21st Century Border Initiative

On April 19, 2012, the Border Mayors Association sent a letter to the White House with a request to include recommendations contained on NDN/NPI report Realizing the Full Value of Tourism from Mexico to the United States as part of the the federal Tourism Strategy. They claimed that Southwest border states are heavily dependent on trade and tourism from Mexico.

Read here the letter sent to the White House: Letter to White House RE Executive Order to increase tourism in the US

Last May, the White House realeased the report National Travel & Tourism Strategy, which highlights the importance of investing in border infrastructure as a way to increase tourism and transportation from Mexico. After the fact, the Border Mayors Association as well as the Mayor of Yuma, Arizona, Alan Krieger, sent thank you letters to the White House for taking into consideration their needs and desires on the National Travel and Tourism report. Here you can read both letters:

Thank You - White House Travel Tourism

Mayor Of Yuma Thank You

With President Obama Our Immigration System Is Better, Our Border Safer/Romney Offers Thin Gruel, Embrace of SB1070/Brewer/Self Deportation/Attrition Approach

In his 2008 campaign President Obama promised to fix our broken immigration system through a strategy we’ve come to know as comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).  CIR’s approach was to improve the system in three ways: 1) deter undocumented immigrants through better enforcement in the workplace and on the border; 2) design a better system for the future flow of immigrants so fewer undocumenteds would enter the country; 3) create a path to legal status for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working among us. 

Despite significant efforts by the Administration to pass CIR in 2010, the Republicans refused to go along and using the Senate filibuster blocked passage, as their party didin previous attempts to pass CIR in 2006 and 2007. 

While CIR may not have passed, due to firm leadership from the Obama Administration over the past few years, more of the elements of CIR have been enacted then many realize, leaving our border safer and immigration system better than it was prior to 2009. 

Let’s review what has been done:

Border Safety, Stopping the Flow of Undocumented Immigrants – The Administration has adopted the most aggressive set of border safely initiatives in US history. More money has been allocated, and  personnel dispatched to the border and there has been much greater cooperation with Mexico in tackling these common challenges than any time in our nations history.  The result today is that despite violence on the Mexican side of the border the communities on the US side have some of the lowest crime rates in the US; there has been virtually no spillover violence; progress has been made in stopping the southbound flow of guns and bulk cash; the net flow of undocumented immigrants from Mexico to the US has dropped from 500,000 a year just a few years ago to zero today. 

While the border has become much safer, importantly these efforts have not stifled legal commerce with Mexico.  Trade with Mexico, despite our economic recent downturn, has grown significantly in recent years.  Mexico is now the US’s third largest trading partner, second largest export market and second largest source of foreign tourists of any country in the world.   New ports of entry have been opened for the first time in a decade, and other ports have been modernized. 

Better Workplace Enforcement – After extensive consultation with businesses the Obama Administration transitioned from large-scale workplace arrests of  undocumented workers to a far more effective electronic I-9 audit system. Under the Obama Administration, cases against employers are up sharply: Immigration and Customs Enforcement quadrupled the number of employer audits after Obama took office, increasing the number of inspections and arrests against those who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Businesses were fined $6.9 million in fiscal 2010, up from $675,000 in 2008. Additionally, the administration has been an aggressive proponent of a national employer verification system, an idea not supported by the current Republican House majority. 

Making Deportation of Criminals A Priority – The Administration has made the deportation of criminal undocumented immigrants the primary deportation priority.  In retrospect, it is hard to believe that this wasn’t the priority of previous Administrations.  Due to the negotiation of unprecedented federal, state and local cooperation on immigration enforcement, this policy has worked.  Net number of deportations of undocumented immigrations are up in the Obama Administration, as are the removal of criminals as a percentage of deportations. 

Temporary Legal Status for DREAMers – The President’s decision to grant deportation relief to DREAM act eligible immigrants was a bold and dramatic act of Presidential leadership, one that should be welcomed by all those who want a better immigration system in America. The move was targeted, legal and the right thing to do.  It will affect about 800,000 of the best and brightest immigrants caught up in a broken system for decisions not of their making. 

Despite Republican opposition, the Obama Administration has made the border safer and the immigration better, while also ensuring a significant increase in trade with Mexico through our common border.  Those who argue that the President’s decision last week to grant two year visas to DREAM eligible youth was election year politics don’t understand that this was just the latest step in a long series of steps to fix our broken immigration – efforts which have seen real and tangible improvement in America’s immigration system.

Romney’s Approach – Thin Policy Gruel, Embrace of Arizona/SB1070 “Self-Deportation.” 

Seen through this light, the Romney immigration outline released yesterday looks like very thin policy gruel.  The enforcement section of his outline lists things already enacted by the Obama Administration.  The reforms in family re-unification, high-end visas and temporary workers are all initiatives already proposed by Democrats, and which do not represent a true redesign of the system necessary to meet the needs of our modern economy and deter future un-documented from entering the country. 

And finally, of course, the outline never addresses the most pressing problem facing our immigration system, the presence of 11 million undocumented immigrants.  From this omission one can only conclude that Governor Romney is sticking with the “self-deportation/attrition” strategy he embraced in the Republican Primaries, a strategy supported by national leaders like Jan Brewer, Joe Arpaio, Kris Kobach and many other Republicans. 

One heard commentators on television this morning praising Governor Romney for softening his tone on immigration.  Perhaps that is the case.  But the only olive branch we saw is in areas of this debate frankly peripheral to fixing the system itself.  On the two big issues – what to do with the undocumenteds and the 800,000 DREAM eligible kids who will have legal visas if Romney were to become President - we are left to assume that they would be subject to the same SB1070/Arizona/Arpaio approach the Governor embraced in the primaries and which will return to the national stage when the Supreme Court rules next week.

The announcement to grant deferred action to allow DREAMers to stay and work in the U.S. for the next two years is “not a permanent solution”, said Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia Muñoz.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced an executive order to grant deferred action to people under the age of 30 who will be relieved from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings if they were brought to the U.S. as undocumented children and if they meet several key criteria.

While this new policy was well received among immigration activists, Muñoz remarked that only Congressional action can pass the so-called DREAM Act, which grants a pathway to citizenship for those who were brought illegally to the U.S. under the age of 16 and who have obtained college degrees in the U.S.  or served in the military.

The new policy excludes young people who have been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or pose a threat to national security or public safety.

John Sandweg, Counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security highlighted that these announcement allows immigration enforcement agencies to focus their resources on the removal of convicted immigrants and repetitive violators of immigration laws.  “Over past three years, there has been an unprecedented transformation of our immigration enforcement system using common sense to remove people who represent a threat to our national security,” Sandweg said in a conference call on Friday, June 15.

The new policy is in line with a previous DHS memo released last June to encourage broad discretion to immigration enforcement personnel to decide which immigrants should be detained and deported.

Sandweg explained that the three agencies under DHS have received the new order and would give priority to young individuals who meet these criteria and who are currently under removal proceedings. The implementation of the new policy is expected to take place within the next 60 days, announced Sandweg.

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

Mexicans are the largest number of business owners in the U.S.- Immigrants
born in Mexico make up 12 percent of immigrant small business owners, followed by
immigrants born in India, Korea, Cuba, China, and Vietnam, according to a new report  by the Fiscal Policy Institute.

Border landowners oppose two bills in Congress- A farmer from Montana and a rancher from Arizona wrote an op-ed in Los Angeles Times to express their opposition to bills pending in Congress that would give unrestricted power to the Department of Homeland Security on all public lands within 100 miles of the U.S. borders.

Foreign visitors' spending is up- The US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration today released tourism data revealing that international visitors spent an estimated US$14 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States in April 2012 - US$1.5 billion more (12 percent) than was spent in April 2011.

Mitt Romney's polling numbers with Hispanic voters are abysmal. The media has attributed this to his extreme statements on immigration. This is only part of the story. Romney's campaign outreach to Hispanics faces deep structural and policy deficits. His campaign does not have the necessary tools to present his best case to Hispanic voters. From a policy standpoint, his stance on the DREAM Act is complicated at best and his embrace of the Ryan Budget puts him at odds with Hispanic voters on education and Medicare.

Romney's sagging numbers in Florida and Obama's considerable lead among Hispanics in Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona shrinks his electoral map path to victory. This electoral map reality makes Romney's lack of outreach to Hispanic voters all the more baffling.

Buzz Feed puts it best: "A full year after Romney launched his presidential bid, the campaign doesn't have a Spanish version of its website, nor has it hired a Spanish-speaking spokesperson. Romney boycotted a primary debate on Univision, leading to the event's collapse, and, to date, he has only done one sit-down interview on a national Spanish network."

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has constructed a Spanish language tumblr which mostly trashes the Obama Administration in Spanish. It is fine to disagree with the President's policy decisions, but to present no policy recommendations of your own is a bit hypocritical. Although you can't really blame the RNC for not presenting any policy recommendations for Hispanic voters, as Romney's campaign has not done so itself. Romney's campaign does not have a policy page yet because they have not worked out where they are on issues important to Hispanics. A perfect example of this is the DREAM Act.

Speaking at the White House's Cinco de Mayo reception, President Barack Obama called on Congress to pass the Dream Act --a measure deeply popular with Hispanic voters. The Romney campaign has repeatedly stated that he would veto the DREAM Act if it came to his desk as President. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a possible vice president pick for Romney, is currently advancing his own version of the legislation. Romney has declined to endorse the legislation and as of this writing was "studying" the legislation.

While immigration is important to Hispanics it is by no means the only issue they vote on, Medicare and education are deeply cherished institutions to this voting bloc. Romney is far to the right of where Hispanic voters are on both issues. Romney has publicly stated that Congressman Paul Ryan's budget plan was "Marvelous." His campaign has indicated that he would be running on a plan similar to Ryan's in the general election. The Ryan Plan certainly is marvelous, as long as you are fabulously wealthy. However for those in the country who rely on a good public education or Medicare it is disastrous.

On education, the Ryan/Romney Plan would eliminate money for 200,000 children in 2014, according to an analysis by the National Education Association. On Medicare, the Ryan/Romney Plan would cut spending on the poorest by about $5 trillion over 10 years from Medicaid and other programs that Hispanics and the rest of working class Americans use. On the other hand, the Ryan/Romney plan balances the budget on the back of the working middle class while giving $4 trillion in tax cuts to the most-wealthy Americans.

While some may disagree with this analysis, even a casual observer can see that the Romney campaign has put zero thought into their Hispanic outreach. The worst thing about Romney's presidential campaign is not their Tumblr page (which is actually an RNC production), nor their lack of Spanish language content/spokesmen, but rather there has been no new ideas about how a Romney Presidency would help Hispanics. Romney's team has indicated that the Hispanic vote is important, but when will he ever actually reach out to them? At this point is it even possible for Romney to reach out without flip flopping completely on past stances? It is perfectly O.K. if Romney wants to engage on other issues with the Hispanic community, he may have a great energy plan.... at this point he just needs to engage.

This is cross posted at the Huffington Post

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories from your Border Bulletin include:

Union challenges Alabama immigration law under NAFTA An international labor union and a Mexican labor lawyers group have filed a complaint challenging Alabama's immigration law under an international trade agreement.

Visa Plan Poses Bipartisan Test Two Senators have found much bipartisan agreement on the need to expand the number of visas given to highly skilled foreigners, however their legislation may be in trouble.

Drones at Mexican border have yet to prove worth Drones at Mexican Border are seen as an enhanced security mechanism by some others are saying they are a waste of taxpayer money.

Over the next several months the Supreme Court will hear arguments over Arizona's state-passed immigration law. Regardless of the outcome one thing should be very clear: the anti-immigrant movement has no long-term strategy to fix our broken immigration system. All these laws have done is create an environment which has stagnated conversation about repairing the systemic problems inherent in our non-functioning immigration system. The bottom line: state-passed laws by design cannot and will not ever reform an immigration system which needs a uniform overhaul from Congress.

Any law which seeks to fix the problems associated with undocumented immigration in our country must deal with three issues on a national scale: 1) how best to enforce our immigration laws; 2) how to deal with those undocumented immigrants currently here; and 3) create a process for moving future flows of legal immigration into and out of the country.

The Obama Administration has already made significant movement on the enforcement part of this strategy. Deportations are at a record high level and undocumented immigration into the country is at a net zero. Most importantly, between 2009 and 2010 for the first time in decades the undocumented population actually dropped, and has remained stagnant to date. In fact in a huge reversal, more Mexican undocumented migrants are leaving the country then are entering it. Despite the strides made, there are those who see state-passed immigration laws as a legitimate fix for our broken immigration system. Playing the devil's advocate, let us envision a scenario in which the Supreme Court upholds SB1070.

Using simple arithmetic, 36 of 51 states have attempted to pass anti-immigration laws similar to Arizona SB1070. However, only six of the thirty six proposals or around16% have actually passed. This suggests that even if the Supreme Court sets a precedent by finding these laws constitutional, it is highly unlikely that anything close to a majority of the states would pass their own immigration laws. Under this scenario removing immigrants currently in this country without documentation would be all but impossible.

A patchwork of state-passed immigration laws will not remove immigrants from the country. The evidence suggests it merely causes them to move from one state to another. Carrying this proposed scenario out further, if states were given constitutional authority to generate mass deportations or to implement a system which compels self-deportation, they would still be reliant on federal enforcement resources and financial support.

From a basic process standpoint states do not have the legal means or resources to deport immigrants. Deportations are a controlled process with specific and expensive steps which must be adhered to. States who attempt to deport on their own would find themselves in a morass of legal red tape coupled with staggering costs. It can cost anywhere from $12,500 to $23,480 to deport one immigrant. Estimates show that deporting the population of undocumented immigrants already in this country could cost as much as $285 billion.

A patchwork of state-passed immigration laws does nothing to fix the utterly broken process of legal immigration into the country. The majority of undocumented immigrants in the country are Visa overstays who came into the country legally. The number of immigrants who apply to come in legally far outnumbers the allocations for visas currently given. Even if possible, deporting all of the undocumented immigrants in the country would accomplish nothing, if the process of legally moving people into and out of the country is not fixed. On their own states simply cannot do this. Any scenario which finds state-passed immigration laws constitutional will only bring the country right back to where we are now, dealing with an immigration system that doesn't work.

The rise of the state-passed immigration movement has been an ideological dead end for the country and a stagnation of real conversation around reforming our current system. The Supreme Court case matters, not just because of the precedent it will set, but because upholding these laws would only give Congressional Republicans the ability to continue to shirk their duty to come to the table and fix our immigration system. Regardless of whether or not the Supreme Court strikes down some or all of SB1070, the inescapable fact remains, states individually will never be able to fix the larger problems associated with our immigration system. Most assuredly, with time the Court's decision will only reinforce a simple fact: the only entity that can fix the mess we are in is Congress.

This has been cross posted on The Huffington Post HERE.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories from your Border Bulletin include:

Arizona lawmaker defends immigration law in Senate: Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing opening arguments on SB1070, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the constitutionality of Arizona's papers please immigration law.

Democrats plan to force vote on Arizona immigration law if it’s upheld by court: At the hearing Senator Charles Schumer revealed that Democrats would be scheduling a vote to overturn Arizona's state passed law.

Russell Pearce: I 'Absolutely' Believe Romney Called SB 1070 A 'Model': Finally Russell Pearce, the architect and only politician in the history of Arizona to ever be recalled has said that he thinks Mitt Romney was talking about Sb1070 when he cited Arizona as a model for the country.

The Supreme Court debate over SB1070 Arizona’s immigration law is likely to have a significant impact in the coming general election. The candidate’s stances on the law are sure to be litmus tests for many Hispanic voters. While the President is firmly against the law, Mitt Romney’s stance shines a harsh light on his ties to many of the authors of the bill, his serious problems with Hispanic voters, and further validates his reputation as a political opportunist.

By all accounts Romney was a moderate Republican Governor; however in a brutal primary in an attempt to placate Tea Party Republicans suspicious of his campaign he took hard right stances on immigration issues. A recent NBC/WSJ poll reports that Romney’s favorability gap with Hispanic is at 23 percent  favorable 42 percent unfavorable. A CNN/Opinion Research Poll reports that 71 percent of Hispanic’s polled are opposed to the bill. Unsurprisingly Romney has begun toning down his rhetoric on this issue, however what he is saying and doing has been two different things.  Nowhere is this more apparent than his stance on SB1070. 

To his credit Romney has begun to distance himself from immigration hardliners including Kris Kobach the author of SB1070.  Despite Romney’s statements to the otherwise, Kobach claims he still advises the campaign on immigration daily. Romney has also begun to embrace more Hispanic vote, as a senior advisor to his campaign.

He has even floated Florida Senator Marco Rubio as a possible VP pick, a decision that is already paying dividends.  Rubio recently gave Romney cover on a controversial statement he made in a primary debate about Arizona’s law being a model for the country. Rubio recently said that he does not believe that the law should be a model for the country. The Romney campaign then clarified his previous statement, saying that their candidate was referring to E-Verify, an employment verification tool, not SB1070 and that Romney’s views were consistent with Rubio’s.

Despite clarifying his comments on Arizona’s immigration law Romney is not shying away from his connections to the drafters of the policy. He has received the endorsements of the bills authors and main supporters in Russell Pearce, Kris Kobach and Jan Brewer. Why, because after alienating women and Hispanic voters, he needs the conservative wing of his party if he has any chance of winning this election.  In another example of actions speaking louder then his words two days before the Supreme Court was set to hear opening arguments, Romney held several fundraisers and a rally in Arizona. Since his campaign has skillfully obscured his position on the Arizona law, the real question for the general election is what roles are Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Governor Jan Brewer, Sheriff Paul Babeu and Senator Russell Pearce going to play in the national campaign this fall?  

For general election voters broadly and Hispanic voters in particular this is just another instance of Mitt Romney trying to have it both ways. He accepts the endorsement of the authors of the legislation, yet attempts to muddy his views on the legislation. Who knows exactly what Romney thinks as he is only speaking through his campaign, and they are parroting another politicians stance. In the end Congressman Xavier Becerra, said it best, “There’s a saying in Spanish that says it all: Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres. Tell me with whom you walk and I will tell you who you are.  We now know who Mitt Romney is.” 

This piece originally ran on NBC Latino