Fixing Our Broken Immigration System

Since 2007, NDN has a demonstrated commitment to achieving a sensible immigration system that reflects the needs of the 21st century. NDN began to fight for reform by investing in a Spanish-language radio and television media campaign designed to counter anti-immigrant campaigns.  In addition to reaching out to media outlets, NDN has regularly hosted forums with members of Congress to discuss proposals to fix our current broken immigration system. Through research and polling, conducted most recently among voters in Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and New Mexico, NDN has found that a majority of Americans support a legislative overhaul to fix the broken immigration system, as opposed to passing limited enforcement measures.  

Below, please find some past highlights of our work on immigration reform:

 

Blogs

NDN's Immigration Blog

2010 Highlights

Senator Robert Menendez's Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010 Summary

NDN Statement on New Immigration Framework

Immigration Reform Enters a New Phase by Simon Rosenberg

Commentary on Arizona Bill by Alicia Menendez

2009 Highlights

Presentation: Making the Case for Passing Comprehensive Immigration Reform this Year

7 Reasons Why Congress Should Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform this Year by Simon Rosenberg

Video: Simon Rosenberg makes his case on why congress should pass CIR

Event: Politics & Policy: What to Expect from the Immigration Debate

Video: NDN Forum on Immigration Reform

The Census and Immigration Reform by Simon Rosenberg

Senator Kennedy and CIR by Andres Ramirez

2007 - 2008 Highlights

Event: "Immigration Reform and the Next Administration" - at the DNC in Denver

Polling: Immigration Polling in battleground states

A Responsible Immigration Policy by Simon Rosenberg

Can Democrats Seize the Opportunity the Immigration Debate Offers Them? by Simon Rosenberg

Event: NDN Bicameral Event for CIR

 

Daily Border Bulletin – Obama competitive in Arizona, the price of intolerance in AL, is there too much immigration enforcement?

Your piping hot Daily Border Bulletin is up! Todays bulletin features the following stories:

With a surge in the number of Hispanic voters in Arizona, a general apathy with the local and national elected officials in the state the Obama campaign has indicated that it will be comptetitve ahead of the 2012 presidential elections.

An editorial highlights the cost of "intolerance" of immigrants in Alabama.

And finally a report on the effect of state passed immigration laws on the country as a whole.

Please click here for the full post.

Daily Border Bulletin: Gingrich’s immigration plan in the spotlight, Romney flip flops on immigration, DOJ sues Utah and more

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! In today’s bulletin, Newt Gingrich doubles down on his immigration policy, outlining in greater detail how he would reform our immigration laws. Newt's plan does not allow for a pathway to citizenshp or the ability for undocumented immigrants to vote.  An analysis of Mitt Romney’s stance on immigration polices over the years shows significant inconsistencies.  The Department of Justice is suing Utah over a state passed immigration law. Finally the United States and Canada are set to agree on a plan which would allow the U.S. to track everyone entering and leaving our northern neighbor.

For the full post please check out our new 21st Century Border website.

Daily Border Bulletin: "A small piece of immigration reform," GOP rejects Gingrich on immigration, Arpaio to endorse Perry

DHS to launch pilot program to prioritize deportations this week: An editorial in the Los Angeles Times explores how the the Department of Homeland Security is creating a program to prioritize the deportation of criminal immigrants and weed out the deportation of low profile ones: "Under the pilot program, teams of prosecutors in Baltimore and Denver will review all pending immigration cases in those cities and then decide whether to issue temporary reprieves to the elderly, students, children, victims of domestic crimes and those with a close relative who is a U.S. citizen. Reprieves would be limited to those without criminal convictions. If all goes well, the program would be expanded nationwide in January."

Gingrich's rational views on immigration draw GOP ire:  In the last GOP debate presidential candidate Newt Gingrich outlined his plan to reform our immigration system, immediately drawing condemnation from the leading candidate for the nomination. Meanwhile immigratoin activists urge other GOP candidates to follow Newt's lead and cool their heated immigration rhetoric. This has fallen on deaf ears.

Sheriff Joe to endorse Rick Perry: In hopes of re-igniting his sagging poll numbers in the Republican presidential primary Texas Governor Rick Perry will announce this week that virulent anti immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio will be endorsing him:

"Arpaio espouses a hard-line stance on illegal immigration, leading raids to round up and jail illegal immigrants, and was a major proponent of the controversial Arizona immigration law. Perry has spoken with Arpaio several times over the phone since entering the presidential race.

Arpaio, a much sought after endorsement in the GOP field, plans to campaign with Perry in New Hampshire next week, the source said. The Texas governor will be in the Granite State Tuesday and Wednesday, holding three town halls and a breakfast at the Nashua Chamber of Commerce along with speaking at the New Hampshire State House."

Daily Border Bulletin: "The magic of diasporas,"AL Nabs Mercedes Benz Executive, Florida in a fight over detention centers

Immigrant networks are a bright spot in the world economy - The Economist takes a look at how migrants all over the world are contributing to the global economy: Diaspora networks—of Huguenots, Scots, Jews and many others—have always been a potent economic force, but the cheapness and ease of modern travel has made them larger and more numerous than ever before. There are now  215m first-generation migrants around the world: that’s 3% of the world’s population. If they were a nation, it would be a little larger than Brazil.

Alabama immigration crackdown nabs Mercedes executive - One of the unintentional consequences of Alabamas immigration law is that citizens and people who are in the country legally are being arrested for not having drivers license on suspicion of being in the country illegally. This was the case with a foreign born Mercedes Benz executive: Under Alabama's new immigration law, considered the toughest in the nation, everyone in Alabama must carry a valid identification card, including U.S. citizens. Before the new law, a citation would have been issued and the driver would have been sent on his way. Now offenders are taken to jail,Anderson said.

"It is really ironic and showed the absurdity of this law. Here you have a foreign employer who has brought many workers jobs ... caught in this web that is supposed to bring jobs," said Mitch Ackerman, executive vice president of Service Employees International Union. Ackerman was in Birmingham with 11 U.S. Congressmen to protest the immigration law. Due to a number of unintended consequences including this incident, Republican Governor Robert Bentley,  a strong supporter of the bill, was considering revisions, Canfield said.

Florida town in fight over immigration prison - A small town in Florida finds itself at the center of
a fight over what to do with the record number of immigrants who are being detained by the federal government: In one of South Florida's upscale, rural enclaves, where peacocks roam and horse trails are as
common as sidewalks, town leaders decided to bring in much of their money from an unusual business:
 a prison. Only the leaders of Southwest Ranches kept their plans quiet from residents for almost a decade, and the project has now ballooned into what would be among the federal government's largest immigrant detention centers. Many residents finally caught wind of the idea this year, when U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement announced a tentative deal, and they're angry. They've held protests at public meetings, contemplated whether to recall the mayor before his March election and whether to amend the town charter to make it easier to fire the city attorney pushing the deal.

Daily Border Bulletin - Congressional Delegation to AL, Mexico diversifies exports, and Southern hospitality?

Activists, Congressional Delegation head to Alabama: In reaction to Alabama's state passed immigration law, a delegation is heading to the state, including:

Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez(D-IL) Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force Chair
Rep. Terri A. Sewell(D-AL)
Rep. Joe Baca(D-CA)
Rep. Yvette D. Clarke(D-NY), Secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus;
Rep. Charlie Gonzalez(D-TX), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair;
Rep. Al Green(D-TX)
Rep. Raul Grijalva(D-AZ), Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair;
Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-TX)

"Activists are preparing vigils and acts of protest across the United States  on Monday to demand the repeal of Alabama's anti-illegal-immigrant state law HB 56...
...The event will coincide with a tour of Birmingham, Alabama, by a delegation of 10 Democratic lawmakers led by Luis Gutierrez, who will ask for HB 56 to be revoked.  The delegation plans to call a meeting of area residents and activists to document the impact of the law and later to take part in a massive rally against the measure."

Mexico sees life beyond U.S. export market:  Mexico's economy is growing, which is leading the country to look beyond its traditional export partners: "For years after the North American Free Trade Agreement came into force, the main road to riches for many Mexican entrepreneurs was across the border. Now they are increasingly likely to cross an ocean instead. Mexico's foreign trade with the United States soared after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which also includes Canada, kicked off in 1994, almost tripling in six years.  But having then become dependent on U.S. demand for 88 percent of exports, Mexican firms were heavily exposed to economic shocks across the frontier, and the economy was battered by the financial crash that hit Wall Street in 2008."

Opinion - Southern Hospitality but not for newcomers: A New York Times op-ed highlights the very un-Christian message of Alabamas anti-immigration law.  "According to an Alabama law that went into effect on Sept. 1, it is a crime to knowingly give an illegal immigrant a ride. In reality, I was kosher as far as my immigration status was concerned. And even if I were not, you might walk away scot-free because you didn’t know I was illegal. But after Gov. Robert J. Bentley — who in January apologized for saying after taking office, “Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I’m telling you, you’re not my brother” — signed the immigration law in June, you probably wouldn’t stop for a stranger like me, kosher or not. And that’s one of the problems with the law — its mean spirit. It goes against a basic tenet of Christian belief: “Help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you” (Leviticus 25:35). But that’s not my only beef with the law.

Press Clips: “A Look at the US-Mexico Border Region”

NDN/NPI held a lunchtime discussion with leaders from the border region and a day of private meetings with senior administration officials, about the challenges and opportunities leaders in the US-Mexico border region are facing today. Below are a handful of press clips.

Gary Martin – San Antonio Express “Border Sheriffs Refute GOP Claims of Border War Zone

Robert Moore - El Paso Times - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano: Border tactics OK for now

United Press International - Napolitano: Border plans must be sustained

Ildefonso Ortiz - The Monitor - Politicians, law enforcement clash over spillover violence

Erica Proffer - KRGV Rio Grande Valley, Texas - Hidalgo County Sheriff Returning From Trip to Nation’s Capitol

Robert Moore - Alamagordo Daily News - Napolitano says focus on sustaining border efforts

George Gale - KXO Radio - Calexico Mayor and Police Chief in Nation's Capital

For more on our work visit our new site, www.21border.com.  Check back there for more clips as we get ‘em. 

 

Daily Border Bulletin: Secretary Napolitano and Border Law Enforcement Officials - Border Strategy Is Working

NDN and the New Policy Institute welcomed a delegation of officials from the US side of the southwest border region. At meetings at NDN/NPI and in the White House, the delegation met with representatives from the National Economic Council, the Domestic Policy Council, the Office of Public Engagement and the Departments of State, Commerce and Homeland Security. Those meetings included a one hour session with the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.

Secretary Napolitano talked to news outlets after the meeting:  "One of the things that has happened in the past in the border is you would get a surge of effort for a few months or what have you, and then once the numbers started to turn around, the manpower would be withdrawn or the technology would be shifted around," she said in a phone interview from Washington, D.C.

Napolitano hosted a White House round table discussion earlier Wednesday with border law-enforcement leaders from California and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

"And what we spoke about this morning in our meeting at the White House, and I think the local officials who were there made it very clear, is that this requires continued, sustained involvement and true partnership between federal agents and local police officers and sheriff's deputies," she said.

In another conversation with the press she noted: Electioneering tends to focus on border security and illegal immigration, pushing border commerce to the background, she said.

"Yes, it can be drowned out during a political year, but for those of us who know the border, who've lived on the border, it's just a clarion call to us to speak even more affirmatively about that area of the country and what's been going on there and give a more honest impression," said Napolitano.

Later on in the day NDN held a public event with Congressmen Reyes and Cuellar and a panel of border sheriffs and police chiefs.  At the event border local law enforcement officials directly refuted the notion that the border was a war zone:

"South Texas law enforcement officials and Democratic congressmen said claims by Republicans that the border has become a war zone were untrue and unfairly painted the border region as drenched in cartel violence. “The border is not in chaos,” said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño. “We are not at ‘Ground Zero.'”

The accounts of the border being a war zone also fly in the face of all other statistical evidence:

"According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, the number of homicides reported in Hidalgo County in 2010 was considerably less than in other major metropolitan areas of Texas. In 2010, 36 homicides were reported throughout the county. That same year, Houston reported 269 homicides, Dallas reported 148, San Antonio reported 79, and Austin reported 38."

“There are horrible things happening in Mexico, but that stops at the river,” Treviño said. “U.S. authorities working together stop it at the river.”

For more on the event click here and here. For more on NDN/NPI’s work in this area, visit our new website, www.21border.com, and its YouTube site, http://www.youtube.com/21stcenturyborder, which features dozens of videos of leaders from the border region talking about the very real challenges and opportunities they face.

Congresspeople & Law Enforcement Officials Discuss Opportunities & Challenges in the Border Region

NDN and the New Policy Institute welcomed a delegation of officials from the US side of the southwest border region. At meetings at NDN/NPI and in the White House, the delegation met with representatives from the National Economic Council, the Domestic Policy Council, the Office of Public Engagement and the Departments of State, Commerce and Homeland Security.

For the public portion of the day we were joined by Texas border Congressman Silvestre Reyes and Henry Cuellar for a panel discussion featuring local law enforcement officials from the region, on the successes and the challenges that leaders from the region are facing.

Congressman Reyes noted: "Every time the words war zone are used, we lose business opportunities throughout the U.S.-Mexico border. New businesses and investors are always looking for places to set up shop. Our region has one of the most affordable costs of living and our culture, people, weather and location makes us perfect for many expansions and starts ups."

 “The border is not in chaos,we are not at ‘Ground Zero,” Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino stated echoing Congressman Reyes comments

Congressman Cuellar also felt that the rhetoric around border violence is overstated: “The Coast Guard’s analysis provides concrete, factual information that indicates that our communities north of the Rio Grande border are safe,” said Congressman Cuellar. “We must continue working with law enforcement agencies at every level of government to make sure that our communities continue to enjoy these safety levels and at the same time, ensure that our men and women in law enforcement are trained and equipped to continue doing the invaluable work they do to keep our borders safe.”

The Laredo Congressman also focused on the need to improve the infrastructure of the border in order  to create a better integrated region, noting that the outdated ports of entry have stifled business flow: “It’s a 14th century solution to a 21st century problem.” Cuellar went on to say that what was needed was more investment in the ports of entry as well as better disbursement of funds to local law enforcement officials who often have to deal with the problems of long wait times and other problems associated with the region.

“Our goal today is to let leaders from the border region tell their story in their own words,” said NDN/NPI President Simon Rosenberg. “While there are clear challenges in the region, a great deal of progress had been made in recent years. Crime on the US side of the border has dropped, illegal migration has slowed, seizures of bulk cash, illegal guns and drugs have increased and trade with Mexico is expanding. Mexico is now the 2nd largest export market for American goods, and our third largest trading partner. Trade with Mexico now equals trade with the UK, Germany and Japan combined, and no region in America benefits more from this remarkable flow of trade than our border region with Mexico.”

For a full list of all of the attendees, meetings and background materials please click here and here

NDN/NPI Welcomes Delegation From Border Region to Washington, Conducts High Level Meetings with Administration, Congress

Today, the Washington based think tank NDN and the New Policy Institute is welcoming a delegation of officials from the US side of the border region from Mexico.   At meetings at NDN/NPI and in the White House, the delegation will be meeting with representatives from the National Economic Council, the Domestic Policy Council, the Office of Public Engagement and the Departments of State, Commerce and Homeland Security.   The meetings will include a one hour session with the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano. Joining the delegation will be Congressmen Henry Cuellar and Silverstre Reyes.   

As part of the day long series of events, NDN and the New Policy Institute will be hosting a public forum at its offices at noon.  Several members of the delegation will be speaking about the challenges and the opportunities the border region faces today. The complete list of who is attending the meetings is below.

“Our goal today is to let leaders from the border region tell their story in their own words,” said NDN/NPI President Simon Rosenberg. “While there are clear challenges in the region, a great deal of progress had been made in recent years.  Crime on the US side of the border has dropped, illegal migration has slowed, seizures of bulk cash, illegal guns and drugs have increased and trade with Mexico is expanding. Mexico is now the 2nd largest export market for American goods, and our third largest trading partner.  Trade with Mexico now equals trade with the UK, Germany and Japan combined, and no region in America benefits more from this remarkable flow of trade than our border region with Mexico.”

Continued Rosenberg: “We all understand that the impression in the national media about the border region is not a positive one.  But that impression is incomplete, and does not tell the true story of progress being made both in the US and between our two countries.  Our 21st Century Border Initiative has been built in part to educate the public, policy makers and the press about the more complex realities of the border region, and to help build upon the very real and very exciting progress which has been made in recent years.” 

This day long set of meetings is the second such set of events NDN/NPI has held this year.  In September, NDN/NPI hosted 22 leaders from the border region in a similar set of discussions with leading members of the Administration.  All of this work is part of the think tank’s influential “21st Century Border Initiative,” which envisions a more dynamic, safer and economically vibrant region on both sides of the US-Mexican border.   For more on NDN/NPI’s work in this area, visit our new website, www.21border.com, and its YouTube site, http://www.youtube.com/21stcenturyborder, which features dozens of videos of leaders from the border region talking about the very real challenges and opportunities they face. 

Delegation List

Congressman Silvestre Reyes of El Paso, Texas
Congressman Henry Cuellar of Laredo, Texas
Luis J. Castro, Mayor , Calexico, CA
James Neujahr, Chief of Police, Calexico, CA
Julia Osuna, Economic Development Specialist, Calexico, CA
Adolfo Gonzales, Police Chief, National City, CA
Lupe Trevino, Sheriff, Hidalgo County, TX
Sheriff Martin Cuellar, Webb County, TX
Alejandro Gutierrez, Sheriff’s Office, Webb County, TX
Jose Salinas, Sheriff’s Office, Webb County, TX
Federico Garza, Sheriff’s Office, Webb County, TX
Carlos R. Maldonado, Police Chief, Laredo, TX
Carlos L. Garcia, Police Chief, Brownsville, TX

 

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