http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm The Association of Young Americans Policy Issue of the day. en-us Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:04:07 -0400 Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:53:00 -0400 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss young_americans@hotmail.com young_americans@hotmail.com http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/10/24/Immigration-Bill-fails-in-Senate After failing to pass a comprehensive immigration bill this summer, the Senate took up a measure focused on a path to citizenship for children of immigrants. It failed to achieve the 60 votes needed to permit debate. "The Dream Act would give conditional legal status to illegal immigrants who have lived in the U.S. at least five years and entered the country before age 16. They must graduate from high school, have no criminal record and have a 'good moral character.' Provided the students completed two years of higher education or service in the military, the conditional basis of the legal status would be lifted. After five years, they could apply for citizenship. Estimates vary as to the number of young illegal immigrants the bill would affect. The Congressional Budget Office has put it at fewer than 100,000, while the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute has estimated it at closer to 500,000," reports the LA Times. Immigration Reform measures have come in fits and starts over the last few years, with nothing passing. Do you see this as a critical issue which remains unaddressed? Do you think the proposals thus far did not address teh real issues? Share your thoughts on reforming US immigration policy in the Open Forum. Immigration Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:53:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/10/24/Immigration-Bill-fails-in-Senate http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/25/Politics-vs-Progress--Which-is-more-important Underlying the immigration reform debate is the question of motivation for those opposing the "Grand Bargain" bill. Are those Senators opposed staking out a position based on principal or on a political pragmatism motivated by their base? When is it acceptable for our leaders to vote in a manner that ensures them re-election vs voting according to their own beliefs (if the 2 are opposed). This is not to say that either side of the immigration debate has it correct, only that we now routinely question the reason our elected representatives vote and the motivation behind it. As the U.S. News & World Report said about Republican efforts, "the debate is alienating Hispanic voters." Discuss Immigration reform and the role public opinion should play in politics in Open Forum. Foreign policy Gov't Reform Immigration Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:14:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/25/Politics-vs-Progress--Which-is-more-important http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/15/Immigration-Bill-Is-Back After drowning in amendments and Senator Harry Reid taking the Bill off of the Senate schedule last week, the Senate will resume consideration of an Immigration reform bill. "The deal to revive the bill came after a stepped-up lobbying effort by President Bush, who met with Republican senators during a rare visit to Capitol Hill on Tuesday. [...] Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tentatively agreed to limit the number of amendments that can be offered, putting the bill on track for a vote on final passage before the July 4 break," reported the USA Today. "[President] Bush has pressured senators to support the most sweeping rewrite of the nation's immigration laws in more than two decades. The bill would beef up security along the border, increase penalties for hiring illegal aliens, expand opportunities for foreigners to work in the USA and, for the first time, make job skills a factor in determining who may immigrate. The most controversial provision would give an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship." What do you think are the appropriate measures for reforming our national immigration policy? Share your thoughts in the Open Forum. Immigration Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:54:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/15/Immigration-Bill-Is-Back http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/8/Immigration-Bill-Stalls-in-Senate The immigration proposal crafted by a bipartisan group of senators and the President failed to pass a procedural hurdle yesterday. "Lawmakers late Thursday rejected an attempt to move toward a final vote on the bill, a defeat that jeopardizes prospects for a comprehensive overhaul of immigration laws this year and possibly for several years even as public anger and anxiety about the issue has reached a roiling pitch," reported the LA Times. "Democrats who helped assemble the bill included a provision that would give most of the nation's illegal immigrants, estimated at 12 million or more, a way to achieve legal status by passing background checks, paying fines and fees, and eventually proving English proficiency. Republican negotiators championed one of the bill's most significant features, a shift in the criteria for future immigration from a family-based system to a point system that would put greater emphasis on skills and education. And they ensured that the bill's temporary-worker program would not allow participants to become legal permanent residents." What do you think needs to be done to reform immigration policy? Share your ideas and concerns in the Open Forum. Immigration Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:54:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/8/Immigration-Bill-Stalls-in-Senate http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/2/Immigration-Debate-to-begin-in-Senate After several years of discussion about reforming immigration policy, on Monday the Senate will take up the latest bill, born out of bipartisan negotiations. "The measure would tilt policy toward immigrants with skills, lay out a path for illegal immigrants here to gain citizenship and beef up border security," reports the Wall Street Journal. "the Senate is set to vote on more than a dozen amendments, including ones aimed at allowing more relatives of immigrants to join them in the U.S. and making it harder for illegal immigrants already here to gain legal status. Some of the changes, should they pass, could be detrimental to the fragile compromise bill, which may come to a final vote at the end of the week or the following week. Still, business groups, immigrant-rights advocates, Senate aides and administration officials say the legislation has momentum." What do you think is necessary for a positive reform of immigration policy? Share you thoughtsin the Open Forum. Immigration Sat, 02 Jun 2007 10:00:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/2/Immigration-Debate-to-begin-in-Senate http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/5/18/Agreement-on-Immigration-Bill While it has not been broadly accepted in either party, a bipartisan group of Senators has reached a deal with the President on the parameters of a comprehensive immigration bill. "Senators and the Bush administration yesterday reached an immigration deal that offers a multistep path to citizenship to millions of illegal aliens in exchange for better border security and a new way of choosing how future immigrants are selected. The agreement, reached behind closed doors after months of talks among a small group of Republicans, Democrats and Bush Cabinet secretaries, created little enthusiasm for the negotiators, but those involved said it is the only chance for immigration reform to pass this year," reported the Washington Times. " The plan, which was still being finalized, allows the estimated 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens in the United States to come forward and receive probationary status. Meanwhile, the government would continue to build fencing and vehicle barriers on the Mexico border, hire more immigration officers and institute better checks on employers. Once the security improvements are complete, aliens on probation could apply for a proposed Z visa, putting them on the path to citizenship. They would have to return home at some point to apply for the intermediate step of obtaining a green card. The plan would create a temporary worker system. Foreigners would be able to work two years before returning home for a year, for up to three cycles. The plan would create an immigration point system based on education, work skills and English proficiency, alongside a redesigned family reunification system." The Senate is expected to consider the bill next week. What are you most concerned about related in U.S. immigration policy? Be heard in the Open Forum. Immigration Fri, 18 May 2007 14:33:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/5/18/Agreement-on-Immigration-Bill http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/5/16/Senate-Immigration-Bill Reforming Immigration policy has been the subject of much discussionamong elected officials in the last several years, though a comprehensive law have not been passed. The Senate is working on details of such a bill with an eye towards voting on it by the end of the month. "Major provisions of the bill being developed in the Senate would not take effect unless the president first certified that he had hired more Border Patrol agents and taken other steps to beef up enforcement of immigration laws at the border and in the workplace. The measure would alter the criteria for legal immigration, placing less emphasis on family ties and more on education and job skills needed by employers. In addition, the federal government would have to create an elaborate electronic system that employers could use to verify whether job applicants were eligible to work in this country. To qualify for legal status, illegal immigrants would have to pay fines and back taxes and pass background checks," reports the New York Times. "The Senate bill would also establish a new temporary worker program. Under the program, foreign citizens could get visas to come here and work for three years, without any dependents. If guest workers did not go home when their visas expired, they could be permanently barred from the United States." How do you think the U.S. should handle illegela immigrants? What standards and requirements should foreign workers have to meet before being permitted to work in the U.S? Share your thoughts in our Open Forum. Immigration Wed, 16 May 2007 09:09:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/5/16/Senate-Immigration-Bill http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/3/17/The-Immigration-Conundrum In the last few years Immigration policy has moved to the forefront of American political debate, yet comprehensive reform has yet to occur. With recent efforts to tighten board security, the issue has only com into sharper focus. "Depending on who is talking, illegal immigrants are lawbreakers or workers searching for a better life. They're exploiters of America's largess or victims of a capitalistic system that thrives on cheap labor. If the answer is 'all of the above,' it becomes very hard to find common ground between those who want justice and those who want mercy," reports the Christian Science Monitor. "A key driver in the debate is compassion. But compassion for whom? On one side, it's directed at illegal immigrants [...] who live in society's shadows, working long hours for low pay, and often exploited by unethical employers. On the other side, it's directed at the millions of law-abiding middle- and working class Americans - many of whom are themselves immigrants - who have seen their wages driven down and quality of life eroded by the plentiful supply of cheap foreign labor. The challenge is to find a way to accommodate both sides." A challenge indeed. Members of Congress are drafting legislation in efforts to find a workable bill, which can pass both houses and be signed by the President. Passage of an immigration reform bill this year is certainly is one test for the new Congress. Share your thoughts, in the Open Forum, on what reforms you think are necessary to our Immigration Policy. Immigration Sat, 17 Mar 2007 06:52:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/3/17/The-Immigration-Conundrum http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/3/13/New-Immigration-Push During his trip to South America, President Bush raised the issue of U.S. immigration policy reform. "Bush said he wanted to get a comprehensive immigration deal, similar to one that stalled last summer, through Congress before its summer recess," reports the LA Times. Last year, an immirgation bill, "which passed the Senate with a narrow majority, would have permitted illegal immigrants who paid back taxes and met other criteria to apply for citizenship." A significant part of the immigration debate has centered on whether any proposed reform should focus on creating an amnesty program for immigrants already in the U.S., or tougher border security measures and enforcement of existing laws. What do you think? Take our immigration poll and share your ideas and concerns in our Open Forum. Immigration Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:16:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/3/13/New-Immigration-Push http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/2/28/Immigration-Reform-Revisited The White House is renewing efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff is testifying today on the Hill "at the first Capitol Hill hearing on immigration legislation since Democrats took over," reports the LA Times. The President wants legislation "that would bolster border security and workplace enforcement, create a program to allow for guest workers, and give most of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. a path to citizenship." One of hte main point os contention during the ongoing debate is whether border security or a guest worker program should be the main priority. Share your thoughts on immigration reform in our Open Forum. Immigration Wed, 28 Feb 2007 13:49:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/2/28/Immigration-Reform-Revisited http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2006/6/19/Trials-of-Student-Immigrantion-Protesters During Immigration protests, which occurred across the country this spring, over 200 students were arrested near Austin, Texas for violating a day time curfew. Over have of those students have plead guilty, but 98 have requested trials, which will occur over the next few months, reports the Christian Science Monitor. "What makes this case unique is that the city has an ordinance that allows for free speech and assembly - which trumps the curfew-violation statute, says Ernest Saadiq Morris, a staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project in Austin." How do you balance the right to speech and assembly with the importance of being in school? Share your views in the Open Forum. Immigration Mon, 19 Jun 2006 10:30:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2006/6/19/Trials-of-Student-Immigrantion-Protesters http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2006/5/24/Costs-of-Immigration-Reform There has been a great deal of discussion about the best way to reform the nation's immigration laws. Two new reports attempt to break down the costs of proposals to allow illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, reports the Wall Street Journal. One report, but he Heritage Foundation estimates a cost of "$16 billion-a-year." The Congressional Budget Office estimates over the next ten years a $12 billion gain, through various taxes and fees. Check out the article and share your thoughts in the open forum. Immigration Wed, 24 May 2006 13:38:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2006/5/24/Costs-of-Immigration-Reform