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SPOKANE, Wash. -

Immigration reform is a topic that is constantly making headlines from the Executive Branch of government all the way down to local jurisdictions.

The issue currently remains halted at the national level after the Obama administration's actions for immigration reform were blocked by a U.S. District Court Judge's order. The order prevents the President from granting quasi-legal status and work permits to millions of undocumented immigrants.

Here in Spokane, a citizen initiative regarding immigration status is in the signature gathering phase. Jackie Murray is the sponsor of that initiative which aims to repeal a municipal code change that made a decade old police policy law. That policy prevents officers from asking about immigration status when a person is pulled over for something else.

Murray says the law has made Spokane a "sanctuary city", meaning it is a safe haven for undocumented immigrants.

Although she is behind the initiative, Murray tells KHQ that she is not against immigrants as a whole. Murray's father was a Jamaican immigrant but became a citizen through legal channels.

"It's the ones that aren't coming through the system that I object to," says Murray. "We don't know who they are and what they're up to. I just think everyone should have to jump through the same hoops."

Those who want more options for people trying to become U.S. citizens say it's not that simple.

"When advocates for immigration are very adamant about immigration reform and meaningful immigration reform, it's because there is no legal way," says Gloria Ochoa, Chair of the Commission on Hispanic Affairs.

Ochoa says there are two ways for immigrants to become citizens. The first is labor based, meaning you can come to the country if you can demonstrate a shortage of jobs, particularly in the fields of science and medicine. According to Ochoa there is no category for unskilled laborers to come to the U.S. for jobs.

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Immigration debate continues in Spokane

St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) February 24, 2015

Attorney Susan Cho Figenshau has spent a lot of time counseling her clients on the impact of President Obama's executive action regarding immigration policy since last November when the White House announced the executive orders. According to the New York Times (02/17/2015), a federal judge in Texas has ruled that the president's actions were unconstitutional. Now that the proposed programs have been delayed by the court order, clients and attorneys alike are seeing mass confusion.

Because the executive order was a widely-reaching action, some of Susan Cho Figenshau's clients are confused about what does and does not apply to them. Many of her clients are businesses and documented immigrants who are wondering how the action will impact their applications for green cards and work permits.

"Whereas all of us get frustrated when there's a lack of action, immigration law services clients are expressing concentrated, deeper frustration, " explained Susan Cho Figenshau. She added that the executive order and the backlash it has received are causing a gridlock in the entire immigration process for immigration lawyers, their clients, and employers of immigrants throughout the country.

The law firm is attempting to reduce the stress of navigating the immigration process for clients, and the uncertainty and frequent changes in expectations and timelines due to the President's executive order and resulting adverse reactions in congress and by this weeks court order.

The first phase of the executive order, an expansion of a 2012 program delaying deportation for immigrants brought to the United States as children (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program), was set to begin on February 18, 2015. Thousands of undocumented immigrants had already prepared to submit applications with filing fees prior to the February 17, 2015 court order. Although the expansion has been delayed indefinitely, would-be filers are looking to immigration lawyers for up-to-date information and to seize the opportunity if the expansion does roll out.

"This is a situation we have to watch day-by-day. As an immigration lawyer, my job is to look behind the headlines. Whereas headlines highlight undocumented immigrants, other components of the President's executive order and other components of proposed immigration legislation that has deep and broad impact on national security, employers, and legal immigrants," Susan Cho Figenshau stated.

About Susan Cho Figenshau, P.C.

Susan Cho Figenshau, P.C. is an immigration lawyer with 20 years of experience in immigration law. She represents employers in numerous fields, including technology, telecommunications, healthcare, educational and more. To learn more, visit http://www.strictlyimmigration.com

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Attorney Susan Cho Figenshau Discusses Recent Delays to Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON (CNN) -

Hollywood stars turned the stage into a soapbox at the Oscars on Sunday night, advocating on issues ranging from NSA surveillance to equal pay; the Voting Rights Act to immigration reform.

Even before the stars hit the main event, the red carpet was tinged with political protest, with actress Reese Witherspoon taking to Instagram to call for entertainment reporters to ask questions with more depth than the usual, "Who are you wearing?" of female stars.

Gender equity got another star turn with perhaps the most well-received speech of the night, given by Patricia Arquette for her Best Supporting Actress win from "Boyhood." She called for women to be paid the same as men, a reference to the fact that Congress hasn't passed the Fair Pay Act, which remains divisive with Republicans.

"To every woman who gave birth to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights," Arquette said, reading from prepared text. "It's our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America."

The audience went wild, and gifs of Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez's delighted responses blew up across social media. Pro-women's rights groups, including EMILY's List and the Center for American Progress, along with a handful of Democratic lawmakers, tweeted support.

".@pattyarquette THANK YOU for using your special moment to stand up for #equalpay for women! Congratulations on your Oscar!" tweeted Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Immigration reform got its moment on stage as well when Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu won Best Director for "Birdman" and cracked a joke about the fact that last year's Best Director winner, Alfonso Cuaron, was also Mexican.

"Maybe next year the government will inflict immigration restrictions," he said. "Two Mexicans in a row. That's suspicious, I guess."

And the documentary exploring the story of government whistleblower Edward Snowden, "CitizenFour," nabbed an expected win for Best Documentary. The film's director, Laura Poitras, was joined on stage by journalist Glenn Greenwald, who also helped interview Snowden for the doc. Poitras praised Snowden and "all the other whistleblowers," and he, in return, congratulated her through a statement released by the ACLU.

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Equal pay for women, immigration reform take center stage at awards show

President Obama called a looming shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security "irresponsible" and vowed to "fight any attempt to turn back" his immigration policies in an exclusive op-ed published in The Hillon Tuesday.

"It was my hope that a new, Republican-led Congress would seek to govern responsibly,"Obama wrote.

The op-ed also translated for Spanish-language media comes with Republicans divided over how to roll back the president's executive actions on immigration and funding for DHS running outon Friday.

Conservative House Republicans passed a DHS funding bill that would undo programs that shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. But Senate Democrats blocked that measure repeatedly, insisting on a clean funding bill.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)on Mondaymovedto strip the immigration measures from the DHS funding bill, setting up separate votes, but it is unclear if House conservatives will accept that maneuver.

Obamaon Tuesdayshowed a combative tone, saying he was certain his actions would stand and calling on Congress to take up comprehensive immigration reform.

"I am confident that all the steps Ive taken on my own to fix our broken immigration system will eventually be implemented," saidthe president. "But I also continue to believe that these steps are no substitute for congressional action.

Obama also blasted a Texas court ruling earlier this month blocking his immigration actions.

The president called U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen's ruling "misguided."

"Make no mistake, I disagree with this judges ruling," Obama wrote in The Hill. "My Administration will fight this ruling with every tool at our disposal, and I have full confidence that these actions will ultimately be upheld."

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Obama: I'll 'fight any attempt' to reverse immigration action

Carlos Padilla - Leadership on Immigration Reform
Carlos Padilla has been a leader in the immigration reform move- ment since 2009. He co-founded the Washington Dream Act Coalition, which successfully pushed...

By: National LGBTQ Task Force

Excerpt from:
Carlos Padilla - Leadership on Immigration Reform - Video