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For those who watched the talk I did with Paul Smalera, some of this will be redundant. Paul asked me why we haven't gotten all of these "no brainer" immigration reform proposals like the startup visa (funded entrepreneurs get to stay in the US and build their companies here), or the STEM visa (graduate degrees in STEM come stapled with a visa), or an end to kicking undergrads out after they graduate.

The answer is that there has been a long standing debate in the US about "comprehensive immigration reform" which involves putting many of the immigrants who are already here on some sort of path to citizenship in return for a committment to strengthening our borders so we get less illegal immigration.

And all of these really great ideas about piecemeal immigration reform that both sides support have been hostage to the big idea of comprehensive reform. If the elected officials give industry the things they want like more H1B visas, STEM visas, startup visas, etc, then they lose our collective pressure on the immigration issue. And they need our collective pressure (and money) to get this done.

Last week, the "gang of eight" introduced a comprehensive immigration reform bill. It is now making its way through hearings and such and will eventually face a vote in Congress. This bill includes all of these piecemeal proposals we have been advocating for in the startup and tech community for years:

So if you want to see all of these good and important changes to the immigration laws in the US, you have to get behind comprehensive immigration reform. That's the way the deck is stacked in this debate. It took me a long time to understand that and although it is illogical, it is the way it is.

There are many opponents to the comprehensive immigration reform bill out there. And they will use anything, including things like what happened in Boston last week, to kill it. We need everyone in the tech industry and the world of startups to get behind this bill. Not only because it addresses pretty much every request we have made on immigration but also because the US is a land of opportunity and diversity and it is our greatest strength that we allow good people to come here and build a life, a career, a family, and a company.

I hope all of you will support comprehensive immigration refrom loudly and vigorously. We will need it. If you want to do something right now, go here or here and get involved.

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Immigration Reform AVC

Democrats believe immigration is not just a problem to be solved, it is a defining aspect of the American character and our shared history.

-Democratic Party Platform

Democrats are fighting for every immigrant who feels threatened by Donald Trumps election. We will not stand by and watch families be torn apart Democrats in Congress and in states and cities across the country are already standing up to Trumps hatred and bigotry to defend their immigrant neighbors.

Thanks to President Obama, hundreds of thousands of DREAMers have been able to receive a temporary status that allows them to study, work, pay taxes, and contribute to the communities they grew up in. His administration has made a tremendous difference by prioritizing immigration enforcement so that it is focused on those with criminal records and doesnt arbitrarily separate families, and Democrats are fighting to protect that progress.

Democrats will continue to work toward comprehensive immigration reform that fixes our nations broken immigration system, improves border security, prioritizes enforcement so we are targeting criminals not families, keeps families together, and strengthens our economy.

Democrats know the importance of our countrys history as a nation of immigrants. We honor our fundamental values by treating all people who come to the United States with dignity and respect, and we always seek to embrace not to to attack immigrants.

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Immigration Reform - Democrats

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Immigrants are viewed from both positive and negative perspectives in the world. Various governments institute mechanisms to ensure individuals and groups of people crossing borders are legal, and that their input into the economic, political and social standing is not adverse. The United States is one such country. The U.S leadership is currently engaged in major attempts to institute immigration reforms, attempts that have received support and opposition in equal measure, from various quarters. This paper evaluates the impact of immigration reforms and establishes that such reforms would be counterproductive in the long-run.

Immigrants are said to be one of the key elements in the history and economy of the United States. The U.S was built, to a large extent, by immigrants who provided free labor during the pre-independence period. Former President Barack Obama often recognized the role of immigrants in the development and well-being of the American nation. He even blocked attempts to reform immigration laws targeting people who illegally came to the U.S as children. President Donald Trump, on his part, campaigned on, among other aspects, the promise that illegal immigrants were adversely affecting the well-being of citizens and that he would ensure such individuals were deported.

One of the main points of opposition is the fact that some illegal immigrants came to the U.S as children and are now adults, while others were born in the U.S to illegal immigrants. When President Trump insists on deporting such people, where would they go? Such people have known America to be their home hence forcefully evicting them would amount to inhuman treatment and is a violation of their rights.

Illegal immigrants are accused of taking low-paying jobs hence they indirectly put thousands of citizens at risk of becoming unemployed as employers prefer to spend less on employee wages. In addition, some immigrants have rightfully been accused of increasing the amount of insecurity and perpetuating terrorism. Immigrants of Islamic origin have particularly been accused in that regard. However, such claims could be unfounded and can be considered to be a blanket accusation of all immigrants of Islamic faith based on their religion. Some terrorist activities have been linked to white Americans, an example being Californian-born John Walker Lindh who was found fighting beside Al-Qaeda militants in Afghanistan in 2001. From this perspective, it is unnecessary to institute immigration reforms that tighten innocent immigrants desire to seek greener pastures in the U.S. Furthermore, over one-third of the Catholics in the U.S. are of Latino origin. Pentecostal churches also have significant Latino following. Given the significance of the Catholic Church in the U.S, attempts to implement reforms that adversely affect such immigrants could have far-reaching religious, political and possibly, legal consequences.

One of President Trumps defining immigration reform agenda is the establishment of a wall on the U.S-Mexico border, to keep illegal immigrants out. While this could help to prevent illegal immigrants from accessing the U.S, a wall has never been a solution to most of the worlds immigration problems. The Berlin Wall in the Cold War era, for instance, was more counterproductive than earlier thought. Allocation of funds towards the construction of such walls would be a step towards isolation rather than development. Immigrants bring about some positivity as well, including skills and experience needed in a range of American industries. Immigrants are not just harmful, undeserving individuals- their affirmative contributions should be noted as well.

In conclusion, the proposed immigration reform might have short-term benefits, ranging from implementation of America First policy and Getting Americans Back to Work but such reforms could have adverse long-term consequences. Human rights and needs should be considered and the positives associated with immigrants need to be evaluated before the current government makes a decision on evicting or locking out anyone.

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Immigration Reform, Essay Sample

Trump on family separation at border: Obama separated the children

President Trump was asked about the practice of separating migrant families at the border with Mexico during a visit with the Egyptian president on April 9, 2019. He pointed to the actions of former President Obama. By

President Donald Trumps choice of Stephen Miller to lead on immigration sets up a potential policy clash with one of the most influential people in the White House, the presidents son-in-law.

The move comes as Trump, focused on challenges in securing the border, sent Jared Kushner back to the drawing board to develop new ideas on immigration reform after being unsatisfied with the results of an initial proposal for a legal immigration framework, according to two sources familiar with the talks.

Its the latest power shift in just a few months after Kushner, who is married to Trumps daughter Ivanka, had emerged as the new figurehead trying to come up with a plan to fix the legal immigration system following his success on criminal justice legislation.

The clock is ticking on all this stuff, said a former Trump official who remains in contact with people inside the White House. There is no way that Stephen can continue to push a very hard right restrictionist policy and for Jared to be pushing a middle-of-the-road, slightly left of center policy, and something doesnt come in conflict.

The tension comes as the president purges his top homeland security officials and promises to take a tougher approach on the border with Mexico in the build up to the 2020 campaign season.

We have the worst laws of any country anywhere in the world, whether its catch and release or any one of them, Trump said Tuesday. I mean, I could name -- I could sit here and name them, but if you got rid of catch and release, chain migration, visa lottery -- you have to fix the asylum situation; its ridiculous. You have people coming in, claiming asylum.

The Kushner team is expected to try and develop a new proposal on legal immigration reform, but Trump was clearly frustrated with the original legal immigration proposal and felt strongly that the administrations focus needed to be on border security, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

They had the meeting. The presentation was made, said a source familiar with the discussion. He (Trump) became frustrated. Hes very frustrated over the border crisis also. And he felt that what made it to his desk was just not good enough and not what he wanted to do. Hes very vexed by this border crisis and saw that he needed to give clearer direction. The idea is theyre going to put together something that can become a theme for the administration going forward to reelection.

Another source familiar with the meeting said the new plan is more in line with Trumps pro-worker agenda.

After meeting last week things are moving in the opposite direction of immigration increases, betrayal of campaign promises, said the person familiar with the discussion.

The White House pushed back against the idea of any differences in goals between Miller and Kushner.

President Trump alone sets immigration policy thats designed to solve the humanitarian crisis at our border, prevent illegal entry into our country and protect the American people theres no daylight between the Presidents team as they work to implement that agenda, White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told McClatchy

In less than a week, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned and Ron Vitiellos nomination to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement was pulled. On Tuesday, a senior administration official said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of Homeland Security agency that handles legal immigration, dropped the ball for not taking steps to more rigorously scrutinize asylum cases.

For at least six months weve been trying to get USCIS to cross-reference credible fear claims against country condition reports and they havent done so, a senior administration official said.

An advisor to the Department of Homeland Security said the reality is there is a head on a platter mentality, regardless of whether the issue is legal immigration or illegal immigration. The advisor said whatever reductions on immigration cant be made to illegal immigration would likely be made to legal immigration.

It certainly represents a blow to one of the top legislative goals of Jared who was hoping to use immigration reform to better his personal relationship with some of the top CEOs and tech leaders in America and he now knows that those folks are not going to be able to get anything out of this administration.

Those who know Miller say not to underestimate the senior advisor to Trump and that he is more strategic than people realize. He will not jeopardize his position in a dispute with Kushner, who as a family member is considered untouchable.

Late last year, Kushner helped kick off a fresh discussion on immigration that reflected a new paradigm in the White House. That new direction was reflected in Trumps ad-libbed comment about increasing legal immigration during the February State of the Union.

I want people to come into our country in the largest numbers ever, but they have to come in legally, Trump said during that address to a joint session of Congress.

It appeared to be a shift away from the priorities of 2017, Trumps first year in office, that sought to prevent the influx of foreign workers who could displace American workers in favor of a new approach preferred by more traditional Republicans, particularly those close to the corporate sector who are desperate to attract more foreign workers to fill U.S. factories and tech hubs.

Those concerns about the growing influence of corporate executives on the White House led groups like the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) to launch a new ad reminding Trump of his Buy American, Hire American agenda. One of the first images in the ad was of Kushner below the headline: Can the Koch Network and Jared Kushner Come Up with a Big Immigration Reform Deal?

Millers recent ascendancy on immigration is seen as a return to the core issues that got Trump elected.

Trump won the GOP nomination and the presidency in 2016 by campaigning on a promise to crack down on immigration, build a border wall and end an Obama-era program that offered the so-called Dreamers temporary, renewable work permits.

Kushners involvement was kind of boutique and novel like going out for a Heineken, whereas when youre talking about Stephen, its always Miller time, said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. Miller is a known quality and Kushner is sort of an exotic dabbling on issues and trying to explore its dimensions.

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Stephen Miller and Jared Kushner face standoff on ...

A White House official said no final decision has been made on a replacement for the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, adding that the timing remains in flux. | John Moore/Getty Images

The White House is considering nominating the former head of an anti-immigration group to lead U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to a White House official and three people briefed on the deliberations, the latest development in a series of staffing shakeups that have alarmed some Republican senators.

Julie Kirchner, the former executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which pushes for lower levels of immigration, is being considered as an option to lead the agency, the sources said. She had also been considered for the deputy director role in recent weeks.

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If selected and confirmed by the Senate, she would replace Francis Cissna, who is expected to be ousted by the end of this week, according to three sources familiar with the matter, as President Donald Trump and aide Stephen Miller continue their purge of top Homeland Security officials.

While White House officials have repeatedly said privately they expect Cissna to be pushed out, one official acknowledged that Sen. Chuck Grassleys opposition to the move could complicate things, potentially causing the president to keep Cissna on the job.

The decision also likely won't be finalized until after Kevin McAleenan steps in as acting DHS secretary. McAleenan is expected to weigh in on the personnel move.

DHS, USCIS and Kirchner did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Cissna would become the fifth official in recent days to either resign or have their job yanked moves that have rattled fellow Republicans who fear the president is destabilizing DHS as he pursues a newly aggressive immigration crackdown.

Kirchners potential move will likely infuriate Democrats and immigration activists. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate watchdog, labeled FAIR a hate group because it promotes hatred of immigrants, especially non-white ones.

Kirchner joined the Trump administration shortly after the president took office as USCIS ombudsman, a position tasked with resolving problems with pending cases.

Cissna is a former staffer to Grassley (R-Iowa), who has rallied behind him. Restrictionist immigration groups also have pushed for the White House to keep Cissna at USCIS, arguing hes been one of the more effective Trump administration officials carrying out the presidents agenda.

Grassley also said Kathy Nuebel Kovarik, another former staffer who heads the USCIS office of policy and strategy, should not be removed.

I heard that they are on the list to be fired, he told POLITICO earlier this week. They are doing in an intellectual-like way what the president wants to accomplish. So no, they should not go.

Other senators have urged Trump not to oust any more officials, arguing that hes creating a crisis within DHS, a sprawling federal agency.

So far, Trump has pushed out Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Secret Service Director Randolph Alles and Claire Grady, the acting Homeland Security deputy secretary. Hes also yanked the nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A person close to DHS, however, said that Alles is moving over to be deputy undersecretary for management at DHS. Kevin [McAleenan] apparently wants to keep him in the fold, the person said.

Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.

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