Mediaboss Marketing

By Luis V. Gutierrez March 23, 2015, 2:46 p.m.

In Illinois, business leaders from the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition and Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago pulled together moderate Republicans to pledge to work toward immigration reform in Washington that supports families and the economy. Gov. Bruce Rauner, Sen. Mark S. Kirk, and Reps. Robert J. Dold, Adam Kinzinger and Aaron Schock, all Illinois Republicans, are welcome additions to the team fighting for immigration reform, border security and legal immigration. But it will take more than a news conference and nice words about the issue to break us out of gridlock.

I hope I can count on my Illinois colleagues to push back on their own colleagues when Republican leaders and candidates say immigrants are killing Americans every day or coming to America for the free food or whatever other talking point Republicans use in Congress and on television. We need allies who will stand up to the bullies who paint all immigrants as free-loaders, criminals and a drain on America.

The reality is clear. Almost all of the 11 million or so undocumented immigrants in the U.S. will live here for the rest of their lives, regardless of whether we change our policies. Most have lived here for a decade already, and most live in families with children who are mostly U.S. citizens. Uprooting this population isnt going to happen no matter how many deportation bills the House GOP majority passes or how strenuously Republicans demonize immigrants, block legal immigration and delay reforming the system.

Even the worst ideas of House Republicans such as a bill to deport DREAMers who have already passed a criminal background check that is being marked-up in the Judiciary Committee are unlikely to become law because legislatively, we are at a stalemate. Republicans have enough votes to pass some partisan anti-immigrant and anti-immigration bills in committee and maybe the House, but probably not enough votes to pass them in the Senate. And even if a bill does pass, neither the House nor the Senate could override a presidential veto, so these measures will never become law.

In response to gridlock, President Barack Obama took action last November to address aspects of how immigration laws are administered, where resources are deployed and how deportation priorities can be aligned with national priorities. But the Republican response to the presidents actions was both predictable and cynical. The Republican reaction to action is always to insist on inaction.

Republicans attempted to defund the Department of Homeland Security, but the strategy failed under the weight of its own self-defeating, futile silliness. It took an eleventh-hour vote to keep the DHS open and legislation to fund the agency eventually passed on the strength of Democratic votes.

A lawsuit demanding a halt to Obamas executive actions was filed by Republican governors and attorneys general as a second front in the GOPs fight for inaction. The result is a temporary injunction. While I and other Democrats help families get themselves ready to apply for protection from deportation when the time comes, the stays and appeals are already working their way through the courts.

View original post here:
Democrats Will Protect Families Until Immigration Reform ...

A heads-up for those who fret about the border wars: A pair of heavyweights will duke out the finer points of immigration. Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform, and Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, encounter one another on Thursday, each bolstered with distinct ideas and much mettle. The contenders are an interesting match; perhaps they will articulate a few good talking points for a Republican Party in search of productive immigration policy. Well, maybe. Mr. Norquist says more immigration and a viable pathway for illegals will boost the economy, and makes for good politics. Mr. Stein supports limits on immigration and amnesty to protect American jobs and tax payer burdens.

Flooding the labor market with millions of low-skilled, government dependent workers is the antithesis of economic growth and a recipe for the erosion of the middle class, he says.

Norquist and Stein are the two intellectual heavyweights at the epicenter of the immigration debate, says John Solomon, editor and vice president for content and business development for The Times, which is jointly presenting the event with the two interest groups. This debate promises conflict and common ground and will be illuminating to all who follow the issue.

SEE ALSO: Ted Cruz declares candidacy, vows to reignite the promise of America

Things could get fierce. Stephen Dinan Washington Times political editor, and a reporter with keen insight into immigration will moderate whats now billed as an unprecedented forum at the august Capitol Hill Club, in the very shadow of the U.S. Capitol. More to come, folks.

MR. LAUDER COMES TO CALL

The World Jewish Congress will be in the nations capitol this week and there will be a meeting of two congresses. On hand: Ronald S. Lauder, president of the 79-year-old nonpartisan organization which represents Jewish communities in a 100 nations. Mr. Lauder testifies Tuesday before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights regarding rising anti-Semitism in Europe, and quite possibly, the Obama administrations response to it. Attacks on Mideast Christians will also be part of the discussion. Accompanying Mr. Lauder: Roger Cukierman, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France, and Dan Rosenberg Asmussen, president of the Danish Jewish community. See a live video broadcast at 2:30 p.m. ET here: ForeignAffairs.house.gov.

SEE ALSO: Obamacare repeal debate stalls budget talks in Congress

Mr. Lauder, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to Austria during the Reagan administration, will also address an audience at Georgetown University on Wednesday, again to draw attention to persistent anti-Semitism.

THE CRUZ EFFECT

Read the original here:
Inside the Beltway: Grover Norquist, Dan Stein headline 'unprecedented' immigration forum

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an unprecedented, one-on-one forum, Grover Norquist, founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform and Dan Stein, President of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, will debate immigration reform and present their respective solutions. The event is presented jointly by the Washington Times, Americans for Tax Reform and the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Stephen Dinan, immigration reporter for the Washington Times, will moderate.

Norquist and Stein represent two highly influential groups with two entirely different approaches to immigration which define the internal conflicts Republicans are struggling to resolve.

From a libertarian/business-interest perspective, Mr. Norquist supports increased immigration and legislative efforts to legalize millions of illegal aliens, believing that doing so will stimulate the economy. Mr. Norquist is on record saying, "It's not only good policy to have more immigrants in the United States dramatically more immigrants than we do today, to having a path forward for those people who are here. It's not only a good idea, but it's good politics."

Conversely, Mr. Stein advocates for limits on immigration and opposes amnesty efforts arguing that doing so will protect American jobs, maintain wages and reduce taxpayer burdens. Stein says, "Flooding the labor market with millions of low-skilled, government dependent workers is the antithesis of economic growth and a recipe for the erosion of the middle class."

"Norquist and Stein are the two intellectual heavyweights at the epicenter of the immigration debate," said John Solomon, Editor and Vice President for Content and Business Development for the Washington Times. "This debate promises conflict and common ground and will be illuminating to all who follow the issue."

Reporters covering the event are encouraged to arrive early.

Event: Grover Norquist/Dan Stein Immigration Debate Date: Thursday March 26, 2015 Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Location:Capitol Hill Club, Eisenhower Room, 300 First St SE, Washington, DC 20003

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130103/MM36576LOGO

SOURCE FAIR

Excerpt from:
Media Advisory: Norquist and Stein Square off in Immigration Debate of the Year

More than two months after taking the reins of one of the nation's most immigrant-friendly states, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has offered mixed signals about his stance on immigration.

He's publicly backed "comprehensive reform" and tells stories of his Swedish dairyman grandfather's immigration, but rescinded executive orders aimed at making the state more welcoming to immigrants. He refused to join other GOP governors in a lawsuit against President Barack Obama's immigration executive action, but proposed slashing roughly $8 million in services to help refugees and immigrants who want citizenship.

The contrasting views have left many immigration reform advocates in Illinois, including a leading Democratic congressman and a growing voting bloc, waiting for clarity.

"Like much of Gov. Rauner's agenda, it's a big question mark," Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights executive director Lawrence Benito said.

Rauner says he's "pro-immigration." He told a group of Latino business leaders in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood Friday that he'll be pushing Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. He didn't detail what he thinks that legislation should include, but said the U.S. should "help those folks who are here to become citizens." He didn't discuss his plans for the state.

And at an Illinois Business Immigration Coalition event earlier this month with Republicans, he talked about lessons gleaned from his grandparents' struggles and his choice of Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, born in Florida to Cuban and Ecuadoran immigrants.

"I think we have it backward in America. I think we make legal immigration almost impossible and we make illegal immigration relatively easy. I think we've got to flip that around," he told reporters the following day near Springfield.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Chicago -- known nationally for being an immigration activist and sponsoring immigration legislation -- said he wants to work with Rauner. Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said a meeting is planned for April.

"It's a mistake to not continue the very clear trajectory that Illinois has taken on immigration," Gutierrez said.

Rauner's lack of specificity on the issue has been particularly noticeable in Illinois, where foreign-born individuals make up roughly 14 percent of the population. Connected activists rallied nearly a half-million people to march Chicago in 2006. Illinois has since established a private scholarship fund for immigrant students living in the U.S. without legal permission, and in 2013 began offering drivers' licenses to immigrants living here illegally.

See original here:
Gov. Rauner's immigration message leaves advocates perplexed

More than two months after taking the reins of one of the nation's most immigrant-friendly states, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has offered mixed signals about his stance on immigration.

He's publicly backed "comprehensive reform" and tells stories of his Swedish dairyman grandfather's immigration, but he rescinded executive orders aimed at making the state more welcoming to immigrants. He refused to join other GOP governors in a lawsuit against President Barack Obama's immigration executive action, but he proposed slashing roughly $8 million in services to help refugees and immigrants who want citizenship.

The contrasting views have left many immigration reform advocates in Illinois, including a leading Democratic congressman and a growing voting bloc, waiting for clarity.

"Like much of Gov. Rauner's agenda, it's a big question mark," said Lawrence Benito, executive director of Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Rauner says he's "pro-immigration." He told a group of Latino business leaders in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood Friday that he'll be pushing Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. He didn't detail what he thinks that legislation should include, but he said the U.S. should "help those folks who are here to become citizens." He didn't discuss his plans for the state.

And at an Illinois Business Immigration Coalition event earlier this month with Republicans, he talked about lessons gleaned from his grandparents' struggles and his choice of Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, born in Florida to Cuban and Ecuadorean immigrants.

"I think we have it backward in America. I think we make legal immigration almost impossible and we make illegal immigration relatively easy. I think we've got to flip that around," he told reporters the following day near Springfield.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Chicago -- known nationally for being an immigration activist and sponsoring immigration legislation -- said he wants to work with Rauner. Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said a meeting is planned for April.

"It's a mistake to not continue the very clear trajectory that Illinois has taken on immigration," Gutierrez said.

Rauner's lack of specificity on the issue has been particularly noticeable in Illinois, where foreign-born individuals make up roughly 14 percent of the population. Connected activists rallied nearly a half-million people to march Chicago in 2006. Illinois has since established a private scholarship fund for immigrant students living in the U.S. without legal permission, and in 2013 it began offering driver's licenses to immigrants living here illegally.

Link:
Rauner's immigration message leaves advocates perplexed