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Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include:

Politico – Democrats detail border enforcement - Immigrants in the U.S. illegally would not gain green cards under a bipartisan Senate bill until law-enforcement officials are monitoring the entire southern border a  nd stopping 90% of people crossing illegally in certain areas, according to people familiar with the plan.Republican Sen. Rand Paul called for an overhaul of immigration laws that would allow millions of undocumented immigrants to remain permanently in the U.S. Aaron Zitner reports. Photo: Getty Images.

Wall Street Journal – Senate Plan Sets High Bar On Border Security Senate negotiators are moving behind-the-scenes to build support for the high-profile immigration bill they plan to unveil as soon as this week. At a lunchtime briefing, Democratic senators in the Gang of Eight sought to allay concerns raised by members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus about the border enforcement measures that would need to be in place before the country’s 11 million undocumented immigrants can obtain green cards.

New York Times – Broad Outlines of Senate Immigration Agreement Emerge A bipartisan group of senators has largely agreed on a broad immigration bill that would require tough border measures to be in place before illegal immigrants could take the first steps to become American citizens, according to several people familiar with drafts of the legislation. But in a delicate compromise worked out over weeks of negotiations, the bill avoids any hard hurdles related to border enforcement that could eventually halt the progress of those immigrants on a pathway to citizenship.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include:

Wall Street Journal -  Tax Group Tries Pre-Emptive Strike on Immigration StudyA prominent conservative group is taking a pre-emptive swipe against opponents who say an immigration overhaul could blow a hole in the federal budget. Josh Culling, the government affairs manager for Americans for Tax Reform, sent a memo to some 800 GOP staffers on Capitol Hill, urging them to take a careful look at the research about the fiscal impact of immigration. Mr. Culling took particular aim at a 2007 Heritage Foundation study by Robert Rector that concluded immigration changes would cost more than $2 trillion.

Politico - Immigration deal in farm sector’s hands - Senate efforts to overhaul immigration law now mainly hinge on a major sector certain to be impacted by the plan: Agriculture. After a bitter fight between interest groups late last week, Republican and Democrats are closely monitoring sensitive talks between labor and industry over a new program to woo foreign farmworkers.

ABC News  - Why Tomorrows Immigration Rally Will Matter - On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people will flock to the nation’s capital to rally in support of immigration reform, an event organized by immigrant rights groups. What’s the point of bringing busloads of people from around the country to Washington, D.C. for a day? The rally comes at the same time that Republicans and Democrats in the Congress are working on an immigration reform bill. The so-called “Gang of Eight” in the Senate is expected to release its bill as soon as this week, and the rally may put added pressure on them to finish their work.

On Saturday, April 6th, Simon Rosenberg, participated in a high level panel on immigration reform at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers 50th Annual Spring  Conference. Joining him in a spirited debate were Tamar Jacoby of ImmigrationWorks and Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies.

At the event Simon noted that the demographic situation has changed drastically in Mexico over the past fifty years.

Average birth rates falling from over seven per family in 1960 to current levels of 2.4 per family, much closer to levels of the United States.

He also highlighted the economic growth rate of Mexico as a factor that will deter demand for migration to the United States going forward.

 “Mexico is currently a majority middle class country and should be treated with the importance of one of the largest trading partners of the United States,” said Rosenberg.

He concluded by saying that the proposed legislation is likely to include: measures for increased immigration enforcement, a better legal immigration system and a path to legal immigration for undocumented workers currently in the United States.

For background on the work NDN/NPI has done on immigration be sure to read Simon’s recent Huffington Post Op-ed, “The Border is Safer, Our Immigration System is Better;” Kristian's just released op-ed "Want To Make The Border Safer? Pass Gun Violence Legislation." see our round-up of our most important work on these issues; and stay in touch with us via our website 21border.com.

With the President announcing a May trip to Mexico, members of the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” taking a constructive trip to the border, and the labor and business communities agreeing on work visas, the Senate is closer than ever to releasing bi-partisan immigration legislation

It is no secret that the Senate immigration bill seeks to make improving safety in the US-Mexico border region one of its highest priorities, yet that is only half of the story. Our immigration system is better, the border is safer, mexico is growing and modernizing. To discuss these issues and much more NPI’s 21st Century Border Initiative has brought together a terrific group of experts:

Key Note Address: Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, Mexican Ambassador to the United States

Respondents: Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow and Director of the US Immigration Policy Program, Migration Policy Institute, and Edward Alden, Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow, The Council of Foreign Relations

The discussion will take place at NDN's event space, just a block from the White House, at 729 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC from 12:30-2:00 p.m. Please RSVP here, and we look forward to seeing you on April 15th. If you are unable to attend the event in person, we will also be streaming the event here. 

This is just the latest in a series of events we are putting on ahead of the release of Congressional immigration legislation. Simon delivered his new presentation titled "Immigration Reform: How The Landscape Has Changed" This original work tells how immigration, the safety along the border, and the complex economic relationship between the U.S. and Mexico have improved since 2004. Check out the power point here.

Also be sure to check out this web video presentation which took a deep look at how Mexico is modernizing and growing. NPI Policy Director Kristian Ramos hosted this live web video briefing, “Understanding Modern Mexico,” with former Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan and noted Mexican economist and author, Jorge Suarez-Velez.  To watch this video briefing please click here.

For background on the event be sure to read Simon’s recent Huffington Post Op-ed, “The Border is Safer, Our Immigration System is Better;” Kristian's just released op-ed "Want To Make The Border Safer? Pass Gun Violence Legislation." see our round-up of our most important work on these issues; and stay in touch with us via our website 21border.com.

On Thursday, April 4th, Simon debated noted restrictionist Mark Krikorian on in an extended segment on Betty Liu's morning show on Bloomberg TV.  He argued: "the politics of this are not impossible... I'm very optimistic we're going to get something done this year." He then continued to defend the progress on the border, explaining "Crime is way down along the entire US side of the border... There's been tremendous progress made... and to disregard that is just lying," largely crediting the Adminsitration for this success.   It is a spirited segment, well worth a watch.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include:

Homeland Security Today: No furloughs for CBP. Continuing Resolution to Provide CBP Boosts to Maintain Staffing: President Barack Obama is set to sign a continuing resolution (HR 933) to fund the federal government for the rest of fiscal year 2013, ostensibly increasing funding for border security efforts for the year.  The appropriations bill allocated $39.6 billion to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), detailing DHS spending while keeping the overall budget within the caps set by the Budget Control Act of 2011 — at $984 billion overall for FY 2013. The White House has not yet announced if Obama will sign the consolidated appropriations bill Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Politico – Business balks at immigration deal A deal between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and labor groups on visas for low-skilled workers was supposed to clear a path for an immigration reform package in the Senate. Instead, some business groups are grumbling about the deal and they’re gearing up for a lobbying battle on Capitol Hill — where powerful interests helped doom immigration reform over the same issue before.

New York Times Op-Ed: Priced Out of Citizenship by Rahm Emanuel and Rep. Luis V. Guttierez AS Congress debates creating a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, it must at the same time remove one of the biggest obstacles on that path: the cost of applying for citizenship. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security, charges $680 (including a mandatory $85 “biometric fee” to cover fingerprinting) to apply for naturalization. This steep fee, which can amount to more than two weeks’ wages for some immigrants, is so high that it effectively denies legal permanent residents a chance to become citizens.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include:

New York Times – New Waves of Immigrants From Mexico Unlikely - Past experience and current trends in both Mexico and the United States suggest that legalization would not lead to a sudden flood of illegal immigration on the scale of what occurred after 1986. Long-running surveys of migrants from Mexico found that work, not the potential to gain legal status, was the main cause of increased border crossings in the 1990s and 2000s.

Rep. Raul Labrador: Immigration reform — A Conservative Approach - A consensus has been building about the need to reform and modernize our immigration system. While I am optimistic that Republicans, including “tea party” members, will support reform, it must be done right. We must create a system for the 21st century and beyond, one that honors the rule of law, provides a fair path for those seeking to come to the United States and fixes our broken borders.

Monday, April 15 at 12:30-1:30 –  Save the date for a trade, immigration, and border discussion with Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, and Migration Policy Institute Senior Fellow Doris Meissner here at NDN's offices. This event will also feature a Q&A period with these immigration and border issues experts.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include:

NPI Analysis of Business Labor Immigration Deal: On Friday night Thomas J. Donohue, the president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, and Richard Trumka, the president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the nation’s main federation of labor unions, agreed in principle on a guest worker program for low-skilled, year-round temporary workers. The eight Senate negotiators still need to formally sign off on the deal between the business and labor groups, but they are expected to do so by the end of the weekend.  Below are highlights of the deal, and for an AFL-CIO fact sheet detailing the agreement in principle please click here.

Rubio, Graham Pump the Breaks on Immigration Reform Deal: Days after labor and business announced a major breakthrough in their negotiations on the future flow section of immigration reform. Senator Marco Rubio and Lindsay Graham took to the airwaves to caution that while they had a “conceptual agreement” There was not as of yet an actual agreement on the legislation.  Senator Rubio was particularly forceful in his assertion that the legislation be taken through “regular order” which involves public hearings and amendments from other Senators both in committee and on the Senate floor.

Invite: 2 Live Web Briefings on US-Mexico, Border, Immigration Reform: With the President announcing a May trip to Mexico, and members of the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” taking a constructive trip to the border, NDN/NPI’s 21st Century Border Initiative has put together two timely, informative background briefings on Mexico, the progress made in the US-Mexico border region and how this may impact the all-important immigration reform debate this year.  Both live web briefings take place next week, and are free and open to the public.  Feel free to invite others you think might be interested, and we look forward to connecting with you next week.