrian in the yard of a Bethlehem resident. Campaign signs around the city reflect differing opinions approaching the mid-term elections in November. (Siqi He/BW Staff)

Wild has focused on healthcare, bipartisanship, mental health advocacy, job creation and public safety.

Scheller focuses on healthcare, securing borders, education and job creation.

According to FiveThirtyEight, Scheller is slightly favored to win in the 7th District. Using the same model that generates 100 outcomes, Scheller is expected to win 55 in every 100 outcomes.

According to the Northampton County Elections Department, as of Sept. 8, there are 11,071 registered voters ages 18-22.

In 2018, 34 percent of Lehigh University students were registered to vote.

In a social media poll conducted byThe Brown and White of 38 Lehigh students, 89.5 percent were registered to vote, and 55.9 percent were registered in Pennsylvania. Of the 55.9 percent registered in Pennsylvania, 78.9 percent were not originally from Pennsylvania.

67.6 percent said they were planning to vote in the midterm election and 16.2 percent said they would possibly vote.

Cece Garvey, 25, is originally from Massachusetts. She said she registered as an independent to vote in her home state when she got her drivers license and will vote in the midterms using a mail-in ballot.

For future elections, Garvey said she may switch her registration to Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is a swing state, and I feel like my vote could have more of an impact that way, Garvey said.

Missy Connolly, 23, is originally from New Jersey and is registered to vote there as an independent. She said she plans to switch her registration to Pennsylvania for the midterm elections.

I only have one year left at Lehigh, but my roommate is vice president of the Lehigh College Democrats and has been walking around campus getting people to register to vote, Connolly said. She convinced me to switch my registration.

Sam Denison, 24, is originally from New York but is registered to vote in Pennsylvania. He is also an intern for Rep. Susan Wild, and president of the Lehigh College Democrats.

Denison said he wishes the university did more to encourage students to vote.

A Lets Go Brandon sign in the yard of a Bethlehem resident. The phrase has become popular in right-wing circles as a subtle way to insult President Joe Biden. (Siqi He/BW Staff)

The only thing the school does is from the Political Science Department, and the Political Science Department sends out three emails, Denison said. The registration deadline is approaching, the mail-in ballot deadline is approaching and (so) is Election Day. Thats all the school does, no matter if its a presidential (election) year, midterm or even just for municipal elections.

Both Connolly and Garvey agreed the university does not do much to promote voting and most of the efforts are student-run.

I think that giving us the day off on election day is a step in the right direction, Connolly said.

The first time Lehigh observed Civic Engagement Day was in 2021.

Denison said he has seen an increase in voter registration recently and is hopeful for the future.

Original post:
A Lehigh student's guide to the midterm elections - The Brown and White

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) thanks her supporters during the Democratic Watch Party at Colony West Golf Club in Tamarac on Aug. 23.

After a razor-thin primary win by less than 10 votes last year, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was relieved when she comfortably cruised to victory this August in herprimary rematch.

But before she started winning, Cherfilus-McCormick had to learn from her losses like the times she lost to Rep.Alcee Hastingsin 2018 and 2020.

The truth is no one had won in my district, outside ofAlcee Hastings, in 30 years, she said of her fellow Florida Democrat. People knew my story because they saw me running for so long. They saw me evolve.

When Hastings died, she came to Congress in a special election to fill the seat. She kept telling her story including feeling like her life was over when she became a single mom, only to find it was a new beginning.

Pretending to be perfect, or pretending to know it all, doesnt motivate or change anything, she said.

Now that shes headed for an expected second term, she feels a sense of destiny. As the first Democratic Haitian American ever to be elected to Congress, she hopes she can make her colleagues see the urgent need for immigration reform.

If were not being proactive, were going to keep seeing it weaponized, she said.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Q: Whats surprised you about Capitol Hill so far?

A: Since it was a special election, we didnt have any preparation time. Its kind of like, you won, be there in two days to get sworn in. I remember the first meeting I had was withHakeem Jeffries. I said, So when is orientation? And he said, This is orientation.

Q: Youre the first Haitian American Democrat to serve in Congress, and just the second overall, after Republican Mia Love of Utah. What has that been like for you?

A: With whats been going on in Haiti right now, especially with immigration, it really has felt like destiny. At this time, at this place, there needs to be a voice for the Haitian American community. And I have the honor of being that voice.

Were talking to everyone, like at the Summit of the Americas with Dr. Ariel Henry, whos the de facto prime minister. Were talking to influencers in the country. Figuring out how we can help Haiti be independently sustainable has been a priority.

Q: Do you think your fellow lawmakers understand whats happening in Haiti?

A: I was born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens, and then I lived in South Florida. So my entire life Ive always lived in areas where there is a large Caribbean population, especially a Haitian population.

Immigration policies have not been fair to Haitian immigrants, so its something that is just a constant if youre from those areas. In Congress, we live a different reality. I had a conversation with members about the urgency for us to try and get in and stabilize Haiti, because otherwise its just going to increase immigration. And I had a member who said to me, Well, whats the rush?

It kind of woke me up. Were seeing boatloads coming to our border. Were seeing boats capsized. Every time a boat comes, my constituents are waiting for their family members on the other side. My phone rings off the hook. But that isnt the reality for many, many members in Congress.

Q: When it comes to passing immigration legislation, what do you see as a realistic goal?

A: We have to start prioritizing it, because immigration is becoming a bigger and bigger issue for both sides. If were not being proactive, were going to keep seeing it weaponized.

One day when I was presiding in Congress, I took the subway over with a Republican colleague. I was talking to him, and he was very nice. Then, when he got up (to speak on the House floor), the first thing he said was, I want to thank the border patrol for keeping those Haitians out of the country who were coming in to do crimes.

My eyes were like, What? I felt like, is that what you thought of me and my parents when they came here?

Immigration is constantly used by the Republican Party as a scare tactic immigration is bringing fentanyl for the children, or immigrants are coming in to rob the country. I really dont believe he believed any of that. Theres no way you can demonize an entire group of people and think its OK. Thats where its gone too far.

Q: Republicans have been gaining ground in some immigrant communities, including in your home state of Florida. How should Democrats respond?

A: We have to start by telling them the truth. No matter what you want to say about Democratic policies, I show them what the Republicans say on the floor. These voters arent watching C-SPAN, but I wish they would, because then you would know who really believes in you and whos articulating your needs.

I think thats how we motivate not just the Haitian community, but the Caribbean community and even the African American community. Show them whats being said on the floor. If politicians were bold enough to say what they say in D.C. in the community at a rally, it would be beyond a shadow of a doubt. The community would be like, What? How dare you.

Quick hits

Last book you read?The Alchemist.

In politics, can the ends justify the means?Yes.

Your least popular opinion?I cant sing, but I think I can sing.

Americas best president?Barack Obama.

Closest friend across the aisle?Mario Daz-Balart. He was the one who actually swore me in. He told me, Im so proud to say these words for you, because you prove that immigrants dont come here to pillage, but to succeed and thrive.

View original post here:
Florida congresswoman: There needs to be a voice for Haitian Americans - Florida Courier

Ninth 'Hugs, Not Walls' event will go on despite imminent departure of El Paso Sector Border Patrol chief, event organizer says

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) Some 300 families separated by immigration status are being invited to gather in the middle of the Rio Grande on Oct.15 in El Paso for a Hugs, Not Walls event.

The gathering will go on despite the imminent departure of U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Gloria I. Chavez, who green-lighted the last event, said organizer Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights.

This is a gathering of a humanitarian nature but also a protest where we put the spotlight on how families are being separated, destroyed by U.S. immigration policy, Garcia said. The group is one of scores of civil rights and advocacy organizations in the United States calling for comprehensive immigration reform that includes legalization for millions of people who came across the border without authorization many years ago, have held jobs or otherwise contributed to American society and may have U.S.-born children.

The gatherings on the dry riverbed are supervised by U.S. immigration authorities who allow people to walk south of the border wall in El Paso to spend time and briefly embrace loved ones staying in Mexico. Afterward, everyone goes back the way they came, unimpeded.

The first Hugs, Not Walls event took place in 2016 despite impossible odds, Garcia said.

This is something that transcends (White House) administrations. We had the first Hugs, Not Walls happened during the Obama administration at a time people were calling him the Deporter-in-Chief, Garcia said. People were talking about raids and deportations, but people were not talking about the effect of immigration policies on actual families mothers separated from their children, brothers separated from their brothers. We wanted the public to visualize the crisis Latino families are living,

This will be the ninth Hugs, Not Walls event in El Paso. For more information, visit BNHRs webpage or call 915-577-0724.

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Migrant families to gather in the middle of Rio Grande on October 15 - WJTV

COLUMBUS The following article was originally published in the Ohio Capital Journal and published onNews5Cleveland.comunder a content-sharing agreement.

With food prices skyrocketing, many factors have been blamed.

They include disrupted exports of grain, fertilizer, and fuel because of Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. They also include supply-chain disruptions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition, the agricultural and food processing sectors have been plagued by the same labor shortages that have hit other parts of the economy.

Amid deep worries that Ohios foodbanks will run out of supplies this winter, a top official last week said that the labor shortage among food workers is particularly acute and an irrational fear of immigrants isnt helping.

Another thing were lacking is labor, said the official, Ohio Association of Foodbanks Executive Director Lisa Hamler-Fugitt. Wed rather demonize the people who plant our food, grow our food, pick our food, and bring our food to our grocery stores. Those are our migrant workers who do the work that most Americans have clearly demonstrated they cant or wont do.

However, a survey released Tuesday indicates that Americans across the political spectrum support immigration reform if that means lowering food costs.

If additional labor is to be added to the agricultural workforce, that means more immigrants.

For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that in 2016, undocumented immigrants made up 50.1% of the nations farmworkers. Another 22% was authorized, meaning that immigrants of all types made up almost three quarters of the farm workforce.

A similar portion of Americans 77% said yes when asked whether they wanted Republicans and Democrats working together this year on reforms that could help lower food prices by ensuring a legal, reliable workforce for Americas farmers and ranchers.

In addition, 70% supported Republicans and Democrats working together this year on improving legal immigration options that could address labor shortages and reduce pressures at the border, said the survey, conducted by the Bullfinch Group on behalf of the National Immigration Forum and Americans for Prosperity.

The online survey was conducted from Aug. 5-8 with 1,208 adults, of whom 83% of whom were registered voters. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.82 percentage points.

Perhaps not surprisingly, when asked if they supported lowering food prices by ensuring a stable, legal workforce, respondents levels of agreement were overwhelming and fairly uniform across political lines. Seventy-nine percent of Democrats, 68% of independents and 74% of Republicans agreed.

Maybe more surprising is that the dynamic didnt change much when immigration and the border were added to the mix. Sixty-seven percent of Republicans said yes, as did 68% of independents and 79% of Democrats.

This latest poll confirms what the American people have been consistently saying for years: Lawmakers need to put partisan politics aside and fix our countrys broken immigration system, Jorge Lima, senior vice president of policy for Americans for Prosperity, said in a statement accompanying the poll. They can start now by ensuring that our farmers have a reliable workforce to draw from in order to meet labor demands. We urge lawmakers to bring relief to the American people today.

Dan Gordon, vice president of strategic communications for the National Immigration Forum, said its time to stop using immigration and the border as partisan footballs.

All Americans will benefit when Democrats and Republicans reach solutions that address the border, agriculture and legal-immigration processes that honor the contributions of immigrants already here, he said.

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Poll: People across the spectrum support immigration rules to keep food coming - News 5 Cleveland WEWS