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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Despite the apprehension over policies that could be enacted by a Republican-led Congress acting in accord with a Republican president in Donald Trump, the U.S. Catholic bishops remain hopeful that Congress will pass an immigration reform bill.

"This is a new moment with a new Congress, a new administration. We should up our expectations and move very carefully on comprehensive immigration reform," said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, of Galveston-Houston, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"I think this might be a very good time, a better time, to pursue our goals," Cardinal DiNardo said during a Jan. 12 conference call promoting National Migration Week, Jan. 8-14.

"I think the (bishops') conference is trying to start a conversation with the transition team of the president-elect," said Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB vice president. "We continue to help elected officials ... to understand the issue," he added. "I think we are trying to establish that communication."

"We are very much concerned about keeping families together. It's Important to respect the security of this nation ... but never to lose that human face to this reality," added Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the bishops' Committee on Migration.

"People are suffering. People want to be welcome. People want to be a part of this great American society," Bishop Vasquez said. "We need to bring about some change," he added. "We hope the president will work with us and with Congress as well to pass some laws that will be humane and respectful."

"In the days and weeks ahead, there will be intense debate over immigration reform and refugee policy. Ultimately, the question is this: Will our nation treat all migrants and refugees, regardless of their national origin or religion, in a way that respects their inherent dignity as children of God?" Cardinal DiNardo said.

"Pope Francis reminds us we are all equal before God. In equal measure, we are in need of and can receive God's great mercy. This is what makes us sisters and brothers, regardless of how we chose to divide ourselves."

The morning of the conference call, Archbishop Gomez presented a video message from Pope Francis on immigration during a Mass at the Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, California, near Los Angeles. The clip was part of the pope's interview with a U.S. television journalist.

Bishop Vasquez dismissed the notion that nationwide immigration reform is virtually impossible.

"I don't know whether indeed working with the local level is sufficient. I think we as a church have to work with our local communities, with our local diocese and our state Catholic conferences," he said. "But it's important that we engage the current administration, to make known what is taking place in our countries. We have to work at the local level, but yes, we also have to work at the national level."

"There are many in Congress who think that immigration reform is a definite possibility," said Ashley Feasley, policy director for the USCCB's Migration and Refugee Services. "We need to show the need for the reform of our broken system."

Shortly after Trump's election, Archbishop Gomez had preached about children in his diocese going to bed afraid. Bishops, he said during the conference call, "can be present to the people and give that sense of peace that we are together. There is a democratic process in our country, and this happens every four years. ... We can address those situations and accomplish that in the specific area of immigration reform."

He added that in his archdiocese, people are "more open to see the future with more peace and understanding."

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Bishops still have hope Congress will pass immigration reform - Catholic News Service

PHOENIX Immigration reform continues to be a hot topic on the political scene and a priority for farmers and ranchers.

In a session at the 2017 Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show, Tom Hertz of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Mark Delich of FWD.us discussed the economic and political realities of the current immigration system and the impact of proposed reforms.

Hertz, economist at the USDAs Economic Research Service, explained trends in the farm workforce, including declining immigration rates and rising labor costs.

Even though farm wages are up, the agriculture workforce still faces a labor deficit, and demand for workers continues to increase, he said.

Hertz outlined a recent USDA report, assessed the impact of expanding the H2A program versus increasing border security.

According to USDA, H2A expansion over the long term would increase the farm workforce and expand outputs and exports overall. Whereas, an enforcement-only approach would likely reduce both the workforce and overall ag output, hurting workers and farmers.

USDAs study is not designed to advocate for any particular policy approach, Hertz noted, but to simulate what the leading proposals could look like 15 years down the road.

Taking a look at the political landscape, Delich, director of congressional affairs at FWD.us, an organization that supports comprehensive immigration reform, improving the quality of American education, and encouraging more investment in scientific innovation, emphasized that fixing our broken immigration system is about more than just border security.

Agriculture is looking for a balanced approach to immigration reform that also addresses the worker visa program and the status of undocumented workers.

Immigration from Mexico is actually down in recent years due to economic improvements there and increased U.S. border patrol, Delich said.

Were a nation started by immigrants, he said. Its important to start the reform discussion by looking at the overall benefits of immigration the entrepreneurship, work ethic and innovation immigrants bring and we want to see that continue.

Although the issue is complex, Delich said that collaboration and engagement are vital.

Your members of Congress need to hear directly from you on this issue and why its important to you, he said.

More:
Bureau backs immigration reform - Agri News

VDARE.com Editor Peter Brimelow writes:

Keep up the skeer was one of the maxims of the great Confederate cavalry general Nathan Bedford Forrestpart of Americas heritage that our Ruling Class wants to suppress.

It means that when you have an opponent off-balance, you must keep them off-balance.

And that fits right into the theme our 2016 year-end fundraiser, keyed to the Donald Trumps amazing election victory on the immigration issue: MIRACLES HAPPEN LETS KEEP THEM COMING.

Last week, I listed seven long-time VDARE.com themes that have been vindicated by Trumps triumph.

Now, I want to describe some themes that I expect that VDARE.com will be developing during the Trump Administration, with the help of our generous donors like you.

The Political Correctness Reign of Terror has sharply intensified since the 1990s, when I was able to publish my Alien Nation: Common Sense About Americas Immigration Disaster. (Note that Ive never been allowed to publish a sequel). If Hillary Clinton had been elected, I am confident there would a government-led crackdown on Hate Speech on the internet i.e. facts and analyses that the Ruling Class doesnt like, whether via legislation or emboldened Leftist judges.

As it is, the Leftist temper tantrum after Trumps victory includes wholesale purges of social media accounts by complicit corporations, and what appears to be increasingly aggressive use of commercial censorware.

Perhaps the most shocking and significant development: the widely-reported recent clash between the Clinton and Trump campaign teams at the traditional Harvard post-election discussion, where the Clinton team accused the Trump team of mainstreaming white supremacy. Remember, these operatives are professionals who have all known each other personally for yearsbut that didnt stop the Clinton people from flinging the latest Leftist cuss word, with its clear implication of an urgent need for repression, at their rivals. Cultural Marxist totalitarianism has reached the very top of American politics.

Conventional Republicans would curl up and die under such an assault. Maybe Trump will eventually, but he hasnt yet.

VDARE.com never will.

The devil is often said to be in the details, but in the case of immigration policy, an angel can be in the details too. Thus a Patriot Administration that has control of the Executive Branch can, without reference to Congress, make an enormous difference simply by enforcing the law.

But VDARE.com also likes to think up interesting things that a Patriot Administration could do to Keep Up The Skeer on the Treason Lobby and its clients.

For example for some time weve been urging what we call Strategic Deportationthe seizure and deportation of illegal aliens who, far from living in the shadows, have arrogantly made themselves prominent in various ways. Our favorite candidate: the journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who has become a sort of professional illegal alien, appearing on the covers of national magazines and even hosting a TV show. But, hey. you could pretty well grab off the podium the keynote speaker at any number of Democratic Party rallies!

And more recently, our blogger Federale has come up with the idea of prosecuting the various virtue-signaling college presidents who have proclaimed that they intend to continue enrolling and financing illegal aliens (displacing Americans, of course, but they dont mention that). Federale points out aiding illegal aliens is a violation of federal law.

These college presidents simply dont expect American law to be enforcedany more than the illegal aliens expect America to enforce its laws. Butguess what?

This is fun!

Washington D.C. is an intoxicating placebut its easy to lose perspective.

From our vantage point in New Englands Berkshire Mountains, VDARE.com will argue that Trump should focus on a small number of critical things to reduce the political impact of immigration. For example,

From personal experience, I can tell you its not true that people in government are lazy. (At least the political appointees). They work very hard.

But they can lose sight of the big picture. And thats why VDARE.com needs to keep reminding them:

No-one has done more that VDARE.com to develop the argument that the Historic American Nation can be mobilized on the issue of patriotic immigration reform. That is what happened in the 2016 election.

It will be a fight. But VDARE.com is in it for the long haul. And now we have proof it can be wonbut only with your help.

Please give generously.

/s/ Peter Brimelow

Editor, VDARE.com

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VDARE - premier news outlet for patriotic immigration reform

A new roster of moderate and conservative Latino groups could have a seat at President-elect Donald Trumps immigration policy table.

Trump, who campaigned on taking a strong stance against illegal immigration, and did better with Latino voters than expected getting 29 percent of their vote, and more than 35 percent in some regions -- could find common ground on the issue with groups like the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and even conservative leaders who did not endorse him and have leaned toward a moderate approach to immigration.

Since the election, groups and Latino leaders around the country who vehemently denounced Trump for his calls for strict enforcement have called meetings to strategize how to tailor their push for immigration reform to the new political landscape that few expected to see in 2017. Many have reached out to Trumps transition members to arrange meetings or pledge to work together despite differences of opinion -- to move forward the long-stalled plan to fix the immigration system.

TOP TRUMP ADVISER PREDICTS SWIFT CHANGE ON IMMIGRATION

Their efforts have been unfolding at the local, state and national levels, though they have generated little attention compared to the spotlight on protests against Trump and warnings by some advocacy groups about mass deportations.

By the will of the people, Donald Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States, that is the fact of the matter, said Javier Palomarez, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, to FoxNews.com Just as we asked Donald Trump to adhere to the election results, to be respectful of the process, we, as Latinos, must do the same in return. Now we need to come together as Americans and put aside differences.

Palomarez, who had been a vocal critic of Trump and who endorsed Hillary Clinton, said he called Michael Cohen, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and special counsel to Trump, to express his desire to work with the president-elect on immigration and other issues of concern to Latinos.

We both agreed to let bygones be bygones, Palomarez said of his conversation with Cohen the day after the election. Our job is to remove the emotion, do whats right for this country, and offer ourselves to the extent that we can add value.

Were in favor of an economic approach to immigration, Palomarez said to FoxNews.com For us and the 4.1 million Hispanic-owned firms in the United States, immigration reform has always been an economic imperative.

A feasible approach to immigration reform, Palomarez said, would continue to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to hard work that make businesses stronger and advance the American Dream.

Palmorez said that he and other leaders will be closely watching Trumps steps to gauge how open he will be to ideas about how to deal with immigrants here illegally who have not committed crimes.

Can we advise him on his policies before he acts or pushes for policy changes? Palomarez asked rhetorically. Can we collaborate with him on areas of mutual interest?

On social media, many immigrants without documents have been debating how to move forward whether to try to legalize their status and take a risk, whether to hide, whether to return to their homelands, whether to keep protesting.

Many have posted comments assailing Obama, saying that in eight years he did nothing to advance comprehensive immigration reform, and instead deported nearly 3 million people. Many say they hope that Trump deports criminals and people who pose a threat to national security.

Daniel Garza, executive director of the conservative group Libre Initiative, funded by the Koch brothers, said that immigration must be dealt with on a piecemeal basis, not comprehensively. Garza said that most Latinos agree with the need to secure the nations borders and enforcing immigration laws.

Theres a consensus for permanent immigration reform, Garza said, adding that Libre has opposed the Obama administrations executive actions to give a temporary shield from deportation to immigrants brought to the United States illegally as minors.

No president can undermine the constitution, Garza said. That doesnt mean we cant move quickly on immigration reform, it has to be the first order of business.

Garzas group is planning to focus its efforts in the next few weeks to pushing for the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who qualified for the executive action program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) from being deported.

Trump has denounced DACA as executive overreach by Obama, and his immigration advisers says it is one of the Obama administrations executive actions the president-elect plans to rescind.

Garza agreed that DACA was an overreach by Obama, but said those who qualified for it and therefore were able to obtain work permits and drivers licenses should not be punished for coming forward.

I worry a lot about the DACA kids, we need to protect them, theyre vulnerable, we will push to move quickly toward immigration reform. Were concerned about kids who came forward because the president promised them protection and exposed them to quick deportation. Thats not fair.

Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, which advocates for more lenient policies, said that many Republicans support allowing some people who meet strict criteria a chance to legalize.

Many activists groups see these Republicans as a conduit between them and the new administration.

Were going to have meetings with House and Senate Republicans, Noorani said. We can have a functional legal immigration system, and effective and humane enforcement.

Trumps tough talk on immigration dominated the headlines. He vowed to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as step up interior enforcement by going after criminals, making sure they are not released back into the community, and deport them.

At the same time, several times including in a town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity Trump said that he was mindful of people who, other than breaking civil immigration laws, were hard-working, have built lives and raised families here, and were eager to legalize their status.

Trump said that he would determine how to handle this population after the borders are secure.

He said he was going to deport only those involved in nefarious activities the rapists, murderers and drug traffickers, said Reverend Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, who met with Trump during the campaign.

Donald Trump spoke at some of our churches, Rodriguez said.

He acquired the support of 30 percent of the Latino community, the reason is because Latinos are people of faith and Hillary failed miserably. Donald Trump can grow that 30 percent if he engages the community with compassion.

I dont want Latinos living in fear, he said.

He must build a wall, but also a bridge, the pastor said, noting that he is seeking another meeting with Trump to discuss working together. I want to make sure hes faithful to his commitment to help minorities gain access to better education and job opportunities.

Rodriguez said he wants to help -- through his vast network of multicultural faith leaders and congregants -- bring people together and stop the vitriol pervading social media.

All told, Palomarez said: One thing Ive learned in last 12, 13 14 months is to not underestimate Donald Trump.

I think he will bring that same grit, that same drive, to his policy agenda and get a lot of what he plans done, he said. He may not do it the way others would, but by God he gets it done.

Original post:
Immigration activists retool their push for reform, reach ...

WASHINGTON In an alternate universe, the days after the 2016 presidential election might have looked like the day after the 2012 presidential election, when Republicans expressed shock at their failure to win over Latino voters and vowed to change, including by pressing for immigration reform.

Some of them followed through on that promise and passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill through the Senate in 2013 although it was left to die in the House. The reckoning happened, it was taken seriously, and then it was forgotten.

If Republican nominee and now President-elect Donald Trump had lost, a similar reckoning would almost certainly have occurred again. The puzzle pieces are there: He alienated Latino voters, in part through harsh rhetoric on undocumented immigrants. Latinos supported his opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, by significant margins, even if exit polling indicates it was slightly better than GOP nominee Mitt Romney in 2012. The Latino population is still growing, and Republicans still may need to improve their standing if they want to have a future in the changing U.S. demographics.

But Trump won, and on immigration reform, that changes everything.

Unlike in 2012, there have been next to no calls to push for reform in the wake of the election result. Trump proved that he could win either thanks to or in spite of possibly both his hardline anti-unauthorized immigrant stance. Now the questions are whether he will follow through with his promises to build a wall on the southern border and expand deportations, and supporters of immigration reform are left scrambling how to figure out what to do next.

The first act of business for many groups is reassuring the undocumented immigrants they seek to protect that they wont stop trying.

There is a lot of fear and hysteria and panic in the undocumented community right now, Kica Matos, director of immigrant rights at the advocacy group Center for Community Change, said in an interview. A lot of emotion, a lot of trauma and people have this sense of fear and helplessness about whats ahead, so we want to reassure the community that there are places that people can go to to call and ask questions.

The next step is to fight. Trump said Thursday that border security would be one of his top priorities, and has said he willquickly do away with President Barack Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which gave more than 700,000 people temporary work authorization: they could live without fear of deportation.

Those people are all now known to the government as undocumented immigrants a scary prospect, even if Trump does not decide to use that information to target them for deportation. Given that and the fact that DACA will likely be eliminated, immigrant rights groups are now discouraging people from applying for the program and looking into what Obama may be able to do to protect DACA recipients.

Going forward, Matos said they will also work on the local level, for things like preventing law enforcement from getting involved in deportation efforts.

On the federal level, some pro-reform advocates said theycouldhave a shot to moderate Trump, if enough Republicans are willing to push back on him. That moderation might be happening already Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said on Wednesday that Trump doesnt want mass deportation and will deport only criminals. (Theres also reason to think Trump might be more extreme than ever: Hepicked Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, an architect of anti-unauthorized immigrant policies, for his transition team.)

Polling, after all, still shows that most Americans dont support deporting all undocumented immigrants, even if doing so was a policy the president elect advocated.

It wasnt clear that he was representing the consensus among Republicans, said Ali Noorani, executive director of the group National Immigration Forum. So I think the question will be how are conservatives of conscience who voted for Trump going to push back on him as he moves into the phase of implementing the promises he made on the campaign trail.

Plus, the election showed that pro-immigration reform Republicans can win. Most of the House GOP members who called for legal status for undocumented immigrants were re-elected, and even senators who lost their races, such as Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), made it through their primaries.

These might be the people Trump would have to work with if he needed to go through Congress for certain immigration policy changes.

The biggest point is there are a large number of both Republican voters and Republican elected officials who dont agree that we need to go down the path of deportations, said David Bier, immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.

So that is ultimately going to be the question: whether Trump is going to ignore the issue entirely and not do anything on his signature issue or is Trump going to moderate, try to get something done on enforcement and border security while allowing something positive to happen for the undocumented immigrants who are here, he said.

Jeremy Robbins, executive director of the Partnership for a New American Economy, said hes not naive about the difficulty of getting anything done with Trump in the White House. But the fact that its on the agenda could be a good thing, because it shows people want some sort of change rather than the status quo, he said.

Their plan is to continue making the case to Republican lawmakers on a local level that immigration reform is a good idea, he said.

We were hoping for a different narrative coming out of this, but any way you look at this, immigration is still the driving force of this election, Robbins said. We are glad that its on the agenda, and its going to be a difficult conversation but I think it is one where there is potential to make progress.

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Immigration Reform Advocates Look For A Way Forward Under ...