Talented artist and good friend, Pat Benincasa, recently invited me to join her in a session of her Filled to Capacity podcast. I hope you enjoy our discussion of All Things Immigration.

QUOTES

ANGELO:  “It’s helping people who were fleeing persecution from their home country. And boy, putting together an affidavit that

“It became necessary to destroy the town to save it.”

~ An unidentified U.S. major, referring to the February 7, 1968 bombing of the South Vietnamese town of Ben Tre that killed hundreds of noncombatants, as recounted by Associated Press reporter, Peter Arnett.

US 1965 Stamp Celebrating the 750-Year Anniversary

Fingers crossed

In the 1997 film, Liar Liar, Jim Carrey starred as Fletcher Reede, a scruples-free lawyer whose young son, Max, wishes that, for just one day, his dad would tell the truth.  Max’s wish is granted. Fletcher flips from mendacity to veracity.  He tries persistently to lie; his Silly-Putty® face contorts wildly, but he can

Steve Case quoting Nelson MandelaThe usual voices said trite things when a sliver of Richmond, Virginia Republican primary voters last Tuesday rejected Eric Cantor’s bid to continue as Majority Leader in the House of Representatives.  With a margin of just over 7,200 votes out of roughly 62,000 cast, David Brat, a college economics professor and Johnny-one-note who beat the

tusks.jpgLast Friday the Republican National Committee (RNC) passed a resolution opposing a path to citizenship for the 11 million people living among us without immigration status. Viewing these individuals as gate-crashers or overstayers, the resolution claimed that a majority of Americans “oppose any form of amnesty that would propose a pathway to citizenship for illegal

violence 2.jpgBipartisan outrage erupted in the House last week, with usually loyal Republicans among the most furious and outspoken in the GOP-controlled chamber. Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican, chastised House leaders for conduct that is “absolutely inexcusable . . . absolutely indefensible.” Declaiming that “we cannot just walk away from our responsibilities,” King

alien orange.jpgWith the Obama Administration and lawmakers in both parties promising to fix our dysfunctional immigration system, it’s time for a reality-based understanding of global migration and a fresh choice of words.  

As Prof. Fariborz Ghadar, Senior Advisor and Scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Affairs, observes:

Just as a teenager grows

lottery winner3.jpgDespite all the post-election talk of a chastened GOP promising flexibility on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR), Republicans seem more determined than ever to reduce the number of green cards issued annually.  They would do so by eliminating the Diversity Visa lottery.  Their latest ante is a miserly family-unity sweetener to the failed STEM bill which

The Democratic Convention in Charlotte ended last week. The media has now turned to measuring and marveling at President Obama’s post-convention bounce despite weak Labor Department data revealing persistent joblessness.

The inevitable comparisons of the two parties’ convention performances give the edge to the Democrats’ oratory, production values, crowd enthusiasm and diversity.  On immigration policy, the Dems