Immigration reform may change the landscape of small town America
President Obama plans to protect up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation under a program he announced last month. That could change the landscape of hundreds of rural towns...
By: USA TODAY
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Immigration reform may change the landscape of small town America - Video
City leaders representing more than two dozen municipalities vowed Monday to help realize President Barack Obama's immigration policy that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to seek temporary status and obtain legal rights. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the participating city officials will attempt to reach all eligible applicants through community outreach and education efforts to ensure as many immigrants as possible apply for protection under the program.
The effort, called Cities United For Immigration Action, will also seek partnerships with faith, business and labor leaders to reach out to more eligible immigrants. They planned "Know Your Rights" rallies to help spread awareness about other immigrants who received legal protections under Obama's previous 2012 immigration overhaul aimed at young adults brought to the United States illegally as children.
The presidents plan to act on immigration reform is crucial to creating a more just country, and the federal government is depending on cities to implement the plan. It is critical that we get it right, de Blasio said in a statement after the city leaders gathered in New York Monday for a one-day immigration summit.Mayors are in the trenches and see firsthand the need for comprehensive immigration reform. We will take this opportunity to lay the ground work for a deeper national movement from the grassroots up.
The participating cities with Democratic leaders include: Atlanta; Boston; Buffalo, New York; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dayton, Ohio; Hartford, Connecticut; Houston; Jersey City, New Jersey; Los Angeles; Louisville, Kentucky; Madison, Wisconsin; New Haven, Connecticut; Newark, New Jersey; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Providence, Rhode Island; Salt Lake City; San Francisco; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Schenectady, New York; Seattle; Syracuse, New York; Tacoma, Washington, and Washington, D.C.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, the son of immigrant parents, said most immigrants live in large cities, meaning city officials must do the heavy lifting to ensure Obama's policy has a high participation rate. "The presidents bold action on immigration has set the course, and now we must follow through, he said.
Obama announced last month he would sidestep Congress and use his executive authority to strengthen border security, extend legal protections to high-skilled working immigrants and provide temporary deportation relief to some unauthorized immigrants who meet certaincriteria.
Republicans have denounced Obama for offering "amnesty" to millions of immigrants without approval from Congress. Texas Attorney General and Gov.-elect Greg Abbott joined 16 other states in a lawsuit filed last week against the executive action, saying Obama violated his constitutional duty to uphold laws passed by Congress.
The president is abdicating his responsibility to faithfully enforce laws that were duly enacted by Congress and attempting to rewrite immigration laws, which he has no authority to do -- something the president himself has previously admitted, Abbott said.
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Immigration Reform 2014: Democratic Mayors Vow To Recruit Immigrants For Obama Executive Action
For years, Raul Rodriguez Jr. would let out an exasperated sigh, then move on, whenever he read or heard news about illegal immigration. But something clicked last summer when he saw reports of multitudes of Central Americans illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
"I've got to do something," Rodriguez, 72, said he told himself. "I've got to get off the couch and need to get people involved."
Rodriguez crafted signs denouncing illegal immigration for various rallies, including one in Murrieta a few days after busloads of Central American detainees were turned back amid vocal protests.
After President Obama announced his immigration reform plan last month, the Apple Valley resident started contacting congressional leaders to express his displeasure.
California's anti-illegal immigration movement has lost a lot of steam in the 20 years since voters passed Proposition 187, the ballot measure intended to deny taxpayer-funded services to those in the country illegally.
Polls consistently show that Californians don't see illegal immigration as the same type of threat they did in the 1990s, and a September USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll showed 73% of voters support some type of path to citizenship for those here illegally.
But the last few months have shown that the anti-illegal immigration forces remain small but potent and a movement that backers hope will get stronger with Obama's action.
Tactics this time are changing. Robin Hvidston, president of We the People Rising, a Claremont organization, said her group and other California activists have focused on targeting congressional leaders outside the state because they know there's little they can do here.
"They see their only hope being the national government," said Roy H. Beck, who heads NumbersUSA, a powerful national advocacy group opposing illegal immigration. "They don't see a solution coming from inside California."
People Rising and other groups campaigning against illegal immigration say they are experiencing a modest uptick in public interest and support as immigration has emerged as a big issue this year, a trend confirmed by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
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Anti-illegal immigration activists look beyond California for action
NEW YORK (WABC) --
It comes on the heels of President Barack Obama's executive action to help approximately five million undocumented immigrants.
The meeting at Gracie Mansion focused on coordinating and sharing expertise for the implementation of the changes, as well the road ahead and strategies to push for comprehensive immigration action.
Those in attendance signed on to a what de Blasio calls a Five Point Challenge aimed at:
--Launching a mayoral war room for federal action on immigration reform --Establishing local Cities United for Immigration Action coalitions --Safeguarding immigrants from fraudulent services --Reaching all eligible applicants through community outreach and public education --Auditing services and programs to ensure efficient and affordable delivery of services to maximize enrollment by city residents
Following the summit, the cities will look to build grassroots support at the local level through strategies including:
--Organizing local coalitions for action-including faith, business, community and labor leaders-before Congress gets back for unified demonstration of solidarity. --A Mayoral Lobby Day in DC-after matching congressional members to mayoral coalition members-to push back against any efforts to dismantle the President's Executive Actions and push for comprehensive immigration reform. --Convening state tables of mayors in key states, working with allies to have parallel organizing, labor, faith tables in each state, and bringing in key suburban or county leaders. --Generating constituent call-in and email-in to push for action with key targets in each state. --Coordinating Know Your Rights events in all cities with allies, partners, and stakeholders as the first phase of the President's plan goes into effect. --Highlighting stories of DREAMers who have been or will be helped by the President's Executive Actions.
"The president's plan to act on immigration reform is crucial to creating a more just country, and the federal government is depending on cities to implement the plan," de Blasio said. "It is critical that we get it right. Mayors are in the trenches and see firsthand the need for comprehensive immigration reform. We will take this opportunity to lay the ground work for a deeper national movement from the grassroots up."
The summit included Mayors and staff representing 25 cities from across the country, including: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Dayton, Hartford, Houston, Jersey City, Los Angeles, Louisville, Madison, New Haven, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Juan, Santa Fe, Schenectady, Seattle, Syracuse, Tacoma and Washington, D.C.
The Cities United for Immigration Action coalition, launched two weeks ago, includes an additional 18 cities who were not able to join the summit.
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Bill de Blasio hosts 20 mayors for New York City immigration summit
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. President Obamas sweeping order to free from the threat of deportation some 5 million illegal immigrants just resets the comprehensive immigration reform debate to zero at best. At worst, it could completely derail it at a time when a new set of lawmakers is due in Washington to try its hand.
Last month, the president announced executive action that would defer for three years the deportation of about 5 million of an estimated 11.7 million illegal immigrants now living in the United States. The order applies mostly to people who have been in the country five years or more and have kids who are citizens. It also broadens a deferred action program for children brought to the U.S. illegally.
And while Obamas order may not be the type of amnesty the U.S. offered during the 1980s, when there were about 3 million illegal immigrants, it sends a message that it may still be worth it to enter the U.S. illegally or overstay a visa in the hopes of hitting the forgiveness period the next time a free pass of some sort is offered.
Already, the immigration plan is mired in questions.
Since Obama wont be president three years from now, what happens after his reprieve is up? Will the immigrants be booted out of the country after registering with the government and living openly? Since criminals do not qualify, will presenting documents to prove residency that include a fake or stolen Social Security number count as a crime? Are people who have children here but were unlucky enough to have been deported shortly before Obamas order simply out of luck?
Obamas order does nothing to recognize would-be immigrants who have played by the rules and are still waiting in line to enter the country through legal means. What kind of lesson should they take away?
Immigration reform is long overdue and lawmakers of both parties have kicked it down the road too long. But, after putting action off for six years himself for cynical political reasons including times when his political party controlled both houses of Congress Obamas move simply starts a process that may not last beyond early next year, when Republicans take control of the Senate.
It also underlines that he isnt serious about border security in the sense of preventing another wave of illegal immigration even if we have comprehensive reform and cant be trusted on that score. Because border security isnt simply about interdiction, its about consequences.
The new Congress should get serious about passing legislation that deals with the issue for all 11.7 million keeping U.S. interests at the forefront. Most Americans, and immigrants who would be affected by real reform, would likely prefer that to a temporary executive order.
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Editorial: Immigration action does too much and too little