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Here, we have more immigrants than any other country in the world, with more than 40 million people born in another country living in the U.S.

Immigration is one of the fundamental building blocks that make the U.S. the nation it is today.

Here, we have more immigrants than any other country in the world, with more than 40 million people born in another country living in the U.S.

But the debate over immigration policy has been contentious.

We have to do it in a way that secures our border, has a path to citizenship, respects the value family to us that has certain principles that we would agree to," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Senate Democrats have taken every meaningful opportunity to back the administrations border policies and vote down Republicans efforts to improve security," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. "Their votes have helped create this mess.

Xiao Wang with the immigration company Boundless tells us any type of compromise is tough to come by in the hyper-political landscape of today.

You need 60 votes in the Senate to pass any law that affects green cards, or the way citizenship is handled, and the only topic you can get 60 senate votes on, is daylight saving time," Wang said.

History proves reaching agreement in Washington over immigration has not come often.

The first immigration law that passed was the Naturalization Act of 1790.

That limited U.S. citizenship to any 'free White person.it excluded almost anyone who wasnt from Europe, like Native Americans and enslaved Africans.

And exclusivity for white immigrants became even more apparent with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act' which targeted Chinese immigrants legal entry to the U.S.

It wasnt until 1965 that the U.S. saw major immigration reform with its Immigration and Nationality Act signed into law by president Lyndon Johnson which set the main principles for immigration rules still enforced today.

Under that law, priority was given to skilled laborers, and immigrants who had spouses, parents, siblings, or other family members already in the U.S.

Its what former president Trump has referred to as chain migration.

As a result, the U.S. started to see less European immigrants and more migrants from Africa, Asia, and Latin America entered.

In the three decades following the 1965 law, more than 18 million legal immigrants settled in the U.S.

Throughout the 1980s, illegal immigration was booming as many migrants entered the U.S. through the Canadian and Mexican borders.

Many wanting to escape poverty, war, and seek better economic opportunities.

Thats where the long lines of immigrants started to form.

And that put immigration at the forefront of politics.

The Immigration Reform Act in 1986, signed by President Ronald Reagan, attempted to address the issue by allowing millions of unauthorized immigrants to apply for legal status, and penalized employers who knowingly hired undocumented immigrants.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the law granted legal status to 2.7 million people.

In the early '90s competition for jobs between low-income Americans and migrants picked up, as the country faced a recession.

Congress then passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act in 1996, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, which aimed to enforce the countrys borders and the use of social programs by immigrants.

It also established the expedited removal process and allowed customs and border protection to deport undocumented noncitizens.

Instead, the numbers kept rising.

Pew Research Center estimates the unauthorized immigrant population living in the U.S. rose from the '90s into the 21st century, before hitting a peak of 12 million in 2007.

Despite a few modifications, the immigration policies from the '50s and '60s are the same ones governing our system today.

For immigrants, there are two basic paths to citizenship in the U.S.: through birth or naturalization. But naturalization can be an extremely long and complex process.

Pew Research Center data shows more than 77 percent of immigrants in the U.S. are lawfully living here. Others try to get in illegally.

Officers arrested about 143,000 undocumented immigrants in 2019, and removed more than 267,000 from the U.S.

And more migrants are arriving daily.

The last two years have created record numbers of Customs and Border Protection enforcement actions.

In April alone, border officials encountered over 234,000 migrants, topping a 22-year high set in March.

Today, the issue remains.

Immigration has become a partisan wedge issue within congress and the country, raising other legal, humanitarian, economic, and political issues.

And it continues to be a focal point among politicians running for office.

Despite congressional deadlock on immigration, recent administrations have found loopholes through executive action.

Back in 2012, to address the approximately 800,000 children born elsewhere but brought to the U.S. as children, President Barack Obama allowed these so-called dreamers to apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA.

But for DACA recipients, the problem is the program currently offers no pathway to citizenship.

President Donald Trumps executive actions took on a different approach.

According to CBP, the Trump administration completed 450 miles of barrier, though not all was built from scratch.

The 45th president also implemented a travel ban on several majority-Muslim countries a move he said would protect Americans from terrorist attacks.

And he moved to end the DACA program.

President Joe Biden pledged to overturn those actions.

Many of those campaign promises have either been blocked in court or abandoned altogether. As a result, two signature Trump administration asylum policies remain partly in place.

One is the Remain in Mexico program for people seeking asylum in the U.S.

Anotehr is Title 42, a pandemic health order that allows border agents to swiftly expel migrants without screening their asylum claims.

Its been used to expel more than 1.7 million migrants since March of 2020.

The Biden administrations push to lift the health protocol has so far failed with a federal judge siding with two dozen Republican state attorneys general in a lawsuit to block the end of Title 42.

While Washington continues to debate the issue of immigration reform, millions are kept waiting.

And patience is wearing thin as border cities like El Paso, Texas declare a state of emergency to help alleviate with the thousands of migrants trickling in.

And they will likely continue waiting, as immigration experts dont think an agreement on major immigration reform will come any time soon.

See the rest here:
Why Cant Congress Agree On Immigration? - Newsy

[co-author: Eveline Liu]

In February 2022, the House passed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science (COMPETES) Act, a legislative package that invests in research, innovation and American manufacturing. The Senate had passed a similar bill, the US Innovation & Competition Act (USICA), in June 2021.

Beginning in May 2022, the Conference Committee on bipartisan innovation and competition legislation has been working to reconcile the COMPETES Act and USICA.

In February 2022, the House passed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science (COMPETES) Act, a legislative package that invests in research, innovation and American manufacturing. The Senate had passed a similar bill, the US Innovation & Competition Act (USICA), in June 2021.

Beginning in May 2022, the Conference Committee on bipartisan innovation and competition legislation has been working to reconcile the COMPETES Act and USICA.

In February 2022, the House passed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science (COMPETES) Act, a legislative package that invests in research, innovation and American manufacturing. The Senate had passed a similar bill, the US Innovation & Competition Act (USICA), in June 2021.

Beginning in May 2022, the Conference Committee on bipartisan innovation and competition legislation has been working to reconcile the COMPETES Act and USICA.

In February 2022, the House passed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science (COMPETES) Act, a legislative package that invests in research, innovation and American manufacturing. The Senate had passed a similar bill, the US Innovation & Competition Act (USICA), in June 2021.

Beginning in May 2022, the Conference Committee on bipartisan innovation and competition legislation has been working to reconcile the COMPETES Act and USICA. While both bills seek to accelerate U.S. production of critical semiconductor chips and strengthening the domestic supply chain, the COMPETES Act alone features immigration reform provisions:

The America COMPETES Act would establish a new, nonimmigrant W visa status for foreign entrepreneurs. Applicants would be required to hold at least a 10 percent ownership interest in the startup and play a central and active role in managing the company. The startup owner must also receive at least $250,000 in investments from U.S. citizens or organizations or at least $100,000 in government awards or grants. The visa is for startup owners, their essential employees and their dependent spouses and children.

W visas would be issued in three-year increments with the possibility of extension based on the startups growth, and visa-holders could apply for legal permanent residence after one year, if they meet conditions around funding, revenue, job creation and ongoing ownership stake. Specifically, the company must receive $1.25 million in qualifying investments or qualifying government grants or awards or generated at least $1 million in annual revenue in the prior two years. Then, the company must have created at least 10 qualified jobs.

The Department of Homeland Security estimated that 2,940 entrepreneurs would be eligible for the W visa annually. A New American Economy study estimated that, over the course of ten years, these entrepreneurs could create 429,000 jobs and generate $18 billion for the gross domestic product.

The bill would also provide an alternative to per-country, green card limits for foreign, STEM PhD and certain masters degree holders. These graduates would circumvent the green card backlog that the per-country caps have created and obtain permanent residence in the U.S. much faster.

The provision could benefit an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 STEM doctorates who apply for permanent residence in the U.S. annually. In the 2019-20 academic year, international students made up 42 percent of all STEM PhD students at U.S. universities, according to data from the Department of Education. Currently, the wait for a green card for STEM PhDs with job offers in the U.S. can be five to ten years.

This exemption would benefit applicants who might not yet qualify for the first-preference EB-1 visa but who are still engaging in valuable research that contributes to Americas status as a global leader in science.

Another provision would grant Temporary Protected Status to Hong Kong residents currently in the U.S., protecting them from deportation and providing them work authorization for 18 months. Certain Hong Kong residents facing persecution from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are eligible for refugee and asylum status, without counting toward the annual refugee or immigration ceilings.

Hong Kong residents would also have preferential immigration status and be considered separately from Chinese applicants. Finally, the bill would create a Special Immigration Status for up to 5,000 Hong Kong college graduates to emigrate to the U.S. for five years following the bills passage.

The bill would give certain persecuted Uyghurs a P-2 designation, granting them access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, again without counting toward the annual refugee ceiling. Furthermore, the America COMPETES Act requires the U.S. to prioritize diplomatic efforts with countries hosting Uyghur refugees who face pressure from the CCP to return Uyghurs to the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

The final immigration-related provision is the Adoptee Citizenship Act, which provides U.S. citizenship to individuals born abroad but adopted as children by American parents. This provision addresses a loophole in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, which did not apply to foreign-born adoptees over 18 when the law went into effect. The bill would protect around 35,000 adoptees who were legally adopted but remained subject to deportation.

The 107-member Conference Committee began reconciling the Senates USICA and the Houses America COMPETES Act on May 12, 2022. Although the COMPETES Act passed the House in a partisan vote of 222 to 210, the immigration provisions could potentially garner support from some Senate Republicans.

Several Democrats support the bills provisions to increase visa availability, but Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) insisted a separate immigration policy legislation consider such provisions.

While Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) remains open to the House-passed immigration provisions, he warned against adding provisions that would frustrate the bills passage. Other Republicans voiced receptiveness to the immigration proposals.

If theres broad support for the provisions, then Im absolutely open to including it, said Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), who sponsored the Senate USICA bill. More broadly in terms of skills-based immigration reform, I think its essential to maintaining our national competitiveness.

I dont know what the exact proposal would be and what that would actually look like, said Sen. James Lankford (R-OK). But for me, we want to encourage the best and the brightest from all over the world to be able to come here legally and to be able to go through the legal process.

Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) recognized that, when it comes to anything associated with STEM, weve got to get better at it because weve got 11 million jobs out there but six million unemployed.

I think merit-based immigration is an appropriate response to what we see happening right now, said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Obviously, if theyve got an advanced degree in a STEM program, that would meet some needs we have. But Id like to look at the legislation more.

Despite these expressions of support, it is very uncertain if the immigration provisions will survive the conference negotiations.

See the rest here:
Will Immigration Provisions in the COMPETES Act Survive Conference Negotiations? - JD Supra

Sen. Schumer took Mr. Jassys call and told him that he supports Sen. Klobuchars bill, a Schumer spokesperson said. An Amazon spokesperson said, Andy meets with policymakers on both sides of the aisle regarding policy issues that could affect our customers.

And Jassy isnt the only tech executive working to wield his star power against the bill as the tech companies pull out all the stops to crush the legislation, which could go to a vote in the Senate as soon as next month.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is planning to meet in person with senators on Capitol Hill next week to discuss the antitrust bill (among other things), said one Capitol Hill aide familiar with the discussions. The meetings follow calls Pichai made to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of the bills markup in January. A Google spokesperson did not comment directly on the meetings.

We regularly engage with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on a range of issues including economic growth, small business support, immigration reform and cybersecurity, said Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels.

The ban on so-called self-preferencing would also bar Google from giving its own services, such as Google Maps and reviews, greatest priority at the top of its search results page. And it would prevent Apple from preloading its own apps onto iPhones.

Apple CEO Tim Cook met with senators last week, including several Democrats and a group of Republicans, to discuss Apples opposition to the antitrust bills (again, among other things). A spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the Kentucky Republican did not meet with Cook, and declined to comment when asked if he spoke with Jassy.

And its not just CEOs Kent Walker, Googles chief legal officer, has also spoken directly with multiple members of the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Klobuchar and Grassleys bill.

Jassys outreach is also a sign that he is approaching Washington differently than his predecessor, Jeff Bezos who rarely directly interacted with members of Congress during his time at Amazons helm. When Jassy took over last July, he quickly made the rounds on Capitol Hill.

Tech lobbying has been crude and over the top, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said. The senator said she hasnt received a call from Jassy or other top tech executives, but has been tracking their extensive efforts to block the antitrust bills. Thats the way giant corporations with unlimited money and, they believe, unlimited power seem to act, she said.

Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.

A version of this story first appeared in Morning Tech, POLITICO Pros subscriber-only tech policy newsletter. You can subscribe to POLITICO Pro here.

See the rest here:
Amazon's Jassy blitzes Congress over antitrust bill - POLITICO

TX-23 congressional candidate John Lira said he is running to continue his passion for public service. He faces Republican incumbent Congressman Tony Gonzalez, who currently ranks 92 percent favorability with the National Rifle Association.

Notably, Uvalde, Texas, falls in the 23rd district with a 69 percent Hispanic population. And more eyes are on the congressional race than before, in light of the Uvalde shooting marked as the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history.

Republicans across the state and the country blamed the rise in violence on mental health, video games, drag queens, rap music and more to deflect from consistently bowing down to NRA leaders and gun manufacturers.

Lira said Gonzalezs nay vote against the most recent congressional gun safety legislation puts him on the wrong side of history.

Still, Lira said he would have voted to support the Protecting Our Kids Act but wished it included provisions on school safety and mental health.

Im not ready to say that I support an all-out assault weapons ban necessarily, Lira told the Signal. But I want it to be severely restricted to those who have proven capable, mature enough, and have some sort of level of need for this weapon. But if there were an assault weapons ban in a session that I could look at, I would strongly consider it.

In reality, the emphasis on legislation and implementation of red flag laws, universal background checks, banning high capacity magazines, and more lose the essence of the conversation on why these weapons are necessary to the average law-abiding citizen in the first place.

According to Lira, he understands firsthand the sense of power behind a powerful firearm as a former Marine but doesnt understand the need for semi-automatic weapons besides marksmanship and sport.

The folks that say its for hunting are the same folks that might argue they need dynamite to fish, Lira said. I dont buy it. These are strictly for sport and kind of prestige in [many] ways. Its part of the gun iconology thats deeply rooted here in Texas. They are essentially pieces to have versus functional pieces to use.

Even with his experience as a former marine handling semi-automatic firearms, Lira said the nuisance of gun culture and Americas normalization of violence led him to question his own gun ownership away from the battlefield.

Now, with so many states allowing for the unfettered carry of a firearm anywhere in public, people are all on edge, Lira said. I never used to want to have a need for a firearm. Now I feel like I dont want to be the only fool without one if anything ever happens. I almost feel compelled to carry one.

Shortly after conflicting reports from the police showed officers waited outside for 78 minutes while the gunman barricaded himself in the 4th-grade classroom, the Uvalde Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety have been hesitant to release certain documents, according to reports by ProPublica.

Lira said that more rural communities like Uvalde are also vulnerable across the 23rd congressional district and called the Uvalde police response disappointing.

I never like to bad mouth the police, but in this case, I think they failed to live up to those expectations, he said. There are even more vulnerable and less equipped and less trained police forces spread all across my district, and what about them. Its really scary.

Grieving Uvalde families are still trying to piece together their new reality. But the lack of transparency from Texas law enforcement agencies and hesitation to release information in the ongoing investigation most likely pours salt into an already open wound.

Nevertheless, Lira said the Texas government owes the Uvalde family some compensation.

I think their [Uvalde police] actions and delayed actions or inactions directly led to increased carnage for some of these families, he said.

In addition to speaking out on gun reform, the congressional candidate who describes himself as a moderate Democrat and devout Catholic said he also defines himself politically as pro-choice.

Im proudly a pro-choice candidate, and this stems from me being a father and I have four nieces, Lira said. I want every healthcare option to be accessible and available to them as far as incorporating it in a healthy and balanced medical service that is part of a slate of services offered through the Affordable Care Act. Absolutely. These are important to women.

According to his campaign website, Lira is also campaigning on decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana, liveable wages, labor unions, veterans, immigration reform, and more.

I think in a lot of ways being a moderate, especially here in Texas, can be very valuable, he said. I think in this district specifically, a moderate is what theyre looking for. Im not bending toward the district in a lot of ways. This is who I am.

Election day for this race is Nov. 8, 2022.

Here is the original post:
John Lira on His Run for Congress in TX-23 - The Texas Signal

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia

Malaysias film censors said Friday that it was Disneys decision to ax the animated film Lightyear from the countrys cinemas after refusing to cut scenes promoting homosexuality.

The Film Censorship Board said it approved the movie with parental guidance for those under 13 on the condition of modifications. Scenes and dialogues that it found to contain elements promoting the LGBT lifestyle which violate key aspects of the Guidelines on the Film Censorship were ordered to be cut and muted, the board said in a statement.

However, the film distributors did not agree to comply with the instructions and decided instead to cancel the screening, the board said, adding that it would not compromise on any LGBTQ scenes. The board did not specify in the statement which scenes violated censorship guidelines.

Lightyear includes a female character voiced by actress Uzo Aduba briefly kissing her female partner in one scene in the $200 million film.

Authorities across much of the Muslim world have barred Lightyear from being played at cinemas because it includes a brief kiss between a lesbian couple. Many Muslims consider gays and lesbians to be sinful and many Muslim-majority nations criminalize same-sex relationships. The United Arab Emirates also announced it would ban the Pixar animated feature from showing in movie theaters because of the kiss.

Read this article:
Disney refused to cut gay scenes in 'Lightyear,' Malaysia's censors say - Los Angeles Times