Immigration Reform

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On February 18 and 19, the University of California (Irvine) hosted a symposium where many of U.S. immigration’s Rock-Star professors came together to try and solve “Persistent Puzzles in Immigration Law.”  The topics covered a wide expanse. A subject discussed that particularly interested me is Congress’s often inexplicable delegation of regulatory authority among a surfeit of…

Since January 25, the events in Cairo’s Tahrir (Liberation) Square have transfixed the world.  Following on the heels of the Tunisian people’s overthrow of their despot, the Egyptian uprising reveals a fundamental law of physics: In a closed system, energy can be neither created nor destroyed. 

So too in politics.  Universal political energy — the pent-up longing…

Guest Column by Christina LaBrie

On April 2, 2007, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will begin accepting petitions for H-1B temporary workers. This seemingly insignificant event has turned into the source of great anxiety for U.S. employers.

U.S. law limits the number of H-1B visas available each year to 65,000, with an additional 20,000 for…

President Bush’s favorite pastime, clearing away the brush and deadwood that abound on his Crawford ranch, is well known. When it comes to promoting immigration reform, however, the president seems more at home lecturing from the bully pulpit than rolling up his sleeves and eliminating the tumbleweed and desiccated limbs placed as a barrier to…

An Open Letter to Grover Norquist: Stop Congress from Imposing a New Immigration Stealth Tax on Multinationals!

Dear Mr. Norquist:

You are a well-known champion of tax and immigration reform. As President of Americans for Tax Reform, you’ve helped secure the signatures of President George W. Bush, 46 Senators and 221 Members of the…

When it comes to the divisive subject of immigration, on one point the competing camps, surprisingly, agree. The body politic is inflamed and afflicted. The carbuncle that is illegal immigration must be lanced. The fester must be allowed to drain and the wound to heal. Americans must discover a way to get back on our collective feet if we are to stand any chance of competing successfully in the flattened and increasingly borderless global economy.

Many pundits have addressed the hot-button issues. This blog and writers of similar sentiment have tried to debunk the immigration apocrypha that masquerade as news in the print, cable and broadcast media. This posting will take a different tack, and examine the fine points of recent reform proposals. Like so much vaporware, immigration-fix proposals have been floated for years, but little has been offered in the way of proposed legislation; still fewer of the bills have had any realistic chance of enactment.
Continue Reading Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Bipartisan Cure or Beltway-Spawned Pandemic?

Just days after the election, President Bush announced a major immigration initiative. The ‘high priority’ initiative would grant legal status to millions of illegal immigrants as part of a migrant worker program. Wasting no time, President Bush met with Senator McCain of Arizona while Secretary of State Powell was in Mexico meeting with President Fox. As the debate begins on immigration policy, it’s important to keep several things in perspective.

Neither Republicans nor Democrats have all the right answers on our country’s broken immigration system. America needs an enlightened immigration policy that transcends political parties and the right/left partisan spectrum. A wise immigration policy would promote our country’s economic self-interest and our traditional values as a nation of immigrants (i.e., family unity, free enterprise, cultural and ethnic diversity, and a haven for those fleeing persecution).
Continue Reading Immigration, Post Election ‘High Priority’