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President Barack Obama’s allies in organized labor and progressive groups are drawing a line in the sand when it comes to so-called “triggers” that would require a secure border as a precondition to allowing undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship.
Left-leaning groups told the president during a meeting this week that any preconditions on creating a pathway to citizenship would be a deal-breaker in terms of winning their support.
“That is not the starting point,” said Marielena Hincapie of the National Immigration Law Center when asked about part of the Senate’s bipartisan immigration reform proposal that would make prospects for full citizenship contingent on increased border security. “What we are demanding is a road to citizenship that's clear, that's direct, not contingent at all on additional enforcement.”
The concept is one of the “basic legislative pillars” of a bipartisan Senate proposal on comprehensive immigration reform. While vague, the language is geared towards conservative lawmakers who want tough enforcement mechanisms in place before a path to citizenship can be formed.
The second of the Senate’s four pillars reads: “Create a tough but fair path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants currently living in the United States that is contingent upon securing our borders and tracking whether legal immigrants have left the country when required.”
The trigger has been an essential component for conservatives like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the four Republican senators to help craft the plan.
“I will not be supporting any law that does not ensure that the enforcement things happen," he told conservative blogger Ed Morrisey in late January.
Yuri Gripas / Reuters
President Barack Obama waves as he walks on the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 6 before his departure to Annapolis, Md.
But progressive groups have been ratcheting up the pressure on the president, whom they assert agrees about the concept of a trigger.
“There is clear alignment between us and the president and we look forward to expressing that power as the debate carries forward,” said Marshall Fitz of the Center for American Progress, adding, “We're going to focus like a laser beam on the path to citizenship.”
While White House press secretary Jay Carney seemed to split the difference between the two approaches, saying the president remained committed to both border security and a path to citizenship, but not going so far as to link the two.
“He remains, as part of the comprehensive immigration reform process, committed to increasing our border security further,” Carney said. “But when we talk about comprehensive immigration reform, we're talking about a whole package that moves as a whole, and that includes a clear path to citizenship for people who are affected here,” Carney said.
Cornell University Law School professor Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law expert, said one possible compromise between the two sides would be an enforcement mechanism based on objective criteria, like a certain number of Border Patrol agents along the border or amount of money spent on security.
Politico Playbook: "The usual suspects pushing immigration reform have a new ally in the fight this time -- the religious right," writes Politico's Anna Palmer. Mike Allen joins Morning Joe to discuss how the Faith and Freedom Coalition is springing into action for the cause.
But he said that if Republicans insist on a subjective measure, such as whether a poll finds the majority of Americans think the border is secure, or whether Republican governors of border states agree the border is secure, common ground will be much more difficult to find.
Asked about the political feasibility of objective measures in a final immigration bill, Yale-Loehr said, “I would hope than an objective one would satisfy the conservatives enough that they could live with it while not antagonizing the other side too much.”
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Comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship without conditions is basically a non-starter in the House. Period. So the progressives need to get off their high horses and realize that only a bi-partisan approach is going to work, and that approach is going to have at least some conditions. Blanket amnesty simply isn't going to get the votes in the House.
As far as Obama is concerned, all he can do is sign the bill that eventually gets produced. He may have more exposure, but Rubio and his working group in the Senate are in the driver's seat. If immigration reform gets tanked, it will be the fault of Obama and the far lefties who want it to be a complete freebie. Obama should simply get out of the way and let Rubio's group work to produce a bill.
Republicans have compromised on this issue, even if they were forced into to it, so now its the Democrats turn to compromise and do what is obviously needed to prevent continued illegal immigration.
Rubio has no credibility on the immigration issue.
He's Cuban. They get automatic amnesty as soon as they touch the beach in Florida.
So you have to be an illegal immigrant to have credibility on immigration reform? That makes no sense. Rubio has credibility because he has been working the issue from all sides, behind the scenes, for a good amount of time. And as the son of Cuban immigrants, I think he has sufficient perspective to craft bipartisan legislation that his own party members in the House will go along with. He might be the only guy who can get it done. Obama can't, especially if he toes the progressive line. He'll never get the House to agree. Rubio probably can.
Cubans get legal status as soon as they touch the beach.
Rubio might be the closest thing the Republicans have to an immigrant, but he carries no credibility with the vast majority of immigrants being affected by the proposed policy changes.
The only immigrants who would be affected by proposed policy changes would be the illegal ones.
Legal immigration is fine and swell.
You want someone you don't know and didn't let in, using your bathroom and eating your food?
Then nobody has credibility on immigration reform, because the policymakers trying to craft a resolution are all here legally. Also, under wet-foot, dry-foot, Cubans who get intercepted at sea (but don't reach the beach) get sent back. So I think the Cuban experience (though not the same as those coming by land) is at least relevant.
Make it legal! Make it fair! Secure the border first! All else, is secondary!!!
You have to stop the bleeding of illegal immigrants pouring into our country before we can operate on the problem and give out work permits and citizenship to those that are here illegally. Without enforcement first, there will be no end to the number of illegals we will be absorbing into our country.
How many laws are the left wing Latinos that are pushing this agenda willing to continue breaking before they decide to follow and enforce the immigration laws on the books?
Not really. All you would really need to do is prove residency, say for 5 years or some other time limit.
But you are still not addressing the root of the problem which is stopping or drastically reducing the flow of illegals entering our borders or overstaying their Visas.
Border Patrol is already at record levels of funding and agents on the border. Deportations are at an all time high.
We need to enforce employer sanctions.
However, if you're waiting for some fantasy moment when every single inch of the border is monitored every single second and nobody crosses or overstays their visa, you are living in a fantasy world.
Re-Elect Obama 2012-- Do you understand that the advocates for rewards and special treatment for lawbreaking WILL NEVER support employer sanctions (which I wholeheartedly agree with you about), and the reason for this is.................................THEY WANT OPEN BORDERS! THEY DO NOT WANT ANY U.S. IMMIGRATION LAWS (AT LEAST NO ENFORCEMENT). THEY SEEK REWARDS AND SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR THE LAWBREAKERS! THIS IS THEIR AGENDA! IT WILL NEVER END, BUT WILL ONLY GET WORSE WITH EACH AMNESTY (remember Reagan's 1986 Amnesty which incentivized MILLIONS more immigration lawbreakers here now demanding special treatment for their ILLEGALITY! IT IS MANIFESTLY HARMFUL TO AMERICAN CITIZENS AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS!!!!!!
I think there should be a "shoot upon confirmation of illegal status" law. Then dump all the bodies out of planes onto the soil of their homeland.
These people are invading our country. One of the primary functions of the government is to "secure our borders". We've only got two, and the one to the north doesn't seem to be a problem.
How many illegals get to cross into our sovereign territory before we do something about it?
Re-Elect - I support employer sanctions too. There's no stopping illegals completely, but we only barely started to fortify our borders recently. Bush was no help in stopping illegals. Being at the highest levels ever doesn't mean we have enough BP in place today to control the bleeding. Deportations could still be higher compared to the number of illegals we have and it would start to come back down eventually. I lived in Miami, FL for several years and saw many people flat out ignore and abuse our Visa laws. If Obama is going to continue to grow the size of government, grow it where it counts and reinforces our national sovereignty.
It's not just the employers that need to be fined. Enforcing laws against "harboring" an illegal immigrant or a person violating their Visa should be a priority.
There simply is no logical argument for not ensuring the borders are secure and that the executive and congressional branches of the federal government are in "lock step" with the law and enforcement of the law. That was the failure of the 1986 amnesty program. We failed to secure the border and 26 years later, we have 4 times as many illegal immigrants wanting the same thing. If you are caught extending your Visa, you get zero chance of legal immigration. If you get caught harboring someone in the country illegally, you pay $10,000 and a felony conviction with an all expense paid one year vacation to one of our fine federal prisons. What's wrong with assimilation requirements to become a citizen? What's wrong with paying a fine, back taxes etc.? What's wrong with waiting at the back of the line?
reelectobama 'Border Patrol is already at record levels of funding and agents on the border. Deportations are at an all time high." Your kidding right. Is that why the justice department gave the go ahead for the ICE Agents to sue Obama, because he was hindering them from doing their job!
"...the agents are being represented by a high-profile lawyer, Kris W. Kobach, secretary of state in Kansas and the chief promoter of state immigration crackdowns such as Arizona’s tough law.(and a Romney campaign advisor)
David A. Martin, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law who was a top lawyer at the former Immigration and Naturalization Service when the 1996 law was being written, said the agents’ reading of the law might seem correct on its face, but the provision in question was intended to give ICE more options, not tie its hands by mandating arrest of all violators.
He also said that if the administration proactively conducts a case-by-case review of illegal immigrants 30 and under, it makes ICE agents’ jobs easier because the aliens will have a document they can show the authorities proving that they are allowed to remain in the country."
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/aug/23/immigration-agents-sue-stop-obamas-non-deportation/#ixzz2KA9KZlmP
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
dave20121,By far the best post yet.
"War is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength." 1984, George Orwell
And Congress will "help" the unemployed by importing foreign engineers and scientists to fill US jobs. Congress has embedded an escalating cap on H1-Bs visas to the new Immigration Bill -- corporations will be free to import cheap foreign labor at will.
It is simply a LIE there are insufficient Americans with the necessary skills. There are over 2 million engineers currently unemployed in the US. And they are unemployable beyond their mid-40s since corporations don't want to pay perceived costs of senior workers. And of course Congress will not mention that when the H1-B cap was raised in 2000, 9 out of 10 new IT jobs went to foreign workers.
Meanwhile outsourcing companies and foreign media have begun celebrating the windfall coming their way. Just search the news for "H1-B visas" or videos for “Cohen & Grigsby” or “H1-B Scam”.
A corrupt US Congress -- and especially Senator Orin Hatch (R-Utah) -- is again selling out the national and public interests to corporations, lobbyists and others with cash in hand. It is time for Orin Hatch to join the ranks of the long-term unemployed.
Three things must happen before they even consider any new legislation is even purposed. One: Our borders must be secured! Our returning military has the ways and means to accomplish this. Our service men and women are sworn to defend and protect the people and constitution of the United States. Two: Every company must participate in e-verify of all present and future employees. Any one who does not loses there license to do business for five years. If caught employing an illegal does a minimum 5 years imprisonment per illegal in their employ. It is a felony, believe it or not if you are caught in Mexico illegally it's ten years. Three: Initiate operation wetback, This was signed into law by President Hoover and last acted on by President Eisenhower, It took two years to deport the illegals from the U.S. And look at his unemployment rate after it was done. One of the most prosperous times in our history. Our economy and industry was unmatched in the world
ironhorsman,Excellent comments.
Put up a real fence, make gov fix the E-Verify system, require businesses to use the E-Verify system to confirm eligibility to work in the US before hiring, put large cash penalties in place for businesses that knowingly hire illegals. Then we can talk about amnesty.
If the fence doesn't work then we try land mines
Atavist ,Great post.
Pathway to citizenship could increase Obamacare cost up to $300 billion over a decade
2:32 AM 02/05/2013
Any immigration package in which current illegal immigrants are made eligible for Obamacare — in the form of either exchanges or Medicaid — could increase costs to the federal government by between $120 billion to $200 billion in its first decade, according to internal calculations by the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee that were obtained exclusively by The Daily Caller.
GOP Senate Budget Committee staffers explained to TheDC that the estimates assume that the law's provision capping total spending on exchange subsidies, which is set to begin in 2019, is enforced.
However, should the provision fall by the wayside, as some analysts believe it could, the staffers estimate the cost of Obamacare could increase between $210 billion to $300 billion over the next 10 years.
They add that if the capping provision is sustained, making millions of illegal immigrants eligible for Obamacare could also result in a benefit cut of approximately $1,100 annually for the average American receiving a subsidized benefit through the exchanges, which are now called "marketplaces" by the administration. (RELATED: Administration says "marketplaces" sounds better in Spanish)
Last March the minority side of the Senate Budget Committee estimated that Obamacare would increase unfunded obligations — or federal spending without a dedicated funding source — for federal health care programs by $17 trillion over 75 years, or from $65 trillion to $82 trillion.
Adding currently illegal immigrants, via a pathway to citizenship or other means, to Obamacare would further increase those unfunded obligations by another $2 trillion, based on their calculations.
To reach their conclusions, the staffers applied Congressional Budget Office estimates that 7 million illegal immigrants are without insurance, approximately 85 percent of whom have incomes low enough to qualify for the benefits — or less than 400 percent of the federal poverty line.
They further applied demographic data from the U.S. Census Current Population Survey to estimate that about half of the eligible illegal immigrants would be eligible for Medicaid, and the other half would be qualified for the subsidized exchange benefits.
Last week, TheDC reported the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating its welcome materials for new immigrants to include information about the president's signature health care law. (RELATED: Government gives immigrant materials a makeover)
The House Judiciary Committee is set to hold the first hearing on immigration for either chamber of Congress on Tuesday morning.
But they'll vote Dem, so what's the problem. Sounds more like a solution to me.
/sarc_off
It is downright insulting to me to have worked all of my life and have these self serving representatives call Medicare and Social Security entitlements like we are asking for something that we aren't deserving of.Yet the Dream Act kids and their parents wanting to stay here in the U.S. after they broke our immigration laws are the ones who feel entitled to something that should never be granted.These elected representatives want to roll out the red carpet for them..There is something wrong with this country's thinking.
It's simple. Unions need members (despite the fact that existing union members will get SO SCREWED by the very unions they belong to), and democrats need voters (liberal women are aborting the future of the democrat party).
These scum bags are demanding rights they do not own. Here some reform enforce our laws deport those here and now we are talking reform. Illegals spitting in the face of law abiding citizens. I think I will stop obeying any law I dont agree with.
As a matter of fact, undocumented immigrants DO NOT qualify for a tax refund. They pay into the country's coffers, and if they overpay, the IRS sends them a letter that basically states: Too bad, we're keeping your refund. So quit spreading your right wing racist lies. Secondly, I am not surprised at the same old Republican party trying to make it virtually impossible for comprehensive immigration reform to get done in a way that actually offers any hope of families fixing their immigration situation. On the other hand, a silver lining can be seen on the Republican hate of immigrants, especially Hispanics, who they demonize on a daily basis. As the last presidential election proved, Hispanics are voting for the Democratic party in massive numbers, and as America's fastest growing demographics are pushing the bigoted republicans deeper into the political wilderness every day. As an act of desperation the Republican party rushes a modern day Uncle Tom, Marco Rubio to the fore. Sorry, republicans, but it's inevitable. You are doomed to extinction, just like the dinosaurs.
You don't want reform, you want to steal from the neighbors instead of fixing your own problems. Its not hated, its a fact. If republican's hated you, they would land mine the boarder along with dogs and put you in concentration camps. I guarantee if a few heads were sent back to mexico, you would stop your thievery. Republicans like your cheap labor and dems like your votes. You like to steal like the third world you came from. Get over it.
read your declaration Of independence
It is our duty to stand up against an injust govermentThe Declaration is not law.
What a joke - what is the problem with our immigration system you might ask.
Answer: There are many people that did not follow process. Solution: Create new process that will also be ignored. Result.....many people in country who did not follow process.........Solution: create new process......repeat (lather, rinse)......
I really like the part about needing to learn English as a requirement.....right! Politicians will not deport illegals now for being here illegally....but if you fail to learn English supposedly the politicians will then they man up and deport their butts. Will never happen......
Remember.....American laws are simply suggestions any more and should be treated as such
"Progressives pressure Obama on immigration reform triggers"
So what be a good standard to determine when our borders are secure? All we need to do is look at the 9/11 terrorists. A secure border would have not let the terrorists in the country. When we reach and maintain that point our borders are secure.
All of the 9/11 terrorists entered the country legally with legal documentation.
This immigration so called debate is all part of the ongoing war on US citizenship.
All the arguments in favor of this nonsense of comprehensive immigration reform have absolutely no merit.
Join numbersusa.com and help stop this garbage.
repubs should trade immigration reform aka amnesty by removing the right to citizenship if your born on american soil. This was not in the constitution but added later. So what if a few million get a fense jumping card to slum off the neighbors instead of fixing their own countries messes, there are millions more after that need to be stopped at the border.
POS obama is a complete DISASTER.Everything he touches turns to SHIP. The country is crumbling from the inside out. BIN Laden was right. They would destroy us from the inside and POS obama is their man to do it.
I think you're confusing him with Bush, aka Osama's tool.
President Obama, the Immigration Reform is luxury for American to bear at this time!
Of course the unions want a quick path to citizenship. They see the Latinos as easily duped into belonging to unions. And then being easily duped into becoming Democrats. It is all self-interest, not national interest. They should be ashamed, but they are not.
The Obama Administration used the Newtown survivors who were trotted out very quickly after that event. So when are we going to hear from the survivors of the Benghazi Consulate Massacre? The American people would like to hear what they have to say. Why is the Administration keeping them away from the media??? What is the Obama Administration trying to hide? What is Hillary trying to hide?
Nobody is keeping them away from the media. That's a paranoid fantasy.
Immigration Reform contains the elimination of per-country limit to give more green card to Indian and Chinese work force. The theory behind this is that bright people like Indian or Chinese will create more start-up/job.
This is also crazy idea. I am a software engineer in silicon valley, and IT companies are already full of Indian and Chinese. The diversity is already dead. The software engineers from other foreign country are already minority in IT, and they are hard to survive. Since this bill is intended to take countries of minority's share and to give it to India and Chinese, the diversity problem will become more severe. Such environment must not be beneficial to US citizen either, they are also kind of minority in IT companies in silicon valley.
The idea that these Indian and Chinese will create jobs for US citizen is also ridiculous. If I look around, such case is so slim. I wonder out of 100, how many of them really create jobs. Even if they create some, Indian always consider Indian as ideal candidates, and offer the jobs to their nationals. Anyway, the theory is contradictory in the first place. If you first fill jobs with Indian/Chinese, then they will create jobs for US citizen? This is a joke.
These people arrive at the rate of 125,000* per month and the sheer numbers have had a catastrophic effect on the compensation levels that can be expected, but that is of course, the bottom line, indentured servitude and or slavery.
It is an affront to US citizenship that this has happened and we have been paying the price through stagnant or worse compensation.
It is all part of the shock therapy US citizenship is having administered to it by the "Corporate Federal Government.
*numbersusa.com
If Progressives will not agree to making the "legalization" of the 12 million conditional on VERIFYABLY bringing illegal immigration to a halt (and keeping it there), then they are still clinging to an open borders pipedream. There is no Grand Compromise without a willingness to support strict enforcement, with testing, metrics, and countermeasures.
Focussing only on improving border enforcement is a red herring. Curtailing ALL illegal immigration is the pre-condition for starting into legalization for the 12 M and the dream act for youth. Take it or leave it.
8 million illegal immigrants, using false, or stolen, SS numbers, are working in, non-agriculture, on-the-books, American jobs. Only 4% of employers are presently using E-Verify. ...For every illegal immigrant working, an American isn't....Mandate, and ENFORCE, E-Verify, for ALL jobs, for ALL employees, and for any entitlement. DHS receives continuing employer/employee SS number no-match lists from the SSA. The SSA also sends out thousands of no-match letters to employers, but due to the lack of any real enforcement, by DHS, these notices are largely ignored. Make the SSA employer/employee no-match list available to the individual states, if not to the public, and we, the people will address the problem.
The "new America"...
Legal citizens = bad, wrong, racist, etc.
Illegal criminal border jumpers = good, righteous, hardworking, reward with citizenship and cash
What's the difference between Obama's hope and change, and Chinese Ethnic cleansing of Tibet? In both cases the government calls it an improvement in the lives of the original residents (hope and change???), and in both cases it dilutes the political strength of legal citizens, which I guess is the point.
This is the "new America" people. Don'cha love it?
If the measures aren't objective, the rest of the law is meaningless. And even if the measures are objective, any commission where the likes of Jan Brewer is allows to determine whether 1 + 1 = 2 will have the effect of rendering the bill meaningless.
How arrogant. We don't have to satisfy your demand for citizenship for every person who manages to sneak across the border. These people really believe it is their right.
Would you buy auto insurance if you didn't have to? Would you pay taxes if you didn't have to because your employer handed you cash every week? If your employer did deduct taxes but your tax liability was about the same as the amount your employer deducted from your check, but you could lie and say that you had kids that you didn't, making yourself eligible for ten thousand dollars back from IRS in child credit, would you commit tax fraud? Now factor in that you are completely anonomous as far as the government is concerned; you don't have any identification or identity relative to the U. S. government. So now you have broken laws that would put an American citizen in prison but the government doesn't come after you. What would that teach you? Now factor in that you have champions in Washington that want to reward you for all this behavior. I think I would go out and rob the first bank I came to. These idiots seem to forgive anything. Why not?
This article is what is wrong with the United States today. The stupid ass bleeding heart liberals in order to make themselves look good and to get enough votes to get elected make all these promises and lies to minorities so they can pull together as one to elect these idiots. There is no and should be no debate whatsoever as to what to do. These people are illegal. Their kids are illegal. And there is no reason to change the immigration policy we have held for years and made other nationalities adhere to just to get a few votes for these liberal bastards. Start following the Constitution and doing things lawfully instead of making changes to everything to get votes and there would be no discussion. Do we need to give everyone running for public office a test to see if they know what the word ILLEGAL means?????