Mediaboss Marketing

US President Joe Biden has urged Congress to pass the comprehensive immigration reform, asserting that immigrants have done so much for America during the pandemic as they have throughout the country's history.

On the day one of his presidency, Biden sent a comprehensive immigration bill to Congress which proposes major overhauls to the system, including granting legal status and a path to citizenship to tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants and other groups and reduce the time that family members must wait outside the US for the much-sought green cards.

Immigrants have done so much for America during the pandemic as they have throughout our history. The country supports immigration reform. Congress should act, Biden said in his maiden address to a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday.

Immigration has always been essential to America. Let's end our exhausting war over immigration. For more than 30 years, politicians have talked about immigration reform and done nothing about it. It's time to fix it, he said.

He said that on day one of his presidency, he kept his commitment and sent a comprehensive immigration bill to Congress.

"If you believe we need a secure border pass it. If you believe in a pathway to citizenship pass it. If you actually want to solve the problem I have sent you a bill, now pass it, he said amidst applause from the lawmakers.

We also have to get at the root of the problem of why people are fleeing to our southern border from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador. The violence. The corruption. The gangs. The political instability. Hunger. Hurricanes. Earthquakes. When I was Vice President, I focused on providing the help needed to address these root causes of migration, he said.

This, he said, helped keep people in their own countries instead of being forced to leave.

Our plan worked. But the last administration shut it down. I'm restoring the programme and asked Vice President (Kamala) Harris to lead our diplomatic efforts. I have absolute confidence she will get the job done. Now, if Congress won't pass my plan let's at least pass what we agree on, he said.

Biden said the Congress needs to pass legislation this year to finally secure protection for the Dreamers the young people who have only known America as their home.

And, permanent protections for immigrants on temporary protected status who come from countries beset by manmade and natural made violence and disaster.

As well as a pathway to citizenship for farmworkers who put food on our tables, he said.

New York immigrant rights advocates, led by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), praised Biden's renewed commitment to a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status holders, and essential workers.

In a statement, the NYIC also double-downed on their call for a transformation of the country's immigration system, a promise of the Biden campaign.

FWD.us President Todd Schulte said that in his address Biden made clear the urgent need to provide millions of deserving immigrants with a desperately needed pathway to citizenship that will keep families across the country safe and together.

Millions of Dreamers, TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders, farmworkers, and other undocumented immigrants have been vital to our nation's continued health response and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"They have deep roots in our communities as our neighbours, colleagues and friends, and nearly 6 million US citizen children live with an undocumented family member. Undocumented people are essential to our nation in every sense of the word, he said.

Earlier in the day, a coalition of immigration advocacy groups announced a new USD 50 million campaign aimed at pressuring lawmakers from both parties to pass a pathway to citizenship.

The effort includes a USD 30 million commitment from the We Are Home campaign led by advocacy organisations, as well as a USD 20 million commitment from a handful of other immigration groups including FWD.us.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Read this article:
Joe Biden urges US Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform - Business Standard

While the Biden administrations take on immigration initially seemed to be the opposite of his predecessors, its a bit more nuanced. Our Practical Law attorney-editors discuss what that means for attorneys and employers.

Navigating intricate changes may make an already-complex practice area even more complicated. From humanitarian issues likes refugees to family unification to employment at all skills levels, immigration law has presented challenges to the U.S. practically and politically from our very roots to the present day. Many presidential administrations have attempted fixes to our immigration system, with limited success.

A compromise on immigration has been out of reach for decades. One reason for the limitations is the breadth of issues encompassed by immigration and the complex, seemingly unrelated interests represented by those issues. Any chance to achieve the long-sought goal for comprehensive immigration reform revolves around building enough unity in important common interests to have all parties meet somewhere in the middle. Essentially, comprehensive reform likely requires stronger enforcement in balance to stronger immigration benefits.

To hear the latest on immigration and other current topics of interest, attend our webcast.

The Biden administrations first 100 days of action on immigration is clearest seen in comparison to the Trump administration that preceded it. A major component of the Trump administrations immigration goals was to limit immigration. Most of President Bidens early actions on immigration have been to rescind or repudiate the policies introduced and embedded by President Trumps administration throughout the immigration system. That includes rescinding President Trumps key executive actions on immigration and the administrations rule redefining the entry and admission bar for public charges.

The Department of Homeland Security and its sub-agencies responsible for immigration (principally U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)) have also rescinded more restrictionist policies and reverted to or introduced policies that are more benefits-oriented.

Ultimately, the more pro-immigration policies are likely to benefit employers that sponsor foreign workers. However, there are warning signs that the Biden administration may retain or introduce rules or policies that are more restrictionist or enforcement-minded than expected. For example, the administration retained the high premium processing fee introduced in 2020 (more than double what it was in 2018) and delayed, but did not withdraw, rules to redefine H-1B selection by wage level and a DOL rule increasing prevailing wages for immigration matters. Employers and their counsel must remain engaged advocates for immigration.

To learn more about evolving immigration policies and other matters impacting lawyers and employers, watch our webcast, A conversation with Practical Law attorney-editors on some of the impact of Bidens first 100 days.

The rest is here:
Immigration & the first 100 days of Biden's administration | Legal Blog - Westlaw Insider - Westlaw Insider

There's a lot of talk these days about police reform. In the wake of George Floyd's death and Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict, the issue has perhaps never been more pressing The Senate is currently considering the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

But while there is some partisan tension over what measures to take next, there's an easy way to support police officers that shouldn't be controversial at all: immigration reform.

An improved immigration system can unite our country. It can also help make our local law enforcement more effective and our communities safer. We must unite around the crucial task of bringing law-abiding, undocumented immigrants into the legal immigration system.

Over the course of my career with the Seattle Police Department, I experienced firsthand how policies and programs of inclusion help to build safe and healthy neighborhoods that help our entire city thrive. Whether through demographic advisory councils that channel community voices on public safety issues, through our Immigrant Family Institute that brings police and communities together to learn from each other, or our Women's Refugee Institute, through which female officers empower women to become leaders in the community, our commitment to engagement built trust with our immigrant communities, strengthening both perceptually and empirically the public safety of our city.

After nearly 30 years in law enforcement, I can tell you that police want to do what's right for our communities. But we are often inhibited by policies that don't work. A major problem with our current system, for example, is that undocumented immigrants don't feel comfortable calling law enforcement for help or reporting crimes.

Consider Wilson Rodriguez, a father of three who called 911 in 2018 to report someone possibly attempting to break into his home. He was put into ICE custody. Stories like these silence others like him. But law enforcement can best serve our local communities when we are able to build trust with the people we serve.

Under our current system, the injured suffer without medical care, case-breaking tips on violent criminals are never supplied, and underground drug trafficking and other enterprises continue to thrive.

Federal authorities should permit undocumented immigrants already living and working in the U.S. to apply for a legal, provisional status while they work to earn permanent residence. Most immigrants would "come out of the shadows" if this were an option. And truly dangerous criminals could no longer use the fear of deportation to threaten them into silence.

This reform would also allow members of law enforcement to focus their time and resources on these dangerous criminalsthose bringing drugs, guns and violence into our communities. Most law enforcement should not be tasked with apprehending and removing immigrants who have no criminal background.

We know the statistics that show that undocumented immigrants are actually less likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens. And yet, the task of identifying illegal immigrants has, in recent years, trickled down to members of state and local law enforcement, whose main job should really be the safety of their communities.

Consider that in 2018, U.S. attorneys prosecuted more immigration violations than drug-related crimes or violent crimes. What does this say about where current policy has pushed our priorities?

Moreover, this legalization process would benefit our cities' economies. Mass deportation of the 11 million undocumented workers currently in this country would not only be impossible but harmful to American citizens. Many jobs in agriculture, food processing, transportation and construction are filled by undocumented immigrants because these businesses can't find enough U.S. citizens to work there, and there aren't enough permanent visas or guest worker visas being offered to hire immigrants legally. A report by Scientific American detailed the efforts to which these businesses, like larger farms, are going to attract legal employees. Even as they offer higher wages and benefits like 401(k) plans, health insurance, and subsidized housing, it's not enough.

Replacing these illegal pathways for immigration with legal ones will help local businesses hire legal employees. And it has long been known that jobs deter crime.

Law enforcement should be supported in treating all people with dignity and compassion and in focusing on what we know will make our communities safer. Reforming our immigration system by offering a path to legal residence will help local law enforcement build positive, productive relationships with the communities they serve.

Law-abiding immigrants already living and working in the U.S. should be given the opportunity to legalize their status after meeting stringent requirements, like paying taxes and fines and passing criminal background checks.

We are not divided on this issue, nor should we be. It's win-win. Let's make it happen.

Carmen Best served as the chief of police in Seattle for 28 years.

The views in this article are the writer's own.

See the article here:
Want to Support the Police? Push for Immigration Reform | Opinion - Newsweek

Has the time finally arrived for immigration reform?

In remarks to Congress on April 28, President Joe Biden outlined his sprawling American Jobs Plan and signaled immigration reform is a top priority for his administration.

In his speech,Biden described his aim to pass the largest jobs plan since World War Two.

It creates jobs to upgrade our transportation infrastructure; jobs modernizing our roads, bridges, highways; jobs building ports and airports, rail corridors, transit lines, Biden said.

Biden also called for Congress to pass immigration reform.

For more than 30 years, politicians have talked about immigration reform, and weve done nothing about it. Its time to fix it, he said.Among several priorities that Biden wants in immigration legislation, Biden said any fix should include a a pathway to citizenship for farmworkers who put food on our tables.

Look, immigrants have done so much for America during this pandemic and throughout our history, he said. The country supports immigration reform. We should act. Lets argue over it, lets debate it, but lets act.

In a statement, Robert Guenther, senior vice president of policy for the United Fresh Produce Association, said thanked Biden for his recognition of the importance of immigration reform for agriculture.

By raising the importance of passing the agricultural immigration reform during his address to the nation, President Biden has made it crystal clear, that this issue which has vexed agriculture for decades, can and must be addressed immediately by the U. S. Senate in the same bipartisan manner that enabled it to pass the House of Representatives, Guenther said in the statement. United Fresh looks forward to continuing to work with the Biden administration and the Congress to have meaningful immigration reform signed into law this year.

See original here:
Biden says America is ready for takeoff, calls for immigration reform - The Packer

[Sun Gazette Newspapersprovides content to, but otherwise is unaffiliated with, InsideNoVa or Rappahannock Media LLC.]

Joussell Lopez shares a lived experience with millions of immigrants in the U.S. who have found roadblocks instead of green lights.

His story illustrates the importance of providing immigrants with a clearer path to citizenship, access to higher education, and the ability to achieve the American Dream.

Estudia para que tengas una mejor vida que nosotros. Joussell first heard these words from his father as a 13-year-old boy on the border between Mexico and Texas after having been released by U.S. Border Patrol. He was on a quest to reunite with his parents, who already were in the U.S. after fleeing civil war and poverty in Nicaragua.

Joussell became the first person in his family to receive a high-school diploma, but when he enrolled at Northern Virginia Community College, he almost had to quit several times because he had to pay out-of-state tuition a cruel and almost overwhelming burden faced by many DREAMer students like Joussell, who, in many cases, know no other home and were brought to the U.S. through no fault of their own.

To this day, he thinks about what his father said to him that day when he first stepped foot on U.S. soil. The translation is, Study so you can have a better life than ours. It is this axiom that informs his every step, in a country where despite working numerous jobs and long hours, paying taxes and receiving public education for more than a decade, he still cannot call himself a U.S. citizen, and is treated unfairly based on decisions made in his childhood that were out of his control.

When Joussell reached out to the office of Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington-Fairfax) to advocate on behalf of the Virginia Dream Act, the Equity in Financial Aid Actand the entire Virginia Dreamers Agenda, Del. Lopez says he saw a familiar face (although they are not related).

Alfonso often says that the parallels between Joussells story and his fathers are striking. Del. Lopezs father came to the U.S. from Venezuela with nothing but $260 in his pocket and the dream of better life. He worked as a busboy and waiter. He learned English. He graduated from Northern Virginia Community College when his son was 5 years old and then took one class a semester every year until he graduated from George Mason University, one month before Del. Lopez graduated from high school.

Delegate Lopez has stated, My fathers determination and hard work inspired me to choose a path of public service and use this platform to advocate for immigrants and equitable access to higher education for undocumented students who were brought to the U.S. by their parents. These amazing children are the future of our nation. They are valedictorians and class presidents. They should not be denied an opportunity for an education because of decisions made by their parents or the strictures of a broken federal immigration system.

Although Joussells and Alfonsos fathers stories are generations apart, they are not unique. Undocumented immigrants and mixed-status families across the country have had to delay or forgo a college education because of antiquated immigration laws. Many of these individuals pay taxes, work multiple jobs and benefit from American public education, but they are not afforded the same access to a college degree.

Now, the Virginia has become one of 18 states that provides hardworking immigrants with this path to the American Dream: no longer will some students have to carry the weight of balancing multiple jobs to pay for out-of-state tuition, and no longer will they be denied financial-aid eligibility.

With the passage of the American Dream and Promise Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, it is imperative that the U.S. Senate also acts to provide DREAMer students with a pathway to citizenship. The gift of liberty and the promise of a good education are the tenets of a country built by immigration.

More importantly, states do not need to wait for Congress to finally pass a comprehensive immigration reform package. Instead, it is imperative that other states pass sensible legislation like Delegate Lopezs Virginia Dream Act and the Equity in Financial Aid Act (both now enacted into law).

Such reforms provide immigrants with the tools to build a better life, and it lets states and localities continue to invest in a modern workforce of economic mobility and innovation, one that ensures the American Dream remains a reality.

See original here:
Commentary: Time to take bold action in support of DREAMers - Inside NoVA